The humidity is one of the first things you notice (how could you not) - my first sense if one of less oxygen and greater difficulty breathing, and at the same time the softness of the hot damp air that feels like a constant hug.
People driving on the left side of the road makes an obvious first impression.
I am also struck by...
People ignoring traffic lights and somehow spontaneously inventing a complex dance to weave around one another without crashing in intersections
Men sleeping in the backs of big trucks (this makes me sad)
Lights and more lights (many strung in the colors of India's flag) dazzling the streets of even Mumbai's slums in honor of Ganesh Chaturthi (noticeable even from the plane)
Loud drumming all through the night to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi - there are clearly different norms about noise pollution here. These helped keep us awake during our midnight stop over.
Stray dogs, everywhere... but they don't really strike me as ferocious, but rather seem meek and weak (I haven't really walked amongst them yet, so my opinion on this matter may change).
Lots of young men, walking in the street, alone or in small groups. Presumably women stay indoors at this hour.
Very very pungent smells, particularly body odors (which I noticed as soon as we stepped on the Jet Airways flight from Hong Kong to Mumbai). I think my olfactory senses will be frequently arrested in this country.
Cows on the sides of the street! (I can't wait to see elephants!!!)
The surprise of fast and hard monsoon rains, coming down in sheets one minute and clearing the next (apparently we brought good luck both to Mumabi and Chennai). These were perfect because we got to enjoy them from inside and then they ceased by the time we needed to go out into the street again.
The auto rickshaws are another obvious cultural relic. Riding in one provides a whole different perspective of the world with the low ceilings, the open sides and pleasant breeze at 5am, the feel of every vibration of the roads.
Auto rickshaw drivers who drive with no shoes... (this has made a strong impression on me)
Of course, the clothes are different, but I won't get into that now
Signs in the pretty swirls and straight line tops of Hindi and Tamil also attest to being in a new country. I look forward to discovering amusing, poorly constructed English signs as well.
Much of this feels familiar to Latin America...
Walls on the sides of the streets painted with advertisements
Banners of politicians who are trying to appear like your best friend paced at an interval frequency that seems nothing short of excessive
Trash in the streets
The way people weave in their cars in and out of seemingly non-existent lanes
The honking, oh the constant honking
Lost of scooters, especially in Chennai, constantly dashing in and out and cutting you off
The ridiculously loud fire crackers for this festival (though many of them sound more like bombs here!)
The stray dogs
The noise level of the cities - certainly much livelier than American cities
The bright colors of clothing and well bejeweled women - like eye candy (though I believe Latin American women wear more make up)
Simple stuccoed outsides of buildings (often run down) and beauty that is saved for the inside of the home
The smell of diesel fumes on the streets
Chennai is a city of lots of trees - this surprises me. I am also surprised that the air here seems remarkably free of the hazy smog layer I expected to see in most Indian cities.
I am overjoyed to see the flame of the forest trees that I so cherished in southern Mexico (images of the Mayan Palenque ruins in Chiapas come streaming back).
Nikhil's parents' home is very pleasant. I especially love the tropical trees and plants in the yard -- the banana, mango, papaya, coconut... Appa (Nikhil's dad) pointed out a chameleon to me that did indeed adapt its color to the bark of the tree; he has also pointed out lizards and dancing bees - if it weren't so hot out, I could sit on the porch and observe these critters for hours. The sight of them makes time slow down.
Must stop, the maid has come to sweep. More soon. :)
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7 comments:
:) thanks for posting, i can almost see and experience what you've described, with relish i might add. although i am surprised by Chennai being full of trees and free of smog (or less of it at any rate) :D...enjoy the visit dear!
wow wow - hit by a storm? :) i can totally imagine. and your first line about humidity (the constant hug part), i feel *exactly* the same way when i enter chennai or mumbai (bangalore, where i come from, is a lot drier). i hope you have a great stay!
:) nice to read about your experiences.
the humidity! you know, sometimes i miss it! when i went to cancun, after months and months of staying in dry california, i really cherished the "constant hug" :) other people were like, "are you nuts?" :)
try to find a cooling sea breeze if you can :) and have a GREAT time!
H.A. - I haven't seen enough of Chennai to see if there's much in the way of public parks here, but there are certainly more trees lining streets than I would have expected.
P.V. - Yes, hit by a brief storm. And this, of course, after Niks swore I wouldn't need a rain jacket this time of year. ;) But, alas, we've gotten the rain at convenient times when we've been inside, so it's the best of both worlds. I was joknig the other evening that we ought to go to whichever part of India is in need of water, since we seem to be bringing rain to each city we're visiting so far.
Adu: I can imagine that if I grew up in a humid place, I would probably miss it. For me personally, it's both a positive and a negative and is nice in small doses. Will definitely look out for the cool breezes.
for the record, i never swore any such thing... :)
lol! the maid sweeping the room...now you've experienced domestic life in India...where the maid has the power to kick you out of rooms while she cleans up :D
So true Sachin - this whole business of getting kicked out of rooms or having to wake up early because a maid is there to clean is totally foreign to me.
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