“We flew into Chennai (formerly Madras) with our 4 travelling companions. It is India’s 4th largest city with a population of nearly 7 million. Most of them seem to be on the streets at the same time! “
Chennai is crowded, chaotic, extremely noisy, dirty and smelly! The poverty and squalor are overwhelming.
We saw a lot of people literally just lie down in the middle of the pavement to sleep and we saw families including babies living on the pavements.
Beggars and hawkers pester you as you walk along the streets or in the roads, as sometimes the pavements are immersed under all sorts of things, solid and liquid.
We had been told and read that a visit to India assaults all your senses and it certainly does that. It really makes you appreciate your own life.
Not only is the sheer number of people on the streets overwhelming, but the appalling conditions and incessant noise exaggerate the effect almost everywhere you go. There is little escape in the big cities.
The Tourist Board offices are very helpful in the cities and often organise tours to show off the highlights of the locality.
The tour in Chennai took in Hindu temples, monuments, a snake farm and a museum. The temples are a must in such places and Chennai was no exception, but a plan of escape from the frenetic mayhem of the city is never far from your mind.
