A Day at the Beach

On our free day my new “roomie” Jessica and I set out to see the beaches of Chennai. Like all of the other cities we have visited in India there are hundreds of people. We hired a rickshaw driver to take us to the beach. We thought we were getting a good bargain, only 100 rupees (about $2.50).

Our driver took us through the winding streets filled with people doing whatever people do on a Sunday. We passed shantytowns off the side of the road. People were bathing and washing at public spickets. Most cities try to supply toilets within a close proximity to housing. Many families share one toilet. At least it is better than no facilities at all. The streets are very dirty and lined with trash. It is hard to see the way some children of this world have to live.

We finally arrived at the beach. The pictures speak for themselves. There were hundreds of people out for a Sunday afternoon. No one was swimming despite the temperatures that were well into the 90’s, apparently there is a strong undertow. So we stuck our feet in the Bay of Bengal, took the picture and decided NOT to hang out. By the way this is the same beach where 200 people were killed during the Tsunami a few years ago. It’s not exactly the Jersey shore.

We wanted to go back to our hotel to swim. Well, you get what you bargain for…our special price included two must see stops to the gift shop. “Best prices, you just look, you don’t have to buy”. Yea right! So somehow I don’t think our trip was worth the special price as we could hardly carry back our purchases. But then again it was just another day at the beach.