Sensory Overload in Chennai, India

On April 19, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn India, Photo Challenge2 Comments

It is hard to describe to people the overall sensation of what it was like when we arrived in Chennai during our visit to India several years ago. With that many people living in one place, around 8.5 million people, the city is a always in constant motion with cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, trucks, and people seemingly going everywhere. It is also a city filled with colorful buildings and ornate temples, making it visually stunning to see. There is no escaping the constant noise of the city, most specifically the constant honking that can be heard 24 hours a day. Drivers in Chennai don’t honk out of frustration or anger with other drivers, but it is a form of communication to let other drivers know that they are passing, turning, or moving over. Since they don’t stay in the lanes of the roads, it is a hectic dance where they beep horns and swerve in and out of lanes as they make their way through the intense traffic. Another thing that hits you immediately as you exit the airport is the intense confluence of smells that fills the air. With all of the strong spices used in the cooking of Indian food, the combination of animals and people roaming the streets, and the lack of sanitation, it is an overwhelming experience.

It is definitely something that truly can’t be described unless you have been exposed to someplace similar yourself. It took us two full days before the constant din, motion, aromas, and sense of truly being a outsider in a strange place reached a sense of normalcy. In many ways, it is amazing the way the mind is able to adapt itself under what would seem to be extreme changes in surroundings. We have been to many large cities around the world, but there is nothing that compares to the time that we spent in Chennai. To be clear, it is still one of our favorite places that we have visited, partially because it was so different than any place else. It is hard to imagine what it must be like for the citizens that live in that environment with such a prolific sensory experience on a daily basis and not just for a few short weeks.

Going With the Flow

On April 17, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, Travel Tips13 Comments

We have mentioned previously that we don’t always spend a ton of time planning for a trip and there are other times that we do. We had been going back and forth on where to go for our first big trip of the year and we couldn’t seem to make up our minds. Our initial plan was to go to Vietnam and Cambodia since we wanted to get into Asia, but the airline tickets were more than we were hoping to spend. Then we looked at going back to England as we could get a non-stop flight to London at a relatively reasonable price, but we were hoping to go someplace other than Europe, so we decided not to go there. We had also been tossing around the idea of going to Egypt and then 10 days ago we went ahead and booked our airline tickets. We then researched and found a tour company that had a good reputation and we just finalized our tour itinerary yesterday. In conjunction with that, we also booked our hotel stays and the tour company is taking care of reservations for our Nile River Cruise and flights from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan back to Cairo. Since we leave for Egypt in a little over two weeks from today, that means that it will be four weeks from the time that we decided on our trip until the day we leave for Egypt. Fortunately, we are getting e-Visas, so that wasn’t an issue as well and we could have gotten a tourist visa when we arrived at the airport, but we didn’t want to leave it to chance. Now we just have a few items to buy for our time in the desert heat and then we can relax and just look forward to our trip.

For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Free and Easy, we are sharing some photos of waterfalls. How comfortable would you be planning a trip to a foreign country that you have never visited before in less than four weeks from initiation to departure?

A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way

On April 10, 2018April 10, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, Travel Tips6 Comments

Have you ever had a flight delayed or cancelled and had to go to the airline desk to see about getting on another flight? People can be so rude and angry with the staff at the desk who had nothing to do with what caused the issues with the flight. We see it almost every time we travel, someone is berating a poor attendant instead of treating them with respect and kindness. As if somehow, if they yell loud enough, their circumstances will suddenly change. We always try to be understanding and not take out frustrations on the employees or each other. It doesn’t mean that it is always easy, emotions can get the better of you, but you will be far happier and the people around you will be much happier if you keep your emotions in check. There have been more than a few times when there have been issues with our flight or hotel room and we have had to ask for assistance to get things fixed. On several of those occasions we have not only had our issue resolved, but they have even upgraded our seats or room. Granted, both us as well as the person helping us were pleasant with one another, so clearly it needs to be a two-way street. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is about Kind and Caring, so here are a few photos to help put you in a calmer mood for the next time you have to deal with an unfortunate situation. 🙂