Your #1 Travel Tip

gaurav1441

High heals are acceptable..

Travel*grl

I couldn't possibly get anymore frustrated with my new business partners than I am currently with my one's in the US. I actually welcome the opportunity - I think it's going to be very different than what I am used to.

Relax? No way! There's people to meet, things to see, pictures to take......

You have made me SO happy!!

camelgirl

You may change your mind once you're there. If you have to do any walking. But if you are in an office environment where other women wear them, well you'll feel right at home! I know I've seen women wearing them, but not very often. Then again, they are probably more office attire.

If will be interesting if you could get back to us after you've been there for a couple of weeks to let us know about the work side of being in India (as opposed to the tourist side). What's different, what's the same. Your impressions.

__________________
My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

staremperor73

do you need to declare any food items on arrival? If so is it a long process? I was thinking of taking some tuna, crackers, nut bars etc..but the thought of waiting hours at the airport to get food checked turns me off the idea.

Brisso

These types of processed foods - no. They would be fine anywhere.

Fresh food, smallgooods perhaps. I have never noticed Indian customs (or quarantine, if such exists) pay any attention anyhow.

Raghu.Kumar

Hi Travel girl,

Welcome to Chennai. January is one of the best times to be here if you dont like to be roasted. Its pleasant.

I saw ur other posts as well and since you would be working US time, you would some time during the day and can cover many places at a time and also utilise all the weekends to go up farther away from the city.

Chennai is great for shopping and you will enjoy it if you have a flair for shopping. There are nice ancient temples, Great Churches , the beach, the crowd, the discos, the cogffee pubs, cultural centres and what not. You can choose from a variety of things.

Over the weekends you can take the hop on hop off bus to all the places on the East Coast Road ( ECR ) visit places like Dakshina Chitra ( a cultural centre and eco village), Mamallapuram stone temples, the Muttukadu Lake etc. The hop on hop off bus is the cheapest and the safest mode and very convenient. The cost is less than 4 dollars for a one day trip. The bus is air conditioned and come along with a guide. This is operated by the Govt of Tamilnadu.

One thing you would need to be cautious is about the drinking water. Just buy Acquafina ( pepsi) mineral water while you are on the move and while staying at the apartment ask them to provide you with bubble top mineral water cans.

Where would you place of work and place of stay be ? The reason I am asking is, public transport is not that good. You can use the autorickshaws or Tuk Tuk as they call in Bangkok, but if you are not familiar with the places they might fleece you. I think since you would be working during the night shift, the company would provide you with pick up and drop facility. Please insist on the same if they have not said anything about it.

Chennai is home to a variety of cuisine and you dont have to worry about the choices. You name it, we have it. Thai, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, French, continental, Malaysian and the list goes on......

You can wear any type of dress in chennai, trousers, tees, skirts, with sleeves or withoutand hsould not be an issue as Chennai has become more cosmopolitan nowadays. You just have to watch our people in front of Pasha, Gatzby or any other start hotel on a Friday night or a Saturday night and you would think, that you are in a New York pub for a moment. Such is the change thats happening.

Chennai has got its traditional charm. when you walk down the lanes of Mylapore and Triplicane, you can still see that south Indian culture and tradtion still exists around the beautiful temples , Kapaleeswar and Sri Parathssarathy with their huge temple tanks the front.

About high heels, they are fine at the work place, provided you need to be carefull while climbing stairs ro walking inside the campus. In some places its too slippery and in some places it might be rough and uneven. However I would advise you against wearing highheels while going round within chennai as the city roads nor the pavements are pedestrian friendly. You will know what I mean when you actually see it. The best way is to wear a pair of sneakers, comfortable and cool.

I hope the above info is of some help. Do lets us know if you need more tips in the coming days.

Best Wishes,

Raghu

__________________
S.Raghu Kumar
sahana_kumar@yahoo.com

Nick-H

The Chennai streets and pavements, full of holes and irregularities are no place for high heels!

Aishah

Same here, Nick - you would sprain your ankles with high heels walking outside around here. But what you could do is wear your sneakers for outside walking and keep the high heels at work if you want to wear them in the office.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

gaurav1441

Well thought heels to be used only during the office hours and not on the roads and the pavements...

It is definitely not recommended for sight -seeing tour of Chennai.

alouise

No, I didn't worry about that.

namaste_cat

Travel*grl, you might change your mind about your shoe choices once you see the uneven sidewalks & streets in India In the office though is fine I think. I don't wear high heels in the U.S. or anywhere else either so just going by what my Indian friends have told me about their workplaces.

My #1 tip in terms of travel/living philosophy in India - go with the flow. For this, pack mega doses of patience.

#1 trivial but practical tip - carry a nail brush. I wear my nails short, and the whole time I'm in India, I just can't get them clean enough. Now I've learned, and carry my brush with me. Maybe you can get one there, don't know.

#1 health tip - If you don't mind being considered a crazy person like me, carry a shower filter. Mine travels with me no matter where I go. No, I'm not in the habit of drinking water in the shower or anything but I'm paranoid so this puts my mind at ease.

P.S. agree with camelgirl about Indian English both written and conversational. That's what makes travel so much fun though!

darth_lucifer

#1 Travel Tip:
Never overplan your travel

Travel*grl

Raghu- great information you have passed along! I really am excited. I am a pro when it comes to walking in heels, but will heed everyone's advice and wear flats when not in the office. I will be staying in a hotel (I'm not sure where it's located yet or how close it will be to work) but will inquire if rides will be provided.

hitanshu

on the lines of darth lucifer, here's another one: always keep spare undies! Stay comfortable - the rest can be handled

__________________
SMASH!!!!

alouise

Disagree, especially if on limited time. But by overplan, I mean not just planning one itinerary. Being rigid is a waste of time, it's asking for disappointment and hassles which at some point may become just too stressful. Rather, avoid all this by being flexible. Plan so throughly that you have Plan A,B,C or D up your sleeve, so you can make the switch at any time. It is possible, and avoids trouble.