Moving to Chennai

Hello!

I'm interested in hearing more from current expats living in Chennai.

My husband and I will be moving to Chennai in September/October this year for a 3 year assignment with his company. I am trying to find out as much as I can before we go for our "look-see" in July.

-Is there an area where expats live?
-Are there expat organisations that trailing spouses can become involved in?
-Do the majority of people have a car (and a driver)?
-How's public transportation? Is it easy to navigate?
-Are there stores that stock foreign goods?

Look forward to hearing from those who can share information on relocating to Chennai.

Thanks!

Hi caryad
HOw are you..
Its great that you will be moving to Chennai.. Me and my husband moved here from Indonesia a couple of years back. We're Indians but never lived in India at all.
TO answer your questions :
1) Expats are pretty spread out. But the favourite areas seem to be Adyar / Besant Nagar / NUngambakkam
2) Well as far as i know there arent but we expats get together once in a while..
3) Yes, car is a must here i feel.. and you cant drive on these roads esp if u have lived abroad.. u need a driver to handle it.
4) I would personally NOT recommend using buses / trains.. autos (tuk tuks) are ok..
5) Yes, depends what kind of foreign goods you mean..
We'd love to say hi when you visit..
Apparently i am not allowed to give u my email id here.. So i guess i'll wait to here from u here!

Moderator Note:

Please refrain from using 'u', use you instead.

Driving here is perfectly possible. It is even possible that it might be enjoyable, for a while, until the frustration of it gets to you

The range of goods available in the chops has expanded greatly. Seven years ago, I had to get a dish brush posted to me from UK: now they are in every supermarket.

I have almost entirely avoided using buses, and wouldn't even try in office-travel hours. We don't have much of a sub-urban train network, but what there is can be very useful if you live in the right place for it. There is a line called MRTS, which is just great, but, in a typical urban planning disaster, the stations are not the sort of places you would want to be after dark.

Danmita & Nick,

Thanks for your responses. Most appreciated.

I will further investigate the areas of Adyar and Besant Nagar.

Thanks for letting me know about having a car and public transportation.

Looking forward to the move and the look-see!

Caryad

Caryad

Just saw your post and realized that we have two things in common. My wife and I have also just signed up to move to Chennai in September and, we are currently in Japan. Do let me know how you get on with the look-see. I have been to Chennai once before and am likely to go back in July. I used Global Adjustments for the first look-see and they were great.

But expensive?

Never mind, if it it can be covered by the corporate budget, use them!

Clarkca,

I'll try and find out who the company uses to help with the look-see. I'll be sure to mention Global Adjustments to my husband.

When you know that you are moving, time seems to pass really quickly! I hope your move from Japan goes smoothly!

Caryad

Caryad ... welcome to IM ... hope you have a smooth transition from Japan to Chennai ... if the company will pay for a driver then that is the way to go ... traffic can be quite annoying ... I used to drive in Chennai and it was not fun ... Nick is the best source for all your Chennai questions

Thanks but as an "Chennai-born American" who lived and worked here recently, you have a heap of experience that I know nothing about at all. Perhaps it didn't include what it's like for a non-Indian moving here, but still, my lifestyle and economy is a lot closer to "local" than to "ex-pat."

Hi, Have you moved to Chennai?
Arun

Hi Caryad,
Have you found your accommodation yet? Depending upon your work place you can choose where you want to stay.
Arun

as1237,

We relocate early next month.

We came in July for a weeks "look-see", mainly looking at houses along ECR and a few apartments in the city.

We have temporary accomodation near OMR while we wait for our things to be shipped from Japan to India.

Exciting times ahead!

C

Good luck with your move. Welcome to Chennai!

Thanks Nick!