Chennai (Madras), India - April 19

After 2 days at sea we have finally hit land. The Indian Ocean was kind to us as we crossed – like glass for most of the way.

We are again ported at the shipping area of town which is less than attractive. What is even less attractive than the view is the smell. It smells exactly like the Heritage Park blacksmith shop – and all of the outdoor areas of the ship are covered with a light film of soot. It is obvious where this comes from as near to us are mounds and mounds of what looks like coal (although I really have no idea what it actually is.)

Our tour today isn’t until the evening so we spend a relaxing afternoon on the ship and get a bit of laundry done.

For dinner we visit a hotel for an authentic Indian meal. I have never been so lost at a meal in my entire life. All of the food was very good, but I had no idea what curry to eat with that bread, or should I drink the small cup of broth or use a spoon. It hardly mattered, but WOW – different. I drank Indian Kingfisher beer as I was a bit reluctant to try the Indian wine. We were entertained by dancers and musicians throughout the night.