Chennai: Photo Diaries
This is an entire highlight reel (kind of ?)
Chennai was my first stop upon my independent travel trip and boy did it shake me up. Before Chennai, I thought everything was going to be quite…...nonchalant?
Ever since I got to India I would say I easily adapted. With ease, I got along with my host family, ate the most mesmerizing vegetarian food and became apart of the community on Lakshmi road. My expectations from start to end came with the pre-existing knowledge that traveling solo at first was going to be a little rough. I was going to have to trust myself moreover have time to think, but what I did not realize was how tiring it would all be. How my emotions were somewhat over the place despite believing I had the clearest head. This was not as easy as I thought.
Consequently, Youtube travel vlogs did not prepare me for my relentless struggle of hoping Airbnbs. They did not illustrate my fight of carrying a 17 kg bookbag everywhere I went, nevertheless traveling the cheapest means of crowded transportation. The first 2 days I was in Chennai I was bedridden from food poisoning, something I especially did not expect from my love of Indian food and my optimism for everything I encounter.
However, saying all this, I was also a bit surprised elsewhere- mentally elsewhere. These past 4 months in India have, in all honesty, truly changed my idea of what perseverance means. What used to scare me my first two days of my trip has become a quaint stroll through a park, a natural, blissful, adventure. Everyone I have encountered – from Chennai to Bangalore so far- has been so incredibly kind, helping a lost foreigner who understands “Thoda sa” Hindi to the best of their abilities. I’ve felt a different push, one leaving me more excited for any new challenges life brings my way. Nevertheless, I do not want to take for granted any of my new experiences as I do have the privilege to travel, something so many people are not able to do. Traveling on a budget has taught me to resist fear and assist with love, something I believe wholeheartedly is making me into a better person.
Ordinarily, here are photos are of my last full day in Chennai, of which I tried to make the most of my last day of 2019.
Sincerely, Danielle
