Arrived ... well almost!!

Landed today to a very wet and muggy afternoon. I packed everything I could think of for India except a raincoat.... how wise???
I decided to take a chance and catch an auto rickshaw into town... its cheaper and here's why. If you can imagine yourself in a small three wheel trike covered and motorised playing dodgem cars with trucks,cars, bikes and whatever other vehicle thinks it can survive on the road weaving in and out of traffic... then you are starting to get the hair raising ride of death that is the rickshaw ride. OK it may be a little bit of an exaggeration I am sure countless generations of Indians have been hurtling around their city without too much injury.. after all I did only see one accident in my first rickshaw ride. I made it though! Haggled on the room price and have decided that Chennai is not a place I want to stay for longer than necessary. For one thing I am having an awful time trying to cross the road.. its a bit of a challenge.. I was actually egged on by a guy on a motorbike to just go for as i almost try then retreat in despair.. then try again and then stand on the middle of the road waiting for an Australian version of a break in the traffic. The Indian one is to just put your hand up and assume that they will go around you if they dont feel like slowing down.. lots of veering around the obstacle course of people, bikes scooters buses and trucks...