My Trip To Chennai, India (Part 4)

Motorbiking around Chennai, India

If you haven’t noticed by now, India has a lot of motorbike riders.  Motorbikes are less expensive than cars which is why you’ll see them in abundance all over the streets of India.  We were able to borrow a bike from someone so I could briefly ride around town on one for fun.  I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of NOT having a helmet on my head but I took a chance.  Even though I survived the ride with no problems, I highly suggest wearing helmets before getting onto a motorbike—especially with the crazy driving that goes on in India.

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My Trip To Chennai, India (Part 3)

Me in an Indian sari

This day we left at 6:00 in the morning and drove all the way from Chennai to Tiruchirappalli (otherwise known as Trichy).  It was about a 5-hour drive.  We left early because we were only going to be in Trichy just for the day then planned to return to Chennai later that night.

I had no idea that later that day I would eventually be wrapped in a sari while I was there.  It was a pleasant surprise.  As a girl who loves clothes, I was all for it.  I never realized how much material was involved and how complex a sari could be.  It was gorgeous.  And after she finally got me into it properly, we topped it off with a bindi on my forehead.

She was sweet to give me the sari as a gift.  I totally did not expect that.

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My Trip To Chennai, India (Part 2)

Thiruvanmiyur Beach food vendor

For this part of my trip, one stop we made was to Thiruvanmiyur Beach.  (Thiruvanmiyur is like a suburb of Chennai.)

We ate cotton candy and kulfi ice cream (yummy) while beach strolling and passing by many food vendors—some of which had the most pretty and colorful food.  But eating from ‘street’ vendors is not always the best idea.  It’s just a chance you take.  It’s not always a bad idea—but you sometimes might pay for it later (if you know what I mean).

It was fun to watch all the waves and people surfing.  I have to say—the beach could have been a little cleaner though.  It would have been a much nicer beach had the locals not trashed it so much with litter and such.

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My Trip To Chennai, India (Part 1)

India luggage

This post is a long time coming.  My trip to India was actually back in July/August 2016 but due to many different circumstances, I am only just now getting around to writing about it.

This trip was planned one month in advance unlike my trip to Dubai that was planned within 24 hours—so I’m getting better at giving myself more time to travel these days.  But, who am I kidding?  It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t live life so spontaneously.

I traveled alone again.  It took me about 32 hours to get to Chennai, India with three different planes and the super long layovers (5 hours, 9 hours, 3 hours)—but I stayed in India almost three weeks.  And with those kinds of layovers, I had to keep myself entertained somehow—and usually it was with food.  No surprise there!

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Floating In Donut Dreamland

Krispy Kreme Donuts

Chocolate Iced Glazed, Chocolate Iced Cake, Chocolate Iced with Kreme Filling, Chocolate Iced Custard Filled, Apple Fritters, and Original Glazed

Have you ever seen a herd of 2,000 or so donuts pass before your very eyes before?  Not in a dream—but in real life?!  Well, I’m here to tell you—it’s a real vision.

As I stood and watched the production of these Krispy Kreme donuts, my eyes couldn’t help but get bigger and bigger.  I suddenly had visions of a massive swimming pool being filled to the rim with donuts specifically so I could dive right into the dead center of it.  I wouldn’t even have minded the stickiness of it all if I could surround myself with love like that.

At the front counter, I studied the many different types of donut choices I had to choose from.  Do you have any idea how many different kinds of donuts they were selling?  I mean, talk about the important decisions one needs to make in life!  But you would be right in asking, “How does one actually choose from amongst the masses?”

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An Intimate Dinner For One

Chicken Fried Rice & Spring Rolls

Vegetable Spring Rolls with julienned carrots, cabbage, celery, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and  sweet & sour sauce; Chicken Fried Rice tossed in soy sauce with egg, carrots, bean sprouts, and scallions.

This place is one of my favorite China Bistro’s.  Every time I happen to go to PF Chang’s, I manage to order the same thing over and over again—but it’s what I love.

The spring rolls are delish dipped in the sweet & sour sauce—every single time!  I did try a sweet chili sauce they gave me but I didn’t like it as well as my regular sweet & sour sauce that’s grown on me.  The chicken fried rice I could eat for days on end—they give you so much of it.

But on three separate occasions, I always asked for an order of two spring rolls but they always came back with four.  I only paid for two but ended up with four each time.  Not sure where the disconnect was—but I’m not complaining since I’m not being charged for their mistake, and more importantly, I get to keep all four to myself!

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Home Cookin’ From Your Neighbor’s Home

Meatloaf dinner

Meatloaf dinner with garlic bread, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and collard greens.

Here’s a place I wanted to try because I saw it on an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives” on the Food Network.  Amazingly, I had never heard of it before I saw that episode on TV.

So away I went in search of YJ’s Snackbar.  It was definitely in an area I could have easily missed and drove right past had I not been paying attention.  This is definitely a place you know the local neighbors go to eat when they don’t feel like cooking for themselves at home.

I had perused the menu ahead of time before I even went to this place—and thank goodness I did!  I noticed that you can’t really choose much from the menu because they only serve what they choose to serve that particular day of the week you happen to be there.  So I decided to choose the Soul Food Tuesday dinner for my outing.

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