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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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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The Waffle House Experience

Waffle & Hash browns

Waffles & Hash browns

My personal experience at the Waffle House was less than ideal.  It started when I drove up to the place and parked my car.  The few workers that were there were all congregated outside the place just ‘hanging out.’  It definitely wasn’t a staff meeting.

On this particular day, I happened to go straight after work.  The place was pretty empty except for one lone man eating on the far side of the restaurant from where I was seated.

As you may or may not know, the menu is also very limited here—waffles, eggs, hash browns, and maybe a couple other things, but that’s pretty much it.  I placed my order with the girl who escorted me to my table—she also happened to be the one that cooked my food as she smacked on her chewing gum.

As I observed my surroundings and watched her cook my food, I realized anyone could probably just come in off the street and slop their own food around in this “kitchen.”  The place did not look very clean and it was less than appealing to watch the food being made.

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