20 Hours for Nothing

I just stepped off the bus back to Chennai. I got here early Friday so that I could get my passport back from the consulate.

Oh yea, and I celebrated Thanksgiving at a rural Kerala bus stop. I'll upload the picture later.

And surprise-- it looks like they don't have it. I can think of nothing worse than spending the weekend in tropical Chennai.

Well, maybe I could go to the beach and even out this awful farmer's tan. BUT-- you can't swim at the beach because of riptides.

And-- more importantly-- people here are more conservative than any Middle Eastern country I've been to. You can't take your shirt off at the beach. Women have to swim in full dresses. On the bus, I was asked to change seats because a woman was going to sit down next to me.

What gives? Anyway, I might have to bear Chennai until Monday. For now, I've resolved to keep calling the US Consulate for status updates...