Sriharikota and Pulicat

Last Saturday my husband and I went out to see Sriharikota (said to be like the Kennedy Space Center), and was disappointed because unlike the Kennedy Space Center you can't go in.  But I will say the drive out was fun.  It's not that far from Chennai.  But you do leave TN and step into Andhra Pradesh, which honestly was a big old plus on the idea for me.  You drive up AH45 to a little place called Sullurupeta then take the only road in.  And though you can't go in I still recommend that you go, because this drive brings you near the top of Pulicat Lake and you can see flamingos.  Apparently they migrate here every year. Everything said they were only here between October and March, but we went in May and saw these guys, so you might see some birds whenever you go.

About halfway from Sullurupet there is a tower where you can go on up and get an even better view.

But you need to bring a picnic as there aren't any places really worth stopping along the way.  My husband and I stopped at a place called Le Raj Courtyard, and though it appeared nice, it was not.  Two thumbs down for Le Raj.

After being a little disappointed, we left and went down to Thachoor where we turned towards Pulicat.  I had heard there was a really neat Dutch Cemetery there.  

People in this area are not used to seeing expats.  I found tons of eyes on me and I am not about to assume it's because I am just that gorgeous. ;)

And though the cemetery was there, it was locked and much smaller than I had assumed.  But it was neat.

I liked the skeletons.

And from the numbers on the archway we think the place has been around since 1656.  And that is pretty awesome.

Though we were in the car more often than not, it was still quite enjoyable.  Probably not kid friendly, but I guess it depends on your kids.

They also do boating at Pulicat, but as my husband and I are bigger people we didn't try.  I find being over six feet tall can make things uncomfortable here at times.

Summer Heat

It's May again in Chennai, and that means it's going to get into the high 30s Celsius (that's in the 100s for my Fahrenheit using friends).  Which means that unless you were born here, you have your A/C blasting and are finding ways to pass the time indoors.  It's also summer holidays for the schools here so all the malls and other few indoor gathering places are fairly packed.
So what can you do?
Here are a few tips for coping with the heat:
1. Drinking some sweet lime juice or sweet lime soda help take a little of the edge off.  Other drinks that help are aam panna (you can get a good one made by Paperboat in most stores, I get mine at Wait Rose) or Nimbooz (by the makers of 7UP, also in most stores).  Some people say the tender coconut water helps, for that you have to find a street vendor.
2. Go to the beach.  If you don't like how crowded Marina and Elliot's beach are then drive a little further down the ECR a little till you get to Ideal Beach Resort.  There is a fee to use the beach, but it's clean.
3. Load up on cucumbers or even try freezing some fruit such as : grapes, cut up mango, apple, etc, etc.
4. Go for ice cream/frozen yogurt.  Ice cream shops have been popping up a lot in the last year.  People here will say you have to drink some warm water after having ice cream or you'll get sick, but I have yet to have any kind of issue with that. There's Cream & Fudge,Ibaco, Baskin Robbins, Amadora (they are a local homemade place, so good), and for frozen yogurt there is Menchie's.  If you go to Khader Nawaz Khan Road you will find a Cream & Fudge, Amadora and Menchie's.
5. People here say that you should eat thayir saadam aka curd rice, (plain yogurt mixed with plain rice with a touch of salt, and sometimes a few spices) after eating a meal to cool you down, but it tastes so bad I just can't do it. But if you want to try it out, please do.

Hope you make it to the other side of the summer heat wave.
Good luck!