mmmMadras!

Greetings! Namaste.
Actually I haven't heard one person say "Namaste" yet. People usually waggle their heads from side to side. It's not a nod nor a shake. You can do it by trying to touch your ears to their respective shoulders. Side to side. I'm trying to emulate, but my body automatically nods instead of waggling.
Yesterday, I met the most famous auto-rickshaw driver in Chennai. Rama brought out greeting card after greeting card from happy customers. He showed me articles on him in Indian newspapers and even one from Switzerland! Most famous indeed! He has started a co-op of 30 drivers (out of 30,000) who are dedicated to providing nice, kind taxi services. See, Chennai's auto drivers are notorious for being rude and charging way more than they should to tourists and locals, alike. I think it's really awesome. He charged me about $1.50 to drive me around for three hours! So, I took him out to lunch and he showed me a trick to eating with your hands. That trick proved useful since I went to a wedding reception last night where there aren't any utensils in sight! I did pretty well thanks to Rama. And Bonus, I didn't look too bad in my snap-on sari either. ;)
The wedding was weird. I wish someone had told me that South Indians don't dance at weddings. The actual ceremony was today and it was held on a stage with auditorium seats. Hundreds of people attended but no one was paying attention to the ceremony at all! Everyone was talking and socializing and wandering about. I had no idea what was going on. The ladies looked gorgeous though! And food was excellent.
So, I'm in Chennai aka Madras. Signs that you are in a economically wealthier city: the presence of SUVs and bigger cars and TV ads for luxury hotels and luxury cars instead of super glue. Not much to do in this city. I've had my full of temples and churches for the time being. There is a nice beach. It's actually one of the longest city beaches in the world. The locals claim it is THE longest. Unfortunately, the crazy winds make for crazy waves and deter swimming in the Bay of Bengal.
On the upside, I have landed in the middle of the Chennai Dance and Music Festival! I have a classical dance show and a dance opera slated for tonight! I'm thrilled!
There are 10 lame pictures up on http://trixyone.smugmug.com I've found a USB cable, but I've not yet found a reliable computer with USB or fast enough connection. poo. Coming up...Kerala and a house boat trip through the backwaters. I have no idea what to expect here. We've rented a two-bedroom houseboat?! How big is thing going to be?? I'm hoping to meet with an astrologer while I'm there too!