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Namaste!!,
I'm Charli, a 19 year old student from Reading with a passion for exploring the unknown; India was naturally my first choice destination. Along with my 65l rucksack and a head filled with panic and excitement, I headed to Heathrow to board my flight to Chennai.
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My First Impression
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Stepping out of the airport i was assaulted by the intense heat of
Chennai
and the noise, oh my god, the noise! horns were beeping frantically for
no apparent reason- i knew i was going to have to get used to the idea
that tooting your horn doesn't mean the same thing as in does at home
i.e 'sh*t! i'm going to crash into you!' I got in the car and leaned
over my left shoulder with a tugging action. 'oh. that's strange' i
thought to myself 'health and safety is obviously not a priority here'.
Feeling a little uneasy about not wearing a seatbelt, i clenched my butt
cheeks and held on tight. I tried my best to take it all in; from the
precarious looking vehicle transporting motorbikes at a 45 degree angle
to the street vendors selling enormous orange/green fruits. i think the
driver thought i was crazy, sitting there open-mouthed the entire
journey! we reached my home stay after over and hour and I just wanted
to crash out. no such luck! we were at the right building but not the
right flat. After knocking on many doors and seeing people look confused
as to why there was a British girl with a massive backpack expectantly
waiting outside, we eventually located the right door and i was in.
despite not being hungry AT ALL, my home stay insisted that i ate the
enormous banquet she had prepared for me. after eating more than my fill
of chappati, rice and dhal, i went to my room, flopped onto the bed and
was out like a ligh