India (Chennai): In the Airport

Well folks, it's time for Monkey Man to say goodbye to Mother India. It's been great, but it is time indeed to leave.

So it's off to Kuala Lumpur from here where I need to line up a ticket to get me back to Nippon for the wrap up before my grand and much anticipated return to the US. At some point, when I get some time to sit down with a decent connection to the net, I'll share some interesting stories with y'all of my (mis)adventures over these past few weeks.

Interestingly enough, I managed to get through most of my trip here without really getting seriously ripped off...that is until these past few days when I actually started shopping for souvenirs to bring back to the kiddies back home (don't get those expectations up too high, you little squirts). Pretty much every purchase I made, I got charged double to triple what I should have. Moto drivers all delighted in quoting me fares that were also double to triple what I had been told they would be. The kicker was getting ripped off even here in the airport. You've gotta know your prices and know how to bargain even in the frickin' international terminal of the Chennai Airport. A sweets shop owner took me for a nice little ride on a purchase for a friend...but hey, I'm outtie, the trip has been overall good, the sums I've been cheated of are nothing in US or Japanese currency, and it's Diwali Eve everyone!!! Happy Diwali to all (and I'm betting it's gonna be especially happy for all those wily merchants who duped this poor, tired, dopey traveler out of his Gandhi bills)!!!

One love, peeps. Happy Halloween.