Category Archives: Asia and Australia

Two worlds, one city – A bicycle ride through South Chennai

Posted on August 16, 2006 by Amit

For the past week or so, I’ve been in Chennai, the city where I grew up. It= s been a mix of spending time with family and friends, relaxing, as well as= exploring. For the first time in six years … Continue reading →

Posted in Chennai, Destinations, Travel | Tagged american readers, bus, Che, Chennai, city, corporation, Development, fastest growing cities, incompetance, india, life, macro issues, mass transit system, mu ch, new york, Ohio, safe journey, security, spending, spending time with family, Store, time, time with family, traffic, traffic police, way, world | 9,240 Comments

An airport for the NRIs, buses with beds

Posted on August 9, 2006 by Amit

I have a few minutes to kill at the Madurai airport, and looking around me, its like a mini replica of San Jose Airport, as it seems that this place caters only to the NRI community, with the occasional business … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, South India, Travel | Tagged airport, american, american accents, bus connections, business traveler, Chennai, city regions, community, english subtitles, free wi fi, karaikudi, Madurai, mini, NRI, nri community, place, replica, running, salwars, San, San Jose, shapes sizes, Transport, Travel, Traveler | 572 Comments

An interpreter does not need to know two languages

Posted on August 2, 2006 by Amit

As most of you know, I am in Madurai in South India, looking into some microfinance activities. When I go into the villages to meet with the local women and interview them, I am normally accompanied by one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in South India, Travel | Tagged barrier, Development, English, india, local project, Madurai, microfinance, morning, Nadu, project, project officers, rersort, smattering, someone, south india, Tamil, tamil nadu | 327 Comments

Cheapest and Fastest Internet yet

Posted on July 24, 2006 by Amit

A dingy, non-air-conditioned cubbyhole in the small South Indian town of Madurai may notbe the first place that comes to mind for cheap broadband, but at Rs. 20/hr, or less than fifty cents an hour, you can sit on an … Continue reading →

Posted in South India, Travel | Tagged blazing fast speeds, broadband, computer, cubbyhole, dingy, fifty, fifty cents, hour, india, internet, Madurai, notbe, old computer, place, South Indian, town | 1,043 Comments

Nearing the end of travel…??

Posted on July 16, 2006 by Amit

I have just three days to go before I end this phase of travel. On Wednesday I leave Bangkok for Chennai, and will spend the next five or six weeks working for a microcredit organization, following some of the work … Continue reading →

Posted in Thailand | Tagged Africa, Bangkok, blog, Chennai, Chiang, couple, couple of days, different ways, discovering the world, experience, five months, india, learning experience, life, microcredit, northern Thailand, organization, phase, six continents, six weeks, South America, time, Travel, vacation time, Wednesday, world | 730 Comments