Time to hit the ground running! Arriving into the Chennai Airport, one has no other option than to immediately give in and acclimate to the beautiful organized chaos that is INDIA.

We convened at the gorgeous Taj Coromandel hotel. From the second we arrived their fabulous staff - all dressed in beautiful saris and royal colonial-era uniforms - made us feel like royal guests. After a quick welcome and lunch, we wasted no time in grabbing our cameras and hopping onto buses.

Our premier tour of Chennai introduced us to 10 AD bronze statues of the Hindu gods Pavarti, Shiva, and Ganish at the National Art Gallery. During our visit to the gallery, the ever intrepid Jack Grove was keen to point out an entire tree full of humongous red flying foxes and parakeets. From there we visited the colonial Fort St. George Museum as well as the San Thome Cathedral.

The highlight for all was our final visit of the day to the Kapaleeshwara Hindu Temple. The temple itself sits in the middle of a bustling market where vendors weave beautiful garlands of marigolds. We obliged with the rest of the worshippers and removed our shoes before entering the open-air temple, where devout Hindus walked underneath the temple’s ornate spire, praying and chanting; they laid flowers and lit candles below the gaze of thousands of colorfully painted statues.

The night ended with a welcome dinner and reception back at the hotel. Everyone went to bed early, all anxious for the next day’s adventures!