Exploring Chennai

Our friend at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Ravi Shankar, has introduced us by email to his sister and brother-in-law and their dear friend Mythili in Chennai. Over the past few months, they've been helping us prepare an itinerary of what we might visit in the region. Today, we finally meet and they treat us to traditional South Indian breakfast at Saravan Bhavan, including our favoriate -- masala dosas (a thin pancake wrapped around lightly spiced potatoes).


Mark and the girls with Rajiv at the Madras Boat Club.


Later in the day we set off to deliver the greetings of John Hickenlooper, Denver's Mayor, to the leadership in Chennai, which is Denver's sister city in India.


Here's the government building of the Corporation of Chennai.


John Hickenlooper could only wish for a directory sign like this....The "Worshipful Mayor" of Chennai clearly knows how to command respect.