First day in Chennai

Yesterday, Sunday, we decided to venture out. It was a hot, steamy day at 9am but no worse than San Antonio in the early afternoon of summer. So by Chennai standards, it was cool.

We went to St Thomas's tomb. This was Christ's apostle who is known as "Doubting" Thomas. He came to Chennai in 52 AD and died here in 72 AD. His remains were buried here, and at some point afterwards, a church was built on top of the tomb. The church that I visited is not the original church but one that is about 110 years old. It is a beautiful church: the building is all white with large spires on top. It has a very traditional look inside with stained glass, long wooden pews, and arched windows. I went to Mass there and although there is no air conditioning in the building, it was not unbearably uncomfortable. There were ceiling fans overhead and oscillating fans in front. It was a very traditional Mass. Believe it or not, I was able to understand the priest's homily easily; his English was very understandable because he did not have a strong accent. During the Mass, the choir even sang "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High". When the collection plate came around, I dropped 2 Rupees in it. Later I realized that I was very stingy: 2 Rupees is about 10 cents. Next week, I will have to be a little more generous. Another interesting sight: during the sign of peace, Americans shake the hands of those around them. Indians put their hands together as if they are praying, and bow to those around them.

There is a museum entrance behind the church that allows the visitor to visit the tomb. You enter the museum, and go downstairs to a lower level and walk down a hallway which takes you under the church. At the end of the hallway, there is a small chapel with St Thomas remains. The remains are buried. What I was able to see was the dirt that covers the tomb. This is covered with glass, so you can see the dirt but not actually touch it. Regardless, many people knelt down and put their hands on the glass and said a prayer in silence.

After visiting St Thomas tomb, we went to another location in the city called St Thomas Mount. It is actually a hill that is higher than the rest of the city but I wouldn't consider it a mountain. Anyway, legend has it that St Thomas built a cross out of wood. The cross was somehow lost in this area for many years. During later excavations, it was found and put on display. At this point, it began to "bleed" real blood from near the base. It bled for over 20 years. The original cross is no longer there but there is a replica cross on the same spot, and a church nearby.

As in the evening when we arrived in Chennai, the traffic was bad. Only now in the daytime, I could see it much better. Cars, buses, three-wheelers used as taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, people, and animals all share the road and do it amazingly well. And I did not see any accidents. Our driver told us that traffic was light because it was Sunday.

We have a driver or drivers that take us every where we go. These drivers are provided by the Indian contracting company that does business with my company. My company strictly forbids its employees from taking any kind of public transportation in India. Based on the traffic habits I've seen, I will definitely adhere to that requirement.