Although I’ve lived in many different parts of the world all thorough my life, I will have to call Madras my home as my formative years were spent here.

If you’re looking to have fun times involving some mild sightseeing, pub hopping and dancing at discos, this is not your place. Madras is ultra conservative on the outside, and its very hard for visitors to break in to the circles where all the fun stuff happens.

But as a city, Chennai is all character. It is the capital city of region of the world boasting one of the oldest cultures of the world (and definitely a culture about which little is known). Tamil is a language at least as old as sanskrit, but unlike sanskrit has no known root language. In turn it is the root language for the south indian family of languages. It was the only city in India which was bombed during world war 2. (ok that was a random fact)

Home of the best south Indian food – you must try and sample everything while you’re there…go beach side and try the corn, the raw mangos, ‘sundal’, and deep friend bajjis. If you’re visiting in december be sure to check out the music festival that happens there every year which attracts people from all over the world, and regularly features some true giants of world music (read: not the likes of Jessica Simpson, no offense)

The people here have far more humility than any other part of India. Chennai’s schools regularly produce some of the brightest kids in the world, as the culture of the place strives to emphasise education, learning and values in the world that deems these unfashionable.

Some very fine temples in the city, and even better ones as you travel further south (Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram).

I can go on and on…

Recommendations:
If you have a choice, visit dbetween the months of November and February. The weather does get incredibly hot.