“We will go to Vandalur Zoo. You are here in Chennai; it is my duty to take you. I will take you.” If Murugan, my Keralan colleague deems it, then it must be so. Several days later, I was on the back of a Honda motorcycle, leaving my pied-à-terre for a ride through the entropic roads of Chennai. One delicious coconut, four near-accidents, and twenty-six kilometers later, we arrived at Vandalur Zoo to commence what I would soon learn was Guy’s Day Out (Tamil Edition).

Murugan and I decided to commence GDO(TE) on our own, and have the other dudes join us as they arrived. Peacocks, parrots, love birds (I swear that’s what they call them here)…all seemed so overwhelmingly flamboyant and awkward that day. By the time we reached the snake exhibit, we had assembled the full GDO(TE) cast of six. While walking to the big cat exhibits with my posse, I couldn’t help but notice that there were similar, all-male groups enjoying the zoo together.

It is not uncommon to see a gaggle of guys with their arms around each other’s shoulders, or holding hands for prolonged periods of time. If this aspect of India were to be personified, we’d be met by Glenn Beck. Fiercely homophobic, but exhibiting behavior that seems to contradict said position. I cannot help but laugh when I observe these public displays of affection, and I feel terribly awkward when I am an active participant of these actions. It’s a lot like passing gas.

So yes, I held hands with a dude here. How do you buck cultural tradition gracefully? I didn’t even have a huge belt buckle that read, “Git ‘er Done,” on my person! I know; I was ill-prepared. What began as a innocuous handshake ended in at least forty-five excruciating seconds of hand-holding. I’ve since learned that giving someone dap (that is a ‘terrorist fist bump’ for you Glenn Beck fans that just have arrived here via Google), is an easy way to avoid holding hands.

Once I got past this, I started to learn more about my fellow GDO(TE)rs. They were all incredibly nice and accommodating. I was really struck by their insatiable curiosity. Murugan, in particular, has a very unique perspective. From teaching me about the natural remedies of Kerala, to his thoughts on education in India, I know there is a lot to be learned from him.

As far as the zoo was concerned, it was a zoo. Nothing particularly incredible except one thing: one of the GDO(TE) homies, Thyagaraja, lives next to the gentleman who cares for the zoo’s four white tigers. The man was kind enough to take us behind the enclosure to meet three of the tigers. While the tigers were encaged, to say I wasn’t concerned about the integrity of the structure separating me from three fearsome beasts would be a lie. Fortunately, there were five brosephs next to me that would have gladly held my hand.

Here are some other videos from the day:
South Indian food at Murugan Idilly. The ensuing, gastronomic decimation is not included in this clip.

Freshly roasted corn on Besantnagar Beach

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