On Monday, Chakri, Rob and I flew to Chakri's hometown of Vizag. Vizag is a local nickname; if you're looking for it on a map, look for Visakhapatnam, on the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Chakri has always described Vizag as a sleepy little seaside-town sort of place. Compared to some Indian cities this is true, but Vizag is a booming city of 1 million people (and counting), with industries ranging from steel to natural gas to IT. Still, compared to mega-cities like Mumbai or Hyderabad, Vizag is positively bucolic. I took a photo from my hotel room a block from the beach. This is the Bay of Bengal. Take a look at those waves. They are going unridden, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hard to believe. The locals have zero interest in ocean swimming, let alone wave riding. Perhaps it has something to do with the abundance of jellyfish in these warm waters.
