Today was another amazing day. S Shiva and Gowri, from the office, took us out for the day. The day had been planned mostly for shopping, but we also had a few other stops on the agenda. Our first stop was Pondy Bazaar where we quickly began asking "How much is that..?"

The ladies bought sarees and some jewelry before we moved on to Chennai Silks. Chennai Silks is a large department store. I bought a dohty as well as some other items for the kids. I wish I knew how many times we uttered the phrase "How much does that cost?" After Chennai Silks we went to Spencer Plaza - a very big mall. This included lunch at Roasters. The food was good, but the highlight was the ice cream. While we only saw Phase 3 of Spencer Plaza we spent plenty of time shopping and asking "How much is that?"

After shopping we went to Marina Beach. People were just beginning to assemble and the children's rides were being set up. We wandered around taking photos and talking. As the evening progressed the beach became more and more crowded. The weather was perfect with a breeze blowing off the water. The enjoyable conversation only enhanced a surreal evening spent on the shores of India. Sitting on the beach, I had to ask myself the question "How much is this day worth?"

We wrapped the day up with a visit to Santome Basilica where St. Thomas was originally entombed after his death. I had been to this church before but seeing it at night was fascinating. The donation boxes scattered around the basilica left me wondering "How much is this worth?"

The answer to these questions was clear. The day was priceless. Other than a few Rupees for souvenirs all we spent was time- and it was worth every bit of it.