Chennai

I finally arrived in Mettupalayam with two hours to kill before my connecting train to Chennai.  I figured I would have a wander about to get something to eat but unfortunately it was just dust road for as far as the eye could see so I had to stay put at the station.  While I was waiting our Jo called to say that she may be able to arrange for my cash card to be couriered to India (it’s not what you know it’s who you know which, is probably a good thing as I don’t know jack!). 

While I was talking to her, two ladies came over to ask for money.  I did my best to ignore them but they weren’t budging.  I decided the easiest thing to do was give them some change, as it was putting me off the conversation, them just glaring at me.  I told Jo to hold on a minute while I got some change and she said "Tell ‘em to fuck off".  Bless her.  She should get a job working for Oxfam..  So much compassion.

We arrived in Chennai at 4.50am.  The weird thing is that there are no announcements on the train to tell you that you have arrived.  You just need to set your alarm and hope for the best (or rely on Swedish chicks to wake you up).  The heat hits you as soon as you get off the train.  They said it was hot in Chennai but Christ on a bike, how can it possibly be that hot when it’s not even 5am?  By lunchtime it felt like I was walking on the surface of the sun.  I thought I would burst into flames at any given moment (I might be being slightly dramatic now but it’s not far off).

In the guide book it says that Chennai’s charm lies in its inhabitants.  What a load of tosh.  They were a right bunch of miserable fuckers.  Mind you, so would I be walking about in that heat, all day.  The only person who was sweet to me was the tuk tuk driver I got from the station.  He was telling me about his brother, who was working for Jaguar in the UK.  I asked where abouts he worked in the UK and he said in a factory.  It made me giggle.  Sometimes I really love the lost in translation thing.