Grove on tour- last man standing

After finally hooking up with Ben and settling into his spare room (I say his, I mean Her Majesties government’s- Bens fiancée is on the payroll) I headed out with one of Bens drivers (he has 2!!!) to explore Chennai.

Chennai is everything you might expect from urban India.

Busy, noisy, smelly, dirty, colourful, fascinating and so so full of life! It’s a little hard to appreciate given the context of Western cleanliness and ‘civility’ that I’m used to but the majority of people here seem so smiley, happy and genuinely content with their life!

Having said that, its safe to say that all parts of Indian culture seem pretty aware of the relative wealth of western tourists. This is shown by the poor through their keenness to ‘model’ for photos (always at a price) and by the wealthy and educated (that I spoke to) in how they talk of aspirations (always fianancial). The difference between rich and poor here is more pronounced than anywhere I have been before and I couldn’t help feeling like I was getting a glimpse of what Victorian London might have been like (if it had lots and lots of sunshine!).

That evening I sampled the luxuries of ex-pat life: fine drinking, fine dining and very fine company. The thai food we had at Ben and Lai’s favourite restaurant was truly superb. Some of the best I have tasted.

The next day I took the LandRover (and the driver) for the day and visited a coastal town about 90minutes drive away. I went for a short hike in some rock outcrops above the town, coming across monkeys, stone carvings, temples and shrines as well as compromising a young couple who went as bright red as the girls sari when I (literally) stumbled across them!

Lunch was the largest, juciest and freshest prawns you can imagine after which I headed back to Chennai for a send off feast at “Peshwari”. The place was so colonial in its architecture and atmosphere that I felt I should be wearing a safari outfit but the food was, again, outstanding! A whole leg of lamb, tandoori style, that had been marinating for 36hours and simply melted in your mouth was the centrepiece of the meal.

That concluded the Chennai trip and I want to say a MASSIVE thanks to Ben and Lai for their unforgettable hospitality.

The next morning I headed to the airport for my transfer to Bombay, and straight into the middle of strike chaos! 4hours later and after buying new tickets on a different airline I was on a plane to Bombay. I met an interesting chap from the North of India on the plane so went for lunch with him and spent the afternoon sightseeing at his guidance. He had some great stories and gave me a whistle stop tour of India’s second city.

I can safely say this city is like a magnified Chennai. It takes an hour to travel a mile and the pollution is almost unbearable. I would love to see rural India though as it sounds, from my guides stories and descriptions, like a different experience altogether.

Ill be heading home tomorrow so a beer in the hotel bar and an evening with Beatrix Kiddo will suffice for my last night in India.