Bucket List Ticked off and Other Chennai Chronicles-2

Part 1

It was a Sunday. We flagged for an auto. One auto driver slowed his vehicle to our spot and asked, “enna sir, enga ponum?” (Sir, where do you want to go?” )

My dad told him the address and queried, “Yevalavo pa?” (How much do you charge?”

Auto driver, “100 Rs kodunga.” (100rs)

My dad, the king of bargaining, “ennathu? 100rs? enga irukure hoteluku 100rs ah? 70rs thaan tharuven.”

The auto driver drove off.

My legs started aching and I was getting irritated as my ola cab app wasn’t working. The weather was killing. The bargaining session as well. There were very few autos on the road. I tried to log in to ola app. Pretty much, no human beings or machines were listening to me.

Another auto stopped. 

The same questions were asked. 

This time round, the auto driver asked for Rs120.

My dad, “Enna pa nee 120rs ketkure? Munnadi oru auto driver 80rs kettaan. athuke naan venaam soliten.” (Earlier, one driver asked for 80rs and I rejected him. Why are you asking 120rs?”

The auto driver, “80rs ah? appo nee antha auto-le poikoh” (80 ah? Then you take that auto) and he drove off as well.

I bursted into laughter.

Asingapattan auto-driver illai

Asingapattutu poitaan auto driver.

Food, Food, Food

In the last 5 years, Chennai has truly become a food paradise. There is food outlet and new ones coming on every street. Not only that, food delivery apps like zomato have made it easy for people to enjoy all kinds of food in their own comfort zone. Mutton fry in Junior Kuppana Hotel, Idiyappam Sodhi in Vasantha Bhavan Signature, Crab lollipop from Hotel Virudhunagar Aiyaanar were some of my favourites.

More than anything, I love how well they do food packing when they deliver food. 

                                                  (mini tiffin from saravana bhavan)

Scoot, the ultra budget airlines

Scoot was known to be budget airlines but I realised it was an ultra budget airlines when I checked in from Singapore Terminal. After customs check, we were led into a bus. One of the Indian passenger uncles who was probably on his first airplane ride looked very confused. 

He turned to me, “ithu chennaiku thaane pogum.” (This goes to Chennai right?)

I looked at him, “uncle, this bus doesn’t go straight to Chennai. this bus takes us to the plane.”

After which the bus ride to the plane was a good 20 minutes. It was dark in the night but I could see that it was almost near pasir ris bus terminal. There were 2 planes stranded on that huge platform. 

One of them was that the scoot flight was ready to go to Chennai. Surprisingly or unsurprisingly or ironically, the plane full of Indian passengers, the flight was delayed. Punctuality and Indians were meant not to be paired in any birth, in any form. One reason, was of course, there were atleast 4 bus loads of passengers that had to be transported from the terminal to this supposedly-looking-bus-terminal.

I was seated on 4c and this gave me the golden opportunity to see how well Indians know mathematical figures.

“Ah.. 27C…” one of the Indian uncles exclaimed but looked at every seat number on the left and on the right, hoping that magically 27 would appear after number 2.

By the time all the 450-odd passengers settled down, the flight attendants have shed a few kgs. Pity them though.

There was the mandatory flight emergency exit 

announcements and safety briefing. However, more than all 

these, I hope there was a video on how to use the toilet door 

lock. I checked the green signal toilet door before tapping the 

door, only to have seen sights that I hoped I didn’t see.