Day 1: Mumbai to Chennai

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As we came out of Chennai's Anna domestic terminal, we met a guy with a Vikram travels signboard, the company whose tour package we had bought. He was a short, bearded guy wearing a yellow lungi and a white shirt with a massive three banded marking (namas) on his forehead and without footwear, possibly due to the Pongal festival. Not that everyone was wearing a lungi on the airport, just a couple of guys (Yeah, I do not want to sound stereotype). As he guided us to his Chevrolet Tavera, he picked up the lower end of his lungi and tucked it in his waist like a South Indian movie hero does before he floors down some 30 goons bare-handed. The ensuing 45 min drive to the hotel was nothing less than a pure South Indian action movie. Although seat belts are mandatory in Chennai, in our best interests, we decided to wear them. The speedometer needle mostly rested in the 70-80 kmph region in the Chennai traffic! He had an interesting technique of cutting lanes. He took out his hand with his fore finger out as if asking the adjacent car to give him a minute to cut him! Next, without waiting for the reply, he cut the car whose driver would go completely crazy and honk madly. Then this guy opened up his palms and making a question mark like gesture, What da ? Whats your problem ? Just cutting your lane na ? The other guy out of option would then reluctantly give up and slow down. Getting in the new lane and happy with his victory, he would then give a thumbs up to the heavily swearing driver behind him. Finally we reached the hotel, unnecessarily 45 min away from the airport, when the only thing we had to do there was to stay overnight and drive back to airport to take the connecting flight to Port Blair. I had an obscenely large but extremely tasty Masala dosa for the dinner and topped it up with the filter copy. I write this sitting in the hotel room, freshly painted in mint green and reeking of the acrid ammonia paint smell. I am not sure why there is a photo of a red colored Ferrari in a golden frame on the wall !

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