Taking flight


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Asia » India » Tamil Nadu » Chennai
February 4th 2006
Published: February 9th 2006
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Check-out time at the hotel was 9AM (since most tourists seem to arrive here on trains at about 8AM), so I pootled about for a couple of hours until my taxi was ready to go. First stop in Bhubaneswar was the Indian Airlines office in order to get a refund for my super-expensive ticket - despite being the victim of some horrendous queue-jumping, which the counter lady agreed was occurring while continuing serving the guy who'd done it, the process was painless and in a couple of months I should see the refund sitting on my credit card statement.

The airport was only minutes away and the check-in queues were mercifully short, so I was checked in in plenty of time. The airport itself was in excellent condition, from both a cleanliness and an efficiency point of view. Though my guts were still not working properly, my appetite wasn't non-existent so I had a snack in the airport cafe - unfortunately the menu was limited, and a tomato salad was, with hindsight, a poor choice.

The flight left on time and, despite being one of only 3 that fly this route each week, was only half full. By the time I was through baggage reclaim in Chennai, it was already dark, though the temperature was uncomfortably warm. I took a prepaid taxi to the Hotel Masa, which I'd plucked out of the RG. I don't know what came over me (I'm blaming the urge to get to a toilet quickly), but a cursory glance at one of their "bachelor" rooms made me say I'd take it. Once I'd filled in all the appropriate documents, I gave the room a more thorough inspection, and myriad stains came to my attention. The bathroom especially looked as though it hadn't been cleaned for a while. There was also a strange fishlike smell floating in from the corridor, and the guy next door (who shared a ventilation panel with me) appeared to be smoking. Finally, the ceiling fan was so low that you had to be careful not to lose a hand when getting undressed.

I figured I could struggle through 1 night here, but wanted to move to another hotel first thing in the morning. Fortunately I found a good candidate just over the road and they reserved a room for me. Feeling tired, weak, and a little disheartened, I went to bed early in my bachelor room.



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