Blogs from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Asia - page 28

The first day of hospital began with a 0630 wake up, and a visit to the gym with Balaji. Gyms in India are no different to gyms in the UK. There are the same stereotypical muscle flexor performers who constantly idolise about themselves in the mirrors. There are also the usual cardio freaks (i'm moderate), who run for an eternal something. I remained on my usual treadmill regime which is, just run reasonably quickly for a long time. Simple. There was also a trainer following me around trying to teach me the basics of stretching and fitness etc... I didn't understand his real goal, but at least he tried, unlike gym instructors in the UK!... read more

Dedicated to Jaspreet Laly - RIP!! I was ready. All suited and booted, with my hair slickly combed in a boffinesque type method, ready to tackle the high flying Indian doctors........However, the hair soon went fuzzy and lost its zest and impetus only 5 minutes into the rickshaw journey. It took 45 mins to reach Sri Ramachandra Hospital. The journey itself was quite pleasant. The only problem was my lungs being filled with the harsh diesel fumes from the endlessly roaring vehicles. The ceasing of movement becomes a dilemma for any rickshaw passenger. Suddenly, there is no air movement to cool the body from the high temperatures. Also, the remaining gas guzzlers seem to head straight for any pharangee in its way (ie. me). Soon, after frequent breathing exercises, i just let go...there is no point ... read more

I've finally arrived in India - not quite my final destination but at least I'm in the right country and what's more, my bags seem to have made it unscathed! It's not the ideal introduction to India, it's midnight and I've got 6 hours sat around in Chennai's domestic airport terminal before my next flight to Bangalore and there's no sign of a bar anywhere! ... read more

After 8 months of work in Chennai, Navtej has become familiar with most of his surroundings. He has to leave for UK on the 3rd, for a weeks stay, where he will update the UK Aveva base on his Chennai Aveva set up (Navtej has a 2/3 year programme where he will direct a major office set up in India.) Navtej's absence in the forthcoming week meant that he had to be my guide for the morning. The supermarkets, fish mongers, shoe stores and beaches were shown by Navtej, as we continued to walk on the streets, basking in late winter temperatures of 30 degrees Celcius! The true test of character will come when Navtej leaves, and i'll have to manage alone, without any thought of failure! The street-wise people of Chennai could easily take advantage ... read more

The first night in Chennai brought us firstly to a modern Spanish Tapas bar. The decor could easily have been mistaken for a bar in London Mayfair. There was a vibrancy which would also suit most modern cities around the world. A DJ was ever-present to mix some dubious songs however. These consisted of 70's pop music mixed into mellow funky house; random, i know! However, the people around the bar outshone the music selection. The modern, sophisticated and fashion conscious world of Chennai high flyers seemed at ease in this western lifestyle, merged into eastern trends. A few Kingfisher bottles later, the three of us digressed to the Savera Hotel, where we settled at the restaurant on the top floor (some 20 stories high). The view from here was unbelievable! The loud, continuous noise of ... read more