Monday, October 26, 2009

Chennai Chronicles

I like Chennai! What can I say? Put me in a city with friends, a brilliantly stocked library, a dessert parlour and you've earned a loyal fan for life! Delhi and Bangalore became my soulmates like that as well....and finally, after much prodding and nudging, Chennai has entered the list!

Its been eight years since Chennai became my 'semi-home town', and each trip to the place consists of Fruitshop, The Beach and the library. This time was slightly different. So here's a tribute to the city, and the smart trio (that includes me too) that made history there! :D

I spent three blissful weeks lying around doing the best of nothing and being completely pampered with food and remote control. The porch swing and I became inseparable as I devoured book after book after book until I suffered from an overdose (not that it's a bad thing!) The week in Bangalore whizzed past me like a colourful comet and I had some fun reunions with old friends (including a hilarious lunch with my college gal pals...really, it's amazing how we've stayed so wacky even now!) Then came the weekend when the trio got together.

Their bus journey, I shan't describe since only Sneha can do justice to it on her blog. At least that way, SOMETHING will come on that poor blog. (Oh, off topic, but I'd like to tell you, Sneha, that your blog is rusting. You might want an intramuscular tetanus before you venture near it.) So my job only began with picking them up and bringing them home. And for some strange reason, I feel like narrating the rest point-wise. It just cuts out the fringes and makes everyone's life simpler.

1. The movies we saw. Shopaholic was only seen by me, as the two tried to sleep off their justified 'jet lag'. Bride Wars was nice ok? And totally cry-able. Sorry, but I get a little sentimental when friends give up weddings for each other. Wait till it's your wedding Reenu! The day's not far when you'll need to get your wedding hall waterproofed! :-P and He's Just Not That Into You was slightly confusing since I had not slept too much and the movie had too many characters for me to comprehend. So there went the movies, kaput.

2. The BEACH! Marina beach, not-so-early in the morning reeks of fish, but what's more fun are the characters that hang around there. There was this drunkard who warned us to stay away from the waters since the Tsunami was coming. There was a flasher who decided to sit right in front of us. There were two men who kept talking to the waves and urging them to come to them...and when they heeded, they'd run like sissies (the men, not the waves.) there was also a man who had walked right out of a board meeting and decided he'd play Baywatch for a day. Sigh. Those poor formal clothes. The waves were really high (high tide, new moon day) and the water was refreshingly clean....except for the occasional unidentifiable black objects and coconut husks. Anyhow, clearly we had enjoyed enough to bring back most of the sand! (See Sneha? Now I don't need to pack it in a friend's economics paper to get it for you! :P)

3. The BEACH part II! Elliot's Beach is the most awesomest place in this part of the world. Really! There is no other place I'd have the guts to wear identical shirts with my two wacky friends and go gallivanting on the sea shore acting completely crazy on a Sunday evening. Honestly, we gave Chennai people SO MUCH entertainment that weekend! :D That carousel (ok ok, merry-go-round) ride, the funky fluorescent wands, the loud songs we sang all around Besant Nagar..made the beach part II even better than the first one.

4. The food. When we're around, can food ever be ignored? Not only did we eat some very interesting stuff in the form of that lebanese wrap (guys, please don't ever let me try that again ok? I'm still not too sure about what went in it.), we had a one-by-three Jughead Special that warranted dirty looks from the waiters at Fruitshop. We finally ended it with that late night pizza dinner. Seriously, sometimes I think that waiter still wonders what mistake he made with our bill and why he gave us free overpriced ice creams instead of the usual scoop in a cup! :D And yes, Reenu does eat a lot of food. There, I've said it on cyberspace! :D

5. The Pictures! It was Diwali that they'd come for after all...so the pictures not only were colourful but FUN! The elevator picture that we finally perfected, our star wars themed powerpuff movie starring the wands, the beach and the beach thingamajigs, home and the convocation ceremony! :D The entire trip was chronicled in pictures that spoke more of the fun than this blog. For a change, I managed to send them on time! * Applause *

So anyway, Chennai was fun this time around, being with friends and family. Maybe enduring that 2 hour 30 minute flight in the dangerous skies is always worth it! :)


2 comments:

sneha said...

Please mention that the songs we were serenading Besantnagar with were title tracks of old time cartoons.. Which, given your age, you had forgotten.. and therefore chose to 'guide' us around the area.. which also you had forgotten. We forgive you, keeping your age in mind :P

Yes thank you very much for reminding me about my rusty blog :P i will do something about it............sometime.

You really should include pictures on the post. People outside of us three and the amused Chennaiites will not understand your references to 'smart girls' and 'wands'.

Thank you for an awesome weekend! :) We enjoyed every moment, except the bedbuggy journey, which the rest of the holiday more than made up for!

Vaishnavi said...

I barely come online these days...but will upload pictures when I get back! And yes, I did eventually guide you correctly! And led you to the right house! :-P

And I'm ageing gracefully...since people still look at me and go, "beta, kya mummy-papa ghar me hain?"...so I may be the oldest (by a measly few months)...I still look the youngest! Even REENU was called Aunty! :-P Haha. So I have the last laugh!