Chennai Part II

So here is a run down on my week 2 and 3 in Chennai. Last two weeks have been more about exploring the city, hangout places and settling down in the new house, and my new flatmates. Also have had some great timing with 2 traveller friends from Germany who were visiting India and happen to be in the city for my 2nd week in Chennai. So well I was taking them around and exploring the city myself with them. (Due to technical problems unable to upload a few pics of the city - but will do it soon :))

Weekends @ Chennai: Starting with something that I was most worried about before I moved to Chennai. Thinking about what I am gonna do for two whole days where I don’t know anyone (almost no one) – was quite a nightmare. But before I knew it – I found myself in the company of some real cool party people in Chennai. Thanks to my colleague and friend RN (who hails from Chennai is not a typical madrasi boy) I got introduced to some fun times here. So lets see what all places I have been to over the weekends:
• Zaras: Zara’s is as close as you can get to a chilled out pub in Chennai  Half the city pub community is found here and after a time you all know each other. So on a Saturday night if you are having a tough time coordinating an outing just head to Zaras and you fill find great company there. Not only in terms of people but also the music. Anyone looking for bollywood can forget about it and that’s true for most places in Chennai be it a pub or a discotheque.
• TDS: Or 10 Downing Street – one of the rare places that’s open till 1 a.m. Yes! It came as pleasant surprise to me. In fact for the first time I think I have left a place before it shut down. So I am actually assuming it shut at one cos I left at 12.45am.  Again great music and Wednesdays are ladies nights
• Distill: Distill at Taj Connomera is not your usual pub or clubbing place. It’s fit for anyone looking for a peaceful drink with some good music. A great ambience and tables not to forget the very well made drinks. Unlike Taj stds the place I must say seems priced pretty reasonably.
• Dublin: Dubiln @ Sheraton – ahem ahem – lets avoid this place. A srict no no – priced outrageously and the mossy confused DJ!!

Ladeis Nites @ Chennai: This is the most interesting part of Chennai; and I hope the ladies are listening  Almost every nite of the week has some or the place welcome the women with Special Ladies Nites.

One thing is guaranteed in all of these – Free drinks for women. So TDS has Wednesdays and Distill has Fridays and another place (im yet to check it out :P has Thursdays. Distill gives you 2 free cocktails and trust me its not diluted – great cocktails. Then TDS has free beer for girls till 9.30!! Beat that!! Drink all you can. Im glad I am getting used to beer ;)

Another peculiar thing about clubbing / partying in Chennai is that at most places ‘stags’ are not around – only couples and girls of course.

Moving in @ Chennai: So I moved in last weekend – stuff came in on Friday and unpacking on Saturday and I moved in with my final stuff on Sunday. Yes it happened in phases but yea I am settled finally in the new house. All cartons unpacked and in place. Have taken a few pictures of the house and attached for all of you!

Weekend Getaways @ Chennai: Weekend getaways are great in Chennai – or atleast for me have been. So I got this chance to go to 2 AWESOME beach houses. Its all about meeting the right people. So lets say a friend has a beach house with an amazing beach right behind it and you can go take a swim whenver you want. And I happened to visit a friend’s friend who has a bach house as big and as nice as a RESORT!! Man!!

Some great times in the swimming pool just sitting at the porch and reading, a nice nap and well just an awesome time away from the hassles of any city life, work life and complete relaxation.

Another way of a nice weekend can be getting some nice massage and a lazy afternoon nap – this Im sure Mumbai can give you as well :P

Flatmates @ Chennai: Both my flatmates are nice simple girls from Orissa. KN and AP working with holiday company. Not the complete city party chics – but pretty independent and Indian in their own nice way. And here is the best part, KN LOVES cooking and to an extent that she just does it everyday!!! Man!! How lucky you think I could get. And well, before you guys pour in your comments on this one – well, I do my bit too at times helping her out with making one dish for dinner. Breakfast I make my own completely!

So well here is a snapshot on the city. And coming to an interesting part, there was a cosmetic brand launch in the city with a fashion show. So well I was told it was some big fashion show gala etc etc. Nothing like that – the good part 3 very good models and free food at Le Meridien and the bad part – everything else.

So here is the much awaited first account of my week 1 in Chennai. I got here on a Monday morning after one week of awesome food and cool weather in Delhi. So my company booked me onto an early morning Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai to Chennai. My schedule looked something like this:

6th Nov – Last day in Mumbai – I hit HRC (no surprises here) with some office friends joined by Bhau and Dave (thank you guys!!!)

7th Nov – Movers & Packers take my stuff off to Chennai and I leave for Delhi for a week meeting my relatives and lots of gol gappe, papdi chaat, bhalle papdi, dal ke pakode etc etc!!

15th Nov – Return to Mumbai at midnight to meet my dad who couldn’t join us on the Delhi trip. My last night in Mumbai coupled with a complete lack of sleep  no guesses here why.

16th Nov – Leave early morning for the beginning of a new chapter in Chennai 

While I was sitting at the airport, surprisingly I wasn’t feeling excited or anxious, no anticipation of what is to come, no ‘butterflied in the stomach’ feel nothing at all!! It was like just another day of work, where instead of regular mode of transport I was taking a flight.

Like every other flight we began to board the flight half an hour before take off. So I took my seat and decided to sleep – on account of lack of sleep over the past few days. I get up suddenly an hour later only to realize my flight is still at Mumbai airport. So that’s how my first day of work failed to meet Maersk standards of “ON TIME EVERYTIME” ;)

So anyway with the flight delay added up with lots of traffic I manage to reach office at 12.30 p.m.!! (it pretty ridiculous considering I got up at 0400 hours in the morning) I was welcomed by an extremely polite and nice group of my new office colleagues. I only later realized how they crack up so very politely on people from top to bottom in the industry. Leaves you wondering where is this little devil hiding in the nice ‘sharif’ tam guys from Chennai.

From here on all references to the people of Chennai will be made as TAM not Madrasi. Now that I am in the Tam land I shall maintain the correct phrase usage ;)

Work & Colleagues @ Chennai
Office in the last one week has been pretty nice and fun. People are extremely helpful to a point that I had the whole office giving me random contacts for my house hunting. They would ask me everyday if I’ve had any luck and that I could approach them anytime I might need anything. At times, I feel like if I open up too much I might be the “bully” out here. I happen to think twice before I crack a joke or pull anyone’s leg. Phew!!

New profile looks good. Briefly its about equipment (container fleet) planning. So keeping a tab on the expected exports and Imports in the short and long term and ensuring all south India locations (and Colombo – part of India cluster) are adequately stocked. Planning movement (inland) of containers between various location at the right
time and the right cost. This is how simple it can get, and like any other profile it has its own set of complications and exceptions to deal with everyday.

Office lunch again isn’t as expected. Its pretty decent and something you can have everyday and still not lose your appetite. There is rice, chapatti (Chennai style), 2/3 vegetables, 1 non vegetarian dish (with the exception of Tuesday and Thursday), dal / sambhar / rasam etc. Curd is an all time dish. So yea, I don’t think I am gonna be complaining on this front.

So Friday like most of you would have noticed – was tambola at my office and I won a prize!!!  So well Chennai office is quite happening and looks like there play at the end of a long work day.

Life @ Chennai: This is a brief on week 1 and not life in general in Chennai. But yea it’s a sample (though much smaller in size) its pretty representative ;) of the fact. I am staying with a friend’s (also my colleague in the MISE programme) parents. A nice upper middle class family in Chennai – and yet so different from ones in Mumbai or Delhi. They are as simple as one could be and yet so sophisticated. Usual houses in Chennai are independent unlike Mumbai but similar to Delhi – guess its all the space game. Home cooked food has been a blessing. Again being very helpful and polite looks like a way of life and I have had a great one week here.

House hunting @ Chennai: House hunting my friends is pure hard work and then one day you strike a pot of gold. This goes for all those who aren’t born with the usual stroke of good luck ;)

So house hunting started for a month ago, when I was looking online for houses at Sulekha.com. And I strongly recommend this site to everyone. So its been a month now or more of cold calling people and last 4 days of looking at 2-3 places everyday. Nothing really like what I am looking for. My office is in Nungambakkam – which is the heart of the city and supposedly one of the happening areas of Chennai. As a result, PGs around here are as expensive as 10k!! Something cheaper is then so far off that I would end up paying obscene amounts to the auto guys which is another interesting fact to note abt the city. They are a complete Rip off and buyers bargaining power ain’t that strong; especially when you are new to the city and don’t speak the language.

Saturday @ Chennai: Today being my first Saturday in Chennai – I spent it nice lazy Chennai style and ended it the Mumbai way. So I got up had a nice south Indian breakfast. Went to this furniture place – complete import stuff from Indonesia – real good stuff. So anyone looking for a nice piece let me know  A little expensive but worth it! Afternoon lunch and then siesta time! I checked out this mall in Chennai – pretty small – not so bad again  Ended the day with a couple of new people I met today – who would now be a part of my Chennai friend circle. We went to this nice little place called Zaras for a drink. Good music and good crowd; discovering new places to hang out in Chennai. So whenever anyone of you come here – Zara is a must go place 

More account and details soon with pics this time.