I’m writing this on my 27hr trip from Chennai to Kolkata. But more on that later.
Saturday in Bangalore was uneventful and I enjoyed a relaxing morning at the Oberoi. A leisurely breakfast sat outside in what I would say was almost a cool temperature – 24C. I had scrambled eggs mixed with a spicy paste from Goa which was delicious (can’t remember the name annoyingly). in Goa, there was also a fabulous mackerel recheardo (found a recipie on BBC Good Food – fab!) and a tamarind paste which I’d like to find when I return to the UK.
Took a swim and spent a little time in the sun before a dash round the shops to try and find a few things. Unfortunately, the main shopping centre was closed so I struggled but at least I had the opportunity to visit another of my favourite institutions – the Indian Coffee House, run by the South India Coffee Co-operative for a veg cutlet and a cup of sweet coffee.
Packing up my things I was sad to check-out from the Oberoi and wonder when I will have chance to go back. I took the metro a few stops to Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (“KSR”) Railway Station which was as easy as you like. As I reached there it started to hammer it down but it made for some great pictures of the long platform green corrugated iron roofing and lines of carriage rooftops and rails.
The Vande Bharat train was to take me 4.5hrs to Chennai. As India’s newest and fastest train there is a lot of pride in the fact it was also made in India. The train looks sleek and modern until you notice the windows which many had huge clunks of sealant wedged around them and a number of windows were also broken. Many people jostled for position to take a picture of it as it snaked in to the platform. The inside of the train itself is a long way from the majority of other trains and I found Executive Class similar to a short haul Business Class experience on a plane. Afternoon high tea was served but I found it odd that you had to pay Rs10 for an additional cup of tea. I struck up a nice conversation with a gentleman I was sat next to.
Arrival in to Chennai was 20 minutes early, even though we’d left a good 5 minutes late. I put that down to slack in the timetable rather than the speed the train achieved – although I did see at one point we were moving at 120kmph. It was a nice ride but boring. The train has no character. It feels pretty much like any other train outside of India. I almost regretted the experience and the fact it was such a short hop and not a great use of a travel day. Still, my morning in Bangalore had been lovely.
Outside of Chennai Central was chaos and a real struggle to find the Uber. The driver kept calling me but it was really hard to understand what he was actually saying. Like many experiences here however, it all worked out fine and I was soon crawling through awful traffic to my hotel on the south side of the city.
Chennai, previously known as Madras, did not hit it off with me the first time I visited although that was brief. This time, I did not get to experience any of the sights but again, I did not feel the right vibes for the place in my time there. The value of the stopover did come the following day but arriving at the hotel and checking out the eating options nearby the hotel was disappointing. I found a place serving biryani but it was only average and returned to the hotel for another comparatively expensive glass of beer – called British Empire!
