CHENNAI - A BITTER - SWEET EXPERIENCE

Vanakkam!

 Chennai is one of the cities that was on my bucket list. It is famous for it's culture and I was fascinated by it's popularity. Also, my main reason to visit the city was my best friend's birthday. So, I immediately booked my tickets and went on to surprise her.

We wanted to reach Chennai early in the morning, so we took the train at midnight. We took the KAVERI EXPRESS (16022) from Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna Station (KSR Bengaluru) at 23:50. It was an all night journey. We got off at MG Ramachandran Chennai Central at 6:45. The sleeper class ticket costed Rs. 235 each. The total travel time was almost 7 hrs.

We began our journey towards SRM University by boarding the metro from MGR central to Airport metro station, which costed us Rs. 40 each. Then our supposed journey continued by Chennai local train, we took a train from Tirusulam halt. Then we got to know that we boarded a wrong train and had to get off at Tambaram station instead of our destined halt Potheri. At Tambaram, after waiting for more than an hour for a train to Potheri, we gave up and booked an auto directly to SRM. I ticked another element on my bucket list, that was to ride the black and yellow auto rickshaw. 
We reached our destination in no time and waited to surprise my best friend in the canteen area of the campus. I slowly went and tapped on her back as she came and stood near a lassi shop. She screamed with happiness at my sight and burst out into tears. *the scream was a bit embarrassing as everyone stared at us. LOL.* 
After a brief campus tour, we headed out to celebrate her special day. That's where I'll start complaining about my trip. The city was freaking hottt. I love to travel but the weather was unbearable to me. It also compelled me to avoid using public transport, which I usually prefer to stay in budget. Another reason for not taking any local buses in Chennai was their unpleasant appearance. The scorching heat disrupted my plans to roam around and see some famous places. We decided to go for lunch someplace nice. 

We got on a local train from Potheri and that too without ticket. In a rush, we hopped on the first class compartment on the train. I guess, it wasn't a good day for me as we got caught and was fined with Rs. 600 after a lot of negotiation. With a sad mood, we reached a restaurant for lunch named ALOE- a little of everything in Nungambakkam. The ambience was good and so was the food. We felt relaxed after a hectic time in the city. After a brief phtoto session, we resumed again. 
Next stop, The Living Room in Anna Nagar, where her friends arranged for a surprise. We took the metro from Airport to Anna Nagar East. At the location, we all had another round of lunch and honestly, the best cake ever. It was evening already and it was time to say BYE to her because of her hostel timings. As she left, I thought of exploring the city a bit but the temperature was still unbearable to me. My train was at night and I had a lot of time to kill. So, I decided to watch a movie instead. I went to VR Mall in Anna Nagar itself. I  found that mall fascinating because of it's unique design and decor. After watching Doctor G, I grabbed a burger for dinner and rushed towards the railway station. 

I boarded the Chennai Bengaluru Mail (12657) on my way back. It started at 22:50 from MGR Chennai Central and reached KSR Bengaluru at 4:40. It costed Rs. 245 each in sleeper class.

I could sum up by saying that my expectations were nowhere near my experience. It was great to see my best friend after such a long time but I am never going back there. I do not dislike the city in any way. It is surely our pride and shares a rich culture and heritage. But the weather was surely not suitable to me. The city had some beautiful sights and farthermost clean in comparison to other cities. Also, the lighting of roads at night and few old British styled architecture were breathtaking. Do visit the city to experience it's warm love and the the beauty of "the Gateway to the South".
Thank you for reading!
 

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