My South Trip - Part 2

I left the last blog in mid way.. with a feeling of disgust and displeasure.

I dont say my feelings for Chennai have changed, but I didnt interact with the natives today (not with what happened yesterday) and thankfully the picturesque view of Mahabalipuram washed away the grim picture, atleast for now!

The beach was awesome, probably the best one I have been till date! The waves, the air (the wind I must say), the sun..everything was PERFECT! I loved capturing them all in my digicam, and with every pic I thought of becoming a photographer (but it was the scenic beauty that was the reason for the great pics, not my capability as a photographer!!)

And all this was bliss until I reached Chennai again, and it didnt take long to reach Chennai from Mahabalipuram as it took to get back home in Chennai. I dont know what connection I have with this place, but I just am not getting a good picture of this place.

I am leaving this place tomorrow, and would return here on 17th and I am looking forward to it (actually Im looking forward to getting back to Delhi, and my flight is from Chennai!!)

But I, for the first time, liked staying at home here..at my brother's place and if I return to Chennai, I would miss his home if I dont come here. :) (Dont worry bro, I'm not coming to Chennai for long ;) like I said, if possible I will not come before my next birth!! so relax!!)

Next I would not crib.. TO BE CONTINUED ;)

My South Trip Part 1

Well I go on such kinds of vacations every year but this one is special!! Yes, its because its a South
Trip. My First South Trip. And the next south trip be soon..My next Birth!!!!

What went wrong? Nothing actually. The weather is better than what it is the whole year! And I have everything, A chauffeur driven car, an AC room, a lappy, a novel and most importantly Holidays!
What is amiss? Warmth of feelings. Cheerful Faces. Helpful smiles. Being a delhiite, I really am missing all this. And this is what i feel is the essence.

Day 1 Chennai: I reach at 8 pm after a horrible flight with Indigo. Sorry but Id rather prefer saying DontgoIndigo!!! It really sucks! Thankfully I met my cousin after a long time, and that saved my day! Didnt sleep the entire night..cant say why.. :P

Day 2 Chennai: Lazying around. Exploring my cousin's belongings!! :P and ordering food! Spent the evening at Asia's longest beach. And then a surprize!! 10:30 pm Volvo to Tirupati. I thought I would take a two night's sleep in the bus. So I got all geared up for Balaji Darshan at Tirupati!!
And the surprize starts now... It wasnt a volvo, it was a Traveller!! I got a single seat and spent another sleepless night. But I knew, I'd get some sleep before the Darshan.

Surprize!!!! We reach Tirupati at 02:30 am and we are given half an hour's time by the travel agent to get ready to get the tickets to Tirupati. So I was standing in a line at 03:30 pm for the counter which opens at 5! The counters open and I get my finger printed ticket to Tirupati, and I take the beautiful lanes connecting Tirupati and Tirumala. Amazingly beautiful I could have said..but I didnt register much of it. So I missed one of the most awaited part of my trip. :(
@7:30 I was in a mad line full of bald south indians (no racism intended!! ) pushing each other out of their ways, as if its not an idol we were about to pray to, but the god himself. As the wait grew endless, the mob got fiercer and it was difficult to stay put. I didnt walk, i was pushed till the end.

Negative point(s): I had never seen a pilgrimage, where you are discriminated on the basis of the amount printed on your ticket! VIP's, defense personnels, TV and film personalities do get privileges, but normal people?? gime a break!! The native people there have this tremendous capability of pushing people out of their way to get to their. And hospitality.. They know nothing about it, they prefer Hospitals!!

Im not being against people there, but if I find an outsider in Delhi, I will try and help that person to the best of my ability. Alas, everyone doesnt feel the same way.

Im so tired that I have not included everything i felt during the 5 hours i spent inside the temple. But one thing is for sure, except the darshan part, I didnt quite like it. (And if you girls have been there, you must be aware of the stares that they they give you if you are fair! I dont know the logic, but all of them just keep on looking at you as if you are a foreigner!!) And i had decided then and there, I will write a blog regarding this.

The other best part, I came back to my cousin by 6 pm! And since then, Im having a good time. (Ofcourse, I love writing this!)

To be continued..