Madness in Madras

It has been a while since I'd done an England away test match, New Zealand March 2013 to be precise and was getting increasingly jealous reading on Facebook my mates were all there.

My new job meant I had to cancel my hotel in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), but I had 4 days annual leave so I could squeeze a long weekend in Chennai for the last test just before Christmas. My inflexibility of flights (needed to travel after work on the Wednesday and be back Tuesday in readiness for work again Wednesday) meant I paid over the odds on flights, which pained a budget conscious traveller like myself.

I arrived mid afternoon on the Thursday, still in the clothes I went to work in the day before tired after a, restless at best, sleep on the train.

I'd read about the money situation in India, after an overnight withdrawal of all the 500 (£6) and 1000 rupee notes a few weeks back. I'd read of huge queues at ATM's and everyone struggling to get hold of the replacement notes.

I naively thought that arriving at an international airport I'd be ok to use the ATM there and get sufficient to last me my stay....WRONG!

Every ATM was "Out of Order" the money changers only had new 2000 notes at poor rates. I'd read the 2000 notes were near impossible to spend because no one had change, so decided to not bother.

I had 60 rupees from a previous visit, a taxi from the airport was 500, oh dear. However budget conscious Phil, walked to the train station and caught a train to Chennai main station, at a wallet saving price of 5 rupee (6p).

The train was fairly hardcore, no doors and cages separating sections of the carriage. Indian Railways have a novel solution to the train debate in the UK over who is going to open the doors by simply removing them!

I then had to catch 2 further trains for a further 5 rupee. The station I got off at was down a dodgy alley from the main road. I had to paddle through mud, puddles and litter whilst been attacked by goats, chickens, turkeys and dogs...still in my work clothes, and it was hot!

Onto the main road, every ATM I passed had no money, what was I going to do?

My hotel had no money to change. I caught an uber taxi to my mates hotel for a quiet few drinks before the cricket....WRONG (I knew that hotel would allow me to pay by card).

This hotel allowed me to change £30, a friend had sorted my a ticket for the cricket so settled in at the bar. 10 pints, a few shots and a 16,000 rupee bar bill for the 3 of us, £70 each. The fancy bar only had premium lagers, I was looking forward to a cold kingfisher.

Armed with rupees I got a tuk tuk home, the driver got breathalyzed on the way back.

One thing I haven't mentioned is the fact Chennai is a grim old place. The city wasn't helped by a cyclone that had ripped through the city 2 days earlier. Huge trees laid everywhere was evidence of the devastation.

The cricket was tough going, as had been traditional I left at lunchtime to seek out that cold kingfisher....WRONG. A tiny pub I'd frequented during the 2011 world cup near the ground were only selling 6% British Empire beers. It turns out, due to a dispute, Kingfisher is banned from Tamil Nadu state.

The pub was full of my mates, I love the fact you can be in the middle of nowhere more.then half a world away and meet up with your mates.

I did see an ATM that was working, but didn't fancy the 100+ queue to get to the front.

Another day another beer. This time at the hotel bar of the place I stayed at on my last visit. A dark fairly modern underground bar with a loose aquatic theme called the submarine bar.

This place only had 8% fosters. Yes that was 8%! It was drinkable with a dash of sprite but got you way too drunk. Sadly this place at 8pm turned unpleasant when the music started blasting out beats, but by then it was almost time to go home as the effect of the drink had kicked in.

The next few days followed a similar theme, poor England cricket and strong beer.

A blog I posted whilst travelling mentioned that you can tell how good a place is by the number of photographs you take over the trip, I took 8 in 4 days!

In my way home I changed planes in Mumbai, where I finally got a kingfisher, and if I'd wanted to could have withdrawn some money. To finish off the trip, the bus that takes you from the departure lounge to get onto the plane broke down on the short route.

It was literally a flying visit into India, not one I particularly enjoyed. This was my second visit to Chennai, and would definitely be my last. Was it worth it? Well yeah it probably was, after all you can't beat a few days of cricket and beer with your mates.

Sporting life in Mumbai

My overnight bus from Goa dropped me in the middle of Mumbai by a roadside, I was told I was about 4km from my hotel. 3 Spanish girls were also in the same situation, so being the gentleman that I am, I flagged down a taxi for them and negotiated what I thought was a good price for them of £1. The next taxi I flagged down, which was for myself, opened the bidding at 60p.

I was a little concerned at what my accommodation was going to be like, on my last visit to Mumbai I paid 3 times the price and that was only average at best. I was pleasantly surprised, it was OK. It didn't have air conditioning or hot water, but following a hot day in Mumbai a cold shower was quite refreshing. At night the temperature was cool enough that having a fan in the room following a few Kingfisher Beers was easily enough to get a good nights sleep.

The primary reason for been in Mumbai was to watch England play against the West Indies and South Africa in the T20 Cricket World Cup. There had been a frenzy on social media about the ticket situation, many were worried about not been able to get tickets once they had travelled. The ticket selling website only showed that they had tickets for £20 or £30 left available. On the advice of an experienced cricket traveller I decided to check out the situation at the ground the day before.  It couldn't have been easier to buy 8 tickets (3 for the first game and 5 for the second) all at the cheapest price of £5.

Feeling quite pleased with myself after sourcing the tickets, I set of on a stroll along Marine Drive, which runs along the coast and allows for nice views and a cool breeze. On coming across the old cricket ground, I thought I would see if I could have a look around. Getting to the gate I found out that there was a game on, South Africa v Mumbai in a warm up game. Not only that, the entry was free, so I set on a dusty concrete step watching arguably the finest batsman in the world (AB De Villiers) blast the ball to all parts.

Marine Drive

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Decent view from the concrete step

After the game I headed back to my hotel to freshen up, when amongst the crowds I saw a familiar face. I'd not seen Essex Jeff for a few years and amazingly bumped into him on the busy streets of Mumbai. We arranged to meet up for a few beers before the game the following day.

I had some time the next morning to take a wonder down the streets of Colaba, the touristy area of Mumbai at the bottom of the peninsular. I took in the impressive Gateway to India monument and Taj Hotel and had a walk down the Colaba Causeway. Yet again I bumped into the very familiar face of Boz, whom I had no idea was coming out to see the cricket. I find it amazing I can walk down my local high street and not meet anyone I know, but when England are playing in a foreign city I bump into friends all the time.

Gateway to India

Time for a trip to the barbers for a shave Phil

Taj Hotel

Gateway to India

We assembled a group of about 10 -15 England Lads congregated in a bar for pre game beers. In the half full stadium the performance was a let down, England never really got going and in the end were beaten comfortably by an outstanding hundred from West Indian Chris Gayle one of the games greats. With our £5 tickets we sat in the £20 stand without really knowing where we went wrong.  Excellent seats and excellent value.

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Great seats for just £5

The next morning I went to the barbers for a wet shave. Looking on the price list a Shave was 30 Rupees (31p) and a Special Shave was 60 Rupees (62p). I asked what the difference between a shave and a special shave was to which the barber in a clear Indian voice replied "30 Rupees Sir". I splashed out on the special shave which post shave I discovered included a head massage, a bit of a haircut and a face wash.

I was meeting 3 lads at the races, first going to a restaurant by the course and then into the races. The restaurant (The Gallops - an old colonial building) was situation beyond the turnstiles. Typical carnage began, we were not allowed into the races for flouting just about every rule on the dress code. They wouldn't allow us to go to the restaurant without paying the £5 entrance fee for racing that we couldn't watch (due to our attire). We tried negotiating various deals but they were adamant we had to pay for the privilege of going to the restaurant. "Do you have TV in restaurant?" we asked, "Oh yes Sir", "Can we watch the racing on the TV", "No sir, we do not put the TVs on".

We ended up paying, but had to surrender our phones to avoid a £200 fine. This meant I could not get in touch with the 4th member of our party to inform him of the chaotic scenes. We had a fine lunch, sold our tickets back at face value and went in the 50 Rupee (52p) entrance which had a more relaxed dress code. Horse racing in Mumbai was very similar to horse racing in England, in which I would go to a bookmaker, hand over money in exchange for a ticket telling me how much I would win, my horse would lose and I'd go to the bar. After the races we went out into town and had a good few beers.

My last day in Mumbai was again a match day, with the game starting at 19:30 I had the morning to catch some sights and the afternoon to refuel on Kingfisher before the game. I went to Dhobi Ghat which is an giant laundry area where 6,000 people wash clothes all day. It wasn't the greatest of tourist attractions and plenty of locals were trying (and failing) to charge us an admission fee and a photograph fee.

Hand washing at Dhobi Ghat

Dhobi Ghat, home to 6,000 washermen and women

Dhobi Ghat was a train ride away, which was an added attraction for me to go there to use the commuter trains in Mumbai. The return ticket was just 10 Rupees (10p) for the 25 minute journey. The doors never closed on the train allowing a cool breeze to pass through the train. It was long after rush hour so the train was quiet, an hour or two earlier and the same train would have carried thousands with some literally hanging on to the door frame from the outside.

View from the open door of the train as it rattles along

The final game in Mumbai was an all time classic. England's poor bowling combined with South Africa's brilliant batting allowed them to score a huge 229. At the half way stage the game was all but over, but immense batting from England saw them pull off an unexpected victory.

England v South Africa Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

An enthralling game enjoyed by us all

I had an early flight to Agra the next morning so could only stay for one celebratory beer. My next blog will feature my time in Agra which of course includes visiting one of the worlds most famous sites, the Taj Mahal.

The Second leg of my trip: Back in Bangalore

The first leg of my trip ended just before Christmas, I had a great time based around South East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand).  I loved that area, it can be very inexpensive to travel there, the food is great and the people are some of the kindest and friendliest people on this planet (or any other planet for all I know).

I spent Jan and Feb at home spending some quality time with my friends and family and contemplated what the future may bring me.  I have taken a number of online IT courses, almost completed the TEFL teacher qualification (2 day on-site course in June to close this out) and got my house on the market.  After speaking with a few recruitment agents both in the UK and overseas the overall message I received from them was if I don’t need to find work immediately then take more time out to ensure my next career move is the correct one.  With that in mind I jumped on Kayak and booked a flight to Bangalore, India at the end of Feb, returning from Seoul, South Korea early in June.

The second leg is scheduled to be 17 days longer than the first leg which was 78 days,  I have a vague route planned, but only penciled in that is to start in India and head East to Philippines, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.  The latter four are currently 'unticked' countries on my ever decreasing bucket list of places i want to travel to.

The India leg started at the end of Feb in Bangalore (Bangaluru) and I plan to take in Kerala, Goa, Mumbai, Agra and Delhi.  The 2nd half of my 28 day visit will have a little focus on the T20 cricket world cup, where I'm catching 2 England games in Mumbai and 2 more in Delhi.

Lunch when I arrived, Vegetable Momas - the red and green stuff was potent.

Time for Masala Tea

Bangalore is a city I’ve visited on two previous occasions and may seem an odd choice of first destination, there is little to do in terms of tourist attractions, and what there is I had mostly done on previous visits.  What Bangalore does have to offer to me is that it is the home of a few guys that I have worked with over the past couple of years.  I planned to catch up with most of the people I knew over a curry and a Kingfisher.

Breakfast in the hotel was OK at best

Whilst in Bangalore I was treated to some fabulous hospitality by the guys I knew.  I was invited into their homes and experienced some delicious home cooked meals (all with the spicy dial turned down to medium to suit my pallet).  I was never short of someone to have lunch, evening meal or a cup of tea with. Almost as soon as I arrived I was whisked off to Manoj's home to have a fabulous meal and meet his family.

One evening I played badminton with Sreejith and Sharath.  You often hear the saying about Latin American footballers “let’s see how they play on a cold windy Tuesday night in Stoke” well for me it was “let’s see how he plays on a sultry steamy Tuesday evening in Bangalore”.  It was on the top floor of a school and the roof would have served more use in a greenhouse. After starting well I faded in the heat losing litres of fluid from my body.  The guys said I’d got better from the days we used to play in Darlington, but politely suggested that stamina may have been my problem.  It was a tough away game, but great fun, the evening ended with a superb meal at Sreejith's house.

Action shot

Two of my old work mates play whilst I took much need rest

Fabulous dinner prepared by Sreejith's wife

Overall I stayed 6 nights in Bangalore separated with a 3 night trip to Kerala to stay at one of the guys’ family homes.  It was an amazing trip and deserves a blog of its own (to follow).

Cow going for a leisurely walk in Bangalore.  Mooooooove!

I managed to squeeze a few tourist attractions in whilst in Bangalore.  I visited Tipu Sultan Palace, Venkatraman Temple, Krishnarajendra Market, Jaima Masjid, Bangalore Fort and the Shiva Temple. The latter of which had a huge queue for the free entrance due to it been Shiva day in India. However, I found a VIP entry for £5 and was told the money would go to help the poor, so didn't feel too bad at marching straight in. All attractions were OK but nothing to write home about – so I won’t.

Shiva Temple

Shiva Temple

Tipu Sultan Palace

Bangalore Fort

I got to experience the horrendous traffic problems that Bangalore faces almost 24 hours a day from the eyes of Auto-Rickshaws (Tuk-Tuks), Taxi’s and local buses.  The bus journey was particularly interesting, it was standing room only and each time a 5ft gap appeared in the road in front of the bus the driver would hit the accelerator hard throwing the passengers collectively forward, in the same motion he would slam the brakes sending passengers backwards in a whipping like motion.  This continued for around an hour to make the 2km journey.  If I had known the direction I would have definitely walked it.

Since I last visited Bangalore it now has a plush new metro system which is a skytrain, it is cheap, clean and efficient.  The locals do not use this as it has limited coverage of Bangalore, but for me it was great as it connected the two main areas where bars are concentrated. I got to sample a few of the bars on my last evening with Manish. 

Decent craft beer scene in Bangalore

Bar in Bangalore 

One thing that is very frustrating about India is the challenge to get a local Sim card for your phone.  Most places requested me to get a certificate from the police station verifying who I was and where I was staying.  I felt that this would be more hassle than it was worth.  After finding somewhere with slightly more relaxed rules they took copies of my passport, visa, letterhead from my hotel saying where I was staying and a local persons contact details who could verify me.  I was told it would be activated tomorrow.  Sadly tomorrow never came, one week later I had to take the approach my old mate Podge would use to resolve issues in India.  I left the phone shop with an activated Sim.

I like Bangalore, I will return, not for the tourist attractions but to see my mates again, and sample some more of the many plush bars, maybe time it with some cricket also.  Outside the bars in local restaurants you could get a full meal for around a £1, but inside these bars it was almost Western prices.

Lunch I had out with Ramesh

Local dessert

Evening Meal - bargain at just 50p

My next blog will describe the amazing time I had off the beaten tourist track in Kerala.