Showing posts with label Chennai. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chennai. Show all posts

Saturday, 1 October 2016

Street Dogs & the Chennai Expat Guide

I remember as if it was yesterday. It was already quite late at night and I wanted to pick up my loved one from work. Having discovered the shortcut on a rickshaw ride, I decided to use it again. Passing through with the Kinetic, though with hesitation, I went for it.  Big mistake. At night, the streets of Chennai change and many of them will be dominated by street dogs. A bunch of them chased me out of the hood, with my legs in the air!

This short story and many others are documented in the book Chennai Expat guide, written by my friend and former boss Peter Claridge. Have look on his website chennaiexpatguide.com to buy the book or check out the Kindle version on Amazon.

































Monday, 13 July 2009

Billboard Mania

Browsing through pictures of last year, I came across a little movie I shot from a billboard in Chennai. We were safely behind the glass of Sid's AC-ed car and therefore the music of the car kind off synchronises with the billboard...I like it (as much as the associated memories ).








It was a campaign from Vodafone and one of the few billboards that actually caught my eye. The other pic is to give an idea of what all the other billboards looked like...



chetpet bridge

ans some more from Flickr to illustrate:

We hate Jaundice We love... Indian copywriters?

Saturday, 23 August 2008

The Worst British Airways Experience Ever

Update: Looking for BA in Chennai? Also read: British Airways abandons Chennai on Chennai Expat

I have previously seen and been subject to horrible customer treatment in Chennai, but what British Airways in Chennai accomplished to do in the last week, certainly broke all records.

It all started when we wanted to change the date of a paper ticket issued by BA. First we had to arrive at the former British Airways office in Chennai to find out it no longer exists. British airways in Chennai is only reachable through a phone number from now on. We call the provided phone number and are told to go to the airport, far away from the city and almost an hour drive with the Honda Kinetic in morning traffic.

At the airport we are not granted acces because security only allows passengers to enter the airport. After the usual chit chat (and the cop telling us to go to BA in
the city!)one of us is allowed to enter. Unfortunbately, only to find out there is nobody of BA present in the airport around that time. After a long search and behind security doors a British Airways employee is spotted. The employee has no clue and allows to use the phone to call the same number we previusly called. The voice on the other end now says 'why did you go to the airport??'. Frustration starts to grow as you understand. The lady adds 'go home and relax', causing the anger to hit record peaks.

Back home the same number is out of service for the rest of the day. Our first attempt failed and we file a complaint to British Airways.

British Airways, BA in Chennai, BA logo

The next day we finally get through the customer number of BA in Chennai. Miss Bindu from BA tells us to go to the American Airlines office in Chennai, everything will be taken care of there. The next day we find the AA office. A very friendly guy from AA tries to helps us out, but Britsih Airways has not send him any details and he can't do anything. We call the British Airways customer number from the American Airline office to tell them that. They put us 41 minutes on hold! After that they promise to send the information asap.

The next day no information has NOT been send by British Airways. It has then been more than 3 days already to simply change the date of a ticket, without any result. British Airways in Chennai really dsoesn't seem to care too much.

When we call again to the BA number, they finally ask for details concerning the date. We announce we would like to fly on the 4th of OKTOBER. British Airways calls back some time later, saying no seats are available on the 4th of SEPTEMBER and asks to upgrade. British Airways not only saves money on representatives in Chennai but also seems to be saving on providing adequate training for call center employees in India.

Finally we got more and more convinced that British airways would never help us out of this situation as they prefer ignoring customers and we started looking for alternative solutions. Finally our problem got solved by a travel agent in BRAZIL, after a few phonecalls over there the flight date was succesfully changed... within 2 hours time.

Conclusion: British Airways in Chennai fails on all fields and despite 5 weekly flights from London to Chennai they can't provide adequate customer service to customers in India.

"A warned man is worth two"...

Monday, 18 August 2008

Shocking Conservatism & Discrimination in Chennai

The video shows some shocking truths about discrimination between boys and girls in Chennai Colleges. Not even shaking hands is allowed and a wrong look seems to be enough to be severely punished. Tamil values are so deeply conservative and look so retarded to me. Worse is the result: even more frustrated Tamil men staring in the street, going crazy upon a glimps of skin. Get a life!

Have a look at conservative Chennai:

Thursday, 31 July 2008

You Have Been Too Long In India When...

I know this is a re-post, but I'm sure many of you haven't seen it before. Also, now I actually might start to consider having been too long in India so the list becomes more relevant anyway :)
So You've been too long in India when...

*You realize that your toothpaste and breakfast taste the same.
* You know "initials" are not the first letters of your first and last name but the first letters of your 4-5 names before family name.
* You can't even think of eating rice and curry with cutlery, because "it's not the same taste"


* You know "short eats" is not a children's movie or an ancient measure.
* You start using the freezer compartment when you realize the fridge is broken.
* You put towels on the floor when you realize the freezer is broken.
* You can't remember the time before instant coffee.
* You don't mind anymore if there's no toilet paper in the washroom.
* You call it a washroom instead of toilet.



* You look right when crossing the street.
* You find apples and oranges to be precious commodities while durian and rambutan are part of your daily diet.
* You don't understand why you need a bed if you have a mattress.
* You scream and shout of happiness when telling your friends you had a chance to watch TV or take a hot shower.
* You think salami and cheese are gifts from heaven.
* You have forgotten how red wine tastes like.



* You think Wickramasinghe or Jayawardene are typical short last names.
* You feel good that you managed to haggle 50 rupees off from a rickshaw ride.
* You use chili sauce and call it tomato sauce; you never say "ketchup" again.
* You start secretly wishing your parents would do the pre-screening of your future spouse.
* You think it's a wonderful thing that a 30+ year old still lives home with his or her parents.
* You think twice before killing a bug; maybe it's better to leave it be and it will go away eventually.



* You express your anger saying "What to do?"
* You express your consent with wiggling your head from side to side.
* You express your disagreement with wiggling your head from side to side.
* You express maybe by saying "sometimes".
* You go to a five-star hotel with your company and prefer to have kiri bath and pol sambol instead of bacon and egg.


* You don't wonder why random people just pop into your house occasionally.
* You want to go and save a cow that is stuck on a green field away from its natural habitat amidst the traffic.
* You go to work three hours late with clear conscience and say "it was raining".
* You announce distance in minutes.
* You write a list of things that show when you have been too long in India

(author unknown)

Tuesday, 29 July 2008

Exotische Scheftigheid

Vrienden Van De Blog,

Toegegeven, hoe exotisch India ook mag klinken, ter tijd en stond steekt het hier ook serieus tegen, zeker in de stad. Alles gaat zo traag, en mijn eeuwige portie geduld ;) raakt dan ook wel eens uitgeput, niet zelden in het verkeer, en in combinatie met enkele binnensmonds geintendeerde doch buitensmonds gearticuleerde tirades in het Engels, Nederlands of daar iets tussenin.



Na bijna anderhalve maand zonder frigo geleefd te hebben, hebben we nu ook terug een koelkast. Het kapotte exemplaar behoort ons niet toe en staat nu gestockeerd in de living, naast de andere kapotte frigo die als opslagplaats wordt gebruikt. Ook de loodgieter is langsgeweest zodat de keukenkraan terug werkt, de pombak eindelijk een afloop heeft ipv een emmer eronder en de douche kraan terug dicht gaat. Driewerf hoera!

Mijn laatste maand werken gaat bijna in en normaal gezien zal ik september rondreizen in India, hoewel armoede troef zal zijn, ben ik toch gelukkig met het vooruitzicht de scheftigheid achter mij te laten en de schaarser bevolkte gebieden te verkennen, waar ik ietwat frissere lucht kan opsnuiven en zonder stress met mijn vriendin over straat kan wandelen. De tocht leidt zo goed als zeker richting het hoge noorden, waar we een glimps van de Himalayas willen opvangen en onderweg de Taj Mahal meepikken voor de traditionele toeristenfoto.


suspicious looks

Ondertussen houd ik mij nuttig bezig met mijn verblijf in chennai te documenteren en blogs te bouwen (http://chennai-expat.blogspot.com), voorlopig de enige bezigheid die mij geld opbrengt in plaats van kost...

Groeten van uw dienaar,

Pelle

Sunday, 27 July 2008

Pictures From Chennai, (I could never have taken myself)



Pictures of Chennai from Roman Virdi. He does it better than I do. Look for yourself:



Slum, next to main road somewhere in Chennai


Women sellinng yasmine flowers





In the water at Marina Beach


Crowds at Marina Beach


Suikerspin


Vergane Glorie. Georgetown


Auto Rickshaw close up.

more chennai pictures on the original website

Tuesday, 22 July 2008

Super Survival Tips To South India (Part II)

In a previous post I already gave away 6 super useful survival tips to South India and as promised I continue the list, for you to enjoy, learn...and survive!

7. Don't ask leading questions. Rather than wanting to dissapoint you, every south indian will do his best to answer your question or explain the way, even if he has no clue what you are talking about. If then you offer them the easy opportunities such as 'Should I go this direction to arrive at the mall?', the answer will undoubtly be a firm 'yes', though you might be walking the opposite way. Surely the good man believes you will arrive at your destination at some point, somehow, so it's not a real lie, right?



8. Never run when crossing the street. Crossing major boulevards in India is a balancing game that requires some skills and experience. In the beginning its easy to cross together with other locals, they are ALWAYS around anyway, but surely you will have to gather courage to give it a go alone someday. At that point, remember this primary survival rule and slowly manouver through traffic without any external sign of fear for the passing cars, bikes, rickshaws, cycles, pedestrians and mammels. Take firm steps and indicate the cars heading your way which way you want them to pass by. Thank God when you arrived on the other side.



9. Declare you are a student. It sounds pretty lame, but i've heard from several travellers and experienced myself that an imaginary student status facilitates bargaining. Being white you are considered a walking goldmine anyway (even if you are a poor backpacker or trainee), but it can help. Anyway it's better than coming up with the real story from which the salesman/driver will only pick up the keywords 'Sofware, America, Dollars, Manager', regardless of you actually mentioning them or not in your talk.



10. Confirm every sentence with ok,ok,ok,ok,ok and some head wiggling, that will make your conversation partner feel more comfortable talking to you. Even if you don't agree continue to say ok,ok,ok,ok,ok and end with a firm 'NO'. It's also pretty common to use the stop word 'correct' after every sentence, (pronounced 'Cerrect') as an acknowledgment of your understanding. This can end up in funny first meetings, when people reply 'Correct' to your birthdate or name.

11. Get a rabies shot. If you've read the Madras by night post you understand why. If you didn't you will understand the day you venture out at night and stand face to face with a dog that is not open to the idea of having foreigners in his hood (and is probably hungry too). Better to avoid dogs anyway I guess. A survial tip in the true sense of the word!


Monday, 21 July 2008

Chennai, As Seen from St Thomas Mount

This weekend we ventured out to Saint Thomas Mount, trying to catch a cool breeze at the edge of the city. Here are some impressions:


one side of the mountain offers a good view over Chennai

The other side is surprisingly calm and green...and polluted:









click for more info about Saint Thomas Mount & Sightseeing in Chennai

Thursday, 10 July 2008

Tour De France in Chennai

Groot was mijn verbazing en blijdschap wanneer ik gisteravond de bar van The King's Hotel' naast mijn deur binnenstapte. (Het hotel is hoogst waarschijnlijk vernoemd naar de legendarische after club in Aalst, en is eerder een underdog in Chennai, maar het zijn letterlijk onze buren en het bier is er goedkoop).



Inderdaad verbazing dus, wanneer ik oog in oog stond met het hemels tafereel van de tour de france op groot scherm. Wat bedoeld was als een snelle pint is dus uitgelopen tot het uitkijken van de hele 5de etappe, een familiair en goed gevoel gezien ik zowat elke sportgebeurtenis dit jaar gemist heb.

Ik heb mij alvast voorgenomen om de koninginneritten aan te stippen, en om mij ter tijd en stond voor het grote scherm te gaan placeren voor een avondje (3,5 tijdsverschil) wielrennen.







(pictures from Graham Watson Cycling Photography, thx!)

Friday, 4 July 2008

Madras By Night

Madras/Chennai by night. Not very impressive I have to say, but what to do when your beloved is working night shifts and you feel adventurous enough to venture out and take some nighttime snapshots of the city that boosts enormous crowds during daytime and drops dead well before 12...

My motivation to take pictures lessened substantially when I got attacked by a raging dog after the first street and I had to race through at full speed with my legs in the air. Anyway, I took some pictures and I'll try to photograph some of the same places during the day to compare soon.


madras, chennai, by night autodrivers, rickshaw, Chennai
view over Egmore and a crew of Chennai autodrivers in Nungambakkam, 2AM.



watchman, chenny by night chennai by night
empty roads (except for dogs), The Park Hotel (with crossing car).

madras by night chennai by night chennai
watchman sleeping, empty crossing and Our Lady of Valankani on Nungambakkam High Rd.

Sunday, 29 June 2008

Survival Tips To South India


For those who want to make it through their stay in South India, plan on visiting Tamil land or are new in town, here are some tips to increase your chances of survival!

1. Ban white clothes from your inventory, they are useless here. Even if you have the courage to hand wash till you die, eventually the frustration of seeing a white shirt turning into a distinct yellow brownish tint within the first half an hour you are outside will make you go mad. Go for a sari or lungi in a dark color, and blend in.

2. Avoid the Police, they spoil the fun at every occasion and it can cost you some rupees to get rid of them. The list of things the police strongly dissaproves of includes but is not limited to: kissing in public, showing affection in public, being on the street after 11PM (= deportation!), drinking on the beach, driving without helmet and parking your bike when the governor passes by. On the other hand it's completely cool to ignore all possible traffic rules and cross red lights.



3. Build up an unusual amount of patience and zen to remain calm at all price. This tip is meant to avoid swift heart attacks when you have to wait half one hour for that one customer ahead of you, when it takes you 3 days, 10 phonecalls and 20 referals to send a package home by mail or when somebody showed you in the wrong direction for the 10th time and you are hopelessly lost in the city. Indian stretchable time apllies and adds at least half an hour to the agreed hour of appointment.

4. To make yourself understandable in English on the street only use nouns. Adjectives and other difficult grammatical constructions make communication rather complicated so better to avoid them. If you do ha ve to use an adjective (or actually for every possible noun) it's always useful to add '-ing' to it as the locals will understand you as one of them. For example: no 'cool' drink, but 'cooling' drink, you are not going to work, but 'going working' etc. Picking up some Tamil will surely impress Chennai autodrivers and increase your bargaining power.

Tamil, Chennai
5. Chances of getting bored if you stay for a longer are real, but no worries. Grab the newspaper in a dead moment and laugh for the rest of the day. Articles are usually badly written and the weekend edition often offers some great content to discuss among friends. Don't be surprised to see presumably 'Quality' newspapers boost articles about masturbation, arranged marriages, The Amazingly Dangerous City of Chennai or guys writing about how woman should dress or be succesfully approached. Fun guaranteed! (if you go clubbing, 90% chance you'll be in the newspaper yourself)

6. Bear the unstoppable curiosity of the Indians. There are many of them and they all want to know what a foreigner like you is doing after work and in the weekends. No question cannot be asked so prepare to get your way out of questions like 'How much you earn?' 'Is your girlfriend also your lover?' or 'Is it true in Europe people only drink beer and softdrinks? or even more common 'Which country?' and 'Good name?'

Chennai,South India

So far the first edition of survival tips to South India - To be continued!

*update 24/07: see part II of Survival tips in India

Thursday, 26 June 2008

Cooling down in Chennai...

Temperatures in Chennai are finally going down again, the ocassional rain and some clouds are welcoming and are 'cooling' everybody down a bit. It seems the heat horror of April and May has passed, but let's cross fingers :)

29 °C
Bewolkt
Wind: W - 10 km/h
Luchtvochtigheid: 60%
do
Bewolkt
37 °C | 29 °C
vr
Bewolkt
36 °C | 29 °C
za
Hier en daar zonnig
37 °C | 29 °C
zo
Hier en daar zonnig
35 °C | 29 °C