Heartland

aka Madras, with work for a week.

Stupidly I managed to book flights which only give me one free day to myself which is Saturday next week so...... anyone been? Anything I really shouldn't miss or anything in particular I really should buy?


(I'm quite excited by the way)

Certainly never been, so no recommendations... but have a lovely time!

ruffers wrote: (I'm quite excited by the way)

Never been but have a marvellous time and take some photos and a quick report of the experience....and be safe.

Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy on the bosses' expense!

Is that India? Enjoy.

Have a good time

When the Heartlanders holiday, they don't mess about! Two continents seized? Sorted.

Have fun, don't catch anything, start a war!

I'd been intending to get a picture wearing a Heartland tee claiming some territory.... but I haven't got one.

By the miracle of wi-fi and the wait for a plane, your correspondent posts some initial thoughts from Chennai aiport.

Sooo, it's been interesting. Most of it was hotel taxi office type business trip stuff apart from today, but the exciting bit was Thursday. 25cm of rain in 18 hours, 40 in 40 hours, whole city flooded and shut down with no power or anything. Did anyone tell ruffers the office would be closed? Course not. So I made the taxi driver go down the river of a main road to get me there and he clearly wasn't impressed Never seen weather like it though.

Today was the free day and a guy from work showed me round. Although you're warned about the poverty it's not the same as seeing it, I'm still getting my head round it to be honest. People just lying down and going to sleep on waste land by the road, and not the odd one - I saw hundreds myself.

What can't be denied though is the sheer energy of the place - just a walk down a shopping street lined with stalls, shops, hawkers and all. Especially after dark, a really intense atmosphere, quite inspirational in a way.

I've every intention of going again and organising it better so I get more time.

Seems like you had quite an impressive time nevertheless

Oh, and that taxi, was it one of those Hindustan Ambasadors/Morris Oxfords?