Chennai? You mean Madras.

To Chennai. 30th May

Remembering the new name of India’s fourth largest city and capital of the state of Tamil Nadu, I asked a bus driver today at the station, “Bus for Chennai?”. He wobbled his head and replied, “Yessss. Madraaaassssss.” How old habits diehard.

My trip back to Chennai was uneventful, except for the heat. As we arrived at lunchtime passing through wide streets lined with huge hand-painted billboard, the temperature hit 50 degrees, the hottest day there since 1910. Only once before have I experienced this heat, in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, but that heat was a dry heat devoid of the humidity of Madras. There was no doubt about where I was heading - straight for the air-conditioning of the airport.