By Richelle
Thursday 27th of June 2017
Chennai, I feel like we owe you an apology. We know you're more than mosquitos, smoking rooms, McDonald's and Fujifilm service centres - that's all we really got to see. But, I couldn't feel luckier!
We arrived at 5am after a relatively luxurious overnight bus journey, feeling exhausted and emotional. When I say we, I mean me. I was literally wracked with worry about the state of my camera, and the thought of spending the next 4 months without it attached to my hand was heartbreaking. The rude owner of White Mount Hotel copped the brunt of my emotion when he refused to acknowledge his incorrect calculation of GST, so we picked up our bags and hit the street in search of a new room. It didn't take long, every street was lined with options, most boasting free wifi and A/C. We dodged the swarms of mosquitoes that seemed to be hunting us, arriving at the Green Manor. A cheap double room that suited us perfectly, although I never in my life thought I'd settle for a smoking room. We opened up the camera as much as we could, trying to dry it out. It turned on, but all the buttons were inactive, and the screen flicked on and off sporadically. I cried.
It was at this point that we did a desperate Google search, and can you believe it - there was an offical Fujifilm service centre 4km away! Hope rose in my chest and we set out as soon as we could, through the smoggy and crowded streets. A giant ‘Norwest’ style office building complete with gate guards stood before us, and we caught the elevator up to level 6, happy to see the familiar logo and helpful faces. We met Sunil, who didn't seem overly confident or discouraging - so I left my camera with him feeling something akin to purgatory. In an attempt to cheer me up, Daniel found a pretty incredible place for lunch, Amethyst cafe - probably one of the most expensive and beautiful in Chennai. Pesto sandwiches, brownies and lemon tart definitely helped lift my mood.
The next morning we got the call. If it was culturally appropriate, I would have kissed Sunil! He had fixed it by replacing only a few small components on the circuit board that had been damaged by water corrosion. All I lost was $100. Lesson learnt; never climb slippery rocks without camera securely stored in a dry bag. Hugging it close on the way out, I felt almost scared to get it out and use it. But it was fixed, serviced and back to its original condition, the balance of life restored.
After a celebratory McDonald's lunch, we flipped a coin to decide if we should head to the St George Fort, and get at least one cultural site onto our itineray, or head home to do some work and pack our bags for our early departure to Pondicherry. The coin read tails - back to our cosy smokers room it was! And that's literally all I have to say about our time in Chennai.