Blast It

So, after 10 years, the AC in my car has finally conked out. I had it recharged a week ago but now I know for sure that a component or two in the climate control subsystem will need to be replaced. I haven't got a quote yet but, along with a new EGR valve and clutch pedal, I likely will have to shell out something slightly more than a grand. I have been driving a few days now in 80+ degrees. I am so used to canned air here in Boston, that a lack of a working AC in my car has set me wondering about how I managed the heat when I grew up in the hot streets of Madurai. As a matter of fact, I wonder how people in a country like India manage the intense heat and pollution. Maybe they don't manage. Maybe they just bear it. I mean take a look at this sh*t:


This particular video reminds me of the ECR in Chennai...except, "ECR road" as locals refer to it, actually appears narrower at points because of super-heavy traffic!

When I stayed at the house of a close friend on the ECR during a trip to Chennai in January this year, the traffic was packed and the air, hot and dusty, kept rising to his 5th floor apartment. Fortunately, my friend and his wife, with their small child, have since moved to a quieter part of the city.


An early morning view from my friend's old apartment on the ECR. You can't see it but the Bay of Bengal is just beyond the haze. Besant Nagar then would be slightly to the left of this shot and by the beach. I think that this picture was taken the day before Pongal this year.

During my June trip to India, I stayed at my friend Santosh's place near Adyar in Chennai. Although it was in a busy part of the city, it was somehow quieter and cooler...could be because it was set far in from a main road and there were quite a few trees and shrubs about. While his new Bolero was a big help, the occasional ride on his motorcycle was an eye-opener. It was fun but I wouldn't want to do it 365 days out of the year. I mean I had to give up wearing my favorite Cape Cod hat when on his motorcycle and the sun beat down mercilessly on my newly shaved head. But the eye hugging sunglasses I took with me to India this time were a blessing.