February mornings take their sweet time to light up. Although winter had fled from the coastal Tamil Nadu sunrise timing was still very late. Chennai being one of the four metros of Golden Quadrilateral circuit deserved an overnight halt. Like most other prominent cities of India Chennai too has her fair share of tourist delights, ranging from mainstream sandy beaches to chaotic old-world market place. For me, Madras strikes a chord way better with its historical aura than Chennai. When you refer to this megalopolis by its present name Chennai, your imaginations can't fly beyond a busy commercial hub with good health infrastructures. The moment you call her Madras, you can literally smell a bustling, old port city with so much more to explore! If you hail from the northern half of India, Madras can rekindle your time-travel fantasy with sirens of passenger ships leaving the dock, or week-long train journey on metre gauge rails from your faraway hometown. From Eluru I had driven to Chennai on the third day of my Golden Quadrilateral motorcycle trip. Being least ambitious, Chennai plans could fit into a simple algorithm- to experience the city traffic, locate my hotel, avoid further temptation of venturing out, feast like a greedy king, jump onto the bed right after, and wake up before the crack of dawn to catch a vibrant sunrise over the wide canvas of Marina.
