Day 15. Chennai-Mumbai-Home.

Spent the day shopping for appeasement gifts for the family. May have failed in my quest.

Will write my reflections on the trip later; in the meantime will be looking out for KP on the plane. If he blags my free upgrade I'll be livid.

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Later thoughts:

I’m in the airport in Chennai. Due to the efficiency of the local train service, I’m here early and so have time to start collecting my thoughts about the trip.

Overly efficient local Chennai train

What have I learned about India? I’ve learned that it is growing up fast, sometimes in a good way, other times not so good. India is a country that has evolved at a slow pace for all of its existence, but now it’s having a major growth spurt. For the traveler, this is largely a good thing. I have felt completely safe (but then, I always have here); generally un-fleeced (this hasn’t always been the case); I feel almost insulted by how few times people have come up to me asking for “my good name” or to have my photo taken with them; and getting around is easier than ever.

There is a much larger Indian middle class than I’ve noticed before, who work in the many Western companies who are now outsourcing over here. These are a large group people who are being exposed to Western culture, not just on TV, but on a day-to-day basis. Women are wearing clothes now that would have been frowned upon five years ago. I even met a man today who was openly gay. This is significant change.

I got the local train to the airport today, despite a kind offer from my amazing host at my hotel (Samatha at Samayah Inn) to get her driver to take me to the airport. We compromised in the end I got a lift to the train station. I didn’t want my last trip on this adventure to be in an aircon car. I wanted to see what the outskirts of Chennai were like and I wanted one last chance to see normal Indian people up close and personal.

I went to the platform with my second class ticket and soon realised that I wasn’t going to fit into the carriage with my rucksack on my back (imagine the Victoria line on a Monday morning at 8.30, then multiply it by three). I went back up and bought a first class ticket instead, which allowed me into a carriage that I could stand comfortably in.

The train whizzed through the outskirts of town, and I was given a grim reminder of the worst side of this country. People live in such poverty here. Badly built corragated iron houses, in wasteland, next to large stagnant pools of what was once water but is now anything but…then a bit further out, you see worse. But at least those people have roofs over there heads, many millions in this country sleep on the streets every night. People so frail, often disabled beyond anything you can imagine,  and so helpless you wonder if anyone’s life could be more awful.

This, people, is what you get without a welfare state.

It shouldn’t be like this. India boasts of its wealth. Its ‘I’ve got a bigger one than you’ arms fight with Pakistan is a tragic and dangerous joke, with disastrous consequences for it’s people who live in squalor, and potentially catastrophic consequences for the World.

India is acquiring new money. It has a chance to build an infrastructure to support its wild growth. I’ve seen a little evidence of this admittedly but it’s not enough. Bangalore is building a metro for instance, but only with one line, which according to my man in the city, is going from the airport to the posh bit of town via the commercial hub, presumably via the local mayor’s house.

India’s problems are by no means unique in the world, and for a country is as ramshackle as this (and I mean that nicely), building new infrastructure isn’t easy. London hasn’t got half the issues Bangalore has and it hasn’t built a new Underground line from scratch since the 60s.

But as I saw all these new corporate call centres/offices popping up in remote parts of Chennai, I’d just wished someone had thought about how they could be part of something, as opposed to just a smart office surrounded by wasteland.

What have I learned about me?

That although parenthood is hard, and it does stop you doing a lot of the things you loved doing before, having a family is amazing. I miss them all madly.

I’m lucky too to have a wife who let me go and do this trip, and parents who are such good and doting grandparents.

Thanks and endless love to them all.

Yesterday’s cricket was amazing. I have lucked out with the two England matches. Two better games of cricket I couldn’t have wished for.

And although the rest of the tournament hasn’t lived up to England’s four games, it’s not been too bad. None of the TVs here (I’m in Mumbai airport now) are showing Canada v Kenya, maybe the game is already over. I can’t quite be bothered to check.

But apart from today, most days have had some interest. The five weeks of drudge that everyone was expecting from the group stages hasn’t quite happened. Let’s hope it can maintain this.

England transformed themselves from a team who looked like they were probably ready to fly home with me today, into a team who look like they could win the tournament in the space of a few overs. Beating that Saffer team is no mean feat. Eoin Morgan coming back into the team is no bad thing.

My beloved Windies too look a good outside bet. If only Edwards and Taylor were fit.

The Aussies, India, Sri Lanka, the Saffers and even Pakistan all have a chance too. The perfect World Cup.

In India, it’s everywhere though. You are in a cricket bubble. All the News Channels lead with cricket for most of the hour. In other news, Libya goes to war with itself and many killed and thousands left homeless in huge Mumbai slum fire.

Back home, it will be different.

At least the Beeb are showing highlights. At least England’s games have been wildly exciting so people might be talking about it a bit.

I’m going to sign off now. Thanks for reading. Thanks to all the nice people I’ve met out here. It’s been a great two weeks.

I coming home.