Chennai to Coimbatore - Around the water in 2 days

Yeah, in "Ek tho theen..." song's introduction style, I hear many of u asking me, " Pehle Pehle yeh kahiye Kahaan thi aap.....". Wud like very much to say,"Mein? Mein tho kar rahi thi kisiki intezaar..... ".
But the reality is that, bcoz of the love of Varuna Bhagwan(the God of rain) towards Chennai and the year 2005's idea of having Diwali and Ramzan in the same week, drove me home. Spent 10 days at home.
It would be an understatement if I don't mention my tragic(naa naa, now I will call it heroic or adventurous) journey to home this time.
On a stretch, Chennai to Coimbatore takes 8 hrs by train and max. 10 hrs by bus. Here is my travelogue.....

Oct 26, 2005
I reach hostel by 10 PM from office. Hostel mess closed. No dinner. Yahoooooooooooo! I don't have to eat rice.
Oct 27, 2005 5.00 AM
No power. So woke up. Looks very dark and climate is very cold. It has been rainingcontinuously. So sleep again.
6.00 AM
Power comes back. Wear a sweater. Switch on fan (for some of yday's clothes drying inside room) and go to sleep.
7.00 AM
Faintly I cud hear someone saying that there is no power in the other wing(the side where the water pump runs) of hostel. This wakes me up as if somebody has thrown ice cold water over my warm face. So I take bath soon(bcoz the water will stop soon, which is not something unexpected). I wear a thick dress as its too cold. My next roommate shouts that the breakfast is "Pongal". So I decide not to take breakfast in hostel today. Will have it in Office cafeteria.
8.45 AM
I get a call from my office colleague (who was in office) that the company has declared holiday to Chennai offices as there is hip-level water in front of office and no power.People in office cudn't leave bcoz of this.
9.00 AM
I get a lot of SMS from office colleagues abt the holiday and I do my part by fwding to some more.
9.15 AM
I call up my mom and say that I am starting then as there is no power, and in few hrs, there will b no water too. And as office is also a holiday, and I feel a bit feverish, I am trying to come home soon by some day train.
9.30 AM
I call up travel agent and I hear there r 300 vacancies in West Coast Xpress to Coimbatore which starts at 11 AM. I bid goodbye to my hostelmates saying that I am going home by train, when many r waiting in the hostel with that day's train tickets as they r afraid to travel even in auto to rly station/bus stand in the fear of getting stranded in the middle of their journey bcoz of rain.
9.45 AM
Without combing my hair, just put a "clip Kondai" as my hair isn't dry after bath, I come out with my luggage packed in 5 mins.I have 400 Rs. only in my hand. No time to go to ATMs.
Catch an auto.(Costed 50 Rs.).
10.30 AM
After the auto swam in water for 45 mins, here I am in Central Rly station starring at the counters, where the man in the only open counter says that all trains r cancelled.
10.45 AM
All the travels near Central Rly station say that buses to Coimbatore will start from there only in night. They tell me to try my luck in Koyambedu.
11.45 AM
Reached Koyambedu, with the auto swimming second time in water. (Auto travel cost Rs. 120). I am half-drencehed. By the time, I get down from auto and take few steps into Koyambedu bus stand, I am fully drenched as if somebody has lifted me and dropped into a pool of water.
12.00 AM to 9 PM
As there r no direct buses to Coimbatore starting then, I board a bus to Salem(Ticket cost Rs. 110), dripping with water.Water is running inside the bus too. Everybody and everything inside the bus is wet. There is awful odour inside the bus and I feel like puking. I keep my heavy bag on my lap as I don't want things to get wet by keeping the bag down on the floor. When the bus goes via Vadapalani, I cud c an ambassador car fully immersed in water. I am happy that I am inside a bus, as I now have only toe-level water, when I am inside it.
As I wore a thick dress, it isn't getting dry either. I long for sunshine. I really feel like puking. I ctrl my urge and try to sleep. But my legs r aching as the bag is heavy, and my heavy drenched dress is adding to the plea.
The bus stops in Dindivanam. Though I haven't ate anything since the previous night, the stinking smell puts me off. So I buy a MarieGold biscuit pkt(Cost Rs. 14 - cheater. Its usually Rs. 12 in departmental stores) alone and force some 3 to 4 biscuits into my stomach. Stink, dampness, puking sensation, cold, hunger.................... I wanted to jump out of the bus.
Bus atlast reaches Salem by 9 PM.


I stay in my uncle's place and start from Salem the nxt day at 11 AM(Ticket cost Rs. 55). The bus reaches Coimbatore by 4 PM(Normally it is 3 hrs journey). Now, I am wondering y it took so long, despite the fine weather. I catch a town bus to my home. What a warm journey it was! I reached home successfully on October 28th 2005 at 5 PM, with around Rs. 45 in hand.

I am planning a journey to Antarctica and African forests. Anyone interested???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!