My 4 Dimensions

During this month, I got to take an awesome break from life for 2 and half days during fully functioning working week with complete financial support from office. I had a wonderful four dimensional experience in this short break which will be summarized in this blog. Four dimensions are not (x, y, z, t) but instead are (Flight, Hotel, City, Visa).

To give a brief background, my manager asked to apply for US visa so that if any sudden customer support comes up at Taiwan or Korea in near future, it would be helpful to quickly travel with help of US visa as most of countries(including India) provide on-arrival visa's if one has US visa. Luckily from recent times, the procedure for applying US visa has changed and 2 separate explicit days are required to get US visa and that too in Chennai. So officially got a break to enjoy with pre-booked flight, international hotel and a corporate Amex credit card in hand to swipe anywhere! Just Imagine :)

Flight :-

Since from my childhood, I had imagined-hoped-dreamed-wished to fly in an aeroplane. Whenever I use to see an aeroplane up in sky, I use to wish, when will that time come, when I'll be flying in it and will be looking downwards. I even hadn't seen airport too. I had a crazy point of mine that, when I visit the airport for 1st time, it will be directly to board a flight and fly. I had only seen flight and airport in movies and was very eager to experience them in real. Finally after such a long wait, I was at airport in evening around 6:15 with all surrounding lights turned ON. As I entered into the big entrance hall, the feeling was completely different. The air sensed different and excited inside airport. Settling down at nearby chair, my eyes glanced around the airport to see the high society people with digital gadgets in hand, security guards wondering holding gun, various ticket and other counters, long-long trolleys floating around, very heavy luggages moving here'n'there, big display boards with flight information and not to miss, air-hostesses doing cat walk. The view & the environment was amazing. All that I had seen in movies and imagined was right in front of me. Felt very good. Our flight was delayed and I was happy about it thinking got still more time to spend and explore in airport! I had a pav baji in airport restaurant which was pretty costly but who cares, I had corporate amex card free to swipe ;) At last the gate opened to enter into the big white vehicle and as soon as I entered, I was so satisfied. I had got window seat and as soon as flight took off, I clearly sensed the wheels leaving earth. When flight & me started to fly in sky, the view outside window was truly memorable. Whole city was lighted up in night looking like fire and made it very beautiful. Captured that moment in my mind forever. The flight went up to the extent above the clouds and then the window was covered completely dark. Then I took my eyes from the window and looked inside the flight to witness the angel or the princes or the queen or the gaganasakhi or “the air-hostess”. I finally got to see them in real and from close. LoL :D

Its quite astonishing that nearly 2 hours are required to reach airport from office and just half an hour to reach Chennai from Bangalore! The landing of flight was even more beautiful as it was totally raining and lightning outside. I could sense lightning just outside my window. Besides unlike Bangalore, Chennai airport is in middle of city and flight landing on top of ocean made the view unexplainable wonderful.

While coming back from Chennai to Bangalore, it was still day and again had got window seat. This time when flight went beyond clouds, it was clearly visible. The collective sight of floating clouds felt like 'an ocean' in sky. Amazing. Never imagined flying beyond clouds and seeing the view beyond clouds. I have captured this view in my camera and whenever I feel low, its very nice to watch this video and think about my whole first time experience in flight to cheer back up.

Hotel :-

Oh man, how to put it in words. It was raining heavily in Chennai when flight landed and took big innova from airport to hotel. When the innova entered the hotel gate, I was shocked by hotel's view and was thinking whether am I in right hotel or mistakenly came over here! Such a wonderful view. To put it in a short word, it was like a mini-palace. The barer over there opened the inova's door and I got down and reached at the reception. Receptionists were damn neat and sophisticated. It felt low inside to talk to them but they were truly so generous and kind (and equally charge us too). He took till the lift (like in movies, how they take...) and then I was at the door of my room 304. When I opened the door, I was joyfully singing inside my head. Such a high class room yaar compared to my pg! To paint a picture for you, it had a 41" LCD TV right in front of big bed which was so soft and comfy that I felt like floating in space while sleeping on it. Literally there were ten pillows. Even at max consider 2 for hand, 2 for leg and 2 for head then still 4 are free! The blanket was so thick and so smooth that once you are under it then sleep will hunt you in mins (i guess, that's why there was a digital alarm clock kept on table next to bed). There was a big balcony and obviously room had AC and a controller. There was a neat desk and chair along with smooth sofa chair. Locker was provided and there was a fridge full of drinks and snacks and chocolates (which will be charged heavily if you make a mistake of eating/using them in temptation). The bathroom was neat with sufficient clean white towels & had big bath tub along with shower. It also had hair dryer and a phone. Actually there were 3 phones, one next to bed, one in bathroom and another at the desk. All in all I felt like not leaving from there at all :P

The food over there was a feast. All trained and professional chefs cooked food. There were hundreds of varieties in breakfast and dinner and all tasted awesome than one another. Actually eating is one of my hobby and lets just stop here and not dig more into it. If i start explaining about food, it will need a separate blog altogether. Apart from food and room there was an executive lounge at 10th floor and it was also really nice  place to sit and hangout. It had snacks, magazines, newspapers, internet connection, coffee, drinks etc. There was also a spa for massage. BTW, the hotel name is courtyard marriot and google "courtyard marriott chennai" to get more details, photos and review :)

City :-

Well, the city was Chennai. If you don't know tamil in Chennai then be ready to pay for it. Literally PAY (for auto people and everyone). To describe Chennai city from my eyes is that, other than tamil letters being written along the roadside, it felt almost similar to an unexplored area in Bangalore. Not much of huge difference, same signals, same traffic, similar population, similar buildings. Although I didn't get much time to explore the city but I had a nice time and enjoyed over there. I had been told that svarana bhavan is a very good hotel for pure veg meals. Its a big chain restaurant in Tamil Nadu as is Adigas here. I got an opportunity to have lunch over there and it was mind blowingly delicious with several dishes. Although I wasn't much hungry due to heavy breakfast at hotel but still ate enough due to the tastyness and varieties. If I ever want to go back to Chennai again then its just to have one more time lunch in this delicious restaurant with empty stomach as I was partially full this time. It was very rush even at 3'O clock and we had to wait for tables to get free. I would suggest a new visitor at Chennai to not miss this lunch especially if you have eating hobby like me. I hope soon svarana bhavan restaurant chain spreads in Bangalore too.

Evening visited in auto(PAY heavily, if you don't know tamil) to marina beach. This was one more nice place to visit in Chennai. Although the beach was awesome but sadly no cleanliness maintained. Spent time playing with waves of ocean for quite some time. As the darkness started to acquire, the sounds of ocean waves and cool breeze at the shore made me to sit calmly and silently by just listening to my own heart beats. I was not feeling like getting up. It was such a peaceful time spent over there. I desperately wished, why Bangalore doesn't have an ocean. CHE. If ocean was something which could have been built, then I'm sure Bangaloreans would have already built it :P

In short, it was not very clean at parts but certainly Chennai was a cool city. To add further more, if you know tamil, then this city will be super-cool.

Visa :-

As i already said, now-a-days US Visa is a 2 day process. The first day is OFC and second day will be the actual interview. Both are at different buildings located at different places. Early morning by 9:30, I was in-front of OFC building and people were already waiting for there turn on roads and footpaths to get inside. They were allowing people in terms of batches and mine was 10'O clock batch, so directly went inside and was amazed by all the people around there thinking - who all, what kind of all, so many people will be going to US ah! While sitting and waiting in queue, out of curiosity had a lil chit chat with girl sitting next to me to checkout her purpose of visit. She was going for MS higher studies in US. Oh man, I stressed out & started to think - this girl going for MS, how about that old couple waiting, that kid sitting, this desi aunty, that wheel chair person, these young boys and those pretty gils. Uff...There were so many people planning to go US. My thinking stopped abruptly as my token number came. Told 'all the best for future' to that unknown girl and went to the announced counter where they took my photo and finger prints of all fingers on both hands.

Next day was big day and mine was in 8:30 batch but went early by 7 in morning and saw crowd like rajnikanth's first day first show movie queue! Oh god. So many people are applying for US visa and this is just for one day and probably some 2/3 batch crowd. Imagine how many people are running away to US every day by applying visa over here. The queue was so long that it touched nearby bus stop on footpath. I stood in queue for an hour thinking, these all people right in front of my view are here today but someday these same will also be in US too. Hmmmm... This time when waiting in queue didn't talk with any girl or anybody coz obviously it will stress me out thinking about them and inside I have got to face an US person asking me questions about purpose of my visit to US. Just kept practicing & by-hearting the answer in my mind with lil bit of US accent so as to impress him ;) By 8'o clock, went inside US embassy from footpath and security check was damn strict. Belive me, literally much more stricter than airport security check. Don't know exactly why but the place inside slightly felt like US and not India. Now a pretty US lady wished me good morning and took my finger prints and asked to wait in queue for interview. Oh man, again waiting in queue. I was very hungry and queue wasn't moving only. Almost near to 10'O clock finally my token number got displayed on TV to move for respective counter for interview. The environment was very similar to English-Vinglish movie scene of Shashi's visa interview. I was lil bit nervous of looking at various counters and to hear questions being asked for them. Finally my turn came. I greeted him warmly and handed over my passport hoping not to get it back. As expected, the very first question was, what is the purpose of your visit to united states! Aha, I had done nothing but by-hearting this answer waiting in queue. Explained him more that what he wanted to hear and very easily got approval for my visa.

Later after 2 days, the multiple entry, 10 years valid, B1/B2 US visa was punched on my passport and had arrived at shivajinagar VFS center. I recollected my above four dimensions quoted while driving vehicle till VFS to pick up my visa stamped passport. These two and half days spent in getting visa at Chennai were truly precious. I would like to thank 4 people (M,A,H,A) for making this precious four dimension thing to happen. Firstly my Manager, who believed and requested to apply for Visa even before i become permanent employee. Next our Administrator, who helped from beginning of applying visa online till filing off the amex card bills. Certainly I have troubled her alot with silly and stupid doubts as this was my very first travel. Last but obviously not least, Heamanth and Ashok, who were there with me in this whole journey making it fun and memorable.

So what next? Currently the four dimensions parameter were as below :-
Flight = Domestic (No Immigration Check)
Hotel = 4 Star (Although, it was anyway of international standard but 4star)
City = Chennai (Within India)
Visa = Applying (Visa was in applying state)

I am eagerly hoping for updating my parameters in the four dimensions as below :-
Flight = International
Hotel = 5 star
City = Outside India
Visa = Utilizing and not applying

Hope my four dimension parameters get updated soon :)