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Saturday, January 25, 2014

வணக்கம் தூத்துக்குடி - Vannakam Thoothukudi, Again...

This morning, I flew into Thoothukudi from Chennai on a SpiceJet Bombardier Q400. On the flight, it appeared that Nature had painted magic in the skies - the sky and the clouds were simply mesmerising...



This was my second trip to Thoothukudi. The first trip here was quite memorable... I did get a chance to enjoy great local fare and some very fresh seafood...
I was looking forward to a great day here... with meetings in the morning and a flight in the afternoon, it was going to be a hectic day...
At the airport, which no larger than a house, with extra large rooms, we were welcomed by a signboard from the local police that proclaimed that they provide security to this airport...
It is indeed interesting that such a small town has a decent air traffic - 2 flights a day between Chennai and here. The flights are usually full. And my sense is that there is a significant latent demand waiting to be tapped,that can be done only if supply is increased... Certainly there is a case for more regional airlines to ply on these routes...

Thoothukudi was significantly warm in the morning at 8AM, unlike Chennai... and we started sweating in no time...




After the meetings of the day were over, it was time to relax a bit....
By then, the weather was a bit bearable, with a nice breeze blowing from the sea...
The sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was bright... and the green leafy trees and grass were a real treat to look at...

Lunch was amazing local fare - curd rice, chicken 65 and some mutton biryani. And it was time to head to the airport....
The security here, as the board outside the airport proclaimed, was provided by Tamil Nadu Police. They appeared inexperienced with handling an X-ray scanner and put passengers through a great deal of inconvenience asking them to unpack while they rummaged through the bags... And I was at the receiving end too...
The airport had quite a few foreigners, Orientals and whites, presumably shippies, who got off at the Tuticorin port and were headed back home.... And I too am headed back home to Delhi.... wonder it must be really cold up there, much in contrast to the warmth of Thoothukudi....

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