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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Salem, As I see it!

Salem! This’s my place. This’s where I was born, this’s where I’ve lived all my life. This’s where I belong. I assume, you know that Salem is a tier-2 city in Tamil Nadu. (If you don’t, remember Salem steel plant? It must have been there! In some corner of you eighth grade geography book.)

Here is a gist of my place, As I see it.

A typical convo!

-Coffee day? Barista?

-Naa.

-Oh! Alright, surely there’s gotta be a pizza hut.

-Nope. There’s a pizza corner though.

-Oh damn! This sucks! Rural area, probably.

-:o!!

Let’s face it. Salem is no metro. It’s not the coolest place around. It’s no Bangalore. It’s not even close to where you’d place Cbe.

If you ever visit Salem, which you surely should, there is one thing you just shouldn’t let pass. I’m talking about what we call the ‘Settu kadai’. It’s a roadside mobile eatery that serves some awesome food (U got it? thinking of ‘set dosa’? You’ve no idea what I’m talking about, quit guessing.) At close to seven in the evening, get outta where you stay (on a bike, I suggest). You might have to hang about a bit before you spot the guy. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t lament it, it’s surely worth it. You would certainly find it nowhere else. That’s a bike ride, awesome food and easy on the pocket as well!

So, unless you’re a hygiene freak or the kind who refuses to eat from the road-side hawkers, this is surely SOMETHING!

Yercaud! Li’l Ooty! A forty minute drive to awesomeness! Get outta bed and into our car, drive uphill with the windows down, turn up the music, loud and intense, feel the morning chill as the wind hits your face and makes your eyes watery. Look all around, see the beauty, listen to it, feel it, experience it. Reach the place, sip some hot tea to feel the warmth as it descends down your throat. Spend the day chilling out. The drive downhill, it’s something you ought not miss. The top view of Salem, the countless street lights in a backdrop of black, dark silence is a breathtaking site. In all, I promise you a beautiful day.

Bangalore and Chennai have too many things, which Salem is short of, traffic as well. :P That’s one thing that’s cool about Salem. You don’t spend half your day swearing at the red that never turns green here. Small town, lesser population, insignificant traffic, distances are way shorter and travelling is not a piss off. It’s fun in fact.

In spite of the many times when I got bored of the eateries, when I was fed up of riding through the same roads, when I couldn’t think of any new place to hang out, there’ s something about the place that I miss when I’m not in town. It’s just that it’s home, I guess. =)

Stop over sometime, to see Salem as you see it. =)

19 comments:

  1. Refreshing read.You rescued me from a traumatic situation.[Yup! The cartoon characters have got into my head.]..After spending some sleepless nights with them,your post came right in time.I must say,I derived a lot of solace.
    I wish to travel a lot in future.Just added Salem to my list.
    Keep Blogging!

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  2. @Ani
    The idea was yours. dunno if u remember =). n surely, u must drop in sumtym. =)

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  3. hi.. nice post..clear picture of salem!! nice to read through.. i too miss salem a lot!!

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  4. nice way to look at salem...!:)

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  5. and dont 4get the super scoops thing...in cbe..lol :P

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  6. salem sounds much nice through this..thot it was a rural place n teasd a lot of salem-ites wid dat fact..but yea,now got a clear picture..wil watch my tongue next time i tok abt tis 2-tier place to u ashu..good one!!

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  7. @ash:yeah sure...!i just need to prove itz taste..!!i wish that there could be one such super scoops,to make UR best salem better..!lol

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  8. so u posted it huh...good one ashu :) salem is truly a great place...

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  9. East or west,home is surely the best ;)your home is the best :)

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  10. i was in salem once....just only once....didnt see it right...may b in hurry...next tym i wont miss it..:)

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  11. Nice post ashwini !! :)
    Quite descriptive.. especially the para about Yercaud.. loved it ! :)

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  12. hey, this is nice. keep putting cool stuff like this but don't degrade other cities. Put something good about them too. =) Nice. 'll be visiting Salem shortly. =)

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  13. superb....i'm def comin to salem with u nxt time u go home :P

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  14. @charu,arvind sure =). u shud.
    @sud, sindu thanks man.

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  15. hey ash... REALLY nice one!!!every bit of it is so true!!
    n yea.. inspite of AALLL dat is here (n not here).. i still love this place!:)

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I'd love to know what you think! :)