I must add that we( me and my wife ) faced exactly similar situation 2 years
back. Now that you face exactly the same situation shows the state of
progress of our nation.
When we arrived at the International terminal at Cal, we walked our way
through exactly dark alleys into the domestic terminal ( and it resembled
exactly what you say - a typical railway platform in India ). Hardly
anything was open. We did find an internet cafe and found out that the
Airport Hotel was fully booked. Upon enquiring, we also found that there
were no rooms that you can rent out for the night at the airport( they said
it was full). We went to the prepaid taxi counter for the nearest hotel to
the airport. The hotel looked quite decent from the outside. It is only
after you enter, you realise that it is a hell hole. The funny part is that
they advertise it a star hotel( can't remember how many stars) with some
newspaper clippings showing that how good the hotel is. The room was just
big enough for a bed, once you put you luggages, there is no place to walk.
The curtains, bedsheets have all acquired a sooth colour from all the dust,
smoke and whatever else. All these comfort for Rs1200/night. I found the
toilet unusable. After being bitten by bedbugs I was out of the hotel at
6.30 am in the morning. I then decided that if I plan to stay overnight at
any place in India, i will always book something beforehand at a standard
place. The experience was just unbearable.
This is the first welcome you get when you visit your country. We are
Indians and have experienced hardships before. Wonder how foreigners feel
when they come to India unprepared. There is no safety, security and
honesty. Women are most vulnerable. I would never ask any women to travel
alone in India.
On paper India is become a powerhouse. We don't even have a decent airport
in the country( don't know about Chennai. My Tamil friend says that it is at
par with international standards )
JS
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