The adventurers

THEY ARE always armed. With books, maps and their backpacks. They are willing to read the fine print, navigate around the thicket of Chennai's buildings.

Finding one's way about could be difficult for anyone who has not lived in Mylapore since childhood. Suburban train stations have little information to offer, MTC conductors usually practice a vow of silence. The Chennai Corporation and Traffic Police are afraid that too many informative signboards could lead to a bloodless coup - better that a few visitors lose their way.

TTK has always helped with its series of maps, Hallo Madras did its bit, then came others, and most recently Naviga has announced that it will add a web-based map to its printed series of city guides.

But the foreign visitor still swears by Lonely Planet or Fodors, with their unvarnished view of Coromandel city. Come one, come all, but come prepared.

It is all there in the books.

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Section  : Features
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