We spent the first day in Bangalore sleeping at the Panjwal Lodge of the Hotel Nadini. It was 175 rupees per person per night for one of the not-the-greatest rooms of the trip (compared to the 100 rupees we each spent in Goa for one of the best rooms of the trip). I woke up at 2am very confused because it was so bright in the room that it felt like it was 2PM. We finally figured out that the walls didn't go all the way up to the ceiling and it was the hall light spilling into our room that made it so bright. After Wyatte opened the door and turned out all the lights, the room was pitch black, just how I like it. Then I noticed that I could see stars on the ceiling, I thought to myself that surely the ceiling couldn't be open to the elements as well! It turns out that it was just stars and planets painted on with glow in the dark paint, charming.
People here stare a lot more. Especially the men when it comes to certain assets that I possess if you get my drift. It is almost impossible to eat a meal without being surrounded by at least 3 to 5 waitstaff standing right by you.
Smitha and her aunt came to pick us up and we went to their house. Let me tell you, it is nice to be in a family home once again, it just feels comfortable. We are finally able to relax, and we all feel full for the first time in a week. Rathni and JS continually ask us if we are hungry or thirsty. She makes a good cup of coffee too. JS took us to the Nallapa restaurant where we ate jolada rotti oota. That is a meal eaten on a banana leaf with different servings of beans and vegetables that you scoop up with naan. Think of it as using a tortilla to scoop up and eat your food with in the absence of silverware. Apparently, Nalla was a king who liked to gamble and bet everything that he had, including his wife. He ended up losing everything, so he decided to become a cook and became a famous cook in Bangalore, so the restaurant was named in his honor.
After Anjun, Smitha's cousin, got off of work, we all rented a van for what was supposed to be 4 hours (but ended up being 6) and headed to MG Road and Brigade street. We checked out some stores before meeting up with Amit, NP, Gowroo, and her husband, whose name escapes me at the moment. Once we all verified that the ice cream here was indeed made from cow milk, we all delighted over delicious vanilla ice cream served with diced mangoes. Definitely the perfect way to escape the heat even if it is cooler here compared with Mumbai.
After chatting with our newfound deaf friends in India, we headed to the Forum. The Forum, according to the Uncle JS, is a mall that will make you feel like you are in America again and he was right. It was luxurious, there were security guards on every floor of the parking garage, and there was a man whose job was to stand at the ticket machine, push the button, take the ticket out, and hand it to each driver entering the garage even though the machine stands mere inches from the car.
Each elevator has an attendant and ours quickly whisked us down one floor to a pub called. Sahib Sindh Sultan where Amit and NP met us. Talk about a British style, non-smoke free pub! Nontheless, we had a lot of fun. The traffic here is reminiscient of mumbai though and it took us forever to get back and we were all quite best when we finally hit the sack.
The rest of our group comes today, can't wait!
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