We slept in the next day – really slept in – and woke up in the late morning. One of Vishnu’s relatives was waiting in the living room, having spent the night there previously. He and I had a really good talk covering all kinds of things – language, Indian culture, Japanese culture and the growth of Bangalore. It was cool to talk to him as he’s obviously a very intelligent guy, and I think he appreciated having an audience. While talking Sheila served up some of that delicious Indian coffee, and Vishnu’s wife brought in some homemade banana. I felt compelled to try it even with full stomach from the night before because this was one dish that the cook didn’t have anything to do with. And the banana bread went great with the coffee.
All this time Sheila was in the kitchen making dosas – which takes quite a bit of effort. So when they served breakfast it was a shame not to at least try them, and you can kind of see where this is going. Besides the thin, regular dosa she also made one with egg cooked into it, and combined with coconut chutney it was awesome. Kuniko and I were trying to figure out a way to bring Vishnu’s cook back with us to Japan.
After breakfast we went along with Vishnu because he had some errands to run, and we could get a final look at Bangalore before leaving the next day. We stopped in at a computer shop, and when riding the elevator I realized that there was an operator inside just about every elevator we used in India. We had a miscommunication with the guy in this one and ended up going up and down a couple times before finding the right floor. This shopping center didn’t exactly look like a busy place, so I’m guessing this guy spends a lot of time in the elevator waiting around.
We also went to the mall that was nearby, and even though we had completed our souvenir shopping we did manage to find some other good stuff – audiobooks in Indian English, for example. After the mall we stopped by to pick up Vishnu’s kids, and then went to a restaurant for lunch that specialized in vegetarian food for a blue collar crowd. Despite the target demographic the place was located inside a pretty nice hotel in downtown. We sat at a table and enjoyed a tray full of different vegetarian samples, along with “puri”, which was a puffed fried pastry that we tore apart to dip into the curries and sauces. I also tried Masala Pepsi, with consisted of a lot of spicy gram masala powder mixed into the cola. I’m not sure how to describe the drink – spicy and sweet, with the carbonation of the pepsi bringing the spice right up the back of my nose. I’m guessing I won’t be drinking that again in the future.
After a little coconut ice cream for dessert we went back to the house to pack our bags and relax a bit, and then everyone went together to the Bangalore Club for beers on the lawn.
The Bangalore Club is a members-only club that has been part of Vishnu’s life since he was a child. His father was a member, and Vishnu inherited the membership when he passed away. When I say that it is like an oasis in the sea of chaos in downtown Bangalore, it really is – the place is quiet, full of trees and greenery, and they have their own economy. I don’t think anybody really needs to leave. The waiting list for new members is 25 years long, so if you want to join you best apply as soon as possible.
Vishnu lives just ten minutes away, and so he spends a lot of time exercising there. They have their own hotel, wine shop, grocery store, bank, library, and of course several restaurants. We were there just to have some drinks at the “umbrella bar”, a gazebo housing a bar next to a big stretch of lawn and an outdoor restaurant. There was a giant screen TV on the edge of the field, and everyone could see it from where they sit – while we were there they were playing cricket highlights.
We were able to drink some Kingfisher on draft, as well as Kingfisher Ultra – apparently a new label in the Kingfisher lineup. I was surprised to find out that the owner of Kingfisher brewery is a Bangalore guy, and that he also owned the giant building with the sky bar that we had visited the night before. After drinking our fill of beers at the club we took eight or so back with us in a bag, and came back to Vishnu’s house, where we sat on their upstairs patio with a view of the city and told stories for a while. The weather was perfect for it – Bangalore was much cooler than summer in Japan.
Our last dinner in India was chicken masala with hard bowl shaped crepes, and we had a very light dinner since we had pretty much been eating and drinking the whole day. We had a final cocktail with Vishnu and his wife, and then we went off to bed.
