On Friday last week after work, Venky, an old friend/colleague from Ottawa who now lives in Bangalore, picked me up at the office with the idea that we would go for a few beers somewhere. I was still somewhat feverish from the food-poisoning attack the night before, so I was a bit dubious, but it’s been difficult for us to get together due to our respective travel schedules, and I didn’t want to miss the chance.
We went back to his place first since it was too early to go out, and I was able to see where he lived and meet his family. He lives in the south end of the city, so I experienced first-hand the commute that most of the people I work with have to endure. It took over an hour for a trip that really should have taken about 15 minutes, but at least we could visit in the car; Venky has a driver.
He’s got a very nice place, in a gated community, way nicer than my place in Ottawa. His kids were out, so he, his wife, and I just relaxed for a while, then we played some table tennis in the rec centre.
After that, we got back in the car for another 1+ hour drive back downtown. Even at 9pm, the traffic is bumper-to-bumper. Our destination was The 13th Floor, an upscale restaurant and bar in a highrise on MG Road. We sat in the bar side, where the view is spectacular. We were outside on the terrace, on the edge of the building, our beers and snacks prevented from falling into the abyss by a short plexiglas rail. Surprisingly, my very queasy stomach didn’t have any trouble with the beer, but it drew the line at the aloo gobi.
