Bangalore!

-so i land in Bangalore, with two bags and a lot of expectations.. after years of hearing how much of a party place this is! my friends nits & bd are still the same.. as soon as we get out of the airport we land up at the aiport canteen for "chai n' sutta" (tea n' cigarettes). Bangalore unfortunately is very crowded and polluted now, thanks to the software boom.. which is a shame, cos its a great place.
-the famous MG & Brigade roads are exactly like i'd pictured them.. though the ladies say they prefer not to walk the strip to avoid being groped! some things in india never change.. lots of pubs n restaurants in that general area..
-the Forum Mall is the best thing to have happened to bangy.. it still remains a hangout for a lot of the younger crowd, and a monument to visit for a lot of families, who come to the Mall and gawk at how much Western culture has infiltrated the Indian mindset! MickeyD's and KFC have outlets there too.. catering to the indian palate.. with the 'Dollar Menu' being just Rs. 20 and spicy fried chicken in KFC! the Inox multiplex at the top floor there is cool..
-BTM First Stage is a software engineers' slum (as my friends put it).. but that's a little extreme.. it wasn't too bad at all. places like Indiranagar are really posh; apartment complexes and flyovers are fighting for space and time in the construction world..
-Cafe culture is a huge hit! replace the name Starbucks with Barista / Cafe Coffee Day and you have exactly the same thing as here in the US. techies discussing geekspeak, yuppies dropping names, gaggles of girls like geese, aunties having kitty-parties.. everyone's at coffee shops these days!
-Rock pubs are another huge fascination, especially for the younger crowd. there's no dearth of them.. Purple Haze, Legends of Rock, Styx, Pico's.. i wont say they're all the same.. people have their own favourites depending on which DJ is more amenable to what they wanna hear.. but it was definitely a great experience.. and had loads of fun too.. glugging pitcher after pitcher and 'beating chests in a very manly fashion' whenever Metallica or Nirvana played!!
-there was an ill-fated trip to Ooty.. but the damned rental car kept breaking down, and unlike in the US where Enterprise would ship you out in a higher class to make up for it.. this is India.. and "we are like this only"!! :-) thanks anin & aru for your patience as nits, bd n i coaxed and cajoled that damned radiator!

-Nits, BD, Aru, Tongu & Sid.. thank you people for a most wonderful time.. i shall definitely be back again!!
-Anin.. i'm really glad to see everything working out for you. you showed me a completely different side to you.. and i must say me like!! thank you very much, and i'm still thinking about you! ;-)) wish i could see more of you while i was there, but alas.. it's always been this way with us.. right from that SpringFest in 2003!
-Sidhu.. really good to meet you.. and you were exactly like Sank said you'd be.. good times my friend!
-Varsha.. you're looking great! it was good to meet you after buffalo.. hope all keeps working out just roses for you! :-))
-Arunima.. you are what you portray yourself on your blog!! full of life, and fun to hang out with!! shame i didn't get to spend more time.. but maybe next time! good to meet 'J' too :-))