Pubs, clubs and cafes

We got to check out Hyderabad's only sports bar , 'Xtreme Sports', last Friday. They had a local live band playing some real rock music w/ good food and beer on tap. We were surrounded by expats, a few happy Taiwanese, several funny Brits, Aussies and of course Americans. Its interesting to note that the two bars I have been to in Hyderabad have had non-Indians working for them in management and PR roles. Xtreme has a young Aussie lady and FireFly (a new lounge bar) has a NewYorker and they have both brought in a refreshing global touch. The music is not as loud as other Indian pubs, here people can actually have conversations and not go deaf( and the crowd is also a lil' older :)).

In India, one doesn't find beer or wine at grocery stores or at super markets. Instead its usually only available in seedy and creepy stores called "Wine shops". I would never want to be caught or seen anywhere close to one of these 'wine shops'. Especially, as drinking is still not kosher (in Hyderabad) at typical extended family gatherings. However, the younger generation has a whole different lifestyle and doesn't fit into this stereotype.

I haven't been happy with the wine in India. Local Sula wines are the ones most readily available at restaurants, but are mediocre and relatively expensive (I paid $7.5 for a small glass). Its always safe to stick to Kingfisher beer.

Hookah bars are popular with the younger crowd. I have not been able to relate to this in any way and I cannot stand the smoke.

Regular coffee shops and bakeries are great. My favorite is Ofen (a french bakery) and I also frequent the usual Coffee day and Barista (which are comparable to Starbucks). I haven't as yet checked out the art cafe (cafe de art) which is supposed to have great ambiance and coffee.

Anyway, this landscape in India is constantly changing and I don't think I can keep up.
Cheers!!

Double Bogey!

Whether its the fairway or rough, bunker or hazard, eagle or par, against the backdrop of boulders, greens and palms it could be Arizona or Texas.

I know but little about golf and have only gone as far as the driving range, however this place that's close to our neighborhood gives one a truly global experience (more so from a non-golfer's perspective).

Its a nice refreshing sight of wide open space, azure sky, natural boulders, rocks and greenery (whether its chemical fertilized greenery becomes less relevant) amidst the concrete jungle.

This golf course also sports homes and apartments with a southwestern and spanish architecture which probably the execs of wall street could have afforded and might still be able to afford with their golden parachutes.

We might just give in and take some lessons.

Life, Asterix, Cartoons & Super Mario

The six year old graduated to a 7 year old amidst a little fanfare, a few kids, a magician, some pizza, lots of balloons and a Spiderman cake. And he continues to make these random comments on Life, Asterix, Cartoons etc.

(a lil' tiger wannabe)

Here are some of his comments at random moments:

"Life does not go backward, it only goes forward." (profound indeed)

"I love being a kid and not an adult. Kids have a lot of playtime and toys." "Mommy, do adults get playtime? What toys do adults play with?"

"When will the driver buy a car?" (Why?) "So, he can go home when it rains without getting wet on his bike"

"There's one teacher who pulls my ear and I don't know why. Did I do something wrong?" (we found out later that she thought he was cute and pulled his ear as a sign of affection, but he was horrified by it and thought he was being punished for some unknown reason)

Once in a while you hear him say "Chala Hot Guru!" (which is from a Telugu radio station our driver listens to :))

(What's all this mess in the kitchen?) "I did a science experiment and followed all the instructions in the book. I took a glass of water, covered it with a sheet of paper and turned it over. But the water splashed all over the kitchen. The experiment didn't work."

He made a little sign board for himself in his room using one of the card board boxes saying: "No girls allowed" (he later added 'except Moms').

He is now into drawing cartoons and making up his own visual stories of characters he created called the '5 Funny Brothers and their Adventures'.

The Wii and the Super Mario Galaxy have kept him busy on weekends. You sometimes hear him walking around the house (from Asterix and the Normans) yell..."By Thor!", "By Odin!".

How young is your city?

70.4% of the 6+ million population of Hyderabad is under the age of 35. Hmmm....which side of the fence would that place me at :)

This fact is so evident while walking around the streets, malls, banks, grocery stores, offices --- everyone around you is *young*.

Once I started noticing this, I realized that the bankers, the chauffeurs, the sales people for your wireless provider and even the traffic cops look like 22 year old 'bacchas' (a hindi term for a kid). Microsoft recently had a big bash to celebrate their 10 year anniversary in India. And I am estimating that over 70% of the employees who attended were between the ages of 24-35.

These young adults are already today's wage earners, consumers, spenders, thinkers and leaders no matter which economic ladder they come from. Imagine that just Hyderabad by itself could produce a workforce that is equivalent to the workforce of one or more European countries.

Rocky Road Home

Driving in India is already chaotic, unpredictable and crazy. However, there is always something new to keep you on your toes and feet.

Here are more tips for driving:
1. Watch the road! (literally). Never be over confident about driving in the 5th gear or about speeding. Even on a six lane highway in our area you will find unmarked speed breakers with no warning signs whatsoever. Get ready for the nice bumpy rides :)

2. The missing lane game. Never assume that a four or six lane street will have the same number of lanes throughout the street. On several local streets two or three lanes will suddenly merge into "one" tiny 15 foot lane and separate out again in several lanes. The merge happens as the streets are built around temples and mosques which are now bang in the middle of busy thorough fare or a multi-lane road.

3. Watch out for the Rocks! Its quite an experience to follow a large truck (like the one in the picture above) carrying huge rocks and boulders which are not fastened in any way or form with no enclosure at the back of the truck. Several areas of Hyderabad are rocky and hilly and no one would ever want to ever be stuck behind one of these trucks along any uphill route. Its absolutely a disaster waiting to happen -- there needs to be ban on this.

4. Look out on both sides and keep your rear view mirrors extended out and open. Two wheelers whiz past your car on both sides and confuse the heck out of you. As a friend pointed out, atleast having the mirrors out gets you a few inches between your car and them.

5. Avoid sitting in the front passenger seat. This will save you some nerves and reduce stress (esp. for someone like me as I also duck while sitting in the car to avoid the traffic :)).

6. Be prepared for oncoming traffic on YOUR lane (even though there are separate lanes for oncoming traffic this doesn't stop people from driving on the wrong side). There seems to be this strange confidence in people that--- the other person (ie the rest of the traffic) will look out for me and drive defensively so I don't have to worry about following the rules.

I drive on weekends and holidays and stick to a certain radius where the roads are less crowded. However, all of the above still apply in someway or the other.