The Mark Boulevard Bangalore

... networking opportunities.

The format and value-for-money price point of the congress ensures suppliers have a focused business environment, unparalleled access to potential clients, thus saving time and money, and delivering exceptional business results.

Very Early Bird Discounts for Suppliers end 22 December 2009. For more information please visit http://www.drinkworldcongress.com/suppl ier.php.
-------------

... with Nita (Vijay had a business trip). Bhupesh visited the Nike corporate office and liaison office. We also were looking for good chaat- chaat is the Indian word for snacks. Think of Indian nachos with yogurt instead of cheese and chutney instead of salsa. We found a place called Gangotree that quite frankly calling it a hole in the wall would have been a compliment. Had Nita’s friends ...

... had fun and took lots of pictures.


After the farm, we went out for sushi (surprising to have sushi in India but we were missing non-Indian food and it is always nice to be with friends who know all the hot spots. Had they not have been there, we would never have tried sushi here for fear of getting sick.

After sushi, we did a little bit of shopping. And then we went ...

... s kids. Clear as mud, huh?

Vijay and Nita live in a gated community that is primarily home to expats and Indians that returned to India after living abroad. In a word, it is gorgeous. With stucco walls, tile roofs, and a resort-like clubhouse with restaurants, a fitness center, 6 swimming pools, and shops – one does not need to go on vacation if you live in Palm Meadows.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the pool and the kids went swimming when we got there ...

... dharavi slum recycling industries turn over a collective 700 million pounds sterling a year.

Using the money earnt from recycling, many of the families in dharavi were managing to get 24 hour electricity and running water to their homes. Some of them even had phone lines, and I read later on that somewhere in the area there were two cash machines. In many ways, I thought, dharavi is more forward thinking than the rest of Mumbai.

After a tour of the slums themselves, we ...

... and street food, traffic fumes, and the odd whiff of a drain. I tend to notice the smells of places I visit; they tend to make their character. My first trip to Ibiza’s West End as a teenager more than 10 years ago smelt of Redbull, kebab meat and Joop. My trip to Paris smelt of patisseries, expensive perfume and rich food. It stays with me as much as the images and helps me maintain a holistic image of a place in my mind. Weird.

... so you had to walk through every bit. Awesome. Anyway, we took an auto back to the hotel, quite tired from the days activities, and just as we approached realised that we had KFC literally 100 yards away! Now being the sensible tourists that we are, we had, in the main, steered clear of meat, especially chicken, and have become accustomed to a mainly vegetarian diet, but if you can't get chicken in KFC..........So that was dinner, and bloody nice it was too! Next stop Mysore.

... a resounding "No!". I found myself becoming more and more aggressive, suspicious, and self-righteous. I know that "There is nothing wrong" and that "Everything is possible and it's all good" and that "All judgments are rooted in fears" and that "All fears are illusionary ". I know all that and at the same time my experience in India was of constant judging and complaining. "There is definitely something wrong here!!!" I kept telling (yelling?) to myself (and whomever was ...

... tops off, put a straw in it and handed it to us. The milk was so yummy! After we drank all the milk we handed them back and they cut them open so we could eat the meat. It was so different than the coconuts that we buy in the grocery store. The meat was soft and juicy... WOW! While we were standing with the guys at the coconuts we saw the elephants being led to the ladders for rides... OH YEAH! COUNT ME IN ...

... were full of pictures of the Maharaja's family and then in the corner there was a portait of King Edward it looked really outa place. We spent the rest of the day looking around the rest of the sights and then taking a walk around the markets . To see all the spices , flowers , fruit and vegtables and the smells was so refreshing and also very colourful. We stopped off in the Bombay sweet shop and tasted some Mysore Pak ( was recommended). It tasted a lot like butterscotch but ...