Weekends @ Bangalore

It was a trip, which I had been eagerly awaiting for. It had been more than a month since I last visited Bangalore, and I was beginning to miss the place like hell, water and weather in Chennai being the main reasons.

Gaurav Gupta, one of my colleague frmo office, accompanied me. We were to take the 10:30pm Volvo. The journey went on well, except for the fatso sitting behind me and snoring off. He even had the nerve to push my seat into a more upright position while I was asleep. I was so irritated to find my seat in an upright position when I woke up that I pushed the seat back with full force, which crashed on him as it had done earlier in the journey. His reaction for my first crashing had been the dreaded 4-letter word, but this time, he was quiet, lost his world of sleep and snores.

Saturday was the day, which I had planned to go out and visit friends. After some confusion, a few of us met in Church Street for lunch. My trip to Church street was quiet an adventure. People who know Bangalore would be able to relate to the stupidity.

I got down at Mayo Hall, and from somewhere I got this notion that Church Street was somewhere down the Brigade Road. So I walked down Brigade Road and reached the beginning of Hosur road. With no signs of Church Street, I asked a medical shop. He asked me to go back in the one way and after the signal take the second left turn. Now there are 2 one ways there, one was Brigade Road and the other was Museum Road.

As its so common of me to choose the longer of the two, I choose Museum Road thinking that it would take me to Church Street faster. I reached Residency Road and in my confusion, took the left at the signal – Now I was walking towards Richmond Circle!!!!! My intuition never deserts me totally, after walking for 5 minutes, I realized that I was once again on the wrong way. So I stopped at another medical shop to ask for the way. He asks me to walk back to the signal where I had taken the left turn and go straight, cross a signal and take a right near a sweet shop.

As I started to walk, I remembered the golden rule – always cross check your information with a third party – so I stopped at yet another medical shop (The third one for the day!!!). He also asked me to do exactly as the previous medical shop person had asked me to. So finally after 30 minutes of walking I reached Church Street and met a few of my friends.

Those poor souls had been waiting there for me for the past 45 minutes and they vented their frustration on me by kicking my rear – which hurt after the 30 minutes long walk!!!

We had lunch at a new place – I forgot the name, but we got chapatti rolls there – spending a good 2 hours at that place.

Now if you think the journey to Church Street was adventurous, wait for the details of my return trip to home.

By the time, we said bye-bye and left for our homes, the sky had turned dark and it was starting to drizzle. Initially I thought I would take a bus and get home, so I walked from MG Road to Central Mall and waited there for a bus. The new rule, which made the Residency road a one way created more confusion as to where to wait for the bus, which would take me to Majestic. After waiting in the drizzle for 5 minutes, and not finding any bus to Majestic, I gave up hopes of traveling by bus and started to search for an auto.

I got into MG road and got into an auto, who surprisingly agreed to take me according to the meter. When the auto was standing at the Brigade Road signal, the driver asked me the exact location, which I promptly gave him. Now suddenly the driver changed his minds and said he could not go since his stand was at Yeshwantpur and going to my location would be circuitous for him. So I get down and start searching for another auto.

My search takes me from Brigade Road signal to the front of Woodlands, where I ask the driver whether he was willing to take me home. It had also started to rain by then. To my shock, the driver coolly asked me for Rs.100/-, I asked him if he was willing to take me for Rs60/-, which he declined. So I continue walking – crossed MG road, and reached Kasturba road. That’s when it started raining real hard. So I stop at the Kasturba Road bus stop and wait for an auto or bus.

After numerous buses and autos passed the packed bus stop, even without showing signs of wanting to stop to help us poor souls, one bus stopped. It took me to Market and I was lucky to get a bus immediately to Vijaynagar. After reaching the bus stop, I walked to the nearby ICICI ATM, to withdraw some money, which I had planned to give to my mom. By the time I took the money and was on my way home, it rained even harder and I was drenched by the time I reached home.

So much for a day’s adventure!!!

I decided to take a rest the next day – I did not move out of my house on Sunday. I was sitting and spending quality time with my parents.

The return trip to Chennai was also by Volvo. The bus was at 10:10pm. The return trip was eventless except for the Kannada movie being played in the TV, and I had great trouble sleeping since I was sitting in the front row.