Breakfast in Malleshwaram, Lunch at Mylapore and Dinner at Matunga – Part 1
Traveling gives me an instant high and it’s rather been my only goal/ambition which has not undergone changes as I grew up. But, I have been traveling far too frequently these days and I have begun to feel the heat. The overcrowded Bangalore Airport which has no place to even stand, getting stuck in Bangalore’s Airport Road for hours, rickety ride in the black and yellow taxi from Santa Cruz to Wadala, are not just plain and simple experiences. It prepares you for the worst in life!! So does a refugee camp. But how far is too far is a question that I never knew the answer of.
Living in the moment has been the only escape for me. Tough Schedules are always scary, but moving on in life with it not all that a bad idea. Not a long ago, one of those really hectic days at work turned out to be a very memorable day which I didn’t want to end.
In the mid of December 2008 (I am not able place the exact date), I woke up in my hotel room in Bangalore.
5 AM: Hotel Room – Bangalore:
I was in no mood to wake up from a well deserved sleep after a hectic previous day’s work. My alarm began snoozing away to glory from 4:30 AM. I had no clue why I placed alarm at 4:30 AM for catching a flight to Chennai at 8 AM. Laziness is a virtue and I love being lazy. Nothing can beat the feeling of putting the alarm on snooze repeatedly till the battery gets discharged.
I woke up very early by my standards and my mobile showed 5:15 AM. Unlike every other day when I literally drag myself outta bed, I was feeling really fresh. I still had more than 3 hours for the flight and was clueless of what to do till then. I hate the very sight of Bangalore Airport and had no intentions of being there before 7:45 AM. I had also done a web check-in being a jet gold member (thanks to my mindless travels these days).
5:45 AM: Sampige Road – Bangalore:
I quickly got into my Reebok and was out on the road in a couple of minutes. Thanks to my fundoo schedule, I was adding a happy 2 Kgs per month to my frame. Getting a chance to jog itself has become so rare these days, which I decided to make the most out of it. I began running like nuts in and around Malleshwaram. While you are in Rome, Do the Romans (Such corny status messages made my forget the actual phrase). While in Karnataka, I decided to listen to Kannada Songs. Fast Paced ‘Kuthu’ songs of Chennai 28 in my MP3 Player had given way to some damn nice mellifluous numbers from ‘Mungaru Malle’.
Thanks to the slow songs, I found myself walking unable to match the pace of the lovely song with a jog. The lovely sight of the sampige road with the orangey morning sun illuminating the otherwise dark road shaded with trees lines up at every available inch across both sides of the road. As I walked past, the pleasant smelling sampige flowers slowly drop past you with utmost grace and the mildly chill breeze of winter morning making you feel like in heaven. Oh Boy! It was one of the best morning walks I have had. The best part was that it did not end there ….
6:45 AM – Shanti Sagar
How can a South Indian’s morning be complete without the mother of all drinks – Filter Coffee? Bangalore known for it “By-2 Coffee” culture (indulging yourself in a half cup of steaming frothy coffee which gives one a 360 degree experience). The color of the coffee, at its appetizing best woos you in as you begin getting closer to the cup. Before the colour grows disappear from your radar. the mild addictive aroma begins hitting you as you close in towards the rim of the cup. The Best part is the quick intake of a quantity which is neither a sip nor a gulp, but sufficient enough to give you an instant high while the tip of you tongue makes contact with the steaming heavenly potion.
Once you have done this, trust me you will not put down the cup before emptying it. You suddenly feel like the king of the world. You grip the glass close to your lips, take one deep breath of the oxygen soaked in smell of caffeine, take in a shot, close your eyes and let the magic sink in.
As I was getting done with my coffee, I was reminded of the yucky breakfast serve on flight. Temptation to murder one masala dosa has already drowned me despite knowing that I am getting late for my flight. “Kano! Ondhu mysore masala dosa! Dosa holagade chutney solpa kadumai maadi”[Get me one Mysore masala dosa with less chutney spread inside], I told one of the hotel boys with a very proud smile of managing one full sentence in Kannada.
How can one have a just a spicy masala dosa? The spicy taste of the chutney spread inside the dosa would make coffee taste even better. “By 2 Coffee Solpa Jaldi Beku”, went yet another instruction. Looking at my watch, I realized having spent more time in the restaurant than during my jog.
I got out of Shanti Sagar with just 40 minutes for my flight. “Yo Man ! This is Life … This is worth everything that you can give”, I said to myself. I wanted to stand on the center of the road and cry out loud – “I am loving it! I am so happy today”.
Living in the moment has been the only escape for me. Tough Schedules are always scary, but moving on in life with it not all that a bad idea. Not a long ago, one of those really hectic days at work turned out to be a very memorable day which I didn’t want to end.
In the mid of December 2008 (I am not able place the exact date), I woke up in my hotel room in Bangalore.
5 AM: Hotel Room – Bangalore:
I was in no mood to wake up from a well deserved sleep after a hectic previous day’s work. My alarm began snoozing away to glory from 4:30 AM. I had no clue why I placed alarm at 4:30 AM for catching a flight to Chennai at 8 AM. Laziness is a virtue and I love being lazy. Nothing can beat the feeling of putting the alarm on snooze repeatedly till the battery gets discharged.
I woke up very early by my standards and my mobile showed 5:15 AM. Unlike every other day when I literally drag myself outta bed, I was feeling really fresh. I still had more than 3 hours for the flight and was clueless of what to do till then. I hate the very sight of Bangalore Airport and had no intentions of being there before 7:45 AM. I had also done a web check-in being a jet gold member (thanks to my mindless travels these days).
5:45 AM: Sampige Road – Bangalore:
I quickly got into my Reebok and was out on the road in a couple of minutes. Thanks to my fundoo schedule, I was adding a happy 2 Kgs per month to my frame. Getting a chance to jog itself has become so rare these days, which I decided to make the most out of it. I began running like nuts in and around Malleshwaram. While you are in Rome, Do the Romans (Such corny status messages made my forget the actual phrase). While in Karnataka, I decided to listen to Kannada Songs. Fast Paced ‘Kuthu’ songs of Chennai 28 in my MP3 Player had given way to some damn nice mellifluous numbers from ‘Mungaru Malle’.
Thanks to the slow songs, I found myself walking unable to match the pace of the lovely song with a jog. The lovely sight of the sampige road with the orangey morning sun illuminating the otherwise dark road shaded with trees lines up at every available inch across both sides of the road. As I walked past, the pleasant smelling sampige flowers slowly drop past you with utmost grace and the mildly chill breeze of winter morning making you feel like in heaven. Oh Boy! It was one of the best morning walks I have had. The best part was that it did not end there ….
6:45 AM – Shanti Sagar
How can a South Indian’s morning be complete without the mother of all drinks – Filter Coffee? Bangalore known for it “By-2 Coffee” culture (indulging yourself in a half cup of steaming frothy coffee which gives one a 360 degree experience). The color of the coffee, at its appetizing best woos you in as you begin getting closer to the cup. Before the colour grows disappear from your radar. the mild addictive aroma begins hitting you as you close in towards the rim of the cup. The Best part is the quick intake of a quantity which is neither a sip nor a gulp, but sufficient enough to give you an instant high while the tip of you tongue makes contact with the steaming heavenly potion.
Once you have done this, trust me you will not put down the cup before emptying it. You suddenly feel like the king of the world. You grip the glass close to your lips, take one deep breath of the oxygen soaked in smell of caffeine, take in a shot, close your eyes and let the magic sink in.
As I was getting done with my coffee, I was reminded of the yucky breakfast serve on flight. Temptation to murder one masala dosa has already drowned me despite knowing that I am getting late for my flight. “Kano! Ondhu mysore masala dosa! Dosa holagade chutney solpa kadumai maadi”[Get me one Mysore masala dosa with less chutney spread inside], I told one of the hotel boys with a very proud smile of managing one full sentence in Kannada.
How can one have a just a spicy masala dosa? The spicy taste of the chutney spread inside the dosa would make coffee taste even better. “By 2 Coffee Solpa Jaldi Beku”, went yet another instruction. Looking at my watch, I realized having spent more time in the restaurant than during my jog.
I got out of Shanti Sagar with just 40 minutes for my flight. “Yo Man ! This is Life … This is worth everything that you can give”, I said to myself. I wanted to stand on the center of the road and cry out loud – “I am loving it! I am so happy today”.
( to be Continued .... )
posted by jk @ 10:38 PM
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