Considering the four hours of sleep at best, I was apprehensive about this day. I figured perhaps I hadn't yet adjusted to the time difference (IST = GMT + 5:30), jet lag, all that jazz, but anyway, as planned I made my way by auto to Bandra having spoken to Mr. A from M's phone (as mine still wasn't working).
He said he's pick me up from the National College Gate. The driver had no real clue where he was going & kept stopping to ask other autos where this college was, most of them just pointed straight ahead. Obviously I had no clue at this stage, an hour or so later eventually I gave up on the guy & told him to drop me next to a payphone & that I'd work it out. I did.
Mr. A (joined by Mrs. A too) then took me to a Thali place. Thali just means plate if you take the literal translation, but when you see thali restaurants, what they mean is an assortment of foods (in a plate), this place had 4 curries, 2 starters (dhokala & samosa), dal, rice, papadoms, dessert, 2 types of bread, a lassi & a bottle of mineral water. Ample to feed on. Approximately double the variety I'd expect from a Thali in the UK. In addition, and as though this wasn't foodie heaven already, they come & top-up anything that you want at no extra charge. It goes without saying that I topped up on starters & dessert, repeatedly. The bill came to 175Rs [about £2.50]
The place was called Aram & I'll re-visit it at some point during my stay for sure. I don't think it was intended by Mr. A, but it was quite symbolic that we began here. Aram means to rest, as does Vishram, which is the name of my film banner. It was a name that conveniently came from merging part of my own first name with that of my business partner Vishal. The intent of this whole trip (which I may blog separately at some point - is in aid of developing this company), so it was a sign.
Moving on, we then went to the Mr. A residence by car & hung out there for a while. I might point out I hadn't yet got over the heat factor, any opportunity to hang indoors under a fan was welcome. It was comforting that they felt the same way about the afternoon heat in particular. He had wi-fi, so there was tweetage. I'd moaned earlier about my Sim not working yet & had some helpful suggestions to try (none of which worked, but they were sensible & appreciated), one suggestion was to pick up an alternative sim with Tata Docomo, for they would activate the Sim then & there.
So later, when it got cooler (read tolerable heat), we went for a stroll, I felt the need to get some more cash out of the SRK Bank ATM. In hindsight, I didn't need to, but better to have cash than not is what I'd figured from the previous day. Quite near the ATM I had my first of many fresh coconut waters. From my previous trip to India when I was 12, this was one of the memories I recall well. We used to have 2 or 3 a day. It doesn't seem as common these days, or perhaps it's a regional thing. *shrug*
On the way back we stumbled into a place that did the Tata Sims. In India, they seem to require a lot of documentation to even get a pay-as-you-go sim, so we got the information on what was needed, picked up relevant stuff from his place & returned to this stall. Note: it's useful to keep a few spare passport-size photos with you all the while on your travels, it was required for the sim & it was a fluke that I just had a couple in my wallet, coz I do fancy myself like that. ;)
As the myth suggested, it was active in seconds, i started texting all the tweople I'd yet to reach out to.. Data wasn't working, but simply needed APN settings, then I'd be tweeting away on the move, free, like the wind, or some such.
It was evening by this point & Mr. A was going to a Malwadi (regional Maharashtrian) event relatively close to where I was staying, so I hiked a lift & since I wasn't feeling tired, I thought I'd tag along. Upon enquiring what the event was in aid of nobody seemed to have much of a clue, much like the Belgrave Mela in Leicester each year. We Indians don't need a reason to celebrate, we just do. :D
Okay I'll admit, I didn't care for the event. I was looking forward to meeting Ms. P who was also planning on attending. In fact we organised to pick her up on the highway, so, pretty much as expected, the event didn't really interest me, it was overly crowded & was in no way film-related. I was bored & by the time we got there, I was getting tired too, I think there might be a picture of me & Ms. P somewhere where I don't look too pleased. I assured her it wasn't her, I think she believed me. :) *fingers-crossed*
The journey back was the most excitement I had all day. Despite Mr. A being a local, he got lost & in the process we managed to scout locations just as I had visualised them. Seedy allies, with occassional cows, rams & numerous dead ends. We had a vague sense of direction (I think), but many of the allies we were driving through looked like they'd reach nowhere, despite the drivers frustration, I was loving it! This is precisely what I wanted to see! It made my day.
After getting back, I pretty much passed out after having a quick shower. It had been a good day & I knew that this was only the beginning.