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| The fun is about to begin!! |
Last night was interesting. Skipping over the "work" stuff, once at the airport and badged, we made our way to the tarmac and waited for the airplane to arrive. Standing there with the person escorting me (we're going to keep this anonymous), he says, "After this is done, do you want to get a beer?" Uh, sure, maybe, I guess? Should we at least start before talking about the after party? As we stood there, I asked about the line of men standing over by a wall. He told me "They are over there because that's near the smoking section." Indicating the hazy night sky, I wondered if this wasn't all a smoking section? Once the fueling was under way, it was going to take about an hour to uplift the 42k gallons of fuel, so we went to get some coffee. He asked if I wanted coffee or Chai tea, and I said coffee. He promptly ordered two teas😶 which was 20 INR (Indian Rupees), or about 25 cents for both. All good with the fueling, and the plane finally pushing back, we headed to the parking lot to head out. We were waiting for one of the guys, and he told me about the dogs. There were dogs in the parking lot, and one was very thin and looking for a friend. The instant I showed him a bit of attention, a very well fed other dog was instantly on the scene!
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| The work scene! |
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| The air quality was a bit...hazy! |
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| Way more scooters than cars in the lot!! |
In the car, four of us set out for our evening's goal...beer and food! We headed to a bar in Aerocity, but they were closed. Undaunted and in the midst of a large shopping area lined with restaurants, we proceeded to confirm our unwelcome status at each them. Most were closed. One said no food but short drinks. Another said no drinks, but food. A third said "Couples only!" We finally found one that after their first no, we managed to get in anyway. It was a VERY loud club, impossible to hear even with shouts. I watched two very drunk couples dancing, or more stumbling while hanging on each other as much for support as anything. After our hasty beers (under the watchful eye of the "please go home now" server), we got into the car. They asked if I had tried chicken tandoori yet. Well, I have, but not "here". "Oh, well then!! We know JUST the place we MUST go!" Uh...ok. After being told it was simply fantastic and open 24 hours (a pairing quite hard to believe), we proceeded through a chaos of cars and large trucks, on one dusty dark road after another. More than once I wondered "What if...?"
[Theresa's perspective -- I woke up at 12:30am and checked in on Bill (thank you for the ability to share locations!) I saw that he was in Aerocity in the main restaurant area -- makes sense! An hour later, I check in on him and see he is in Guragoa (about 14 minutes away) at/near a hospital. What could have happened? I text him "Are you OK", waiting with slightly queasy stomach. I get back a picture of his food plate. I told him that was good, as I was concerned he was near a hospital. He shared that with the guys he was with, and they found it quite funny, especially since they had said they didn't want him to get into trouble by going out with them!]
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| Midnight dinner!! |
We arrived at the place, and it was...authentic? To be fair, there was a decent crowd there at 1AM, and it was also immediately next to a hospital. And by hospital, let's just say I would hate to have needed to find out their capabilities. We took a table outside, and ordered some food. We ordered our Tawa Chicken "spicy" and it was. The other two guys were vegetarian, and they got Paneer (like a pressed cottage cheese, that is cooked in sauce). The food was REALLY good!! And we had some fun and laughter. Apparently there was a building with a small window from which we could buy liquor, but wanting to avoid the meager hospital, I passed! It was a good night's work!!
[Theresa's perspective on the night -- I woke up at 12:30am and saw that Bill was in Aerocity (thank you for being able to track each other). Since I knew he was going out for beer afterwards, I thought that was good. Checking in on him an hour later, I saw that he was no longer in Aerocity, but down near a hospital in Gurgaon (about 15 minutes away). Why would they leave Aerocity??? So, I text Bill -- are you OK? I get back a picture of his food plate. Telling him I was concerned because he was next to a hospital, he shared that with the group, who found it quite funny! He finally got home about 3am.]
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| Free spoons?? |
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| Tawa Chicken |
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| Well, it's no JW, but it's a nice room! |
In the morning we got breakfast before the buffet closed, and then began lazily sorting and packing for the big move. All packed up, we finally left our room in the midafternoon. Theresa schmoozed the concierge into promising us a free ride to the Aloft. Imagine being dropped off at an "Aloft" in a JW Marriott car, like we were somehow kicked out and down the street. This place is a lot less posh, as are we! With some status, they gave us a few things (a drink choice and a food choice). The Masala Peanuts sounded interesting, and Theresa really liked them. Meh.
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| Hard to wash windows while swaying back and forth? |
After a little time in the room, we had a "happy hour" scheduled from 6-7. Basically, the appetizers were sharable meals, so Bill got the Chili Chicken and Theresa got the Paneer Tikka. It also included "drinks" but a sort of small selection. Nevertheless, Bill tried each of their (blended) Scotches (100 Pipers and Black Dog) and Theresa had a glass of wine and then a Rum and Coke (but with Captain Morgan and "Pepsi Max"). Tomorrow we have to be ready for pick up at 6AM, so early to bed for us!
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