Monday 18th February - Shopping & Lunching

We had toyed with the idea of getting up early and going to look for birds in one of the parks, but when the alarm went another two hours sleep seemed a more attractive proposition. At breakfast we shared the large table with two Indian men. One watched a noisy soap opera on his phone while the other ate half a pound of butter without accompaniment. The kitchen staff didn't seem too keen on them either.

We have to vacate the room by eleven so there is no hurry. We repack and shower at leisure before enjoying a last cup of tea. As we check out there is a problem with the card machine. At least we hope it is a machine problem. We scrape together enough cash to cover the bill and replan the day to start with an ATM visit. Fortunately this is successful and we can relax again. Yesterday, on the way to the metro, we spotted the Indian Cartoon Gallery and noted it for a visit today. It is accessed via the basement car park of an office block and appears to be very much a work in progress as the collection amounts to about a dozen cartoons. The chap in charge is clearly an enthusiast and we wish him well.

It is a few days since we did the serious retail thing and Bangalore is a place that can fill this gap. We start at the Cottage Industries Emporium, a state run shop showcasing crafts and specialities from all around India. They have quality goods at fair prices, and there is a total absence of hard sell. R is looking for some earrings and there is some kind of shop within a shop which has a good selection. She buys a pair featuring semi precious stones called tiger's eye which are reputed to aid harmony and balance.  If only she had had them in Bangladesh. There is clearly a scam on here as the man says that if we pay cash and don't want a bill we will save Rs 30 General Sales Tax.

We look around the rest of the store which has some beautiful silks and furnishings. There are some great carved wooden pieces but none would fit in our luggage. R finds a couple of small things, mainly so we can indulge in the great payment ritual. We take a hand written docket to the payment counter. Here we pay for the goods and the docket is stamped and passed on to the next counter where the goods have been delivered by the sales assistant. The man here makes a meal of wrapping the goods before handing them to us. As we exit the shop our invoice is examined and the small carrier bag checked to make sure that we haven't slipped a piece of furniture into it.

So much for the traditional. Next stop is Fabindia, like Laura Ashley but more interesting. So far we have only seen three branches in Bangalore but we know that there are more. This one has a cafe and we head there. We order honey, lemon, ginger infusions and enjoy the AC. We were just beginning to think that we had been forgotten when our drinks arrive, a with flower petals strewn in the saucers. To be fair it was a pretty decent infusion.

The big showpiece retail venue in Bangalore appears to be 1 MG Road so we visit there next. It is a bit disappointing as it is all frontage and no depth and is basically Marks & Spencer's with a few hangers on. It is not a patch on the place we got lost in in Dhaka. Next door is a less flash centre featuring Big Bazar. D has been trying to find a pair of their pyjama trousers in the required pattern and size since Sealdah and at last finds them. It is even harder to pay here than in most BB branches but eventually we escape. 

D has researched the best pub lunch in Bangalore and found several sites that say the Toit Microbrewery is streets ahead. It is not too far from a Metro stop so we opt for that. D has to go through the farce of signing the book for carrying a camera but in this heat the metro, which is not too crowded, beats walking. The address that we are looking for is not very promising - Near KFC, 100 Foot Street. The reality lives up to the reviews more than the address. An interesting building, with the microbrewery on the ground floor, and airy, spacious rooms above. 

The staff make an immediate good impression as we are shown to our table. The music is background and the AC just right. The choice of beers is interesting, ranging from a basmati rice lager, through wheat beer and IPA to Stout. Even better they are all available. The menu is decidedly not Indian but still interesting. We start with thin slices of banana, crispy fried and sprinkled with spices. Delicious! R has a lime soda and D a Belgian style wheat beer. We move on to deep fried calamari, which are really good, even when paired with the British style IPA.

We both like the place so we decide to have our main meal here. Croque Monsieur for her, Croque Madame for him. This is possibly a bit previous as we will be arriving in French India tomorrow but they certainly hit the spot. We are in no hurry and spin lunch out until about 4 p.m. There is yet another branch of Fabindia round the corner and R finds napkins while D further expands his wardrobe.

Shopping is thirsty work so we take the metro West, out along MG Road, to a hotspot area for pubs and bars. We decide upon The Permit Room, supposedly one of the hottest new spots in town. It has AC that would make Indian Railways proud and some fascinating pictures on the walls. We idle away an hour then decide that we had better recover our luggage.

09.00 this morning D pre booked an Ola ride to Yesvantpur station leaving the hotel at 19.30. At 19.25 Ola confirmed that the driver was on his way. At 19.35 they informed that he had cancelled. This happened twice more so D booked an Uber which turned up and was absolutely fine. Ola then said they were sending another car which D had to cancel. They seem to be as much use as a chocolate teapot. There was some heavy traffic on the way out to the station but we arrived in plenty of time. 

Our train was on the boards predicted to be on time arriving at 21.30. The Upper Class Waiting Room is being reconstructed so we found seats on a bench on the platform. We had hardly got settled when there was an announcement that our train would shortly arrive on Platform 2. By the time we had crossed the footbridge it was in and we soon found coach A1. We have been allocated two Lower Berths in an inside bay. We quite like to have a pair of side berths, upper and lower, when we travel in 2AC but the ticketing system allocated inside lowers on account of our age. The upper berths are occupied by two solo male travellers who seem polite enough and speak a bit of English. There is a bit of footering around while everybody sorts out their beds but then we settle down for the night.