Sukh Sagar - this is my favorite local eating place. The food is good, service is fast and I’m going to dearly miss my Tomato Onion Uttapam with Coconut Chutney!
The Food - I mentioned Sukh Sagar by name, but there are many other places and food that I will miss dearly. From having 20 Rupee lunch (about 50 cents) at the Laxmi Darshini in New Thipassandra; the Onion Rava Dosa at Dosa Stop; the Indian-Chinese Noodles at China Pearl; the Biryani at Eden Park; the Kababs & Nizam Rolls at Siddique in Shivajinagar; and of course the heavenly breads: naan, roomali roti, phulka, roti, paratha & chapatis! I bought a tandoor to take back with me and I hope I can re-create some of my favorites at home!
The Naren Workout - it’s amazing to be able to workout with a personal trainer, to have someone there to motivate you, to push you and be waiting for you on those days you just don’t want to go to the gym. I really enjoyed my afternoons with Naren, even though his job was to keep me in a perpetual state of soreness!
The Venu Pickup & Drop-off - our driver Venu has been one of the constants of our time here in India, always punctual, reliable, trustworthy and professional. I enjoy driving so I look forward to having the car to myself again and turning it into my personal karaoke booth. What I will miss however, is getting dropped off and picked up right in front of wherever I am going, truly a luxury.
Flat 610 at Embassy Tranquil - our oasis in India. We’ve truly enjoyed the space and tranquility of our apartment as well as entertaining on the fantastic private terrace. We were lucky to find a building with like-minded neighbors that is both close to the center of town and to Prachee’s work.
Being so close to Aai & Papa - although we haven’t been to Pune to visit Prachee’s grandparents as much as we would have like to, our frequency has been much better than when we are in the US. We’ve enjoyed having them just an hour flight away and being able to see them several times a year.
Bangalore Weather - I just can’t say enough about Bangalore’s weather, I absolutely love it. No jacket or sweaters required! Our windows are open year-round with breezes cooling you off even during the 2-3 “hot” weeks each year. Even the monsoon is enjoyable in Bangalore as it usually arrives in the evening so you can fall asleep to the sound of the rain. Definitely not your typical Indian weather!
Waking up to the papaya vendor in the morning - with the windows open I can hear him clearly even though he is 6 stories down. I don’t know what he looks like and I am not sure he even sells Papayas (his call just sounds like he’s saying Papayas), but I will definitely miss my distinctive India “Alarm Clock.”
Our friends in Bangalore - we have the photos and the memories, but we’ll miss the great friends we’ve made over the last two years. I hope that we’ll see each other again soon in India, in San Francisco or somewhere in between!
Thumbs Up - somewhere between Coke and Jolt but with a bit of “Masala” kick. Thumbs Up is one of those truly Indian things. In my 2005 post New Year’s in India (of my first trip to India) I closed it out by saying what turned out to be prophetic words “A Thumbs Up for the road and it was time to leave India, content in knowing that I’ll be back soon.” I’ll say it once more, with the knowledge that it will be true again and the hope that it will be soon.