Saturday morning, I was picked up around 8am, and we headed to Lalbagh park, a botanical garden in the city. To get there we went by autorickshaw, or tuk tuk, which was a very fun, but very exciting experience. These things fit in any gap in traffic, and in most of them, my head is pressing against the canvas roof. Being in one is kind of like how I imagine being in Mario Kart in real life.
We arrived at the park as the sun was coming up and it was lovely. Very peaceful from the noise and traffic fumes of the city
We then went over the road to MTR, a famous Indian chain, started in Bangalore where we had breakfast. We also had some fresh coconuts from a stall, which were refreshing in the heat!
After this, it was another auto rickshaw ride to the new office, which was lovely. Got a tour around the communal areas, but it’s amongst a lot of tech firms and new development.
After that, we went on another ride, however the rickshaw broke down, so we had to help push it to the side of the road, which on a busy road, wasn’t too fun! Eventually we managed to flag down another rickshaw and went to the summer palace of Tipu Sultan, who was obsessed with tigers, but hated the British. I’m never sure how deep this resentment sits today. Everyone has been so friendly, and it’s a little embarrassing to see things like this given the history. Anyway, this is where his tiger themed throne sat, although it’s been removed now
We then went out to another restaurant for lunch, it was a very authentic place, we had a lamb curry, then barbecued chicken. Was all served on a stainless steel plate, and was eaten with the hands. It was very tasty, I’m not sure the hygiene was going to win any awards but suffered no ill effects and was a very enjoyable experience!
Then back to the hotel, where we went out for drinks, and ended up on a rooftop nightclub, which was quite the experience!
the next day we headed out on our own (you can almost see the ££ or ₹₹ in their eyes when you approach) and having been taken around 3 shops, all selling pretty much the same, we finally got to the MG road, did a bit of shopping for clothes and things, then back to the hotel.