Saturday, July 16

Saturday, July 16     
    I was drifting off to sleep when the doorbell rang at 1 am. I knew Derek was scheduled to arrive late so in a bit of a foggy state, I headed out to open the front door. He and Giri had apparently tried every key in their pocket before deciding they would have to wake me. Derek came through the door with a boisterous smile and his apologies. I didn’t mind; I really enjoyed meeting him and I knew he would be sleeping when I got up to leave for work. He had just flown in from Calcutta where he had been teaching. We chatted for a bit before I headed back to bed.
     After work we were scheduled to meet Priya at Olive, a really nice Mediterranean restaurant at the horse track. Derek and I crossed the street from the Phoenix Towers and attempted to hail a taxi. Apparently you don’t call a taxi because there are 20 million of them on the streets. The traffic was heavy and slow so we walked in the street, dodging puddles, cars, scooters and looking inside the cabs. Every taxi already had a fare. After about 10 minutes we spotted someone being dropped off and quickly jumped in the back seat before anyone else could claim it.
     I’ve learned you have to be assertive here. If you are driving, you dive in and force the other driver to stop; there will be no courtesies or waving you in. If you are in line at a counter, you crowd the person in front of you. If you stand back out of their personal space, someone will think it’s an opening and jump in front of you. I figured that out after having four people cut in front of me while I was trying to order a Frankie. After observing a few minutes, I cut to the front, money visibly in hand and calling out for a Bhuna. You take what you need here. People don’t think you’re rude; it’s a way of life.
     Derek gave up on trying to talk to the cab driver; he dialed and handed his cell phone to the driver so Priya could tell him our destination in Hindi. We couldn’t find Olive when we were dropped by the horse track so we walked down the sidewalk past various sidewalk vendors. Finally, Priya had her driver come to us.
     The entrance to Olive was covered with sand and outdoor furniture; it had a very nice beach-type atmosphere. We went inside a very chic refurbished horse stable with white linen table cloths and soft lighting. Priya ordered appetizers and we all shared 2 bottles of sparkling wine. Brandon swears Olive has the best filets in the world, so I had to see if he was right. It was really good. We shared a lot of laughs and I got to know Derek a little better. He has a great sense of humor and a jovial personality.
     Priya’s driver picked up her friend Charmaine while we were finishing dinner and then we all headed to the Blue Frog. The monsoon rains were flooding the streets as people waited outsdie the packed club. We headed across the street to another club. Derek, Priya and Charmaine were full of energy and danced the night away. By 1:30 am, I was exhausted. Priya’s driver took me home and they partied on into the night. I was the only one who had an alarm going off in the morning.