4 Days, 5 nites, and a New Tolerance Level – Part I of IV

So off I went on a short road trip in India covering 2 cities, 1 town, and a village last Thursday nite. The two cities were Bombay and Bangalore and the town and village were in my home state of AP. In hindsight I should have planned the trip a bit better but hey it turned to be another experience to remember. Highlights:

Bombay
-Hung out with a buddy of mine from undergrad. He works for Goldman and is on the ‘buy’ side so he’s got a lifestyle to be envious of. Chauffer driven in a a/c car everywhere he goes, maid at home who cooks whatever you need, an apartment on the sea-front, and a relaxed work schedule.
-I took a taxi ride the first day to go buy books for B school. The taxi driver was chatty and seemed to know a lot about global warming. Mind you this was an old school taxi with no air-conditioning. I managed to survive the morning and even found a textbook. I decided to be adventurous and walk around. (bad idea at noon).
-The Victoria Terminus in Bombay is a beautiful bldg from the British era. I went inside to check the busiest local train station in India. Oddly it reminded me of Budapest.
-I also walked along a row of Colonial bldgs which are law offices now. Right opposite the law institutions would be seated girls on the street with typewriters. They were there to help the common people type up legal documents as needed.
-I also walked into the main GPO (General Post Office) which was probably majestic in its day but was mostly run down now. They were trying to restore it to its previous state.
-I finally reached a point where I was exhausted to the point of irritation. I called my buddy and started yelling. He realized the situation and directed me to a restaurant where I waited for him. After yelling back at me he wondered how I had managed to get into Sloan with such a low IQ (‘cause I wandered out in the Sun in the teeth of summer in Bombay that too at noon). We would travel in his chauffer driven a/c car for the rest of my trip in Bombay.
-We met another undergrad buddy of ours who flew in from Delhi to meet us. The three of us had a great evening together reminiscing old times and discussing life in general. As has been customary of me since I got into B school I peppered them with questions about my career choices. Both of them have attended premier B schools in India and not surprisingly they had great and thoughtful inputs.
-The last day in Bombay we hung out in a mall (shopping and playing pool). My buddy seemed to derive extra pleasure in beating me 2-1 in pool.
-I also went running by the sea on my last evening in Bombay. Although it was close to 7 pm I was soaked in sweat within 10-15 minutes although I had not run much. Nevertheless, it felt good.
-One memorable thing about Bombay is how extreme the contrast is in terms of wealth everywhere. This is unique to Bombay. The first day there as I was in the Taxi I noticed a hoarding by a prominent bank in India on the back of a bus which promised a great return on investment on new financial instruments. As I looked away from the board I was looking at a row of slums on both sides.