The most interesting days start off with some impromptu plans. AG had come in from Chennai for the last time (hopefully- i mean not that I hope to not meet him but because he's finally leaving from Chennai after a stressful and oh-too-long stint of almost an year. I think he's very excited about getting back to non-gajra and Jasmine wearing humanity in Delhi)
Anyway, we all got up quite late and decided to go to that iconic breakfast place in Bangalore - Koshy's. AK and SC also joined us and we landed up there, i don't know, around 11 maybe. The breakfast was excellent (there's something about really fresh bread that hits just the right spot even if it's just a plain ol' vegetable sandwich)
AK and SC hadn't yet had an inaugural drive in PS' new i10 car and we decided on a whim to drive towards probably the only smooth stretch of road in Bangalore- the NICE corridor (yes corny, i know). So there we were in our holiday best of just out of bed hairstyles and bathroom slippers zipping along to the sound of good music streaming out of the oh-so-stylish integrated music system that comes with the car. The weather was brilliant and I think it's been quite a while since all us DCE folks in Bangalore got together and went out somewhere.
Mid-way through the trip we decided to go to Innovative Film City, an entertainment 'city'/ amusement park some distance from Bangalore. Suddenly made plans have a way of coming together brilliantly. Now i've heard of this place and I would be lying if I say that the idea of a place like that was not exactly very exciting for me. I hadn't done any research on this place but still did not seem to think that the place would be any good.
But that impression was so wrong!
The five of us streamed into the place to go through all the amusements in store. Though it was a bit expensive, I think if we hadn't driven so far we wouldn't have entered the place.
First the place looks really good. It is quite grand with a very Hiranandani (Mumbai) look to it with beautiful grecian inspired statues and a lovely corridor in the middle.
The first attraction we visited was a makeshift movie hall with a very rural feel in which 10 minute clips of that iconic movie, Sholay, was playing. Good fun to see the movie as it probably seen by millions of people in the country.
Then came the most interesting part! The Maze of Mirrors. We went in expecting it to be a corny hall with a bunch of those reducing, elongating, enlarging or some such mirrors. And though I wouldn't mind having a permanent reducing mirror, it didn't seem very exciting. But it was so cool!
There is red track LED lighting on the floors and a whole bunch of mirrors that totally disorient you as you walk through looking for the exit. SC actually bumped into a mirror while in that maze while AK and I high fived just to realize that we were staring in two mirrors instead of each other. Good good fun :)
Unfortunately the next item on our agenda could not be participated in. Paintball. Now, I haven't yet had a game of paintball and it seems like totally excellent fun. The arena was being cleaned when we reached and though all of us wanted to play, it just slipped under the radar as we got engrossed in other stuff there. I wish we'd come in earlier!
We next went to the Wax Museum and the Ripley's Believe it or not exhibit. Wax museum was a bit of a disappointment as quite a few of those figurines looked unrealistic and doll-like. Ripley's had quite a few interesting exhibits and was interesting to browse.
We next went to the tour de force, the roller skating rink there. Sometimes I really feel stupid due to some skills I should've learnt earlier in my life (skating, swimming, playing the drums). So while all the other guys started skimming across the rink gracefully I started on my first baby steps in roller skating with awkward clumpy steps with both feet slipping in different directions. I kept at it for an hour with eyes screwed up in concentration and sweat dripping from the bridge of my nose. I would love to have had a typical sports movie moment when the underdog suddenly comes into his own to do such amazing feats on the sports field that the detractors can only bite their tongues in amazement.
Unfortunately, real life doesn't really follow that script.
So all I can claim is that after one hour of effort and a particularly nasty fall, I managed to walk two lengths of the rink flanked on each side by PS and AG. But still it was fun and I would like to do it again sometime.
We then went to the Horror house and I thought it was quite well done. I mean, of course, it wasn't scary but it certainly was a bit spooky and I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit spooked when I found myself leading the group through the scary corridor. Of course I cleverly slowed down and maneuvered someone else to lead the group and things were better for me :)
A quick snack and we were on the way back with promises of returning again to finish off the missed painball game.
To top off a great day, our cook really exceeded himself and made some brilliant food for dinner.
Very very nice day out. I like!
