Charles has some serious hair; his one vanity. Well, that and he’s really really good looking. We’ve been here for three weeks and CW’s hair needed a trim, so we had our first experience with an Indian beauty salon! I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t happy it’s him who test drove the salon because I’ve got my hair vanity too, you know. This was on of “the best” European style salons in Bangalore, and if that’s true then I’m terrified of what some of the “just average” or “worst” ones are like. This place was packed full of people, like all of India, and there was shorn hair all over (even in the magazine I read as I waited), the hairdryers were tossed onto the hair-covered floor between uses, and if the scissors and combs are cleaned then we didn’t see it. He paid about $10 for the cut, and gave a $1.50 tip. It looks OK, but they kind of took the tip off of his signature point. L After the salon experience, we went off to pick up a few bottles of wine and dessert for tonight’s wine dinner with the OWC Wine Club!
Karen and her driver Moses (related to Deepak somehow) picked us up for the 90 minute drive from Bangalore to Soma Veneyards , Maakli Hills, Doddaballapur. The ride took us out to a rural area for the first time. We saw farms, hills, small villages and hamlets, Hindu temples, cows, sheep, goats and monkeys. Moses followed the directions given by the Wine Club, which lead us on this horribly bumpy, twisty-turny, washed out road once we left the paved “freeway.” We were following hugely overloaded trucks, watching out for guys on two wheelers, and trying to find our way. It was a real adventure. The best part of the ride was when we saw these really aggressive monkeys and Moses starts to whistle and clap while Charles had the window down to take a picture…and they lunged as if to jump in the car! It scared the crap out of the Americans. Moses just laughed.
I was not prepared for the beauty of Indian wine country. This vineyard was stunning. STUNNING! The vineyard is in a valley between hills, facing a lake. The colors of India are so vibrant; dark red clay soil, bright blue sky, and vibrant green grape leaves. The vines are supported by granite posts, and though it’s fall, the foliage is still green, not brown and dying. We were immediately met by the Wine Club, given fresh coconuts to drink, and walked the vineyard. Truth be told, our tour of the vineyard was as much a tour to fine a good place to pee as anything. That was one long car ride! The plan for the evening was to talk with Soma Vineyards owner, Rajus, taste the wines we all brought, and BBQ in the starlight.
We met at least 20 other Expats that night, including Brian who will be our block away neighbor once we move from the hotel. I also met Rita and another Karen who work for Oasis, a non-profit that teaches English to slum girls and gives them vocational training so they can break from the cycle of poverty. Guess who starts Tuesday? You know it. Not only do they teach slum girls, this organization sends operatives in to pluck girls from the rampant prostitution rings. Human trafficking is big here, as is prostitution. This is a third world country.
The whole evening was idyllic; beautiful scenery, good wine, great people, and some fine steak. Yes, steak.
