Translating Mumbai

Friday 23 May

The third Tiger Translate launch in a month got me up in the wee hours and making the five hour flight to Mumbai for the second time - caught up on some reading and made it into the Santacruz office by 11am. Spent the day working with the team on the India campaign, punctuated with a slap-up lunch across the road.

Left the office around seven and dropped my stuff at the guest house after Chetan battled the traffic and pedestrians to get me there. Jaymin then picked me up and we headed to check out the night scene - first at an outdoor cafe called Mocha where the Indian Premier League (pro cricket) was capturing everyone's attention and wallets. There was a Tiger promo going on where we witnessed the slack promoters drinking beer and coffee on the job and promptly got them sacked!

Vie Lounge was the next stop, a lovely spot perched right on Juhu Beach facing west, affording killer sunsets and the accompanying cocktails for Mumbai's Bollywood class. A few doors up we checked out Aurus, a more posh version decked out with a lavish restaurant and lounge, spacious deck and all sorts of beautiful people ready to party Friday night away. Luckily I was working so was able to avoid such decadence, and we proceeded inland to Olive - this was a white-washed art deco building serving great food and drinks, and we sat in the courtyard admiring the vision of the guy who had created this little oasis among the craziness of the streets outside.

Zenzi was our final destination and we had a warm-down Heineken at this very unpretentious but upmarket place that was refreshing (not everyone wears sunglasses at night!) for its grungily dressed patrons and lack of plasticity. Made it home at a respectable hour and crashed happily.