Annya's Enchanted Realities

In this blog, I’m going to spill all the details about the second main reason for this spontaneous trip. Now, if you’re sitting there wondering, “Wait… second?”—then I have a feeling you haven’t read Bangalore Days: Part 1 – A Mother-Daughter Day. And trust me, you’re missing out on a whole lot of travel chaos, cuddles, and late-night drama. Go give it a read first—I’ll wait! 😄

As you know from Part 1, we had officially landed in Bangalore! The moment we stepped out of the bus, the cool breeze and the soft rays of sunshine hitting our faces felt nothing short of cathartic—for both me and Erin. We stood there for a second, soaking it all in like two movie characters in the first scene of a feel-good drama.

Just then, an auto rickshaw driver pulled up and asked where we needed to go. I showed him the address, and he gave a quick nod—“Hop in, madam.” I didn’t want to waste time waiting for a cab or booking a Rapido because I had a meeting at 9:15 AM sharp. And if there’s one thing I’ve heard too many horror stories about—it’s Bangalore traffic. Not taking that chance!

So off we went, weaving through the early morning streets.

Now, if you remember from Part 1, I intentionally kept you guessing about who was kind enough to host us. Ready for the big reveal? Well, if you had read my April Fool’s article, you’d already know exactly who my host is. 😜 In that blog, I mentioned how he’s the hero of our heap at the organization. Yes, I’m talking about Mahesh! He’s the one who generously hosted both me and Erin while we were in Bangalore. And hey, he’s not just heap’s hero anymore. 😉

As we made our way through the city, I was absolutely amazed by the greenery surrounding me. I have no idea what the area names were, but I was completely mesmerized by this one park (I think?) where the trees were covered in lavender flowers—it looked like something straight out of a fairytale. Then came a massive lake with trees sprouting in the middle, forming a cute little island. And oh, the cherry on top? I even spotted a Pothys in Bangalore. That threw me off in the best way possible!

Now, while all this beauty was going on around me, the driving? A whole different experience. If my rickshaw was a girl with feelings, I swear she’d be filing a complaint for how close those other vehicles got. Personal space? Bangalore traffic doesn’t know her. 😅

Question: What’s the craziest auto rickshaw experience you’ve ever had?

Finally, we reached Mahesh’s apartment complex. He had already sent us a QR code that we needed to show to the security at the gate to get in. The security guard took one look at it, scanned it, and just pointed blankly toward a building. I was a little worried that if I asked any follow-up questions, he’d start speaking in Hindi or Kannada—languages I totally do not understand. 😅

As Erin and I started walking toward the tall buildings, we were clearly looking a bit lost. That’s when I saw an elderly man on his morning walk heading our way. I think he sensed we needed help because, before I even opened my mouth, he slowed down near us. I gathered a bit of courage and asked him how to get to a specific apartment. To my relief, he was super kind and gave me very clear instructions.

He told me that the building had three lifts, the apartment we were looking for was on a certain floor, and that it was right at the farther end of the building. I thanked him with genuine relief, and Erin and I made our way to the lift. Meanwhile, I quickly texted Mahesh that we were heading up.

As Erin and I stepped out of the lift, we nearly bumped into Mahesh—he was clearly rushing down to receive us. But by the time he got to us, we were already on his floor. He quickly pointed us in the direction of his apartment and then hopped back into the lift to dispose of the garbage bags he was holding. Safe to say, he was now being his wife’s hero, I presume. LOL.

Question: Have you ever been hosted by a colleague-turned-friend? How did that go?

Erin and I found the apartment easily, and Mahesh’s wife greeted us warmly at the door. A few moments later, Mahesh joined us too. We exchanged cheerful hellos, and I handed over the famous banana chips I’d brought for him—his special request!

Since it was almost time for my meeting, Mahesh quickly showed us to our room so I could set up my laptop and hop on the call. But here’s the funny part—before I even connected from my laptop, some of my teammates had already caught a glimpse of me on Mahesh’s camera. I think it was a surprise for most of them, and it gave everyone a good laugh.

During the meeting, we also sang a birthday song for one of our colleagues—Unni. (It’s a bit of a tradition at our company!) 🎉

After the call, we worked for a while, and I checked in on Erin. That girl was on her best behavior! She had finished her breakfast without any fuss and was quietly watching TV without bothering anyone—including Mahesh’s wife. Color me impressed.

Speaking of breakfast, it was then our turn to eat—and wow. Mahesh’s wife had made some absolutely amazing dosas. Now, let me confess something: I’m a plain dosa with sambar and chutney kind of girl. I don’t stray from that combo—be it at home, in a hotel, or anywhere else.

But she changed that.

Mahesh went for the plain ones, but she served me podi dosa—and with the chutney she made? Waahh. It was my first time trying it, and it was lip-smackingly good. Then she brought out the masala dosa—and let me just say: WOWWWW. I had a whole new appreciation for branching out from my usual dosa routine.

Question: Also, be honest—are you Team Plain Dosa or Team Try-All-The-Variations?

After breakfast, it was time to get ready for the main event—the housewarming ceremony! 🎉

Any guesses about who it was?

Okay, here’s a hint: he’s also a character from the April Fool’s blog, and a tricky one at that. Yup, you got it—it was Sandeep’s function! And Erin? She was practically buzzing with excitement to meet his children again.

So when I told her it was time to get ready, she literally jumped off the sofa and dove straight into the suitcase to pull out her outfit. 😄 While the lovely couple (Mahesh and his wife) got ready in their room, Erin and I were getting dressed in ours.

Soon, all set and dressed, we hopped into a cab and made our way to Sandeep’s brand new home.

As we pulled into the complex, we were greeted by the sight of towering high-rises. Erin let out an audible “Wooahh!” and said, “Amma, look at those skyscrapers!” — eyes wide and sparkling.

One building, in particular, caught our attention—it wasn’t even part of Sandeep’s property, but it stood tall in striking blue, white, and red. Even I did a little double take. 😄 The vibe? Total metropolitan awe.

Our hero (you know who 😏) did all the talking and figured out how to get to the apartment building, while the rest of us just followed his lead like obedient ducklings. We had to make our way through the underground parking lot to find the elevator that would take us up to Sandeep’s new pad.

When we finally reached, the place was buzzing! Sandeep and his wife were busy being the perfect hosts, gracefully juggling guests, rituals, and chaos all at once. Amidst the swirl of greetings and temple bells, we bumped into some familiar faces—Sainath and Bhupathi! Yep, the same duo you may remember from my April Fool’s blog. The gang was almost all here, and it was starting to feel like a mini reunion.

It was at this moment… Haha, just kidding!

While we were all catching up and exchanging inside jokes, Sandeep suddenly walked over, and the look on his face was priceless. Pure shock. “You told me you weren’t coming! I canceled your food!” he exclaimed, half-laughing and half-panicking.

I just grinned and said, “No worries, I’ll steal from these guys’ plates.”
We both laughed, exchanged greetings, and before I knew it, he’d disappeared inside to bring his wife out.

She too looked totally surprised. “Sandeep told me you wouldn’t be able to make it!” she said, and we instantly hugged it out with that warm, ‘happy-to-see-you-but-also-mildly-annoyed-you-tricked-us’ energy.

Question: Have you ever surprised someone at their event and seen their jaw drop?

Meanwhile, Erin had already found her way to their kids like a homing pigeon. In true Erin fashion, the ice was broken within minutes, and the giggles had begun.

The guests kept pouring in, and naturally, the hosts had to attend to them. So we decided to give them some space and went on our little home tour. The place was beautiful, and you could tell how much thought had gone into every corner.

Once we were done admiring the setup (and maybe mentally taking notes for our own dream homes), we found ourselves a nice spot to sit. We settled into some chairs, and the catching up began—laughs, stories, and all the little updates we hadn’t shared in a while. I was even trying to set up Sai and Bhupathi with girls at the function, so that I could plan a surprise party for one of them. LOL.

Maybe about thirty minutes in, we figured it was time. Time to hand over the presents to the stars of the day—Sandeep and his family. 🎁✨

So, we basically had to track down Sandeep and his wife, bringing them together just so we could present the gifts. We decided on a Bonsai tree as our offering, something to bring positivity into their new home.

In the midst of the gift exchange, we thought, why not snap a quick picture to commemorate our time there and let the team know we were present? So, we began the hunt for a photographer. Naturally, one of the kids at the function happily stepped up to the challenge.

Just as we were about to get the shot, another family entered the room holding a beautiful bouquet of roses. We all gathered together, posing for the picture, and as soon as the photo was snapped, we shared it in our official WhatsApp group with the caption: “We’re here!” 📸

A few minutes later, I noticed something hilarious—Sandeep’s wife was holding the bouquet of roses in the photo, making it look like we were the ones who got it for them! It cracked me up, so I immediately shared it with the team. Everyone burst out laughing. It was one of those classic moments where a picture says more than words!

By this point, Erin came to me, visibly upset. She was disappointed because the kids she was so excited to meet weren’t playing with her. I tried to reassure her, telling her, “Cousins always trump friends!” But she was adamant about going home. At this point, I realized we needed to get her out of the situation before things got worse.

It was around this time when one of the team members (I can’t quite remember who) suggested going down for lunch, and I immediately said yes.

When we got downstairs, Erin declared she wouldn’t eat anything and insisted she wanted to go home. As I scanned the juice bar, I noticed two options: Watermelon and Lemon. Erin absolutely loves lemonade, so I had an idea. I told her, “Let’s have some lemonade and then head home.” She stubbornly refused, but I wasn’t giving up that easily.

I grabbed both juices—one Watermelon and one Lemon—and brought them to the table. I told Erin, “I’m so tired from all this traveling, and I’d really love to have something to drink. But I’ll only do that if you have the lemonade.” After a little hesitation, she agreed, and started drinking it.

Over the years, I’ve learned this little trick. When Erin’s being stubborn or says no, if I phrase things this way, she usually gives in, even if it’s something she doesn’t particularly want. It’s funny how that works, but hey, parenting hacks for the win! 😂

Then came the next declaration: “I won’t eat any food.”

 I shrugged and said, “No worries. Let me grab something for myself because I’m so hungry… and after that, we can get some ice cream together.”

That caught her attention. She perked up and said, “Okay, but I’ll only have ice cream.” 

“Pinky swear,” I said, sealing the deal. Ice cream it was. Or so she thought. 😉

I headed over to the buffet and filled a plate with items that would most likely pass Erin’s picky-eater radar. Plain rice wasn’t on the menu, but there was ghee rice—which was close enough—and some paneer butter masala to go with it.

Back at the table, I sat down and started pretending to eat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could already see her stealing glances at the plate, visibly salivating. I casually asked, “Do you want a bite?”

“Just a little,” she said. One bite turned into two, and before we knew it, she’d wiped the plate clean.

Question: Fellow parents—what’s your go-to trick to get your kid to eat when they say they’re ‘not hungry’ but clearly are?

By the end of lunch, she was back to her cheerful self—calm, content, and ready to take on the day again. Parent hacks for the win. Again. 😎

After feeding Erin, I finally went back to the buffet to get something for myself—a couple of chapatis, some paneer, and of course, a cup of ice cream for the little madam. While she happily dug into her dessert, I rejoined the rest of the team at the table, and the fun and chatter resumed. Sandeep joined us too and thanked us all for being there, which was really sweet.

Soon after, I took Mahesh’s wife and Erin upstairs because, well… I had to take care of a little emergency. (Don’t ask… sshhh 🤫). Erin was back to her usual happy self by now and blended right in with the gang of kids up there, while Mahesh’s wife and I settled into some good old-fashioned girl talk.

Eventually, we decided it was time to head back. We went downstairs, booked a cab, and made our way back to the apartment—this time with Sainath and Bhupathi tagging along too.

But what happened after we got home?Well, you’ll have to read Bangalore Days: Part 3 – Catching Up Over Dinner to find out! 😉

Question: Are you already curious about what dinner looked like in Part 3? 👀