Friday night, I went to see the movie 10,000 BC with Vijay and Aman. The movie was better then the title or poster would indicate. It wasn't our first choice, but it was the only English movie playing the late showing, following our meetings at work. We ordered tickets on-line earlier in the week. Vijay drove and dropped Amon and I off at the door. It took him 20 minutes to park. Due to space shortage, all the cars are lined up bumper to bumper. Once you park the car, you can't leave until the movie is over and the cars in front of you clear out. We sat in the Balcony of the theatre. The outside and lobby of the theatre were nothing to speak of, however, inside was the largest, nicest theatre that I'd ever been in. The seating was assigned, not first come first serve like in America. We were sitting in leather recliners. It reminded me of first class air travel. Not that I've ever traveled first class, but I've walked past that type of seating plenty of times. We sipped our drinks and enjoyed that seating for about five minutes before another group showed up and claimed our seats. When we examined out tickets, we determined that we had purchased the tickets for the previous night. Luckily, there were still a few seats open, so we purchased new tickets for the fourth row. These seats were not first class, but similar to most theatres in the U.S. They were right in front of the 'cheap seats'. I've never used that phrase before in regards to a movie theatre. In this theatre, there were three rows of wooden benches at the front. The ticket price for those seats is approx. 1/4 the price for my fourth row seat. Tickets were only $3, so I'm not complaining. It was a fun evening.
The attendant at my apartment has gotten accustom to leaving the gate open until I arrive. However, since my car was already at the apartment and it was later then usual, the gate was locked. I couldn't raise him, so I had to jump the fence to get to my room. The attendant was sleeping peacefully on his mat when I went past.
I did quite a bit of shopping on Saturday and Sunday. I've never been a good shopper and this day wasn't any different. I went looking for gifts for my wife and kids. I didn't find anything that I thought they would enjoy, but it was a good culture experience for me. The first three pictures are the inside of Spencer's mall. It may be the only mall in Chennai and probably the closest thing to shopping in the U.S.
The further away you get from the center of the mall, the isle ways become narrower.
This is where the locals shop.
