A Great Expat Sunday

No doubt, life in Mumbai and in India has its frustrations and challenges.  Sometimes the small difficulties pile up and it all seems insurmountable.  However, sometimes, it all comes together and last Sunday was one of those days.

 It started with 13 km run through Bandra it was steamy but not unpleasant. But the exercise box was ticked off early in the day which is always good.

 I returned home to pick up Alistair, our resident English back packer, for the regular Sunday game of touch Rugby for about an hour.  Most weekends outside of monsoon a group of Non- Resident Indians (NRIs) and Expats get together for a social game of touch rugby. The rules are loosely applied and we all have some fun. For some, it is a chance to run the alcohol from the night before out of their system. For others is is a chance to get some exercise.  That said, some get more exercise than others!



A great backdrop for
international 7's Rugby
We returned back to the apartment to freshen up and change and to pick up Kate, Ada and Lucy along with our guests from Australia, Tracy and Mia.  We then drove down for brunch at the Four Seasons.  Brunch in Mumbai is not breakfast/lunch as is the case in Australia but it is a long lunch.  Most of the major hotels offer a Bunch which include all you can eat Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian and Western foods.  Everything is freshly cooked in a open mini-kitchens dedicated to each style of food.  The Brunch also has an alcohol option which means that the food is coupled with all you can drink champagne.  At the Four Seasons, the champagne is Verve Cliquot and the Brunch works out to about AUD $70 per head with Verve which is great value. The Brunch runs for about 4 hours and is a great way to pass time with friends although I always leave with  more than tinge of guilt given the excess of the Brunch relative to the lives of those who you pass on the way in and out of the Hotel. Guilt aside, I had a wonderful Brunch






This is not middle aged men playing
 touch Rugby
The last event of the day was the Mumbai Asian Rugby Sevens.  It is a second tier international sevens competition played between members countries of the Asian Rugby Union.  When I say countries I also include Special Administrative Regions and rebellious provinces. The competition included teams representing Japan, Hong Kong Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India amongst others.  Sitting on the Mumbai Maidan in front of the historic Mumbai Gymkhana while sipping free beer and watching high quality Rugby was a great way to finish the day1
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

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