Take me out to the brewery... The Indian addition
After a thorough research on the internet about how to get to the three breweries that are in Chennai, I journeyed out to one of them. It was a hot day, not unlike any other day here in Chennai. I got to the bus stop at around 11:00 and did not get to the brewery until 14:30. Although the place was only 30 minutes away if driving with car, public transport and lots of leg work turned into 3.5 hours.
Like any journey in a foreign country, this one was sprinkled with frustration, laughter and the grace of kind strangers. After an hour on a city bus, inhaling dust and automobile fumes, I reached the final stop of Poonamelea. A few inquiries later, I found a tuk tuk driver who knew the location of the Empee Brewery. Or so I thought... The price was negotiated and I was taken on a very short ride to a place which was nowhere near where I had to be. The older, gray haired driver dropped me off on the highway where the actual brewery was located. The little thing he did neglected to mention was that it wasn't only a few hundred meters down the road. It was actually 6km down that road. That small "mistake"turned into a very hot walk down the Bangalore-Madras highway. Thinking the brewery was a short walk away, I headed on down the road. Not seeing the brewery I asked a few shop owners that I encountered where the illusiv brewery was. After getting an array of opinions, it was clear that the brewery was actually 6km away.
So me being a stubborn and sometimes very unreasonable person, I continued waking, refusing to take another tuk tuk and hoping to see a bus stop on the way.
About 30min later, a police officer pulled over on his motorcycle and asked if I needed directions. So I told him where I was going and he started laughing seeing as my final destination was nowhere near where I was. After cursing at him in my head, I asked him of where the nearest bus stop was. He pointed and explained "Very far, Miss", with the customary head wobble which I came to find out can mean anything from no, yes, thank you and you're welcome to "you're completely screwed and I feel bad for you.
The officers wobble was certainly te last example mentioned. Taking pity on me, he escorted me all the way to the gates of the Empee Brewery, which by the way, was completely hidden from the road and I probably would have never found it without many more inquiries and a long, exhausting walk.
I thanked and nodded a few times, got off the bike and finally walked through the iron gates of the beer castle.
I got many stares from everyone as I walked in (as per usual being a woman in India) and then approached a few people to be directed to where I could meet with the brew master. An hour and two complimentary cups of delicious coffee later, I met with "the boss".
Now, possibly because I was not a man or just because the rules are the rules, my request to take some beer memorabilia away with me was denied. According to the very nice man in his air conditioned office, the state of Tamil Nadu is "not a free" state and any possession of alcohol items is strictly monitored by the government and supposedly simply cannot be distributed to anyone BUT the government.
The man clearly felt very bad after I told him the story of how difficult my journey was and how much time it took me to get to their brewery, so he offered me a consolation prize. I got a couple of different bottle caps and a tour and tasting of the different beers the brewery has to offer. And with that, today officially became the day I actually truly enjoyed sipping on beer.
After a few apologies from the boss and many thank you's from me, I walked out of the brewery. I did find out a very lovely piece of information before departing though. There was a bus that stops right in front of the brewery gates which goes directly to where my city bus stopped in Poonamelee. So I giggled to myself and took the bus back to Poonamalee down the highway I walked like a big idiot and a few minutes after arriving, I caught the bus which an hour later, took me right into Chennai center. One more short bus ride later, I was back at Egmore Train Station.
Although I did not actually complete my mission of getting the needed things from the brewery, I had myself an adventure. Another one to add to the list of "Random Adventures: The Beauty of Traveling to Exotic Places"
Like any journey in a foreign country, this one was sprinkled with frustration, laughter and the grace of kind strangers. After an hour on a city bus, inhaling dust and automobile fumes, I reached the final stop of Poonamelea. A few inquiries later, I found a tuk tuk driver who knew the location of the Empee Brewery. Or so I thought... The price was negotiated and I was taken on a very short ride to a place which was nowhere near where I had to be. The older, gray haired driver dropped me off on the highway where the actual brewery was located. The little thing he did neglected to mention was that it wasn't only a few hundred meters down the road. It was actually 6km down that road. That small "mistake"turned into a very hot walk down the Bangalore-Madras highway. Thinking the brewery was a short walk away, I headed on down the road. Not seeing the brewery I asked a few shop owners that I encountered where the illusiv brewery was. After getting an array of opinions, it was clear that the brewery was actually 6km away.
So me being a stubborn and sometimes very unreasonable person, I continued waking, refusing to take another tuk tuk and hoping to see a bus stop on the way.
About 30min later, a police officer pulled over on his motorcycle and asked if I needed directions. So I told him where I was going and he started laughing seeing as my final destination was nowhere near where I was. After cursing at him in my head, I asked him of where the nearest bus stop was. He pointed and explained "Very far, Miss", with the customary head wobble which I came to find out can mean anything from no, yes, thank you and you're welcome to "you're completely screwed and I feel bad for you.
The officers wobble was certainly te last example mentioned. Taking pity on me, he escorted me all the way to the gates of the Empee Brewery, which by the way, was completely hidden from the road and I probably would have never found it without many more inquiries and a long, exhausting walk.
I thanked and nodded a few times, got off the bike and finally walked through the iron gates of the beer castle.
I got many stares from everyone as I walked in (as per usual being a woman in India) and then approached a few people to be directed to where I could meet with the brew master. An hour and two complimentary cups of delicious coffee later, I met with "the boss".
Now, possibly because I was not a man or just because the rules are the rules, my request to take some beer memorabilia away with me was denied. According to the very nice man in his air conditioned office, the state of Tamil Nadu is "not a free" state and any possession of alcohol items is strictly monitored by the government and supposedly simply cannot be distributed to anyone BUT the government.
The man clearly felt very bad after I told him the story of how difficult my journey was and how much time it took me to get to their brewery, so he offered me a consolation prize. I got a couple of different bottle caps and a tour and tasting of the different beers the brewery has to offer. And with that, today officially became the day I actually truly enjoyed sipping on beer.
After a few apologies from the boss and many thank you's from me, I walked out of the brewery. I did find out a very lovely piece of information before departing though. There was a bus that stops right in front of the brewery gates which goes directly to where my city bus stopped in Poonamelee. So I giggled to myself and took the bus back to Poonamalee down the highway I walked like a big idiot and a few minutes after arriving, I caught the bus which an hour later, took me right into Chennai center. One more short bus ride later, I was back at Egmore Train Station.
Although I did not actually complete my mission of getting the needed things from the brewery, I had myself an adventure. Another one to add to the list of "Random Adventures: The Beauty of Traveling to Exotic Places"
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