Manesar and the MGF Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon

MGF -The Metropolitan Mall, Gurgaon and Manesar

I have lived all my life in Delhi, and have visited Gurgaon just once - for a go cart race inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar. All job offers in Gurgaon, were discarded as I had no intention of traveling so far to work. However, recently, with very few job prospects available in Delhi, I have been thinking along different lines. My current job sucks real bad, as I have been posted on the client end in a really lousy company. With no growth prospects, a boring profile, a crappy environment and mismanagement all around, I thought I'd attend some interviews to get myself out of this quagmire. When I got an interview call from a multinational based in Gurgaon, I decided to finally travel out there to try my luck.

Getting to Gurgaon

Autorickshaws don't go to Gurgaon, as it is located in a different State. Those that agree ask for hefty fares to drop you up to the border in Mahipalpur.

I found out from a friend that the service of the Karol Bagh - Gurgaon DTC buses is quite good. There is one around every 10 - 15 minutes. I landed up at the Karol Bagh Gurgaon bus stop located near the Hanuman Murti roundabout to begin my adventure. The conductor charged me Rs. 15 for the ride to IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon. The bus was initially empty, but soon got quite crowded. I reached my destination in around 50 minutes. A direct bus, it travels along the empty Ridge Road and has very few stops.

After attending the interview, I met an old friend as I was looking for transport to make my way back home. She had a car and so we decided to go for a drive at the malls and nearby places around Gurgaon, before turning home for Delhi.

Manesar - An Out Of The Way Experience

Manesar is a town located 25 kilometers from Gurgaon on the Delhi - Jaipur Highway in the State of Haryana.

Though originally an industrial town, in recent years, it has become popular as a weekend getaway for workaholics from Delhi. Rock climbing in the Aravalis, paragliding and hot air ballooning are some sports available through hotels and resorts that have sprung up in and around Manesar.

There are hot water springs and spas in some areas of Manesar. The area is also famed for leopards and other wildlife that roam about freely. Well, we did not spot any leopard or try out any adventure sports, we just drove to the McDonald's located off the Highway (NH 8) and had chicken burgers and iced tea. The toll road on the way to Manesar charges Rs.21 each way for a car.

MGF - The Metropolitan Mall

On our way back to Delhi from Manesar, we decided to take a right from IFFCO Chowk and visit a mall on the Mehrauli Gurgaon Road.

Driving around, we chose the MGF Metropolitan Mall for no specific reason. We parked in the large underground parking and took the lift up to Shopper's Stop.

This medium sized mall is one of the oldest in Delhi. It is spread over an area of 2,50,000 square feet and has three floors with around 150 retail stores. On the second floor of MGF - Metropolitan Mall is Amoeba, the bowling alley while on the third floor is a PVR Cinema.

We visited Amoeba, for a game of bowling. The rates here are Rs. 125 per game on weekdays and Rs.150 on weekends. The bowling alley was small with only 4 lanes. We changed into bowling shoes available there and set out to have some fun. Though most of the balls I rolled went into the gutter - I did manage to knock all the pins over in one go during a lucky fluke try. I don't remember exactly how much I scored, but I ended up losing to my friend.

After doing a bit of shopping at the MGF Metropolitan Mall, we headed back to Delhi. The line and traffic jam at the Delhi - Gurgaon toll road was real long. We paid the boy at the toll gate the fee of Rs.16 for a car, before he hurriedly waved us off.

I don't know if I'll get the job for the interview which I attended, but I sure had a fun time cutting work and roaming about in the Gurgaon - Manesar area.