Rum

After work, I went to the "Wine Shop" in the Haveli Hotel for the third time. This time, I had my passport, a photocopy of my passport, a photocopy of my Indian visa and a signed letter from my hotel stating that I was a resident there. A stamp was put in my passport from the Sub Inspector of the Prohibition and Excise department, stating the reference number of my new "Tourist's Permit to possess, consume use and buy Foreign Liquor for Personal Consumption".

I was then allowed to enter the "Wine Shop", which was basically like squeezing into the cellar at your grandma's house, except it's 35 degrees Celsius. Everything in there was made-in-India. I didn't see any wine. I was allowed to buy two bottles of spirits only, so I got a bottle of Rum and a bottle of Vodka.

Back in the hotel, tried to make Caipirinha by mixing lime juice, sugar and Rum. After drinking it, on an empty stomach no less, nothing happened. And then about an hour later my brain stopped working. I couldn't type or think straight, but I did feel relatively euphoric.

The next morning at work, my brain still wasn't working. I could type again, but I couldn't explain anything or remember words. Maybe that's what the authorities had in mind... to deter people from the evils of alcohol.