I could have easily passed off as James Bond

So, what are some of the things that can help you to be James Bond:

1. A License to Kill
2. Have quite a bit of money from unknown sources
3. Order a vodka martini – shaken and not stirred; and most importantly, not balk at the price; given that James Bond never goes to a cheap bar. I think they would just frown upon his Tux if he goes there.
4. Have one of the best cars in the world viz., Aston Martin, Jaguar, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, BMW, Bentley and even perhaps a Lamborghini.
5. Have a hot girl in your arms or the ability to find one in just a simple conversation.
6. Go to a casino in Monte Carlo.

I can safely say that I could have easily passed off as James Bond if I had all the above 6 things. For the moment, however, I think I will be content with just having gone to MONTE CARLO!!!

I went to Monte Carlo on September 3^rd, 2011 and it was an unbelievable experience. It’s not the casinos that blew me away. I have seen several casinos, a lot bigger and having a lot more games and activities than the ones in Monte Carlo. But, I have never, ever in my life seen such opulence and grandeur. I have never seen such a fantastic display of money with extreme class.

How do you react when you realize later on that an S-Class Mercedes drove by you or a BMW 7 –series and you don’t consider them to be worth even a look? How do you explain to yourself that an amazing Ferrari drives right by in front of where you are sitting and you think of actually taking a look at it later? Why? Just because you are looking at an amazing Lamborghini Murcielago!!! The experience can drive you crazy, so much so that the number of Bentleys and Rolls Royces parked around seem quite common.

There is a restaurant by Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris at Monte Carlo, right next to the Casino de Monte Carlo. Now, he is one of the world’s best chefs. So, on seeing his name I thought I should definitely go and try it out, even if it meant just having a soup and a starter. I knew I couldn’t afford the entire meal. I would have eaten snails (escargot) if that was the only thing I could afford but, unfortunately, it turned out that I couldn’t even afford one soup there……every dish was priced at a minimum of 80 Euros only. This was the first time ever in my life that my eyes widened up so much. I am sure I must have looked like an Owl. Over the past few years, I have eaten at and heard about very expensive restaurants, but I had never heard about such prices. I quickly walked away not wanting to seem too out of place. I could go on about it but it has to be experience to be understood. Fortunately, I had many fellow beings trying to understand along with me, sitting on the railing of the garden right across the Casino de Monte Carlo – people and car watching!

And just so I can say I have done this, the driver of the tour bus actually drover over the starting grid of the Monte Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix and accelerated a bit. Very exciting, I have to say!!! Except, that we were in a Nissan mini-bus.