I'm back!
It was quite a journey to get home. Things went the smoothest in the Delhi airport, surprisingly. There were a couple people on our Delhi-Paris flight who looked as though they had just spent several months in an ashram. One guy was wearing what looked like an orange toga and his head was totally bald except for one tiny tuft of hair coming out from the back, and he had an accordian as his carry-on. Another guy sat in the waiting area back straight, legs Indian style, both soles of his barefeet facing up. The flight was fine and we arrived in Paris at 6 am their time. We hung out for a couple hours and then my dear friend Brenna came all the way from Rouen to meet us! We met in the terminal and sat at the airport Bistro for 3.5 hours talking and just basking in each other's presence. The next flight was pretty smooth as well. We broke out the Travel Scrabble but I kept dropping the teeny little letter tiles. The person in front of me had her seat reclined, which made it pretty impossible for me to reach the floor. I smooshed my face against the back of her seat and fumbled around, feeling for those stinky little plastic pieces. Mike beat me by 8, because I couldn't find a place to put my last remaining "J". I think by the time we landed in Philadelphia we had already been travelling for 30 hours. Of course, neither of us brought our US cell phones with us, and neither of us had any US coins, which are necessary to make a call to a cell phone from a pay phone, and we still had to call Charlie to pick us up. Long story short, it was an absolute debacle to get some coins - we had to try the newstand in the Arrivals Hall and two vending machines. But we reached him, and he was wonderful enough to pick us up, and entertained us with stories the whole way home. (Celebrate 10,000 is blowing up!!)
The weekend was spent recooperating. First thing we did was eat some delicious Maple Glen Pizza and second thing was sleep. The next day we both went on runs, did laundry, took long showers. It was absolutely delightful to be able to enjoy being outside! The weather was perfect, 75 and sunny, and we sat outside without sweating! I hung out with my friends and roommates, and have been back to work two days now.
It's amazing to me how seamlessly I jumped right back in. Was I really across the planet one week ago? Did that actually happen? I'm still decorated (like a Christmas tree): the red string and kara on my wrist, payal on my ankle, and rings on my toes. My co-workers said, "Okay.. what's jingling?" Except for cereal, I've eaten the majority of my meals with my fingers (I miss roomali roti). I made chai for myself (thanks in part to Mike's recipe, see below). And I'm reading Shantaram, which makes me a little sentimental, and also makes me want to write my own travel book. (What do you think, blog fans? Could Gautam & Company get published?) My head is still spinning... I'll save the rest for another post.
Safe travels to you, G, as you journey back. And thank you, thank you, thank you to the families.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Chillin like Villian in Delhi
After jet/train-setting around the subcontinent for a fortnight its nice just to relax with the family.
Running errands with my aunts, going to the movies with my grandmother, driving range with my uncle, clubs with my cousin, tequilla shots at 3am, pedicure, etc. I'm having a vacation on my vacation. It's great. I really don't want to leave.
The movies with dadima was really nice. We made it a point to get her out of the house and have some activity. I was happy that I was able to follow the entire film. Granted it was basically a kids movie, but it was a Hindi film none the less. We had dinner and went out for coffee afterwards too. At dinner there was this lounge type singer ... my favourite where his renditions of Dancing on The Ceiling by Lionel Richie and Eye of The Tiger.
I never had a pedicure before. Everyone raves about them, so I figured what the hell. It lived up to its hype. This dude went to town on my feet. It felt like I was Pinocchio and he was carving my feet out of wood.
We went back to TC and rocked out. More Rage, System of The Down, Pearl Jam, etc. They didnt play either of my requests, even though we have inside connections. What's My Age Again by Blink 182 nor She F*cking Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. For some reason I wanted to here those songs and thought they would be good sing alongs. No dice. But they did play some other Blink for me.
G and P
Running errands with my aunts, going to the movies with my grandmother, driving range with my uncle, clubs with my cousin, tequilla shots at 3am, pedicure, etc. I'm having a vacation on my vacation. It's great. I really don't want to leave.
The movies with dadima was really nice. We made it a point to get her out of the house and have some activity. I was happy that I was able to follow the entire film. Granted it was basically a kids movie, but it was a Hindi film none the less. We had dinner and went out for coffee afterwards too. At dinner there was this lounge type singer ... my favourite where his renditions of Dancing on The Ceiling by Lionel Richie and Eye of The Tiger.
I never had a pedicure before. Everyone raves about them, so I figured what the hell. It lived up to its hype. This dude went to town on my feet. It felt like I was Pinocchio and he was carving my feet out of wood.
We went back to TC and rocked out. More Rage, System of The Down, Pearl Jam, etc. They didnt play either of my requests, even though we have inside connections. What's My Age Again by Blink 182 nor She F*cking Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd. For some reason I wanted to here those songs and thought they would be good sing alongs. No dice. But they did play some other Blink for me.
G and PFriday, June 22, 2007
Royal with cheese
Since they are on the metric system in India, I was really expecting to see some kind of "Royal with cheese" in place of a quarter-pounder like I did in Spain, Russia and France when I walked into a McDonalds (eighth-kilogrammer anyone?). What I didn't think about was that cows are sacred so they don't eat beef. In every other McDs in the world, a Big Mac may be a Big Mac, but here they have no beef so they've replaced it with a Chicken Maharaja Mac. I figured I'd step up and try one. Not bad. The special sauce is the same as in the us and it also tastes like they use the same preservatives.
Check me out destroying a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
MMMMmmmmm
Check me out destroying a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
MMMMmmmmmThursday, June 21, 2007
Punjabi By Nature
Once upon a time I was in New York, ironically enough with The Mashners, celebrating the New Year. A pretty girl approached me and asked me "Are You Indian?" I quickly replied with "No. I'm Punjabi." "Me Too!" Too easy.
Punjab is a part of India. With its own distinct food, language, culture, dance & music. It is my ancestrial homeland (or as Vinay would say, upna punjab) Last week I returned to Punjab ... well it was more like my homecoming. I'd never been there before.
It was a whirwlind trip. We left Delhi at 5am on Monday and started on our way back at 4am on Tuesday. Our maindestinations where the India/Pakistan border and the Golden Temple (both described below in other posts)
But I couldn't go visit the towns where my grandparents are from because they now resides inside of Pakistan. Unfortunately the political climate of the time doesn't easily allow me to visit. The thing is I dont think there is/was any time that the political climate made it easy to visit. From the moment of Independence, there has been constant tension between the two countries. Thousands of families were forced from there homes at that time, 3 wars between 47-80, nuclear arms race in the 90s, terrorism in the 00's. I wonder if I'll ever get to visit...
yet back state side (and canada-side) you always see Indian/Pakistani restaurants and grocery stores. It's just weird that people need to be half a world away to realize their similarities while focusing on their differences when they are neighbors. That's my public service announcement for the day and I'll stop rambling.
Punjab is a part of India. With its own distinct food, language, culture, dance & music. It is my ancestrial homeland (or as Vinay would say, upna punjab) Last week I returned to Punjab ... well it was more like my homecoming. I'd never been there before.
It was a whirwlind trip. We left Delhi at 5am on Monday and started on our way back at 4am on Tuesday. Our maindestinations where the India/Pakistan border and the Golden Temple (both described below in other posts)
But I couldn't go visit the towns where my grandparents are from because they now resides inside of Pakistan. Unfortunately the political climate of the time doesn't easily allow me to visit. The thing is I dont think there is/was any time that the political climate made it easy to visit. From the moment of Independence, there has been constant tension between the two countries. Thousands of families were forced from there homes at that time, 3 wars between 47-80, nuclear arms race in the 90s, terrorism in the 00's. I wonder if I'll ever get to visit...
yet back state side (and canada-side) you always see Indian/Pakistani restaurants and grocery stores. It's just weird that people need to be half a world away to realize their similarities while focusing on their differences when they are neighbors. That's my public service announcement for the day and I'll stop rambling.
Integration
Being "such a good blender-inner" (in Amritser)
Passing for a quasi-local (in Mumbai)
Chilling w/ The Mahatma (in Bombay)
Regulating (in Delhi and Everywhere)Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Adjustments, Pomp, and Circumstance
Of course, now that Mike and I are leaving tomorrow my body finally feels 100% adjusted. Digestively I've never felt better, I've gotten used to the heat, I'm on a pretty regular sleeping schedule, my mind has gotten itself around to really taking in everything that's around me, and I'm picking up Hindi faster and faster (Get up, sit down, 10, 20, 50, how much, tissue). I feel like I could settle in for a long haul. I'm feeling happy and sad to leave, of course. I'm looking forward to: a big greasy cheesesteak, a ham and mustard sandwich, ice cubes, orderly traffic, a pedicure, and a good workout. I'm not looking forward to: well, everything else; work, responsibility, reality. I'll write a few posts once I'm back in the states, so you can all read about the reverse culture shock that I know is going to hit me hard.
Yesterday we took a 6ish hour train ride to Amritsar and then a car ride to the town of Attari, on the border of India and Pakistan. We came here specifically to see the changing of the guards ceremony. We waited with the crowd for a bit and when someone blew a whistle there was, of course, chaos and a mad disorderly rush to climb up the stairs to the bleachers. We got our seats and baked in the scorching sun for about 30 minutes and people kept pouring in and packing the stands. There was an MC, dressed in jeans and a button down, who seemed to run the show, I'm not sure who he was. One soldier blew a trumpet, one soldier said something into the microphone which sounded to me like "Go" except he held out the "o" for about a full minute to which the audience applauded. Then soldiers chose people from the audience to run carrying the India flag up the the gated border and back. Then there was some call and response cheering of the crowd. My impression was that once the crowd on the Pakistan side got loud, our job was to out-cheer them. So we did this call and response about 15 seperate times. At one point a spontaneous all-male dance party broke out on the road below, men and boys with their arms in the air, twisting imaginary light bulbs. I guess we won the cheer-off, because G told us that the MC said, "The victory ceremony is over". Hindustan!
That night just after dusk we arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is absolutely worth any trek that one needs to take in order to see it. This is the holiest Sikh site in the world. We took our shoes off at the gate, Mike and G got bandanas for their heads and I wore Praerna's dupatta on mine. To walk through the marble gate you first step through small pools of water. From the entrance way, all through the inside, Sikhs were bowing and touching their heads to the ground in prayer. The marble gate goes in a rectangular shape all around the periphery of a glistening pool of holy water, in the center of which is this sparkling island of the Golden Temple. We walked around the marble, watching the people young and old praying, sitting by the water, admiring the site. On the left side families were getting undressed so they could immerse in the water. We went inside the temple, covered in gold, marble, and beautiful mosaics, one Sikh sitting in the center in front of a massive holy book, and 3 Sikhs to his right, one playing the tablas, one the accordion, and one chanting prayers. This music never stops. It filled the night, along with the play of the light of the temple off the water, the whispers of voices, and the soft sounds of anklet bells. The sky was totally dark, except for a sliver of a crescent moon next to one, solitary bright star. I never would have imagined a night like that, so far from everything familiar to me. A dream I'll never forget.
Yesterday we took a 6ish hour train ride to Amritsar and then a car ride to the town of Attari, on the border of India and Pakistan. We came here specifically to see the changing of the guards ceremony. We waited with the crowd for a bit and when someone blew a whistle there was, of course, chaos and a mad disorderly rush to climb up the stairs to the bleachers. We got our seats and baked in the scorching sun for about 30 minutes and people kept pouring in and packing the stands. There was an MC, dressed in jeans and a button down, who seemed to run the show, I'm not sure who he was. One soldier blew a trumpet, one soldier said something into the microphone which sounded to me like "Go" except he held out the "o" for about a full minute to which the audience applauded. Then soldiers chose people from the audience to run carrying the India flag up the the gated border and back. Then there was some call and response cheering of the crowd. My impression was that once the crowd on the Pakistan side got loud, our job was to out-cheer them. So we did this call and response about 15 seperate times. At one point a spontaneous all-male dance party broke out on the road below, men and boys with their arms in the air, twisting imaginary light bulbs. I guess we won the cheer-off, because G told us that the MC said, "The victory ceremony is over". Hindustan!
That night just after dusk we arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is absolutely worth any trek that one needs to take in order to see it. This is the holiest Sikh site in the world. We took our shoes off at the gate, Mike and G got bandanas for their heads and I wore Praerna's dupatta on mine. To walk through the marble gate you first step through small pools of water. From the entrance way, all through the inside, Sikhs were bowing and touching their heads to the ground in prayer. The marble gate goes in a rectangular shape all around the periphery of a glistening pool of holy water, in the center of which is this sparkling island of the Golden Temple. We walked around the marble, watching the people young and old praying, sitting by the water, admiring the site. On the left side families were getting undressed so they could immerse in the water. We went inside the temple, covered in gold, marble, and beautiful mosaics, one Sikh sitting in the center in front of a massive holy book, and 3 Sikhs to his right, one playing the tablas, one the accordion, and one chanting prayers. This music never stops. It filled the night, along with the play of the light of the temple off the water, the whispers of voices, and the soft sounds of anklet bells. The sky was totally dark, except for a sliver of a crescent moon next to one, solitary bright star. I never would have imagined a night like that, so far from everything familiar to me. A dream I'll never forget.
Recipe for making Tea
On the train back from Amrista (my spelling is horrible) I taught Meredith how to make tea and thought I'd post the procedure below in case anyone else would like to know.
Ingredients:
Water
Tea bag
Sugar
Cream
1: Heat water on stove.
2: Place tea bag in mug.
3: Pour hot water into mug.
4: Add cream and sugar to taste.
5: Stir and remove tea bag.
6: Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Water
Tea bag
Sugar
Cream
1: Heat water on stove.
2: Place tea bag in mug.
3: Pour hot water into mug.
4: Add cream and sugar to taste.
5: Stir and remove tea bag.
6: Enjoy!
WANTED
Gautam Chowdhry a.k.a. "G" a.k.a "G-money" a.k.a "G-spot" a.k.a "Gee-gee" a.k.a "Gauti" a.k.a "Warren-G" a.k.a "G-zus" a.k.a."G-force".
For somehow getting his cousin to agree to try to maybe set up a double date with her friend if possible, some day.
For collecting more stains in one day on a single pair of shorts than the two other travelers combined over the duration of the trip.
And for various other minor offenses to be detailed in a later post.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
More pictures...
So there was a bit of civil unrest just before we got here. They decided to burn some busses and they were still there for about a week and we were passing them pretty much daily.
The second or third day we went to Red Fort and to get there our car dropped us about a km away so we had to take rickshaws the rest of the way there. The yellow roofed thing is an auto-rickshaw. Very posh.
Contrary to what the below traffic control sign would lead you to believe, upon your birth in India, not only are you given the inalienable right to honk the horn on your bike, scooter, ric, auto-ric, motorcycle, car, van or bus, but it is your duty to do so as loudly and as often as possible mostly for no reason, just cause you like the way it sounds, sometimes to say hi, sometimes to say "watch out or I'm going to run you over," or sometimes to say "please sir would you move your herd of donkeys out of the intersection so I can proceed."
The cabs in Bombay all had sweet upholstery on the interior. Yeah- it's sideways but I'm not so good at the internets.
Between Delhi and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is for those of you as ignorant as I am) we saw some countryside. Grass huts like this were common living quarters. The others ranged from mud huts to "townhouses" or essentially a row of small concrete storage lockers with a wood and string cot in the corner. Some of the poverty is really shocking.
More to come....
The second or third day we went to Red Fort and to get there our car dropped us about a km away so we had to take rickshaws the rest of the way there. The yellow roofed thing is an auto-rickshaw. Very posh.
Contrary to what the below traffic control sign would lead you to believe, upon your birth in India, not only are you given the inalienable right to honk the horn on your bike, scooter, ric, auto-ric, motorcycle, car, van or bus, but it is your duty to do so as loudly and as often as possible mostly for no reason, just cause you like the way it sounds, sometimes to say hi, sometimes to say "watch out or I'm going to run you over," or sometimes to say "please sir would you move your herd of donkeys out of the intersection so I can proceed."
The cabs in Bombay all had sweet upholstery on the interior. Yeah- it's sideways but I'm not so good at the internets.
Between Delhi and Agra (where the Taj Mahal is for those of you as ignorant as I am) we saw some countryside. Grass huts like this were common living quarters. The others ranged from mud huts to "townhouses" or essentially a row of small concrete storage lockers with a wood and string cot in the corner. Some of the poverty is really shocking.
More to come....
Friday, June 15, 2007
Linguistics Part II
Being an amateur linguist, I love the name of this website. I think we saw a billboard for it driving around Delhi and got some postcards for it at a coffee shop in Pune.
It's a combination of English, Hindi and txtmsg/IM lingo. The name is SpillURDil.com
Spill - English.
UR - text or instant message shorthand for "your"
Dil - Hindi for heart.
So I thought it was pretty neat.
On the this trip we also came up with an idea for a new website. I dont have the liberty to reveal what the website is about yet, but I'll give you a hint. The word POOP might be in the title.
It's a combination of English, Hindi and txtmsg/IM lingo. The name is SpillURDil.com
Spill - English.
UR - text or instant message shorthand for "your"
Dil - Hindi for heart.
So I thought it was pretty neat.
On the this trip we also came up with an idea for a new website. I dont have the liberty to reveal what the website is about yet, but I'll give you a hint. The word POOP might be in the title.
More Pics!
Rocking the stache w/ Ranju Bua.
Amazing. The Lotus Temple.
They must think she is a movie star or something...Small World
Yesterday we went to see the Taj Mahal. We rented a car (and driver) and rode about 4 hours to the city of Agra. This trip through rural areas gave us a chance to see parts of India we hadn't yet seen. There was one field where about 7-8 camels were strutting about. We saw some cement block, storage-locker looking structures, one containing nothing more than two rope beds and a hookah. Seeing the Taj Mahal with my own eyes was surreal. It made me feel the same way I felt when I saw the David in Florence. You just can't believe your eyes that you're looking at something so beautiful and legendary. As we were walking around, several, separate groups of kids came up asking to take photos with us, just because they love foreigners. It happened again today, at the Baha'i Lotus temple! After we finished our visit, we stopped at the Mughal hotel to have lunch on Tapu's recommendation. It was a delicious buffet of American and Indian foods, including (to my utter delight) rice pudding, also known as Kir. In line for the buffet I noticed an older couple in front of me speaking English and, feeling friendly, asked if they were from the States. We chitted and chatted and, long story short, they were from MAPLE GLEN. Whitehouse Road, to be exact, for those of you who don't know the area that is approximately 2 minutes from our family's house. What are the odds! I love when these coincedences happen. Adding to my affirmation that it is really a small world is hearing more and more about G's family members. There are cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc all over! Dallas, London, Dubai.. as if these places are not thousands of miles away but just right round the corner. What makes this remarkable to me is that everyone is so close. Mike and I have both been welcomed into this family with open arms. And we see how close G is to everyone, even though he only sees them every few years. Everyone travels as often as possible, is very good about keeping in touch, and it works amazingly well. In this way, no one seems very far apart. One cousin in the US, one in Europe, one in India.. no problem.
Some Pictures ...
Ranju Bua's House In Delhi
Brothers and Sisters at Gaaya in Pune
Taxi Cab in Bombay (Mumbai)
Taj Mahal ... even more spectacular than I remembered.Tuesday, June 12, 2007
The Ugly
I have to say that India has brought out a very ugly side of me. While inside I'm feeling wonderful things like inspiration, joy, amazement... the outside of me is simply hideous. Today I counted and I have 15 mosquito bites ON MY FACE. I'm serious. They are red and look like pimples/chicken pox and they so beautifully accent my already-dripping-with-sweat face. G took a picture of me walking through a fabulous canopy near Bombay University that was made of palm fronds... but after taking the picture burst out laughing at my massive puddle of back sweat seeping through my shirt, which disgracefully took over the photo. I haven't used conditioner or a straightener since I've been here. My hair is wiry and strawlike, frizzy with humidity, covered in dust, and windblown from our crazy cab rides. I just use my sweat to grease my hair back into some kind of ponytail. Forget makeup (it sweats off), forget perfume (sweat again), add dirty, baggy clothes and there you have it: lovely.
On the other hand, after I've accepted this state of things, it has felt really nice to not care what I look like. Sarah would be so proud of how fast I can get ready in the mornings. And with my beautiful chappals from Pune and my toe rings, I look pretty darn good from the ankles down. Also, it's so much nicer to pay attention to the beauty that's around me than to my own reflection. Indian women are gorgeous! And the fashion is amazing! Comfortable and colorful? With a little jingle here and some jewels there? Yes please!
On the other hand, after I've accepted this state of things, it has felt really nice to not care what I look like. Sarah would be so proud of how fast I can get ready in the mornings. And with my beautiful chappals from Pune and my toe rings, I look pretty darn good from the ankles down. Also, it's so much nicer to pay attention to the beauty that's around me than to my own reflection. Indian women are gorgeous! And the fashion is amazing! Comfortable and colorful? With a little jingle here and some jewels there? Yes please!
Taxi!
For dinner last night we decided to eat at one of the restaurants in or around the Taj hotel- pretty much the most well, known, most pimp place to stay in Mumbai. We hop into a taxi and tell him the Taj hotel, near the Gateway to India (the enormous archway right at the end of the peninsula) on Colaba Causway (like the M St. or Walnut St. where there are a million shops. The cabbie wobbles his head and tears off down the street. I figure everything is cool, even though the driver looks to be max 14 years old. Everything wasn't cool. He had absolutely no idea where the heck the epicenter of all the action in the city was. Every street corner he stopped and asked directions. One time he even parked the cab and jogged up the block trying to figure out where to go. So after a 50 minute trip that should have been 15, we arrive and find that every single restaurant has stopped serving. Perfect. Luckily, we're in the Taj hotel and after we explained the situation to the concierge he frantically dials about 9 restaurants in about 75 seconds and comes up with one that will accomodate us, even though they're closed, since he called from the Taj. Sweeeeeet. We hop into a taxi and hand the guy the address written by the concierge. He starts to drive away and decides that he doesn't know where he's going. Not again. He immediately pulls over and hops out, and this time, instead of parking the cab, he lets it keep rolling, shouts to some other guy who runs over, hops in and peels out. This guy gets us there and after bickering with this new guy about the fare (Rs 85 or about $2 but should have been only like Rs 30) we say 'screw it' and cut our losses. The Maitre'd (or however you spell it) steers us directly to our specially made up table in an insanely swanky, airy restaurant with cool lounge music playing. Dinner is delicious Italian food (with an Indian flair) preceded by uniquely spicy lobster bisque soup. No room for desert and including a big fat ~30% tip still came to under $100 for the three of us. So after our two debacles with taxis earlier in the night, we ended up having an awesome meal in essentially a private restaurant, ironically called Taxi. We win.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Wobble Wobble
There's a gesture here in which the head wobbles from side to side. Not a shaking, meaning No, not a nod, meaning yes.... some ambiguous wobble meaning anything from Yes, No, I don't know, Maybe, surely, you crazy tourist stop asking questions. Love these little things.
That bay is tha' bomb!
According to our tour guide, apparently, that's pretty much how Bombay was dubbed by the Portuguese back in the day. Bom = short for beautiful, bay = bay. Now they've reverted to calling it Mombai since they kicked the brits out a while back. Anyway, we arrived here today after about a 3 hr train ride from Pune (as in poo-na). We were in the 1st class "AC SEATS CAR" which was cool and spacious- two adjectives I had forgotten existed to describe public places. Being Monday morning and judging by the business-ish attire of the other passengers, I gather that we were traveling on the equivalent to our Acela, for Rs 810, or about $20.25. For the three of us combined. Sweet. I'm glad we sprung for 1st class cause the econ tix were basically an empty car, separated "WOMAN ONLY CAR" and "MAN ONLY CAR" with standing room and people hanging out the open doors and even had some people sitting on the roof with their feet dangling. Not sure what those folks did when we entered the tunnel but they seem to get by doing things quite differently over here so I didn't give it too much thought.
Hospitality
Hospitality in this country is indescribable. Everywhere we go, we are served on trays, called Sir and Madam, and basically treated like royalty. Praerna's uncle and family whom we ate with in Pune gave each of us parting gifts - shirts for G and Mike, and a beautiful little purple beaded bracelet for me. Then this morning as we were leaving Auntie Anne's house, she gave me sweet wood earrings and two traditional Maharastran toe rings. What did I do to deserve this? I got an email from Brenna today in which she wrote that she best the hospitality makes anything you ever did for a guest seem terrible, and that's true! I think back to the times I've hosted people.. I didn't treat them a quarter as well as we are being treated here. Of course appropriately enough, the last page of the book I'm reading, Eat, Love, Pray, says that all you can do is say thank you, sincerely and completely, every day. I am definitely thankful.
Caddilac grills...
cadillac bills
check out the oil
my cadillac spills...
Forget everything you heard about Southern Hospitality- it can't possibly hold a candle to the Indian Hospitality we've been treated to over here. Gautam tole me we would be taken care of but the three families we have stayed with have gone way above and beyond anything I could have imagined. From the moment we wake up or step through the door we're being offered food drinks, a chair to sit in, a bed to rest on- anything we could possibly need and more. It's as if we're long lost children returning after many decades. I'm truly overwhelmed. Many thanks to them all.
check out the oil
my cadillac spills...
Forget everything you heard about Southern Hospitality- it can't possibly hold a candle to the Indian Hospitality we've been treated to over here. Gautam tole me we would be taken care of but the three families we have stayed with have gone way above and beyond anything I could have imagined. From the moment we wake up or step through the door we're being offered food drinks, a chair to sit in, a bed to rest on- anything we could possibly need and more. It's as if we're long lost children returning after many decades. I'm truly overwhelmed. Many thanks to them all.
Shock and Aw
"India will sideswipe you with its size, clamour and diversity - but if you enjoy delving into convoluted cosmologies and thrive on sensual overload, then it is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas unfolding on earth, and you'll quickly develop an abiding passion for it.
Nothing in the country is ever quite predictable; the only thing to expect is the unexpected, which comes in many forms and will always want to sit next to you. India is a litmus test for many travellers - some are only too happy to leave, while others stay for a lifetime."
- The Lonely Planet
I've been coming to India for about 28 years. I celebrated my 1st birthday here and had my ceremonial first hair cut here. Vinay and I spent many a summer here. We are used to all the differences and nuances of the country. It's our home (away from home) we love it and understand it.
Watching Mike and Meredith experience the sub-continent first hand has also been enlightening to me. It's really interesting to see their reactions. I can see Mike constanly analyzing (and wondering) how things work. From construction to traffic. His word to describe everything is "Chaos." Meredith is just fascinated by the culture, the clothing, the jewelry, etc. I think her word is "Amazing." Just my observation, kinda interesting.
I'm proud of them. They have tried everything they have been offered to eat. (We'll see what happens when we order Brain Curry.) Much better than my early trips here. And they have taken all the famly politics that we have to negotiate in stride. I'm happy they are here, not only to show them around, but its also an oppurtunity to do all the sight seeing and such that I would never do on my own. At home I dont normally go to the Washington Monument, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, etc ... so we're able to check out some interesting historical sites.
Today we left the comfort of my family (families) and theire homes for Mumbai (Bombay) I was able to successfully get us on a train, order breakfast and checked into the hotel. Honestly, it wasnt that hard, everyone basically speaks english and i throw in a hindi word here and there.
I've been growing a beard and havent shaved since I've been here. The 110 degree heat and the itch is gettting to me. And my own cousin says that I look like a terrorist. I plan on shaving tonight ...
We have to get some pictures up ... I'll work on that ...
Nothing in the country is ever quite predictable; the only thing to expect is the unexpected, which comes in many forms and will always want to sit next to you. India is a litmus test for many travellers - some are only too happy to leave, while others stay for a lifetime."
- The Lonely Planet
I've been coming to India for about 28 years. I celebrated my 1st birthday here and had my ceremonial first hair cut here. Vinay and I spent many a summer here. We are used to all the differences and nuances of the country. It's our home (away from home) we love it and understand it.
Watching Mike and Meredith experience the sub-continent first hand has also been enlightening to me. It's really interesting to see their reactions. I can see Mike constanly analyzing (and wondering) how things work. From construction to traffic. His word to describe everything is "Chaos." Meredith is just fascinated by the culture, the clothing, the jewelry, etc. I think her word is "Amazing." Just my observation, kinda interesting.
I'm proud of them. They have tried everything they have been offered to eat. (We'll see what happens when we order Brain Curry.) Much better than my early trips here. And they have taken all the famly politics that we have to negotiate in stride. I'm happy they are here, not only to show them around, but its also an oppurtunity to do all the sight seeing and such that I would never do on my own. At home I dont normally go to the Washington Monument, Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, etc ... so we're able to check out some interesting historical sites.
Today we left the comfort of my family (families) and theire homes for Mumbai (Bombay) I was able to successfully get us on a train, order breakfast and checked into the hotel. Honestly, it wasnt that hard, everyone basically speaks english and i throw in a hindi word here and there.
I've been growing a beard and havent shaved since I've been here. The 110 degree heat and the itch is gettting to me. And my own cousin says that I look like a terrorist. I plan on shaving tonight ...
We have to get some pictures up ... I'll work on that ...
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Linguistics
Of course words are what fascinate me the most. I'm learning little bits of Hindi each day. So far I can say: let's go, water, bread, three, get up, OK, no, and mango. To my delight there are tons of words to describe family members. Not just grandma and grandpa but seperate words depending on if they are your mom's mom, dad's mom, etc. Same with aunt, uncle, cousin - different words that describe exactly how they are related to you. I love it!
Also I've been told there's a big need here for language teachers. especially european languages, which just happen to be my specialty. G's uncle told me i should start a language school in Delhi, promising that i would make tons of money. Sounds good to me!
Went shopping in pune yesterday and we all bought shoes - handmade leather sandals for6 dollars. In a cyber cafe right now and they are playing Akon and Shakira. What a small world.
Love to all!
Also I've been told there's a big need here for language teachers. especially european languages, which just happen to be my specialty. G's uncle told me i should start a language school in Delhi, promising that i would make tons of money. Sounds good to me!
Went shopping in pune yesterday and we all bought shoes - handmade leather sandals for6 dollars. In a cyber cafe right now and they are playing Akon and Shakira. What a small world.
Love to all!
Live music
Ok- so you know how at concerts, when people get really into a band they sing along like every word and dance around with their eyes closed or wave their arms in the air? Well, two nights ago we went to a "rock club" called Turquoise Cottage (TC for short). Praerna's a regular so we paid no cover and as we made our way downstairs I hear lots of voices singing along to System of a Down. Ok. As I got to the bottom I saw a sea of people dancing around and waving their arms. "Must be a cover band, cool" I think to myself. Nope. Turns out that's just how people here enjoy American music, particularly 2-15 year old alt rock. As the night progressed, the DJ played all sorts of crazy stuff I haven't heard in years, from Hoobastank to Incubus, pretty much every "other" band that I've seen at summer music festivals. The best part was that he shut the place down with We Didn't Start the Fire, and everyone sang every single word.
Down with the brown... outs.
Apparently it's a bit difficult to generate and distribute power for some 15 million-ish people reliably. Brown outs occur daily and mostly unpredictably. Kind of sucks when it's 40C out in Delhi and the AC cuts off. Really sucks when you're in the bathroom and all of a sudden you're surrounded by darkness and G's 6 year old cousin has to rescue you with a flashlight.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
24 Hours. 9600 Calories
It's no joke when I say that I EASILY eat 4 to 5 times as much food in India then when I'm at home. The problem is that it is SO GOOD and everyone wants to feed you. It's a sign of efffection to feed to your guests, and it is almost insulting when you refuse to have 2nd and 3rds. You wont find any food like this in NYC or DC, maybe out in Queens. But its just not the same, it isnt made with love.
Yesterday at lunch, Mike figured out that if you cleaned your plate you would surely get another serving before you even had the chance to say no. So he just left a little bit of food on his plate and was able to refuse 3rds, even after multiple insistnaces. This is something I wasnt able to figure out in 28 years, and it only took him 24 hours.
It's HOT. 107 degrees, so there are no morning runs. We're all coming back chubby. My excersice for the day was getting a massage.
Today we are heading out to Delhi NEWEST temple. Everyone keeps raving about it so I'm pretty excited to see it. Also, today will be the first day the Mere & Mike venture into the city. There exposure to the country has been gradual. We came in at night, so everything was hard to see. Then next morning we walked over to dadimas house and we saw a cow. That afternoon we went out in the suburbs. We had to dart across traffic on foot while not getting run over, saw about 10 donkeys being herded by a guy with a baseball hat and almost got into several car accidents.
They havent seen nothing yet. :)
Yesterday at lunch, Mike figured out that if you cleaned your plate you would surely get another serving before you even had the chance to say no. So he just left a little bit of food on his plate and was able to refuse 3rds, even after multiple insistnaces. This is something I wasnt able to figure out in 28 years, and it only took him 24 hours.
It's HOT. 107 degrees, so there are no morning runs. We're all coming back chubby. My excersice for the day was getting a massage.
Today we are heading out to Delhi NEWEST temple. Everyone keeps raving about it so I'm pretty excited to see it. Also, today will be the first day the Mere & Mike venture into the city. There exposure to the country has been gradual. We came in at night, so everything was hard to see. Then next morning we walked over to dadimas house and we saw a cow. That afternoon we went out in the suburbs. We had to dart across traffic on foot while not getting run over, saw about 10 donkeys being herded by a guy with a baseball hat and almost got into several car accidents.
They havent seen nothing yet. :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Who you callin' chicken?
Our driver from the airport seemed to engage in numerous impromptu games of chicken on our way to the house. Accidents were calmly avoided by a headlight flash of one driver or the other followed by nearly imperceptible swerve, escaping a nearly head on collision by what seemed like centimeters. All while scooters, rickshaws and pedestrians squeak through the cracks in traffic.
The first thing Prearna said to us this morning...
"Meredith fell out of bed."
Apparently the malaria pills she's taking do give her crazy dreams and somehow she rolled/flailed herself right over the edge. I knew I should have gotten the once a week ones like she did.
FYI- Praerna is G's cousin.
Apparently the malaria pills she's taking do give her crazy dreams and somehow she rolled/flailed herself right over the edge. I knew I should have gotten the once a week ones like she did.
FYI- Praerna is G's cousin.
Just let it happen...
So we get through customs no problem, meet Praerna and Adit in the terminal and head out to the cab. Its some guy in the tiniest microvan i've ever seen with a monster roof rack. So he starts tossing our bags up on the rack. One, two, three, four, five all fit very snugly inside the safety of the bars. By the way, we have seven bags due to all G's stateside relatives sending stuff with us. The last two bags, belonging to Mere and I are left sitting on the sidewalk now that the rack is full. "Ok," I think, "he'll toss them behind the back seat." Nope. Up on top they go. Perched precariously atop the mountain of already unsecured luggage. I begin to object and try to reason with the driver when G stops me and says "Dude, just let it happen." Begrudgingly, I listen and watch as he ties all my, and my sister's worldly belongings that we have on this side of the world to his roof by threading a single string of what looks like cheap-ass nylon twine through handles and around a maybe half-inch hook of his roof rack. G sees my untrusting eyes, glaring at the situation and says, "Don't worry, it's how they do things." Reluctantly, I relent, get in the cab, and my bags make it to the house safely. Lesson #1 learned in the theory that crazy chaos of daily life here works.
First Day
So, we made it! The flights were great. Mike and I met G in Paris, in the tiny international terminal, after a series of silly bus rides around the perimeter of Charles de Gaulle. We arrived in Delhi around 10:30 PM Monday night, Indian Standard Time. G's cousins Praerna and Adit picked us up. It was a nice 105 degrees when we went outside to get the car :) We put the 5 of us and the driver inside the van, and our luggage was put up top on a roof rack, two of our bags tied onto the van with a single piece of blue rope. After a short drive we arrived at Ranju Bua's house and were treated to a delicious meal (Roti, rice, meat, vegetables, yogurt with chilies). Went to bed and woke up this morning SO happy to be here! Breakfast for me (the last to get up) was toast with mint chutney and orange juice. We walked to Dadima (G's grandmother's) house and had a delicious lunch there this afternoon. Dosa, crepes filled with potatoes and vegetables that you dip into somber (?) gravy with spices and coriander chutney. Yum! Dadima is so tiny, when we walked in she was sitting and her feet didn't touch the ground from her chair. Mike compared her to Yoda. We just came back here for a short bit, just to rest (ha, rest after all that eating and sleeping!) before we go to the mall shopping for the afternoon. Delhi belly has not hit me yet, knock on wood! Keep sending your positive digestive thoughts. Love to all!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Big News
My suitcase is the Smallest!!! Who would have thought. I am a pro packer. I have so many ants in my pants I cannot wait for this journey!
ready.set.go.
first...of...all...the...space...bar...on...my...comp...doest...work...
in..the..last..36...hours...
i..have...had...my...car...towed...
twice...
went...to...Philly...
...saw...an...awesome...wedding...
picked...up...my...mom...
shopped...packed...
had...a..dinner...party
...updated3websites...
cantwaittogetthere!
...READY.SET.GO.
Destination.DELHI
(ps.try_to_click_these_helpful_hyper_links_they_are_for_your_benifit)
in..the..last..36...hours...
i..have...had...my...car...towed...
twice...
went...to...Philly...
...saw...an...awesome...wedding...
picked...up...my...mom...
shopped...packed...
had...a..dinner...party
...updated3websites...
cantwaittogetthere!
...READY.SET.GO.
Destination.DELHI
(ps.try_to_click_these_helpful_hyper_links_they_are_for_your_benifit)
Saturday, June 2, 2007
First leg complete
So the first stop on this adventure was at the Rathfon wedding in Philadelphia. We managed to shut down the reception, Bennegan's, and get security called on us at the Marriot so we must have been having and awesome time. Congratulations again to the bride and groom.
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