Nancy's India Blog

Back to the Cul-de-Sac

2011-07-02T18:07:00.000+05:30

We have landed on Canadian soil - with no return ticket in hand. We've been off of Planet India for two weeks, decompressing in Greece. Two weeks? It already seems like a lifetime ago that we were in India, in fact it seems unreal that we actually lived there.
Maybe Greece - Santorini in particular - was too good to us? The food, the wine, the vistas (spectacular), the relaxed/no worried atmosphere - just too tempting to stay longer. Guiltily we all admitted we didn't miss India at all.

There is a term, after a long relationship ends and you meet someone else right away - the new guy is known as the rebound guy. The rebound guy is so great he helps you get over your long relationship guy. Well, Greece was our rebound guy, so good that we had no desire to go back to India, it made our inevitable return to Canada much easier.

Just before landing in Vancouver the pilot told us the temperature was 16 degrees celcius with blustering winds. It seemed like we descended through ten minutes of clouds and I was waiting for what lay underneath. Rain. Dark. Cold. But we saw a glimmer of sunshine that somehow made it through the clouds...it was bright and chilly, but not windy - this would do.

We were greeted at the airport by family and whisked home to Michael's sisters' house. Our tennants moved out of our house on the 29th and we got the keys back to our house. It will be about a week before we move in but it is nice to have a home to go back to. Our home. Canada.

I am sure we will miss our "rebound guy," Greece, but I know in the end it will be India that will creep back into our thoughts and our memories.

There is no place like India. I hesitate to sign off completely, to finsh blogging. There is a lot more to write about, believe me. So many stories that I could not tell while in the country - many funny stories, some frustrating ones, but all unbelievable. Eventually I will put it all down in writing, maybe a little at a time, maybe all at once.

The last two years were an adventure, full of opportunity and ups and downs. The future will bring more travel, more change and more opportunity. But if there is one thing that stuck from the ashram - the most important thing is to do is to "live in the now."

Out of India

2011-06-20T01:05:00.001+05:30

We've been out of India for about six days now. We couldn't go straight home of course, that would have been too direct. It wouldn't have felt right going straight from India back home to Canada. Plus when you are half way around the world you have to take advantage of the travel opportunities - well, we do anyway.

So we chose Greece. An easy 4 hrs from Bangalore to Doha, a 2 hr stopover and another 4 hrs to Athens. And there we were, out of the place we've called home for two years and plopped into a western country. The start of new beginnings.

And just like that we adapt: lane driving, short shorts, tank tops, fresh fruit (cherries, peaches), huge plates of food, garbage cans. No sari's, no burqas, no three wheelers...

We adapt quickly, perhaps too quickly. I'm thankful for my blog now and all the photos so that we don't forget. The things we learned in India, the things we want to change about the way we live in the western world - to not get caught up in the rat race - is it possible?

Last Few Days

2011-06-11T18:09:00.001+05:30

Missed it by that much - did our best to get everything sent off via air shipment, but no luck. We had too much stuff, and so when we found out we were over the limit (six cubic meters) we did the only sane thing - added more furniture to what has now become the sea shipment. The guy says it will get to Canada within 5 - 6 weeks. Now that would be fabulous but I won't hold my breath.

The movers seemed to do a really good job - about ten guys swooped in at 10:00am, packed everything really well and the truck was gone by 4:00pm. They had a mere 45 min. break to eat their tiffin lunches in our garage and another hour waiting for a truck so they could actually load it up, but all in all it went very smoothly.

The kids had their final exam on Friday, Michael had his last day of work, we are moved out and officially on vacation! Holed up in a hotel for the final days and I really don't feel like leaving the hotel until we have to go to the airport. It is so quiet and clean, there's always a cool breeze, - it's not really India at all here in the hotel! We can tell the newbies with their sunburns and glazed over looks on their faces. I remember feeling like them two years ago.

Two years ago! It's hard to believe - we knew it would go by fast...and it did. Charity meetings and Rangoli meetings are a thing of the past. I had my last yoga class on Tuesday; my last OWC coffee morning and lunch with the girls on Thurs., my last haircut with Arlene today (she is so good and fast and I didn't have to leave the hotel).

We aren't much for drinking hard liquour but we did buy some gin at duty free when we arrived. After our Kabini trip we started drinking the odd gin and tonic - didn't want the gin to go to waste (that's a Ukranian and a Scot for ya). So here we are in the hotel, drinking G &T's, going to the pool everyday and eating at the buffet - finally acting like typical expats!

Moving Day

2011-06-08T07:17:00.000+05:30

Well it is moving day today. It's 7:00am, have to get the kids off to school and then Michael and I will continue to organize our stuff. Still hoping to get everything into an air shipment but we have our doubts - amazing how much we have accumulated over two years. Not big things but lots of smaller items.The problem is they all add up.

Giving as much stuff away as possible. Most of it goes to our maid who is a single Mom of two boys. A few things like a TV, water purifier and all our potted plants and trees will go to one of the OWC charities, Bangalore Hospice Trust, a palliative care center for cancer patients. They make it easy and have even arranged transportation for the goods at a reasonable fee of about 500 rp ($10).

One last coffee and cinnamon bun on the patio before the movers come at 10:00am.

One Last Walk Around the Block

2011-06-05T12:44:00.000+05:30

This is our last weekend in the house and we have been busy spring cleaning. It is amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in two years. And since we want to fit everything into a tiny air shipment we are busy giving stuff away.

But this weekend our priority was to go out for one last walk around the neighbourhood. We will always have great memories of our walks around the block. Here's a look:

The Shiva Temple

The Friendly Children

Always Interesting Streets

The Coconut Stand

Fresh Chicken

The Corner Store where we stop for a drink and a snack

The Traffic

Buses Making U-Turns on Busy Streets

The Boys on the Garbage Truck

Laundry

Stray Dogs and Rangoli

Veg or Non Veg?

2011-05-27T14:13:00.000+05:30

A funny thing happened within the last few months - I stopped eating meat! I know shocking isn't it? I can't explain it, it just kind of happened. It could have been many things:

the sight and smell of carcasses hanging in the shops and markets.
signs around town with pictures of animals saying, "don't kill me."
graphic signs at cafeteria at Meditation Pyramid saying "don't murder animals" and "stop eating flesh."
Judy at cooking class in Goa calling meat flesh, "bring me the flesh," "let's cook the flesh."
yoga book stating unhealthy to eat meat.

Yes it could have been many things but it just happened and now I'm trying to be creative or just eliminate meat from our usual meals. Veg lasagna, veg chili, veg burgers (!!). Some dishes I'll still cook the "flesh" for everyone else and just leave it out of my meal - veg enchiladas, chicken salad - and just add more veg. And I am still eating seafood, milk, and eggs...just no meat.

I've ordered special meals for the plane (I'm special!): I think it's "lacto ovo veg." There are so many options on the plane. "Hindu veg," "Jain veg" and I think there was a "lacto, ovo, seafood veg" option too...

In India it is so easy to be vegetarian. Many restaurants are strictly veg and almost all others will have a veg menu and a non veg menu. The question is will this last once I get back to Canada? Most people we know are serious carnivores, it could be difficult.

Wine and Yoga

2011-05-20T12:52:00.003+05:30

Went to an excellent wine dinner last night and an excellent yoga class this morning. Each on their own were fabulous but lets face it wine and yoga don't mix.

The wine dinner was at Caperberry's featuring Spanish Torres wines. About 60 people showed up which was surprising and most of them Indian. As always the dinners are as much about the people you meet as the wine you taste. And in this case we were lucky to have Anna Manchon, the Torres Head Wine Sommelier sit at our table.

We had a great time talking to Anna about wine and travel. Although she said Spanish wines are the best (she has to say that right?), we talked about Tuscany and Brunello di Montecino which we all agreed was the undisputed favorite Italian wine between us. Left me wishing Tom and Melissa (our Tuscany buddies) were at the table with us. Anna definitely has a passion for wines and with her Spanish accent can talk a mile a minute. Definitely a dream job - travelling all over the world promoting wine. A fun evening with good food as well!

My 1 1/2 hour yoga class started at 9:00am this morning. With only a few classes left my yoga teacher is pushing us to the limits even though she says we are still just doing the basics. She wants us to perfect the standing poses as well as shoulder stand, head stand, and many other asanas before we are sent off into the big wide world.

And now lots of coffee and lots of water to face the rest of the day. Off to the school to watch Alanna horseback riding and then bringing back three giggly girls for a sleepover. Craig will fly out the door as soon as he gets home to play cricket with his friends and tomorrow we will all look forward to sleeping in.

"What's in the News" and "Life This Week"

2011-05-12T19:40:00.000+05:30

What's in the news? A full page ad in the Bangalore newspaper, DNA, about beautiful British Columbia, Canada, that's what!

Imagine my surprise to see a huge travel article and photos on my home town and province, "Cosmopolitan and hip Vancouver...Charming and quaint Victoria with its British heritage. The wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. Whistler, one of the world's premier ski destinations...From hiking to skiing to scenic train rides and gastronomic delights, British Columbia offers amazing diversity."

Color photos included those of Burrard Inlet, the Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel in Victoria, the Sea to Sky highway, Whistler and Capilano Suspension Bridge. Wow it looks beautiful and BC is diverse isn't it - it looks like a pretty nice place to go back too!

Well, you are probably wondering about those ants? I'm happy to say (knock on wood) that the ant problem seems to be solved. Looks like we cemented up all the entry points to the house and we seem to be ant free.

The list of things going wrong continued this week though when our washing machine broke down. Appeared to be a clogged filter and thought I could fix it myself - looked simple enough. Michael read the instructions outloud and I pulled out the little tube to drain the water into a pan (the machine was full). No water came out so we proceeded to the next step: "turn and remove the plug and then remove filter and clean." The plug came out nicely and as I looked in to find the filter an enormous gush of water erupted! The pan couldn't hold it all and I scrambled to plug the hole, but not before the kitchen floor was full of water. Michael had backed away to avoid getting wet and calmly asked, "Should I phone the repair guy now?"

Oh What a Week!

2011-05-06T15:06:00.000+05:30

Wouldn't you know everything would start to fall apart now? It's like the house knows we only have 5 weeks to go - maybe it's trying to get rid of us early. Let's see - Craig's geyser blew up, our main electrical switch in our bedroom blew up (smoke and fire was involved), the sliding shower door won't slide (again), 20 litres of water from the water cooler leaked all over the dining room,and lastly (hopefully), an army of ants have invaded the house.

First, a geyser is not to be confused with a geezer (we have no old men getting blown up in Craig's bathroom), nor is it a spring coming up from the ground with lots of vapour. A geyser is a water heater found in bathrooms and kitchens. Much to my delight who should come to the rescue but my favorite Handiman in his trademark red jumpsuit!

The geyser and electrical switch got fixed, the wheels for the sliding door are (supposedly) on their way. The 20 litres of water found all over the dining room floor was annoying but fairly easy to clean up. But I can't say the same for the tiny flying ants.

We noticed the ants when we got back from Kabini - in the living room and dining room at night, attracted to the warmth and the lights. We sprayed the rooms with no results - they just kept coming. So we had pest control come in - twice. The second time the guy found a hole outside under the living room window. He sprayed it like crazy and ants poured out. We thought that would be the end of it but the thing about ants is they come in seemingly unlimited numbers and are small and smart.

They obviously had more than one entry. Every night we turn on the lights and in they march. So yesterday I had the holes patched up - all the cracks inside and outside the window. Then we noticed some ants coming out a crack in the tile outside so we patched that too, wiped our hands clean, sure that we had outwitted and outplayed those little insects.

But evening came, the lights went on and suddenly they appeared inside again. We sprayed but couldn't even tell where they were coming from. Nauseated from the smell and just plain frustrated, we turned off all the lights, went out for dinner, came back and spent the rest of the night in our rooms. The ants were clearly winning.

Today noticed another crack in the upper corner of the inside wall, sprayed and out poured the ants. Cleaned them up and filled those cracks in. Waiting patiently now for evening to come...and the lights to come on...

Kabini (Part 3)

2011-05-04T08:36:00.000+05:30

Sunday morning we were woken up at 6:00am for our morning boat safari. None of us were really into it but we dragged ourselves out of bed and made our way down to the boat.

It was a calm and beautiful morning. We saw the odd bit of wildlife here and there: lots of interesting birds, lots of deer grazing along the shoreline, a couple of really cute otters and even a crocodile. We had our binoculars with us which kept the kids entertained for the full two hours and everyone really enjoyed the trip.

Back on shore we had breakfast and packed up ready for the long drive home. Our driver managed to speed as much as we would allow (a bit nerve racking) and he got us to the outskirts of Bangalore in only four hours.

A big bottleneck as always getting into the city where we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe for a break and our usual nachos, burgers and margaritas. Back home we remembered that it was Easter (an unusual way to celebrate) and the kids were thrilled to find a huge Bliss chocolate easter egg waiting for each of them in the fridge.

All and all we really enjoyed Kabini. The people at Kabini River Lodge were friendly and accommodating, the safari's were entertaining as long as ones expectations are not too high - it's India, not Africa - no open plains with unlimited numbers of animals. But really nice to see a quiet and calm part of India out in the wilderness.

More About the Royal Wedding (part 2)

2011-04-30T09:26:00.002+05:30

A few more things about the Royal Wedding:

Married a prince but still not a princess? Doesn't seem right does it? After all this time - ten years - and all the thought that went into "do I really want to be a princess," and what does she get - HRH the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate's certainly giving up any sense of an ordinary life - one would think she would at least be given the title of Princess. But no, the Queen had a bunch of titles thrown into a hat and pulled out HRH the Duchess of Cambridge - at least she gets to use HRH.

Only a couple of celebrities that I noticed:

1)Elton John - caught on camera singing hymns looking rather stuffy - come on Elton snap your fingers or move your hips a little.

2)David and Victoria Beckham - her wearing black (oops it's a wedding not a funeral) and looking royally upset about something. A few reasons why:

Perhaps she was upset that David didn't put on his hat, (V)"put on your hat David." (D)"No, I don't want to mess up my hair."
She may have been miffed at having to ride in one of those horrible mini buses back to the palace - (V)"I want to ride in a horse and carriage. It's not fair that Kate and William get one and we don't."
She didn't get a front seat at the wedding.
She was royally pregnant and mad at her Dr. for refusing to do a c-section prior to the wedding.

The cameras panned to Kates' Mom singing "God Save the Queen" with the gueen sitting practically next to her. That must have been an "aha" moment.

After the "kiss on the balcony" the couple drove off in an Astin Martin; probably a wish of the prince - "just once I'd like to drive a car down that road with the top down." Well don't get used to it cause it's never going to happen again "future king." Did you notice the big "L" on the front of the car? A little embarrasing but yes, even a prince has to get a learners license.
Whereas Charles and Diana had the fairytale wedding this so reminded me of "The Sound of Music" weddding. The music, the boys choir and the high camera shots from above - definitely reminded me of Julie Andrews walking down the isle. Now that I think of it maybe even the dress? I'll have to get out the CD and compare the two.

Royal Wedding (Part 1)

2011-04-29T19:33:00.003+05:30

I have to interupt my Kabini posts for a quick view on the Royal Wedding. First of all please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes because 1)I'm writing this blind and 2) I've had a few glasses of Proseco - couldn't afford Kate and Wil's $1500 bottles of wine.

Started watching coverage early with a lot of blah blah blah about Diana and this and that. Also had to go to my children's science fair at 1:30 - what kind of a school schedules a science fair during the Royal Wedding coverage? Anyway stayed for a reasonable length of time and made it back to see the royals arriving at Westmenster Abbey. Flipping back and forth from CNN and BBC but the choice was made when the royals were leaving Buckingham Palace in minibuses - the BBC named the royals in a monotone voice - while CNN roared with laughter at the silliness of royals in minbuses, wondering if they were having a few drinks and singing songs! Promptly decided CNN was the way to go - Kat Deely of "So You Think You Can Dance" fame, Piers Brosnon, and Anderson Cooper.

What did I think of the wedding - understated - it was like a couple of good friends getting married, very mature and well thought out - in love. Hard not to compare it to Charles and Diana who barely new each other - theirs really was more of a fairy tale. While the wedding today was well thought out between two people who really knew each other.

The dress? Lovely, a little old fashioned with the lace, high collar and long sleeves. Worst dressed - the Duke and Duchess of Yorks' daughters - Eugenie and ? Miss Piggy blue dress and Mickey Mouse hat - sad. Lovely day for the Middleton's - they must have been gobsmacked - their daughter marrying a royal.

It was all very lovely but not the pomp and circumstance because the couple is much more down to earth than most other royal weddings. Let's hope they are partying into the night with friends and enjoying the moment.

Kabini (Part 2)

2011-04-27T12:34:00.001+05:30

It took two hours to drive from Mysore to Kabini River Lodge where we stayed. Not a bad drive, nice to get to the rural areas and villages. Just the last 10 or so km were full of potholes so slow going.

Kabini River Lodge had a great feel to it right away - wilderness, trees, a clean river! They have a network of nets strung up in the trees and a treehouse for the kids to play in. Alanna and Craig were excited right away when they saw this and off they went to climb and explore. As an added bonus some friends from school were there so the kids got to hang out and play.

There is a set program for the weekend and the price includes a buffet lunch, dinner, breakfast, a jeep safari in the afternoon and a boat safari in the morning.

We set off on the jeep safari in a vehicle that resembled a small bus rather than a jeep with about 15 of us in it. The first sighting was three elephants crossing the road. We saw a few more elephants, including one big one with tusks, some wild boars, lots of deer (spotted and sambar) and monkeys. There are tigers and cheetahs in the park but none that we saw.

The park is treed, and the roads windy and bumpy. With the rains lately one section that dipped down had washed out - the vehicle ahead of us got stuck but eventually made it out and up the hill on the other side. Our driver decided to go off the road and bypass the section but it meant going over a bit of a ledge to get to the other side. I opted to get out and walk rather than take the chance of rolling and everyone else agreed.

With about half an hour to go it started to rain...and then it started to pour...and then it was definitely a monsoon rain. The plastic sides came down and there was no view at all, the driver could barely see in front of him. Made it back but then got drenched running from the "jeep" to the cottage.

Waited out the rains and then Michael and I made our way up to "John Wakefield's Bar," for G&T's; such a civilized way to end a day out on the hunt.

Mysore-Kabini Roadtrip (Part 1)

2011-04-25T14:48:00.001+05:30

One last roadtrip - this time to Mysore on Friday and Kabini on Saturday and Sunday. We left at 11:00am Friday morning and it took four hours to reach Mysore via the Mysore Highway. Have to say the NH209, the rural highway to Mysore, was much more pleasant (see Aug. 9, 2010). This highway was busy and far too many speedbumps constantly slowing you down.

Got to Mysore at 3:00pm and grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel restaurant. This was our fourth time staying at the Regaalis Hotel in Mysore - 3 star, reasonable rates, friendly staff, and a good restaurant. The rooms are big enough for the four of us but do ask for one of the renovated rooms as they are nicer.

We had seen the palace, the market and Chamundi hill on previous trips so this time we decided to venture out to Brindavan Gardens where in the evening the fountains are all lit up and apparently there is a light show. So off we went at 5:00pm. The receptionist said it would take 20 minutes but it took at least 45min. along a narrow road full of potholes. We couldn't believe the cars and tour buses in the parking lot - it was packed.

It was very pleasant walking through the gardens and fountains. There is always a sort of festive feel when lots of Indian couples and families are out enjoying some leisure time together. The gardener may have been on holidays though as we noticed a lot of lawn mowing and dead heading to be done. On one side of the gardens the Cauvery Dam looms overhead. There are steps leading up to it and we got a great view overlooking the gardens to the east and the Cauvery River and the sunset to the west.

Way in the distance, on the other side of the gardens we noticed an amphitheatre and figurered out that the fountain/light show would be way over there. We made our way down the steps as the lights came on and the fountains were lit up - very nice.

But to get to the amphitheatre you had to cross a narrow causeway over the water or go by small boat. Neither were appealing and both were packed. Plus what would happen once the show was finished?Everyone had to come back via boat or causeway.

We decided to skip the light show and made our way to the parking lot. Found the van and headed off to the one exit and the narrow road. We couldn't help but notice the parking lot was like a big ferry lineup with rows and rows of vehicles - but the difference was every third or fifth car was facing the opposite direction. I couldn't imagine the chaos at the end of the night. And this happens every single night - I really think the Mysore government could put a little money into a new road with a few more lanes. It must have taken hours for those people to get out of there.

Next...Kabini...

Updates and Winding Down

2011-04-19T17:02:00.001+05:30

First the Updates:

The Bangalore Restaurant Guide and Book Reccommendations have been updated.
Remember little Anand, the 2 year old who Smile Train operated on in October to repair his hair lip (see Jan. 11, 2011 "This Will Make You Smile")? A very sad update to report that little Anand died recently in hospital from pneumonia. Our OWC charity member who arranged the operation saw Anand ten days before and he was fine, he had put on weight and was walking. Such a sad ending but we know he was well loved and well taken care in his short life at one of the OWC charities.

Things are Winding Down:

With just under two months left in India things are winding down. We've booked our flights out of here on the same day our visas expire and the moving process has begun; we've had two companies come through to estimate how much stuff we have to send back to Canada. We are going back with little more than what we came with but both companies estimated five times the amount. That's a huge difference and means the difference between shipping by air (2-3 weeks) and sea (2-3 months). Something fishy going on there.

My charity work is almost done and I've handed off my four charities to other committee members. It was another productive year with a big increase in funds raised over the year which meant that we had a lot more to distribute to our 25 charities. After many meetings and emails we have distributed the funds to many, many worthy projects.

I have written my last article for the Rangoli also. I think I managed to write an article in almost all but three issues since I joined. Really enjoyed writing for the magazine.

Yoga - I've cut back to just taking the Iyengar class 2-3 times/week. I still love it and the other days I'm doing yoga at home. I definitely want to focus on Iyengar when I get back to Canada and looking forward to finding a good studio or teacher. Definitely one of the best things I have learned in India!

Back to Goa (Part 2)

2011-04-12T09:11:00.000+05:30

This time in Goa we went south and the beach was beautiful - nice soft sand, clean, long, warm water, great waves and not crowded at all. The days were spent lounging on the beach, playing in the waves and eating at our favorite little beach shack: Cafe Zumbrai, just next door to the hotel.

We stayed at the Taj Exotica which I would not recommend. Overall the service was poor - we heard the word "No" far too much - and the food was overpriced and unappetizing. There were some good points such as housekeeping, the Goan restaurant and staff, and the breakfasts. Generally at these "expensive" hotels you are paying extra for service and facitllities - this time, unfortunately, it didn't pay off.

I was really surprised because I had such a good experience last month at the Taj Holiday Village where customer service was outstanding, food was excellent and reasonably priced. Ahh, how I longed for "Towel Ganesha..."

So we just had our breakfast at the hotel and then off to the beach for the day. Lunch and dinner we gladly walked the hundred meters down the beach to Cafe Zumbrai where we ate fresh fish, all the Goan specialties, pasta, cheap beer and cocktails too!

All in all (despite the hotel), we had a great family vacation with lots of sun, sand, surf and good food.

Back to Goa

2011-04-05T21:23:00.001+05:30

We went to Goa for springbreak. Whereas my last trip to Goa was all about cooking, this one was all about the beach, the waves, and a day walking about Margao. The kids weren't too thrilled to give up half a day at the beach to walk around this busy little town. But what the heck, a little Goan architecture and street life never hurt anyone.

I just loved this stretch of the road with that fabulous old building in the background.

Wow, look at the dried chilies!

"Dream World The Ultimate Shop" - I wonder if she went there...

India Wins World Cup!

2011-04-03T17:49:00.001+05:30

Wickets, overs, bowlers, strikers, outs. Sachin, Dhoni, Gambhir, Singh.

Hey, a month ago none of this meant anything to me but living in India how can one not get swept up in cricket-mania! And at 8 hrs a game it's not hard to figure it all out after a couple games - well, not everything but I can pretty much figure it out.

India should be proud, and they are I tell you. Last nights game started well for Sri Lanka who ended up with 274 runs after batting first. India got two outs within the first 30 balls and Indian fans looked a little depressed. But they came back slowly and surely and in the end when they only needed one run to win - they got a sixer - a beautiful ball hit into the crowd to win it all.

Congrats India - glad to be here to watch it and great to be on the winning side!

Blogging

2011-03-30T10:15:00.000+05:30

I only thought a handful of people were reading my blog. If I look at my profile page I see the number of profile views which I thought was the same as blog views. It's at about 2300, over 19 months. That's why I thought not many people read my blog - just a few loyal family members and friends.

But when Mariannick (of Chez Mariannick) told me they get people coming in every week because of my blog and I met someone at yoga for the first time who asked if I was the same Nancy who has the blog...I started to wonder. I finally found the "stats" button (is it new?) and it turns out I have over 16,000 hits in the last nine months. The most popular posts are:

Bangalore Restaurant Guide
Nrityagram Dance Village
Christmas Decorations
A Day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre
Bryan Adams Concert in Bangalore
Ganesh Festival - The Life Cycle of a Ganesh Statue
Andamen Islands (Part 3) - Snorkeling
Andamen Islands (Part 4) - The Other Side of the Island
Dandiya
Books Set in India

And who is looking at the blog? Well, I can't tell exactly but by country India is way ahead, then U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Netherlands, Finland, Ireland.

And here I just thought I was writing it for myself and a few curious family members and friends...

Holi: The Funnest Day of the Year

2011-03-25T13:57:00.002+05:30

What do you get when you mix coloured paint and water? FUN!

The Art of Living Ashram: What's It All About, Part 2

2011-03-20T17:25:00.002+05:30

The next three days were spent with a group of 40 people participating in the Introductory Course - people from all over India and some foreigners as well. The Art of Living operates in over 150 countries including an ashram in Montreal, Canada and a local center in Vancouver. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's goal is to spread peace by teaching people how to lead a stress-free life and by getting involved in humanitarian projects.

The three day course was a snapshot of what the ashram is all about. We learned pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation, yoga, and discussed all sorts of questions about ones self. We learned about each other and did some amazing activities that really bonded the group in only three days.

The grounds were nice with lots of trees and each evening at 6:30pm everyone in the ashram gathered at the amphiteatre for Satsang. People sang songs (bhajans) and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would come on stage. People were thrilled to see him and extremely reverent. On the second night the stage was filled with about 40 religious leaders from all over India - Sikh, Muslim, Jain, Buddhist etc. They had all gathered at the ashram that day for a religious/peace conference.

At satsang Guruji led a short meditation session and eveyone would participate. He also answered questions from the audience. His voice was unique and calming. He was not one of those charismatic, cult type leaders trying to sway everyone to follow him. But he seemed genuinely concerned about teaching and spreading peace. As he said - India has so much knowledge. So many people wanted him to stay in India and just teach the Indian people but he said no, he felt it was his responsibility to share knowledge with the entire world.

As far as the course went it was pretty good, somewhat thought provoking and I would be curious to know what the second course is all about. But it was so hot at this time of year and the hall we were in was a sweat box even with fans. Plus there were no chairs and we had to sit on the floor all day. For the breathing and meditation we had to sit cross-legged (sukhasana) or on the knees, sitting on the ankles (vajrasana). I do both of these in yoga and vajrasana we do until our feet turn blue (5-10 min. and it's supposed to be good for you) - but to be in these positions for 1/2 hr - 1 1/2 hrs is a killer. Add the heat and I couldn't stand it.

So the heat and sitting was a problem and then there was the food at the dining hall. I like Indian food, but it was mush - no texture at all. One day of it and then I had to opt out and go to the little cafeteria where I could buy fresh fruit juice, fruit salad, and grilled veg sandwhiches. But I didn't really look forward to standing in line for that food either because people were always butting in and you had to fight your way to the front of the line. It just boggled my mind that in a place like this where everyone is learning about peace and giving, people could still butt in front of others and think only of themselves.

Oh, and then there was the shower. There is no actual shower stall, the water just goes onto the floor in the bathroom and the drain is on the same wall as the shower head but on the other side of the toilet. There is a squeegee which you use to guide the water on the floor to the drain. Ummm, I didn't really get it so didn't really shower. Heat, no shower, no food, no sleep, no chairs = no fun.

A couple other things they could do is get a better lock system on the doors - they use locks like ones used in high school. Also, please give everyone a map - it's a big place and it was too hot to be walking around aimlessly trying to find the hall, the dining hall, and accommodation without a map.

The Art of Living definitely has its positives and its negatives. Michael had a very positive experience and he will most likely do the second course. I am very curious about it but I'm not sure that I'm ready to go "inside the gates" again just yet. Many, many people all over the world follow Sri Sri's teaching and I'm sure they are better people for it. If you are thinking of doing it - just do it, give 100% and see what you can learn in just three days.

The Art of Living Ashram: Getting There, Part 1

2011-03-16T18:13:00.122+05:30

Last week I decided to stay at an ashram. I wasn't planning to do it, I didn't feel like I was searching for anything or really wanted to go to an ashram - I didn't really need that "Eat, Pray, Love" experience. But Michael and another person I know had gone for the three day introductory course and said it was "life changing," and "one of the best things to do in India."

The Art of Living is an international NGO, just outside of Bangalore. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the ashram Guru and he happened to be at the ashram while I was there which was a bonus. Everyone simply calls him Guruji, meaning "one who has great knowledge or wisdom."

My course started Friday morning so I had to be there Thursday night. Michael had warned me that the food and rooms were very basic. Our driver was in the hospital and the temporary driver assured me he knew where the ashram was. I left home at 6:45pm expecting a 1 1/2 hr drive and wasn't too worried when he stopped to ask directions after one hour. He did a u-turn and said he had missed the turn off - no problem. But after awhile he did another u-turn and then another u-turn at the same place as the first time. Of course it was dark and the road was busy, and there we were going around in circles.

I told him to pull over - I phoned Michael to get directions and the driver phoned my regular driver who was in the hospital. After a few phone calls and a short lecture "don't tell me you know where it is when you don't..." we got on our way and finally found the right exit. Between phone calls to Michael and the driver in hospital we arrived at 9:30pm.

The place was packed with people checking in. It turned out there was a teachers refresher course going on that weekend too - there were hundreds of them. I got to go to the foreigner check in (no line up), I also got to pay the foreigner price of $200US for the 3 days (not bad) but nationals probably paid a fraction of that.

Got checked in at 10:00pm and then onto a shuttle bus to the accommodation. I was the only one who got off at the "Nandhi" building and went to look for #14. The lower ones were all in the 100's, so I went upstairs but they were the 200's. Finally saw a girl and asked her and she said "Nandhi building - you have premium accommodation" and she pointed across the street.

So off I went to a tall round building, up the spiral staircase lugging my luggage and sweating all the way to the top floor to #14. There I found three guys standing with towels and sheets, which I thought was weird - I just assummed the building would be all female. They informed me that they were there to make up my bed but there was someone inside who had locked the door and they couldn't wake her up (it's a triple room). So I knock, they knock, we call out...and every other door on the floor opened and people came to see what the commotion was. But we couldn't wake this person up.

Finally I suggested they phone reception and get me another room, which they did. Down we all went - it's now 10:30pm - and we walked to the furthest building where once again the door was locked and we knocked, but luckily the woman inside woke up and opened the door - I'm sure she was not impressed, but then again - neither was I.

The room was very basic with two single beds, bedside tables, a small bathroom, an outdoor sink and a fan that was whirling as loud and as fast as helicopter blades. Quick introductions and then into bed. I couldn't help but wonder about that "premium room." Even though it was a triple - was it better?

My class didn't start til 9:30am Friday morning so I set my alarm for 8:00am and slept restlessly. At six one of the lights went on - my roommate was up. I closed my eyes and turned over. Then I heard her doing breathing exercises, similar to what I do in yoga. Then it went quiet but the light was still on. I roled over and opened one eye - she was sitting cross-legged on her bed facing me, eyes closed, with both arms straight up in the air - welcome to the Art of Living!

Indian Wedding Part 2 - The Wedding

2011-03-08T18:30:00.002+05:30

Sunday morning we arrived at the same hall just as the groom was arriving. A band was playing and the groom was seated outside being blessed by the priest - surrounded by family and friends.

Everyone went inside, the the groom went onstage with a white sheet held up in front of him while the bride entered. They stood on either side of the white sheet until it was taken away and they faced each other sitting down after that.

Many rituals and blessings occurred. At one point rice was passed around to all the guests and everyone stood up at the same time and threw it towards them.

They sat holding hands, a coconut on top of their hands and coconut milk poured over their hands. Many family members were on stage with them. This went on for some time and unlike a western wedding the guests got up,walked around and talked while this was going on.

Eventually the grooms sister came to say hello to us and took Michael and I onstage to get a better view and take some photos of the ceremony. Then she said we should go upstairs and eat and come back down afterwards. Up we all went and the upper hall was full of tables and chairs with banana leaves laid out. It was full of guests being served food. Very tasty Indian food and lots of different dishes.

Once we finished eating we went downstairs near the stage where different blessings were still going on. The four of us were brought up onstage to give our wishes and have a photo taken with the bride and groom.

Then more blessings and rituals. Finally they walked around the stage several times and then down the aisle and outside where the band played while they continued with more blessings.

The coconut is obviously a very important part of the ceremony. At the beginning when the groom was outside they smashed two coconuts, next the pouring of coconut milk over the hands as the couple held a coconut. As the couple walked around the stage they followed his sister who was carrying fruit on a plate, including (I think) coconut. And just like the night before, we each received a wedding favor of...a coconut.

Indian Wedding Part 1 - The Reception

2011-03-06T18:19:00.001+05:30

The Wedding Reception

We were invited to an Indian wedding this weekend - finally! Well, we had been invited to a couple before, but both were people we didn't know and out of town so we didn't go. So we were really happy to be invited to the wedding of someone that Michael works with.

An Indian wedding is very different from a western wedding. For starters, the wedding reception was Sat. night and then the wedding was Sunday morning. Apparently most people go to one or the other, not both. As happy as I was to go to both, two events in 24 hrs did cause me a bit of stress - it meant wearing two saris!

At home, Michael tried for 45 minutes to pin the dupatta (the "scarf" part that drapes over the shoulder). He did a pretty good job but I looked a bit like a football player on one side. We did have to go to another event first at the Leela hotel so I went to reception and asked the girl at the desk to help me. No problem, looked like she did it all the time and even Michael had to admit it looked a lot better.

We got to the wedding reception at 8:30pm and basically what happens is the bride and groom stand on a stage all night, receiving guests and having their photos taken with everyone. There was a long line up on the left side of the hall but all of a sudden someone whisked us up the middle aisle and straight up onto the stage. We said hello, had a photo taken, and were introduced to the grooms mother, father, and sister. The ladies all wore nice saris and lots of gold jewellery (I was definitely lacking in jewellery), the men wore dress pants and shirts.

Next, we were directed upstairs where lots of people were already mingling and enjoying an Indian buffet. We had a bite to eat and talked to a few people from Michael's work. And then we were off - we were there all of 40 minutes!

What Else Has Been Going On?

2011-03-03T08:47:00.002+05:30

So much going on in the last few weeks.

Michael and I went to an excellent French wine dinner at Caperberry a few weeks ago. Master Sommelier Franck Chausse made it a very enjoyable evening discussing and tasting French wine with us. Chef Abhijit Saha paired the wines with a wonderful meal. Not quite enough wine - everyone would have liked seconds - but nice to taste French wines for a change.

Michael went to AyurvedaGram Health Resort last weekend. I had won a two nights stay, plus two treatments (for one person) - so I gave it to Michael and I was going to join him the second night. It started off well - the grounds, the food and the first ayurvedic massage were good, he said. But that night I got a text:

10:30am: “Don’t want to freak you out but there are rats here! It chomped on the soap bar and left poo pellets around the outside bathroom. Not pleasant! Might have to rethink our plans for tomorrow.”
12:15am: "This is ridiculous. It is so loud on the top of the roof. I might phone reception to switch rooms!"
12:20am: "Oh, and here comes back the mosquito. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah."
7:09am: "A restless sleep but I survived. My worry of having rats fall from the rafters onto my head never happened. Still i am going home today. That was crazy! And that darn mosquito was still there in the morning."

Michael came home in the afternoon and we ended up going to Chez Mariannick’s one year anniversary party and having a blast – dancing to real music with strobelights and alcohol - past midnight which is illegal here in Bangalore I think. Sure enough after we left the police came by and shut the party down.

What else? The charity team has been working hard and we had a long meeting yesterday to finalize our recommendations for funding allocations for the year. Monday we present our recommendations to the Executive Committee and trustees.

I have another photocompetition this weekend which requires a lot of work going through the photos, narrowing them down to the best six, and going to the photoshop a few times to get them printed out properly.

Alanna got her braces off and she is very happy and her teeth look lovely. Craig had his 12th birthday - quite low key, we went out to Toscanos for his favorite salmon pesto pizza and got a cake from Bliss. Midterms just finished and went well, one more set of final exams and then we will be done with that school!

Still lots more to blog about - The Art of Living, and The Meditation Pyramid, and my adventures cooking Indian food at hom - but I think they will require posts of there own.

More of Goa

2011-02-26T08:40:00.001+05:30

Our focus was on cooking but what about the rest of Goa?

First, our hotel the Taj Holiday Village was excellent. The staff was outstanding. Nice little single or double villas in traditional Portuguese/Goan style. The grounds were beautiful with lots of flowering trees and bushes. The pool was nice and like all pools in India unheated. Luckily the weather was warmer than Bangalore so the pool had warmed up so it was bearable - for the ten minutes that I was in it. And of course our "Towel Art" guy continued to amaze us. First towel Ganesha, then towel Hanuman (monkey), then towel crocodile. "Towel Gail" joined in for a group photo:

We only made it to the beach once - long and sandy and it went on forever. We went for a nice walk at sunset. Very quiet with just a few locals playing cricket at our end of the beach.

Then as we rounded the corner it became busier and around the next bend I thought I'd gone through a time warp - back to my backpacking days or to Waikiki, one or the other. Tons of people, shoddy lounge chairs with umbrellas and lots of characters strutting around. Some of these people must have arrived in the 60's or 70's and never left. Others looking like the mafia and of course the locals trying to sell their wares and the odd cow just hanging out.

Apparently the Russians have invaded. So many Russians are holidaying in Goa that signs have popped up in Russian and locals are even learning the language. The locals all said the same thing though - the Russians are cheap, they don't spend any money.

As for the countryside it is very pretty and lush. Lots of rice fields and palm trees. The architecture is interesting with Portuguese influence and many churches as Goa has a high Christian population.

The only thing left for us to do on Saturday was to shop, and shop we did, from dawn to dusk...

Goa Day 5 - Chef Rego

2011-02-24T15:11:00.000+05:30

Friday morning Gail and I met with Master Chef Urbano de Rego. Chef Rego grew up in Goa and although he has travelled the world and cooked many types of food, Goan cooking remains his specialty and passion. Semi retired after a 41 year career with the Taj Hotels, he still consults. He has cooked for such dignitaries as King Hussein of Jordan, Henry Kissinger, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the Shah of Iran, George Bush Sr., and of course an enormous list of India's jet set and politicians. The man himself is as humble as can be and he readily sat with a couple Canadian foodies and imparted his knowledge upon us.

We sat outside at the Beach House, the restaurant that serves Chef Rego's Goan food. He showed us a traditional earthenware pot, still used today in Goan homes for cooking over fires of coconut husk, twigs and wood. A coconut shell spoon is used for stirring.

It was clear by listening to Chef Rego that he regards Goan cooking and Indian cooking very differently.

Goan cooking:

Uses fresh spices, ground with a hand grinder, not a machine. Indian cooking uses spice powder.
Is cooked the authentic way in clay pots on charcoal. Fresh water from the well is used, not the tap.
Seafood is bought fresh and put straight into the curry; it is often not even put in the fridge and never into the freezer.
the thickening agent is coconut. Indian cooking uses cashew nuts, tomatos, and onions as some of the thickening agents.
uses a lot of palm vinegar. Indian cooking uses tamarind and kokam.

Chef Rego says, "Anyone can become a 'food wallah.'" It is "25% God's gift, 75% hard work." Never having been to cooking school, Chef Rego had to work extra hard. He started out as an apprentice at the Taj Bombay and rose through the ranks emerging as one of the foremost experts of Goan cuisine.

The Portuguese left a lasting influence on Goan cuisine. Chef Rego went into detail about the foods that were introduced with the Portuguese - in particular pork, beef, chicken and mutton (in that order). The word vindaloo comes from 'vin' for vinegar, and also from 'albo' which is Portuguese for garlic. A fiery Pork Vindaloo is a favorite. We were surprised to learn that salted tongue, pork and homemade sausage are readily served in a Goan household.

The Portuguese bread "Poie," leavened with toddy was another important contribution. The Portuguese brought with them a recipe for Galinha Piri-Piri (Chicken Piri Piri) from Mozambique. The Goans substituted some ingredients and fried it rather than grilled it and it became Galinha Cafreal (Chicken in Toddy Vinegar), a Goan specialty. Even dried red chilis which are now a staple in Indian cooking came from the Portuguese via the Americas.

From his mother's kitchen Chef Rego learned the tastes and traditions of Goan cooking. Throughout his career he incorporated her recipes into his own creations. Cooking should "come from the heart, cooking is an art," he says. Still, his favorite place to be is in the kitchen teaching and working with food.

Goa Day 4

2011-02-21T10:33:00.000+05:30

Cashew Nut Xacuti
Sweetcorn Curry
Corn Cutlets
Egg Curry
Gujrati Dal
Masala Chai

The menu may seem a little odd but there was a reason behind it. As I mentioned Gail has been contributing recipes for an online magazine called Spezzatino. Each issue has a theme and the upcoming issues are nuts, eggs, and corn. Gail had asked Judy to come up with some recipes that could be used in the magazine. Plus we wanted to learn how to make Masala Chai so she threw that in for us as well.

I would have to say that the corn cutlets were really good - something I would want to make at home. The other dishes were so-so. To be fair the recipes were modified to accommodate Gail's requests and I would try a couple of them with the original ingredients. For instance the Xacuti is usually made with mutton or chicken and the egg curry with fish - meen kari (fish curry from kerala). The turka dal we made on the first day was so good, I wouldn't bother making this dal again.

I was glad to finally learn how to make masala chai. Judy was quite interested to hear that in the west we have tea bags of "Chai tea" - which she pointed out doesn't make sense at all since chai means tea = "tea tea." Masala is the blend of spices used: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns. Add to the milky water, and yes, steeped with real tea and the outcome was an aromatic and flavourful masala chai.

This was our fourth and final day of the cooking school. Normally it is five days but we chose to go to the market and spice plantation in one day instead of two. Plus we were looking forward to our meeting with Chef Rego on Fri. (more about that next post).

Judy was so full of knowledge and we came home with a lot of great recipes and notes. Both Gail and I agreed it was well worth it. The cooking area was a good size, with lots of cooking vessels and very pleasant surroundings right on the river. Recommended!

Goa Day 3

2011-02-18T17:52:00.000+05:30

Goan Prawn Curry

Fish Cafreal

Cabbage Thoran (cabbage with coconut and mustard seeds)

Cachumbar (finely chopped salad)

Mixed Veg

Pakoras (Indian Tempura) with

Coconut Chutney

Day three at cooking school was all about South Indian and Goan cooking. The main differences between North Indian and South/Goan cooking was that we used whole spices to grind our own pastes; in the north spice powders are more commonly used. And secondly the use of coconut instead of yoghurt.

Here you can see Shoba using a traditional 'Adao' to grate the coconut.

and then she double strained the coconut through a sieve:

The only problem was that we were making all the dishes at once - now I can't even remember which dish the coconut was being strained for - Prawn Curry or Coconut Chutney? I would work on one dish, Gail another and then Judy would call us over to show us something else. It was fine and everything got done with Judy coodinating. As I look at the photos I think it was for the prawn curry.

I was glad to see how the pakoras were made. The key here is to salt the onions first to get rid of excess moisture, deep fry the batter twice, drain well and eat right away so they do not go soggy.

Again Judy stressed heating each spice with a bit of oil prior to mixing it with the other ingredients:

After another long day of cooking we got back to the hotel to find our clever housekeeper had made us Towel Hanuman, the Indian Monkey God:

Bryan Adams Concert in Bangalore

2011-02-13T23:46:00.001+05:30

Just got back from the Bryan Adams concert here in Bangalore. Had to go and support our fellow Canadian and Vancouverite. We even wore our Canada t-shirts (but he didn't notice us). Great night, we were super close to the stage and could see him and the band really well. The highlight for me was 'Summer of 69' - everyone got into it and was loud and singing and dancing. 'Cuts Like a Knife' is apparently a ballad here in India - no one was moving or singing along - but he kept trying to get everyone into it.

Played all the hits and some new tunes as well. All the songs came back to me easily, great to sing along to the hits from the 80's and 90's.

We bought gold class tickets for 3500 Rp ($75). We had our driver pick up the tickets earlier in the day and then we went down at 7:00pm. Huge lineup to get in - like about a kilometer long so we just kept walking all the way up to the entrance and lucky we did because the lineup was for Silver ticket holders, 1500 Rp ($25). We got to walk right in! But I was choked when security checked my purse and told me no cosmetics were allowed in the venue - huh?? They made me throw away my lipstick and lip gloss! Can someone explain?

Anyway, great evening, gold ticket holders had a huge area to stand in right by the stage and not even crowded . Silver ticket holders were behind a barrier and crammed in - not nearly as nice I'm sure.

Goa Day 2 Continued...

2011-02-13T15:37:00.003+05:30

When we checked into The Taj Holiday Village Goa we mentioned that we were there to do a cooking class and also interested in meeting the Chef at the Taj. After touring around all day on Tuesday to the market and spice plantation we were tired and already full of good food. We were just relaxing in the room when we got a call inviting us to meet Chef Rego in one hour at the restaurant.

Up we jumped, showered and dressed and Chef Rego was waiting for us when we arrived. We found a table outside overlooking the ocean where he explained that he has worked for the Taj for 41 years and still loves to cook. Such a humble and passionate man.

We explained what we were doing in Goa and our interest in food - Gail is a chef, we were attending cooking classes and we both wanted to write articles about our experiences. Gail especially wanted to get some information on the Portugese influence on Goan food. Goan food it turns out is Chef Rego's specialty and he was a wealth of knowledge about the Portugese influence - they introduced dried red chilis, potatos, tomatos, sweet potatos, papayas, Poie (baked bread leavened with toddy), cashew nuts, pineapples...

We talked for a bit and then the Chef suggested we get together sometime during the day to talk more. We agreed to meet on Friday and then he asked if he could cook something for us - how could we say no? He cooked two of his signature Goan dishes - prawns and chicken - as well as some delicious stuffed naan. We were thrilled - two nights before he had cooked for the President of India...and this night he cooked for the two of us!

Goa Day 2

2011-02-11T20:39:00.001+05:30

Day two of our cooking class in Goa took us outside the kitchen. We started off with a traditional Indian breakfast, then off to the local market, and finally a hot and sweaty drive out to a spice plantation.

We met our cooking teacher Judy, in a small Indian restaurant in Panaji at 8:30am. We ordered dosa's with coconut chutney, idli, and onion uthappam. All tasty and filling. Coincidentally, Judy owns a shop right across the street from the restaurant. She sells home decor and Gail just happened to be in the market for bedspreads so we found ourselves browsing and (Gail) wanting to buy a few things. Unfortunately Judy's credit card machine was not working so we decided return at the end of the day and try again.

Panaji is a pleasant town on the river; clean, treed, and uncluttered. We made our way to the indoor market where sellers sat on raised platforms with produce all around.They haggled with customers and we found some a little cranky - in fact a woman almost threw a bunch of cilantro at Gail when she tried to take her photo.

Judy showed us all the fruit and vegetables, and then we went into a spice shop where we bought some Indian saffron and a few other items. Rice is usually sold in big open containers so that people can feel it. Hence it is a good idea to rinse/clean the rice once you get it home.

Outside and down the lane we came to the fish market with rows of people selling all sorts of fish, clams, crabs etc. We did not venture over to the meat section which was fine with me. I've seen enough chicken, beef, goat and who knows what else - hanging in the open with flies all over it, and smells that I try to avoid at all costs.

From the market we left Judy, and Deva took us out to a spice plantation to see how spices are grown. The 45 minute non a/c drive took us inland through rice fields, along the river and for the last 15 min. a bumpy, dirt road. We were hot and sweaty, with our clothes sticking to us by the time we arrived at the spice plantation.

The plantation was not what I expected. Unlike herbs, fruits or vegetables spices are not grown in a garden. Our guide took us for a walk in the forest and pointed out the various spices growing as vines, trees, roots and bushes.

We saw peppercorns growing on vines and winding all the way up tall tree trunks; cinnamon - the inside of the bark of a tree; ginger and tumeric roots growing underground; nutmeg trees and more.

Afterwards we were treated to a delicious Indian buffet for lunch and then back to Panaji to buy copper pots at a little kitchen store. Dropped by Judy's store but the credit card machine was still not working so off we went back to the hotel.

More to come about our evening meeting Chef Rego next post...

Goa North Indian Cuisine (Day 1)

2011-02-09T17:25:00.004+05:30

On The Menu

Day one of cooking school was North Indian cuisine and we cooked seven dishes:

Chicken Tikka (spicey, dry sauteed chicken)

Pudina Chutney (mint chutney)
Jeera Aloo (potatos cooked with cumin)
Cucumber Raita (fresh, minty yogurt dip)
Tarka Dal (tempered lentils)
Sofiani Biryani (chicken and rice feast)
Gayjar Halwar (sweet carrot dessert)

We got picked up at the hotel at 9:00am by Deva, our taxi driver for the week. We drove about 20 min. to a typical Portugese/Goan style home rented by On The Menu. Situated on the river, one enters the house through a courtyard. The home was airy with high ceilings, a simple kitchen and four double burner gas cooktops hooked up to individual tanks in the living area.

Judy Cardoza, our self taught cooking guru for the week told us about growing up in Uganda and then moving back to Goa. She talked about her love of cooking and how she cooks by instinct, not by recipes. Luckily she did provide us recipes for the days menu.

Gail and I learned many things about Indian cooking on day one, most importantly that Indian people (Goan in particular) always eat fresh food. They don't buy in bulk and store food in the fridge and freezer. They buy what is fresh in the store today and what is in season. Immediately it dawned on me that one of my biggest problems in India is finding everything in one store for whatever I have decided I want to make for dinner. A better way/the Indian way is to go to the store and see what is fresh and in stock and then decide what to make for dinner. Perhaps that is the key to "one stop shopping" in India!

Other important things were learned on day one:

Garam masala consists of cumin, pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon.
Indian food cannot be rushed. It takes time for the spices to infuse.
Do not use olive oil as it has too much of its own flavor - use sunflower oil. Always heat the pan prior to adding oil.
Chilis: darker and smaller are hotter.
Use Greek style yoghurt or high fat milk/buffalo milk and always whisk it.
Tumeric is used for its color but has little taste. Also has an antiseptic quality.
Use meat with bone-in for more flavor.
Never add spices in dry form; always heat in a little oil first, then stir into whatever you are cooking.
Salt brings out the flavor in spices.
Tandor is common and often shared by families (social networking).
When using whole spices don't just stir but apply pressure with back of spoon to release the flavors.
The key to crispy onions (for the biryani) was to salt them and let them rest (as one would an eggplant/aubergine). After 20 min. squeeze out any water, heat oil, fry in batches and drain well.

We tasted everything as we went along, before and after adding spices and it was such a good learning experience. Every dish we made was excellent. I was especially happy with the chicken tikka and chutney, the biryani and especially the dal - I've never tasted a dal with so many flavors. At the end of the day we sat outside, overlooking the river and enjoyed our feast.

Goa

2011-02-07T09:38:00.002+05:30

Gail and I just got back from a week in Goa. Today I'll just give a quick overview of what we did and go into more detail over the next week or so.

We did a five day cooking course with Judy Cardoza of On The Menu. The 5-day course consisted of a day of North Indian, a day of South Indian, and a day of Goan cooking. We also visited the market and a spice plantation. We learned so much about Indian cooking techniques, spices and lots of interesting anecdotes.

We stayed at the Taj Holiday Village and loved it. Had a great little villa, the pool was nice and the gardens colorful and lush. Beautiful views of the sunset everyday. The staff were excellent and friendly, especially our favorite housekeeper who created towel art for us. On the second day he made Towel Ganesha for us:

Gail and I both plan to write some articles about the cooking experience and so we asked to speak to the chef at the hotel. Chef Rego spent two hours talking about his passion - cooking of course! - and he is such a humble and nice man.

Saturday was a day to shop hard and bargain hard! We shopped from ten in the morning til ten at night: at the hotel, on the street and at the night market. We ended the night back at the hotel restaurant where an Indian group was celebrating a 40th wedding anniversary. The Bollywood tunes were playing and they were dancing. We had a great time watching them and then even funner when they made us get up and join them.

It was a busy, nonstop week, full of new experiences. More to come over the next week...

Lal Bagh Park Flower Show

2011-01-27T21:24:00.000+05:30

Gail arrived from Canada and yesterday we went to the Lal Bagh Park for their biannual flower show. I hadn't been there before so it was a treat to go - the park is lovely and clean with nice winding pathways and big trees. We even spotted two garbage cans and a spit container.

It was the last day of the flower show and thousands of people showed up along with us. There was a long line up to get into the 'piece de resistance,' the Glass House, which held the majority of the flower displays. We debated whether we wanted to join the masses and sure enough we did.

The line up went quickly and soon enough we were inside enjoying the colors and displays. The two big displays were of India Gate (I think) and the new Bangalore Metro - each made out of flowers.

The displays were beautiful but the biggest draw of the day turned out to be Gail, in her red and white capris, vintage looking sunglasses and sunhat. The locals targeted her and she was photographed more than the most exotic flowers of the show. She even got asked to pose with people's babies.

It was a very pleasant day, mingling with the locals, and enjoying the fresh air and flowers - a beautiful part of Bangalore.

Social Networking

2011-01-25T03:40:00.000+05:30

Last night I posted that I was going to pick up Gail at the airport at 2:00am. Right after that I checked Facebook and had a message from Gail:

"I am #@*# STRANDED in Frankfurt! Will be...arriving a day later, tried to call you but no answer. Now no cell reception...URGH!"

She was still on Facebook so we could chat and she told me to check my email which explained everything:

"I am stuck in FRANKFURT overnight. It looked like it was a terrorist attack happening at the end of the row from some guy that looked like his name was el habbi with some unrecognizable passport.

It turned out to be some kind of seizure or fit or stroke of some kind. We were already over the frozen tundra and had to re-route back to Edmonton (1 hour) plus refuel, plus hasmat team so all flights to India were missed by 4 hours. I am sure it was the food that put him into shock! So new flight info is...
The good thing is I will get over my jet lag here. I have been kindly put up in some kind of concentration camp and of course internet and addaptor are not covered by the airline. However bought red wine at the airport for 2.49 per bottle/california zin. So email me back to let me know you got this. It was snowing when I arrived...so much for booking the fastest routing!
Gail"

Back on Facebook she summed it all up:
"I didn't think the chaos would begin till I touched down in India! Silly me!"

Bandh

2011-01-23T21:39:00.000+05:30

In keeping with the corruption theme...woke up Sat. morning to find out that Bangalore, and the whole state of Karnataka was closed down due to political upheaval and an imposed Bandh. The governor has sanctioned the BJP chief minister's prosecution on corruption charges. BJP activivists in return staged demonstrations in Bangalore on Sat.

A few buses were pelted with stones, two lorries were burnt and some shops vandalized. It was an inconvenience as all stores and schools had to be closed. Buses and taxis stopped running. I didn't know anything about it until 10:00am when I got a text from my driver saying he couldn't come because buses weren't running due to the bandh. At first I wondered what a bandh was - maybe just a spelling mistake. But then I saw the newspaper headline -" BANDH" - and figured out the city was closed down.

Not a big deal for me, we just stayed home - even the mall was closed apparently! But today (Sun.) it looks like the bandh is continuing until tonight. Not so good as I have to go to the airport to pick up a friend at 2:00am, plus I need to stock up the fridge. Not good to have an empty fridge when someone is coming all the way from Canada to visit.

Hopefully my driver gets here this morning and hopefully stores around here are open. Actually he has no choice, he has to get here somehow because he also has to pick up Michael this afternoon in S. Bangalore. These closures happen suddenly and really can throw the general public for a loop.

9:00pm
No problem today after all. My driver got here in the morning and I got the grocery shopping done. Mind you I've never seen so many people at Hypercity - I couldn't even push my cart into the fruit and veg section - it was packed. Bala Krishna picked up Michael this afternoon and I'll be off to the airport to pick up Gail in a few hours.

Reality Check - Not Everyone is Corrupt in India

2011-01-23T09:47:00.000+05:30

My last post was all about corruption. But then I spent 3 1/2 hours at a charity meeting - discussing ways to fund 25 charities where it is clear that the people running them give, give, give. Give of their time and give of their money. They really devote their entire lives to whatever their cause is - whether it be sending slum children to school, picking vagrant women up off the street, or integrating blind children into the mainstream. Too many causes to list and there are millions in India alone who have started charities like these. So, where there is corruption there is also good.

India must balance out the corruptors and the givers...and then good must overtake evil...sounds like a superhero is needed to make this country work!

Ipaidabribe.com

2011-01-22T10:15:00.000+05:30

India's biggest problem is corruption. It is rampant. You want to know why there's garbage strewn everywhere, why education is poor, why health care is poor, why so many Indian people are poor? It comes from the top - corruption. Politicians, business people - and then it dribbles down to the middle class and lower class. The upper class takes from everyone and everyone else takes from whoever they can: politicians, police officers, rickshaw drivers.

Corruption is such a huge problem I wonder how India will ever get themselves out of this mess? I've had Indian people tell me it is just a game, a way of life - how much can I get from the next guy? It's not even a moral issue anymore - it's just the way it is. Money goes into unworthy peoples pockets rather than education, medical care and a trustworthy political system.

I read about a couple of interesting initiatives recently. One is an office in Bangalore that has opened to take complaints about police stations that refuse to hear complaints (unless a bibe is paid - right?). What next - an office to take complaints about the office that takes complaints about police stations that refuse to hear complaints? Try to keep up with me ok?

The second is a website called Ipaidabribecom for people to vent their frustrations and tell their story. Have a read:

New Delhi (CNN) -- In India if you ask citizens about corruption almost everyone has a story. Bribes and kickbacks have become a part of everyday life for many.

"Every day, I see corruption. So, even if we need licenses and all that, it's something you put on the table first and then the license comes," marketing executive Rachit Kapoor said.

"If you go to a government hospital, you will not be admitted for treatment unless you know some employee or you bribe staff," said Deepak Kotwol, from Delhi. "Your building plans will not be passed until you bribe municipal officials. This has become part of life now."

Now there's a website for citizens to vent their frustration, without fear of retaliation. They can click on a link at Ipaidabribe.com and tell their story.

"If you look at the kind of reports that come to us, the emotions of the people who report an experience are of disgust, of anger, of fear," said Raghunandan Thoniparambil, who helps run the site through a non-profit organization called Janaagraha.

"There are two kinds of corruption. We are basically looking at over-the-counter corruption, what is very widespread but perhaps relatively small amounts but that affects citizens directly. And then you have grand corruption, what happens behind closed doors, people are taking huge bribes, there is a feeling that huge bribes don't affect citizens so it's okay, these things happen. But I don't think so; I think that has very serious implications to the country. And I think one of the biggest problems in India is that our corruption laws are extremely weak," Raghunandan Thoniparambil said.

Settled?

2011-01-20T19:16:00.000+05:30

After living in India for 19 months I think I’m finally feeling settled. I thought I was settled after six weeks but now I don’t think so. I was in the “adventure” stage for the first year. Everything was new and exciting. Then things started to get a bit frustrating. And now, as long as nothing major happens I just feel like this is normal. Maybe I’m kidding myself, is that really true – what is “normal” in India? I guess I’m more into a “normal” routine now than ever before. I’m kind of focused on two things right now and they are taking up most of my time: yoga and charities.

I go to yoga five or six times a week now and I feel like I am really improving. My Iyengar teacher has three classes a week (1 ½ hrs) and then I usually go to the Ashtanga class (1 hr) three times a week. I am learning a lot in the Iyengar class and always feel challenged. The Ashtanga class is quite repetitive doing a few asanas, 20 sun salutations and about 15 min. of pranayama. The thing is – it’s not like going to the gym - it doesn’t feel like work. It is tough and strengthens the body – I’m doing handstands and headstands and all sorts of twists – muscles strengthen and stretch in a good way. I’ve never found anything else that I would want to do six days in a row.

The charity committee is taking up more time now as all 25 charities have submitted their applications for this year. I’ve had to meet with each of the four that I am responsible for and go over all the paperwork, collect receipts from last year and make sure last year’s project is complete. We also have to check financial statements and tomorrow the committee will meet and start deciding what we will fund this year.

So that’s what’s been happening lately but of course the routine will get a good shake up soon – a friend of mine is coming to town for two weeks; cooking class in Goa; Craig goes to Leadership Camp; another photo competition...and of course more yoga and charity work.

This Will Make You Smile!

2011-01-11T17:08:00.019+05:30

One of my friends on the OWC Charity Committee made a real difference to a child's life a couple months ago. Please have a look at the article about Anand. (NOTE: you might have to click on the article a couple of times in order to enlarge it so it is readable):

Six Months and Counting

2011-01-05T15:07:00.001+05:30

Well, we are back in Bangalore for our last six months. Christmas vacation was wonderful in Canada - visiting, eating, everything was familiar - there's nothing like being home for Christmas. But there was also the shopping - not for "things" - but grocery stores and wine stores and kitchen stores. The choices! Seriously, when we went into this new wine store we just walked around in awe. Michael actually asked the clerk, "Where should I begin?"And then the grocery store- the fresh fruits piled up, the cheeses, the breads and meats - all in one store! Again I just gazed around not knowing where to start.

There was fast food and restaurants and Starbucks. We didn't overindulge that much but it's just knowing that you have choices, that you can have something if you want it. And knowing that what you buy is good quality. It all made me a little less eager to get back to Bangalore.

But here we are back in Bangalore and all of a sudden I feel the clock is ticking fast. We walked out of the airport and it too seemed familiar... and warm. It was 2:30am but lots of Indian people were there to greet their friends and family. Ladies in sari's sat outside chatting like old friends - but probably they were strangers. The Indian people are very social and friendly.

Our driver met us right away and we walked to the van. He pulled forward so we could get our bags in but maybe he didn't put the emergency break on or left it in neutral because after he got out of the van it started to roll forward. He ran back, jumped in and hit the break just before it would have hit some trees. We just looked at each other and smirked- we're back in India! Always interesting, never boring.

We got home and into bed at 4:00am, didn't make the kids go to school even though the principal sent out an email that there would be a math and english test on the first day back and anyone who missed it would be given a zero. Oh well, some things can't be helped.

Michael, on the other hand had the pleasure of getting up first thing and going to the FRO (Foreign Registry Office) to get his visa extended. He had tried to do it in Dec. and made a couple frustrating trips but the paperwork was never quite right or something was missing.

I got a call from him at 11:30am with a few choice words that once again the paperwork he was given from work was wrong. He needed a copy of his work contract, signed but the one he had wasn't signed. Always a big hassle going to the FRO office. Luckily he was able to get a proper copy and eventually he got his visa extended to June 14th - so that's it, the final date for us. We'll be leaving India on June 14th.

Today the kids and Michael are off to school/work and I just got back from yoga; now sitting outside enjoying a very warm day. The pool is closed for two weeks but that's ok. The banana's are ripe from our own tree and a big pile were on the counter for us when we got home. And now I'm off to get groceries as the cupboards are bare. Here's to the next six months!

All Izz Well

2010-12-27T11:37:00.003+05:30

It is cold. I decided today I'm not going outside anymore. We went for a walk in sunny White Rock last week and today we walked around Beaver Lake near my parents house in Victoria. Both days I froze. I don't quite have the best cold weather gear and had to cut the walk short today. We whipped home and warmed up with Mom's hot chocolate with marshmallows. But, I'm not going out anymore.

Last years Christmas in Bangalore will be one that we remember: our Dr. Seus Christmas tree, lying by the pool, steak dinner and Christmas Eve mass where more people wore saris than not.

This year we didn't have our own tree or home for that matter. But we were home in every other sense of the word. We decorated a Christmas tree at Michael's Dads, we ate Christmas oranges and made gingerbread cookies. We drank rum and eggnog. We had the traditional Ukrainian feast at Lynn's. We went to the Ukranian church for Christmas Eve mass together as a family where at an opportune moment a little kid yelled out, "All you do here is yak, yak, yak." Everyone laughed and then the choir promptly started singing Silent Night.

On Christmas morning we got up, opened presents and had a nice breakfast at Michael's Dads. Then it was off to the ferry and to Victoria to visit my parents. We had the traditional turkey dinner with mashed potatos, gravy, stuffing and vegetables. We had desserts galore - pies, nanaimo bars, shortbread, Christmas cake - the works!

Today, the day after Christmas we relaxed - we played games, ate turkey sandwiches and had leftover turkey for dinner. We watched hockey on TV.

Christmas in Canada feels right - even the cold (even though I'm not going out anymore). As they say in India "All Izz Well."

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-17T05:43:00.000+05:30

India is about half way around the world to Vancouver. We've gone west through London and Frankfurt and east through Hong Kong and any which way it takes about 24 hours including stopovers.

This time we did the five hour flight from Bangalore to Hong Kong and had a six hour stopover in the airport before the next leg to Vancouver. I must say being in that airport was like stepping onto another planet. Maybe I should rephrase that - India feels like another planet. I'm sure I've said this many times but there is no place like India. It is it's own world of traditions and festivals and chaos and splendour. Hong Kong airport is full of food, fashion and choices galore - all in one little place.

The next leg to Vancouver took 12 hours and we were able to catch up on a few movies. Overall it was a good flight but good to get onto Canadian soil and we were shocked as we flew into Vancouver to see the sun - ok it was only for about five minutes but it was nice. The weather is cloudy and 6 celcius and it doesn't feel as cold as I thought it would.

We were over at Lynn's for dinner last night - great to see everyone there and then Mom and Dad dropped by today on their way back to Victoria. Decorated the Christmas tree at Michael's Dads today and put up a few decorations. Started in on the rum and eggnogs and looking forward to all the friends and family and traditions over the next couple weeks.

Charities

2010-12-10T17:43:00.000+05:30

Just got back from delivering Christmas gifts to the women at Vision India. Just a super experience, the way their faces lit up when they saw us...and then to receive a gift - wow!

Vision India literally picks women up off the street - homeless, many are mentally challenged, some are pregnant, some have broken bones. They give them food, shelter and arrange for health care and psychological care. Their goal is to rehabilitate them, find their families, educate them about the women's problem and hopefully send them home.

It is a very basic place - no beds, very little furniture or facilities. I am always amazed at the dedication of the people who run these places - they truly give their lives to their cause.

Earlier in the week about 20 of us got together to wrap presents for four different charities. We wrapped blankets, dresses, sweaters, towels, jeans, watches and more - many for children, depending on their needs. And then we added a bar of chocolate as a treat.

Definitely a good way to get into the holiday spirit...of giving.

Kadlekai Parishe - Groundnut Festival

2010-12-05T12:25:00.000+05:30

I thought Festival season was over but it just keeps on going...
This week was the Kadlekai Parishe, or the Groundnut Festival. This 3-day festival takes place only in Bangalore near the Bull Temple. Of course there is always a legend to go along with a festival. This one has to do with a bull in the 1500's - every full moon a bull would charge into the groundnut fields and damage the crop. The farmers started to offer prayers to Basava (Nandi) to stop the bull and pledged to offer their first crop.

Subsequently, an Idol of Basava was found close by. It has been said that the Idol was growing rapidly, and the farmers nailed an iron peg on the head of the idol to stop it from growing. Later in the year 1537, a temple to ‘Dodda Basava’ was built on a small hill and the idol was put inside. This temple is known as the Bull Temple here in Bangalore. The bull is black and decorated with garlands.

Every year, farmers from surrounding villages come to the Bull Temple and offer their annual harvest of groundnut as offering to Lord Basava. This is accompanied by the annual fair, which is known as the Kadlekai Parishe.

I went on the third and final day of the festival. There were lots of vendors selling their groundnuts on carts or on the sidewalk. There was a small fair with rides, astrologers reading palms, people selling inexpensive jewellery, bangles, toys and lots of snacks, rice, fruit and sugarcane.

One interesting thing that I tried from a street vendor was a twelve year old root - sliced thinly, dipped in sugar and lime - delicious! Wish I knew what it was.

There were balloons, and horns and bubbles. It was like a festive street party centered around the Bull Temple where I'm sure most people made their way to give an offering to Nandi (the bull) himself.

Everyday Stuff

2010-11-30T22:25:00.000+05:30

Lots going on in the last week but nothing too exciting. The kids are into their midterm exams so I have been doing a lot of Grade 6 studying with Craig. Alanna can study pretty independently but Craig seems to need a lot of help - or maybe he just likes spending time with me? After an entire day of French and History (they had a study day at home today) I finally sent them to their rooms at 8:00pm, poured a glass of wine and broke open the chocolate.

Still writing articles for the Rangoli and going to yoga most mornings. The charity committee is gearing up for the season. Next week we will be delivering Christmas gifts to some of the charities. And letters get sent out to see what each charities needs will be for the year.

Michael and I attended a wine dinner at Fava last week - always interesting people/conversation and nice to have some Australian and New Zealand wine. The Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut festival) is on for three days in Bangalore so I am going down tomorrow to take photos and see what it is all about.

Rags to Riches

2010-11-22T14:30:00.002+05:30

The weekend certainly was eventful: Habitat for Humanity, India Night and Harry Potter.

All four of us got up early Sat. morning and drove to North Bangalore for a Habitat Build. This time the kids got to come and see the village and help out too. The first thing we got to do was go for a house blessing for a house that had recently been finished.

This house has three rooms and two levels. It has an actual kitchen with a sink and running water!

We split up, the kids group went to one house and they got to paint - they were splattered from head to toe. They enjoyed it and had fun together. A great experience for them.

Michael and I went with another group to put a roof on a house. This family has six members and currently live in this one room home!

Habitat lends money to families but they also have to have saved some money. Unfortunately the husband ended up in the hospital and their savings were depleted - they couldn't afford the roof. So our OWC donations from the day went towards purchasing the roof for them and we helped the homeowner put it on.

We lifted the corrugated pieces up to the roof and then we had to carry 20 lb bricks from inside the house, up on top of the roof where they were strategically placed so the roof wouldn't fly off in a windstorm. Now they will have a larger, two room home with a roof and eventually I think another room will be added on at the front for the kitchen.

Once we were finished with Habitat, Michael and I changed from our work clothes into our formal kurta and sari for an OWC Charity Fundraisor at the Taj West End.

It was such a nice evening and setting. The first two hours were spent outdoors mingling with drinks and appetizers.

The rains held off and it was warm. The grounds were beautifully lit up with festive lights hanging from the trees. Everyone looked great and there were stilt wakers and henna artists.

Later we went indoors for dinner and entertainment.

The fun continued for the kids and I on Sunday as we went to see Harry Potter in the Gold Class theater. Huge reclining leather seats, popcorn and drinks served to you at your seat - definitely the way to see a movie!

Darjeeling/Agra Day 7

2010-11-20T07:16:00.001+05:30

Our last day of the trip. We left the hotel at 9:30am and stopped across the river to get some shots of the Taj from a different perspective. Unfortunately it was so foggy we couldn't even see it from there. We did come across an interesting scene though.

Down a dirt road we came to the riverside which was muddy and piled with garbage. All of a sudden we hear the sounds of a marching band - about 4 or 5 people all dressed up just like a marching band and playing instruments. A group of people were wheeling a statue of a God (I believe) through the mud to the river.

They made it to the river but didn't stop there - they kept going through the water til they were at least half way across and then they submerged the statue. They were in a very festive state, singing and splashing.

We had to drive back to Delhi to catch our flight to Bangalore. The drive is never boring, you never know what you will see:

Day 6 Darjeeling/Agra

2010-11-17T20:40:00.001+05:30

Big day today - the Taj Mahal. Anytime you get a chance to see one of the big wonders of the world it's exciting. Even though Michael and I had been there before it was exciting to see it altogether - kind of like Mt. Everest. In fact, what a trip - Mt. Everest on Thursday and the Taj Mahal on Saturday!

We spent a few hours at the Taj, taking lots of photos of us and all the interesting Indian people. There are lots of "photographers" who will take a series of photos and then print them out within a couple hours. So we decided to go for it (see the first photo).

But then later we were taking photos of the gardeners in front of the Taj and next thing you know the gardener wants to take our photo (with our camera). So he starts positioning us in various poses, quite funny actually. Here's one of his:

There was a huge lineup to get into the Taj, where the tombs are. And initially we weren't even sure if we would bother. Craig said, "I feel sorry for all those people in line." But before he knew it we too were in line.

The line moved quickly despite people butting in and trying to get ahead. Can you believe this entire group kept trying to sneak ahead of us.

Especially this woman:

So I figured I could take their pictures as much as I wanted since they didn't stand in line like the rest of us - all in good fun, we didn't really mind (as long as they stayed behind us).

The building itself - the marble, the carvings and inscriptions - are lovely of course. It is easy to just spend the day wandering around the grounds taking it all in. Great for people watching too!

Day 5 Darjeeling/Agra

2010-11-16T18:08:00.001+05:30

Diwali!
5:00am: woken up by town clock
5:30am: woken up by drummer

All is well - the drummer was back! He was like our "snooze button." I have since tried to find out who he was. Only one website mentioned monks that walk around Darjeeling with a drum between 5-6:00am. So I don't know for sure but it is likely true.

Friday was Diwali but it was also our travel day to Agra. Another great sunrise - I never imagined being up so early for so many days on vacation...but it is hard not to - with the view...and the clock...and the drummer.

We set out for Bagdogra airport at 9:00am. A beautiful drive with our last views of the Himalayas but also all the people along the way getting ready for Diwala. Shops were overflowing with flower garlands and fireworks were already being set off.

Our flight left at 2:30pm and we arrived in Delhi at 4:30. We had arranged a driver already and squeezed into his tiny car. Our luggage had to go on top! Off to Agra right away and as it got dark the fireworks started to go off. Homes and shops were lit up with festive lights (Christmas lights), and ladies' saris sparkled.

It took 3 1/2 hours to get to Agra on the holiday (usually takes at least 4 hrs). Got to our hotel, ate and off to bed. The fireworks kept going into the night but we managed to sleep, it had been another long travel day.

Darjeeling/Agra Day 4

2010-11-14T20:38:00.001+05:30

5:00: Woken up by town clock.
5:30: Awake but no drummer boy!
5:45: Got up anyway but couldn't help wonder what happened to the drummer boy. Is Thursday his day off? Did he sleep in?

I know I sound like I am repeating myself but it was yet another beautiful sunrise over the Himalayas.
We set off at 9:00am, planning to go to two monasteries but on our way we decided to go to Tiger Hill. It was still clear and we were leaving the next day. Getting up there for sunrise wasn't a big deal to us so off we went.

There was no traffic going up the hill and it took us only about 40 minutes from Darjeeling. Such a great decision - it was warm and no crowds when we got there. Our driver pointed out Mt. Everest right away - just a small peak showing itself in the distance. The Indian Himalayas were giants from this perspective, but it was exciting for the four of us to see Everest. A little different driving 40 min. to see Mt. Everest compared to when Michael and I trekked in Nepal to Everest Base Camp - 2 weeks!
Here is a photo of Mt. Everest from Tiger Hill:

Spent a bit of time up on Tiger Hill and then set off for the two monasteries. First, the Yiga Choeling Monastery is one of the oldest in the area dating back to 1850. One of the few monasteries where you can take photos inside (10rp/photo).

The second monastery that we visited was the Dali Monastery, also known as Druk Thupten Sangag Choeling Monastery.

200 monks study and pray here and the Dalai Lama inagaurated it in 1993. We were there early in the afternoon and lots of monks of all ages were milling about - at the coffee shop, outside on benches or peeking out of their classrooms.

We ended up going back to the Dali Monastery 4:30 - 6:00pm for prayers.

We sat in a corner while 200 monks chanted, drummed, played the horns and cymbals. We had lots of time to admire the paintings on the walls, the carvings, and three huge Bhuddist statues that oversaw everything. Midway through, some of the younger monks showed up all of a sudden with kettles full of tea. They served all the monks (their tea cups hidden in their desks) and then they kindly came and served us as well.

There is nothing like the sounds of the monks chanting, along with their unique sounding instruments. A part of India like no other - impressive. Here Michael is holding a smaller version of the drum used by the monks:

Darjeeling/Agra Day 3

2010-11-11T20:16:00.000+05:30

5:00am: woken up by town clock.
5:30am: woken up by drummer boy.
5:35am: got up and watched the sunrise on the mountains from the roofdeck of the hotel - another clear day.

It was another beautiful, clear morning. From the top of the hotel the view was not much different than our room. We met a woman who had gone to Tiger Hill for sunrise the day before. This seems to be what a lot of people do. They leave at 4:30 (or earlier). She said it was good views but not that much better than from the hotel. And it was very, very cold. But she did see Mt. Everest. We wanted to see Mt. Everest, especially for the kids sake but none of us were very keen on getting up so early and being freezing cold.

Later in the morning we went to Happy Valley Tea Estate. This plantation prides itself on selling all its Darjeeling tea to Harrods in London. We took a guided tour of the facility and it was very interesting. Well, there were a bunch of guys outside who asked to be our guide. So we chose one and he did a good job. He made sure to explain the working conditions of the tea pickers; how much each woman has to pick (determined by which category they fall into: young and unmarried, married, older woman, casual worker); hours of work (8-4); overtime pay etc.

We saw the drying process, the women who pick through all the tea to get rid of the "undesirable tea", packaging and so on.

Then we were shown outside to the tea bushes and although we didn't see anyone picking tea leaves we saw the ladies coming in to deliver the morning load.

There is a separate little building for tea tasting and a very friendly woman showed us several types of tea leaves and explained the difference between the best teas, next best etc. She made us each a cup of tea - such a happy lady with a sing song voice.

Darjeeling/Agra Day 2

2010-11-08T21:09:00.000+05:30

I woke up at 5:00 am to the sounds of the town clock. It was too cold to get out of bed yet and it still looked dark. I wanted to know if we had a view of the Himalayas but it was too early. At 5:30am I heard the sounds of a drum in the distance and it soon got closer. Was someone actually walking around town with a drum? This I had to see. So I got up and peeked out the window and sure enough there was one lone person walking and drumming past the hotel. I watched as he slowly carried on up the street and out of sight.

I looked out of the window and up to see a snowy peak with the first light shining on it. I watched as the sun rose and lit up the mountains looming over Darjeeling. I watched for more than two hours as the sky changed colors every few minutes and more and more mountains came into view. It was spectacular and I couldn't have asked for a better view from our room.

Mt. Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world and it seemed so close. Apparently Mt. Everest could also be seen from Darjeeling so (being the Everest experts that we are) we got out the binoculars and looked for it. After scrutinizing all the peaks we decided that we found it - just a little peak, right behind Mt. Kanchenjunga. We were very excited and showed it to the kids and they were excited too. Well, later in the day, we were told that we could not see Everest from our hotel. We would have to go up higher to Tiger Hill to see it.

After staring at the mountains for a long time we ventured out of the hotel and started on our list of things to see around Darjeeling. First, we went to the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre. There is a large population of Tibetans in Darjeeling and it feels very different from other parts of India. At the refugee centre there is an orphanage and men and women knitting and weaving - things to sell to raise money for the Tibetan refugees.

Of course there were Tibetan prayer flags strung from tree to tree and building to building. And Tibetan prayer wheels that get turned as prayers are said.

Next, we went up the hill to Bhutia Busty Monastery. Just as we were walking down the lane a man said to us, "you are very lucky, prayers are just starting, run." Inside we followed the sounds of a drum and chanting upstairs. There was one monk in a very small room doing all the prayers by himself. The four of us sat on the floor in front of him. He chanted, drummed and banged the symbols, poured liquid (buttermilk?) into metal bowls and threw rice. He repeated this over and over for about an hour. An amazing experience for us - the sounds are mesmerizing.

Another cold night and early to bed with hot water bottles. Darjeeling pretty much shuts down by 9:00pm. So far with the mountains and the Tibetan influence we were loving this little town high on the hill top.

Darjeeling/Agra Day 1

2010-11-06T16:39:00.000+05:30

It is Diwali, fall break this week. The kids are out of school so we took off to Darjeeling and Agra. Day 1 was the travel day: a two hour flight from Bangalore to Calcutta, a one hour flight to Bagdogra, and then a 3 hour drive up into the hills to Darjeeling.

Some travel days go well and some do not. Both flights were on time and we arrived at Bagdogra at 3:00pm. We got a prepaid taxi at the airport for 1750 rupees ($39Can) to Darjeeling. The drive was beautiful, starting out through the town of Bagdogra, and then almost right away into the tea plantations. It was flat for the first 45 min.and then uphill, winding back and forth for the next 2 hours, 15 min.

The road to Darjeeling is narrow and bumpy and I was surprised at how off the beaten track the it was. There was one other town before Darjeeling and little homes perched on the side of the hills all over. A very picturesque drive with the sun setting and the sky changing colors.

By the time we got to Darjeeling it was dark and for some reason we didn't have the hotel phone # or address. Our driver didn't know it so we had to keep asking where the Dekeling Resort was. We knew it was a little out of town. We were told to go up a long and very steep and narrow road but didn't find it so had to go back down. Then more directions and back up again and finally found it.

The only problem was there was no one there, it was completely deserted. Everything had gone so well up until that point. Now we had to find a hotel. We were very lucky to find a room on our second try - at the Viceroy. The rooms were nothing special but we were tired and just glad to have found a place.

The first thing we noticed was how cold it was and immediately got out pants, socks, and jackets. There was no heat - that's right - no heat in the hotel. However they did provide hot water bottles for the beds at night which work surprisingly well. We all had a great sleep until 5:00am when the clock tower went off and at 5:30am when the drummer strolled up our street...but that's Day 2...

It's That Time of Year

2010-10-30T17:57:00.000+05:30

Once again this time is year is the strangest time for me. Friends and family back in Canada are getting used to fall (it's a season) and enjoying the changing colors of the leaves. Monday is November which brings the eternal rains or even snow. Everytime I see the date - Sept., Oct., Nov. - I can't believe it. How can it be "fall" when it's so warm and I'm still wearing summer clothes?

Here in Bangalore the flowers in our back yard are blooming with a vengeance. I love the hit of sun and warmth every morning on my way to yoga. I love walking outside at anytime, day or night in a summer top or wearing a summer dress around the house. The pool beckons.

But there is no fall. No fall colors, no fall clothes. There's nothing that says the year is moving along - maybe that's why people here just take everything day by day. When there is no fall, there will be no winter either. It is so ingrained in me that when I look at the date I just can't believe it. I look outside, I look at the fans whirling, I feel the A/C cooling. It is the strangest time of the year yet I will relish it and be thankful for it because next year will be a different story altogether.

More Maldives

2010-10-25T16:30:00.000+05:30

The rest of the Maldives trip was not as adventurous as the snorkelling trip. It was pure relaxation. It's only a 2 hour flight from Bangalore to Male and then a stunning 45 minute seaplane flight over the tourquoise waters and tiny islands to the island that we stayed on.

The water is warm, the sand is soft and white, the food is plentiful and tasty and there's really not much to do. Alanna's favorite part would be the desserts and Craigs would be the pasta. If eating were an Olympic sport they both would have won gold in their respective categories. (desserts/pasta). We read, we ate and once a day we dragged ourselves to the snorkelling boat to swim with the fish.

The coral is dead from el nino. But there are lots of variety of colorful fish. And of course seeing the turtle swim right underneath me on the last day was a site to see!

The Maldives are spectacular and so are the prices. The islands are small (ten minutes to walk around ours) and the elevation gain: seven feet. So as you can imagine it's hard to get much exercise. Luckily the tsunami a few years back didn't hit hard or they would have been wiped out completely.

With global warming the Maldives are endangered so we are so glad to have been able to experience them now. So close, but so expensive. Who knows if we'll ever make it back again?

Maldives Snorkelling Gone a Little Bit Wrong

2010-10-19T14:41:00.002+05:30

We spent a week in the Maldives and snorkelled every day. The first day snorkelling was a bit of a farce. It was cloudy and windy and the current was strong. The snorkelling boat took us to the house reef, about a 15 minute boat ride offshore. There was a big group of people from China with us, many of whom wore lifejackets and did not speak English. One young woman had on long black leotards, another one wore a matching pink bathing suit, pink snorkel gear and pink floaties!

We arrived at the reef and the local guide jumped in the water to tell us which way the current was going. He gave instructions (in English) to follow the current to the left and keep the reef on the right. The water over the reef was shallow - we were to be careful not to touch or damage the reef.

The kids and Michael jumped in the water, they are strong swimmers. I got caught up behind a few people. Finally I jumped in and started swimming towards the reef and to the left. But then I hear “Help, help.” One of the people wearing a lifejacket was panicking and obviously couldn’t swim. Her husband was holding onto her, yelling for help.

I saw the guide jump in from the boat and because I was close I turned back towards them. He got there first and got things under control so I turned back towards the reef. I looked up briefly and what do I see but about eight people from the Chinese group standing on the reef all huddled together. One of the first rules: “Do not touch or stand on the reef.”

The current took me away from them and I started looking for the rest of the group. They were too far ahead so I started to enjoy the fish and snorkelling. The current was really fast and I quickly moved away from the boat and the rest of the people.

By now the boat really should have moved down current in order to pick up snorkellers. But the boat wasn't moving - they had to stay there to rescue the group stranded on the reef.

I continued on enjoying the snorkelling but realized I wasn’t going to catch up to Michael and the kids cause they were moving just as fast. I saw a buoy up ahead and thought I would hang onto it for a bit and stop moving. But the next time I looked up I was way past it. There was no way I could swim back to it, the waves were getting bigger and the boat was getting smaller.

Eventually I decided this wasn’t fun anymore so I waved both my arms towards the boat and someone saw me and waved back. Good, I thought, they will come and get me. So I snorkelled a bit more and looked up and the boat hadn’t moved. I waved again and this time they came to get me. When I got onboard, many people from the big group were already back on the boat. Their legs were scraped up pretty badly from the reef - I could only imagine the pain.

Now I thought the boat would go towards Michael and the kids who I couldn’t see at all at this point. But the boat went in the opposite direction, to the drop off spot. There was still one couple standing on the reef, waiting to be rescued.

When we got close the guide jumped out of the boat and swam towards them. The boat turned around to find the others. We finally found five of them including Michael, Craig, and Alanna all hanging onto the last buoy in site. I swear if they didn’t grab ahold of it they would have ended up on a current to Australia like Nemo. There was nothing in site but the horizon!

Picked them up and then back we went to pick up the last couple. I'm sure their pride hurt as much as their scrapes from the reef, but they were all safe and everyone else was too. A bit of a crazy first snorkelling trip but each day thereafter got better and better. The sea calmed down and on the last day we even saw a turtle. Hey, now that I think about it Michael agreed to give anyone 500 rupees if they found a turtle - where's my 500 rupees?

Time to Fly the Coop

2010-10-08T19:42:00.000+05:30

We've been living in India for almost 16 months. We've done pretty good, been pretty positive, but sometimes life here can get to you.

All sorts of little things are in need of being fixed in the house and the landlady is fighting every little thing. From electrical problems to mold problems to A/C problems to shower door problems to BUG problems. One part of the problem is getting the landlady to pay for it, another even bigger problem is getting people to come and fix things. First they have to come and look at it, then they have to go and get their tools (no - no one comes with tools), then they have to order the part...and then they come back and fix it or they just ignore it and don't come back at all.

Then there is still the grocery store issue - yes I have plenty to choose from now in the area. If only I could go to one and get everything. Now I try a different strategy. I go to one store but have three lists. If they have everything on list #1 that's what I will make for dinner. If they don't I proceed to list #2 etc. But it's the standing in line (at this one store) that bugs me - where people butt ahead and I end up waiting for twenty minutes in line.

There's other things but I won't bore you. I haven't complained (much) in 16 months so hopefully this is just a blip. Oh, oh, oh, did I mention last Saturday night Michael and I got all dressed up (just the two of us) and went downtown (45 min) to a nice restaurant. Only one other couple in the restaurant and we sat down, they gave us the menu and then we asked for the wine menu - "uh, sorry, it's a dry day." Yes, it was Ghandi's birthday/peace day and so no drinking aloud. Well, that was a quick dinner.

As I was saying hopefully this is just one little bit of negativity. In fact there's only one thing to do when in a rut and that's get out of it - get out of town - so that's what we shall do for the next week. See ya later, back in a week!

Let the Games Begin

2010-10-04T08:14:00.000+05:30

Watched the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games last night. They went off beautifully, India can be proud of the show they put on for the world - dancing, drumming, culture, color and history (and there's a lot of that to show off). Jai Ho!

Last week the Ayodhya decision was made. The three judges ruled that the Ayodhya land will be split three ways: one part going to the Muslims and the other two to Hindu groups. Although the case may be appealed and end up in the Supreme Court, there was peace in India after the verdict.

More Updates

2010-09-29T16:05:00.000+05:30

More Updates

1) I have updated my Bangalore Restaurant Guide and Book Recommendations.

2) I had my first yoga class with my original teacher. She had moved back to her home country in July but miraculously she is back!One and a half hours of torture - wow - this is not hoity toity relaxation, deep breathing yoga (not that there is anything wrong with that). This is serious Iyengar Yoga and you must work every muscle and every part of your body. It's one of those "if it hurts so bad, it must be good for you" things. And it is. You know that you are doing each asana properly as she spends time with each of us (3 in the class today) making sure each body part is in proper alignment. So the "hurt" is from doing it properly, not from doing it "wrong."

3) Today the headlines scream "Ayodhya verdict will end six-decade-long wait. It's tomorrow @ 3:30pm." They have declared Thursday and Friday school "holidays" so the kids will be home. I really hope they do proceed and give the verdict this time because my kids have mid-term exams next week. At least they now have a four day weekend to study - that's not a bad thing.

Update on Posts

2010-09-28T17:02:00.000+05:30

Updates
1) Yesterday my post was in regards to the Ayodhya verdict. I really didn't think the verdict would come in today but around 1:45pm we heard that the verdict would be announced at 2:00pm. And the verdict is..."likely to be pronounced by the High Court on September 30th."

So once again people cancelled events and worried about religious conflict - and nothing happened. We had an OWC charity event this morning and I am so glad that we did not cancel it. And certainly they will not announce on Thursday, right before the Commonwealth Games start - especially now that Camilla and Charles are in the country (see #2).

2) A few weeks ago Michael and I spent two days at Soukya Holistic Health Centre. Guess who's staying there now - Camilla Parker Bowles, (Prince Charles wife). Other famous people have stayed there as well: Sting, Tina Turner and Sarah, the Duchess of York to name a few.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Yoga-ayurveda-for-Camilla-in-Whitefield-spa/articleshow/6640552.cms

3) And the most exciting update of them all - my yoga teacher Osnat is back - and she is starting classes again tomorrow! Can't wait!

Ayodhya

2010-09-27T20:12:00.001+05:30

The ongoing Ayodhya debate here in India is making my head spin. The judgement from the courts was supposed to be made last Friday. Since this is a religious disagreement between the Hindus and Muslims, outbreaks of violence were anticipated. Last Wed., two days before the decision was to be made, the government declared Friday and Saturday a "holiday" for schools.

The children would be staying home on Friday. Not a big deal but we also had plans to do a Habitat for Humanity build (as a family) on the Saturday. We worried that it would be cancelled now too.

However, late Thursday afternoon (come on, keep up with me now) the courts decided to postpone judgement until Tuesday, Sept. 28th. Shortly after that we received an email from the school saying, "school is back on." The kids weren't thrilled, but off they went to school and we looked forward to Habitat on Saturday.

However, Friday night much to our disappointment, we received an email cancelling Habitat because the organizers felt there still might be some unrest in the village. They didn't want to risk 45 foreigners getting in the middle of a religious confrontation.

I guess I should quickly mention what the Ayodhya debate is. The main issues (and we're going back centuries here) revolve around a temple built at the birthplace of the Hindu God Lord Ram. When a Muslim emporer defeated the Hindu King in 1527, the temple was torn down, and the Babri Mosque was built on the same site. Fast forward to 1992 when the mosque was demolished by Hindu radicals who believe it is a sacred Hindu site.

Hindu or Muslim? The courts are supposed decide tomorrow. But no "holiday" has been declared for the children, in fact there has been almost no news about it at all. We suspect that the decision will continue to be delayed - with the Commonwealth Games next week and then Obama's in India, and then it's Diwali - just too much going on. I don't think they can risk anymore bad press right now.

Commonwealth Games

2010-09-24T15:37:00.001+05:30

"Sheila Dikshit made the Canadian news!"
Yes, my husband felt it necessary to tell me this - at 5:30am this morning as he scrolled through the Canadian news on his phone - while lying in bed.
The only thing I asked was, "How did they spell her name?"

Sheila Dikshit is Chief Minister of Delhi, but we've noticed that the papers sometimes spell her name Dixit. Split personality? A bit of a complex?

As it turns out Sheila Dikshit has been brought in to clean up the mess at the Commonwealth Games. Have you seen the pictures of the Athletes Village?

Oh, I know the feeling. The day before we moved into our house I came to see how it looked - it looked like a war zone. Paint was everywhere, dirt was everywhere, it was a mess. The painters were frantically rolling - the ceilings, the walls - with nothing to protect the floors or windows or anything else for that matter. Paint was being flung everywhere, including on themselves. The cleanup team (which consisted of one or two cleaning ladies) was busy scraping paint off the floors, the windows etc. and washing everything down.

I've seen the pictures of the bathrooms in the athletes village - it doesn't surprise me in the least. And it doesn't surprise me that the Indian people (in charge) see this as a minor problem - along with a roof and a bridge falling down. IT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.

India is India. There are 1.2 billion people living here, a good portion of whom don't sleep on mattresses, but floors. Some have toilets, but many use squat toilets and many still use nothing but the great outdoors. People eat to live and they work their butts off to send their children to hole-in-the-wall public schools.

Progress is being made in India...at a snails pace. India has been doing things their way for thousands of years. Things don't get things done ahead of time. Yes, yes, the politicians would have told the International Organizing Committee that everything would be done ahead of time, but anyone who knows the "Indian way" would know that it was all talk and the bobbing of heads. In other words the IOC should have spent more time here learning how things are done. Instead of having the requisite "three cups of tea," they obviously only had one.

Now that push comes to shove, Sheila Dikshit has come in with 1000 workers (probably paid $1/day) and 5 star hotel managers to get the place up to international standards - with one day to go! And they'll probably get it done, to the best of their ability, in the little time they have.

As for the athletes - good luck with the air conditioning, the electricity, the hot water and so on and so on. This will be an experience of a lifetime for the them. Sport is about endurance, and this surely will be about who can endure what. However, I have a feeling no one is going to remember these games for the sports - but for the life experience - which is what life in India is all about, right?

Ganesh Festival - The Life Cycle of a Ganesh Statue

2010-09-19T21:54:00.000+05:30

The Ganesh Festival is one of my favorites and this year I have seen it from beginning to end. Here's the low down on the life cycle of a Ganesh statue:

It all starts with mud.

In Pottery Town potters start making Ganesh statues six months in advance. They churn out fingers and toes, bellies and trunks and heads.

Eventually all the parts are put together: big and small, painted and unpainted, simple and ornate. Some are funny, some are happy, some are scary.

Ganesh is one of the most popular Hindu Gods: the God of wisdom and good fortune; the destroyer of sorrows and the remover of obstacles.

Every family carefully chooses a Ganesh statue to take home. Villages build "pandals," small tentlike structures, to house a larger Ganesh - where everyone can go and worship Ganesh together. It is very much a festival-like atmosphere. Impromptu dancing and music are very much part of the celebration.

The festival carries on for eleven days. During that time everyone chooses a day (certain days are more auspicious than others of course) to gather together - whether it be a small family or the entire village - and take the revered statue to a lake, ocean, river and immerse the statue in water. Sometimes it becomes a procession with drums and singing and Ganesh's pulled along the city streets on tractors. Sometimes it is a small Ganesh carried in a plastic bag.

At the lake puja usually occurs: some chanting, clapping of hands, ringing of bells and lighting of a flame. A coconut is cracked open and an offering of food and flowers is given.

Finally the statue, be it big or small, painted or unpainted, simple or ornate, is dunked into the water three times and then completely immersed and let go under the water...

where it eventually disolves...

...and becomes mud...

Soukya Holistic Health Centre

2010-09-13T17:19:00.001+05:30

Michael and I spent a night at Soukya Holistic Health Centre. I blogged about it a few weeks ago when I went there on a tour with the OWC. I was impressed with the entire facility and intrigued enough to want to try it out. Whereas most people go there for a minimum of two weeks, we only went for two days. Still it was an interesting experience into a different way of looking at preventitive and acute health care.

We arrived at 7:15am and were each given a gorgeous flower garland, quickly shown to our room and then whisked off to the yoga hall for an hour of "loosening of the joints" and asanas led by a Naturopathic Doctor.

Breakfast was followed by a Dr.'s consult and an ayurvedic massage. Since we were there for such a short time and we are relatively healthy there was not much feedback from the Dr.

Many of the other people staying at the Centre were there for medical/wellness reasons: MS, chronic backpain, arthritis, digestive problems. Some were on a "medical tourism package" and had surgery in Bangalore and then were at the centre to recover and take advantage of holistic post op treatments. They were staying anywhere from two to five weeks and many had been there before. Those staying for long periods would have a full holistic workup done and treatments specific to their condition.

Being an OR Nurse, I found it fascinating and couldn't help compare this highly individual treatment to our western highly impersonal treatment. In the west a patient is commonly known as "an appendectomy", cancer of the stomach or "the gallbladder." Patients wait all day to see the Dr. and are given as little time as possible because there are so many others the Dr. must see.

Here at Soukya, Dr.s know your name, they teach yoga.. Oils and herbs and treatments are made to suit the individual and time is given to each person on a daily basis.

Diet is also important. No meat, no alcohol, no coffee. Michael may have found this a little difficult as he asked me if I had packed any chips or cookies, and talked about steak and coffee far too much. One would have thought he was going through the DT's...and that was just the first day.

Yoga meditation at 4:30 - 5:30 was different. We sat cross legged for the entire hour and did breathing and eye exercises. Michael lasted 1/2 hr and left feeling neaseous and unable to sit in that position so long. Even I had a difficult time and my right leg fell asleep - I had to keep crossing and uncrossing.

The second day was a similar routine but our treatment was reflexology and mud packs to the eyes (for the eye muscles?)and abdomen (for digestion). I must say Michael enjoyed the treatments more than the yoga and infact he didn't go to yoga the second day. Too bad because I know he would have loved the afternoon meditation session which turned out to be yogic sleeping!

We lied down the entire time and did breathing and visualization. One is not actually supposed to sleep, but in this state when done properly, it is supposed to be the equivalent of six hours of deep sleep - it was wonderful!

All in all a really unique experience, highly recommended for anyone who has a medical condition or has a family history of a particular disease (they also treat eating disorders etc. etc.). For those who want to try a different type of health care - preventitive or acute.

The rooms are lovely, it is calm and relaxed atmosphere. The grounds are well kept with lots of flowers and trees. Food is limited in choice but vegetarian and healthy: they grow all their own organic herbs and vegetables. The ayurvedic oils are made on site as well. Two thumbs up from both of us.

Bangalore Pottery Town

2010-09-06T14:54:00.001+05:30

Last week a group of us went to Pottery Town for a photography course. The last time I really took photos manually was with my old Contax. Since the days of film are long gone, that camera sits back in Canada in a storage locker. Up until last Christmas I had resorted to 'point and shoot' cameras, but here in India where I take so many photos, I wanted more options and the ability to take manual photos again.

For Christmas last year Michael got me my Nikon 5000 and although I like the feel of it, I've been rather lazy, using mostly the automatic setting - basically 'point and shoot.' So when I heard about this photography course to Pottery Town, I jumped at it. Then I sat down and quickly reviewed appeture, shutter and other manual settings.

The course was just what I needed and Pottery Town was such a great little place to take photos. At any time of the year the potters can be found molding their wares but right now it is particularly exciting. Elephant-headed Ganesh statues of all sizes and colors are sculpted in time for Ganesh Chaturthi, the 10-day festival that begins this week.

Every family will buy a Ganesh statue, worship it for the ten days and then at the end they immerse it in a body of water - a lake or the ocean.

We walked around the small village, trying out different settings, trying to get some depth and movement in the photos. All year round the potters make clay cups for drinking, clay pots, masks, and for Diwali - diyas, which are small candleholders. Their wares are on their balconies, in front of homes and on the sidewalks waiting to be sold.

This young man goes to college until 2:00pm and then comes homes and churns out about 500 small diyas a day. He was nice enough to let us take photos of him at work and then even let us get our hands dirty and have a try - it's not as easy as it looks!

Last Day at Hampi

2010-09-03T14:37:00.000+05:30

On our last morning we got up to go to Anegondi but when got to the river (about 9:00am) the coracles hadn't started running yet. Disappointed but we ended up going for an excellent walk from the Vittala Temple to the Virupaksa Temple.

It is an easy 45 minute walk through temple ruins and boulders and then along the river.

From the river the path leads up to Hampi Bazaar near the Nandi Statue. So we had an excellent breakfast of banana, chocolate, coconut pancakes in the town and then back to our hotel to ready ourselves (mentally) for the drive home.

We went a different route home, near the town of Bellary, and the road was more of a country road but very little traffic. So it was an uneventful drive and took about 7 hrs to get home. Lesson learned (from the 11hr drive to Hampi) - don't travel at night and we probably won't be driving anywhere further than Mysore (3 hrs).

All in all Hampi was a really good trip, lots of ruins, lots of boulders to climb and a nice laid back feel to the town of Hampi Bazaar. A couple notable and casual restaurants:

Mango Tree has terraced seating overlooking the river - good thali's.
New Shanti

Hampi (Day 3)

2010-09-02T10:48:00.004+05:30

On the third day we spent quite a bit of time at the Vittala Temple, a sprawling set of carved pavillions, gateways and towers. The 'piece de resistance' is the stone chariot made from granite blocks.

Outside the temple gates is a rectangular pond surrounded by ancient pillars where we had a little time to relax and find some shade.

And the boulders in this area begged climbing and were the perfect place for Craig to try out his new slingshot. We climbed up here for sunset.

We spent the day visiting many smaller temples, so many stories to tell in the carvings.

We planned to get a coracle (circular boat) over to Anegondi and followed some sadhus (wandering Indian holy men) down to the river. Here we watched two men put their motorbikes in the coracle, then they got on and sat on the bikes. Next the four sadhus got in, a bunch of other passengers and the two rowers.

I know, I know, we could have fit in too but of course I wanted to get a shot of them sailing away. We were hot and tired and decided to leave Anegondi for the next day.

Hampi (Day 2)

2010-08-29T21:26:00.003+05:30

First I have to say that despite the extremely long drive to Hampi on the Thursday night (into Fri. morning), the kids were excellent. Craig tried to sleep through it and Alanna suffered in silence. Once in a while in the last couple hours she would say, "my nerves are getting as thin as cheese wire." Our driver, Balakrishna, didn't complain at all either. Michael and I - well, we may have had a moment or two - but we actually tried to laugh through it at the end. Maybe we were just delirious.

Friday morning we had a late start and got under way just before noon. The ancient ruins of Hampi are on the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. The ruins are spread over 25 square km. The topography is straight out of The Flinstones and Bedrock City - huge boulders one on top of another are strewn all over the countryside.

We drove to the little hippie town of Hampi bazaar and started by going to Virupaksha Temple which is still used as a religious temple to this day. In fact the kids and I were blessed by the temple elephant, Lakshmi.

We took a walk up the rocky and somewhat slippery hill above the temple for some nice views.

Everywhere you go there are temples. Here we came across a family at an underground temple having a picnic. They insisted on giving us some food and taking photos.

Lotus Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings and the grounds are clean with lots of trees. It is a great example of Hindu and Islamic architecture.

Hampi (Day 1)

2010-08-23T16:12:00.002+05:30

Most people take the overnight train to Hampi. Get on the train at 10:45pm, sleep and arrive in Hampi in the early morning. Simple. I don't know anyone who has driven. For some reason, regrettably, we chose to drive.

We left our house at 3:00pm and planned to be in Hampi six hours later at 9:00pm.
It took two hours just to get out of Bangalore. Highway construction. Traffic jam.
Picture a one way road with stone meridians on either side. Huge trucks and buses like these ones were all around us:

Traffic just stopped all of a sudden. No where to go.
What are they thinking - trucks try to turn around - they maneuvere back and forth, inch by inch and everyone moves out of their way. They actually succeed and then proceed to try to drive headon against the traffic up the one way street. Chaos.

Finally a break in the meridian and we were on our way. Once we got past the construction the #4 Hwy was good. We seemed to be making up time and thought we would still get to Hampi by ten.

Then we turned onto Hwy #13 - a narrow two lane road full of potholes, with tons of oncoming traffic, buses and trucks. Where were they all coming from? Where were they all going?

We made it to a large round-about, just outside of Hampi at 10:30pm and phoned the hotel for directions. Off we went, taking the first exit. We came onto a small, but very long bridge, and stopped in our tracks again. Right behind a huge truck with non stop oncoming traffic. This truck looked like it was just parked there - no lights, no movement and we couldn't see around it.

Finally a break in the oncoming traffic and cars and auto rickshaws darted into the other lane to pass. I shouted, "follow them, go quick." And we did. But then we saw what was in front of the truck - more trucks and buses lined up for miles. We were shocked at them all but we were passing them, we were moving!

It was short lived of course when the cars and rickshaws ahead of us stopped head on against a bus with a line up behind it. We all pulled over and opposite traffic could move, but we were stuck again.

This continued for some time. At 12:00am we made it off the bridge but still jammed in. We couldn't figure out what was going on. Our driver pulled over and asked directions again. He gets back in and says, "We have be misguided - we must go back to the roundabout and take another exit."

"We are not going back," I said.
Michael looked at the GPS on his phone and said, "No, there is a road ahead that we can take. Keep going."

To make a long story short...we came upon a policeman who was telling everyone to turn around and go back. No explanation and we never found out why. So now everyone is making u-turns on this narrow road and going back - more chaos. We got back to the roundabout at 1:00am and made it to the hotel at 1:30am.

The guy at the front desk of the KSTDC Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneshwari was a gem. No emotion, no facial expression. He had no idea who we were even though we had prepaid. There was no reservation book.

Finally got the rooms sorted out but had to go back and ask the guy for towels, soap and toilet paper. It was sad and to quote Lonely Planet's description of the hotel "soulless."

A Day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre

2010-08-18T18:23:00.002+05:30

I spent the day at Soukya Holistic Health Centre with the OWC group. The centre is only twenty minutes from where I live, a place where people come from around the world for "high quality holistic health and integrative medical services." The recommended stay is a minimum of two weeks and I take it people stay much longer and they have repeat customers every year.

Whether you are there for medical or wellness reasons you would be given a Doctor's consultation and then an individualized programme would be designed you for the length of your stay. Many systems of medicine are used: Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Allopathy, etc. As well, therapies such as yoga, reflexology, counselling, nutrition etc. contribute to the programme.

The centre is situated on 30 acres of land, the rooms and gardens are beautiful and relaxing. There is a restaurant, a pool, and a yoga centre. The food is vegetarian and they grow their own organic food on site. There is a wonderful organic medicinal garden which are used in treatments and to prepare medicated oils.

Staff seems extremely knowledgeable and committed. It's a bit pricey but seems to be an excellent centre where one could truly benefit in many ways: medically and in learning to prevent diseases and just change ones lifestyle for the better longterm. One that I sure wouldn't mind trying out - hmm, now I wonder if anyone would miss me for a couple weeks?

Daily Living

2010-08-13T14:33:00.002+05:30

The kids are back to school, they are just finishing their first full week today. They seem to be ok with it and settling in well to the routine. They both refuse to eat breakfast or lunch at school so they have breakfast at home and make their own lunch. Craigs only complaint is that he only gets gym once a week now, which isn't much at all. They are each suppossed to be getting laptops from school, but surprisingly enough (not) the company hasn't delivered them yet "tomorrow, tomorrow."

I started a new yoga class today, it is different but seems ok. This teacher concentrates a lot on yoga breathing also known as Pranayama. I'm sure it all has health benefits but it can be quite comical. One technique for the thyroid: take a deep breath in, both eyes look towards mid temple, stick tongue out and curved down as far as possible and make a loud (demonlike) sound from your throat. Luckily we only did that one twice.

I have also spent too much time waiting around for people to fix things. Our outside water tank is leaking, more electrical problems, sliding shower door that refuses to slide, a lot of mold on our upper outside decks and some mold on one of the kitchen cabinets.

Finally yesterday it looked like we were getting somewhere. My buddy in the orange jumpsuit from "Handyman" came and fixed some electrical problems. One of which was a little embarrassing when he told me there was no light bulb in the light above a desk - no wonder it didn't work. Our ceilings are high and of course he didn't have a ladder with him so he proceeded to put my step ladder on the kitchen table to fix the light. I've also seen people balance on the back of two kitchen chairs to get high enough.

Someone also came to inspect the mold on the decks and check the shower door. Both of them said they would be back today to fix same. Neither have shown up.

However the milkman came by today although I've never bought any from him. And the flower guy came by as well and for 300Rp ($7 Can) I bought a lovely bouquet of ten Bird of Paradise. He shows me everything on the doorstep and then trims what I choose and puts it nicely into one of my vases.

Looks like we are settling back into India just fine.

The Weekend in Pictures

2010-08-09T20:16:00.000+05:30

We went to Mysore via one of the more rural roads this weekend. Here's a look at the roadtrip in pictures:

Shivanasamudra Waterfalls

This cow traffic jam slowed us down a bit.

Talakad: A lively place on the river with lots of people playing, washing clothes and taking coracle rides. We took a ride in a coracle (boat), 10rp/pp, as did many Indian tourists. There are temples nearby to walk to.

Continuing on there are many beautiful sights along the way.

Goat traffic jam slowed us down a bit too.

A happy family with a lot of pots!

Last stop before Mysore: Somanathapur temple. Small but beautiful, intricate carvings.

Inside and outside Mysore market has lots of action and color.

The flowers are piled high.

Always important to stop and smell the roses.

Rangoli Cover Photo

2010-08-03T09:55:00.000+05:30

Here is one of my favorite photos from the Andamans chosen for the front cover of the Rangoli magazine this month. I love it because I just happened upon this scene one evening at sunset. The lighting was perfect, the wave came in, the kayakers went up and the elephant turned to the side. I was thrilled to be there to see such a sight and snap a great shot.

Adapting to Bangalore

2010-07-27T20:07:00.001+05:30

The kids and I arrived in Bangalore early this morning after being in Canada for almost two months. I think as humans we adapt to our surrounding pretty easily. Well, maybe not so easy if it is your first time in India. But here we are and it feels pretty normal. Our house is sparsely furnished and decorated but it has everything we need. I'm not sure that it feels like home, but more like our home away from home.

After being away so long it's interesting to walk around and notice things that I hadn't even thought of for two months. I think the sounds are foremost. The exotic bird sounds, the high pitched chipmunk sounds and especially the horns and traffic. In Canada I thought most about the busy streets and interesting sights that one sees on the Indian streets. The streets and sidewalks in Canada are so bare and quiet. But I forgot about the sounds.

Today I had to remember about using bottled water for brushing teeth and no more drinking tap water. I had to remember that you must turn on a switch before using the microwave, kettle, toaster etc. The geyser has to be turned on in order to warm up the water before a shower. And I had to remember that the internet doesn't always connect - as it didn't when I first tried.

It was a little cool when I first got up and grey outside. But soon the sun came out and I was having my coffee outside on the patio, reading a magazine. Then it poured rain - it's monsoon season - for ten minutes.

Some things never change. Michael and I discussed travel plans for the next year - after taking all his vacation for this year (four days left) it's going to be a challenge to get away much. Luckily there are alot of stat holidays in the fall, so lots of long weekends.

Craig filled up his basketball and we got air in the bike tires. He also has plans to eat all his favorite foods here in India within the next two days. Alanna had a friend over and talked and talked and talked. And of course she has already made plans to go to the mall. I'll be back at the OWC coffee morning on Thursday and looking forward to seeing what's going on in the next month. Lots of planning for the charities and articles to write for the Rangoli. And especially nice to see that one of my photos is on the front cover of the Aug. issue of the Rangoli!

Return to Bangalore...Twice that is

2010-07-21T10:29:00.000+05:30

Michael returned to Bangalore today for the second time in two weeks. No he didn't just want to rack up the airmiles (but I guess he is). He left Vancouver Thursday, July 8th and unfortunately had to return the next week due to an urgent family situation. Around the world in less than a week.

The only problem was that he didn't have time to register with the FRO (Foreigners Registration Office). He arrived in Bangalore Sat. and had to leave again Tues. They did detain him for about fifteen minutes at the airport and he had to explain the emergency situation to the officer and then to the "big man." Luckily they let him leave but warned him there might be a fine when he returned again. Definitely a bit stressful.

But today, he returned to Bangalore and no problem at all getting into the country. It's Wed. morning and just hours after arriving...he's on his way to the FRO office.

Efficient India

2010-07-07T09:25:00.000+05:30

Things can get complicated at times. Michael is supposed to return to India on July 8th. His Indian visa expires on July 15th which means he has to go in right away to have it renewed. Of course he has to give up his passport until it is processed.

The problem is that due to a family members' illness he may have to return to Canada at a moments notice. Without a passport he can't.

Normally the Indian Consulate will not extend a work visa outside of India. But Michael decided to explain the situation to the Consulate General and ask for an extension outside of India, two days prior to leaving.

If there is one thing that is important to the Indian people - it is family. Last night Michael emailed the Consulate explaining the situation and this morning they phoned and told him to come into the office with the required documents. We drove downtown right away and the visa officer came out to talk to Michael as soon as we arrived. He then took us across the hall to meet with the Consulate General who was extremely sympathetic to the situation having had a similar situation in his family last year.

He sent us back to the office where they already knew to accept the application and assured us that they would extend the visa for six months; Michael can pick it up tomorrow. It is wonderful to know that people can be compassionate and empathic when it counts, although I think the Indian people are just that on a regular basis.

Clean

2010-06-30T05:18:00.000+05:30

It is clean in Canada.
The air is clean. The ground is clean. The water is clean. It is pretty nice.
I can drink water out of the tap.
I can walk down the street with little chance of stepping on garbage.
There is some polution in the air but I can see the mountains from miles away.
I can swim in the lakes.
Why?

India is dirty, I can't deny it.
Expats comment on the garbage all the time - piles of it on the side of the road and littered everywhere.
Why?
No garbage cans.

The water is dirty and unsafe to drink or wash food with.
Why?

Some cities and towns have a lot of pollution. Waste of many kinds run into lakes and vehicles of all kinds spew black stuff into the air.
Why?

Lack of education? Corruption? Lack of leadership?

Inspired by Julia

2010-06-23T04:48:00.002+05:30

Inspired by Julia Child, I sit in my sister-in-laws kitchen wearing a flowered dress and pearls.I can't quite get Julia's accent right but I'm trying. Julia's famous Boeuf Bourguignon simmers in the oven and the aroma is heavenly. A freshly made tarte tatin rests on the counter.

I've been in Canada for three weeks, with about three weeks to go before returning to Bangalore. Summer vacation. Rain. Clouds. For three weeks we have been staying with family and thankfully thoroughly enjoying it. We jokingly say that this is our communal experience. But I can't help but think that the Indian people - and many eastern cultures - have got it right.

As we all know in many cultures extended families live together. In the west we often shake our heads not understanding this strange custom. I'm sure it can be difficult for some but for me the past three weeks has been fabulous. Sharing the cooking and cleaning, keeping each other company and always having someone to talk to; having someone to remind you to take out the washing and put it in the dryer; watching movies, playing bocci; taking turns baking cookies and so on.

True, here in the west, we probably wouldn't choose to live with our extended family, other than perhaps aging parents. It would be considered odd for brothers and sisters and their families to live together. In India it is expected and completely normal.

Last night "the girls" watched Julie and Julia, pouring wine and having a toast each time they made a toast in the movie. It certainly inspired me to cook and bake - something I have not been inspired to do for quite some time. And today - we are Julia. Together we have prepared a wonderful meal, Julia style...and maybe Indian style too - as a family, with three of us helping out in the kitchen and making it enjoyable, certainly not a chore.

I imagine families in India cooking together, taking turns or sharing the load of cleaning, shopping and taking care of the children. Helping out when there is a problem or something in the house needs to be fixed. It wouldn't always be a bed of roses but I can see the benefits in all stages of life: more people to play with the children or help with homework, help for parents with jobs, and more people to take care of the sick or elderly.

Living in India and vacationing in Canada is an experience in itself. It makes me appreciate both worlds for what they are and I realize that our experience in India is going to be life changing. I always say travel is the best education. Three weeks to go here in Canada and then the countdown will begin: one last year in Bangalore.

By the way, the Boeuf Bourguignon and the tarte tatin was delicious, as were the three bottles of fine wine. Thanks to Julia for inspiring and above all here's to Les Trois Gourmandes!

Imaginary Homeland

2010-06-15T22:44:00.000+05:30

Here is an interesting article from the DNA (Daily News Analysis) regarding foreignors living in Bangalore. I'm not sure that I agree that it is a "small city that is easy to get around..." However the warm weather and the fact that much of the local population speaks English does make Bangalore a favorable place to live. Everything in the article is familiar to me; from the global community to Russel Market to our french baker Marrianick. Here's the article:

Imaginary Homeland

Arun Katiyar

Even until just 10 years ago, Bangalore was a serene, quiet city. The only foreigners you saw were the ones on Brigade Road and MG Road. Most would be on their way to Mysore to take in the palace or swing by the Cauvery for some classic mahaseer (trout) fishing. Mahaseer fishing was a major draw and Jungle Lodges and Resorts was even featured in Sports Illustrated as the place to offer some of the world’s best game fish.

It was just about the time when acronyms like TI, IBM and HP were overshadowing ones like HMT, ITI and HAL. The morning cry of the vegetable vendor on our streets of ‘sopppppooo!’ would slowly vanish to be replaced by posters screaming computer classes. Today, there are people from diverse nationalities — Ethiopians, Germans, Irish, Hungarians, Brits, Nigerians, Americans, Danes, Malaysians, Canadians, Belgians, Israelis, Russians, French — who live here and have become part of the Bangalore culture. To them, Bangalore is one of the best Indian cities to live in.

Back in the 1980s and well into the 1990s, diplomats in Delhi gave the capital an exalted aura. But diplomats lead sheltered lives. Their tuna paste and cheese would arrive through the embassy. But for most other foreigners, Bangalore has quickly become one of the best places to live: the weather is great, it’s a small city that is easy to get around and has a delightfully relaxed atmosphere.

The Mercer Worldwide Quality of Living Survey for 2010 confirms this. It says that Bangalore is the top choice of foreigners in India when it comes to quality of life. What exactly is quality of life and what is the effect it has on people?

Quality of life is pegged on simple factors such as low crime rates, the standards for health, transport infrastructure, availability of consumer goods, rentals, schooling and recreation opportunities.

Quality of life is enhanced by the political stability and socio-economic conditions of the geography. And finally, it’s a question of the weather, the distance between you and natural disasters and the lines drawn by state and society that define personal freedom.

It’s become so that the expat population is now a critical component of Bangalore’s workforce. You can’t imagine Bangalore without them — and you can spot the freshly arrived as they clutch a copy of Fiona Caulfield’s Love Bangalore under their arms and locate stores like Good Earth to satiate their appetite for all things Indian.

The slightly better settled ones haunt meetings of the Overseas Women’s Club at the Leela or the ITC Windsor and are a part of the Bangalore Expatriate Club. Both the organisations — along with some commercial ones like Global Adjustments — help expats find their feet on the street: where to locate good doctors, which are the better schools, how to participate in charity work and how to attend ‘Sex and the City’ parties (okay, clean up your dirty mind, they are not what you imagine).

The ones who are completely at home can be found tucking into puliyogare rice, attending classical Carnatic music recitals and shopping at Russell Market to whip up salads with brinjal and broad beans. To them, this is the imaginary homeland they have been dreaming of.

But the one thing we constantly overlook about Bangalore and why expats find it comforting is the fact that the local population is literate and speaks English.

An Italian journalist, Ilaria Linetti, made a telling observation recently about Bangalore. Having been to various parts of the country she was astonished by the number of books being sold on the streets — many of them to do with computers and computer science. It’s a reflection of what Bangalore wants to be.

Today, expats are not just sharing their knowledge of the world outside. They find Bangalore fertile enough to set up their own businesses and bring their cultures and training with them. Mariannick Halai has started a delightfully rustic creperie and boulangerie in Whitefield. She has a wood fired oven built by her husband — who is of Indian origin — and bakes delicious baguettes and croissants. On weekends her French restaurant opens for dinner, serving simple salad and crepes.

Ione Binford, who is the CEO and co-founder of Read Ink, has settled in Bangalore’s Indira Nagar with her husband Thomas Binford — a globally acknowledged researcher of image analysis and computer vision from Stanford — to create path breaking handwriting recognition software. The Binfords have brought with them a style of research and development that is native to Silicon Valley.

While people like Mariannick Halai and Ione Binford actualise their dreams, they are restructuring and rearranging the very character of Bangalore. Can this be the start of a Bangalore that is genuinely global?

An Indian Encounter

2010-06-02T19:42:00.001+05:30

The kids and I flew back to Vancouver, Canada this week for vacation. We flew via Hong Kong and on the Hong Kong - Vancouver leg the kids sat together and I sat behind them. I was surprised when an young Indian woman travelling alone came to sit next to me. She wore a beautiful blue and red sari with copious amounts of Indian jewellery: elaborate earrings that wound up over her ear to the back of the her earlobe and dangled almost to her shoulder; gold rings; and red, blue and gold bangles on both arms from wrist to elbow.

Great, I thought, we have something in common - we both live in India. We'll actually have something to talk about. So I asked her right away, "Where are you from?"

And she said..."Canada."

"Oh." darn, that's boring, I thought.

We didn't say much after that and I couldn't quite figure her out. She ordered a special meal - veg Hindu and when the rest of our meals came (mine was chicken) she put a scarf over her face and looked like she was going to throw up.

After that I filled out my immigration card and then she asked if I would help her. I realized her English was limited. But this is a good way to find out about someone. It turned out she was from India but going to live in Canada with her husband who was already there. An arranged marriage? - not sure. Had she even met him? - I never found out. But we went through the questions which I felt a little weird asking.

"Do you have any weapons or firearms?"
She gave me a quizzical look.
"Guns, do you have a gun with you?"
Another strange look and she said, "No."

"Have you been on a farm or going to visit a farm?"
This produced a blank stare and I thought that must seem like a strange question if you don't know the basis for it. Then I thought of a line one of my friends in Bangalore said once, "India is like one big uncontained farm - look at all the cows and animals running around loose!"

So we left a few questions blank, I figured an interpretor would be best.

By the time the second meal came I had a stomach ache and couldn't eat anything. She nibbled at her veg Hindu meal and the smell made me feel worse. But when the mass of sausage and bacon was served to everyone else the both of us held our scarves to our faces and tried not to throw up.

Just before landing she got out her compact and rebraided her long hair. She looked like an Indian bride except for the color of her sari (blue instead of red). I couldn't imagine what her situation would be like, to travel to Canada alone and make a new life with a new family.

"Welcome to Vancouver," the pilot announced when we landed. She and I looked at each other and she took a deep breath and gave me full smile.

What's in the News?

2010-05-27T18:26:00.000+05:30

Here's what is in the news:

INDIA THREATENS TO RETALIATE AGAINST CANADA (Front page headline)
It appears the Indians are angered after some visa applications to Canada have been denied. Members of the BSF (Border Security Force) and IB (Intelligence Bureau) have had their visa's rejected due to "human rights violation" or because the group is "notoriously violent" and they may "endanger the lives or safety of persons in Canada." India is threatening to deal with Canadian citizens in a similar fashion if they do not apologize.
Does that mean if we leave the country they won't let us back in? Or maybe...they won't let us leave.

BANGALORE BEST FOR EXPATS (Front page)
Bangalore is the best Indian city for expats according to a global list of cities compiled by Mercer for 2010. Number 1 in India but number 140th/221 overall. They did an Eco-city Ranking also and Bangalore was the top Indian city again but number 198th/221 overall. The Eco ranking was based on water availability, waste removal, air pollution and traffic congestion. Hmm, not so good. I think we'll check out the best ranked cities for expats next time: Vienna, Zurich and Geneva. Looks like we are better off than last place Baghdad though.

STOLEN ATM FOUND ABANDONED NEAR LAKE
Yesterday an ATM was stolen from a bank without disturbing the security guards who were sound asleep. The ATM was not fixed to the wall or floor which made the burglars' job easy. The article today states the ATM has been found but they aren't sure if any money was stolen...gee, I wonder?

THE CRASH OF AIR INDIA EXPRESS IX-812
This is the flight from Dubai to Mangalore that crashed on landing. 158 of about 164 people died. Air India staff called off a two-day strike after management fired 17 leaders and suspended 15 engineers. The company had announced a gag order which prompted the flash stike. Previously there were many accusations of lax maintenance and not enough staff to safely maintain all the Air India planes.

RISE OF OLD AGE HOMES IS A DISTURBING TREND
Tradionally Indian parents stay with their children when they get old. On one hand the trend of "dumping" parents in old age homes exists only in a limited way. Children may not have the time to take care of their parents at home and parents feel neglected. Sometimes the parents prefer to be in an old age home and the stigma attached to institutional facilities appears to be fading. Still many believe this is the minority and agree that homes that take in elders who are left alone are doing a great service.

Books set in India

2010-05-24T22:20:00.007+05:30

Book list last updated April 17, 2011

2 States
the story of my marriage
by Chetan Bhagat
3 stars
An easy read recommended by Indian friends because "it is so real." It is a somewhat humorous tale of a north indian boy and a south indian girl who fall in love and then have to convince their families that they are a worthy match. An interesting and sometimes unbelievable look into the world of Indian marriages.

A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry
5 Stars
One of the best books ever written: follows a group of Indians during the 1970's during political turmoil. We experience their dreams, hopes and realities through Mistry's incredible gift of words.

City of Joy
by Dominique Lapierre
4 Stars
I read this book the first time I was in India in 1990. The descriptions of street scenes, smells and sounds were so vivid and accurate. Tells the tale of life in a Calcutta slum; the people who live there and people who give tirelessly to help them. Uplifting.

Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert
4 Stars
A divorced woman travels for a year in Italy, India and Bali. Humorous, spiritual. Based on a true story.

The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
4 1/2 Stars
This book is all about the writing style - the author has a unique style and has meticulously scrutinized every sentence...every word. One must take the time to truly read this book - skimming is not an option. A simple story written in a complicated way that revolves around three children: "two egg twins" and one who dies. Family dynamics, race and caste all play a part in this intriquing story that shifts back and forth in time - finally coming together in the end.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
by Sara Macdonald
3 Stars
Australian expat describes two years living in Delhi and her travels around India sampling the different religions. Easy read, humorous. Based on a true story.

Secret Daughter: A Novel
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
3 Stars
Two parellel stories are told. One starts off in an small Indian village, where a young woman gives birth to a baby girl. Her husband killed the last girl she gave birth to; they cannot afford to raise a girl. This time Kavita steals away and leaves the baby at an orphange. The second part of the story tells of the American woman and her Indian husband who go to Mumbai and adopt the baby girl. Decisions and consequences. A simple read that leaves the reader with a lot to think about.

Shantaram
by Gregory David Roberts
3 1/2 Stars
An Australian prison escapee lands in Mumbai and shares an unbelievable set of experiences: living in the slums and setting up a free health clinic, ending up in jail, working for the mafia, and even fighting with the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. Based on a true story.

Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
3 1/2 Stars
Insight into the life of a Brahmin widow and life within the family. Based on a true story.

The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga
The story is told from the perspective of a driver of an expat couple living in India. Well written, humorous and insightful. Apt to cause expats to be a bit paranoid.

On My List to Read

A Suitable Boy
by Vikram Seth

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
by Suketu Mehta

Wonderla

2010-05-19T14:08:00.003+05:30

We spent a day at Wonderla this past weekend. It is an amusement park with water slides and dry rides as well. We had a lot of fun, starting off with a few dry rides. I must say the Indian people do like to have a good time. We went on one sort of "haunted house" style ride called the Dungeon Ride - the four of us were in the front of the "car" and then two more rows of locals (adults) behind us. They hooted and hollered the whole time. It was hilarious.

We spent most of our time at the water slides. There was one little glitch that I had not forseen. The Indian women don't wear bathing suits. They either sit on the side and watch or they go in the water fully clothed, usually wearing a salwaar kameez (knee-length top over loose pants). I was quite perturbed at first because I had my bathing suit on, with a skirt and top over. There was no way I could just wear my bathing suit and there was no way I could wear my skirt on the slides.

Luckily Alanna was wearing shorts, so I stole them from her. Well, she's twelve and a lot smaller than me. At least I could get them on but I couldn't do them up. Luckily (again), I had a long enough top to hide the top of the shorts. Alanna is young enough that she could get away just wearing a top over her bathing suit. Actually, even a lot of the men wore their clothes in the water.

The waterslides were a lot of fun, some straight down, some where you lie down and then some where you can go on tubes. The last one we went on was the funnest: the log ride. When you hit the water, water shoots up all around you...and you get soaked!

Unlike other water parks there was no where to lie down and sun bath. It was more a Disneyland type of park; line up, go on a ride and then go to the next ride. There were lots of slides and rides that we didn't have time to go on. I'm sure we'll be back again some time soon.

Andaman Tragedy

2010-05-14T22:08:00.000+05:30

Just found out that a 25-year-old woman from the USA was killed by a saltwater crocodile just off Neil's Cove on Havelock Island on April 28th. It is so sad and such a creepy feeling knowing that we were just there in March. We snorkelled and swam right there at Neil's Cove. Anyway, just wanted to mention it, apparently there have been 24 croc attacks in 25 years. This article doesn't mention the location but I did read it in another article: Here is the link:

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/crocodile-attack-kills-us-student_100361046.html

The "Two Wheeler"

2010-05-11T21:39:00.001+05:30

The "two wheeler," also known as the motorbike or scooter can be used for many things...in India. Technically it may have only two seats - but there's so much room. And technically you are supposed to wear a helmet - well the driver usually, well sometimes does. Have a look at some common sites and uses for the two wheeler:

I thought this guy was putting on his helmet, but nope, he left it like that as he drove down the street.

And my brother's favorite - the classic Royal Enfield - this ones for you Steve!

Yoga

2010-05-04T22:10:00.002+05:30

“Words fail to convey the total value of yoga. It has to be experienced.” B.K.S. Iyengar

Initially, when we moved to India last June, I didn’t want to join anything. I didn’t want to feel like I had to be somewhere at a certain time. I wanted to be free to go here or there on a whim and not be chained to a schedule.

But then after Christmas I realized the impossible had happened – weight gain in India! So I started to go to the gym once in a while. Friends of mine had started taking yoga and raved about it. I still put it off but in February I decided the gym wasn’t all that fun, maybe I should give yoga a try.

I called up the yoga instructor and she said she had an opening for an 8:00am class.

“How about 9:30 I asked?” I didn’t mention that I'd rather have my coffee and read the paper or watch Friends reruns at 8:00am. But, no luck. So I told her to call if she had any openings for later classes.

Well, she didn’t call. So a few weeks later I called again and said I would try it, even at the earlier time. I went and I haven’t looked back. In fact the early classes are much better. You are supposed to wait three hours after a meal to do yoga or an hour after a snack. Thus, the earlier the better otherwise you starve. And it’s true, with all the twisting and turning it doesn’t feel good to do yoga on a full stomach.

Now, I’m totally on the yoga bandwagon. I’ve bought two books on yoga and I’m doing it at home, as well as classes twice a week (1 ½ hours each). I think it is such good way to keep fit. It strengthens every part of your body and it feels good. Unlike going to the gym where you feel exhausted at the end of it, with yoga you feel rejuvenated, like you are doing something really good for the body.

Problem: my yoga instructor is leaving in July! I’m so disappointed. I’ll have to find someone else but so far I haven’t found anyone that teachers the type of yoga I am doing: Iyengar Yoga. The closest teacher seems to be in Jayanagar, an hour from my house. Not only that but the class is Sunday mornings at 8:00am. So far Sunday morning coffee looks like it is going to win out, but you never know…

Yahoo Groups

2010-05-01T10:45:00.000+05:30

Until I moved to Bangalore I was never a member of any yahoo group. Now I'm linked to four: one for the OWC, one for our gated community, and one for parents to communicate for each grade at the school. The idea is to communicate events or concerns. Of course it can turn into more than that.

The Gr. 7 group is pretty non vocal but the Gr. 5 parents are another story. Next year our kids go from PYP (primary) to MYP (middle school) which means they move to a different building (with evil big kids, grade 6-8) and will get different teachers for different subjects. Well, the emails from parents - "how will our children handle this?" Concern that they will get "too much homework," or "they will not get enough homework" and the biggest concern seemed to be about choosing second lanquages and how they are taught.

That settled down and now the big issue is a program that the school is implementing OLPC (one laptop per child). Of course the group has been in an uproar, "it will be too heavy to carry," "will the children still be taught to write?" (seriously?) "my child will be on the computer too much." (not if you monitor them).

As for our "gated community" the Yahoo issue has been regarding clubhouse fees - owners feel they are too high and have banded together not to pay the fees until certain measures have been taken: decrease in fees, more lounge chairs at the pool (that seems to be a big issue), and better pool maintenance. Good for them for sticking together and fighting for what they want.

But now that memberships are past due, some people who haven't paid are trying to sneak in anyway and then it becomes a show down when they get caught and security forces them to leave. Well, you know, if you are trying to take a stand - don't try and get the service for free. We, on the otherhand have the fees included in our rent so I guess we are going to "cross the picket line" and enjoy the facilities.

Most often the groups are informative about upcoming events, items for sale, and even warnings to keep doors closed due to snake sightings. The biggest problem is those that "reply" instead of posting a "new message" as the thread becomes nauseatingly long.

Summertime

2010-04-26T19:59:00.001+05:30

It is summertime in Bangalore and the heat wave is not letting up. April and May are the hot months and the locals say it is unusually hot this year. Late afternoon thunder storms are welcomed, bringing with them cool winds. In fact, at the first sign of rain (it’s been five months), Alanna runs around outside until she is soaked, singing, dancing and doing cartwheels!

Some say the heat is a side effect of cutting down too many trees in the city. Construction continues in every corner of the town and it seems there is a price to pay. For most families the heat makes it difficult to sleep. They can open the windows to let some air in but then the mosquitoes come in too. Keep the windows closed and it feels like a sauna.

We have fans and air conditioning – most, of course don't. However, the electrical can only handle one A/C on at a time and three fans (if we are lucky) or else the entire electrical trips.

The drawback for us is not being able to sit outside on the (covered) patio. After 9:00am it is just too hot. Walking a block to the mall produces such a sweat, one needs to bring along a change of clothes. Thank goodness for the pool - at least the water has warmed up to a nice temperature now. For much of the year it was on the cold side.

Of course the flowers and trees are blooming, our bananas are finished for the year, but the papayas keep on coming. And now it is mango season and the little rain that we do get ripens them, making them juicy and wonderful to eat or blend into mango lassi - yum!

Andaman Islands (Part 6): Port Blair

2010-04-20T18:34:00.002+05:30

We left Havelock on the 2:00pm ferry. This time we specified that we wanted seats on the upper deck and all together. Last time our seats were all over the place although we managed to find some close together. In hindsight we should have taken the newer catamaran which is a comfortable one hour trip vs the two hour older ferry.

Arrived in Port Blair and stayed overnight at TSG Emerald View Hotel. It's a 2 1/2 star hotel and it felt clean and luxurious compared to Barefoot at Havelock. We had an excellent meal at the hotel restaurant, including huge tiger prawns, chinese chili chicken and more at very reasonable prices.

Unfortunately we didn't make it to the sound and light show at the Andaman Cellular Jail and in the morning when we went there hoping to tour it, it was closed for Good Friday.

Port Blair was stinking hot and humid. The kids went back to the room and Michael and I went for a walk through the town. Very pleasant little town, lots of little shops, temples and quaint cottage style houses painted in blues and greens. Lot of trees and statues as well.

Off to the airport to catch our Kingfisher flight to Chennai and once we got there we were told that our next flight, Chennai - Bangalore had been cancelled. We would have to wait there for six hours for the next one at 8:30pm. Not too happy about that so when we got to Chennai we went to book in and asked if there was any other flight that we could take. Much to our relief Kingfisher put us on a Jet Airways flight that left at 5:30pm. So kudos to Kingfisher, I was impressed with that. But I must say the Jet Airways plane was much nicer and took only 40 min. vs one hour.

Andaman Islands (Part 5): Waves

2010-04-16T11:51:00.001+05:30

When we first arrived at Havelock it was almost a full moon. The waves at Beach #7 were pleasant for body surfing.

After the full moon and by the end of our week waves were much bigger and crashing very close to the shore. Does the moon have anything to do with this? There was also a 6.6 magnitude earthquake near the Andamans on March 30th, right in the middle of our stay. Perhaps that caused the larger waves?

Our kids love being out in these huge waves and so on our last day that's what we did. We hung out at the beach with some people we had met from Mumbai. I started taking pictures and then this other family came along - a Mom with three young children and the grandparents. They start blowing up those inflatable rings for the kids to float in. Sure enough their first wave was their last. The wave was huge and sent the kids into the "washing machine" effect...and out they came. You can see them in the above picture just before getting pummelled. Others didn't know whether to run towards the wave, or away from it!

...and here's a couple more...

Andaman Islands (Part 4) - The Other Side of the Island

2010-04-15T10:20:00.000+05:30

One day we ventured to the other side of the island. We walked through the forest to the main road and got a three wheeler (tuk tuk). Havelock is a small island, but hilly and jungle like, with the occassional coconut grove or rice field.

We stopped at Village No.3 (exciting names on this island, eh?) to look around a bit. Village No.3 is found at a junction and is just a few touristy shops and local shops selling this and that. Not much to see so we carried on to the beach and past multitudes of backpacker huts. Stopped at Emerald Gecko and walked to the beach. Very pretty, turquoise water but we could tell it was full of coral, nowhere to swim.

Lots of backpacker types with dreadlocks hangin' on the beach. We walked from Emerald Gecko to Wild Orchid and stopped there for lunch. Had some really good Thai curries, fish and chips and the best cheese naan. The beach all the way was sandy, but narrow, even with the tide out.

We found lots of hermit crabs along the beach. They are so cool to watch. First they just look like shells but then you realize they are all moving.

The kids enjoyed them, as well as these tiny little crabs on Beach #7 that would dig a little hole and then make little balls made out of sand all around - super cool sand art.

Andaman Islands (Part 3) - Snorkeling

2010-04-12T12:48:00.002+05:30

We snorkeled at three locations.

One, Neil's Cove, is easy to get to as it is just around the corner from Beach #7. It is a beautiful little area, good for both swimming and snorkeling. It is best to go there when the tide is low as the tide goes almost up to the tree line when it is high. There is a good variety of fish in smaller numbers and some nice patches of colorful coral. We saw a school of Bump Head Parrot fish each day we snorkeled at Neil's Cove. Very cool. Unfortunately I do not have an underwater camera (although one could be a worthwhile investment), so here's a video link to these fish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DiDnxWgDHA

One day we did a snorkel trip and went to South Button and Lighthouse. South Button is a 1 1/2 hour boat ride from the Havelock Jetty. We booked it through Barefoot Adventures and it cost 2500Rp/person. This included snorkeling at two spots and lunch on board the boat. There were 12 of us and 5 crew.

South Button is a tiny island. We jumped in the ocean, put our snorkel masks on and looked beneath the surface. There was a wall of yellow fish - hundreds of them, maybe thousands - it was unbelievable. The water was clear and the coral was magnificent in all shapes and sizes. Alanna tugged on my elbow and we went to the surface, "This is sic!" she said. That's a good sign.

We swam around the island in about fifty minutes. The tide was quite strong so for the first half it swept us along. There were many fish, in numbers and variety, and lots and lots of healthy coral. Of course on the return trip on the other side of the island it was a bit more difficult to swim against the tide.

Once we all got back into the boat we had lunch, a good Indian buffet. We relaxed and enjoyed the ride until we got to our next location: Lighthouse, only about ten minutes from Havelock. Here, there were not nearly so many fish but there were some giant clam shells which were impressive. It was nice to snorkel twice but it certainly was not going to come close to South Button. The kids took to jumping off the top of the boat for fun - sometimes I think that's their favorite part of snorkeling.

Andaman Islands (Part 2)...the Good Stuff About Havelock Island

2010-04-08T20:21:00.010+05:30

We were on Havelock Island for six nights and stayed two minutes from Beach #7, rated Best Beach in Asia by Time in 2004. Well, if you like a white sandy beach lined with trees that stretches for 2 km. this might just do.

Add clear, warm, turquoise water - no rocks, no coral - wonderful for swimming and you might start to love it.

Throw in amazing sunsets everynight.

Add an elephant or two in the water, on the beach or in the forest - and you've got the wow factor.

...and that's only some of Beach #7. Let's explore other parts of the island and more of Beach #7 next post.