“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times!” Yes, it is the tale of two cities. Luckily we were treated to the best the city has to offer. Many are not so lucky. We were constantly reminded of how the poor live. You can see the slum cities from the airplane as you are flying in because they are just massive. Taxi rides are the worse; the adorable dirty faces children are begging for money so they can get something to eat. It breaks your heart to ignore them but if you give to one a hundred more will appear and then you are making the whole system (organized begging), profitable. Our friend Angus once gave a little girl an orange and she threw it down in disgust – she wanted money! The worst I saw was a mother with a baby over her shoulder begging for food for the baby. The skin on the baby looked similar to an eighty year old living on the beach in Florida!
The good news is Mumbai is on the ocean and there was always a fresh breeze blowing through the streets to keep the air liveable! I’m sure on very hot, still days it can be hell!
We met many wonderful people, mainly through GB. Eleanor was visiting (and working) from London. She is studying medicine and is planning to return and work with the poor. Annalisa is an architect from Italy who was hired by Mrs. Bulgari, of the watch fame, to build the Dali Lama a new monastery in Delhi. The paperwork has been held up for two years so she is starting a private home in Goa. I’m sure Nicole and her will meet up many more times! Anushka is the leggy singer we met at Aurus. She appeared a little shy, stiff and reserved out at dinner, but I was in for a surprise later on!
The final day we tried to finish the paperwork for Nicole’s registration but she is still missing one document from the employer who was out of town for Parsi New Year. There are 32 official holidays where schools, banks and government close down! We had to say goodbye to Chopstix. She flew to Vietnam to have a holiday with a friend.
Nicole received a call that Anushka and her band, Shkabang, were playing at the Blue Frog – so of course we were there! The girl is wild!!!!! She is thin and very angular! She danced and hopped all over the stage! She sang mad girl songs about all the men that had tried to use her, made promises to get her into showbiz, etc. She was great! She ended and a great DJ started mixing with many Michael Jackson songs – everyone was up and dancing till two or three am. I have stopped watching the time!
It was difficult saying goodbye to GB. How is it possible to thank someone who has been so kind and generous? He totally opened his house to us and made us feel so welcomed and spoiled! A girl could get used to this treatment… ☺
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
MUMBAI (Bombay)
Did I say I was going to slum it! I lied! I love this place! It has a nail salon! No place in Goa does acrylic nails. It had been six weeks!!!! I was missing my thumb and my index finger was super-glued on! I am whole again!
The news has been full of scary things but things seem okay for now! The tsunami did not happen and the swine flu is hopefully under control. Someone insisted we take the “slum tour” but I think that we’ll avoid that one for now! Nicole and I ate lunch at Leopold’s, the restaurant where the terrorists first opened fire during the attacks. Leopold’s has left the bullet holes in the front window and on the pillars, for the tourists and as silent tribute, but we ate in defiance of maniacs. We will not hide in fear! The Oberoi is still semi boarded up with plywood but they are working on repairs. The Gateway to India and the Taj are tomorrow.
We are staying in GB’s flat! It is all white marble floors with teak woodwork and green mango trees outside the windows. It is modern with loads of closets. We have house staff that brings us coffee or chai as soon as we stir! GB had a homemade lemon chiffon cheesecake delivered, which Nicole and I eat for breakfast every morning! (it is light next to NYC cakes so don’t condemn us!) We have a driver to take us wherever we want to go! A neighbor lady sent a huge pot of mutton biryani over for dinner last night, stewed in ghee (clarified butter)! Life is good!
We have been Gallery and Museum hopping, strolled through the zoo (very pathetic), did a little shopping, eating out and basic sightseeing. The most unusual site is gated and walled, so we could not actually see it, but it is on the tallest hill and it is called “The Tower of Silence.” It is the funeral spot for the Parsees (originally from Persia/ Iran). The Hindu’s cremate, the Muslim’s bury and the Parsees go to the tower. It is a huge round tower of three concentric circles. Men are laid in the outside and the next ring is for women and the innermost, around the center pit, is for children. The vultures feast away and all the flesh is gone within two hours. The sun dries the bones and they are then pushed into a big pit in the middle. I saw a replica in the museum so it all makes sense. The 2 problems are 1 - there are few vultures left so they are using solar panels and chemicals to speed up the process and 2 – residents around the site don’t like the random bits of flesh that the vultures drop onto their porches every so often. I thought it was very strange at first and I knew the Newman’s would not approve, but then I remembered that is exactly what the American Indians used to do! Very green!
One evening we went to a restaurant called “Olive” which is located at the horse track! I had been raving to Nicole about a movie I saw on cable, Indie station, called “Before the Rains”. It is a beautiful movie about an Englishman in India trying to build a highway before the monsoon starts. He has an affair with his Indian servant girl but when his wife comes to live with him, he mistreats her. It tells of the many conflicts that result with his Indian head worker. We are sitting around the big round table (with the many beautiful ladies that GB gathers) and a man sits down next to me at the request of GB. He tells us to come to the movies on Friday because it is the India opening of a new movie “Before the Rains.” I told him I believe I had seen it and he snapped “How?” Then he remembered it had been released in the US. He asks, “How is it possible you saw it, but you do not realize you are sitting next to the star of it?” His name is Rahul Bose and he is the Dustin Hoffman of India! So, our picture together will be posted when we get back to Goa! Also in the picture are GB’s beautiful women and his very handsome son!
Of all his harem, GB is most fond of a lovely movie producer, Chopstix (her long, beautiful black hair is always pinned up with chopstix or pencils), and she has been staying at the flat with us, before traveling off to Vietnam. GB took Chopstix, her friend, Nicole and I on a surprise afternoon excursion. He dropped us all off for a reflexology foot massage! It was heaven! He went and did some work and let us shop for a little while. Nicole found a top and dress in Indian cotton that actually fit her on the sales rack! GB also ordered an apple crumble from the cake shop, to replace the cheescake we had finished! The crumble tasted just like my mother’s apple filing. Yum!...... but GB never touches any of it himself!
August 15th was India Independence Day! It is similar to July 4th, when we also got rid of the British! Guess how they celebrate? By not drinking! It’s a “dry day” all over India. Imagine that! We went to the world famous music club and recording studio, ‘Blue Frog’, for a concert. The head performer was Taufig Qureshi, Zaqir Hussein’s brother, the respectively rated 3rd and 1st best drummers in the world. It was classical Indian music, raagas with sitar, but Taufiq played on a modern drum kit, instead of his usual table. They had a drum circle at the end and everyone in the club played different parts on the tables! It was great!
In the pictures you will see several apartments! GB’s all white flat is very elegant, but has no artwork. So he took us to his friends Alisa’s flat to see her painting collection and creative red walls and chandeliers! It is fabulous, the artwork was great (especially an amazing Shakti Burman piece) and the entire outside wall opens up on a wooden deck and a full view of the city.
Nicole has introduced me to so many of her friends. Riyaaz is a brilliant entrepreneur who has opened many trendy coffee shops (one is total 70’s and called ‘Mocha Mojo’), and some very contemporary restaurants. He treated us to one of them, Salt Water Grill, and we loved it so much that we’ve been back three times for their shrimp and coconut soup, asparagus soup with white asparagus foam, and seasoned John Dory fish over sunflower seed risotto. Although it took a while to meet them, Nicole does have some female friends – Laila and Divya (and went to Salt Water). Dilawar, wanted us all to meet him for dinner at a swank club, Aurus, where we hobnobbed with Bollywood, MTv musicians and TV celebs. Dilawar had his two-seater Mercedes SLK, so we had to settle for a drop in another couple’s C Class.
Monday, I convinced Nicole to do a few touristy things, so we went to the Gateway of India and the Taj. It is under renovations to make an all new look. We were not allowed in. That night we returned to the Salt Water Grille with Cyrus (an MTV personality who hosts the funniest show ‘Hole in the Wall’) and I had the John Dory over sunflower seed risotto again! It is one of the best dishes I have ever had – other than Indian food! Elvis was in the house, since he is waiting for his visa to go to Spain, so he joined us. He had played in Bangalore over the weekend and played so hard he sliced his finger, so was musically challenged!
Tuesday evening, a car picked us up and took us to Dilawar’s hotel, the Royal Palms. He booked us a villa with our own private swimming pool. It is beautiful hotel, but starting to show some age. So they have built a new one, the Imperial Palace, on the hill above it. It definitely has an Italian influence. Nicole sat out by the pool drinking wine with Dilawar, while I passed out in the room. In the morning, we ordered room service and then went for Thai massages. They are dry massages, no oil, where they stretch you and bend you and apply some accupressure, get the blood flowing, loosen the joints, and open up your chakras (energy centers). The finishing steam room was more like a boiler room, but we hung in there! We were whisked up to the Imperial Palace for lunch in the Tuscan Room with Dilawar and friend. The steak in a Tuscan gravy was great. As was the tirimisu! The pictures will show the beauty! Not bad for two girls from Pulaski!.... thanks to my daughters good looks, long legs and charming personality! She is a sweetie!
We are still waiting for Nicole’s registration to finish (the Foreign Registration Office is asking for more documentation than was required to get the actual visa), so are staying for a few extra days, until it is done. We’ll go back go Goa as soon as that is finished. Ajay has come to Goa for some work, so I’ll finally get to meet him after all this time. As soon as he got to Goa, he went to visit the kittens, whom he hadn’t ever met. After easily falling in love with them, he learned from the neighbor that the little boy, our little Jacko, who we’ve brought back from death 5 times, had fallen into the well. The old lady found him clinging to the side of the well, meowing up for help, and sent the neighbor boy in to fish him out. He’s only two months old, but only has 3 more lives left….
The news has been full of scary things but things seem okay for now! The tsunami did not happen and the swine flu is hopefully under control. Someone insisted we take the “slum tour” but I think that we’ll avoid that one for now! Nicole and I ate lunch at Leopold’s, the restaurant where the terrorists first opened fire during the attacks. Leopold’s has left the bullet holes in the front window and on the pillars, for the tourists and as silent tribute, but we ate in defiance of maniacs. We will not hide in fear! The Oberoi is still semi boarded up with plywood but they are working on repairs. The Gateway to India and the Taj are tomorrow.
We are staying in GB’s flat! It is all white marble floors with teak woodwork and green mango trees outside the windows. It is modern with loads of closets. We have house staff that brings us coffee or chai as soon as we stir! GB had a homemade lemon chiffon cheesecake delivered, which Nicole and I eat for breakfast every morning! (it is light next to NYC cakes so don’t condemn us!) We have a driver to take us wherever we want to go! A neighbor lady sent a huge pot of mutton biryani over for dinner last night, stewed in ghee (clarified butter)! Life is good!
We have been Gallery and Museum hopping, strolled through the zoo (very pathetic), did a little shopping, eating out and basic sightseeing. The most unusual site is gated and walled, so we could not actually see it, but it is on the tallest hill and it is called “The Tower of Silence.” It is the funeral spot for the Parsees (originally from Persia/ Iran). The Hindu’s cremate, the Muslim’s bury and the Parsees go to the tower. It is a huge round tower of three concentric circles. Men are laid in the outside and the next ring is for women and the innermost, around the center pit, is for children. The vultures feast away and all the flesh is gone within two hours. The sun dries the bones and they are then pushed into a big pit in the middle. I saw a replica in the museum so it all makes sense. The 2 problems are 1 - there are few vultures left so they are using solar panels and chemicals to speed up the process and 2 – residents around the site don’t like the random bits of flesh that the vultures drop onto their porches every so often. I thought it was very strange at first and I knew the Newman’s would not approve, but then I remembered that is exactly what the American Indians used to do! Very green!
One evening we went to a restaurant called “Olive” which is located at the horse track! I had been raving to Nicole about a movie I saw on cable, Indie station, called “Before the Rains”. It is a beautiful movie about an Englishman in India trying to build a highway before the monsoon starts. He has an affair with his Indian servant girl but when his wife comes to live with him, he mistreats her. It tells of the many conflicts that result with his Indian head worker. We are sitting around the big round table (with the many beautiful ladies that GB gathers) and a man sits down next to me at the request of GB. He tells us to come to the movies on Friday because it is the India opening of a new movie “Before the Rains.” I told him I believe I had seen it and he snapped “How?” Then he remembered it had been released in the US. He asks, “How is it possible you saw it, but you do not realize you are sitting next to the star of it?” His name is Rahul Bose and he is the Dustin Hoffman of India! So, our picture together will be posted when we get back to Goa! Also in the picture are GB’s beautiful women and his very handsome son!
Of all his harem, GB is most fond of a lovely movie producer, Chopstix (her long, beautiful black hair is always pinned up with chopstix or pencils), and she has been staying at the flat with us, before traveling off to Vietnam. GB took Chopstix, her friend, Nicole and I on a surprise afternoon excursion. He dropped us all off for a reflexology foot massage! It was heaven! He went and did some work and let us shop for a little while. Nicole found a top and dress in Indian cotton that actually fit her on the sales rack! GB also ordered an apple crumble from the cake shop, to replace the cheescake we had finished! The crumble tasted just like my mother’s apple filing. Yum!...... but GB never touches any of it himself!
August 15th was India Independence Day! It is similar to July 4th, when we also got rid of the British! Guess how they celebrate? By not drinking! It’s a “dry day” all over India. Imagine that! We went to the world famous music club and recording studio, ‘Blue Frog’, for a concert. The head performer was Taufig Qureshi, Zaqir Hussein’s brother, the respectively rated 3rd and 1st best drummers in the world. It was classical Indian music, raagas with sitar, but Taufiq played on a modern drum kit, instead of his usual table. They had a drum circle at the end and everyone in the club played different parts on the tables! It was great!
In the pictures you will see several apartments! GB’s all white flat is very elegant, but has no artwork. So he took us to his friends Alisa’s flat to see her painting collection and creative red walls and chandeliers! It is fabulous, the artwork was great (especially an amazing Shakti Burman piece) and the entire outside wall opens up on a wooden deck and a full view of the city.
Nicole has introduced me to so many of her friends. Riyaaz is a brilliant entrepreneur who has opened many trendy coffee shops (one is total 70’s and called ‘Mocha Mojo’), and some very contemporary restaurants. He treated us to one of them, Salt Water Grill, and we loved it so much that we’ve been back three times for their shrimp and coconut soup, asparagus soup with white asparagus foam, and seasoned John Dory fish over sunflower seed risotto. Although it took a while to meet them, Nicole does have some female friends – Laila and Divya (and went to Salt Water). Dilawar, wanted us all to meet him for dinner at a swank club, Aurus, where we hobnobbed with Bollywood, MTv musicians and TV celebs. Dilawar had his two-seater Mercedes SLK, so we had to settle for a drop in another couple’s C Class.
Monday, I convinced Nicole to do a few touristy things, so we went to the Gateway of India and the Taj. It is under renovations to make an all new look. We were not allowed in. That night we returned to the Salt Water Grille with Cyrus (an MTV personality who hosts the funniest show ‘Hole in the Wall’) and I had the John Dory over sunflower seed risotto again! It is one of the best dishes I have ever had – other than Indian food! Elvis was in the house, since he is waiting for his visa to go to Spain, so he joined us. He had played in Bangalore over the weekend and played so hard he sliced his finger, so was musically challenged!
Tuesday evening, a car picked us up and took us to Dilawar’s hotel, the Royal Palms. He booked us a villa with our own private swimming pool. It is beautiful hotel, but starting to show some age. So they have built a new one, the Imperial Palace, on the hill above it. It definitely has an Italian influence. Nicole sat out by the pool drinking wine with Dilawar, while I passed out in the room. In the morning, we ordered room service and then went for Thai massages. They are dry massages, no oil, where they stretch you and bend you and apply some accupressure, get the blood flowing, loosen the joints, and open up your chakras (energy centers). The finishing steam room was more like a boiler room, but we hung in there! We were whisked up to the Imperial Palace for lunch in the Tuscan Room with Dilawar and friend. The steak in a Tuscan gravy was great. As was the tirimisu! The pictures will show the beauty! Not bad for two girls from Pulaski!.... thanks to my daughters good looks, long legs and charming personality! She is a sweetie!
We are still waiting for Nicole’s registration to finish (the Foreign Registration Office is asking for more documentation than was required to get the actual visa), so are staying for a few extra days, until it is done. We’ll go back go Goa as soon as that is finished. Ajay has come to Goa for some work, so I’ll finally get to meet him after all this time. As soon as he got to Goa, he went to visit the kittens, whom he hadn’t ever met. After easily falling in love with them, he learned from the neighbor that the little boy, our little Jacko, who we’ve brought back from death 5 times, had fallen into the well. The old lady found him clinging to the side of the well, meowing up for help, and sent the neighbor boy in to fish him out. He’s only two months old, but only has 3 more lives left….
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday August 09
Sorry I was so slow getting the rest of the Hampi pictures up! I hope you are all enjoying our adventures – we are having a blast yet relaxing as well. There is no reason to follow any schedule or commit to anything!
Speaking of commitments, Nicole promised her neighbor Jane that we would attend “Peace Day” at the Catholic Church right down the road. (Valencia’s resting place - We really agreed to go because we heard they throw the old bones in a well and we needed to find out where that was.) She said it was a play but as all Catholics manipulate, it was a full mass with eight priest on the altar then a “performance”! We expected to see her kids but she said it was very hard to get them to go! The mass was all in Konkoni, the local language, so we understood nothing but recognized the flow! We decided to go to communion because it was peace day and after Bush, Americans need all the good press they can get. It seems every Priest had to talk but soon we all moved outside for the show!
The front row consisted of the eight Priests and twenty Nuns in peachy colored saris. The first number was performed by ninth grade girls and boys doing a slow dance to Shakira’s “The Hips Don’t Lie!” I was embarrassed and hoped the masses couldn’t understand the words! Next came the Ladies Gospel Group (18 verses) followed by a rousing game of Bible Bingo.
Well, for those of you who know me, I can only behave for so long and then I get punchy and it is going on three hours now! We were trying to slip out but Jane caught us at the stairs and dragged us into the Clergy Hall where all the Priests and Nuns were eating. They gave us plates and told us to fill up as everyone was eating. I look down at this huge cake that reads “Thank you Fat hors!” I start laughing and could not get out any words to try to get Nicole to read the cake. I am dying, Nicole can’t figure out what is going on, tears are running down my face and this Nun says “Don’t be shy, have some cake!”
Come to find out, it is not “Peace Day” but it is “Priest Day” so the cake sloppily read “Thank you Fathers”. Then to top it all off, we got sick the next day and spent the day running to the bathroom! Catholics always get their revenge!
We had a slow week but did get many things done. We did go to Fort Aguada and found an old watchtower like you find in St. Augustine or Spanish Ports. There was a group of Sikhs sitting on the rocks getting battered by the waves. They invited us to join them. I stayed on dry land to take photos but the wild child joined in! She looked a little strange at lunch, all wet, but was cool!
I was taken to my first all night Trance party. The evening started out to see Elvis at his final night. He is off to Spain and then to Amsterdam with a Russian Band. He told me I was his inspiration to get back in the business rather than just playing in Goa. He said it was inspiring to know an American who had lived through the rock and roll era and thought he was good. If he ever makes it back to the US, there will be a concert in Pulaski!
Then came the Trance Party! It was a local DJ’s birthday party. She played for a while, and then Angus took over at 3 am! Angus traveled the world recording sounds to put in electronic music. His stuff was okay but not melodic enough for an Autenrith girl! (my mother’s side of the family) Jonny Jungle Juice asked me if I liked the music and I answered not really. He told me next time he would bring some acid and then I would enjoy it more! Can’t wait to avoid that! The party broke up at sunset and on the way home we had to stop and buy four water bottles of Petrol to get home. The shop was also frying up the first sweet bread of the day so Angus treated us for taking him home! Delicious! India’s version of the donut. Angus added hot peppers in the center of his but it didn’t appeal to me.
I talked to several family members in the past couple of days. Main questions were reoccurring so I will give a little basic information:
- The temperature has been around 75 degrees but can get very humid before it rains. There is usually a breeze since we are close to the ocean. The monsoon has been very mild this year.
- The food has been great. I have been eating everything but have avoided the hot chilies. The local restaurants have thalis (plate). You can get a veg or fish thalis. This a variation of whatever is fresh and available that day. There is a bakery one town over where we can get almond cake, walnut cake and coconut cookies. If we are out of eggs, we have my favorite cake thali for breakfast with nutella, peanut butter or lemon marmalade! The boats are just starting to go out into the ocean, as the monsoon was almost nonexistent this week! We may start getting bigger fish. I could be a vegetarian here if they included shrimp!
- There are regular bathrooms with toilets. Nicole has a lovely bathroom that Ajay built onto the house. It has a normal flush toilet with paper. Most bathrooms are wet bathrooms. The showerhead and all faucets just pour onto the floor with a drain at one end. The shower is not connected to the hot water and comes out about 70 degrees so feels great after a hot afternoon. The tank needs to be turned on for a bucket bath but is ready in 15 or 20 minutes. You can work on the laundry while bathing since you are wet anyway! It is best to air dry since the towels don’t want to dry. It is very green and very refreshing! It might be too cold in NY to do the big room approach but the tank idea is better than heating water all day!
- Contrary to my original belief, Goa is a state, not a city. It’s a small one, the old Portuguese Province. So Nicole actually lives in the ward of Oxel, city of Siolim, Goa.
OFF TO MUMBAI on Tuesday. We are flying as the tickets cost only $50 each. We will be there for a week so may not get any news out! We were going to lived it up but decided to slum it and see how the other half lives. Stay tuned for more adventures!
Speaking of commitments, Nicole promised her neighbor Jane that we would attend “Peace Day” at the Catholic Church right down the road. (Valencia’s resting place - We really agreed to go because we heard they throw the old bones in a well and we needed to find out where that was.) She said it was a play but as all Catholics manipulate, it was a full mass with eight priest on the altar then a “performance”! We expected to see her kids but she said it was very hard to get them to go! The mass was all in Konkoni, the local language, so we understood nothing but recognized the flow! We decided to go to communion because it was peace day and after Bush, Americans need all the good press they can get. It seems every Priest had to talk but soon we all moved outside for the show!
The front row consisted of the eight Priests and twenty Nuns in peachy colored saris. The first number was performed by ninth grade girls and boys doing a slow dance to Shakira’s “The Hips Don’t Lie!” I was embarrassed and hoped the masses couldn’t understand the words! Next came the Ladies Gospel Group (18 verses) followed by a rousing game of Bible Bingo.
Well, for those of you who know me, I can only behave for so long and then I get punchy and it is going on three hours now! We were trying to slip out but Jane caught us at the stairs and dragged us into the Clergy Hall where all the Priests and Nuns were eating. They gave us plates and told us to fill up as everyone was eating. I look down at this huge cake that reads “Thank you Fat hors!” I start laughing and could not get out any words to try to get Nicole to read the cake. I am dying, Nicole can’t figure out what is going on, tears are running down my face and this Nun says “Don’t be shy, have some cake!”
Come to find out, it is not “Peace Day” but it is “Priest Day” so the cake sloppily read “Thank you Fathers”. Then to top it all off, we got sick the next day and spent the day running to the bathroom! Catholics always get their revenge!
We had a slow week but did get many things done. We did go to Fort Aguada and found an old watchtower like you find in St. Augustine or Spanish Ports. There was a group of Sikhs sitting on the rocks getting battered by the waves. They invited us to join them. I stayed on dry land to take photos but the wild child joined in! She looked a little strange at lunch, all wet, but was cool!
I was taken to my first all night Trance party. The evening started out to see Elvis at his final night. He is off to Spain and then to Amsterdam with a Russian Band. He told me I was his inspiration to get back in the business rather than just playing in Goa. He said it was inspiring to know an American who had lived through the rock and roll era and thought he was good. If he ever makes it back to the US, there will be a concert in Pulaski!
Then came the Trance Party! It was a local DJ’s birthday party. She played for a while, and then Angus took over at 3 am! Angus traveled the world recording sounds to put in electronic music. His stuff was okay but not melodic enough for an Autenrith girl! (my mother’s side of the family) Jonny Jungle Juice asked me if I liked the music and I answered not really. He told me next time he would bring some acid and then I would enjoy it more! Can’t wait to avoid that! The party broke up at sunset and on the way home we had to stop and buy four water bottles of Petrol to get home. The shop was also frying up the first sweet bread of the day so Angus treated us for taking him home! Delicious! India’s version of the donut. Angus added hot peppers in the center of his but it didn’t appeal to me.
I talked to several family members in the past couple of days. Main questions were reoccurring so I will give a little basic information:
- The temperature has been around 75 degrees but can get very humid before it rains. There is usually a breeze since we are close to the ocean. The monsoon has been very mild this year.
- The food has been great. I have been eating everything but have avoided the hot chilies. The local restaurants have thalis (plate). You can get a veg or fish thalis. This a variation of whatever is fresh and available that day. There is a bakery one town over where we can get almond cake, walnut cake and coconut cookies. If we are out of eggs, we have my favorite cake thali for breakfast with nutella, peanut butter or lemon marmalade! The boats are just starting to go out into the ocean, as the monsoon was almost nonexistent this week! We may start getting bigger fish. I could be a vegetarian here if they included shrimp!
- There are regular bathrooms with toilets. Nicole has a lovely bathroom that Ajay built onto the house. It has a normal flush toilet with paper. Most bathrooms are wet bathrooms. The showerhead and all faucets just pour onto the floor with a drain at one end. The shower is not connected to the hot water and comes out about 70 degrees so feels great after a hot afternoon. The tank needs to be turned on for a bucket bath but is ready in 15 or 20 minutes. You can work on the laundry while bathing since you are wet anyway! It is best to air dry since the towels don’t want to dry. It is very green and very refreshing! It might be too cold in NY to do the big room approach but the tank idea is better than heating water all day!
- Contrary to my original belief, Goa is a state, not a city. It’s a small one, the old Portuguese Province. So Nicole actually lives in the ward of Oxel, city of Siolim, Goa.
OFF TO MUMBAI on Tuesday. We are flying as the tickets cost only $50 each. We will be there for a week so may not get any news out! We were going to lived it up but decided to slum it and see how the other half lives. Stay tuned for more adventures!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Hampi II
Note: I see some of the titles on the photos are cut off. If you go to the album view, you can see all the full titles.
One more note about the Vittala (sonic) Temple. There are 81 pillars that all ring a different note and can be made sharp or flat. The pillars used to be played especially for the pleasure of the Queen. Strings of silk and cotton were strung around the base of the temple to amplify the sound. It is no longer possible to play the temple due to damage and wear over the years. Basava bribed a guard he knew, and when the conservation police left, we had a demonstration. It was ethereal! He only struck the pillars with his fingertips, but they used to use sticks and metal instruments for more sound! Very cool!
Hampi II
Sorry but the Hampi photos will be a little out of order. We were using two cameras and switching memory cards. (After we got back from Hampi, we took GB to see Elvis, since he is a huge blues fan and had read so much about him on the blog. The picture of GB and the kittens and the one of the girl on the bike were from back in Goa.)
The next group of pictures is day three in Hampi (pronounced Humpi by the men). You will note that GB is absent or sitting in many photos! He claims “too much Humpi makes a man tired!”
At the end of day two, Nicole and I went down the river in the bamboo bowl called a coracle! The river had swollen, the road was under water, and most of the boatman refused to navigate the rive. Our guide, Basava, is native to Hampi and found the best, strongest oarsman to take us. It is an experience most don’t get to do. (Basava was born and raised in Hampi and he and his father used to herd the family goats through the fields and actually sleep over in the courtyards and temples, many of which you are no longer allowed to even touch!) The boat was very stable once everyone was seated. Basava made a stop and took us to some very special lingam sites (50 Phallic nubs carved into the rocks that the women pour milk on). When back in the boat, Nicole agreed to a spin of the basket that almost cost me my lunch – it was very fast! A second area was underwater so we took another boat basket to the main area we needed to go. The bowl was full of water when we first saw it and I worried about a leak but it was fine.
We stayed in the village of Anegundi. It was the original capital in the 1200’s. Here we stayed with a lady named Shama, who, when she came to the area many years ago, just fell in love with it. She is called the Queen of Hampi since she is the force behind preserving Hampi. Many of the sites, including the Underground Shiva Temple was only uncovered recently. The site has only been fenced and worked on for the past 15 years. Shama bought herself some land to build an amazing house, and then started addressing some of the issues that she saw around her. As with many rural areas in India, there were major issues of waste management, people leaving agriculture for the quicker money of tourism, and inequality of women. Shama set up a banana leaf industry, which hires mainly local women, to harvest the banana leaves, dry them, peel them, and twist them into a very strong rope. They bring in design students from the cities to come and spend some time with them and design products they can make. They also take orders from big fashion houses, but they have their own handicraft shop were they sell the end products – beautiful organic bags and purses and self-standing pots and storage boxes and floor mats. All are beautifully made down to the last detail, very strong, and long-lasting. There is also a sewing house for making purses, linings, etc. They have a punch machine for making buttons out of coconut shells! www.exploreruralindia.org (click on “search by site”, and pick Anegundi). E-mail is Shorbhakishkinda@yahoo.co.in.
So, the local women are making money, working in a clean and safe place, and playing a very active role in the village. They plant trees all through the village streets, organize waste management, and keep the men in check by banning drinking in public and making it safe for women to go out in the streets even at night. Shama now has help from heritage and conservation organizations, but most of this, empowering and restoring a whole ancient village, she did all on her own. It is inspiring to see the impact that one person can have.
Nicole and I arose at 5:30am to climb the Hanuman Temple. It is the birthplace of the Monkey God. Basava led the way and GB stayed at the guest house. We climbed 600 steps to get to the top. Watch for the white set of stairs going up to a temple! The view was spectacular, as you will see in the photos. We were above the rocks, the banana plantations, the rice paddies, while overlooking the river and the ruins of Hampi! Too cool! Then add a bunch of cheeky monkeys trying to get in your pockets and unzip your bags!
The Pundit arrived to open the Temple and give us a blessing. He had no sooner started than his cell phone started blasting music from the next room. His assistant informed him he had a call but he said he would call back! I brought the Hanuman book that GB had given me and it was blessed and a flower pressed in it! I received my first Tikka – the red stripe on the forehead to show the third eye blessing.
I believe we went home and slept but woke up for a walking tour of the town and home to lunch. We went to the Fort and walked through paddy fields to some ancient cave paintings.
Friday morning we were up at 7 am for a nine hour trip back to Goa, passing 1000 cows in the road, 2000 speed bumps, 3000 dogs, and 4000 men just standing around (while the women are all inside cooking and cleaning)! Nicole went in to buy some cold drinks for us, and when the shopkeeper woman was pulling the drinks out of the coolers, she noticed she had a broken wrist in a cast. Nicole went to help her, while her husband sat on a chair next to the counter, typing away on his mobile phone.
One more note about the Vittala (sonic) Temple. There are 81 pillars that all ring a different note and can be made sharp or flat. The pillars used to be played especially for the pleasure of the Queen. Strings of silk and cotton were strung around the base of the temple to amplify the sound. It is no longer possible to play the temple due to damage and wear over the years. Basava bribed a guard he knew, and when the conservation police left, we had a demonstration. It was ethereal! He only struck the pillars with his fingertips, but they used to use sticks and metal instruments for more sound! Very cool!
Hampi II
Sorry but the Hampi photos will be a little out of order. We were using two cameras and switching memory cards. (After we got back from Hampi, we took GB to see Elvis, since he is a huge blues fan and had read so much about him on the blog. The picture of GB and the kittens and the one of the girl on the bike were from back in Goa.)
The next group of pictures is day three in Hampi (pronounced Humpi by the men). You will note that GB is absent or sitting in many photos! He claims “too much Humpi makes a man tired!”
At the end of day two, Nicole and I went down the river in the bamboo bowl called a coracle! The river had swollen, the road was under water, and most of the boatman refused to navigate the rive. Our guide, Basava, is native to Hampi and found the best, strongest oarsman to take us. It is an experience most don’t get to do. (Basava was born and raised in Hampi and he and his father used to herd the family goats through the fields and actually sleep over in the courtyards and temples, many of which you are no longer allowed to even touch!) The boat was very stable once everyone was seated. Basava made a stop and took us to some very special lingam sites (50 Phallic nubs carved into the rocks that the women pour milk on). When back in the boat, Nicole agreed to a spin of the basket that almost cost me my lunch – it was very fast! A second area was underwater so we took another boat basket to the main area we needed to go. The bowl was full of water when we first saw it and I worried about a leak but it was fine.
We stayed in the village of Anegundi. It was the original capital in the 1200’s. Here we stayed with a lady named Shama, who, when she came to the area many years ago, just fell in love with it. She is called the Queen of Hampi since she is the force behind preserving Hampi. Many of the sites, including the Underground Shiva Temple was only uncovered recently. The site has only been fenced and worked on for the past 15 years. Shama bought herself some land to build an amazing house, and then started addressing some of the issues that she saw around her. As with many rural areas in India, there were major issues of waste management, people leaving agriculture for the quicker money of tourism, and inequality of women. Shama set up a banana leaf industry, which hires mainly local women, to harvest the banana leaves, dry them, peel them, and twist them into a very strong rope. They bring in design students from the cities to come and spend some time with them and design products they can make. They also take orders from big fashion houses, but they have their own handicraft shop were they sell the end products – beautiful organic bags and purses and self-standing pots and storage boxes and floor mats. All are beautifully made down to the last detail, very strong, and long-lasting. There is also a sewing house for making purses, linings, etc. They have a punch machine for making buttons out of coconut shells! www.exploreruralindia.org (click on “search by site”, and pick Anegundi). E-mail is Shorbhakishkinda@yahoo.co.in.
So, the local women are making money, working in a clean and safe place, and playing a very active role in the village. They plant trees all through the village streets, organize waste management, and keep the men in check by banning drinking in public and making it safe for women to go out in the streets even at night. Shama now has help from heritage and conservation organizations, but most of this, empowering and restoring a whole ancient village, she did all on her own. It is inspiring to see the impact that one person can have.
Nicole and I arose at 5:30am to climb the Hanuman Temple. It is the birthplace of the Monkey God. Basava led the way and GB stayed at the guest house. We climbed 600 steps to get to the top. Watch for the white set of stairs going up to a temple! The view was spectacular, as you will see in the photos. We were above the rocks, the banana plantations, the rice paddies, while overlooking the river and the ruins of Hampi! Too cool! Then add a bunch of cheeky monkeys trying to get in your pockets and unzip your bags!
The Pundit arrived to open the Temple and give us a blessing. He had no sooner started than his cell phone started blasting music from the next room. His assistant informed him he had a call but he said he would call back! I brought the Hanuman book that GB had given me and it was blessed and a flower pressed in it! I received my first Tikka – the red stripe on the forehead to show the third eye blessing.
I believe we went home and slept but woke up for a walking tour of the town and home to lunch. We went to the Fort and walked through paddy fields to some ancient cave paintings.
Friday morning we were up at 7 am for a nine hour trip back to Goa, passing 1000 cows in the road, 2000 speed bumps, 3000 dogs, and 4000 men just standing around (while the women are all inside cooking and cleaning)! Nicole went in to buy some cold drinks for us, and when the shopkeeper woman was pulling the drinks out of the coolers, she noticed she had a broken wrist in a cast. Nicole went to help her, while her husband sat on a chair next to the counter, typing away on his mobile phone.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Magic
Hampi (Pronounced Hemp-ee)
It will be very difficult to put into words what Hampi is! The pictures will tell you a little of the story but it is really too, too incredible to describe. I am a visual person and I am on overload. The temples would have been enough. The landscape would have been enough. Together, they were amazing beyond words.
GB arranged for a Maxi van, a driver, a guide in Hampi and accommodations. We had a fender bender before we left Goa but it was minor and no injuries! The ride was beautiful and green along the coast. As we turned inland, the fields were very similar to central Florida – large flat fields that go on forever. Then we reached the area North of Bangalore that has received no rain. There was a huge wind turbine field that was a familiar and great for the green planet! The fields were parched and it was sad to know people would die in these conditions. The Hampi area again turned green as they had the river and dam system to help irrigate their lands.
GB told us we would be staying at someone’s guest house. This house turned out to be JSW Steel Plant and complex. You can see in the pictures it was very modern, swank and arty. We were staying with people from all over the world, there to buy steel. We felt we were under dressed, but there were very few women around, so it was okay.
Hampi was a half hour away but we reached it in over an hour, which is typical for Indian directions. We knew as we approached the site that we were entering a magical place. The land is strewn with huge, round boulders. They are granite but appear very tan colored. We puzzled constantly about how this beautiful mess happened. Was it the aftermath of the ice age? Did the river and monsoon rains leave it? Were the rocks just splitting over time? GB has a Geologist friend he plays golf with so we will all get information soon!
Every Hindu experience must start with Ganesh – the elephant child. His father beheaded him for disobeying and the mother was furious and told him he must make it right. He found the first animal he saw, an elephant and placed the head on his son…..and so it goes! Our first was a huge monolith Ganesha, to welcome us to Hampi.
We next entered the sacred area. We had to take our shoes off and leave them behind – we tried to put them in a backpack but were scolded! So we walked along the ruins and working temple with the cows, monkeys and elephants in our bare feet! We ran into a group of Indian Middle School students that acted just like the APW kids on a trip. They were loud and silly and would not stay on their side of the sidewalk! I will tell you no more but let you enjoy the scenes in the photos…
It will be very difficult to put into words what Hampi is! The pictures will tell you a little of the story but it is really too, too incredible to describe. I am a visual person and I am on overload. The temples would have been enough. The landscape would have been enough. Together, they were amazing beyond words.
GB arranged for a Maxi van, a driver, a guide in Hampi and accommodations. We had a fender bender before we left Goa but it was minor and no injuries! The ride was beautiful and green along the coast. As we turned inland, the fields were very similar to central Florida – large flat fields that go on forever. Then we reached the area North of Bangalore that has received no rain. There was a huge wind turbine field that was a familiar and great for the green planet! The fields were parched and it was sad to know people would die in these conditions. The Hampi area again turned green as they had the river and dam system to help irrigate their lands.
GB told us we would be staying at someone’s guest house. This house turned out to be JSW Steel Plant and complex. You can see in the pictures it was very modern, swank and arty. We were staying with people from all over the world, there to buy steel. We felt we were under dressed, but there were very few women around, so it was okay.
Hampi was a half hour away but we reached it in over an hour, which is typical for Indian directions. We knew as we approached the site that we were entering a magical place. The land is strewn with huge, round boulders. They are granite but appear very tan colored. We puzzled constantly about how this beautiful mess happened. Was it the aftermath of the ice age? Did the river and monsoon rains leave it? Were the rocks just splitting over time? GB has a Geologist friend he plays golf with so we will all get information soon!
Every Hindu experience must start with Ganesh – the elephant child. His father beheaded him for disobeying and the mother was furious and told him he must make it right. He found the first animal he saw, an elephant and placed the head on his son…..and so it goes! Our first was a huge monolith Ganesha, to welcome us to Hampi.
We next entered the sacred area. We had to take our shoes off and leave them behind – we tried to put them in a backpack but were scolded! So we walked along the ruins and working temple with the cows, monkeys and elephants in our bare feet! We ran into a group of Indian Middle School students that acted just like the APW kids on a trip. They were loud and silly and would not stay on their side of the sidewalk! I will tell you no more but let you enjoy the scenes in the photos…
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Going to Hampi!
The latest pictures are from Old Goa. It is like the Vatican City of India. Goa is actually a small state – I thought it was the city Nicole lived in –that the Portuguese settled in 1500’s to 1930’s (?). I now have an official guidebook so I will try to be more specific! The Catholic Church converted many in the region with the help of St. Francis Xavier.
We started at lunch at a cute Portuguese restaurant on the second floor overlooking the street. We had to sample the local drink of Palm Feni. I preferred it to the feni drink in Nicole’s area of Oxel (oshell) which is fermented cashews. The small trees are all over the area and jungle.
Our first find was the ruins of St. Augustine’s. They are doing digs under the altar area for remains. It was a huge site that included a monastery and other out buildings. Pictures don’t do it justice.
We next found Basilica Bom Jesus – the most famous and a world heritage site. The altar is entirely gold with some silver! On a side chapel is a silver coffin of St. Francis of Xavier. He died in China and asked to return to his beloved Goa to be buried. He never really decomposed and there are tons of stories with miracles concerning him. They parade the coffin through the streets once a year. We visited another big complex across the park that included St. Francis of Assisi Church and St. Catherine of Siena Chapel. I included a sample of different sculpture I found interesting for many different reasons.
It was a full day and I had enough of churches for a while – so it is on to Hindu temples in the area called Hampi! It was the capital of the region during the 1200’s. It is also a World Heritage site so I have lectured Nicole and she promised to behave! Saturday was Elvis night and when he finished we climbed on the back of two Royal Enfield bikes and went barhopping. Elvis jammed at the next place with a phenomenal drummer. A professional American jazz singer showed up and blew us all away jamming with Elvis! When we were finally dropped off at our car, Nicole attempted to turn around a drove into a drainage ditch!!!! She stood in the road and quickly a van full of boys stopped and lifted her front end out of the ditch! All is fine with the car and us! They need more streetlights!
We were still sleeping at 1:00 on Sunday when GB arrived from Mumbai and asked us to lunch. We quickly cleaned up and made our way to the Taj Resort in Calangute. We had very nice lunch on the ocean. GB presented me with my first Ganesha statue and Hanuman prayer book. It was very sweet of him. Hanuman is the monkey god so I know the writings will help me with the management of Nicole!
The driver arrives at 8am tomorrow morning and we are off to Hampi. I will be out of touch until Friday or Saturday. Hope you all have a great week!
We started at lunch at a cute Portuguese restaurant on the second floor overlooking the street. We had to sample the local drink of Palm Feni. I preferred it to the feni drink in Nicole’s area of Oxel (oshell) which is fermented cashews. The small trees are all over the area and jungle.
Our first find was the ruins of St. Augustine’s. They are doing digs under the altar area for remains. It was a huge site that included a monastery and other out buildings. Pictures don’t do it justice.
We next found Basilica Bom Jesus – the most famous and a world heritage site. The altar is entirely gold with some silver! On a side chapel is a silver coffin of St. Francis of Xavier. He died in China and asked to return to his beloved Goa to be buried. He never really decomposed and there are tons of stories with miracles concerning him. They parade the coffin through the streets once a year. We visited another big complex across the park that included St. Francis of Assisi Church and St. Catherine of Siena Chapel. I included a sample of different sculpture I found interesting for many different reasons.
It was a full day and I had enough of churches for a while – so it is on to Hindu temples in the area called Hampi! It was the capital of the region during the 1200’s. It is also a World Heritage site so I have lectured Nicole and she promised to behave! Saturday was Elvis night and when he finished we climbed on the back of two Royal Enfield bikes and went barhopping. Elvis jammed at the next place with a phenomenal drummer. A professional American jazz singer showed up and blew us all away jamming with Elvis! When we were finally dropped off at our car, Nicole attempted to turn around a drove into a drainage ditch!!!! She stood in the road and quickly a van full of boys stopped and lifted her front end out of the ditch! All is fine with the car and us! They need more streetlights!
We were still sleeping at 1:00 on Sunday when GB arrived from Mumbai and asked us to lunch. We quickly cleaned up and made our way to the Taj Resort in Calangute. We had very nice lunch on the ocean. GB presented me with my first Ganesha statue and Hanuman prayer book. It was very sweet of him. Hanuman is the monkey god so I know the writings will help me with the management of Nicole!
The driver arrives at 8am tomorrow morning and we are off to Hampi. I will be out of touch until Friday or Saturday. Hope you all have a great week!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 23
Yes, we hear all about Hillary! Every paper has about seven articles!
We did not see the eclipse. We didn’t wake up ( due to Cuba Libres ) but it was total cloud coverage so no one in Goa saw it!
Tuesday evening, Viraj wanted to take us to dinner at the BBQ place. He had a friend in town and wanted some more talkers. We decided to drink the rum and cokes because we would be only having a couple. Well, the dinner turned out to be a full banquet. It started with fish in a kind of tartar sauce in a little cup that tasted like a salty potato chip! It was delicious!!!! Bhot! That means excellent if I spelled it correctly. Next came the water buffalo tongue – picture of Nicole coming soon – which was very tasty. It was a little like Canadian bacon but drier. I can eat most things that are not squishy!......or green…….or hairy……or stinky…..etc. We had another great piece of beef as good as any tenderloin I have ever had with cold beet and potato salad. Then came the Goan chicken curry. Viraj disappeared for five minutes and came back with chocolate eclairs for dessert. In a small package he had chocolate covered corn flakes for us to sample! By now we had five or six rounds of drinks! And you know it is not the booze that gets you, but all the soda!
In a third package he brought us a prepared lady fish because Nicole said she had never eaten it. He suggested it for breakfast but since it was red in color we assumed it was spicy and saved it for lunch! We were both sneezing just cooking it in the kitchen. The flavor and the fish were excellent….very easy to eat around the bones.
Viraj promised to take us to see a waterfall on Wednesday and said it was a half an hour away and he would pick us up at noon. To make a long story short, we reached the waterfall at five o’clock in a Toyota van with eight people including a family from St. Augustine with two small children. We had to cross into another state and we were detained for not having passports. After a bribe was paid, we were on our way until the little boy started vomiting because of the winding roads. He always waited till we were stopped thankfully! The little girl sang “Dora the explorer” most of the trip!
I believe we went to the edge of the Deccan Plateau. The water, river, whatever just spills over down to the valley. It was magnificent! We were in the clouds so the pictures don’t tell the entire story but we want to go back on a clearer day. Most pictures are taken halfway up the road with the valley views obscured. And then there were the monkeys!!!!! ( not the ones in the shorts in the waterfalls but the hairier ones!) They were waiting for handouts but would only grab and not really trust you to get too close! When you came close, they would jump over the wall to certain death only to grab a vine below and hide out for a while! I just want to go back……build a tree house and live there forever! It would be heaven if you could keep those less hairy monkeys out of the water!
We now have to settle down and get our work and errands done. We leave for Hampi Monday morning. Nicole’s friend is flying in Sunday and has a driver to take us. It is a site built around 1200 and full of sculpture and temples. There is an animal reserve in the area and Nicole wants to meet her animal spirit, the sloth bear! I am very excited about the trip and to meet GB. I hear he is the handsomest man in all of Mumbai….and I hear he has been reading the blog! :)
We did not see the eclipse. We didn’t wake up ( due to Cuba Libres ) but it was total cloud coverage so no one in Goa saw it!
Tuesday evening, Viraj wanted to take us to dinner at the BBQ place. He had a friend in town and wanted some more talkers. We decided to drink the rum and cokes because we would be only having a couple. Well, the dinner turned out to be a full banquet. It started with fish in a kind of tartar sauce in a little cup that tasted like a salty potato chip! It was delicious!!!! Bhot! That means excellent if I spelled it correctly. Next came the water buffalo tongue – picture of Nicole coming soon – which was very tasty. It was a little like Canadian bacon but drier. I can eat most things that are not squishy!......or green…….or hairy……or stinky…..etc. We had another great piece of beef as good as any tenderloin I have ever had with cold beet and potato salad. Then came the Goan chicken curry. Viraj disappeared for five minutes and came back with chocolate eclairs for dessert. In a small package he had chocolate covered corn flakes for us to sample! By now we had five or six rounds of drinks! And you know it is not the booze that gets you, but all the soda!
In a third package he brought us a prepared lady fish because Nicole said she had never eaten it. He suggested it for breakfast but since it was red in color we assumed it was spicy and saved it for lunch! We were both sneezing just cooking it in the kitchen. The flavor and the fish were excellent….very easy to eat around the bones.
Viraj promised to take us to see a waterfall on Wednesday and said it was a half an hour away and he would pick us up at noon. To make a long story short, we reached the waterfall at five o’clock in a Toyota van with eight people including a family from St. Augustine with two small children. We had to cross into another state and we were detained for not having passports. After a bribe was paid, we were on our way until the little boy started vomiting because of the winding roads. He always waited till we were stopped thankfully! The little girl sang “Dora the explorer” most of the trip!
I believe we went to the edge of the Deccan Plateau. The water, river, whatever just spills over down to the valley. It was magnificent! We were in the clouds so the pictures don’t tell the entire story but we want to go back on a clearer day. Most pictures are taken halfway up the road with the valley views obscured. And then there were the monkeys!!!!! ( not the ones in the shorts in the waterfalls but the hairier ones!) They were waiting for handouts but would only grab and not really trust you to get too close! When you came close, they would jump over the wall to certain death only to grab a vine below and hide out for a while! I just want to go back……build a tree house and live there forever! It would be heaven if you could keep those less hairy monkeys out of the water!
We now have to settle down and get our work and errands done. We leave for Hampi Monday morning. Nicole’s friend is flying in Sunday and has a driver to take us. It is a site built around 1200 and full of sculpture and temples. There is an animal reserve in the area and Nicole wants to meet her animal spirit, the sloth bear! I am very excited about the trip and to meet GB. I hear he is the handsomest man in all of Mumbai….and I hear he has been reading the blog! :)
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