LAST DAY

So for the past 2 days, I’ve basically been spending my time between bathrooms. Once again, I’m sure, TMI. But it’s true. I’ve started the anti-biotic I got from my doctor before I got here, and I’m so glad I had the forethought to do that. Also, Aai has given me an herbal remedy which seems to really help, which is made up of grated nutmeg, coarse sugar, and ghee. At least it doesn’t taste bad!

Actually, it was that banana lassi that is to blame for my tummy troubles, but Abby is having tummy troubles of her own. She ate some grapes by accident the other day and is regretting it now...she hasn’t taken an antibiotic yet, but I keep telling her she should!

Speaking of Abby, she left last night at midnight. On a jetplane. She couldn’t get on the same flight as us, so she had to leave a day early. We were all kinda sad that we couldn’t leave on the same day, but we were also in a sober mood, realizing that we’d come this far together, and that Abby is very capable of making it to the US on her own. She’s got it handled.

Today we just tie up loose ends here in Bombay and then get on the plane and go. It’ll be more than 24 hours of travel before we reach the US. I’ll write you guys up a synopsis and post pictures and videos you haven’t seen before when I get back, it’ll just take me some time.

Thanks for reading, guys. It sure has been fun writing this blog. I loved every minit of it. :) TTFN.

Last Day in Jaipur

This morning we all slept in. It was a big change for me- I’ve been getting up early every day of this whole trip to make some arrangement or the other. I’m the kind of person who feels bad about sleeping in, so even though I probably needed it, it felt a little wrong. We had breakfast at the Hotel’s restaurant and then we hung out a little bit and waited for our driver. No Roop

RAM today- we’ve got a fill-in driver today. He’s not as good. He took us to Hawa Mahal first- which is basically a pretty building facade (you can’t go in) in down town Jaipur and while we were there, I picked up a few kurtas, and a Rajasthani bag. He then took us to the City Palace, which is where the King of Jaipur lives (and he was in Residence today). The King’s title is a title only. He has no Kingdom. It’s an interesting place, although I have been there before. In the gallery, I saw a piece of 18th Century Mixed Media art. It was a painting of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and it incorporated ribbon, fabric, paint and beads.

This is Hawa Mahal.

We then went to lunch at a place our mediocre driver recommended, and it was clear he was getting a cut of our lunch bill, as the place was filled to the brim with other tourists. I did a crazy thing that I immediately regretted. I ordered a banana lassi (a lassi is a yogurt drink, pronounced “lussy”), and I sipped it before I thought about whether or not it was pasteurized or not. I was then plagued all day with worries about the state of my tummy and whether or not I’m going to suffer for that sip I took. (Flash forward to the future, when my tummy is really not in such a good state at all...I’m regretting that sip.)

Me, at the CIty Palace.

After lunch, was just one big shopping trip. Mostly for big-spender-Abby. :) She’s definitely got the hang of it now. We went to some little shops, as well as a huge fixed price government-run shop that had just about every Rajasthani handicraft under one roof.

At the government-run shop, there was a salesman who showed me a real first-hand demonstration of Block Printing---but unfortunately, there was a huge sign that said “No Photography- Secret Process”, or something like that. It was so cool, though. At this shop, the salesmen showed me all kinds of stuff, but what my husband and I fell in love with was an 8’x10’ blue and brown kashmiri rug with double elephants on it, which would’ve looked so great on the floor of my living room. WHY did it have to cost $1000? $500, and we could’ve made a deal, but at $1000 fixed price, we couldn’t do business. It was a beautiful rug. I can’t tell you HOW long we’ve been looking for a rug for our living room.

Usha, Aai and my husband at the City Palace.

We went to a few more shops, then it was time to go to the airport to fly back to Bombay. We got into Bombay past midnight and checked into the Hotel after 1 am. It was a long day.

Oh, wait! The Monkey Temple! How could I forget the Monkey Temple? Maybe it's because I didn't get out of the car at the Monkey Temple! Between going to shops, our driver, who turned out to be Roop RAM's cousin, took us out into the boonies again to what's known as the Monkey Temple, which is a Temple for the Hindu god, Hanuman. A small tribe of spoiled monkeys lives there, and from what I was told after the group got back, they will "smile for the camera" only if you give them a little treat. The reason I didn't get out of the car is that I am a whimp and I am scared of monkeys because I believe they will rip your face off if they are given the chance. Plus, it gave me some time to write this blog. We both win. :)

So that was our last day in Jaipur. Next post: I have serious Tummy Trouble.

Fort Day- Yay!

Today was fort day. Geez. Forts! Come on. I guess you know who wanted to go see the forts, and it wasn’t me. Can you

believe this attitude I have? But seriously. They’re forts. The only good one we went to, Amber Fort, is the same one we went to 2 years ago, so it was kind of a repeat for me. Abby enjoyed Amber Fort though. She got bored after that. What was REALLY too bad, though, was that the battery on my husband’s camera died and he didn’t bring the charger to Jaipur with him. He tried borrowing my camera for about 5 minutes, but he didn’t like the “rules” that came with borrowing my camera ;). (What are my rules? Really? You want to know? For example, you have to turn the camera off after every picture so you don’t wear down the battery. Another thing is, I watch you like a hawk the whole time you’re using it and correct you each time you do something I consider to be an infraction of my self-appointed rules. I’m a more than a little bit of a dictator.) It’s too bad, too, because my husband takes most of the pictures you see on this blog. Too bad for you! You’ll have to make do with my photos and videos until my husband charges his battery!

I guess I’m obliged to tell you a tiny bit about Amber Fort. It’s a highly decorated Palace/Fort which is, basically, huge. It’s a maze of rooms and gardens and “diwans”, or assembly courtyards. It’s very easy to get lost in Amber Fort, and several times during our time there, I was glad to have my husband with me, because I really had no clue where we were going and from which doorway we came.

After Amber Fort, as I have told you, things went downhill. Roop RAM took us to Jaigarh Fort which was a hole-in-the-wall compared to Amber Fort (which is gorgeous), but Jaigarh Fort was more utilitarian, so I guess it didn’t have to be pretty. Let me just say, also, that as we went from Fort to Fort, we went progressively farther and farther out into the wilderness. By the time we reached Nahargarh Fort we were IN. THE. BOONIES. Nahargarh was a little better than Jaigarh Fort and more akin to Amber Fort in style, but it has been badly vandalized, which is a real shame. There is a real beauty in the artwork and craftsmanship there, but it is being destroyed by disrespectful people who want to carve their names into the walls and paint over the 18th century frescoes.

Now we get to the good stuff. Roop RAM drove us out of the boonies (finally) and took us to some shops. First, we went to a Blue Pottery shop. Jaipur is known for it’s Blue Pottery, which is similar to Talavera and Azulejos. I didn’t buy anything...Abby might’ve made a purchase. She’s actually getting the hang of this Indian shopping thing. ;)

OH! And I almost forgot to mention a couple things that happened at Jaigarh Fort. I’m gonna backtrack. At Jaigarh Fort, there was a guy who insisted he wasn’t a guide, but was certainly very quick with the factual information...it turned out he was a tout and that he had a little shop there at the Fort. We fell for it and went into his shop. I was drawn to the Jewelry counter. :) He was selling gemstone jewelry and literally had boxes full of it. I may or may not have bought quite a few pairs of super cool earrings for an unbelievable price, and now my fingers are crossed as to whether they will turn my ears black when I wear them. Usha Maushi and Aai made purchases, too.

Now, it was past time for lunch and I’ve already told you we were in the middle of nowhere. As they say here in India, “What to do?”. Roop RAM suggested we have lunch at the little HOLE IN THE WALL “restaurant” at the Fort. You guys know me, I was against it. My gluten-free, ultra-sensitive stomach can’t handle dodgy places like that. But it was 3 hungry Indians and an always-neutral American against one, so I lost. I tried to console myself by telling myself that it would at least be vegetarian, but the thought of having to be on an airplane tomorrow keeps haunting me.

Basically, we’ll see what happens, won’t we? To be honest, I’ve been having tummy trouble since I got here, so I probably won’t notice any difference, unless I get full-on dysentery from that place. Is that TMI? Sorry, but I don’t know where to draw the line sometimes.

My husband just read this and he says it sounds like a bratty American tourist wrote it, but I really do feel annoyed by the Fort Day. I considered re-writing this post, but I wouldn’t know what to write. I do have grumpy days...and sometimes they happen when I’m in India. Plus, now you know that I really don’t like forts. That’s good information. You could use that someday. :) Anyway, we go back to Bombay tomorrow. Just 3 and a half days left, really. Wow. It’s coming to an end.

Well, just before I publish this this, I have a chance to redeem my bad attitude a little. As we were sitting down to dinner tonight, I was watching out the window and saw an unbelievable sight. I had to be sure when it happened again that it truly was lightning- and it was followed by some very loud rolling thunder. Abby and my husband were truly excited. They raced outside to the front of the building as soon as dinner was over and waited for raindrops to fall. And they did. It was no monsoon, however. But I will say these Indian raindrops are pretty huge and they make the world smell very fresh and clean. An unexpected rainshower. What fun.

PS- I already know you're not going to feel sorry for me when you see the amazing pictures. I guess it just wasn't my day.

Day 1- Jaipur

Well I made it through the airport okay, now we’re in Jaipur. Our old friend and driver, Roop RAM picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel- the Taj SMS Guest Rooms, situated right next door to Rambagh Palace. We were hungry when we got here, so we stopped in at the hotel restaurant and got some breakfast.

Jaipur is such a beautiful city- an indescribeable color of orangish pink is painted on almost every wall, as if people were paid

to put it there. There is a different vibe here than in Bombay. First of all, there are more animals in the streets here. We’ve seen monkeys, pigs, camels, and elephants along with the usual dogs, chickens, cows and goats. My husband says people here are more willing to scam you than in the South, but I haven’t noticed that. In fact, today, we went to some great factory warehouses

where they source Jaipur-made goods, and their prices were excellent. Let me tell you about them.

Jaipur- The Pink City

The first place that we went was a gems dealer called Molto Bello Gems, near Valmiki Bhawan. That place was amazing. They showed us how they get their raw stone in huge chunks from places like Zambia, Brazil, and even from Jaipur itself, and they hone it down and facet it, and then sell it for a fraction of the selling price to companies like Cartier and Tiffany, because labor is so cheap in Jaipur. I had my eye on two rings in their showroom. One was an 18k gold and diamond ring which he was selling for $810 (I could’ve gotten him down to probably $600), and a ruby and white gold ring that he was selling for $825 that I bargained down to $525. In the end, I just wasn’t willing to pay $500. I think I would’ve paid 400, but not 500. We couldn’t make a deal. Too bad, that ring was amazing.

Me- Haggling with Yougi for that Ruby ring!

The second place we went was called Neelkanth, in the RIICO Ind. area. It was a Textile factory, making all manner of things, from block prints to quilts to kurtas to wall hangings to umbrellas.

I’ve got a video of their workers making quilts that I will put up soon so you can see how quickly and efficiently they work. I might show the showroom as well. I’m a sucker for textiles, so we went a little nuts in that place. I got a pillow cover, which I don’t think ever made it into the bag (we didn’t pay for it, either- things were chaotic), 3 kurtas, a bed cover with elephants on it, a wall hanging that my husband picked out, and a dupatta/scarf which is double sided and handstitched. One of the guys there tried to buy my video camera and my husband had to tell him that all our videos are on it! It’s priceless!

I forgot to tell you about our lunch place, which is a place we got from the lonely planet guide. Dasaprakash in Kamal Mansions was a great restaurant, and I’d go back again. Great dosas, semi-okay service. I’d like to try their ice cream next time.

After the factories, we went on a little ride around the city with Roop RAM...it seems like he can never take the most direct route to anywhere. We then ended up in a little---cheesy---place called Chokhi Dhani. Chokhi Dhani is really more of a place for little kids...it’s a fake Rajasthani village (Jaipur is a City in the State of Rajasthan) set up with magicians, snake charmers, dancers, elephant rides, camel rides, shops, restaurants, etc. For the most part, we were all a little bored. We did enjoy the dancers a bit...and Abby and I got free Mehndi (Henna Art) on our hands. Toward the end of the evening, we decided to skip

out early and have dinner at the free Thali restaurant. (Thali, pronounced “Tolly”, is a way of eating a little bit of everything.) I have an Uncle who would LOVE Thali. You know who you are!

After the Chokhi Dhani evening, we came back to the Hotel and Abby and I washed the henna debris from our hands and applied coconut oil. Then I showered and went. to. bed. Yes.

Then it was up at 5 to bring you a blog that has been gone for a few days. Sorry about that, but we’ve been traveling. We’ll also be traveling tomorrow...back to Bombay, so you may get your next update the day after tomorrow (my time). But it will still be packed with the same amount of mundane information that I always provide you with! TTFN.

Thieves' Market

Just got back from walking the Chor Bazaar.

7 Things I Saw:

• 1 goat the size of a small horse
• 5 roosters fighting with eachother
• a 4 foot crystal chandelier
• countless stolen car parts
• 2 mosques and 1 Hindu temple
• 3 more Taporis making kissy noises at me
• at least 5 fruits and veggies that I had never seen before

What I bought: 1 wooden block used to make block prints on textiles such as tablecloths and clothing. It cost me about $1. I even haggled with the shopkeeper on the price. Yay me!

After our visit to Chor Bazaar, we went out to lunch at a restaurant that doesn’t even deserve a mention because it sucked so bad and then we went to an AMAZING store called Soma which sells Block Printed Textiles, like I mentioned above. I bought 1 block printed Kurta (shirt), 1 small square tablecloth, and two more wooden blocks. I plan to use these as stamps in my mixed media art. I’m so excited to try them out!

Tonight I’m going to bed early because we’ve got to hop on a plane to Jaipur at 6am tomorrow and I don’t want a repeat performance of what happened at the Singapore Airport. Your next report will be from Jaipur. :)

Gandhi and Gold

I got a prez-ENT! Yesterday when we got to Aai’s house, she presented me with a beautiful gold bangle bracelet. I wish I had taken a picture of it for you. It’s handmade. Her instructions are to wear it all the time, everyday, and I plan to. I can’t even tell you how lovely it is and how much it means to me. I never expected to get such a wonderful gift.

You can see the bracelet in this photo of Aai and me.

We had a really nice breakfast of Poha (Poha is Rice flakes--Rice, pounded down into flakes.), and then we all, and I mean ALL (including Aai and Usha Maushi) got prepared for a day out on the town. Our driver, Girish picked us up and drove us to a few places I really wasn’t interested in ;) and then, we went to Bombay University, which I had been to before. This time, we weren’t allowed into the gates due to security concerns, but there was a little girl in a red dress, about 3 years old, who was outside the gate with her mother. Her mother was a homeless woman, selling peacock fans on the street. The little girl reminded me so much of my youngest niece. I think it was her mischievous smile. At one point, she picked up a HUGE piece of concrete, dropped it on an old plastic bag, and started pulling the concrete around on the bag...her only toys are concrete and plastic bags.

We went to a place called Marine Drive, which is also called the Queen’s Necklace because it lights up like jewels at night. Then, just as I was getting SUPER BORED, we stopped in at a market and strolled the stalls. We saw all kinds of interesting things both foreign and familiar. As I was strolling along, a little ahead of my husband, I had an encounter with a beast I had only heard of in fairy tales: The Tapori. A Tapori is a guy who thinks he knows what he’s talkin’ about when it comes to the ladies. They’re also very forward. So when this guy gave me the Indian form of a Cat Call, I didn’t know whether to be disgusted or flattered! :) My husband has been telling me about the Taporis for years and it makes me feel like I’ve gone through an initiation process having now encountered one.

After the market, we went to a place called Mani Bhavan- which was Gandhi’s house from 1917-1934. I may be put to death for this, but I’m not all that into Gandhi, so it was basically just an interesting house for me. It didn’t have much cultural meaning. Perhaps later on in my life I’ll appreciate it more. There were some cool pictures of Gandhi- one with Charlie Chaplin- & my husband and I shamefully tricked Aai into believing it was a picture of Gandhi with Bill Clinton. :) We shouldn’t tease her.

There was talk after Mani Bhavan- (all in Marathi, so I really couldn’t understand it) of going to the Planetarium. Abby & I were hungry and did not want to go to the Planetarium, so when we pulled up outside the Planetarium the backseat crowd (Abby and I) were unenthused. But we were happily surprised when we entered a restaurant called The Copper Chimney, in the shadow of the Planetarium instead of the Planetarium itself. Whew. We had a delicious buffet lunch, and Girish, our driver, joined us.

Lunch was so filling- and so late in the day- that we just went back to Aai’s house. Usha Maushi’s daughter (Ashwini) and adorable grand-daughter (Tanhvi) were there to meet us, so we visited with them for awhile, while Aai made us some tasty Indian omelettes (cilantro and onion), before my husband took us back to the hotel for the night.

I went to bed early- shirking my blog duties (which I think I’m going to do in the mornings from now on) and now I’m currently in a taxi on my way to meet a woman named Vinita who is going to take us on a walking tour through the Chor Bazaar (Chor meaning “Theives’”, “Bazaar” is Market) It should be fun to do some shopping! You can count on me to do let you know how it goes!

Day 2 Bombay- We're Getting Full!

The day started when my husband picked us up at our hotel in an auto rickshaw. During the day, and autorickshaw ride can be a little hectic and is definitely a little on the disgusting side. You HAVE TO be wearing a scarf or a dupatta so you can cover your nose and mouth to guard against the severe street pollution & carbon monoxide. By night, when the streets clear up a

little bit, the ride gets even more crazy, as you whiz through the city at breakneck speeds, just trying to stay inside the cart and arrive in one piece. By the time you get to where you are going, you are thoroughly jostled. However, it’s probably the cheapest way to travel, costing only about $1 (US) for a 30 minute drive.

One interesting thing about all of these cab drivers and auto rickshaw drivers is that they seem to love to ‘pimp their rides’. But not in a Western sense. They mostly seem to adorn their cars with stickers of gods and goddesses, or with the actual god figurines themselves, affixed to the dash- complete with a scarf to cover over them. I’ve also seen a lot of pin striping...mainly on taxis and auto rickshaws, but also on larger cargo trucks. The larger cargo trucks have words written on them. One thing they write a lot is “HORN OK PLEASE”. Which I guess means that they give permission to other drivers to honk at them when they are going to pass....which the other driver would do with or without their permission, so it’s really irrelevant.

We had a delicious breakfast, made by Aai and Usha Maushi, and then our pre-arranged Meru Cab came to pick us up. The Meru driver took us to the Gateway of India, which took about an hour (SERIOUSLY!), where we got out and took a few pictures, got harassed by a few touts, and then went across the street to the Taj Hotel, which as you probably remember is the location of the terrorist bombing in 2008. It was a sad to see it going through changes...it’s not fair that a building like that

should be altered in any way. I was starting to get hungry, so we looked into the Sea Lounge, where we had previously had a bite to eat with my brother-in-law, but it doesn’t serve any Glutern-Free fare, so that was out. We would have to find something somewhere else.

We left the Taj and walked up the D n Road toward VT Station. (VT=Victoria Terminus) As we walked, I think Abby got a taste of India that she was really looking for. There were all manner of things going on on that street yesterday. As we were walking we came upon the Prince of Wales Museum. Let me tell you, I was so not into going in there. First of all, you have to leave your bags at the door. I don’t want to leave my bag with ANYONE. Second of all, I’m NO GOOD at Museums. This is a well-known fact. A classic case is when I had a melt-down at the Louvre. But Abby is really into packing activities into this trip, and she pretty much wants to take a day off if there’s shopping involved, so I guess I was in for it. The museum’s first floor was a snooze fest. Everything there was like my Asian Art class all over again. But the second floor was pretty cool. For those of you who have been to my house, the second floor was filled with those Miniature Paintings that we have in our living room, and the

displays explained that the subject matter was the Indian Ragas and Raginis (music makers and their wives, as well as their sons, the Raga Putras), and that was something I never knew about my miniature paintings, so I was really excited to learn something, and I can’t wait to go home and look at them with fresh eyes. Third floor, snooze fest. But by the time we finished at the museum, Abby was also hungry, which accelerated the need to find a restaurant to eat in.

We walked a little further down the road and found a restaurant called Khyber Pass. We stepped in and checked out the menu...it sounded great, so we made it unanimous. We ordered Reshmi Chicken Kebab (which is pieces of white meat

chicken in a creamy red sauce, kinda spicy), Bhindi Masala (Spicy Okra), and Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower). Abby and my husband had some rotis as well.

From the Khyber Pass we took a right (HA!) and we were looking for either the Bombay Store or a store called Chimanlal’s.

You may remember that the Bombay Store is pretty much a gift shop filled with Indian gifts. Chimanlal’s is a paper store that I heard about on India Mike. (TIP! If you’re planning a trip to India, and you don’t know about India Mike, get yourself acquainted. You need India Mike!) Eventually, after much pavement-pounding, we found the Bombay Store. It really is a wonderful store. I found a lot of handmade paper in there, and it only cost a buck. My husband found a wallet in there for $3 (US) that he’s seen for up to $190. Of course he bought it! We left the lovely Bombay Store and asked many, many people (Indian Mapquest) for the whereabouts of Chimanlal’s. We finally found it, and it was well worth the walk. Handmade paper all over the place. Gorgeous. There’s only one sheet of paper that I regret not buying. I can see it now in my mind. It’s haunting me.

We went out on the street and walked back to VT station where we found a cab to take us back to Vikhroli*. Aai and Usha Maushi had made us another LOVELY dinner. This time it was Dosas, Gajar Halwa (Carrot Dessert), Peas, Potatoes and Cauliflower, Fried Potatoes, and Dal. They SPOIL us. They’re trying to fatten us up. Some of us don’t need any more fattening, thank you very much.

Anyway. After dinner, my husband was tired, so he wanted to take us back to our hotel right away. We went out onto the road and found an auto rickshaw and climbed in & held on for dear life. What a ride.

Today, plans are up in the air. Of course, I’m hoping for at least a few shopping stops. I don’t plan on leaving this country with a 2 half empty suitcases.

(*Many cabs will flat out refuse to take you to a place like Vikhroli, either because they don’t have enough gas to drive that far away, or because they don’t think they will get a fare to drive them back to the main part of the city once they get there, or even because it’s really not a desireable place to go.)

BTW--The Clarke Quay video is now up on "The Fam" post. It was pretty easy to edit that video so you can look forward to more videos in the coming days! :)

Day1-Bombay/The Fam

Last night, our final night in Singapore, we decided to have dinner back at Clarke Quay. We took the MRT, of course, and decided on a Spanish restaurant called The Tapas Tree, located right on the River. It was an absolutely stunning place to have dinner. Just wait for the video! (I'll post the video here within the next few days. Watch for it.)

We then took our Singapore Tourist Pass cards back (which are 3 day passes for the MRT), and got a $10 refund from the Ticket Office. This is my Singapore Tip! The card costs $34 Singapore Dollars...so with the refund, it’s only S$24. If you use the card HALF as much as we did, you’ll totally get your money’s worth.

I gotta tell ya. I got NO sleep last night. Not only do I have insomnia, but my husband is a snorer. So I’m told that I made an absolute fool of myself at the airport this morning and that I looked like a drunken sailor until I was able to pull myself together and wake up myself up enough to act like a human. I’m told I said some pretty funny stuff. I really only have one word for it: Ambien.

So while I after I managed to sober up, we flew to Bombay. It was another manageable flight on Singapore Airlines...their service is excellent, and their bathrooms are pretty clean. And, actually, the food is pretty good, too. Another tip! Request the Indian Veg Meal when booking your tickets. The meal quality and flavor is so much better than the other “International” meals they serve. Believe me. I’ve seen and tasted the other stuff.

When we got to Bombay, customs and immigration was very straightforward, as was baggage claim. As we stepped outside into the sun, I immediately saw my mother-in-law and gave her a big wave and a smile. The other thing I noticed was that the weather is considerably cooler here than in Singapore. Bonus! When we arrived it was about 70 degrees here. :) Lovely. We all (Usha Maushi-my aunt, my mother-in-law, my husband, Abby, me, and the Taxi driver) squished into the Taxi and drove to the Hotel, where we were semi-sniffed by a bomb-sniffing dog, driven through a metal detector and frisked, and forced to put all of our bags through an x-ray machine- all in the name of security. Hey, I’d rather have that level of security than have another incident like the Taj Bombing.

Our hotel is, I would say, equally as beautiful as the Marriott in Singapore, although since it’s only Abby and me staying there, we are staying in a much smaller room. :) My husband is staying with his mom in Vikhroli, about 30 minutes away. We’ve stayed at this hotel before, as some of you might remember, when we were here on our last trip. This time our room has a beautiful lake view, and when we got to our room, we gazed out the window and saw a herd of water buffalo swimming across the lake (and a mean little boy throwing rocks at them!)

After resting at the hotel for awhile, we (Abby, my husband and I) took an autorickshaw to my mother-in-law’s (let’s call her Aai, which is what I call her, which means “mom” in Marathi) house. Aai and Usha Maushi (Usha is her name, “Maushi” means Aunt in Marathi- Actually, if we’re being correct, it’s spelled, “Mavshi”) have made us a delicious dinner of Dosas, Chicken, Pullao and Chapatis. Usha Maushi even got us some Butterscotch Ice Cream for dessert. (If you’re not familiar with Pullao, it’s akin to Pilaf with vegetables in it. Chapatis are kind of like tortillas...but of course, they’re an Indian tortilla.) We’re all going to have dinner together....actually, we’re all going to have dinner right about now, so I’ll write again tomorrow when I’ll tell you about our 2nd full day in Bombay. TTFN!

Day 3 Singapore

Well, I had thought that Chinese New Year in Singapore was going to be a blast but it turned out to be a bust. Apart from a few decorations- we didn’t see any signs of celebration at all. Unless you count the fact that because everyone was celebrating, almost every shop and restaurant door was closed. I guess that’s a sign that someone is celebrating! We went to mall after empty mall-all dark and deserted. However! Today we went to China Town and it was absolutely replete with Tigers (this is the Year of the Tiger) and the color red. Here are some pictures my husband took:

After we went to China Town, we went back to Clarke Quay (pronounced “Key”) and went to a really cool bookstore called Kinokuniya which I had heard of before at home, and really wanted to visit when I got the chance. I was able to get some really great ephemera (that’s what the paper and other stuff I use for my Mixed Media art is called) from Taiwan and Japan. I’m excited to put this stuff to use when I get home!

It was a little cooler today...only 89 degrees, rather than 90. But you have to keep in mind that the humidity makes it feel kinda stuffy. One thing that makes it bearable is that the MRT (subway) is air conditioned, and we take the MRT everywhere we go.

We took the MRT back to Little India to go to Banana Leaf Apolo for lunch. It’s a pretty well-known place...famous for their fish head curry. We didn’t have the fish head curry...I guess we’re just not adventurous enough. We had Chili Chicken (which was moderately spicy, even for me) and Vegetable Biryani. For those of you who don’t know, Biryani is a kind of roasted rice dish, where the rice actually roasts (usually with a meat like chicken or lamb) for hours-sometimes in an underground oven, getting more and more flavorful as the hours pass. You can make Biryani at home, too, in a much simpler way, but that’s the more traditional definition of Biryani.

Speaking of Biryani, our plane leaves for India tomorrow morning at 730 AM and we reach India at 1030 AM, India time. My Mother-in-Law will be waiting for us at the airport and from there we will go to the hotel where Abby and and I are staying to drop off our bags and maybe have a little lunch. Then we’ll head to Vikhroli, which is the tiny little area of Bombay where my husband is from. Our plans are up in the air from there!

I’ve got to say, I’ve REALLY loved our time in Singapore and I’m going to be sad to leave. Singapore is a beautiful place. It’s an easy place to be a tourist, too. It’s got a great transportation system, everyone speaks English, and if you’re smart enough to visit anytime other than Chinese New Year, there’s PLENTY of shopping! I know a few people who would be put off by the temperature here, but you’ve got to get past that. This place is so beautiful. Just last night, I found these little tiny baby seedless oranges that are about an inch and a quarter in diameter-and they’re deeee-licious! I love this country!

Day 2 Singapore-Snookered

We were awakened this morning at 5 AM by the telephone. Our request for a 9 AM wake up call was misunderstood...not too fun. I think we were all able to roll over and get over it, though. I was really unimpressed by the “free breakfast” options we were given on our first morning, so I wanted to go down to the restaurant’s buffet. I don’t know why I don’t learn my lesson that when the words “breakfast” and “buffet” are involved it means dollar signs. To make a long story short, we paid 100 Singapore dollars for 2 people for breakfast. (Your homework assignment is to go to an online currency converter and figure out how much we paid for breakfast.) We went more than a little overbudget.

Abby decided to take the morning off, so Milind and I headed off on the MRT (Singapore’s subway) to a camera shop we had heard about. We searched for awhile til we found it, crossing our fingers that it wouldn’t be one of the many shops that is closed for Chinese New Year. (BTW, I thought being here for Chinese New Year was going to be great, but basically it sucks because everything is closed!!) When we found it, there was a jovial Chinese man standing outside waiting for us. He greeted us with a smile as we told him about my husband’s camera and our need for a new, higher powered zoom lens. He showed us one that was basically the same as the one we have...then he showed us the next model up, quoting us a price o

f $1000. “But I’ll give it to you for special Chinese New Year price of $850.” We declined. He then lowered the price to six hundred and something. We still declined. He wanted to know how much we would pay. We didn’t know. We were clueless. I think he saw the chink in our armor. He finally whittled the price down to $350, and I told my husband to go for it, knowing how badly he wanted to take pictures with his new camera and how he needed the lens. He bought it.

We left the store and were on our way to our next destination, Little India, when my husband realized that the man didn’t give him a receipt for his purchase. We started to smell something fishy (as Velma would say).

Little India was...basically just like the real India. I saw no differences. Well, maybe the traffic moved a little more smoothly and the streets were cleaner. :) I mean that in the kindest of ways, because as you know, I’m a big fan of India. We had lunch at a well- known vegetarian restaurant called Komala Vilas. It was so delicious! I had Masala Dosai, which is a dosa (a huge thin pancake-like thing that fills the whole plate, rolled up) filled with a potato mixture, plus, to put it in Western terms, some dippin’ sauces. :) Komala Vilas was kind of interesting because of course everyone was eating with their hands...and I guess because of that, there were two sinks in the main dining room for hand washing. Did I eat with my hands? Well, I was given a fork (I guess they assumed I was inept), but I used a spoon in my right hand and ate with my left hand in the food. The only hard part was that that food was HOT! The best thing about lunch: it was only $2.50!

We left Little India and came back to the hotel to check on Abby...we wanted to see if she was ready to join us, and she was. While we were at the hotel, my husband did a little research on the internet about lenses and found the same lens he just bought for only $250 on Amazon. He was so upset. He was determined to go back to the store and either get some money back or all his money back. Unfortunately, we checked with the concierge, and there is no concept of merchandise returns in Singapore. There is only an agency called CASE that basically goes after seedy businesses when they make poor business transactions. We did go back to the store...the man was NOT as jovial as he was the first time, and of course he refused to give us our money back. We told him we’d be reporting him to CASE.

After our disappointment at the camera store, we had to check a Singapore “must-do” off our list: Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel. We traveled by MRT to the Raffles Hotel, and found our way to the Long Bar...a really cool, old fashioned bar with a lot of history...and my husband and Abby sipped Singapore Slings and ate peanuts in the cool air of the bar. When you’re done with your peanut shells, you just throw them on the floor. It’s that kinda place.

Now we’re back at the hotel for happy hour...we’ve got plans to go out for dinner tonight at a place called Banana Leaf Apolo. We saw it on Andrew Zimmern’s show.

We have vague ideas about what we’ll do tomorrow....but who knows? It’s our last day in Singapore, so we’re going to make the most of it. I do know we’re going back to Clark Quay, but that’s all I know for sure.

TTFN!

Singapore-the flight and the first day

My sweet husband got me a wonderful Valentine’s gift! A new Flip Ultra HD video camera...so you will be seeing some videos of our trip here on this blog. I’m lovin’ it!

I think I’m going to regret a lot of things about this flight to Singapore...mostly to do with airplane food. I requested Gluten Free meals and I’ve had one semi-hit and 3 misses, while my husband, who requested the Hindu Veg meals keeps lovin’ every bite. I’m calling them tomorrow and getting the rest of my meals switched to Hindu Veg (which seem to all be GF anyway). The other thing I may end up really regretting, is brushing my teeth in Incheon Airport in Korea. I did what I always do and I dipped my toothbrush in before thinking about the potability of the water & then it was too late. I’ve cost myself so many toothbrushes because of that! But I pressed on and brushed my teeth anyway- and I pressured Abby into doing it too- so we may be fighting over the toilet later on at the hotel.

Well, I’m writing this on the plane...actually, I’m doing fairly well. I’ve been up 24 hours so far and by the time we get situated at the hotel it will probably be more like 27-28 hours. It really helps in situations like this (trying to acclimate to jetlag) to have insomnia...because I can keep myself up for the loooooooongest periods of time.

Anyway, I’m out. TTFN.

Hey! So far no regrets from the plane food....I’m so happy about that! AND! It turns out that Seoul’s water is potable. Shame on me for thinking otherwise! Actually, to be honest, I’ve never peed in a cooler bathroom than the one in Seoul’s airport. It was just awesome. The stalls were so private and clean and the toilet seat covers....I can’t even explain them! There was an actual sleeve of plastic that came out of a machine that covered the entire seat, and it automatically re-loaded for each new person. Does that make sense? Probably not. But anyway, it was cool. We got into our Hotel, which is the Singapore Marriott, at around 2:15 AM, and of course we were exhausted...so when the enthusiastic receptionist tried to upsell us a huge room with a price tag to match, we totally fell for it. So now, for the next 4 days, we are in a 2 bedroom Junior Suite...with 2 bathrooms! But actually, it is very comfortable and luxurious and we love it. I was so tired last night, I just wanted to take a shower and go to bed...I went into the main bathroom and got into the tub and noticed there was just a hand shower and no actual shower curtain. I was like, “how we gonna do this?”. So I splashed around in there like a little sea otter and got the job done and came out with my jammies on. When I told Abby and my husband about the weird bathing situation, my husband just laughed and

said, “you mean you didn’t see the separate stand up shower in the corner?”. It’s true. There’s a HUGE shower stall in there. I guess the bathroom’s just so big that I missed it.

Today we had intentions to go Sentosa Island...we got to the station and everything, but then we saw and hour long line-in the sun (did I mention it’s hella hot here?)-to get there. We stood in that line arguing with eachother for about 4 minutes and then we left. We decided to go to Clarke Quay, which is basically a bunch of restaurants and retail stores on a river front. It’s really pretty. Everything is closed though!!! Everything is closed because it’s New Year’s. We did manage to find a few restaurants that were open...and we stopped and ate at one called Café Iguana, which is a Mexican restaurant, of all things. It was really good! I had chicken tacos with handmade tortillas. Mmmmmmm. Then we took a riverboat cruise....we saw a lot from the boat...a lot of stuff we can do in the next few days. It was really nice. After the cruise, I couldn’t resist a sign I saw for Turkish Ice Cream. What is Turkish Ice Cream? I had to know. Basically, a guy dressed in Authentic Turkish clothing with Ice Cream in brass tubs in flavors like vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, mango and strawberry reaches in with a special spoon and with all his gusto, fills your bowl or cone with rich Ice Cream (which is really not very sweet). He really likes to mix flavors. That’s my impression of Turkish Ice Cream.

Then we came back to the hotel so I could write this blog, and our plan now is to go out to Orchard Road and walk around. Should be fun. My husband wants to get a new lens for his camera.