An afternoon in Washington DC

I had to be here for work on Friday morning, but am spending the weekend here to visit with a friend.

One of the best things about Washington is the Metro.  It's reasonably cheap and such an easy way to get around the city.  I booked my hotel on some hotel points that have just been kicking around and got a great deal on the JW Marriott that's right by the White House.  The closest Metro stop is called Federal Triangle walking out of the station, I was greeted by the huge, impressive buildings that are all over the place down here.  This is a square, essentially, that consists of the EPA, the Post Office and the Ronald Reagan building.  Stepping out into it, and into sunshine after a morning of pouring rain is quite awe inspiring.  I have a thing for buildings and there are a lot here to admire.

Once I got myself checked in, off I went to the Spy Museum.  The National Gallery will have to wait for another trip.  I completely enjoyed myself there.  I can't say I know a lot about the history of espionage, but now I really want to learn more.  The whole cloak and dagger stuff is fascinating and the museum covers it all off.  No pictures allowed, but I would have loved to take some.  I suppose I should have snuck in a hidden camera in my purse!  There was a very interesting display on them.  The whole museum is very interactive.  I think one of my favourite displays was on how the Russians ended up with the necessary knowledge from the Manhattan Project to build their own atomic bomb.  It's a small, dark square room and as I walked into it, pictures on the wall light up and are narrated and shows the links from person to person to the Russians. At the end, there is a countdown and the room flashes and shakes like the bomb has gone off.  Extremely cool.   It also has a gift shop where you actually want to buy things.  Nifty gadgets, like universal tools, tiny cameras and listening devices and universal handcuff keys.  I picked up a postcard for myself on the "Moscow Rules" which are the basic rules that CIA operatives in Moscow followed during the Cold War.  Mine are abbreviated, as there are something like 40 in total, but they go like this:

1)   Assume nothing
2)   Never go against your gut
3)  Everyone is potentially under opposition control
4)  Don't look back; you are never completely alone
5)  Go with the flow, blend in
6)  Vary your pattern and stay within your cover
7)  Lull them into a sense of complacency
8)  Don't harass the opposition
9)  Pick the time and place for action
10) Keep your options open

Truly words to live by!

In the evening I met with my good friend and we went to a Brazilian Churrascaria called Fogo de Chao.  He introduced me to Caipirinhas.  This is  a drink made with a whole lime, sugar and cachaca-a rum like distillation.  I am hooked.  We had a regular one, which I really loved, and a fruitier one, which was also good, but doesn't compare to the original.  It's just a perfect blend of tart and sweet and I'm afraid I got quite tipsy and far too chatty.

The food was also delicious.  Servers come around with different kinds of meat, like lamb, prime rib, filet mignon, chicken, sausages,etc., on huge skewers and then slice off whatever you want.  If anyone is every in DC, I recommend that you try this place.  It was great.

Here is a link for the recipe for the caipirinhas.  It also has substitutions in case you can't find cachaca.  If I wander by a liquor store today, I'm going to look for it as the price will be much better here than whatever we would pay at the LCBO.

http://www.maria-brazil.org/caipirinha.htm

I'm still jet lagged and waking up too early.  It's just after 7 so I'm going to toss on some clothes and wander around while there is no one around and take some pictures.

And this is why the plane was delayed

I was just watching the news.  It rained like crazy here today.  I paused on Fox (the only time it's worthwhile to watch) because they were showing video of a guy surfing down a street.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/weather/severe_weather/scores-of-roads-closed-by-storms-floods-090811

Stuck in another airport!

I'm heading to Washington DC for the weekend.  Partially work, but a big piece of it is personal as I'll be catching up with a good friend I haven't seen in quite a while.  It will be good to see what she's been up to.

What's irritating is that I had to rush to get to the airport to make my flight.  Unfortunately, because of the bad weather on the eastern seaboard, the plane has been delayed for at least two hours--so far.  It's always hard to take when it's perfect, sunny weather here.  The weather is causing personnel problems here, too.  Our crew had to get pulled as, with the delay, they would have exceeded their allotted hours and so we need a new one.  But the bright side is that, as I type this, we just had announcement that the new crew is enroute and that the weather is holding out.  We should be on our way around 7.  I love bright sides.

I'm on my own tomorrow afternoon and the camera battery is charged.  I had the most delightful customs official  who was super chatty (I like to think he just found me charming) and told me about how the Washington Monument was apparently chipped during the earthquake a week or two ago.  Who knew?  It did not make news in India.

I have a very lofty goal of going to the National Gallery tomorrow afternoon since it's just going to be raining, but I'm feeling the lure of the Spy Museum as well.  I might do both, depending on how much time I have.  The Spy Museum is really cool and the last time I had some free time in DC, I didn't have a chance to see it.  It has to do, of course with everything to do with spying and espionage.  They have a couple of very neat special events coming up--one is to dine with a couple who are ex-CIA agents.  That sounds neat, but really, it's not like they are going to slip and give away a national secret.  The other event is called Surveillance 101 and is about teaching you to observe.  That would be fun.  OK-it looks like the decision is made.  I'm not exactly rambling on about the National Gallery.   I hope I can take pictures.

Zurich Airport

I'm on my way home!  I'm sitting in the lounge in the Zurich airport, looking out over mountains, drinking delicious coffee, eating an even more delicious croissant and a juicy, ripe nectarine.  I will admit it is nice not to even think about the water the nectarine was washed in.  I had my share of tummy troubles through this trip.

I left India at 12:50 AM local time Sunday morning.  What a zoo.  With the festival (see previous post) still going on, traffic was a nightmare.  It took 90 minutes to get to the airport.  Then I had to queue up to just into the airport.  There was a security person checking tickets and passports.  Only people departing on flights are allowed in.  Then a another line-up for immigration, then security.  I don't quite get having to go through immigration.  All he did was stamp my passport.  India has a lot of unneeded bureaucracy.

I flew here on Swiss Airlines and have seven hour layover here that's actually almost over.  I did bit of poking around in the shops, but way too expensive.  Even the duty free is way over-priced.  That did not stop me from buying a 10 Euro magnet, though.  When will I be in Switzerland again?

So the lounge it is.  After all the crush in Mumbai, it's really relaxing to just be hanging out where it's quiet and not crowded.  I wish I had a couple of days to stay here.  I've never been to Switzerland and would have loved to have had some extra time to play the tourist.

A funny thing that I'm totally aware of, is how much I smell of the city.  I did notice when I was there that after  taking a shower and washing my hair, I didn't smell of the products I used, I just smelled like the water.  I didn't notice it at the time, but now that I'm away from it, it's definitely there.  I sat down and got a whiff of Bombay.  And no, I am not feeling nostalgic, despite how much I enjoyed my time there.  Right now, the focus is on getting home although I am dreading unpacking.  That is my least favourite thing to do when I get back from a trip.

At least I'm going to get to have non-frizzy hair again.  Not only is is practically fall, the best season of the year, hopefully it's not too humid in Toronto anymore.  See everyone soon!

Ganpati Festival

The last few days of my trip, I had the pleasure to experience the festival of Ganpati.  The festival runs for 11 days and during it, it's believed that Ganesh is present on earth.  Ganesh is known as the god for wisdom, prosperity, good fortune and travel--so it was particularly relevant for me as I'm on the way home.

Leading up to it, I had noticed the idols being made.  Traditionally, they were made from mud, more recently from plaster of paris, but now the eco-movement has them being made of mud again.  They are truly gorgeous and it's almost a shame that they end up getting immersed in the sea.  The artistry is something else.  They are ordered to specification on colour, etc and then picked up before the festival begins.  Size wise they range from small to enormous.  I had a vendor decorating them at the bottom of my street and wandered by.  It takes true artistry to decorate these.

I was invited by my friends to take part in the celebration at their house.  On Wednesday night, we picked the Ganesh up.  Ours was very pretty.  His head is covered until he's brought home and the house decorated.  The following morning, he is uncovered and people spend the day visiting each other and paying homage to the Ganesh in peoples homes.  Aside from seeing how lovely the other statues were, one of the neatest bits for me was that if you touch the Ganesh, you must be barefoot.  We left our shoes in the car when we picked him  up and I got to walk barefoot in the streets of Bombay.  It's kind of cool to be able to say that.

After work on Thursday, I made my over through the traffic to spend the evening.  When transporting the Ganesh, anywhere, people bang on drums, ring bells, set off fireworks, sing, dance and just generally make a lot of noise.  It's a very joyous celebration and it went on well into the night.

When I arrived, one first visits Ganesh.  That's ours, above.  You gift him with a sprinkling of rice, marigold petals and red powder (the kind that goes on the forehead)--all with the right hand--tough to remember for a die hard lefty like me.  Then I touched him and made wish and was given a sweet. In some ways, it feels sort of like Christmas, without the presents.  It has that same feeling for me, anyway.  It has its own music, people get together to chat, eat and spend time with each other. It just felt really good and I was so happy that I got to be a part of it.

Friday afternoon, it was time to submerge him.  When you get the Ganesh, you commit to keeping him a certain amount of time.  This one was submerged after 1 1/2 days.  That's the minimum and I suspect it might have been for my benefit so that I could be part of it.

We went to the beach and again, barefoot, made our way to the water.  This Ganesh was eco-friendly mud version and is quite heavy.  There are young men there who will help you carry the statue down to the water.  It was early and "not busy yet", but there were probably several hundred people at the beach.  I could have spent hours there, just watching.  Each Ganesh is unique--and have I mentioned how pretty they are?

Once incense was lit and prayers done, it was time to submerge him.  The young man who helped us carry him to the beach, also put him in the water.  It was quite windy and there is a bad undertow at the beach.  I "accidentally" ended up being a little too close and got wet up to the knees and could really feel the suction.  Yes, I got a soaker in the Indian Ocean. It's too bad it's so polluted.  There are miles of beautiful beaches that can't be used.  The previous night, there was talk about how people used to be able to go swimming in them 20 or so years ago.  It's quite sad.  The water is just a murky beigey-colour and very unappealing.

Below are some pictures and video of the Ganesh being submerged.  It's a bit jiggly for a few seconds at the beginning, so please bear with me.  Scorsese, I am not.

This is awesome

Lurid, but quite interesting (at least to me).  I really enjoy the editorializing in the newspapers here and read the Times of India for the news and the Bombay Times for my Bollywood gossip.  A much less dry read than the Globe and Mail.
Now to put some perspective on the cost, as 6 Lakh (pronouced "lack") doesn't sound like much until you convert it.  1 lakh = 100 000 rupees.  So 6 lakh is about $12 770 and change.  Then another 5 lakh for "incidentals".  I haven't had any $20K evenings out recently.  I must be hanging out with the wrong crowd.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Rs-6-lakh-for-a-night-of-dance-booze-and-sex-in-Mumbai/articleshow/9802426.cms

I also owe a real post on what I've been doing.  It's Ganpati here.  It's a festival that honours Ganesh.  It's fascinating and I'm so please I've been able to be a part of it.  Stay tuned.