Where to begin??

Vienna is perfectly gorgeous.  The old city, where I have been poking about for the last couple of days is as magical as the pictures you see.  Old, incredibly clean, and just plain old picturesque   There is history around every corner.  Yesterday, I happened down a side street and came upon a plaque on house announcing the composer, Robert Schumann, lived there for several years.

I've been to several churches, with the exception of the big cathedral, which I am saving for later in the week to go with H.  My favourite is St. Peters.  It's not very big, but the frescoes are stunning and the gold work is so intricate.  It also has one of the oldest organs in Europe, and on Monday, I went to a free concert there in the afternoon to hear it.  One can't help but be immersed in classical music here, whether you like it or not.  It is everywhere.  I stumbled across the men's choir practicing in another church and stayed to listen to them.

My absolute favourite thing that I've seen, and thanks to my mom for recommending (insisting) that I go, is the crypt where the Kaisers are buried.  The coffins are just lined up in these dim, underground rooms. How elaborate they are is a true sign of how austere the particular time or Kaiser happened to be.  Some are so detailed and so over-the-top and are covered with guards with skulls as faces or veiled mourners.  There are some tiny coffins that belong to children and babies, but for the most part, most of these people lived to their old age.  The pictures show very plump people who looked rather pleased with themselves, so it's no wonder they got old.

Of course, this visit wouldn't be complete without a visit to the the Christmas markets.  There are five, and I've been to three so far, and there is one that is just so touristy I am not going to bother.  Last night, I went to one of the larger ones, in front of the Rathaus (city hall).  A lot of pretty decorations, a LOT of food and drink, and a lot of junk, too.  You certainly need to be selective when purchasing anything, as it is both expensive and not necessarily made in Austria.  Tonight, we will go to the best one.  It's small but is known to have the true, hand-made decorations.

If I lived here, I would slowly become an alcoholic, at least in December.  I find I am addicted to the punsch stands that are everywhere.  Punsch is a mulled wine that is so very, very delicious   The local Lion's club has stands set up and the proceeds go to charity.  A cup is three Euros and few things are as pleasant as standing in a square, and feeling the warmth spread through my body.  It's quite chilly here and after spending the day outdoors, it is very welcome.  At the Christmas markets, there are different varieties, and I had a particularly yummy one made of eggnog with whipping cream on top.

Unfortunately, I can't post any pictures, as H's Mac isn't recognizing my camera (For the record, I wouldn't have these sorts of problems with a PC :P), but will add a bunch when I get home.

H and I are about to start our day here, very late today.  We both had long days yesterday, and I'm battling a bit of a cold, so we opted to have an easy morning and sleep in.   I'm not sure what we'll see.  I am hoping to get to the Albertina.  Which is a museum that was a private palace, and they have kept much of the residential feel of it.

In lieu of pictures, here is a recipe for Punsch.  It makes 24 cups--probably what I will drink in the course of the week. :)

3 litres of red wine

1 litre of water
0,12 litre of Austrian rum (80vol% alcohol), if you have to use carribean rum, take 0,25 litre
0,75 litre fresh orange juice
250 g sugar
2 sticks of cinnamon, a few cloves
some orange peel

Put everything into a big pot, just heat, do not boil.

Bread, it's that good here

This actually deserves mention.  We had picked up some rye bread that smelled so delicious, it was irresistible.

We just had that bread, butter and cheese.  It's not just delicious because of where we are enjoying it, it is really that good.  Why does bread that you have to cut yourself always taste better?  And back to the price--90 cents!!!

V is for Wien!

H and I arrived safe and sound in this lovely city.  The trip was uneventful.  Luckily for us, our connection in Frankfurt was delayed by a half hour, so we did not have to do the two kilometre run from one end of the airport to the other.  

It was great to see snow falling in Frankfurt.  Sadly, no snow in the forecast here, but I remain hopeful.

Our tiny little flat is right by the Prater, which is a very old amusement park here in the city.  The ferris wheel is the oldest operating ferris wheel in Europe, if not the world.  It's an ancient, rather rickety structure that looks totally unsafe.  I can't wait to go on it.  It's huge and the view must be spectacular.   In anticipation of being here, I had a wonderful evening watching "The Third Man" Friday evening.  There is a great scene in that movie that takes place on this ferris wheel.


The woman who greeted us at the flat was kind enough to show us where the local grocery store is and recommended a great little restaurant, where we polished off meat and gravy and spaeztle, oh, and a bottle of wine.  We were starving and so everything was especially tasty.  

Pleasantly full, we wandered over to the grocery store.  Both H and I love visiting grocery stores in foreign places and this was no exception.  We stocked up on the basics, but also threw in cheese, some lunchmeat, chocolate pudding from the dairy case and a bottle of prosecco.  Some things are so ridiculously inexpensive.  Our litre of milk was just shy of one Euro, the aforementioned chocolate pudding (which was delicious and tasted like I had made it at home--crappy Jell-o pudding take note) was about 75 cents each.  The prosecco was less than four Euros.  I can't wait to go back again.  It was extremely busy this afternoon.  Shops here are closed on Sundays and I think that's why this place was so crazy.  Walking around our neighbourhood was great.  It was so very quiet, it was almost eerie.  Apparently everyone was at the grocery store. :)

Lots of building photographs to come.  The building this flat is in is very old, with the kind of crumbling walls and wrought iron bannisters that would be condemned in North America, but here just hide very cool, very modern apartments.

A few snaps from earlier in the day.  We are very, very tired and will be having an early night. We both adored the restaurant dog.  He wandered out, checked out the people who were eating, barked at the table who decided to leave and then flopped down and snoozed in the middle of the restaurant.  Everyone just smiled and stepped around him.  I wish we were more relaxed about these sort of things where we are.

The end of my visual feast--for now

My trip here is over. Where did the time go?  This truly was a work trip and I had very little time to get around.  I only had tea at the Taj the one time, and didn't even do the full tea.  No caves, no Crawford Market;  I guess I will have to come again.  This time I will try to tack on some personal travel days.  It is truly a country worth seeing.

I think one of the things I enjoy the most is that it really is a feast for the eyes, both good and bad.  There is an interesting picture around every corner.  It's very common that if a man has to pee, he pulls over and goes for a pee.  It used to shock me, but then became a bit of a game that on the way to and from work, how many men would be peeing?  Six was the most and that's a pretty impressive number considering the drive to work is perhaps five kilometres at best.  (And to be clear, that is part of the "bad")

The good is all over the place.  The little markets with carts of neatly arranged fruits and vegetables, the moldering buildings, my constant amazement of what can be delivered on a bike, or the two guys last night on a motorcycle, one driving and his passengers holding two enormous branches of bananas.  I particularly love the women in their brightly coloured saris and never get tired of looking at them.  Even the everyday ones that I see are gorgeous and they are very flattering on all sorts of body shapes.  The women just look graceful and dressed up, even though it's just daily wear clothing.

In the mornings seeing the kids in their uniforms on their wait to school also made me smile.  The girls tended to wear these rather shapeless sort of dresses, but almost all of them wear their very long hair in long braids and then looped up and tied with huge, brightly coloured ribbons.  They are so cute looking and already true Mumbaikars as they somehow navigate themselves and their small siblings through the crazy traffic.

On the weekend, I often see flower bedecked cars that are bringing either a bride or groom to their wedding. This past Sunday, on the way to lunch at the home of one of my colleagues (which was delicious and a lot of fun), my cab got stuck in a traffic jam.  As we made it past the blockage, I saw a young groom getting out of the car and everyone crowding around him.  It was colourful, loud, and a total pleasure to see.

As much as I'm looking forward to home, bed, family and friends, I will miss this place.  Because this was the second time around, it was much less "scary" and that much more easy to navigate.  It doesn't take long to establish a routine and with the odd exception, pretty much ate Indian food for a lot of the trip.  My one "treat" for western food was, strangely enough, McDonalds.  I think that was because I discovered their spicy paneer sandwich and that they have my beloved Thums Up cola as one of their fountain drinks.  Their paneer sandwich was basically a square of deep fried paneer, lettuce and a spicy, creamy sauce.  Seriously good and so cheap.  The meal deal with fries and a drink is about $2.50.

I play this silly game with myself when I travel of  "Could I live here?" and for some strange reason, Mumbai gets a yes. Perhaps not forever, but if I had to for an extended period of time, it would be do-able.  I've even picked out my neighbourhood. :)

Of course, that everyone I've met here is so gracious and helpful makes that question easier to answer.  I have never met a group of people more generous.  I am in everyone's debt and even though they won't hear of it, I am eternally grateful.

And just to close, some pictures that I like.  The dog is "my" dog.  She's the one that was pregnant when I was here last August and actually remembered me the first time our paths crossed again.  I was so pleased, I bought some dog treats for her at the grocery store, which she happily gobbled up.  Sorry, no peeing men pictures. :)

Baby Falak update

Good news on the Baby Falak story.  I was just browsing and found an article that she's off a ventilator and more responsive.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/battered-baby-falak-responding-to-treatment_760946.html

Ants in my pants

Not literally, but actually ants in my bed.  I had  a very bad night where something kept biting me.  I thought bedbugs, but no, it is tiny little red ants.  I've got about a dozen or so bites on my shoulders and back.  I don't know where they came from, but I itch like crazy.

So off to Google to learn more.  I found this story from last year.  It's really not related at all to this post beyond the ants, but it just blew me away.  Even if you don't read the whole link, read the last paragraph.  WTF?

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-01/kolkata/29953331_1_ants-baby-girl-exhumed

It's already my last Saturday here...

I don't know where the month has gone.  It's my last weekend here.  It's been so busy, I haven't even had time to feel homesick.  I did a little bit of pre-packing organization.  I have a tendency to spread out in a hotel room, even if it's just for a night or two, so after a month here, I have officially moved in.  Aside from the little bits and pieces that I've purchased, things just take up more space on the way home.  I brought along my trusty, folding duffle bag and I am very glad I had that little bit of foresight

Since I haven't had much of a chance to do more than sit on my butt all week, I took a long walk.  I have noticed a market that pops up on Saturdays about a mile or so away, so I thought I would walk over and look around and take some pictures.  I got lost though and it wasn't on the corner I thought it should be.  So I walked to another corner, not there either.  Oh well, maybe it just wasn't there, but it's more likely I was a block or so away and just couldn't find it.

It was a great stroll, regardless.  It is sunny out, but it wasn't too hot; maybe around 27C (about 80F for my American friends) and early enough not to be busy.  I had lunch at my favourite outdoor veg restaurant and just a had a very pleasant time.

One thing truly stood out.  It was the billboards for a wedding that's happening in the neighbourhood.  Yes, that's right, full size billboards announcing the big day.  I walked by the huge outdoor venue where it was being set up.  Of course, being India, this elaborate wedding is beside some shacks with a small smudge fire going that are beside a stinky canal.  Just the perfect collide of all the worlds.  I wish Mahesh and Manisha all the best.  I wonder if I could do the same for my birthday? :)

Baby Falak

There is a news story here that has been going on for as long as I've been here.  It's horribly tragic and really shows the worst side of people.

The short version of this story is that Falak, a two year old girl was left outside of New Delhi hospital so physically abused that whether or not she survives has been touch and go for the last three weeks.  She was bruised, bitten, branded on her cheeks and has suffered brain damage as a result.  Every morning the paper has an update on her condition and the whole nation seems to be behind her.

The story on how she got there is equally horrific.  A man has been arrested for handing over Falak to his 14(!) year old girlfriend as part of a human trafficking ring.  Falak's biological mother was forced into prostitution by her husband, before running away.  From what I've gathered, the mother was then sold to another man, and her children taken away from her.  Falak ended up with the man who was arrested and his young girlfriend and it is apparently the girlfriend who beat the child.  But then, the 14 year old had escaped an abusive father to end up with a man who raped her repeatedly for three days before pimping her out to his customers and she took out her own frustration with her situation on Falak.

The whole story is stomach turning and is a sad tale of the state of women in this country and, I would say, of disenfranchised women around the globe.  I've done a bit of Google searching and it seems to be news only here.  I am always shocked that even though we can make such huge strides forward in the rights of women and basic human rights, this kind of abuse continues.  These women are victims just by virtue of their sex and their poverty.  Even if they could escape, there are very few places where they can go for help here, if they even know of their existence.

Here are some links.  The entire story is a bit convoluted and I've noticed different new sources will post slightly different angles on the same thing.  I've been following IBN.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/baby-falaks-brain-infection-starts-subsiding/231235-3.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/baby-falaks-brain-infection-starts-subsiding/231235-3.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/man-who-abandoned-baby-falak-arrested/229145-3.html

It's hot!!! Finally!

Just to rub it in to all the people enjoying a lovely, cold winter, the daytime high here today was 36C!  It was beautiful out.  Now if only I can get some time outdoors, I would be really happy.  I can't wait for the weekend to be outside and work on my "tan" (I think that I might be slightly more pink than my usual pastiness).   I've discovered that I can sit in the sunshine of the rooftop restaurant completely undisturbed until the hotel staff start setting it up for service in the late afternoon.  It's like a little oasis.

Here is the forecast for the next few days.  I find it interesting that for today (Feb 21), the description of the weather is "smoke".  Today, like yesterday was very hazy.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/inxx0026

New Shoes!

I'm actually not feeling well today.  I woke up with a very sore throat, runny nose and achy body.  Unfortunately, I did have to go out a bit and on the way home, I stopped off at nearby mall to head to the drugstore to grab a couple of things that I am running low on and have a bite of lunch.

Since I was there, I also had a poke around a few of the stores to get a few small presents to bring home.  Since I happened to be walking by a shoe store,  it just seemed wrong not to go in. :)

For the most part, I'm not in love with the shoes here.  Most of them are slip ons and are like flip-flops; they have that thing that goes between the toes, which I always find kind of uncomfortable.  Everyone here wears them though and I've noticed that women actually have a little gap between their big and second toes from wearing them since they were small.

I did happen upon a nice pair of red shoes with an espadrille-type heel that fit like they were made for me.  I was just thoroughly pleased to find a pair of shoes in my size and then thrilled that they fit and were a good price--about 45 dollars.

I happily made my way  out the store and then happened by the sale rack and there was another pair--sort of a patent bronze.  Same brand, same size, so I had to try them on.  Also a perfect fit.  And the price made them worth while--399 rupees, so about 8 dollars.  Love it and love the shoes.

Street Chickens

I get a kick out of the animals I see on the streets here.  I've already rambled on about the dogs and there are the expected cows, but I also see goats, the odd sheep, and have witnessed a riderless horse ambling along the side of a street.  Recently though, I've noticed the the odd stray chicken.  

Every morning, I see truck loads of live chickens being delivered.  If I had access to a kitchen, I could buy a live chicken, have it plucked and butchered and bring it home.  I've gone by some of the stalls selling them and I'm both intrigued and feel very sorry for the chickens at the same time.  The feeling is not unlike the one I have on my way to work in the morning.  My schedule matches up to the delivery of live pigs to the last abattoir left in more down-townish Toronto and I always feel bad for those pigs on their final trip. 

What I like about the chickens, is that I think of them as "escapees" from the chicken truck.  I see them pecking away at whatever they can find with everyone ignoring them.  Although I am sure that their freedom is short lived;  if someone doesn't grab them, they will likely peck their way in the wrong direction and get flattened by a speeding rickshaw and still end up in the stew pot.  

Even so, I can't help but smile when I see them on the run.  Run, Chicken, Run!

Chaat or Street Food (aka Sev Puri)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I finally got to indulge in street food.  We went to a place that is know not only to be clean, but some of the best in the city.  The cart certainly lived up to its reputation.

We indulged in my new Indian food addiction, sev puri.  It is just a delicious looking mess.  Basically, it's made of sort of a flat, cracker like bread, with potato on top, sauce and crunchy bits.  It doesn't sound like much, but it's the perfect combination of crunchiness, softness, and sauciness.  In the last week, I've eaten it five times.  I can get it at the cafeteria at work, plus there is a restaurant nearby that makes it.  This afternoon, on my way to the grocery store for some juice, I ended up stopping off at the restaurant and getting an order.  What's fun about the restaurant is that they have a counter that sells "street food".  I can just walk up, get my sev puri, eat it and be gone again in less than 10 minutes.  Plus it's dirt cheap.  Less than a dollar at the restaurant and at work, it's about 20 cents.

Below is a recipe.  I will make attempt it when I'm hope.  I'm sure that I can get most of the ingredients in Toronto's Little India.  If I can't, I'll just have to find a reason to come back here.. :)

Sev Puri

10 - Flat Puris (crisp)
1 cup Fine Sev
1/2 cup chopped Onion (Pyaj)
1/2 cup Curd (Dahi)
3 tblsp Tamarind (Imli) Chutney
3 tblsp Coriander Leaves (Dhania Patta) Chutney
1/2 cup boiled Potato (Aloo)
1 tblsp Chaat Masala
1/2 tsp Red chili pepper (Lal Mirchi)
1/2 tsp Cumin Seed (Jeera) 

How to make sev puri:

• Arrange the puris on a plate make a hole in each puri in the centre.
• Fill with a few chopped boiled potato cubes.
• Add about 1/4 tsp of tamarind and green chutneys in each.
• Sprinkle cumin powder, salt, red chilli powder.
• Sprinkle finely chopped onions.
• Then generously sprinkle sev all over the puris.
• Garnish with finely chopped coriander.
• Serve fresh..

Last Sunday :)

This is a short post as the day was merely "meh" instead of the fun that I had hoped for.

One of the things that I had been looking forward to was a trip back to Colaba and tea at the Taj Palace.  I had reserved a car and was so looking forward to my old haunt.  Unfortunately, it wasn't quite the same.

It is high season for tourists and since this is almost my third week here and every day has been sunshine and every evening cooling down to just the right temperature, I can see why.

I wandered around and saw my old haunts, including checking out my favourite building, but there were scads and scads of tourists.  When I went to lunch at my favourite cafe, I had a 20 minute wait and when I made it to the Taj  for tea, the only available table had no view.  So it was ok, still interesting and still the neighbourhood I like the best, but I think I prefer it in the pouring rain when I'm practically all alone, rather than having to share it in the sunshine with the rest of the pushy tourists.

And I can't believe that I almost forgot the best part.  As I was walking around, I was stopped by a man who blessed me.  He had me eat this little white sugary candies, wrapped my right wrist with a piece of yellow, red and orange wool and gave me a marigold that I was too keep in my pocket for food fortune.  I remember him from the last time I was here, he blessed me then, too.  I went with it again, though, and when he suggested a "donation" of 500 rupees (10 bucks), I just gave it to him (last time I haggled him down to 150).  I just wasn't in the mood to haggle over my good fortune.  In fact, I wasn't in a haggling mood at all, so perhaps that's part of the reason of my discontent with Colaba that day.

Below is a horrible picture of me, post blessing.

Last Saturday :)

I am finally catching up by sitting on the patio drinking the delicious sangria that the hotel makes.  Below is what happened last weekend.

We took the weekend off, which was fabulous.  It gave me a chance to catch up on my sleep and visit my regular haunts.

Saturday, I blissfully slept in and that was the official end of any jet lag.  Since I was so energized, I strapped on my trusty Keen sandals and off I went to my local shopping street.  To avoid the traffic I took a bit of a back road.  I like it better as it is residential and has a couple of little parks along the way, which is quite a luxury in this city.  Unfortunately, I did get lost, but in a good way.

When I reached the end of my back way and got to the next busy street, there was a coffee shop on the corner. Great, I thought, as a Costa Coffee shop is the entrance to my shopping street--except it wasn't.   Costa Coffee is like Starbucks here in India and you see a lot of them around.  So  I breezed past and made it about a block or so in and realized that  I was on the wrong street.  What to do?  I could be boring and turn around or I could just walk until I hit a cross street and then make my way over.  Of course, I decided to walk.  It was great, just local people and local vendors selling fruit and vegetables.  At about the halfway point, when I could see a busy street in the distance, there was a giant "Road Closed" metal gate.  Since a few other people were going in and out, I did too.  This is where I made a neat discovery of sorts.  There was some sort of road or sewer work happening, but it wasn't like anything I had ever seen.  Yes, there were four guys standing around, watching the fifth guy shovel, but people had brought their kids to work with them, as well.

Tied to a bus stop were three naked little (maybe 2 or 3) kids, messing around in the dirt and happy as clams.  Their parents were working and while the men did the shoveling/standing around, the women were filling baskets with dirt and carrying the baskets on their heads.  There were two ancient looking generators running.  The whole scene could have been 100 years ago.  With the exception of the generators, that looked to be about 50 years old, I doubt that the method has changed much.  It's times like that where I wish I was a bit more bold with the camera.  I would have loved to take a picture, but didn't want to to disturb at the same time.  Because I stick out in my neighbourhood, I'm more self conscious about it than usual.  So I walked along and tried to memorize the picture in my head.

When I finally reached the end of the street, I had also reached the end of my shopping street.  They both curved slightly and joined at the top which was a happy discovery.

It is fun just to look in the shops.  You name it, you can get it in one mile strip.  Each shop is tiny, though, and if you want something, you ask for it.  A lot of the shops have their wares behind the counter and then have assistants to help you.  It's kind of nice, but also kind of weird.  The upside is that you don't buy more than you want because you don't browse.  I need tissues, I buy my tissues and move on--there are no "how did I spend $40 at Shopper's when all I needed was a box of tissues?"  moments.
My favourite shops are the one selling costume jewelry.  It can be very cheap, and priced accordingly or quite nice and a little more expensive.  For example, a set of two bangles, that are gold plated over a silver base and have semi-precious stones runs a little over 20 dollars, which is a great price, I think.  They look much more expensive than they are.  At the same time, you can get a dozen cheaper bangles for about four dollars.  Great for kids, not quite "fancy" enough for me.

I treated myself to lunch at one of the local restaurants.  It has sort of a patio and I'm spending as much time in the sunshine as I can.  The weather has been wonderful.   Lunch was delicious.  I had palak paneer, which is the homemade soft cheese that I like in spinach with chapati.  I love eating with my hands.  I'm over feeling the need to eat with a fork and have embraced eating with my hands.  It is just fun.  It was only when I got back to the hotel again and saw the brown water running off my hands as I washed then that I paused for a second, but even then, it was just a pause.  I'm here, I'm going to be dirty, so be it.

In the evening, I had what I have been dying to try--street food!  It is a delicious as it looks and my favourite item deserves its own post.  I am completely addicted.

Afterwards one of my colleagues and his wife took me out for Indian and we joined friends of theirs.  Food was again delicious.  Lamb kebabs, paneer, amazing breads, I could go on and on about how good the food was.  One of the things that this restaurant is known for is its "roomali roti".  It's a very, very thin dough, like pizza door that is baked very quickly on a dome shaped iron griddle.  The result is a bowl shaped, gossamer thin bread that has a diameter of 18 or so inches.  To eat it, you just break off piece and dip it.  The restaurant has an open kitchen and before we left, we stopped so I could see it being made.  Very cool!





  

Handbag Happiness!

This was just a bit of dumb luck that I'm so pleased about.  At the end of my last trip, I saw a great handbag that I absolutely loved.  However, it was the end of the trip, I had spent my fair share and really, do I really need another purse?

I know I moaned about it to some you and I even checked online, just in case I might be able to order but it was lost to me forever.  Or was it?  There is a mall a very short walk from the office and I made my way there for lunch.  As luck would have it, right beside the escalator that I'm on, there is a stand alone store of the purse's brand--and displayed in all it's glory is the purse. Fate was smiling on me as it was the last one in the store.  I am now its happy owner and tonight will be the first outing.

I don't think the picture can do it justice.  It's a dark olive green.  The perfect shape and size!  Now I can come home. :)

Fruit

One of the big problems for me when I'm traveling is getting access to decent fruit.  I don't know what is is, but it's just something I crave.  When I mentioned it to one of my colleagues here that I'd gone to my local grocery store and the fruit was awful, he told me that's not the way to do it.  Instead, he asked his mom to place an order with their fruit guy.  Yum and yum.  I now have a nice stockpile of apples, pears and the tasty, tiny bananas that one finds here.

While I type this, I'm eating my other treat, black grapes.  They are DELICIOUS.  Long and slender and a very deep, dark purple, they have and really sweet flavour.  I am truly addicted.  I love grapes and these are the best I've ever eaten.

It's cold!!

When I was packing to come here, I pulled out my summery clothes and sandals.  At the last moment, I tossed in a few sweaters and I haven't taken them off since I got here.

When I leave in the morning, it is cool and when I leave the office at night, it's cooler.  The office has the air conditioning cranked like it is 35C outside and I spend my days shivering and spending my free time lounging in a sunny corner absorbing the heat like a lizard in the desert.

Yesterday was particularly chilly.  This sounds silly to almost all of you, but but it was only around 15 degrees during the day and there was nasty wind.  Definitely not short-sleeves and sandals.  I was so chilled when I got home that I crawled under the covers (with the McNuggets) and turned off the air conditioning.  Apparently this weather is expected to continue for a while, when it normally starts to warm up this time of year.

I thought one of the benefits of being here would be warm weather?  I'm sitting here (and yes, under the duvet) typing this with cold fingers.

http://truthdive.com/2012/02/09/mumbai-city-shivers-on-coldest-feb-day-in-four-years.html

Long Day

Unlike the last trip here, work is taking up more time.  You know it's been a long day when you're eating Chicken McNuggets in bed and watching a movie in a foreign language because the remote is on the other side of the room.

I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but it doesn't really matter.  Just to slip into work speak for a moment, but it's really interesting how to TV stations here handle how they schedule the Bollywood movies.  There is unedited version, which is what I'm watching.  All the random dancing and singing one could expect.  With commercials this can bring a movie to four hours.  There is also an edited version that runs like a regular movie for a mere two hours.

The costumes are the best.  It takes a confident man to pull off a silver sequined suit and look good in it.  The women are completely gorgeous and each sari that they wear is more elaborate than the last.  Maybe it's a good thing that the remote is far away.

And small hooray--it's midnight and I'm actually tired and ready to go to sleep.  Finally more than four hours of sleep!

Jet lag

I suffer from terrible jet lag.  I think that I'm just prone to it in general, but I think it has more to do with how much and how well I can sleep on a plane.  It doesn't matter if it's a flight for an hour or  ten hours, the second I sit down and get comfortable, I can feel my eyelids droop and I want to nod off.  

I made it through the first couple of workdays because I had to and was thoroughly relieved when I found out I didn't have to work on Saturday, because it would give me a chance to get out.  I mentally made plans to get up early, grab a few groceries and make my way down to Colaba to my beloved Taj Hotel and have high tea.

The reality was this:

1)  Woke up early and continued to overplan my day.
2)  Went down to breakfast where I had two enormous cappucinos
3)  Got back to my room and thought, well, maybe I'll read a few pages before I walk to the shops
4)  Hmmm, am feeling very tired, maybe a little bit of a nap
5)  Slept through the alarm and work up shortly after 4
6)  Finally made it to the shops (found a great shirt on sale for 300 INR--6 dollars), got my few groceries and              started home.
7)  Stopped at a restaurant for dinner.

Then the fun started.  I was still really tired and had that clumsiness that comes with that.  The restaurant that I chose was rather dimly lit (I say this in my defense) and I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to my surroundings.

Once I was done and ready to leave, the first stupid thing that happens is as I'm putting my bag over my shoulder, I knock off my glasses and they go flying at least ten feet.  One of the waiters has to find them for me because I can't see them on the dark floor.  Thank him, get to my feet, and boom! down I go.  There was a little step down that I hadn't noticed and bags, everything, went flying.  I felt like a total idiot.  Again, the waiter helps me get my things together and then worst of all, makes me take the elevator the single floor down to the entrance--and comes with me.  It's been a long, long time since I've felt that foolish and embarrassed..  The saving grace is that the meal was mediocre at best so my decision never to show my face there again is not at the expense of a good dinner.

I did end up with a pretty amazing looking bruise on my left knee.  A bit of a war wound of sorts. :)

Arrived!

I've started writing, but haven't had much time to really review my posts and get them up, so I will be catching up over the next day or so.

The flight was great and I was particularly happy with the second leg of the journey.  I flew on Jet Airways, which is an Indian carrier, and the service was outstanding.  Of course, what also helped was the very nice Bollinger champagne  that was being poured like water.  After about three glasses (and the glasses were truly full), and a very good Indian lunch, I settled in for a nice long snooze.  The only downside was that my TV wasn't working so sadly no Bollywood movies for me, instead I dozed over a book for the remainder of the trip.

It was gorgeous when I arrived in the early morning.  I remember how steamy and tropical it was the last time I was here and the weather is nothing like that now.  This time, it is the dry season and it was a lovely 26C.  The perfect nighttime temperature for someone coming from Canada. It was such a pleasure to take off the light jacket that I had worn.

Finding my driver was just as crazy, though.  The arrivals area  for the airport is outside of the building.  Only people with tickets can get in or out of the airport and security guard make sure that once you've left, you are not getting back inside, no matter what your problem is. This results in a huge throng of people waiting.  It has a carnival atmosphere though and goes on all night.  You can get the requisite flowers and stuffed toys for your loved ones and, of course being India, yummy looking food that I have not been allowed to eat, to date.  This time, I will try street food.  I was constantly warned against it before and yes, some of the vendors are obviously dirty, but there are also better ones and that's what I intend to find and enjoy, despite my weak, western stomach.

Now that I'm back, I'm happy to be here again.  I would never say I know the city, it's way too massive for that, but I recognized the way from airport to the hotel and was happy that "my neighbourhood" hasn't changed.

Coming back to the hotel was the best part, so far.  I was checked in by someone who remembered me me and when I came down the next morning for breakfast, my server immediately asked if I wanted scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast (my standard breakfast when I was last here).  It's like I never left and I like that.  It helps make an extended trip like this that much easier.

On the Road Again

Am having deja-vu.  I'm sitting in the Maple Leaf lounge at the same table that I was sitting at the first time I posted on here.  And am heading back to the same place.  After much moaning and griping on my part, I'm on my way to India again for another month.  Oddly enough, now that it's officially official, I'm looking forward to the trip again.  It's not quite the trip I expected.  My original itinerary had me spending a day in Zurich that I had been really looking forward to, but things change, my trip was delayed, and I'm now flying over London and then on to Mumbai.  Zurich will have to wait for another day.

I'm looking forward to a few places that I didn't get to the last time.  There is a market called Crawford Market that's apparently massive and interesting and if I can talk someone into joining me, I'd like to take one of the colourful, too full ferries to Elephanta Island.  More on those places when I get there.  Oh, and I suppose I'll do some work, too.  It's going to be very busy and I don't think I'll quite have the same amount of time to poke about as I did in August.

I was crowing earlier about getting a month's worth of clothes packed in a single suitcase but I've already realized that I've forgotten an umbrella (although that is just a reason to get a new one), and my guidebook.   I really hope that is it.  I was extra methodical, but I'm still worried.

I'm interested to see how the flight to Mumbai is.  I'm travelling on an Indian carrier called Jet Airways.  A friend of mine who travels quite a bit has told me that they have terrific service.  I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe paneer (one of my favourite Indian things) will be on the menu in some fashion.

Next post will probably be from Heathrow, I've got a bit of a wait there.