Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Happy Diwali

The city was lit so beautifully for the holiday.  Monday night I was excited to see a fireworks display from my balcony.  I saw many larger fireworks that are not allowed in CA.

I spent Tuesday evening with Sushant, Deepti and Karthik.  It was really enjoyable to be a part of the festivities, thank you.  After a very good dinner that Sushant made, we went outside to light a few sparklers.  The neighborhood had been setting off [fire]crackers for 2 days and the pavement looked like a fun mess.  The cleaning crew will be quite busy when the celebrations are over.  Once we were back in the house Deepti presented her chocolate cake.  It was the first cake made in her new oven.  It was so moist & delicious, inspiring me to bake again when I return home.

Even on Wednesday the [fire]crackers could still be heard throughout the day & night.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Commercial Street

Sunday was another fabulous day of shopping!  Karthik once again used his bargaining skills to get me some good deals.  Afterwards we found a shop to get mehandi done for me.  Before & After ...





Saturday, November 10, 2012

Saturday in Bangalore

I had a really amazing day seeing Bangalore.  I took a cab & met Karthik in the city.  We started with the open market.  I was immediately blasted by a variety of colors and scents; the fragrance of the assorted fresh flowers, the brightly colored spices, the sweet smell of fruit, and the aroma of herbs.

Next up, shopping.  We jumped into a rickshaw and headed to the Mantri mall.  The ride was quite thrilling, dodging thru the traffic and coming within centimeters of other drivers.  Along the route I saw goats, chickens & a donkey.  For a brief moment along one road we got a whiff of some flavorful street food wafting thru the air.  Finally we arrived at the Mantri mall and began shopping.  Karthik used his bargaining skill to get me several good deals.  I came out happy with many shopping bags.

We followed up with a visit to the Iskcon Temple.  From the mall we hopped into a rickshaw for another exhilarating ride; along this route we got a whiff of some freshly made bread drifting thru the air.  Upon our arrival at the temple I was in awe at its size and beauty.  At the base entrance we were required to stow our belongings including shoes and camera.  I did not want to relinquish my camera so I forced to smuggle it in.  We climbed dozens of steps to reach the main temple entrance.  Upon entry, the fragrance of incense and the chanting of prayer were immediately noticeable. We obtained a viewing spot close to the platform where the services were performed.  Once the services were thru we headed out.  I left with a sense of serenity & peace.

Now it was time to grab another rickshaw and proceed to Karthik’s family house for dinner.  The grandparents, aunt, uncle & cousins gave me a warm welcome as we waited for Sushant and Deepti to arrive.  Karthik’s grandparents are simply adorable, their charming spirit made me smile.  To pass the time, old family photos were brought out to share many proud moments and embarrass Karthik just a bit.  Dinner was amazing!  Move over Mylapore, Karthik’s aunt is a fabulous cook.  From poori to dosa to biryani and an array of many other dishes, I was bursting at the seams. 

All things considered, I had a spectacular day in Bangalore!









Thursday, November 8, 2012

Snakes and Cows and Oxen, Oh My!

Another very entertaining lunchtime escapade....

We tried to go to BBQ Nation, but the wait was too long so we settled for another place a block away.  The food was pretty good and the mosquitoes were plentiful. 

On the way back, there was a lady with her baby begging for money, she was accompanied by her snake in a basket on her shoulder.  I asked Simha to chase her off as I’m not a big fan of snakes, but she persisted.  She showed off her snake & we were left with no choice but to give her a small donation, thank you Karthik.  Continuing back to the building we encountered a cow along the sidewalk peacefully chewing away at its meal and shortly after an ox drawn cart.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Chukum Tacos & Coconut Water

Lunchtime Risk Taking...

For Tuesday lunch, Sushant took us to a little bitty shop called "chukum chukum".  Not a typical place I would have found myself.  They serve wraps, almost like an Indian taco/burrito.  There is no formal dining room, just 1 small outside table, and several chairs on the sidewalk.  We ordered our chicken & veggie wraps and settled in to the one outside table.  The food was quite tasty.  The outside atmosphere was noisy, the guy in the building next door was running a saw to cut wood to repair his stairs.  Ritesh, I tried Thumbs Up.  It was not as I was expecting, its a much stronger cola taste.

After lunch we walked across the road to the guy with the coconut cart.  Fresh coconut water, I can't believe Karthik talked me into drinking it.  I was amazed with this guy's cutting skills!  He did all the cutting with a very sharp sickle with the coconut in his bare hands.  After drinking the water he took the coconut back & chopped it further to allow it to dry out.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday

I am so bummed that I missed daylight savings, no extra hour of sleep for me.

Another fabulous breakfast today at the Leela.  I ordered pancakes instead of french toast, it was very good, but the french toast is better.  I had a new waiter this morning, the chef sent him back to the table to verify that I really wanted pancakes & why I was not ordering the french toast again.  The coffee is good, I like that each cup is made fresh & served in a french press.

I took the walkway over to work this morning, I was not ready to play frogger with the traffic.  Sushant walked me back over at the end of the day; he made it seem so effortless to cross thru the mad traffic. We ventured down the street for lunch, I know I stick out in the crowd, lots of people staring, but I just embraced it and smiled. :)

Although I had an exciting taxi ride in from the airport on Saturday, Karthik shared his much more eventful experience with me.  Thankfully it was him & not me because I would have freaked out!!!  His taxi driver fell asleep at the wheel! craziness!  The driver had been up for days & should not have been driving.  Karthik had him pull over; he took over the wheel and drove himself while the driver rested.  WOW!!! 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

No need for alarm

To start off my week, the fire alarm went off at 5:30am across from my room.  Apparently there was no need to take action, it was a false alarm.  Things could have gotten really interesting, but glad that they did not.