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Archive for the ‘travel’ Category | |||||
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After roughing it in rural Andhra, we felt like royalty at The Lalit in New Delhi. Centrally located near Connaught Place, it was nice to see wood floors and modern decor (not to mention stunning artwork all around the hotel). With an elaborate breakfast, a pool and great views, this hotel was surprisingly priced mid-range. And the bonus: we discovered a neatly kept playground a couple blocks from the hotel (perfect for the kids while I was in business meetings). | |||||
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I though it wouldn’t happen this trip. But I had too much faith that India had changed (at least a little?) in the bribery department. Well, in Hyderabad at least. It happened near the Charminar area. We were in my uncle’s car and a police-gaadu stopped us for a still-unbeknownst reason. Apparently the proper paperwork wasn’t in the car. We offered 100. The police-gaadu asked for 800. We settled on 200. Bitter. Sorry, Hyderabad, I cannot speak highly of you at this point in time. image via Google images | |||||
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This is one of my favourite snaps from our trip. To me, it shows a collision of worlds and of cultures. The “American Girl” (my daughter) comes to town – and no one knows what to make of the other. So they stare… This was taken in my father’s village, Tamirisa, a place even many Andhra-ites have never heard of – but which holds a special place in my heart. It was here that I felt like a mini-celebrity when I came to visit – where we would cut leaves from the mehendi tree for fresh mehendi (which the girls would let dry on our hands as we chatted into the wee hours of the night), where I remember many vibrant August festivals and family reunions, and where I was never allowed to leave without fresh flowers in my hair. So after having to spend upwards of 4 hours a day in a car in the big cities, I think the kids appreciated the freedom of the Village. They got to run around the dirt road without fear of cars, take baths outside (with water boiled on the stove), visit the village elementary school, brush their teeth with neem twigs (too bitter they decided) and pet a 4-day-old buffalo calf. The real India. Can’t wait to return again soon.
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What sound do buffaloes make? That’s the question of the day as we migrated from busy Bangalore and Hyderabad for a few days in the villages of Andhra Pradesh. I take pride in the fact that my parents come from some of the smallest villages on the planet – deep in the heart of rural AP where barely any English is spoken, and even the bus numerals are in Telugu. So I’m very happy my kids got to spend some time there. One of the highlights of our stay was when the kids asked for milk one afternoon, and my aunt in turn asked her neighbor, who actually keeps buffaloes, to “squeeze some out” for them. So that’s what Auntie did – she milked the buffalo and passed a canteen full of fresh milk over the wall. Of course it took another half-an-hour to boil the milk, add the Boost and then cool it – but the kids were so very excited to be drinking “fresh” milk. | |||||
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It’s excitement as usual on our Holiday in India: so far, we’ve witnessed a scooter-scooter crash, sat through a yelling match over a parking spot, rode Bangalore’s new (albeit sparsely populated Metro) and got tummy-aches due to guava-binging. We made a brief stop at Bangalore’s Shiva Temple – which the kids thoroughly enjoyed – touching real ice as they spelunked through the pretend Mount Kailash. I was able to get a great shot of the 65-foot Shiva Statue – enhance by the beauty of a foggy day. | |||||
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Yes, it’s true. Someone in Ahmedabad actually named their store Hitler. He claimed he named the store after his business partner’s grandfather, who was known to be very strict. And this in the state of Gujarat – Gandhi-ji’s homeland. Oh, the irony. A controversy just in time for the Jewish high holidays…although it looks like the shop will be changing its name soon.
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In some distant utopia, India’s streets are pristine and all of its old towns are carrying passengers in these rickshaws… Above, Anthropologie’s Limited Edition Rickshaw unveiled last fall.
From a hotel lobby in Penang (image via here):
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I’ve been thinking a lot about trains lately (and we have a big announcement coming up soon!). Specifically, Indian railways. Both my son and my daughter love playing with trains and I often take them to the train station in our town after school – where we just hang out and watch trains. My memories of India are entwined with all those hours my family spent traveling on the trains – on the Coromandel Express, the Godavari Express, the Konkan Railway…from the drama of getting seats, listening to strange conversations and eating idli and upma from banana leaf packets – to me India would not be India without its trains. So it begs the question: why is there nothing for kids about Indian railways? A friend of mine just got back from India and she said she looked everywhere for mini replicas of the trains she took her son on…but nothing. My search led me to find To The Top Of The World By Steam – about the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. It’s not much, but it’s something. Although I’ve been on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (another narrow guage railway and, like the DHR, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) – I’ve always pined for a trip on the Darjeeling. Someday…definitely…someday – but for now, the video. Anyone else have suggestions for kids on the topic of Indian railways? | |||||
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Recognize those painted curbs? Those are Santas doing wheelies in Mumbai! Are those Santas in dhotis?
A country of paradoxes indeed:
Beautiful shot:
All I want for Christmas is…onions? Santas distributing free onions in Amritsar.
Images: Times of India, Matchless Gifts UK, Google Images, BBC News, 2Space | |||||
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Did your family have one of these? We had the mustard yellow (which still lurks somewhere in my parents’ attic) – and oh, the memories – to India, to weddings… Like everyone didn’t know what was in there. |
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