God's Own Country

Christmas eve day we arrived in Cochin, Kerala.  Kerala is a state in the southeastern part of India.  Our first stop on our vacation was the isolated mountain village of Munnar.  On our drive from Cochin airport we passed plantations growing every possible type of fruit and vegetable as well as some beautiful waterfalls (see below).  After quite a long drive we arrived in the city of Munnar. The scenery in this part of Kerala is absolutely breathtaking.  There are tea and spice plantations blanketing every possible stretch of land as well as beautiful flowering trees and shrubs.  However, our arrival in Munnar was only the start of our trek out to our hotel, Camp Noel.  It was just getting dark when we left Munnar and when the sun finally sank completely we were left to drive in total darkness, the kind of darkness that simply does not exist in Mumbai.  We drove about an hour, straight uphill, past the city.  The road grew narrower and more perilous as we inched along narrowly avoiding collisions with sadistic motorcyclists and rickshaw drivers seemingly intent on sending us hurtling downhill to our imminent doom.  We finally arrived on the top of the mountain and were then transferred from our car to an aging but sturdy jeep.   Our driver bid us a fond adieu as we nervously stepped into the jeep with two ominous looking Indian men smoking glowing bidis.  What followed was 40 minutes of white-knuckled anxiety holding on for dear life as we bumped along following a dirt path at a 90-degree angle.  It was COMPLETELY dark and for a while we figured we would probably be robbed and left for dead in the middle of millions of acres of tea.  Every few minutes the lights of a small village of plantation workers would come into view and we would think, “We are here!”…but alas.   When the hotel finally did come into view we were overjoyed!   It is a little piece of heaven in the mountains (like Dollywood, only it's India and there is no amusement park, no funnel cakes, no TV, and no cell service).   We had our own little cottage complete with two fireplaces to keep it cozy since it is only 40-degrees at night during this time of year!  We had a lovely buffet complete with tandoori goodies and jelabi.  Come Christmas Eve we were lazing in front of a roaring fire and thinking of all our wonderful friends and family and wishing they were here to share in our Indian adventure!

Merry Christmas from Mumbai!

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas all the way from Mumbai.  Though we certianly don't miss the cold, we will certianly miss our friends and family this Holiday Season.  In order to avoid the depression that would surely manifest if we decided to work during our first Christmas in India we have decided to take a trip to the southern Indian state of Kerala, leaving on Friday the 24th!  Follow us on the blog as we embark on our sunny Indian Christmas adventure.  Should be an elephant riding, tiger spotting, riverboat lounging good time!

The Dutch Comes to Visit

Last weekend we had a friend visiting from the Netherlands so we decided to do a proper bit of Mumbai sightseeing on Saturday.  We visited Cafe Mondegar or "Mondy's" as it is affectionately called for a drink and some Tandoori Gobi.  To me it seems like the "Cheers" of Mumbai (that one is for you Jana Adams)! Then we walked down to the Gateway of India and took some pictures with some amazing Indian kids (see below) and stopped in the Taj Palace for a bit of a look around inside.  We walked around Colaba and marveled at the beautiful colonial architecture and stopped in my favorite store Fabindia to purchase a few traditional dupatta and salwar kameez!  We ended the day at the uber-posh Tote on the Turf adjacent the Mahalaxmi Race Course.  All in all, a pretty good day in my favorite city.... :-)  Oh and the first picture may well be my favorite picture ever...that kid is priceless and I have no idea how he made it into the photo without anyone noticing!

Tivoli Gardens

I spent my last night in Copenhagen visiting the iconic Tivoli Gardens with friends.  Christmas in Tivoli is celebrated with lights, shopping, rides, food, and Glogg.  The park was decorated beautifully with thousands of lights.  We were even able to visit the notable Groften restaurant which serves traditional Danish food in a cozy kitch atmousphere, perfect for a traditional Danish Christmas lunch!  It was so nice I couldn't resist taking a few pics :-)

 

 

Da Bello di Padova

I am finally back in Mumbai!  Hooray!  I have been a lazy, lazy blogger so I will attempt to catch up this week!  My second weekend in Copenhagen (i.e. about three weeks ago :-) ) I was able to visit la famiglia Pasqualetto in Padova, Italy.  I flew into Milan airport and was able to get a couple of photos of Milano's Central Station in it's full Christmas glory on the way to Padova.  I spent a wonderful weekend in Padova living the bella vita and probably gained about 5 lbs. :-)  We visited the thermal pools, sipped spritz, shopped, and of course ATE entirely too much.  As always, the food in Italy is too, too good.  Pizza margarita con prosciutto, Risotto con funghi, Gnocchi con ragu, the list is endless.  I was sad to say Ciao but all good things must come to an end...

I want to go to there

Holi Cow Music Festival March 1st

Girl in Copenhagen

I am in Copenhagen, Denmark for the next three weeks sans Matt :-( ....  I am working from our Denmark office and trying my best to stay warm!  It is about as cold here as it is hot in Mumbai.  It has been snowing for days and it looks like a veritable winter wonderland.  I couldn't resist taking a few pictures it looks so festive...

Cleaning House

Our maid started Monday and much hilarity has ensued since she first arrived.  Apparently, when the maid said she could understand "some" English...that meant 5 words of English....interesting.  Monday we went to the store to buy groceries, just me and the maid.  When we arrived I realized that I had no idea what ingredients are needed to cook Indian food.  So, we just stared at each other for a little while until a kindly security guard offered to translate.  He told her that she could just get whatever ingredients she needed to cook meals for the week.  This also posed a problem as she wasn't entirely sure what we American's ate. :-)  She spent a couple minutes roaming the aisles pointing at various foodstuffs and asking, "yes?", until the guard caught up to us and explained to her that we Americans wanted to eat Indian food (a shocking revelation)!  Then we were off to buy all of the lovely ingredients to make a nice curry.  All in all it is quite nice coming home to a clean house with dinner in the fridge...but communication is a bit of a problem.  Generally,  she understands the exact opposite of what I am trying to tell her.  Thank goodness for my Indian colleagues and friends who offer to translate when I pass the phone!

Maid in Heaven

Monday morning our new maid starts.  She will come seven days a week to cook, clean, and do laundry.  She speaks only a few words of English.  As a westerner, this is strange to say the least.  Monday morning we (the maid and I) go to the grocery to go shopping for spices and the like.  This should be interesting...stay tuned for more updates.

The Dream Team

Belated Navratri pics of the team from work.  What a nice looking crew!  :-)

Diwali Lights

Happy Diwali!

Last weekend we had the pleasure of experiencing the festival of Diwali.  This holiday is known as the festival of lights and celebrates the triumph of good over evil.  In the Hindu religion this festival celebrates the return of the Lord Rama to his kingdom after his 14 year exile in the jungle.  Upon his return Lord Rama was able to defeat the evil demon Ravana.  The people of the kingdom lit lamps to celebrate the return of their lord and today this tradition is continued as people across India light small oil lamps to celebrate the holiday.  Diwali is a national holiday in India and a time when families and friends gather together to celebrate.  This festival also marks the start of the new year in the Hindu calendar.  To an American this festival is a bit like a mix between Christmas and the 4th of July on steroids.  There were literally fireworks going off all day every day for four days.  And not bottle rockets my friends, these were huge, massively dangerous fireworks.  The kind you should be at least 200 ft away from but for some reason in India it is OK to stand 10 feet away from because, "hey, everyone else is doing it!"  Yet, despite the lack of sleep and omnipresent threat of third degree burns it was an amazing festival and one that we will always remember as our first DIWALI IN INDIA! Pictures to follow (of course :-D)...

Monkey Hill

India is full of monkeys.  Monkeys are the sacred representation of the Hindu god Hanuman.  Due to their status as a sacred animal they are free to roam throughout cities and towns across India in relative safety.  We were lucky enough to see some of these carefree primates on the side of the road on the way to Pune last weekend.  The monkeys were quite fearless and were so close I could have touched them!  They gather at this roadside spot, called "Monkey Hill", in the mornings and the evening hoping to be offered food by curious tourists.

Spice Market

Last week I was in Pune, a nearby city, for work.  Pune is about a three hour drive from Mumbai and on the way my colleague and I decided to stop at a local spice market and stock up.  It was a bustling market and the spices were quite cheap....about 37 rupee for a kilogram of sugar...i.e. less than a dollar for 2.2 pounds.  There were also a few shopkeepers selling festival decorations.  The colors were amazing....check out the below :-)