Week 3 - Brilliant Idiosyncrasies

Thoughts from this week:

Celebrating Holi with ALL the colors!

1. Different does not mean better, it means different. It means unique, interesting and utterly awesome.
2. I need to go back to Mumbai.
3. I love Indian food.

For some reason, it seems that 'different' conotates negative feelings.  

I have something to say, I like differences. 

I like idiosyncrasies (in fact I really like that word) because they mean different views of the world and interesting people, places and things.  As I have said multiple times to anyone and everyone that visits my apartment, I challenge you  to find something in there that I cannot tell you a story about. First of all, this is impossible because I will simply make up a story / tell you my thoughts on said object. Second of all, I love collecting different and unique things because they represent a different way to experience the world other than my own, thus I will have a story to tell you about anything in my apartment. This week I experienced many 'differences' and could not help but be amazed and thrilled to experience a different culture other than my own. 

This weekend we went to Mumbai and I cannot tell you how much I loved it. I loved all the crowds. I loved all the people. And yes, I even loved all of the sounds, smells, and the sticky weather,which actually was not that bad at all! It was actually quite nice!

We started our journey through Mumbai bright and early at the airport and then proceeded to make our way to the Gateway of India, which I was really excited to see since, as many of you know, imperialism, and how it still affects us all, fascinates me. 

The Gateway of India was built when Mumbai was still Bombay and it overlooks the Arabian Sea, and was built to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary when they visited in 1911. This point served to allow entry and access to India.



 




While at the Gateway, I got my wish. My wish that is to get a bracelet in India! There were several priests walking around that would tie the bracelet around your wrist and put a dot of color on your forehead. To the best of my knowledge this means good luck and blessings of some sort.

We spent the rest of our day bouncing around the city and also visited the Taj Mahal Hotel which reminded me of Cesar's Palace in Vegas as it had many high-end shops inside.  I could not help but be amazed by the grandeur of the building and subsequently, the architecture in Mumbai as a whole.

A staircase inside the Taj Mahal Hotel

Some more beautiful architecture in Mumbai.  The University of Mumbai and the High Court looked like Hogwarts!

The next day we took a ferry to Elephanta Island where there were ancient caves that took over a thousand years to build!  Many of the stone structures reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.  It was a nice respite to be able to go into the caves as it was very hot outside!

Walking through Elephanta Island, our tour guide walked us through one of the villages on the island and I was reminded of Mykonos, where the buildings are built so close together and with so many colors. 







(This photo is not the best example of this...)



Oh yes, I almost forgot, there were so many monkeys on the island, but they were not the friendly monkeys you see in the movies.  These monkeys growled and you were a very stupid person indeed if you carried food out in the open. 

No trip to India would be complete without a stop at a bazaar and a spice stand. I did not want my trip to India to be incomplete, so I smelled many spices and settled with buying some Darjeeling tea as well as Indian chai and masala. I know, I know, I am a tea freak... Also, Dad, you would be very proud of me, I haggled down the price of the teas from 1700 to 1000 rupees. Yes, that might have been too much, but I was happy to pay a little extra for Indian tea. :) I will be sure to get some more spices before I go.









Leaving Mumbai was very bittersweet as I missed Hyderabad and the Lemon Tree Hotel, but I would miss Mumbai and its certain 'je ne sais quoi' as well.

 This week we celebrated Holi in the office and I got to wear my saree that I purchased for the Indian wedding I will be going to in May. And let me tell you, it takes practice to wear a saree without tripping over it or letting it fall loose. It is basically a long length of fabric and it took two people to help me put it on in 20 minutes, but it was well worth it. 

On the actual day of Holi I took a short break from work to join in the festivities and throw colors at the hotel staff and my fellow analysts.  We had a ton of fun getting colors smeared into our hair and clothes. I think this is a holiday that I should bring back to the States with me and celebrate next year :)

Also, I think that this needs to be noted. I had THE BEST crab ever in Mumbai. I was searching all around me to see if there were any little bits of crab meat left over. I can assure you that there were none. They were smothered in this delicious buttery garlic yumminess and I think they deserve a shout out.  hank you Mahesh Lunch House for the best crab in the entire world!

Thank you for reading my blog this week.  I challenge you to find the awesomeness in idiosyncrasies before I write again next Thursday!







Week 2 - Many Happy Returns of the Day “HAPPY BIRTHDAY”

Second Week Thoughts:

1. Incessant honking doesn't just exist in NYC.  
2. In case you were wondering, the Lemon Tree hotel does in fact smell like lemons, it is quite overwhelming at times.
3. I thought Starbucks was everywhere! Should have tried the hazelnut macchiatto before I left!

Yesterday was my birthday in India and I received many, "many happy returns of the day 'Happy Birthday.'" To which I responded with many smiles, as I wasn't quite sure what that meant. I later found that this is the equivalent of wishing someone many more birthdays, which I am definitely in favor of.

Anyways, on to the photo part of the blog.

(So you get an idea of the roads here)

The roads are like this one minute.....

And this the next!

This weekend I spent most of my time poolside, but I did manage to get my lazy self out of my lounge and to Golconda Fort to see some history and begin my exploration of the Indian subcontinent. 

If you notice here, the fee for being a foreigner is 20 times the citizen's fee. Crazy! (But still less than $2...)

The lovely view from the top of the fort.

The fort was pretty amazing and a great opportunity to break in my hiking boots. It was so large that you could have spent several days just exploring the area. I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if I had gone as a kid. One thought comes to mind: ultimate hide-and-go-seek.



India seems to be covered in commercials, like this Coca Cola bespangled building. At times, the streets in Hyderabad feel like a maze (probably due to my horrible sense of direction), which makes for better adventuring and exploring!

As many of you know, I absolutely love going to tea. I am not to be disappointed in India, where almost all the best tea leaves are born. I plan on buying loads of Darjeeling and chai tea while I'm here.

One of the many alleyways on the way to Golconda Fort.

Thank you for reading my blog this week! This weekend we will be heading off to Mumbai so I am sure I will have many stories to share!


Until next Thursday!

Week 1 - First Impressions

First Impressions:

1. There are so many people.
2. That lovely bonfire smell I love and wish they would make into cologne, is actually burning trash. 
3. Traffic control or traffic lights or stop signs or crosswalks, for that matter, are nonexistent. Proceed across the street at your own risk. 
4. The local Subway smells exactly like the one at home.
5. It is very hot. 

I have finally arrived in India after many hours of flying and it is still sinking in that I am actually here, thousands of miles away from America. 

So far, India has been wonderful and not as much of a culture shock as I thought it would be.  Partially due to the fact that I am in Hyderabad, which is fairly developed compared to other parts of India and partially because I just had Subway for lunch. I also have some very good news, I do not think I will be melting into a puddle anytime soon. Although it is very hot, a nice 93-100 degrees Fahrenheit, it is not humid. Thank the almighty lord. Therefore, praying that all goes well in Nepal, I should come back relatively unscathed.

 



There are so many people milling about and little to no sidewalks anywhere; it's a wonder people don't get run over. Crossing the street today for the first time was terrifying, and I mean that in the most exciting and thrilling way possible.  After I thought I had 'crossed' the street one of these lovely rickshaws was in my path only to be followed by a motorcycle. California drivers got nothing on these guys!














Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened this week was walking into the office and realizing I would be working on the set of Office Space. Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler...




I also have some very good news to share, I am handling my spicy food very well.  Successful week so far what with the handling of spicy food and crossing busy streets. 

Until next week!

Namastē!

Welcome to my blog, मेरे उपमहाद्वीप साहसिक, or as some Americans would say, "My Subcontinental Adventures."

It's that time again; time for an adventure that is! Even when I try to stay in one place, it never really lasts for too long. 

If you're not aware of my travel plans, I'll be leaving for Hyderabad, India on March 7th and living there for three months while working on my client project and training in SAP. After I'm finished with my assignment on the subcontinent, I will head up to Nepal to trek to Mt. Everest Basecamp! I am thrilled to be embarking upon this once in a lifetime experience and am excited to share it all with you in this blog!

Many of you are familiar with my blog from my European travels and this blog will follow a similar style with me posting on a weekly or as-needed basis. Be aware though that I will be approximately 12 hours ahead of you (depending where on the globe you currently reside) so posts may pop up at odd hours. You could also follow my blog and be notified of posts, just sayin'....

Proof of my postcard sending tendencies!

I anticipate sending many postcards again as I did while travelling in Europe so please send me your mailing address.  I can promise you that I will send you at least one postcard. I think I will be able to send some from Everest Basecamp, wouldn't it be cool to receive one from there? It would be, so send me your address!

Please send your addresses to my gmail account at nmetildi@gmail.com

That is all for now, so excited to share this experience with you all!