#cay kothare

[caykothare]

[caykothare]

Indian Countryside Part 2

The next stop is a village called Nathdwana where there is a famous temple. We ride along on some of the worst roads that I have seen since my childhood in South Alabama. It is like riding on a washboard and choking on dust.  After another 45 minutes we finally get to the village. Traffic is backed up due to goats, dogs and believe it or not, cows breeding in the main square! The driver lets us out and we are surrounded by the masses. Evidently, they don’t get many Goree (white women) here! Children are pulling on my clothes, old women are holding out hands and begging “Please, Nana, Please! “ It is very disorienting.

We walk down the street. We pass barbershops, sari shops and food vendors. The food smells are mouthwatering but the food is open to air and the flies cover it until it is unidentifiable. Shopkeepers beg us to come in. Shank and I have an understanding. If I see something I want, I let him know and he approaches. The price becomes exorbitant (in Rupees) if they think that I am interested.

We finally get to the temple to find that it is closed. They reopen in 3 hours! We decide not to stay and head back to Udaipur. On the way back we see more beautiful scenery, brightly dressed people and even a group of monkeys sitting on a wall.

We have the rickshaw driver drop us at a restaurant that serves Thali. Thali is vegetarian all you can eat! After a huge meal we get up to pay the bill and leave. All you can eat plus dessert for 70 rupees or $1.55! Amazing.

In the afternoon another thunderstorm hits. The electricity goes out for 2 hours so we go and sit in the covered open-air lobby and have chai.

We decide to eat in the hotel for dinner. Although Indian vegetarian is delicious, I get bored easily. While looking over the menu, I see cheese toast! I can hardly contain my excitement! They bring out my cheese toast. It is perfection! Toasted white bread with melted cheese and garlic! Almost like home. We finish with caramel custard.

Then bath and to bed where we have a choice of Bollywood or U.S. movies dubbed in Hindi. We decide on Resident Evil Apocalypse in Hindi. No idea what they are saying but it changes a zombie horror flick into a comedy!

Off to sleep!

[caykothare]

The Indian Countryside

Breakfast in a vegetarian world without my sister-in-law Sujata’s cooking, not so exciting. I can never get very excited over a vegetable cutlet or an omelet without meat! So I think I will have my favorite restaurant vegetarian breakfast! This would be Aloo Paratha, Dahi and Kale’ Chai  with Cheeni (potato filled bread, yogurt and black tea with sugar).

 Aba has decided to surprise us today. He has arranged for the rickshaw driver to take us out of the city to sightsee.

This leads me to Travel rule #5. ALWAYS carry tissue and hand sanitizer in the Middle East and Asia!!! Only white people use toilet paper here and even in the hotel, they spent 10 minutes trying to find me 2 half rolls. All of the toilets, whether they are European Style or Indian (which is a hole in the ground that you squat over) have some type of running water, it may be a hose or it may be a plastic pitcher to catch water from a spigot or a spring. While technically washing with water should be more hygienic, there is no soap or towels for washing hands in the public toilets afterwards. While thinking about that, also take into consideration trying to squat without touching anything, keeping your clothes out of the hole and dry and holding your purse, camera, etc. Trust me carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer!!!

The rickshaw driver picks us up and we head out. The rickshaw’s top speed is about 45 miles an hour. Our first stop is a village called Haldighat about 30 miles away. It takes us a hour and a half.

For those not initiated to Indian roadways and driving, it is the roller coaster ride from Hell! The first issue is that they drive on (what I consider) the wrong side of the road. This is nerve wracking to me for the first several days because I can never remember which way we are turning. Then the rules of the road are different. In the U.S., on a 2-lane highway, on coming and out going traffic each have half of the road with one car going each way. In India, each lane has as many cars as can fit in the lane. Also each driver thinks that he has half of the road and if need be he will take his out of the middle! So on a regular 2-lane street, there may be a car, 2 rickshaws and a motorcycle abreast in the same lane!

The next disconcerting thing is the pedestrian traffic. They weave in and out of traffic. Women with children in tow, people herding goats, people tapping on windows trying to sell goods, beggars asking for money.

Then there are the Wallas or vendors. They take over the sidewalks and the shoulder of the road. They push huge wooden flatbed wheelbarrows through the traffic.

And who can forget the cows! They go in and out of traffic, stop and eat trash and weeds in the median or just lie passively in the street. 

Finally, there is the noise. Every commercial vehicle has a variation of the same sign on the back “ Honk OK Please”. Every vehicle blows their horn every time they pass another. The noise is deafening.

As we head out of Udaipur, the scenery changes. The dirt and grime changes to green except for the asphalt roads and the people. The people are every jeweled color imaginable. Women in sari, men in white dhoti (pants made by tying a piece of material from front to back at the waist and pulling the cloth through the legs and tying in front at the waist) Arabian Nights fashion with colorful turbans. Everyone wears leather flip-flops or goes barefoot. The women wear bracelets around ankles and upper arms, earrings and hoop nose rings. The Muslim women cover their faces, however the Hindu women do not. The children wear various states of dress depending on age and level of poverty. School age children wear British style uniforms. Boys in shorts with dress shirt and tie, the girls in dresses with school scarf. Children who are toilet trained wear western style clothing; toddlers and infants wear shirts only or go totally naked.

The people are everywhere. Women with children on each hip are carrying multiple silver bowls on their heads. People are carrying huge baskets of vegetables or wood on their heads. Bicycles are everywhere carrying produce and hay.

We pass a greyhound style bus. It is full and on top are 50 or more people riding! The entire time we are on a four-lane highway and we are dodging cows!

We turn off the four lanes and onto a country road. The scenery changes again, I can almost imagine this area during the Rudyard Kipling Jungle Book days. The landscape in some places looks like the hills of Ireland, in other parts it has a jungle feel.

We pass farmers in the field. Men and women are building fences, and women are washing and doing laundry in the river. We see old women herding goats and young girls pumping water.

The road changes again. Now it is a washboard. We are jarred until I think I can’t take any more. I hit my head repeatedly on the roof. Finally we get to the village. We go up a hill to a museum dedicated to another battle site against the invader Akbar. We go in and take the tour and end up in a gift shop where we buy jewelry. Then it is back to the rickshaw for the second part of our day.

[caykothare]

Udaipur Traffic

Back in the rickshaw, we ride to Lake Pichola. I have the rickshaw driver stop so that I can take pictures of the Lake Palace. This is a floating palace that has been turned into a luxury hotel by the Taj Hotel Group. It is dazzling white and sits in the middle of an emerald green and sapphire blue lake. Boats float and sail around it.

  We finish our pictures and head to the rope pull. This is a tram that goes to the top of the ancient wall fortress. Here visitors can view the remains of the wall that is second in the world only to the Great Wall of China. At one point in history, the wall surrounded the entire kingdom. We ride to the top with a lovely couple from Amsterdam. When we reach the top and exit the tram, there are steps that lead up to the left and an observation deck to the right. Aba asks the attendant where the steps lead and is told that there is a temple at the very top of the wall to pay respect to the gods. Aba looks at us and says “When you get there, tell them “Hi” for me!” Then he heads for the covered deck. 

We climb to the top and take pictures but decide not to go into the temple. Everywhere I look, there are women in beautiful sari. We climb back down to the observation deck and ride down the mountain.

For lunch, instead of the whole heavy meal, I choose Paratha and Dahi (Bread and Yogurt). Aba settles down for a nap but Shank and I grab the rickshaw and go shopping. The first marketplace that we stop at is disappointing. It reminds me of a Wal-Mart outlet.  But the second market is amazing! There are close to a hundred shops selling sari, shoes, purses, carvings, artwork, jewelry and toys. I could stay all day and look. Although I hate to shop, here everything is new and different. Shank however, is in living hell! So we walk the length of the market and I choose three of the most promising shops to go in. The prices are marked, but bargaining and haggling over prices is expected. I tell Shank which Items I want and he begins bidding.  Finally it is done. Maybe, this is why Shank hates shopping so much. It definitely takes away some of the pleasure, when there is someone following you around the store and haggling over everything you touch before you even have time to look at the item.

We get back to the hotel and Aba is ready for supper! I have to admit that I am hungry also! We walk a block down the road to a major roundabout intersection.

If you are not familiar with a roundabout, it is an intersection that is circular with a wall in the middle. In India, usually but not always, there is a statue in the center. When the light turns green, traffic starts around the circle and cars weave in and out from the center to the outside until they find the street that they want to exit on to.

This roundabout was a nightmare! 6 streets merge here. All six streets are 4 lane highways. There are 3 to 4 cars abreast per each 2 lanes. Also, the traffic flows opposite to traffic in the U.S. since India drives like Great Britain.

It had rained earlier in the day and water was everywhere. As we get to the roundabout, Aba with cane in one hand and bag in the other says, ”Come come”. Instead of crossing where the traffic stops at the light, he takes off as the crow flies right through the middle of the roundabout! Shank with a look of terror and disbelief on his face goes after him. The traffic surrounds them horns blowing. The cars moving look like an angry anthill. Pedestrians do not have the right of way in India! Aba pays no attention to the traffic. He is dodging mud puddles and holes. He is moving extremely slowly due to bilateral knee replacements. They finally get to the other side. Shank immediately looks around and realizes that I am not there. He looks panicked and then realizes that I am still on the other side. I cautiously make my way around the outskirts of the circle. When I get there Shank is furious! I think that he is upset because I did not come with them but then I realize that his anger is not directed at me but at Aba. He looks at me, totally gray in the face and says “ I couldn’t get him to listen to me!” and I realize that he thought they were going to die!

Later, looking back on the scene, I can’t help but get tickled. If you have ever seen the Disney movie Mulan, the experience reminds me of the blind grandmother crossing the road with the lucky cricket. The grandmother has no idea that she almost died and the cricket is too shocked to do anything but pass out!

We go into the restaurant Bawarchi. They have all different types of vegetarian food. Aba orders traditional Indian Thali (all you can eat), Shank orders South Indian Wada and Dosa. Wada is a round doughnut cake made from chickpea flour. It reminds me of cakey fried cornbread. It is served with Samba, a spicy tomato based soup. Not one of my favorites. However, I love Dosa. Dosa is a crispy crepe made from chickpea flour that is served with mashed potatoes and coconut curry. It is paper-thin and tastes similar to a potato chip. I however, have to have a change! I order Szechuan vegetables and noodles. The best Chinese food that I have ever eaten is in India! The noodles are amazing!

After dinner, we thankfully have an uneventful walk back to the hotel and bed.

[caykothare]

The Jaggish Mandh Temple

I am finally adjusting to the time change. I actually sleep until 8:30 this morning! Breakfast  in the hotel restaurant is Aloo Paratha and Dahi with Chai.

Potato stuffed bread with yogurt and tea. I have never been able to drink traditional chai, which is made by boiling black tea and adding hot milk with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and sugar.  For some reason, hot tea with milk makes me queasy. I order mine black with lemon wedges and 2 sugars.

After breakfast, we head out to sight see. We have a great rickshaw and driver. Aba and Shank do the good Desi (Indian) /bad Desi (Indian) routine again. They have me hide until the price is set for the rickshaw. Again they want to charge extra for a Gori (white woman) to ride.

The rickshaw is brand new and wide enough for all three of us to sit flush on the seat. Usually, I sit on the inside edge with the bar pushing into my right thigh and my knees mashed against the drivers seat. Shank sits beside me at an angle and Aba sits on the seat with his left leg outside the rickshaw. But today we can all sit comfortably!!!!

For anyone not familiar with a rickshaw, it is basically a motorized tricycle with a top. It is open air, but passengers have to bend over double to see out. They are painted black and yellow and then decorated by the individual that owns them. They usually have a statue of Ganesh or one of the other gods on the dash and many have chilis and lemons hanging off the back bumper to ward off evil spirits.

First stop today is the City Palace. This is a centuries old Royal palace. As we approach the ticket booth, I don’t even wait to be told. I hide.

While hiding, I notice the cost of admission. 20 Rupees for Desi, 50 Rupees for foreigners and 200 Rupees for a camera. My heart sinks.

The Rupee is the currency of India. I as an American love the exchange rate of 45 rupees to the dollar. If Aba can’t convince them to let him in for free with his tour and if he can’t convince them that I live in India, it will cost us $1.95 US to enter. But 45 rupees/$1 US is a lot of money in India. So, the thought of paying 200 rupees for a camera is ridiculous to him. This trip is Aba’s gift to us and we are not allowed to pay for anything.  If I try to pay, he will immediately give them the money, which I don’t want him to do. So, I will just hope that there is nothing worth taking a picture of inside.

We enter the palace. It is spectacular. Security is checking bags. I have to leave my camera outside. We spend an unbelievable hour in the palace. I have never seen anything as fascinating. Shank promises to bring me back before the trip is over with my camera.

We leave the palace and walk down the hill. On both sides are beautiful handmade souvenirs.  Carved wood and marble, clothing, sari, leather goods and toys. I think that I will wait though; it is never good to buy at the first stop.

We get to the bottom of the hill and to our second destination. Jaggish Mandh. This is a beautiful temple with steep steps 75-80 feet high. At the top we remove our shoes and I look around for the first time. The main temple is triangular in shape. It is white marble but has such intricate carvings that it looks like ivory or lace. We walk up 20 more steps and enter the temple. Everything is white. In the middle women in multicolored sari are sitting on the floor, clapping and singing. The priests are dancing. We go to the altar, leave a tithe and are given holy water by the priest.

Back outside, we continue the tour around the temple square. On each corner of the square is a smaller temple. We put our shoes on and go back to the street.

[caykothare]

Settling in in Udaipur

We pull up to the Hotel Alka, which is located on Shastai Circle. I have a brief sense of dread. The street is filthy, cows, pigs, and dogs running wild in the street. A man in dress pants and flip-flops stands up from his plastic chair and opens a set of double wooden doors that look like they were stolen from a castle. Everything is transformed! Behind the doors is a massive area where spotless white buildings surround a white multilevel courtyard. Vines grow down from the roof and plants and flowers grow profusely from red clay pots all over the courtyard. To the left is the open-air reception area. Ceiling fans are on and two seating areas invite me to sit. Aba and Shank go to the desk and the bidding war begins. First, they negotiate the room rate. Never pay asking price in India! All prices are set for negotiation. Shank and Aba have a system. It resembles good cop/bad cop. Shank never opens his mouth. Aba does the talking. He starts by pulling out his SOTC Tour Guide ID from the 1980’s. Using this, he is 50-75% sure that he is going to get a discount. Once that price has been negotiated, he starts bargaining further.  After all, as he tells the clerk, it is off-season and why should he pay even the tour guide price when there is no demand for rooms? The price drops again. All during this transaction, Shank stands there mute. Now Aba starts in on the third discount. He needs 2 rooms so he should get a further discount. The owner thinks he has one up on Aba and replies that he has been generous by giving the room rate that he has given because he normally doesn’t give a discount to foreigners.

Now it is Shank’s turn. He swoops in like a hawk and states that he is not a foreigner, he is from Mumbai! The owner is taken aback because of his clothes and haircut. He looks at me and says, “She is not from Mumbai!” But Aba has the ace in the hole. I am astounded and amused at what he says next! Aba tells the owner that I am his daughter in law from Mumbai. I met his son and fell madly in love. We got married, "see her Mangel Sutra?" (A necklace that women wear instead of a wedding ring) and she never wants to leave India.

While this Oscar Winning performance is taking place, Shank is preparing me for the upcoming questions using southern slang/Spanish. The owner looks at me and asks the two of them if I speak Hindi. I answer the question for them by responding back in Hindi that I understand but I only speak a little. His eyes get big and he asks me where I am from. I respond in Hindi that I am from Mumbai and my address is 12th Road, Khar.  Fight, Battle and War won for the Kothares’. 

The owner goes to hand Aba the keys to the rooms but Aba says he will not accept a room without a tour first. We look at the super deluxe and the deluxe rooms. Again, another conference. We decide we don’t need a refrigerator and an extra 4 ft of living space so we settle on the deluxe.

 We go back to the lobby and money changes hands. Then back across the courtyard and up two flights of stairs. There is no elevator or handicap accessibility. The bellhops have already delivered our bags and now bring us towels and drinking water.

Travel rule # 3. Always ask if the water is Aqua guard, if so, it is safe to drink. Don’t be fooled by bottled water unless you get it from a reputable store or hotel, it may be rebottled water! I drink tap water in restaurants but always ask “Pani aqua guard hai?” Shank and I always try to keep an empty bottle from the airplane to fill with water when we sight see.

Time for lunch! We go to the hotel dining room, which is downstairs,to the right of the courtyard and up a flight of stairs. We are the only customers. The waiter brings the menu and I find out that it is a vegetarian restaurant. Which leads me to Travel rule #4: When traveling in Asia, unless you are in a 4 or 5 star restaurant, become a vegetarian!!!! Most of India is vegetarian; therefore, most of the restaurants are safe. You won’t get sick eating fresh cooked vegetables. The exception to that rule is if you eat from the street vendors. It will only take about 5 minutes of watching a street stall to convince you to NEVER try it! But, I digress…. Unless you are eating in a 4 or 5 star hotel or a halal Muslim restaurant, you have no way of knowing what kind of meat you are eating, how old it is, if it has been refrigerated, etc. Add all of those spices to cover the taste and smell… do I need to go further?

 For lunch, I decide on Dal, Bhindi, Dahi and Naan or in English: Lentils, okra, yogurt and bread. It was delicious! Aba wanted to celebrate so we finished with ice cream!!!

[caykothare]

Traveling to Udaipur

Today, we are heading to Udaipur!!!! Each time we visit India, Aba (my father-in-law) takes me on a trip. I love this man! He is so very kind to me but is gruff and abrupt with everyone else. Traveling with him is always an adventure.

Shank and I get into the backseat of the car and ride in silence while Pradeep and Aba argue over the fastest way to get to the airport. At one point, Pradeep announces that he does not care how much faster Aba thinks it will be, he is not driving the wrong way on a one way street in downtown Mumbai!

When we finally reach the regional airport, I discover that it functions totally differently from the international airport. The Mumbai police stop us at the door where they check tickets, itinerary, and ID. They actually accepted my TN driver’s license. Next, we go to the ticketing counter where again, they accept my driver’s license as ID.

We are handed our boarding passes and are ready to go through security when wait….. Aba decides that he is not totally in control of the situation.  Just a little background here: my father-in-law was at one time a travel guide for a tour company in India. He was stationed in Europe and Hong Kong and considers himself an expert on everything travel related. He has a wonderful grasp of getting around cities, but he sometimes fails to think about the changes at the airports due to terrorism and the fact that I am sometimes held longer than the average passenger because I am not Indian. He stops and gets a rolling luggage cart on which he places his solitary briefcase sized carry-on bag. He then decides that there is no reason to go through security with (count them) 45 minutes until boarding and has us sit and wait with the masses. Thirty minutes before boarding, a flight attendant comes and asks us which flight we are on. Shank replies “Udaipur” and she instructs us to please go through security. Shank and I stand and Aba instructs us to sit and wait another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, he stands and we get up and follow him. At this point, he tells us to sit back down, he is just going to the bathroom and there is no need to rush. 10 minutes later, we start through security!

The security line in Mumbai is basically the same as anywhere in Asia or the Middle East. It is segregated. I get into one line and Shank and Aba into the other. After putting my bags on the conveyor belt, I pass through the scanner then proceed to a platform behind a screen where a female police officer scans me with a wand and pats me down. I find my bags and meet Shank and Aba.

The area on this side of security is nice and modern. We pass shops and snack bars on the way to our gate. We sit and wait for the attendants to call for boarding. When it is time to board, we stand. At this point, Aba tells us to sit back down, there is no rush and he needs to go to the bathroom, but finally as the doors are closing, we are on the plane!

  We are served lunch. I am starving! However, I am very disappointed because lunch consists of a tomato and cucumber sandwich on white bread, a packet of ketchup and a piece of candy. Thank goodness it is only a 45-minute flight! Shank, always the optimist states that if we were in the U.S. we wouldn't be served anything at all!

The Udaipur airport is very clean and modern. During tourist season, it is an extremely busy place, but today our flight is the only incoming flight. We catch a cab and head into the city. The sign leaving the airport says, ”Welcome to the city of Lakes”. We ride for about 30 minutes before we reach the city proper. Udaipur looks like any other city in India, the buildings are old and everything is covered in dust, grime and history. The smells register from mouthwatering to vile. However, India is in my blood. It is a love/hate relationship. One minute I wonder why I am here and the next I am wondering how I can stay and never leave.

  Udaipur has a different feel from the other cities that I’ve visited in India.  First, it is not nearly as crowded nor as hectic as Mumbai although it has a population comparable to Manhattan.  Second, it is cool here!  Although Rajasthan is mostly desert, Udaipur is in the mountains and has two major lakes and a river. Also, this is the end of the rainy season and there is a thunderstorm almost every afternoon. But the thing that makes Udaipur the most unique are the colors! Everywhere there is color! The women are dressed in exquisite sari in colors so bright they look neon. Bright red, peacock blue, hot pink, sunshine yellow, emerald green, purple and every bright shade in between. Many of the men wear brightly colored turban. It is a beautiful explosion of hues and is hypnotizing to watch.

cay

[caykothare]

Living on Mumbai Time

I love everyday life in Mumbai. Everyone moves at a slower pace. It takes me a little while to adjust, but once my body gets used to the pace, it is difficult to adjust back to the American rat race.

We slept late today by my American standard. We wake at 9:am. We have breakfast at 9:30. My sister-in-law Sujata is an amazing cook. Today for breakfast, she has made Powha a flaked rice dish. My father-in-law who we all call Aba arrives just after breakfast. We sit and visit until 1:30 when it is time for an early  (by Indian standards) lunch.

We go to Aba’s favorite Chinese restaurant. It is called Dynasty. The best Chinese food that I’ve ever eaten is Indo-Chinese.They serve the same dishes as in the U.S. but with a spicy Indian interpretation. We start with Crab Soup, followed by Chicken Dumplings and Chicken Chop Suey. In typical Indian fashion, lunch takes two hours. 

We leave the restaurant and return to Sujata’a house in a rickshaw. The rest of the afternoon is spent visiting and having tea.

I love spending time just sitting and looking out the window of Sujata and Pradeep’s apartment. Everything is so different from my other home in the United States.  Another thing that is interesting to me is that there are no screens on the windows. There are bars though to keep the parrots out.

If you notice around some of the buildings, you will see bamboo scaffolding. The construction people use this on all buildings regardless of height and they walk on the bamboo barefoot. I never get tired of watching them maneuver on the "scaffolding".

Around 9:00 pm, it is time for dinner. Tonight, Sujata, Shank and I go to my favorite restaurant in Mumbai, Kailash Parbat for chat. Chat is similar to appetizers or small plates in the U.S. We order several different chat. Pani Puri, small round crispy hollow little breads that are filled with chickpeas, spices, tamarind and spiced water. Next we had Dahi Puri, a dish with crispy bread with a texture like a cracker covered with spices, tamarind and yogurt. Then we had my favorite dessert, Falooda Kulfi. This is an amazing treat!!! It begins with tiny noodles in an evaporated milk with dulce de leche and pistachio ice cream and rose syrup. There are no words that can describe the bliss that your taste buds experience with this dish. It is sinful!!!!

Dahi Puri!!!!

Falooda Kulfi

We take a rickshaw home and it is an early bedtime at 1:am!