Only in India (5)

A big group went to see the Harlem Globetrotters last night (yes! they were in India) but I couldn't make it. Anna took this picture "VVIP Entry" -- Very VERY Important People? Only in India right? :)

Weekend Update: Bangalore

This weekend instead of going to Hampi we are headed to Bangalore. There are a lot of technology and computer software companies in Bangalore, making it the first 'Silicon Valley' of India. We'll shop, eat, visit gardens and museums during this short 2 day trip.

The People of Varanasi

Some photos of the people of Varanasi!

Barber shop on the street

This is my favorite photo from the trip

Varanasi

Welcome to Varanasi and the Ganga River (considered the
"Life Line of Indian Culture")

11 of us headed for Varanasi this weekend -- Our plan was to make a quick 24 hour trip to see the city and the Ganga river. We were to fly from HYD to Delhi at 6am, then DEL to VAR around 11am. We were all extremely tired from waking up so early that we passed out on our flight from DEL to VAR. The plane landed an hour later and to our surprise, we woke up to find out that our plane had turned around and gone back to DEL due to faulty wings! After waiting for an hour on the plane they finally switched us to another plane and flew us to VAR. We didn't make it to VAR til 4:30, and by the time we got to the hotel it was dusk. Starving, we ate at the restaurant hotel which was super good, I had Mediterranean food which was a nice change from Indian! After dinner we took a short walk along the Ganga river. It was pitch black so we relied on our night vision to find our way.

Feasting after a long day of travel

First human rickshaw ride!

We saw some interesting things that night, including the cremation of a few bodies - bones and all. It was a remarkable sight, very sad but also disturbing. Later we took our first human rickshaw rides back to the hotel for only 10Rs = $0.20USD! (check my photos for video.)

In the morning we woke up at dawn for a boat ride up and down the river. We lit candles and sent them off down the river to pay respect to the deceased. The morning time is when many Hindus bathe, brush their teeth, wash clothes, pray and begin their day in the Ganga. These images I'll remember for the rest of my life. We stopped by a few Ghats, including the Manikarnika Ghat which is the main cremation Ghat. A few people initially wanted to dip their feet in the Ganga but all chickened out after seeing firsthand what actually went into the river... except Mahin who took a full dive in! Many props to her :)

Alysia, Tanja and I - Lighting candles to send along the river

Burial site at Manikarnika Ghat

Bathing with mud?

More bathing and praying...

So this is how they dry my clothes...

I had to include this picture of Chinese tourists. Look at all their cameras!

After breakfast I got an Ayurvedic massage, another 'experience' to say the least but something I had to try once in India. Ayurvedic is a form of alternative medicine that helps build you spiritually, physically and mentally. The massage I signed up to take was designed to cleanse the body, reduce stress, improve circulation and lose weight! It uses oil all over the body including the hair (I opted not to have oil in my hair.) It was more of a rub than a massage and didn't get all my kinks out, but still relaxing -- can't really complain it was only $10USD!

Flight home was delayed 5 hours (what a surprise) so we played Charades to kill time. There were some tough books and movies to act out, Sonia had to act out 'Ballistic Ecks versus Sever' -- you can imagine the tough time she had!

I think in total we waited and traveled for 22 hours, vacationed for only 17 (7 of which we slept.) It was fun and life changing trip, I'm glad I went but I wouldn't do it again.

Picture Link:
Click Me

*** Ganga River Information:
The Ganga river is a sacred river which holds an important place in the Hindu religion. Hindus believe that bathing in the river helps to forgive sins and provides spiritual cleansing. They also burn bodies and place the ashes in the river because it is believed the ashes are sent to heaven. It is said that Hindus must bathe in the Ganga once in their lives for spiritual cleansing and that drinking the water is said to help purify the soul. For more info, click here.

Urban Yoga

I've picked up yoga here in India! Tried it a few weeks ago and started to going to more classes this week. The yoga lady started offering night classes to accommodate us so we've been able to go after work. It's a nice night-cap, gets me into sleepy mode quickly :) It seems to be working and I like it, I feel more flexible (and SORE!)

Hyderabad 10K and Half Marathon

On November 26 Hyderabad is hosting a 10K and Half Marathon Run! I hope I'll be around to race, I want to complete a race here in India before I leave. Not sure how they will find space to run as there aren't many main roads or paths so it will definitely be an interesting sight to see. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures if I do it!

Race website: http://www.hyderabad10k.com/

Paan at Angeethi

Tuesday night we went to this restaurant called Angeethi for Matt's farewell dinner. There were over 30 people there, from Dublin, MV and Australia offices. Angeethi is a north Indian restaurant specializing in Punjabi and tandoori dishes (aka HOT and SPICY.) The restaurant had a rual ambience complete with posters and carpets on the walls, accompanied with 5 star service, a real Hyderabad treat! This was my second Indian feast in one week, I was up for the challenge...

Ready to feast

We ordered a lot of food for the whole table, I made sure that some of the dishes were vegetarian. First appetizer was this dish called Papdi Chaat which was actually pretty good (at first.) It was crunchy, tangy, sweet -- it reminded me of crunchy Chinese chow mein. I thought I had found an Indian dish I really liked, but 5 seconds later my mouth was on FIRE! The Indian kick...so unexpected. All the other dishes were super spicy, I didn't eat much of it because I was trying to avoid an upset stomach. There was this great dish called corn methi malai, it was sweet corn mixed with yogurt and cheese, but again I had to be careful of the dairy.

As an Angeethi first timer Matt told us we had to try Indian Paan. Paan is an ethnic Indian chew served as dessert and believed to help with digestion. It's made with Betel leaf, rose petals, some other weird leaves and honey. For more info, Click Here. Needless to say, it wasn't the best dessert (actually kinda gross) but I toughed it out and ate it for the team and to my surprise, I didn't have an upset stomach in the morning! It was definitely an experience I'll remember.

Making the paan

I tried hard to swallow it without actually having to taste it!

Picture Link:
Click Me

Election Day

I hope you're all doing your civic duty and VOTING! For information about the races going on across the country turn on the 2006 Election Guide overlay in Google Earth/Maps. There you'll find voter information for both California and the entire country.

Funny Conversation with Driver

Today I was chatting with one of our drivers, Niranjan, about traffic in India. I assumed that people here accepted the traffic situation and believed it was 'normal.' I was wrong! Niranjan was telling me how annoying it is that no one follows traffic rules, and how irritated he gets when people zig zag in and out of traffic. He asked if people did that in the States and I told him yes, but the situation isn't as bad because police enforce stricter traffic violations and issue tickets. Apparently there are cops here but they don't do anything when people break driving rules.

Only in India (4)

Only in India will you find a sign that tells you what temperature the chicken is cooked at...