Cough! Gag! Wheeze!

We went to Delhi for a few days to visit some companies. Delhi is the capital of India. I didn’t see much of the city but what I did see convinced me that I much, much, much prefer Mumbai. One reason? The smog. Wow! I never knew such smog existed. I mean the sky was literally brown for two afternoons in a row . Los Angeles has nothing on Delhi when it comes to smog. Simply unbelievable. Let me tell you. Appreciate your clean air. And if it’s not clean, try to do something about it. Even if that means building the world’s biggest vacuum cleaner to suck up that pollution.

Crackin’ Those Books

This is the Asiatic Society. It is a huge public library in downtown Mumbai. It’s all white and pristine on the outside but on the inside, it looks like a dusty ole place that obviously hasn’t be renovated since the first half of the 20^th century. No worries, though. It was a great place to concentrate so I went there a few times when I got tired of studying in the school’s library, my room, the park (of course, coating myself in mosquito repellant beforehand), or in coffee shops. Speaking of coffee shops, they are the it places for the upwardly mobile to hang out. But there’s no Starbucks. Instead the two big coffee chains are Café Coffee Day and Barista. Service wasn’t always that great but I could stay there for hours downing $1 cappuccinos so I can’t complain.

Vino

Did you know that there is an Indian wine industry? Yeah, neither did I. But there is, folks. We visited one a in Nasik, which is 5-6 hours from Mumbai by bus. The bus ride was great. We stuffed ourselves with Domino’s pizza and played bus games like I did when I was in middle school while some others attempted to watch some Jean Claude Van Damme film on the bus’ DVD player. Anyway, the owner of the vinyard gave us unprecedented access to the entire process. And for a small fee, you can participate in a wine tasting lesson. I even bought a bottle of the delicious Indian wine as a gift.

Bee-yah

The drinking age is 25. In Mumbai, you also need a special license to drink. I’ve never seen anyone enforce this but this is what I’ve heard. Many Indians do not drink at all. However, for those who do, there are little liquor and beer stores that sell all sorts of adult beverages. Though very small and cramped, the stores are completely in the open in the marketplace, with nary a door in sight. Nope, no bulletproof glass like some of our shady liquor stores in the states. One store had a list of all the beers they sell. There’s diet beer for all you health-conscious folks. But what about strong beer? Or super strong beer? And Godfather Super Strong Beer? Could that be how all those baseball players got so huge and powerful? Could this steroid scandal be all just a big understanding? Hmmm...

Round and Round

Onions are extremely popular. Often, minced red onions are added as a side garnish to our meals in the school cafeteria. This vegetarian restaurant in Rajasthan takes onions to a whole new level. A heaping bowl full of whole ones for our eating pleasure. Well, not my pleasure actually—I’m not a fan.

But the food was so delicious anyway. This restaurant revolves on top of a hotel high in the sky (don’t worry NYC, your lovely revolving restaurant, though much more expensive, offers better views.) The second picture shows something also famous in western India. It is called thali and it originates from the state called Gujarat, which is right next to the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located. Thali consists of many different foods served in tiny bowls. The bowls are placed on a big round platter. Waiters come around and continuously add refills of the food to the bowls til you’re full. Try it and tell me there’s not at least one thing you won’t want to eat over and over again. I dare ya. And no, white rice doesn’t count!

Manna From Heaven Might Be Similar to This

This is a little bakery in Mumbai that has no doors so you can walk by and watch all the naan-making going on. Naan is soft, delicious bread that goes with everything. No seriously, I even ate it with a little pack of tuna for my lunch sometimes.

Don’t be fooled by imitators. That “naan” they serve in the cheap Indian restaurants in New York's Alphabet City is just pita bread, a pitiful imitation. I would highly recommend spending a few more bucks somewhere else to get the real deal.

There are many types of naan such as plain, garlic, cheese, and of course, my fave, butter. Can someone tell me whether there such thing as a butter naan plant? I do hoe so. Because I would grow it and harvest its scrumptiousness on a daily basis.

The Great Walkout of 2007

The train stopped. Without warning. In the middle of two stations. For more than 30 minutes. With no reason ever given as to why. Well, some people had enough and they weren’t taking it anymore. Time to jump off the train folks. These sandals were made for walking.

First Class Travel

(I posted this pic a long time ago but forgot to comment on it.) Isn’t this a fantastic chariot and rocking horse? Who owns this beauty and why aren’t they driving me around town as I do the Miss America wave from this fine vehicle? It is gilded, it is statuesque, it is fly, it is I.

Walmart, You’ve Been Bested

Welcome to India’s answer to Walmart. Big Bazaar is the anchor store for Phoenix Mills, a mall frequented by yours truly. Yes, there you get almost anything you want at low, low prices. But before you do, you’re forced to check in any big bag at this smelly room before going through security who physically look through your purse. Yeah, going to Big Bazaar is just like going to the airport.

Well, apparently, Walmart tried to open up in India back in the day, but it didn’t work out. But I mean, come on. Compete with Big Bazaar? I think not!

P.S. Here’s an interesting tidbit about this picture—it includes an ad for an anti-wrinkle cream that works in just 7 days. Seems worries over those pesky little lines is not just a Western phenomenon.

This Sweetness Won’t Hurt Your Teeth

Isn’t this just beautiful? And delicious? I am not sure what it is—I think some sort of religious sculpture. Regardless, it’s all colorful and cake-like. Two good reasons to take a picture of it.

Welingkar Washrooms

The bathrooms at school are hilarious. The boys bathroom is called Adams, the girls bathroom is called Madams and the staff bathroom is called Executive. Even better, on the back of the each stall door, you will see a sign encouraging you to keep the bathroom clean. Which, you know, makes sense. Do you want to make the toilet cry, like it does in that dirty picture? I think not, my friend.

So Fresh & So Clean Rupees

As a fast-growing emerging economy, India is really trying to clean up all sides of life, including politics. This sign, also a mainstay at VT, lets people know what the government thinks about bribery. Don’t do it! Be honest with your Rupees (India’s currency.) You go, India.

When Red Isn’t Flattering

Here’s another sign that you will see often, this time in the actual train stations, especially Victoria Terminus (VT), the main station in Mumbai named after Queen Victoria. (She was queen for a majority of the time India was a British colony.) Here’s the deal with this. Many people, mostly men, chew this substance from a plant that isn’t exactly tobacco but, in my opinion, gross nonetheless. The name of it escapes me right now. Anyway, chewing this plant releases this red liquid, which has to be spit out just like when one chews tobacco. There are often red stains all over the ground or coating the inside of the few trash cans you actually see in the city. When I see it, I try not to think about it because eww, it is nasty.

Keep Em Tight

I love jewelry, yes I do. I get it from my mama. Even though I often wear the same earrings and necklace just because of ease and time, I imagine myself in the near future totally bedecked and bedazzled in jewels and gems and stones and rocks and all the glittery, colorful stuff on a daily basis. Indian women love jewelry as well. Often, they wear incredibly heavy earrings that, although lovely, can unfortunately result in stretched or even ripped earlobes. That is not cool. Once, Rachel and I were earring shopping and this guy tried to convince us that a pair of earrings he was selling were light as a feather. Please. Rachel responded, “Do you wear earrings? No. Well I do, so I know.” This sign, which you see constantly on the trains, may be evidence that one too many women may be listening to that fellow.

You Don’t Even Wanna Know

Yes, I could go on and on about how busy I was and all that other stuff, but really, do you want to hear all that whining? Nope. I will just apologize for the long absence. Sorry about the delay. Oh, and because it has been so long, there may be one points or two that is repeated just because I don’t remember if I mentioned about it previously in the blog. But 99.9% is definitely brand spanking new. So let’s get on with it, shall we?