Dr. Paulose's Amazing Tour of Wonders!

Our friend Jayson Paulose is a native of Kerala, and he came home for Christmas on the 21st. We had to visit him (he insisted) and see his neighborhood and his house. So we did.

As we observed before, there's a lot of religious diversity in Kerala. Jayson's family is Syrian Orthodox - a branch of Christianity reputed to have been founded in the 1st century by St. Thomas, when he came to India. Mackenzie was happy to see a Christmas tree in the Paulose household.

Jayson's father is a business school professor, but he moonlights as a tour guide in his spare time. Dr. Paulose showed us around the backwaters of Kerala and brought us to a dozen churches, synagogues, mosques, and Hindu temples, explaining the religious and historical significance of each.

Here's the Church of St. Thomas Kottekkavu - founded by Thomas himself, not far from where he first made landfall.

Here's the Chennamangalam synagogue, the second-oldest synagogue in the British Commonwealth (the oldest is the one on Jew Street that we saw yesterday.) All of the funding for restoration came from American Jews.

Our driving route happened to take us past a local Hindu temple ceremony. There were three elephants in full battle regalia, with guys standing on them, and a bunch of other guys beating drums in a circle. Photo-op!

Dr. Paulose also took us to Cherai Beach, one of the nicest beaches in India. The December weather was balmy and the waters of the Arabian Sea were warm. Jayson wrote "wheee" in the sand.

Jayson insisted we had to try dosas (a South Indian street food.) They were delicious!

Jayson is sad because his juice box came without a little straw.

Kerala: God's Own Country

France has the Riviera. Mexico has Cancun. The United States has California (this was obviously written by Josh. --Mackenzie). And India has Kerala: a place of great natural beauty, relaxing beaches, and balmy weather. Pretty much the best place to spend the shortest days of the year.

Our hotel in Kochi had two separate buildings, on opposite sides of a lazy river. So we had to take a boat ride just to get from the front desk to our room.

Many spices, including black pepper, are native to Kerala. This has brought traders here for millennia and made Kerala into a rich state. When Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, he was hoping to land here and open up a trade route; when he met Native Americans, he called them "Indians" because he thought he was in Kerala.

Another explorer, who did a better job of getting where he was going, was Vasco da Gama. Da Gama sailed to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 and established a Portuguese colony here. He died in Kochi and was entombed in St. Francis Church - which we visited.

Chinese fishing nets on the beach at Fort Kochi.

Because Kerala has been a trading center for so long, many people have settled here from far away - and they've brought their religions with them. Kochi is the site of the oldest synagogue in the British Commonwealth. It's in a neighborhood called Jew Town. On Jew Street. (Josh felt right at home. --Mackenzie)

There are also lots of Christians in Kerala. They have their own creative ways of decorating for Christmas. This courtyard, featuring a huge Indian-style Christmas tree, is where we had dinner. (I ate some delicious fresh fish... maybe it was caught in one of those Chinese fishing nets.)

More Delhi tourism

Our friends Tim and Nicole happen to be visiting India for some weddings. So of course we had to meet up with them in Delhi and do touristy stuff.


Humayun's Tomb. This is the final resting place of Humayun, a Mughal emperor in the 16th century, and it was the architectural inspiration for Humayun's great-grandson, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal in Agra.


Mackenzie just has to do that little touristy wave wherever we go.


The mall is ALWAYS crowded around here.


The famous Baha'i "Lotus Temple". Unfortunately we arrived after it closed (great timing) so this is as close as we got.

Next stop: Kerala!

I'm baaaaaaack...

In her previous post, Mackenzie told you about her upcoming travels. What she neglected to mention is that Josh will be traveling with her. That's right - I've just flown in from the States, and I'm ready for adventure. Mackenzie and I are leaving in a few days to visit Jayson in Kerala. Then we'll be flying out to South Korea to visit Michelle; we plan to spend Christmas Day on the beautiful getaway of Jeju Island. After that we'll fly down to Thailand, where we'll take a few days in Bangkok and then spend New Year's Eve on a tropical beach in the south of the country.

We will be blogging about our travels (or rather, I will be blogging, since SOMEbody needs to post in a timely manner.) So keep an eye out!

Where O where did Mackenzie go?

So some of you are probably wondering if I fell off the face of the earth...I did. And I have fallen straight into business school essays. I am working on my Round 2 applications (due early January) and have not had much time to write. However, after this brief holiday/business school hiatus, I promise to be more diligent with my posts.

Some highlights coming up: I promise pictures and tales from The Jungle Book, my trip to the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve as well as some Delhi tourism fun. In two days I am off to visit my friend Jayson in Cochin, Kerala (sunny place near where we went to the offsite), then a lovely trip to Korea to see my college roommate Michelle (hopefully North Korea will be good while I am there), and finally a relaxing vacation in Thailand for the New Year. Pictures and stories are coming right up...after my January 11th final deadline.

Write to you soon!

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Part II

My trip to Mumbai did not end on Friday, and I was able to have many more adventures post-Diwali. One of the most intriguing parts of my trip was a visit to the one of the slums of Mumbai. A non-profit runs these so-called "Slumdog" tours in order to raise money to fund schools and community centers in the slums. This particular tour went through Dharavi, the biggest slum in Mumbai. The tour was eye-opening to say the least. We were not allowed to take pictures other than this one from the bridge before we entered so I will do my best to describe some of what I was suprised about in enough detail to make you visualize it:

• The slum is huge. This particular slum had close to 1M people in less than 1 square mile. I have been told that more than 50% of Mumbai's 25M people live in slums like this...a bit harrowing, but I believe it given how crowded it was.
  
• This place is a bustling hub of industry. They export something like $700M worth of goods from the slum, some of it around the world. We were able to walk through tanneries, sewing shops, and recycling plants as part of the tour. My original idea of a slum as a place where extremely poor/homeless people live was way off. Not only is this place full of businesses, but it is pretty expensive to live there. People have to pay high rents and often are not able to afford bringing their families from the villages-- they go home to visit on vacation at some point during the year.
  
• Families do live there...and sometimes live pretty well. I was originally a bit scared to go down some of these dark, twisty passages filled with people and precarious buildings. But when I looked inside the doors, I saw things reminiscent of home...including TVs with cable. So weird.

Even though it was a bit hot and a bit overwhelming at times, I am glad I did the tour. I feel like I am a much more knowledgeable person (I know, not hard, right?) and have seen parts of Mumbai that I never thought I would get a glimpse into. I recommend the tour to anyone who comes to India.To end my trip on a bit less philosophical note, below are pictures of all the food I ate post-tour (really, walking around works up an appetite for Mumbai specialties) and a nice final view of the city. See you soon Mumbai!

Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Part I

Last weekend I went to Mumbai (the artist formerly known as Bombay) for Diwali. For those of you who don’t know, Mumbai is located south of Delhi on the coast, about a 2-3 hour plane ride away. I learned this a few years ago when I tried to set up two friends, one in Delhi and one in Mumbai, assuming that because they lived in the same country they lived near each other. Sundae and Josh: I guess I didn’t learn from the “California Fiasco of Freshman Year” (turns out people from SF don’t know people from SD).

On my first day in town, Ruchi and I were tourists of the first order despite the hot and humid weather (it’s like Florida there!). I took out my Lonely Plant guidebook, and we proceeded to check off places on the Colaba and on Marine Drive. We took fun pictures with the the humungous and crowded Victoria Train Terminal, the Taj hotel (where Obama would be staying two days later), the Gateway of India, and, of course, we took the prerequisite sunset picture from the posh lounge Dome at the top of the Intercontinental Hotel. We topped our day off with Diwali fireworks at the Cricket Club of India (where Ruchi's dad is a member)!

Short interlude: as some of you know, Obama has been stalking me for a while now. He flew into Mumbai two days after I did and left for Delhi on the same afternoon as me. Jeesh—if he just wanted to hang out, he could have put something on my calendar—he didn’t have to close down half the city during their most important holiday. But really: Obama’s arrival in Mumbai was slightly disastrous for my vacation plans (and Bombay residents' Diwali plans). I wasn’t able to go to the Taj for tea or Bollywood dancing at the hit night clubs in South Mumbai. “It was badly done, indeed, Obama!"

Friday was Diwali so I went to two prayer sessions, called pujas, with Ruchi’s family, one in her father’s office and one before dinner. After dinner we went to a card party, where we played 3 patti, a game similar to poker. You play these games over Diwali because the holiday is devoted to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. I must have pissed her off as I proceeded to lose 300 rupees. Please note my lovely outfit and matching hot pink nails…I was all decked out in bright colors for the holiday. To be continued….

Happy Diwali!

Yes, yes I know. I have been a bit lax in the writing. I blame Matt (the London transfer), who has been dragging me around Delhi on his final "best food in town" tour of Delhi.

This weekend I am going to Mumbai for Diwali...or rather in 2 hours. Hence the abbreviated nature of this post. I am heading to visit my friend Ruchi and celebrate Diwali. It's just like Christmas with great meals, lights, and presents. There is also a lot of firecrackers...the first time I heard the sound I ducked behind my couch and covered my head, convinced I was stuck in a gang fight. In actuality, children play with firecrackers and toy guns filled with powder in the streets. I am almost certain that 1 out of 5 children will lose an appendage on Diwali. Everyone at work says I am over-estimating it by a bit.

Below are the pictures from the office (we decorated our bay...note the Christmas tree on the table...that was my idea) and the office party. No, the swastika does not mean what you think it means. Yes: I dressed the Diwali part!

I'm legal!

It's my birthday and I can cry if I want to...or something like that. I turned 25 on Wednesday, October 13th, officially entering into middle age (or so my father tells me "as 25-49 falls into the middle bucket of an average 75-year life"). In Delhi, turning 25 means not only do I have an easier time renting vehicles, but I can legally drink again. Yes, the drinking age in Delhi is 25. No, I (nor the high schoolers I have talked to) have never been carded. But still: another it's legal party, amazing!

Given as I am self-centered, I declared it a birthweek and held 3 parties and made another one my own. Wednesday during the day, my team surprised me with a pizza party where they proceeded to embarrass me by showing a slideshow they created of me doing ridiculous things in pictures...turns out I take a lot of ridiculous pictures. My team is very cheeky (as my British friend says) and sweet. On Wednesday night, the expats and some Bainees accompanied me to Smokehouse Grille, one of the only place you can get steak in Delhi. I think it tasted all the better since I can't get it anywhere (plus I got to be a bit of a rebel for eating steak on India). Now I only need to figure out where I can get key lime pie. Anyways, below are some pictures from that party. We ended up going downstairs and dancing to hip hop music (Wednesday night is hip hop night at Smokehouse). I literally danced the night away and only went to bed at 4AM...the next day at work was very productive as I am sure you can imagine.

I did not let the festivities stop there. On Friday, I hosted a joint birthday party with my friend Mayuri (her birthday is October 8th) at Mannekin, a night club known for cheesy Bollywood and American music. I think I am getting better at my Bollywood moves though my hip swivels aren't very good (Lali, another friend, says I need to go around more instead of just moving back and forth like one of those Hawaiin dancers on the dashboards). On the way home, another friend from India convinced me to make a quick stop at Hype, a new night club. There we were serenaded by a singer called Raghav, who I am assured is somewhat famous here among the Indian expats. He loved singing to my friends (this is what happen when I hang out with a bunch of attractive girls) AND he sang a song about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups(bonus): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSMbt6Uz0iA

And Saturday night we played Americans and headed over the the American Embassy for Oktoberfest. Some fun facts about the evening: they served potato latkis and apple sauce (yay Jews!), Riesling, pretzels and potato salad; the American embassy has a baseball field and pool inside of it and has uber-intense security; there are some very interesting American characters in India.

PS: Josh and Matt- thanks for the birthday flowers! Yes, I put them in a "trash can" vase; I am very creative.

On livestock

My first thought on coming to India: there is a cow in the middle of the highway. A few thoughts later: there are dogs, water buffalo, and pigs on the side street. The rest of my experience has been similar: I have had more weird animal encounters here than I ever did the US. I have stared down a camel, avoided eye contact with a monkey (turns out they will run after you if you look too closely), had a stand-off on a mountainside with a goat, almost was stepped on by an elephant, and have had several awkward encounters with cows.

Here’s a good example of my interaction with cows. These animals are like rats here—they are ALL over the place. You are not supposed to kill cows in Hinduism (like pigs for Muslims and Cheeseburgers for Jews); in Delhi, it is actually ILLEGAL to slaughter a cow…yay separation of church and state. Because of this, the cows are always in the road. I have already seen one accident when a cow took out a motorbike—cow and driver went flying and traffic stopped. I can’t count the number of traffic jams caused by cows hanging out in the middle of the road. Vinod, my driver, loves to see my reaction to these animals. The picture below is an encounter with a cow in Jaipur: I can’t tell who looks more disturbed, me or the cow. One other story: my friend Altaf likes to point at the cows and yell “steak” and both of us have pretended to chase one down the street with fork and knife in hand—yay weird Muslim-Christian jokes!

So…me and the goat. I have a history with goats. My childhood friend Megan Williamson had three of these creatures, and I have distinct memory of one of them butting me. It hurt…a lot. So when I was climbing down from a waterfall in the Himalayas at McLeod Ganj, I was not so excited to see a goat blocking the path forward. Just to give you an idea of the situation: there is only a narrow ledge and then a drop down to the bottom of the water fall. And on that narrow ledge is a goat eating his lunch. Josh quickly scampered by and then did not offer any help (so nice!). He did, however, snap this picture as I tried to sneak cautiously by the snacking goat. I was terrified this goat was going to butt me all the way down the waterfall as I am sure you can see in my facial expression. I think the goat was annoyed I disturbed his lunch.

Hiatus

Sorry for the long break between posts! I am in the middle of the business school whirlwind, and I am packing for a return trip to Boston (brief stop there and then off to Cancun for Senior Associate Consultant Training). I promise to write when I get back--I have much to tell you about livestock, Dutch embassies, and my new friends in India.

Day 2: The ceremony

Sorry for the delay in writing: I got distracted by India...again.

Anyways, the second day of the wedding is when I debuted my fabulous Indian salwar kameez. I think I looked riduculous, but Uma (my friend Aadhithi's mother) and Mayuri (another friend who is an expert in Indian fashion) assured me it was the thing.

Let's be honest: I could not match the bride for beauty. Indian wedding dresses are an amazing shade of red. Perhaps I should make my dress red if I ever get married.

As for the wedding: it was a sikh ceremony so it took place in the morning. All the women wore colorful salwar kameezs and saris and the men wore turbans and handkerchiefs. Actually the women had to keep their heads covered as well...good thing I had my scarf to keep covered.

After the ceremony, we went to the reception hall for a huge Indian banquets. Indian food is like an open bar at an American wedding: the most important thing about the whole deal. I ate so much Punjabi (northern area in India) food I was full for a day. The final ceremony was quite tearful. The bride leaves her parents and goes off with her in-laws. If I had to live with my in-laws, I would be tearful as well.

The third day was a giant party, but I had to do business school essays instead. Alas. Speaking of....