A change of plans...

"Thank you, India..."

One of the foods that I've missed most in India has been SPINACH. I used to eat it all the time with avocado, tomato and sesame dressing from TJ's. Yum! I often stare forlornly at plates of pale, white iceberg lettuce, imagining them in a deep hue of forest green...

And then today I find out that there's been a big E-Coli outbreak in spinach in the US...suddenly my nutritionless plate o' iceberg seems pretty darn delicious! That's India, always looking out for me.

...

Ever since I mentioned how beautiful the sky is here, I've been desperately trying to capture it on film (er, in megapixels) for you. It was exceptionally beautiful this week. Here are a few snaps (make sure you click on them)...


Today I'll be bouncing around town, preparing for THAILAND.

GO GOA.

Before I came to India, Goa was the first place that I wanted to visit outside of Mumbai. Various circumstances, however, kept me from getting down there. It was worth the wait.

Chad picked me up at Prana on Friday afternoon and together we headed to the airport where we were shocked to discover...our flight was delayed! Luckily, Chad had traveled enough in India during the past week that this didn't phase him (or me).

Our flight landed in Goa just as the sun was setting. One thing that I don't think I have adequately described in the blog thus far is the SKY in India. I cannot even begin to tell you how phenomenally beautiful it is (and, of course, pictures don't do it justice). The cloud formations, depth, and colors are otherworldly. The Goan sky as we were landing was nothing short of spectacular.


So we landed, hopped into the car that our hotel had sent for us (with SEATBELTS!) and began the hour long drive to our hotel. Great music (Chad made 3 different "Goa Tea Dance" mixes for the weekend), fresh pineapple juice, and the ride flew by.

The hotel we chose for the weekend, the POUSADA TAUMA, is a secluded little oasis located at one of Goa's popular beaches, Calangute. There were twelve suites, all with different themes (The Castle Suite, The Sea Shell Suite, The Palm Suite, etc.) all situated around a beautiful pool. So, we checked into the Mountain Suite and went for a quick swim before dinner at the hotel's restaurant, THE COPPER BOWL.

When we checked in, we found out that there was only one other couple staying at the hotel that weekend. So, when we showed up at the restaurant, there were only two tables set up: the one that the other couple was already sitting at...and ours. It was actually pretty fun - they recommended which beer I should order: KING'S...


...and we all gabbed about this and that: travel, Mumbai, Goa, copper bowls, etc. Fun stuff. Now, as we were in Goa during off-season, a lot of the restaurants around town were closed. Thankfully for us, The Copper Bowl is one of the best restaurants that I have ever eaten at in my life...everything was phenomenal. Lots of prawns, coconut sauces, and the highlight: Chicken Chakuti.

After dinner, we decided to hit up the Goan party scene which, during season, is supposed to be one of the wildest and craziest in the world. Well, my friends, during off season, it's more like 'a few people get together at this place called 'Mambo's' and drink a few drinks and dance to hard-core hip-hop.' We stayed for a drink, unofficially deemed Mambo's the "Mickey's of India" and went back to the hotel.

The next morning I woke up around 6:30 am. 'A bit early' you say! Shall I set the scene for you? So I wake up on my stomach (Which, I know, I know - the chiropractor says that you should sleep on your back...but I was on vacation). So, I wake up on my stomach and realize that...I'm wet. My initial thought was, 'Oh, I must have been sweating a lot last night.' And then, I realize that I'm sopping wet. 'All right, I was sweating a lot.' And THEN I realize that I am only wet on my stomach and lower body. Naturally, mortified, I lay in bed for a good ten minutes thinking about the situation. I wasn't that drunk when I went to bed...I hadn't dreamt that I went to the bathroom (and even when I have dreamt that I was going to the bathroom in my sleep, I certainly have never wet the bed)...and I haven't peed in my bed since I was like, five...wearing He-Man footie pajamas. SO, how in Ganesh's name did I wet the bed at the ripe old age of 25 in the middle of Goa, India. And then, it hit me...I'm in India. I look up and realize that the roof had been leaking from the rains the entire night and the whole bed was sopping, soaking, drenchingly wet. Oh, India.

So Chad and I were both up at the crack of dawn, and since the whole hotel staff was still sleeping, we decided to walk along the beach. The snaps say it all...


After the beach, we came back to the hotel for a delicious breakfast, which included toasted Goan bread and butter. It makes my heart sing just to remember it. Then, since the Moutain Suite was more like the Soaking Wet Bed Suite, we needed to move to another room. Rather than just picking any random room, we asked to see all of them. Which, although most of them were undergoing monsoon season renovations, was so cool because we got to see the subtle charm unique to each suite. We eventually decided on the Aqua Marine Suite which ROCKED.

This room was so cool and right next to the pool, so we could practically dive into the water from our door.
Moving luggage, Ayurveda massages, reading by the pool, and lunch, before we headed into town to visit Old Goa Church. The whole time that we were at Old Goa Church, both Chad and I kept saying, 'Ooh, my mom will be so happy that I went to church.' Haha, love you Mom! There was a cute little shopping bazaar across the street where I bought my first India t-shirt...it says, 'It's Better In Goa.' And it really is. I'm so happy that I did this trip after having lived in Mumbai for a few months. I don't think that I could have truly appreciated Goa and it's vibe until I'd lived in the maddening chaos of Mumbai for a time. The whole city has a subtle vibration that is so calming and relaxing - both mentally and physically. It's awesome.



Next we went into the little town of Panjim for some shopping and coffee. Oh, but this was no ordinary coffee...this was coffee from a machine. Delicious!


After a quick stop at the Niyala Hermitage (another nice hotel in Goa, designed by the same architect that did ours), where we had hoped to find a cocktail (but only found a mean barking dog), we came back to our hotel for pre-dinner cocktails and more Goa Tea Dancing. Some Goa Tea Dance highlights: "Kiss the Rain" (who knew it would be this good after all these years...good for you, Billie Myers), "California Dreaming" (how appropriate), "Let The Sunshine" (which was stuck in my head for the rest of the weekend), "Something To Believe In" (like a "gift"), and "Love Is In The Air" (flying flowers EVERYWHERE).

On Saturday morning, the staff had invited us to cook dinner with them that evening. So, Chad and I showed up in the kitchen at 8:30pm with Vodka Red Bulls and cameras in hand, ready to slice, dice, and provide such helpful cooking tips as, "Don't you think you should cut the head off?" I can't even begin to describe the fun we had with these guys. We were all laughing so hard the entire time that the rest of the hotel staff came to gather at the windows to watch us. So, Chad and I went outside and brought everyone in to cook with us. Literally, the entire hotel staff (maids, gardeners, pool boys, receptionists) gathered in the kitchen with us. We took tons of snaps...


Mid-way through the cooking, I brought in my iPod speakers to the kitchen and asked the guys what they wanted to hear. Here's how the requesting went:

Pousada Tauma Staff: "Fitty Cent."
Me: "Um, how about something else?"
Pousada Tauma Staff: "Xzibit."
Me: "Hmmm, fresh out of Xzibit. What else?"
Pousada Tauma Staff: "Common?"
(Meanwhile, the whole time, I'm just PRAYING that someone requests Stevie Nicks)
Me: "Mmm, nope. I think I just deleted my last Common song. Anything besides hip-hop?"
Pousada Tauma Staff: "BRYAN ADAMS!"
Me: "Oof, we're putting on "Hips Don't Lie" and calling it a day."

So, we finish cooking and go to sit down while they put the finishing touches on our meal. They bring it out, Chad and I take a bite, and say, "Oh! So delicious! Our compliments to the chef!" To which our waiter, Matthew, responds, "Oh! We had two celebrity chefs in from Los Angeles tonight!"...which we'd instructed him to say before we left the kitchen. Great times.

The next morning, we woke up to a dry bed, ate another delicious breakfast, and then headed out to the beach again. Tapas and cucumber cocktails at SHALOM (Seth, you're so lucky you have one of these in Delhi!), where our server told us our two options for vodka were Absolut and WHITE MISCHIEF.


We chose Absolut. Some more shopping, one last quick swim and it was time to head to the airport.

As we were leaving the hotel, Chad asked the guys (who had all gathered in the lobby area for our departure) if they had fun last night. To which they responded, "Oh yes...too MUCH fun!"

Thik Hain.

Hello Friends! I just want to let everyone know that I'm alive - it's been forever since I last wrote. I actually just spent the past two hours writing my Goa entry, but am unable to upload pictures for some reason. So, I'll try to do it tomorrow morning before I leave for work.

Lot's going on over here. I'm in a little bit of a travel quandary because in less than two weeks, I'm supposed to fly to THAILAND...you know, the country that hasn't had any political unrest for the last fifteen years and then 10 days before I'm supposed to arrive, some nutty general decides to do a coup? Honestly, did you have to coup right now? Really?

Ah well, I already have a back up plan that I'm pretty excited about too. I'll be following this website closely to make my decision: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html.

And finally, I took this picture driving home from work today. One of my favorite so far...

"I don't know what it is, but I'd dip my roti in it."

There's really no way to say this without it sounding sad, but Chad is the first friend (from back home) that I've seen in over three and a half months. It's been awesome. After a somewhat frenzied entrance into Mumbai, we headed down to Colaba for a full-blown night on the town. We started off at a club called Karma and then headed over to Insomnia (which, as most of you know, is my favorite club in the city) for a taste of the glamorous side of Mumbai. As always, there was a great vibe, fantastic music (including my favorite new song, "Love Generation" which has become Chad's 'Song of India'), and lots and lots of dancing. The ride home was no less fun, with the three of us (Me, Chad, and our driver) rocking out to "My Love Is Your Love" and "Into The West" (for reals).

On Sunday, Chad wanted to see My Life. So, we started off by checking out the huge Catholic festival that is going on at Mount Mary next to the hotel and then cooled off in the AC at PATEL'S market. Next we navigated the clogged festival traffic to go to MOCHA for a few hours of catching up, coffee, and tapas. Then we walked along BANDSTAND, enjoying the ocean, before heading over to CARTER ROAD where we rented a few DVDs from MOVIE EMPIRE. We both got a gelato from AMORE before coming back to hotel.


For dinner, we started off with a glass of wine in the Lobby Bar and then headed up to Masala Bay for a multi-course Indian meal. As Indian food was sort of Chad and my "thing" back in LA (I told him that I was moving to India over dinner at Electric Lotus on 3rd), it was awesome to share a real Indian meal with him...in India. Kedar, my favorite chef, cooked an amazing meal for us with every type of fish, chicken, lamb, potato, and lentil dish you could imagine. Chad and I shared everything by passing the little dishes back and forth. Somehow (I'm really not sure how) the little dishes managed to always accumulate on my plate until next thing we knew...

Poor Chad.

After our huge dinner, we barely made it back up to my room. We tried to do some planning for next weekend's GOA trip, but pretty much just collapsed contentedly into bed. Chad left at 6am for his flight up to Delhi to see our friend Seth before he heads out to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. He'll come back to Mumbai on Thursday and we head down to Goa on Friday. I can't wait.

The Hudson Has Landed.

Chad Hudson (my good friend from LA) just arrived. I hired a car to make his arrival into the city as smooth as possible. First impressions of India are often chaotic and somewhat overwhelming. So, I thought it would be good to avoid the craziness that usually comes along with traveling in taxis by hiring a private car for the night. But honestly, what would a first impression of India be without getting lost, getting a flat tire, and then having to hail a cab back to the hotel? Luckily for Chad, he got all three.

A quick shower, a bite to eat, a few pre-drinks and we're on our way out...

Haathee!

For the past seven days, Bombay has been celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, the festival which honors Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed god. During the festival time period (which lasts around 11 days), Hindus set up shrines to Ganesh by placing elaborate sculptures in their homes, workplace, etc. They honor him daily by performing a soothing chant with rhythmic clapping. We have a beautiful one set up at Prana and every night at 6pm people gather around the shrine to do the chanting. The ones in people's homes (and at Prana) are fairly small - however, there are HUGE ones set up around town. One in particular is a few meters high and bejewelled with precious stones. Eventually, the statues are brought to the ocean via a large procession of people and immersed into the water. I asked my friend Amit how they decide when to do the immersion and he replied (in a very respectful way to Lord Ganesh), that they do it when they are tired of performing the daily ritual. (Apparently, it's a lot of work).

So last night I went down to Barista for some coffee and one of the processions went right by the coffee shop. People preceded the truck carrying the Ganesh statue by playing drums, dancing, and setting off fireworks. It was insane. They were covered in a bright orange powder that glowed somewhat. As I've mentioned before, Indian dancing is so free and spirited. I can't begin to describe the joy with which these people were dancing...it was electrifying. Speaking of electrifying, as much as I like fireworks, I can't say that I like them exploding a few yards away from me. It's loud and scary...but seemed to fuel some of the energy of the parade. As I sat there drinking my coffee, watching orange covered Indians dance amongst fireworks, I had one of those, 'whoa...I'm living in India' moments. It was great.

Afterwards, I met up with some friends at a place called Club 9. Club 9 is located in the area that I want to get my apartment...and I am so glad. I LOVED it. The music was so fun (They played "How Bizarre." You just can't dance to that song without a huge grin on your face.) After Club 9 shut down, we went to the club in the hotel right across from mine for more dancing until the wee hours.

It's funny, ever since I made the decision to stay here for the year, I've really started to feel more settled and happy. A duration of six months is long, but not enough time to truly allow yourself to be absorbed into a city. To stay a full year, you have to allow yourself to be absorbed. And I have.

For the past week I've been listening to Pete Yorn's new album, Nightcrawler. It's the first album that I've really connected with while I've been in India. Since I've been here, I've been listening to a lot of different music. Although I still listen to some of my standbys, there are certain songs and artists that I used to listen to all the time back in the US that I haven't played since I got on the plane in LA. It's weird...there are just certain songs that I sort of "left" back home.

The new Pete Yorn album is truly amazing though. While I felt that he faltered a bit on Day I Forgot, this album matches, if not exceeds, musicforthemorningafter. "Georgie Boy" is awesome. If you want the current soundtrack for my India journey, download this album.

In transportation news, I've started to really get to know and become friends with some of the local taxi drivers here. Last night, when I arrived at the club, the taxi driver (who I know pretty well), told me to give him whatever I felt like giving him. (For taxi drivers, that's a big deal). In the mornings when I get in the cab to go to work, they get somewhat offended if I tell them where I'm going:

Me: "Good Morning! I'd like to go to the Bandra-"
Taxi Driver: "I know! I know! Bandra-Kurla Complex, ILFS building! I know! I know!"
Me: "Okay! Okay! Sorry, my friend!"

This morning, as I was walking to Barista (again), another one of my usual taxi guys pulled over and asked me where I was going. I told him (it's only about a two minute walk), and he told me to get in, he was taking me (for free, of course). It's funny to me because taxi drivers here are often the most difficult in terms of price negotiation. You really have to haggle with them. So, the concept of getting free rides, or having them tell me to pay whatever I feel like, is insanity to me.

And finally, my on-line Hindi lessons are going very well. So far, I've learned how to say dog, cat, boy, girl, man, woman, airplane, ball, horse, and elephant. The fun part about this is that there are stray dogs and cats everywhere. So, as I walk along the street, I pass by dogs and say "kutta!" And then I walk by a cat and say "billi!" I cannot wait until I see an elephant.