Farewell 2009

Little Star Pizza

Little Star Deep Dish pizza

(Spinach blended with ricotta and feta, mushrooms, onions, garlic)

Garlic Bread(Warm sourdough served with a blend of

butter & extra virgin olive oil and a bulb of roasted garlic)

I finally had Little Star pizza this weekend. Since Little Star pizza tops a lot of people's list of best pizza and one of my personal missions is to discover the best SF pizza places, I was really excited to try it out. I've tried their ordered slices before but that's not the same as eating a slice minutes after it comes out of the oven.

For appetizer we tried to Garlic Bread which really should be called Garlic crumb because you eat more garlic than bread. It's really good though. I want to try to make it myself, for obviously dinner for one nights. We ordered the house main dish - Little Star Deep Dish Pizza and it was good. Personally, I like thin crust pizza so deep dish is not my favorite but I wanted to eat their special so it was a deep dish night. I found that I really liked the crust but the veggies in the pizza could have been cooked more. Overall it was good. Not as good as Zachary's deep dish pizza in Berkeley but one of the best deep dish pizzas I've had so far in SF.

Zuni Cafe's Fried Eggs for Brunch

I finally tried Zuni Cafe today. I've heard a lot about this place and had been wanting to try it for awhile.

I found the ambiance really nice. Lots of light from the big windows. My food was good but not as fabulous I thought it would be considering all that I have heard. I was actually still really hungry after I finished this whole dish. Not sure why a plate full of pork, bread and fried eggs didn't fill me up. Perhaps the portion was small for my Sunday brunch appetite. I like to go back for lunch to try their signature chicken. They have a rotisserie chicken dish for 2 that everyone around us had ordered and anyone I know who has tried it has said its really good. It takes an hour to cook so you have to go when you are hungry enough to eat a whole chicken but not starving that you can't wait an hour for your meal to prepare at a restaurant. I don't know if this is possible for me.

Iron Cactus - this is not your Mission Burrito

Today I tried a new Mexican restaurant in SOMA -Iron Cactus.

I liked the restaurant's space...I wish I could say the same about the mexican food.

The interior is mostly from the recycled wood of the original creamery that had been there before. The iron panels mixed in with the recycled wood give the restaurant an authentic canteena feel.

I also liked the fact that they use naturally raised hormone free ingredients but the burrito I ordered didn't taste like an authentic Mission burrito that I had been craving for all day. My one and only motivation for running 4 miles this morning. Then again I was in SOMA and not the Mission so I should have known better. The fact that they have burrito bowls on the menu definitely should have been a clue that this would be a little bit different than the Mission. I shouldn't have been surprised to find lima beans, green bean and corn in my burrito when I didn't even order a veg burrito. I hate to be so picky about my burritos but the truth is I am. Having had so many good burritos in the Mission, I can't settle for lima beans and creamy guacamole.

The Burger Bar

On Saturday I finally tried the new Burger Bar restaurant opened by Hubert Keller in Macy's. The elevator to the 6th floor in Macy's was so crowded that we decided to take the escalator up. When we finally made our way through all the holiday shoppers, I was not surprised that there was a 30 minute wait for a table. Luckily, there were a couple of seats at the bar that we could eat at. I was so hungry that I couldn't decide on what I wanted to eat. There are so many different types of burgers to choose from, like the Surf n Turf Burger, the Nacho Burger. Everything sounded so good to my empty belly that I wanted to order half the menu. I decided on the Burger Bar sliders so I could try 3 different ones. I also got the sweet potato fries because the bartender said it was his favorite and I am a sucker for other people's favorite food or just a sucker for bartenders. The food came out pretty quickly, which was a good thing. However, I have to be honest (and as much as I wanted to love the food) it wasn't that great. The sliders were tasty. But when my friend asked me which one was my favorite, I couldn't tell because all three tasted the same to me- good but not amazing.The sweet potato fries were not as amazing as I thought either. They were too skinny for their own good. They barely had any meat on them to even dip in ketchup. I wanted to tell the bartender that he should try the sweet potato fries at Pacific Catch, because he has been clearly deprived of tasty sweet potato fries. I decided not to burst his sweet potato bubble though. The food was good but honestly not as good as I thought it would be considering all that I've heard, the wait and the price.

Is SOMA for the weekdays?

Is SOMA for the weekdays? I am starting to think so. Last weekend, I went to a couple places in SOMA because I had 101 excuses for not wanting to leave my zipcode. It was too cold, too hard to find a cab, etc. Plus staying in SOMA gave me the opportunity to go to Ironside restaurant for dinner. I have been excited about trying Ironside because the relatively new restaurant is owned by the same people who own District, one of my favorite places in SOMA. Ironside is a really laid back restaurant that offers wine, beer and an all American menu. The house red wine on tap was really good and inexpensive but I wasn't thrilled about the pizza that I ordered. I actually was disappointed because the pizza at District is so good. I expected Ironside’s pizza would be just as good if not better. I should have tried the Wild Boar Sausage that everyone is raving about. Overall, I did find that the place is a nice new addition to SOMA and would be a great place for lunch or after work drinks. After Ironside, we checked out Eve Lounge. I like the concept behind the lounge. They‘re going for a elegant, sultry feel. I didn’t really feel like they’ve got it yet. The crowd was pretty random. I also found the décor a bit off. The black and white pinup films they projected on the wall were interesting but gawky. I especially felt it was awkward to watch them over a small table of business men out for a drink. I’ll give Eve another chance on a weekday night before trying it again during the weekend.

Manhattan High Line Over the Hudson

I did a lot of walking this past week through NYC's streets, parks and stores. On our way to Chelsea for late afternoon snack on Sunday we discovered the new High Line Walkway which opened this year after five years of construction. It's elevated railroad line from the 1930s that has been transformed into an urban walkway garden. The walk is very enjoyable. It's not as green as walk through Central Park but it offers an amazing view of the Hudson River.

HanGawi A Vegetarian Shrine

One of the restaurants we tried during my recent trip to NYC was HanGawi in K-Town. This is the first vegetarian Korean restaurant that I've been to. I usually think of Korean BBQ and drool when anyone mentions going out for Korean food so I was a little disappointed to hear, on our way to lunch, that it was a vegetarian restaurant. I was deliciously surprised to find everything we tried also drool worthy good. My favorite dishes was the fragrant bamboo rice, which takes awhile to cook so order it early. I was also delighted by the ambiance. HanGawi's space is very balanced and "zen-like." The only thing that was a bit off is that we had to take our shoes off when we entered the restaurant. I didn't have a problem with this until I had to go to the restroom. I walked down to the restroom barefoot and right outside the door the only option was to wear a communal slipper. The thought of how many other people wore the slippers before me put a bad taste in my mouth.

Who Knew Apothecary Is So Good

My friend took me on a quiet Monday night in NYC in search of a neighborhood bar in China Town. After walking through many empty streets, we stopped in front of some run down building in a desolate back street where she said she wanted to pick up some "dumplings." When we walked in I was surprised to find a hidden lounge inside decorated like an old pharmacy. I really enjoyed the night as it started with complimentary drinks and a live band. If you go to Apotheke, be sure to try the "Deal Closer," and pay attention to the ice. This place is all about the details.

Fall Walk in Central Park

The Passenger Seat Office

Flipping through the SkyMall magazine on a recent flight, I came across some interesting business travel products. For a little less than 400 bucks you could purchase the Passenger Seat office. It comes with a file cabinet, fax/printer holder and other equipment that allows you to work from your car. I can't wait until they launch the toilet office because really taking 15 minutes away from work to go to the bathroom is a big waste.

The Anonymous Alcatraz Gardens

Last week I volunteered at Alcatraz for a few hours in the gardens. A group of us helped with a project led by the Garden Conservancy, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and National Park Service to restore the gardens. I was surprised to learn about the gardens. Since I have lived in the Bay Area for so many years, I knew the history of Alcatraz but I had never heard anything about the gardens. It turns out that not a lot of people know about it partly because it was recently, in 2003, when they started to restore them. They are quite pretty and I do recommend visiting the gardens when you visit because it is refreshing contrast to the harsh exteriors of the jail. When you are scheduling your visit keep in mind that the gardens are not part of the official tour. There are docent-led tours of the island gardens twice a week on Friday and Sunday mornings at 9:30am, starting at the Alcatraz dock. Also, if you like gardening, you can volunteer to help restore the gardens every Wednesday or Friday morning.

Suppenkuche

Last night in spirit of Oktoberfest festivities, I had dinner at Suppenkuche, a German beer house and restaurant. The place was very packed and boisterous for a Tuesday night. We had to wait over thirty minutes for a table; however, the loud energetic atmosphere and good beer selection made the wait go by quickly. I also found myself easily entertained by the decorations on the ceiling. After many minutes of staring at the ceiling, I still can’t figure out why there is an upside down gnome hanging from the ceiling but I am hoping it has something to do with Oktoberfest. Either way, the ceiling decorations were very fun to watch it. I also loved the natural pine wood communal tables that seat 8. We were only 5 so we got to make friends with a group of 3 and swap stories about the place. The food can be communal style too because the portions are so huge you can share it with your friends if you like to. I found my braised beef with lingonberries served with red cabbage and spatzle so delicious that I didn’t want to share it. This was the perfect comfort meal on a cold night.

Voices of Freedom

Last night listening to the Shams Ensemble at Davies Symphony Hall, I felt that my breath was lured away through their beautiful lyrics. Shams Ensemble is a musical troupe formed in Tehran, over 30 years ago. The group’s songs are rooted in traditional Kurdish and Sufi music and incorporate poems of Rumi. Not only are their songs beautifully rich with meaning, but their actions are just as inspiring. The group has helped the struggle for change in Iran by incorporating women in their music and supporting Iran's Green Revolution.

The ensemble song “The Cry for Change” for Iran’s Green Revolution has become the anthem for action and involvement. The song became an underground sensation and over a million copies were distributed to Green Revolution supporters. Also, the group incorporates a couple women singers, which in Iran is a rare treat. The women singers were just recently allowed to sing since the fundamentalist Iranian government makes it difficult for Iranian women to perform.

After 18 months of trying to obtain the right to express their music, last night they finally launched their U.S tour promoting “Voices of Freedom.” The inauguration concert also supported Amnesty International by donating a portion of tickets to the organization. Shams Ensemble will be touring the U.S throughout October. The Shams Ensemble will perform in:

New York, October 11th.
Washington D.C., October 12th.
Los Angeles, October 25th.

If they come to your city, you should take the opportunity to experience their music.

Shams Ensemble Concert tour for Iran

A Taste of Rome at Home

Trying new food is one of the main reasons I love traveling. Tasting the local dishes and sipping the favored cocktails create an instant bond between me and the local culture. That is if I enjoy the food, which I usually do. This summer in spirit of embracing my staycations and adding a little flavor to them, I have been trying to create meals and drinks from places I like to visit or re-visit in this case.

I recently came across a recipe from one of Rome’s excellent restaurants, Imàgo . Imàgo is a beautiful rooftop restaurant at Hotel Hassler in Rome. I visited Rome right after I graduated from college, so I didn’t stay at any five-star hotels. I did enjoy a lot of great food. I am sure I gained just 5lbs from eating all the prosciutto and mozzarella I could during my trip.

When I saw that Imàgo's Chef Francesco Apreda offered the recipe for his most popular dish, the Sake-glazed black cod with pappa al pomodoro, I knew I had to try it. The fact that it was released as a challenge for the new wave of of gourmet at-home, I-can-take-on-anything chefs just egged me on more. I have to admit that while I was excited to try it I also stared at the recipe for about a week daunted by the fact that I was going to prepare a recipe from a Michelin star restaurant when I didn’t know what red miso was. Luckily, the lady who helped me at Whole Foods did know what it was and so I had no other excuse for not cooking. I didn’t have most of the ingredients so I had to make the following shopping list to make the dish for 6 people:

1 leek stalk

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

5 medium sized tomatoes diced

salt & Pepper to taste

handful of basil

2 lbs of de-boned + scaled black cod

4 tablespoons red miso

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons sake

2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons water (this should be easy to find)

Pappa al Pomodoro

You should first make the Pappa al Pomodoro, a traditional Tuscan bread and tomato salad. To get started, finely-cut the leek and cook, on low heat, with some olive oil for a few minutes. Add five medium-sized diced tomatoes as though preparing a simple tomato sauce, and add salt according to taste. Add a handful of finely-chopped basil and a half-loaf of hardened white bread (cut in slices one day before and let dry) and cook for another 20 minutes, or until mixture looks well-blended.

Black Cod

While that is cooking you can work on the black cod. Scale and de-bone 2 pounds of black cod. In a small bowl create the red miso sauce by adding 4 tablespoons red miso, 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 tablespoons sake, 2 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons water. Sear the skin side of each cod fillet in a pan with olive oil and salt and then cover with the red miso sauce. Cook on medium heat reducing the sauce completely so that it becomes a dense glaze, at which point the cod will be cooked (about 15 minutes). During the process (and particularly towards the end), continuously glaze the cod fillets with the red miso sauce, using a spoon, coating the fish entirely in the sauce as it cooks.

Lay the cod fillets on top of the pappa al pomodoro. WVallah! You have created Imàgo's fine cuisine at home. I have to admit my dish tasted delicious. A lot better than I originally thought it would. Here are some more cooking pics.

Exploring with a Local Expert

I went to brunch today to Butler and The Chef and was excited to be greeting by one of the Google Maps “Favorite Places” icons. Favorite Places is a new Google Maps project that launched last month to help users explore local expert's favorite places in cities around the world. Google Maps asked local experts to identify on their own Google Map places where they like to go, and why. There is also a “live” Google Map icon at each place in the city. Butler and The Chef is one of Alice Water’s favorite places in San Francisco. Unfortunately, it is a lot of peoples favorite place which is why we had to wait over 30 minutes for a table. The owner made the wait more sweet by sharing one of his scrumptious waffles with the crowd. The food was worth the wait. My La Parisienne Crepe was delicious filled with eggs, ham, off course cheese and the knowledge that Alice Waters loves it too.

Staycation Is The New Vacation

This summer the hot place to visit is your backyard. That is anywhere close to where you call home. As unemployment, costs and other bad things are on the rise, so are ‘staycations.’ According to Google Insights for Search, over the past 12 months, searches for "staycation ideas" in the U.S has increased 300% compared to last year. This trend has become such a household word that it was official defined by Merriam-Webster as "a vacation spent at home or nearby." John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster Inc noted that the term “earliest record of use is from 2005, but it seems to have exploded into popular use in 2007." So if the summer travel bug is biting but you are also feeling the pinch of your wallet, try a ‘staycation.’ Here's a list of things you can do.

I am officially a Club Med Fan

I hate to admit it but before my recent trip to Club Med-Cancun, I think I was a bit of a travel snob towards Club Med type vacations. I thought Club Med was for travelers who didn’t have a sense of adventure and wanted everything nicely packaged for them. I did go last year to Club Med Turkoise because it was sort of a family vacation. I really didn’t think I would be going again after using my travel credit from last years trip. However, I am a now an official Club Med fan. Well, at least on Facebook. There really is something for every type of traveler. Whether you want to just chill out at the beach or want do some of the excursions. There was plenty of adventure on my trip. I went water skiing in the lagoon home to a crocodile that the staff has affectionately named Albert. Swam in the ocean where the day before a barracuda joined the water aerobics class just for some fun. The best part was that I really did not have to worry about anything. The only decision I made during my week trip was what I wanted to eat, drink or do. And sometimes that was already done for me. For example, before I even knew I was thirsty the “Beach Boy”, would show up next to my little piece of heaven on the playa with a cold lemonade. Sometimes its just nice to check out and not have to do anything. Here are my top five favorite things at Club Med Cancun:

1. Lunch at the restaurant by the water
2. Showers at the beach
3. Yoga at the beach
4. Sailing
5. The colorful sky

After this experience, I definitely want to go back soon to Club Med soon- like right now.

Mi Nuevo Amigos

During my trip to Cancun, I realized that Iguanas are the squirrels of Mexico. I became accustomed to seeing these little dinosaurs wandering the beaches, cafes, historic Mayan ruins, restaurants, etc. This morning back in San Francisco having coffee, I felt a little out of sorts without having my chico Iguana amigo hanging out by my table.

No More Club Meds

I am cautiously getting ready for some fun in the sun at Club Med in Cancun. I have to admit that I have been a bit wary of taking advantage of my 7 day all-inclusive Club Med credit. Most travellers, even the adventure seeker ones who would never willingly go to Club Med, would be embracing a 7-day all inclusive free vacation and wondering why somebody would have travel cold feet. I have to say that this vacation comes with some baggage. That is the hurricane kind. We got the credit after having our vacation rudely interrupted last year at Club Med Turks and Ciaos by hurricanes. That’s right not just one but three hurricanes. Hurricane Hanna, Ike and I believe the last one which we may have dodged was Hurricane Josephine. The hurricanes trampled through our much sought after all inclusive beach vacation like terrible 2 year old brats.

We had the pleasure of meeting Hurricane Hanna at her infancy. She arrived the same night as us to the resort and wasn’t too bad the first night. We danced in the outdoor disco with Hanna rocking in the background and I thought well hurricanes are not so bad it’s like having natural strobe lights with the lightening in the background. This is because growing up mostly in Cali, I never knew hurricanes are initially storms than turn into hurricanes. So Hanna came back the second night in her true nature as a hurricane and crashed our party. She didn’t even give us a chance to get 3 of the essential vacation D’s (drinks or dancing). That night she howled through the complex like a betrayed woman out for vengeance breaking windows, roof tiles basically anything she could wrap herself around. Hanna was angry she made a huge mess of the resort which resulted in the closing of all activities. We started referring to the resort as Club Med Turks & Chaos. The scuba diving license that I almost lost my hearing for in my training dives was of no use on this trip. Neither were the 2 new bikinis I was planning to tan in. My photos from the trip consist of documentations of wreckage instead of me on the beach with my new bikini. For the rest of the week my activities were limited to taking an exercise classes or drinking at the open bar. I learned quickly that it was best not to combine the two. I came back from Turks and Chaos tanless but more in shape and a borderline alcoholic. I also benefited from trip credit that I will be using in a week at Club Med Cancun. Hopefully it will not be another Club Meds as I hear its close to hurricane season.

A hidden gem - Barnett Vineyards

Saturday we celebrated my friend's b'ette with some wine tasting at Barnett Vineyards. This vineyard was really hard to get to. It's hidden in Napa, on a huge hill. At some point we were on a windy road and I really didn't think the limo would make it up the hill but it was worth the long narrow drive because the vineyard is amazing. It is really breathtaking.

My Favorite Sign at the Anti-Prop 8 Rally

 Yesterday, there was a protest in downtown San Francisco against Prop 8. The California Supreme Court failed to protect gay couples' fundamental right to marry when it upheld Proposition 8 and people went out to protest the decision. I saw a lot of great signs like this one. I wanted to carry one of my own stating, "I can't even decide for myself who to marry, let alone be able to choose for someone else." Why do people think they have the right to make such decisions for anybody else?

Lucky Strike II

Got lucky again in Vegas! Sunday night one of the club promoters at our hotel asked if we like to go to LAX. He had free passes for us that got us in with out waiting in line, and best of all Wyclef was performing that night. We were so close to him on the stage that if I was a crazy fan I could have thrown myself on him with one jump. I thought about it for a second but decided that it wasn't worth the pain. The performance was great except for the guy behind us who took it as an opportunity to get some free thrills. At first I tried to ignore it because I think it's rude to pick on sick people. I suspected he was suffering from Short Man Syndrome. After awhile I had to let him know that it wasn't cool to be an asshole. He then proceeded to keep telling me how everyone at the concert hated me. This when I realized that he definitely had SMS and the best thing I could do is tell the bouncer about him. After the 200lb bouncer warned him, he learned to keep his distance. Overall, I considered a lucky nite. I think I should by a Lotto ticket for lucky strike III.

Lucky Strike

Vegas baby! I get the airport Friday morning and I am stopped by the great wall of people looping around the airport waiting to check into their flights. Again I question why I would take the 6:45am flight. The ticket was bit cheaper but overall expensive. It seemed like a good idea to get in early and get more bang for the buck. As I am in line the news camera starts filming the couple in front of me. The 6am news audience will be astonished to see lines at the airport during Memorial weekend. I am wondering why they don't just use the footage from last year and save some money. I mean we are in a recession after all.

By the time I make it to the gate, I am definitely getting annoyed at myself for booking such an early flight to save fifty bucks. That's until I get lucky! The gate attendant asks for volunteers who would give up their seats for a later flight. In exchange for the seat we can get flight credit. CHA CHING$ I mean, I have nothing to do 8am in Vegas. I can't even check into the hotel. My friend who I am traveling with is not coming until later. I am all excited about volunteering because it's a good thing and I get my ticket credited. Did I already say Cha Ching$$. I am embarrassed to say how much I paid for the ticket. Not because I don't want the one person reading this posting to judge me for paying too much but I am worried that the Persian Embassy will revoke my passport for taking such a bad deal. After all bargaining should be in my blood. But everyone knows how Vegas is my weak spot. Thank goodness I am lucky today!

Fleetwood Mac

The Fleetwood Mac concert was good old fun. I took my parents. I think they were originally slightly insulted that I invited them to it. They kept referring to it as a "senior citizen event." As we stood in line to get into the stadium, they kept making jokes on how old "everyone else," was and how the local paramedics must be on call for the event. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I think the band is younger than them. Once the band started it was clear that they could still rock like they did in their 20s. I think Lindsey Buckingham was a little surprised himself. Lindsey Buckingham, the lead guitarist, was ecstatic after each long solo. He looked astonished that he had made it through it. He kept jumping up and down ecstatic after each long guitar set. It was like watching a little kid do something challenging for the first time. It was exactly how I envisioned my nephew looking when he took his first real steps around the living room. I was living in D.C at the time, but my dad described it to me step by step. He said my nephew had his arms in the air overjoyed and shocked that he was walking all over. He kept looking to looking at everyone making sure he had witnesses to his break through. This is exactly how Lindsey Buckingham looked after his long sets.

All the songs Fleetwood Mac sang were the old ones that I have memories of growing up. This and the fact that the Lindsey and Stevie Nick so clearly enjoyed themselves made the concert a hit for me.

Chaya Cocktails

Monday nite I tried Chaya's Happy Hour. I recommend the Basil and Cucumber gimlet and the Bloody Clementine. The Bloody Clementine has Elderflower Liqueur in it. You cannot go wrong with Elderflower Liqueur in any drink or possible anything. It is so delicious. You can mix it up in so many ways. Here are some great recipes. I could drink the bottle like water in one day which is why I don't buy it.

Bay 2 Breakers

This Sunday was Bay to Breakers in San Francisco. If you have not had the fortune to actually see this event in the past, then you are truly missing out because it is really one of a kind. It is in true San Francisco fashion - insanely crazy but full of energy.. It started in 1912 as a way to lift the city's spirits after the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and it really does lift the cities spirits literally. People are insanely drunk on alcohol or life during the the longest consecutively run footrace in the world. A lot of people dress up for the event and create floats. There were a ton of flamingos this year. I am still not sure. One of the other notorious costumes were the Swine Fluzees. There were a lot of variations of this costume that made fun of the recent Swine Flu outbreak.

Tourist Goggles

I haven’t posted since I have been back to San Francisco because I thought that I didn’t have much to share. I am back to the routine of my old life, work, friends, family, challenges all these things haven’t changed much. Living in India for the last three months, everything was a new experience and an adventure. There was also a sense that it was transient. You enjoyed everything more because you didn’t know whether it was the last time you got to do it. I think this is how most people feel on vacations. If only we can learn to go through life with tourist goggles and experience it as if everything is new and fleeting. This is how I want to embrace San Francisco- through Tourist Goggles

Dubai Under Construction

I spent two days in Dubai and I left with just one thought "Dubai is under construction." When you look out the skyline all you see is a bunch of building with cranes. I was told 17% of the population has left since the winter of last year. I wonder who is going to live in all these new buildings. I had a good time while I was there but it is a strange place. Seems like it is still trying to construct its identity.

My Tehran Visit

This week I am visiting Iran for the first time in twelve years. It's a great time to be here because a lot of people are out of town. My aunt heard on the radio that 20 million Iranians are traveling right now because it's Persian New Years holiday. The result of the exodus is that we have no traffic, pollution, and a cleaner city to romp around in. Tehran has also developed in the last 12 years as most major cities have around the world. I am really enjoying my Tehran time because of all this and just being with my family. Since most of the "kids" in the family are now living abroad, I get to be the benefactor of their absence and get extra spoiled by my relatives.

The Venice of India

Jen, Carla and I went on our last trip in India this last weekend with Ruthu and Gina. We went to the Venice of India – Kerala. This was the perfect trip to end our journey in India. After flying down to Cochin and staying there for a night we spent a relaxing 24 hours on the Vipalsa house boat. We read, watched movies, played cards, had good food and caught up on random things in our lives. Despite our moments of difference, I have really enjoyed all our trips. You learn and share a lot when you travel with people. We shared many firsts times, like river-rafting, and shared and created a lot of memories. I will miss everyone I came to India with and everyone that I have met.

Is the joke on us?

On Monday after work Jen and I made our way through Delhi traffic to go the Jama Masjid mosque. Walking through the long parkway, which was packed with vendors, to the mosque entrance was just as challenging as the Delhi traffic. At the entrance of the mosque some man greeted us and said that we had to wear these ridiculous blue frocks that looked like something you get at a hair salon.  They were bright blue plastic with some paisley design. Jen and I were suspicious at first and pushed back. Our friends had been here a couple weeks ago and they didn't have to wear a frock. We were not about to be duped like newbie tourists! We told the guy that we were not going to wear it. We pointed to all the other women walking around without having to wear blue mumus. He insisted that the other women were Muslims and didn’t have to wear it but we had to. It didn’t make sense because how did he know what their religion was or ours for that matter.

After some going back and forth we just put it on because this is this biggest mosque in India and we didn’t want to not see it. When we walked in, I just saw more Indian ladies in their normal attire not wearing a ridiculous frock. I was getting annoyed because Saris show more skin then the long pants and sleeved clothes we were wearing under this huge, plastic sheet. Then I started looking around the plaza and saw pockets of blue Smurfs like women fidgeting with their attire while scrambling around. All the foreign women were wearing them too. This relaxed us a bit and we let the guy who gave us the frock be our unofficial guide. He walked us around and tried to tell us about the mosque but his tour was just as silly as the frocks we were wearing.

The "guide" didn't know anything about the mosque history. So now again, I was back to thinking that this was a scam. The guide who called himself the guide didn’t even know what year the mosque was built! He was more obsessed with making sure the frock was in place. Several times he adjusted my frock. At the end of “the tour” he insisted he walk us out even though we wanted to take more pictures. We ended up taking some pictures but I would never frame them or anything because you can’t see the mosque! The frocks are covering everything including the mosque. Finally he walked us out and got our frocks and asked for 20 rupees each to wash them! We only gave him 20 rupees instead of 40 but I am still not sure if this was a scam. I told people at the office and some people said it was legit some people just laughed. Maybe one of these days, someone will see Jen and I on an episode of Candid Camera. If you do, please let me know.

Haridware

On the way back from Rishikesh we stopped at Hardiware. Hardiware is a holy city. A lot of people there to give blessing to the river. We each bought one of the little boats of flowers with incense and candle and send our little boats in the Ganga river carrying our wishes.

We Survived The Wall

We went to Rishikesh on Friday for a weekend of bonding with the Ganga river. Rishikesh is a big hippie town by the Ganga river. The Beatles spent a month in an Ashram there so it's famous for that as well. Saturday we went river rafting on the Ganga. This was my first time and I didn’t know what to expect. Eddie, our guide, was very cautious. We had to go through all these safety precautions before we got in the raft. I was a bit worried about tipping over especially because the water was really cold. The first rapid we went on was a 4 on a scale where 6 is the most challenging. Before we got to “The Wall,” Eddie gave us a pep talk on what to expect. He said that there was a possibility that we tip over and give us detailed instructions on what to do when we tipped over. All the precaution talk made me think that we really were gonna tip over. We went through it and we didn’t tip. I think he was just trying to get us psyched about the wall to have a little fun. It wasn’t that bad at all.

Holi Mubharak Ho!

We celebrated Holi in Delhi today. Holi, also known as Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is the a celebration of Spring. We celebrated by throwing colored powder and colored water at each other.

My Taj Mahal Story

It feels like I have been waiting to see the Taj Mahal forever. The moment I heard its story, I fell in love with it and was immediately envious of the heroine. I heard that it was built by a Shah for his beloved wife who passed away. I always thought how romantic men were back then. They built honored their wives with alluring shrines. These days you hardly hear love stories like that. I wanted to learn more about the Queen. I wondered what was her secret appeal that made the Shah devote his life offering her memory such a tribute.

After a 5 hour drive from Delhi we got to Agra where the Taj is. The car service provided us a free guide, Shams. Shams was an amazing guide/photographer/comedian. He has lived in Agra all his life and is as much in love with the Taj Mahal as the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was when he built it in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

As we started the tour Shams told us the story about Shah Jahan and his favorite wife who actually turned out to be of Persian decent. Her real name was Arjumand Banu Begum. When I heard she was Persian, this perked up my ear and everyone could tell that it also inflated my head. I was proud that my ancestors had some role in this magnificient site that has attracked thousands and thousands of people to it from all over the world for hundreds of years. It is truely breathtaking. Shams sensed my rejoice in tidbits of information relating to Persian contribution so he took great pleasure in teasing me with other Persian contributions to the Taj. This was our joke of the day, all the great contributions of Persians to the Taj Mahal. I told them if we kept it up there wouldn't be enough room in the photo of my head and the Taj.

I think I am no longer envious of Banu. Shams told us that Banu died giving birth to her 14th child. Being pregnant for 14 years doesn't sound very romantic. I guess it was common back then but when I heard this I envied her less. Shah Jahan was so grief stricken that he spent the next 22 years of his life creating this mausoleum. During that time poor Banu was in some regular coffin and her body was moved around twice to different grave sites until finally he finished the Taj and she got to rest. When I heard this part, I really stopped being envious of Banu. The poor lady was pregnant for the majority of their marriage and then even after her death her body didn't get any rest until 22 years later when he finally buried her in final restig place. I mentioned to Shams how sad Shah Jahan must have been after the death but then he pointed out that Shah Jahan had at least 3 other wives and 500 concubines! This is when I decided Banu could keep her Taj.