water runs dry

It's been determined that the early morning is the easiest time for all my friends to get together. Our work schedules rarely line up for us to all be off at the same time (not to mention India has a 6 day work week). Any of you and attest to my love of sleep, yet I've seen the sunrise three times this week! This means taking one of my beloved daybreak motorcycle rides through the city.

This morning we headed to Panna Meena ka Kund, a small kund (sacred water tank) nestled amongst the cobbled streets of Amer. It is relatively unknown and there wasn't any signage explaining its significance. From the research I've done, it is an 8 story step-well that was constructed in the sixteenth century. During our visit, only 4ish stories were visible due to water levels.

If it looks vaguely familiar, perhaps you watched The Fall or Paheli. More than likely, you recognize the architecture as having a keen resemblance to Bane's prison in The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises was actually filmed at Chand Baori, a step-well of monstrous proportions about 95 km (59 miles) from my home. We're hoping to make the drive one of these mornings!

One of my favorite things about our early mornings jaunts is that we usually have the place to ourselves. Well, we made concessions for the langurs and the fish we were feeding.

According to local lore, it's impossible to ascend the steps in the exact manner that you descended. We didn't even bother trying!

Like any good morning adventure, we required a stop for chai along the shore at Jal Mahal and a stop at a street vendor for breakfast (kachori and jalebi--fried batter soaked in syrup). Dal kachori (lentil filled fritter) is quickly becoming my favorite breakfast snack. Needless to say, going vegetarian doesn't equate dropping dress sizes around these parts!

I have a feeling I'll be seeing many more sunrises in India...

cheeseburger in paradise

It's no secret that I love food. Give me queso, brisket, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and anything wrapped in bacon. Anything. It's also no secret that Austin is a foodie haven. A glorious kaleidoscope of endless feasting wonderment. Although I love food, I've been labeled a "picky eater" more than once by my mother. You can imagine her laughter when I informed her I'd be spending a year in India as a vegetarian, "what are you going to do--eat green beans for a year??" I have yet to recognize a single food I've eaten to date...with the exception of corn flakes. Never mind the piping hot glass a milk that was given to me to pour over the cereal (huh?!).

India's large Hindu population hold cows sacred, and therefore no beef is found here. Muslims abstain from consumption of pork, which means no bacon. The company I work for is strictly vegetarian, therefore the chef is vegetarian. In fact, the bulk of my friends here are "veg". My only "non-veg" friend excitedly suggested we go to KFC for fried chicken...and I'm totally looking forward to it. The only meats available in India are chicken, fish, and goat. I considered ordering a "meatzaa" from my local Domino's, until I realized that included spicy chicken, barbecue chicken, and keema (mutton). I would pay good money for pepperoni and sausage right now. If I can swing one "non-veg" meal a week, I'm a happy girl. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Let's talk the basics of eating in India. First and foremost, eat with your right hand. The left hand is considered unclean and is generally frowned upon if you use it while dining. Prepare to get your fingers dirty. Most foods are eaten with some type of bread such as chapati (think tortilla) or dosa (think crepe). Cutlery is often available, but not always necessary. If you use it, leave it on your plate. If you set it down beside the plate, it will be considered a sign that its dirty and another will be brought to you (trust me, I've done this more than once). Napkins are not always present at the dinner table (although they are common at restaurants and hotels), so make sure to wash your hands after the meal.

 

a typical Indian lunch: roti, dal, gutta, batti, and mashed chilies. 

a tiffin (meal delivered to the office): roti, spicy gourds, potatoes and onions, ladyfingers (okra), and dal.

Meal times have taken some adjustment for me. Breakfast is around 10:00, lunch at 3:00, and dinner can start anytime between 8:00-midnight!

Breakfast usually begins with papaya, as it has natural enzymes that are beneficial for digestion. A typical breakfast may include dosa with chutney, fruit, poha (flattened rice dish with onions and peppers), idly (a puffed rice bread), sambhar (spicy soup of lentils and vegetables), vada (spicy doughtnut shaped fritter), or kachori (round flatted dough ball filled with lentils and spices). This is quite a spread in comparison to my usual bowl of cereal. 

 a typical breakfast: cornflakes, sambhar, idly, coconut chutney, and papaya

The spices are insane. Luckily, the chefs are usually kind to my American palate. However, I have been brought to tears more than once by the amount of spice in a meal.

Another rule of thumb: always ask for bottled water. No one wants to deal with a case of "Delhi belly". Bottled water such as Bisleri is easily found. In my travel experience, its safe to brush your teeth with the tap water as long as it doesn't smell bad or have an odd color. Bottled drinks are often shared amongst friends. The trick is to not put your lips on the bottle, rather just tip your head back and pray you have good aim. As it would happen, my aim is very poor and I've ended up with orange soda down the front of my shirt more than once! Offerings of coffee, chai, or water are very common here. My office has an employee who's sole job is coffee/tea/water service. I consume chai 5-6 times a day!

Sweets are very intricate here. It isn't unusual to be offered one after breakfast. Whenever there are special occasions or a new engagement in the family, sweets will be brought to the office and shared with coworkers. 

In the US, we may chew gum or have a peppermint after a meal. Here, I have been introduced to a variety of "mouth fresheners". It is not unusual for me to be offered cardamom by a a coworker after lunch. Restaurants often supply a dish with "saunf" (fennel/anise seeds with sugar crystals). Put a small spoonful of both in your hand and toss them back. Another common mouth freshener is "meetha paan", which is a betel leaf wrapped around coconut, candied fruits, lime, and spices. I personally don't care for them, they make me feel like my mouth is being assaulted by a spice cabinet.

Occasionally a gal gets homesick for a familiar meal, namely chips and queso. Tortilla chips are not easy to come by, so sometimes I just have to improvise!

monkey wrench

Again and again, the waking hours are proving to be my favorite time to be out in the city of Jaipur. The streets are quiet with the exception of the cows, dogs, and handful of people heading to the markets. Being gluttons for punishment, we all decided to get up at 5:30 and watch the sunrise while we visited the Galtaji Temple.

the sunrise gang: (left to right) Chetna, Nekibur, Shubhi, Amit, and Sanjay

Galtaji, which is known colloquially as the "monkey temple", is found in the Aravalli Hills (near Amer Fort and Nahargarh Fort). The temple complex, built in the 18th century, is home to a large population of rhesus macaques. You'll find them snacking along side cows, goats, and even hitching rides on the backs of pigs! The complex has several temples and seven sacred kunds (water tanks) fed by natural springs. It isn't unusual to find people bathing in the kunds as you walk amongst the temples, although a large pilgrimage happens once a year on Makar Sankranti (the coming of spring).
The monkeys are everywhere to be seen. They line the walkways down to the temple (it's a bit of a hike) watching all that pass by. You will find them noisily barking orders at one another and jumping building to building, where others can be found seated on a rooftop as if pondering the meaning of life. Some are playful, some will eat out of your hand if you're lucky, and some will try to grab at your satchel if you aren't careful!

Of course, Amit and I had to do some monkeying around of our own...

Two hours of hiking through Galtaji and hanging out with monkeys will work up an appetite. We all headed into the old city for kachori (potato, onions, peas, black pepper, ground flour, and other spices baked into a fritter) from a street vendor and chai on Chetna's rooftop.

I have a feeling we'll all be taking nice long naps today!

when I'm 64

janmdin mubaarak ho!

(happy birthday!)

Recently, I had the opportunity to take part in a birthday celebration in India. My friend Nekibur turned 30 on October 18 (welcome to the 30's club!), which gave me the chance to learn a bit about birthday traditions in India.

I often quiz my friends on Indian traditions. I learned a little bit about birth and naming ceremonies. Although there are various religious rituals dependent upon faith of the family, there are some overarching commonalities.Typically after a baby is born, mother and child remain in the home (5-7 days) because it is believed that they are vulnerable to evil spirits during this time. After this period of time, a puja (religious rites/prayer) is performed by a priest to garner blessings for the baby. Then the namkaran (literal translation: "making of name") is performed. The baby's horoscope will be drawn at this time. Although the parents may have determined a name, there are other instances in which a letter is suggested by the priest and a family elder will whisper the name in the baby's ear.

As with everything in India, birthdays involve plenty of eating. We had a small celebration in our office with cake and khana (food). It is customary for the birthday boy/girl to cut the cake into small pieces and feed their guests. Likewise, guests feed cake to the birthday boy/girl. This usually results a very messy face. We think the sombrero and whipped cream on the nose in Mexican restaurants is bad...this is definitely worse!

left: mango milk cake
right: onion kachori with red chutney, gulab jamun, and rasgulla

That evening, several friends got together at my apartment and we all cooked a large meal with more cake smashing and dancing. For the record, I am terrible at Punjabi dancing!

house of the rising sun

Moving to the other side of the world means trying to find a place to call "home". Now that I've been here about three weeks, I've mastered most of the nuances of my home away from home.

I live with my roommate Amit in a large 3 bed/3 bath apartment in C-Scheme in Jaipur. C-Scheme is one of the "wealthy" areas in Jaipur, and is considerably cleaner and quieter in comparison to other parts of the city. My apartment is on the 5th (top) floor, and has a lift (read: elevator) operator and watchman at the gate.

According to a survey published by the Times of India, 1/3 of urban homes have 258 sq ft of living space or less. Given that the average household size in urban homes is 4.3, this translates to approximately 60 sq ft of living space per person, which is the minimum requirements for a US prison cell. That being said, my apartment is of luxurious proportions.

My apartment is across the street from the the Indian version of the FBI. Although it is within walking distance to the market, spa, bookstore, and my workplace, I have a driver that brings me to and from work everyday, as well as any errands that I need to run.

I have yet to see a traditional "house" in India. Metro areas have flats/apartments for housing. Only the very elite own a house, and these still often resemble a multi-story apartment due to the joint-family living situation in India. Most families live with grandparents, parents, siblings, and children all within one home. It's rare to see a "nuclear" family in a home independent from their extended family. Married women leave their families and live with their in-laws.

My apartment is considered very nice, although I had to do some adjusting.

First of all, let's talk switches.

You want to turn on a light? Flip a switch. Turn on the fan? Flip a switch. Use the microwave? Flip a switch. Blow-dry your hair? Flip the outlet switch. Need hot water? Flip the geyser (read: hot water heater) switch. I literally spent a week taking cold showers because I didn't know to flip on the geyser switch! On one hand, this is very green. On the other hand, I waste a lot of time flipping switches until I find the one I need.

I finally used the stovetop in my kitchen for the first time this evening. I have been nervous to use it since it hooked up to a giant propane tank.

Most Indians believe that storing food is unhealthy, therefore meals are made fresh from scratch daily. I have access to a chef at my workplace, where I am stuffed to my eyeballs everyday with delicious Indian food. However, sometimes it's nice to come back to my apartment and whip up some macaroni and cheese.

I have a nice large bedroom with the US equivalent of a king size bed. I have a window AC unit in my bedroom (thank goodness!), although it's in celsius. My bedroom has large wardrobes for my clothing and vanity for all my bathroom accessories. The only adjustments have been getting used to a very firm mattress (commonplace here) and the lack of bed sheets. When you buy bed sheets in India, you will get one flat sheet and two pillowcases. The flat sheet will be used to cover the mattress and a blanket will be kept at the foot of the bed.

 
My largest adjustment has been to the bathroom. I set two alarms every morning. One alarm to turn on the geyser, and a second alarm thirty minutes later to jump in the shower.

Where we are used to a sectioned off shower in the US, in India my shower is next to the toilet in one large tile space. It is common to find large buckets in showers to use to fill with water in case water pressure is lacking. My bathroom has a giant squeegee in it to push all residual water on the floor to one of the two drains.

Bathrooms in India make use of bidets. Toilet paper is sometimes found in restaurants or hotels. You know what they say--"when in Rome...", however this ended in disaster for me. I highly recommend bringing toilet paper with you when traveling in India. Luckily, it is easily found in the grocery store.

Outside of the bathroom, the only other odd thing for me has been the number of servants. I have a driver, chef, maid, separate maid for the bathroom and dishes, and someone who does my laundry. I overheard a humorous conversation amongst some Indians discussing how terrible it must be to live in America and not have servants! It's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.

Needless to say, I'm starting to enjoy my new space in India, plus my roommate bakes regularly to satisfy his major sweet tooth. Chocolate chip maple syrup blueberry cookies, anyone?

sunset view from my terrace

pink

Finally having a full weekend off allowed me the opportunity to be a tourist in my own city. I spent the entire day with a tour guide, taking in all the sights that Jaipur has to offer.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, which is a state about the size of Montana. The city is similar in size to Boston, and is home to about 3 million people. The weather almost perfectly mirrors Austin, so I feel right at home in the heat. Something I really appreciate about Jaipur is the balance of city amenities and rural charm. You would never see elephants on the street in somewhere metropolitan like Delhi or Mumbai.


The city was founded in 1727, and can be divided into two parts: the old city and the modern city. The old city is surrounded by towering pink walls, and has seven gates for entry. All of the buildings within the city are the same shade of pink, earning it the name, Pink City.

I began my day at Amer Fort, which was built in 1592. It is nestled in the Aravalli Hills above the Maota Lake. It was built with four courtyards, temple, a private palace for the Maharaja, and private quarters for his 12 wives.

After Amer Fort, I went by Jal Mahal (Water Palace) situated on Man Sagar Lake. It is five stories tall, but four of the stories are underwater.

I also had a chance to meet this guy:

My third stop was Jantar Mantar. I've been wanting to visit here ever since I watched the movie The Fall, which was done by Indian director Tarsem Singh and filmed over 20 different countries. Several sites in Rajasthan can be seen in the film. Jantar Mantar (translates to Instrument Calculation) is an observatory with fourteen different devices that are used to measure time, predict eclipses, and track the locations of constellations. It is home to the world's largest sundial, Samrat Yantra, measuring 88.5 feet tall.

Next on the list was City Palace, built in 1732. It is a palace complex containing multiple mahals and temples. Craftsmen can be found selling their painitngs, marble statues, vases, clothing, and textiles on the grounds.

The final destination was Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds). It was originally constructed to allow royal ladies observe every life in the city through laticed windows (jharokas) without being seen, as they were required to keep their faces covered. It was built in 1799 and can be found in the heart of the Pink City.

Jaipur is a beautiful bustling city, and I can't wait to keep exploring!

midnight train to georgia

Planes,  trains, and automobiles...I've had my fair share of transportation experiences since arriving to India. In fact, getting around in this country is so convoluted that it deserves its own blog focus.

The roads are crowded. Like, shockingly overwhelmingly mind-numbingly (hey, it's a word!) crowded. I've mentioned it before--lanes are merely a suggestion and stop lights are a rare sighting (in Jaipur at least). It is common to see vehicles flooding a single lane, openly vying for the front of the pack. I've seen bicycles on the highway on more than one occasion. Four-way intersections are met with a cacophony of horns and voices as vehicles and people maneuver through the traffic.

typical morning traffic

Rickshaws (read: pedicabs) and auto rickshaws (small 3-wheeled open vehicles) are very common forms of transportation, more so than regular cars. Because of their small size, they can easily weave through traffic, and are a fraction of the cost.

rickshaws/autorickshaws

Motorcycles and scooters are probably the most common form of transportation. It is not uncommon to see a family of four huddled together on the back of one. Women in saris can be seen gracefully riding sidesaddle on the back of a motorcycle whereas I am clutching on for dear life. Law calls for a maximum of two riders and use of helmets, however this seems to be largely ignored. Luckily, my job affords me the use of a driver to transport me where needed.

riding sidesaddle

Trains are the preferred form of travel for long distances, as flights are a luxury afforded by few. The Indian railway transports over 24 million people daily. Although people do use personal vehicles or buses for travel, road conditions and traffic can easily cause a 3 hour trip to morph into an 8 hour trip. Fares depend on which class you purchase (sleeper, AC, etc). The stations are crowded with people, both passengers and those looking for shelter to sleep. The smell is overpowering and be careful of puddles, for they may have questionable origin. 

Oddly enough, my favorite part of the roads are the animals. Cows and dogs roam freely throughout the cities. Don't be surprised to see a cluster of cows grazing or curled up sleeping like cats on the side of the road. I enjoy riding through the city on the back of a motorcycle while the city is still waking. You will see camel-drawn carts delivering goods the market. They may be decorated with colorful garlands or carnations perched upon their noses. Men can be seen riding elephants in the streets along side vehicles and buses.

The noise is ungodly. I mentioned in an earlier post that the honking isn't a rude gesture, rather a warning: "I'm coming up behind you" or "watch out, I'm making a left turn". With the neglect of proper lanes, you can imagine the sheer volume of the streets. Dippers (blinkers) are used primarily at nighttime. Most large trucks have signs painted on the back advising "blow horn" and "use dipper".

Moral of the story? Invest in earplugs, Dramamine, and a sense of adventure when traveling in India!