India 2012: First time to Bandra

On the Way to Bandra: Taking street stall shopping to a whole new level

Bandra, a inner suburb of Mumbai is one of the places to be - to live, to eat, to go out. There's definitely a different feel to it; yes, it's still lively (the traffic sucked trying to get to the place) but there is a certain charm to the area. Apparently, Bandra is the only part of Mumbai that has cobblestone streets. Trees hang low and there are streets lined with delicious looking restaurants and dessert places. It's neighborhoody.

I think I'm going to have to move from the central, corporate-y part of Mumbai to Juhu beach and the surround areas to get to know ohh shall we say the 'Brooklyn' of Mumbai. There are just so many places in South Bombay and the City that I STILL MUST SEE! Unfortunately, sometimes work gets in the way of life.

More Street Side Shopping

But now I'm going to start exploring more of India, so I may have to put Mumbai to the side for now...

India 2012: Random Musings

Mumbai Taxi with a Message

You know about my obsession with India taxi drivers. We'll I just had to take this picture. Take a look at the sticker on his dashboard:

"SPITTING SPREADS TB: DO NOT SPIT"

I guess you have to be here to find this amusing. Spitting. It's a fact of life for many people here. Big fat globs of spit out of auto rickshaws, taxi windows, car doors. Spit while walking down the street, cutting a guy's hair, biking. Lots of spit. What makes it even better is the red bettle nuts that stain the spit (and one's teeth) a deep, earthy red. Actually, I haven't seen it as much this time around. It was rampant in South East Asia though, especially Burma/Myanmar. So yes, please follow the wise of the sign, "DO NOT SPIT." Thanks

Monday Dinner

On a totally separate note. Monday I had the biggest craving for udon soup with a half cooked egg. Couldn't find any nearby, so I went for the buffet instead where I was promised sushi. Ermm the sushi was questionable, and I think they accidentally used soy sauce in the balsamic vinaigrette instead of, well, balsamic vinegar. But they did have some halfway descent fresh salsa, which made me nostalgic for summer tacos with fresh guac and salsa on my Hope Street front stoop. And halfway through the noodles I realized the buffet had all the fixin's of a good salami sandwich (a throwback to my ATDP summer courses and ferreting out the best salami and avocado sandwiches on baguettes around the UC Berkeley campus. Double fat = double good). So I made myself some mini sandwiches and at least had my fill of nostalgic delights.

What I didn't mention was that after eating I finally got over my dizzy-nausea spell caused by a 30 minute swimming session - first exercise in I don't know how many months. Kind of pathetic.

Dubai

At People. Yes that's Taoi Cruz, and yes he sung only two songs wtf

Burj Khalifa. It's really amazingly beautiful. Impressive

What to say about Dubai. I could talk about the crazy clubs and bottle service (yes sparklers are included in your vintage Dom). I could talk about the largest mall in the world, Dubai Mall. It has everything (except a pinkish bridesmaid's dress fyi). I could even talk about the Burj Khalifa (it comes out as Burn al Arabe on an iPhone...and that's when I accuse friends of being racist). But instead, I think I'll talk about what seems to be a new obsession of mine: Drivers.

Taking a taxi in Dubai is like night and day or day and night with the experience in India.

India: Black and Yellow no a/c taxis dominate the street. The little Fiat taxis are way too small for people who sit up tall. They have cute little meters outside of the left hand front window - a sort of opposite mailbox. A passenger is inside? Flag gets swung down. Shock absorbers? What are those? However, there are many springy springs in the cushions of the backseat; think astro bouncy castle. Did I mention that many are non a/c...and that's it's getting hot in Mumbai?

The drivers of this taxis possess the most impressive skill of squeezing between two cars, the public bus and the center divide (and you wondered why the side view mirrors have been taken off all the taxis!). There were only two times so far that I thought I was a goner (a private car started edging into our non-existent lane. It was then that I really wished there were seat bents in the back seat. Did I mention the decoration? India drivers know how to decorate their cars, from the paintings and stickers on the exterior to orange tiger print or flowers in the interior. I actually happened across a great little article about just this topic.

Incense is sometimes burned, a little disco ganesha might be on the dashboard, and most likely than not, some type of Indian music is blasting on the radio, only to be rivaled by the incessant honking of the driver's and his compatriots' horns. And it was only today that it hit me: damn Dubai really is soulless in so many ways (I really must take the time right now to say how much I enjoyed meeting the people I met while I was there. THEY were great, Dubai...well I still can't imagine how I'd ever fit in).

Dubai: these cabs are clean, sleek, with blasting a/c. If I were a guy I could probably tell you the make and model of the car (it wasn't so impressive. I get the impression that it was a Toyota of some sorts though - not at all competing with the porches, Ferraris, and Bentleys I saw line the streets). All the taxis come with fancy touch screen meters (but no cc accepted either fyi). And fast. Traffic is fast, drivers are fast, zooming across stretches of never-ending highways, not a single sidewalk in sight many times. Yes, perhaps drivers do follow the 'guidelines' of the street lines more often than in India; but most of them driver with the wheel in one hand, cellphone in the other it seems.

These drivers are Indian (I can't get away), Pakistani, and I'm sure a lot of other. One thing to be sure, none of them are Emirati, as they get paid way too much by the government every year to have to be a driver (yay Oil). It's actually quite pleasant to be zoomed along going from one large building to the next; you certainly don't come out dripping with sweat.

But as I said. Today it hit me. The biggest, glaring difference for me between these two driving experiences, the biggest 'tell' into Dubai city living and culture, is every time I got into a cab, I'd be asked if I like music. The driver would then turn on the radio to what is probably the most popular radio station in Dubai - Top (American) 40s with a some house thrown in. I think I experienced the biggest culture shock or reverse culture shock or however you want to define it from the radio, the type of music the driver chose. Top 40s? Perhaps it makes sense: why would an Indian driver in Dubai play traditional Arab music or Arab pop? But reeeeelly? I just don't know. I really just don't know.

New York Respite

My sleep schedule is so messed up and that's probably the result of a no-sleep week in New York. But you know what, it was worth it. I got to see a ton of friends, went to some museum, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (FINALLY). I ate some pie of the sweet and pizza nature. I saw a lot of Brooklyn, which basically reaffirmed the fact that I'd love to stay there forever (or get an apartment at the very least) if it weren't so damn expensive in my neighborhood. Plus I'm very unsure about all the nannies who have recently popped up. What is this, the UES? Basically...

The things I've missed most about New York is being able to walk around. Perhaps. this is available in many cities, but not in my two current homes (Delhi and Mumbai), not so much at least. But you know what, maybe I'm just lazy now and can't be bothered to walk a few miles a day. I need to re-evaluate my way of thinking and perhaps start walking to work??

India 2012: Take II

Lower Parel, Mumbai, India

Every time I go back to New York, I get an overwhelming feeling of joy as the plane swoops on down to JFK. I love the little islets of Jamaica Bay, I love the lights, I love the furry clouds. And I especially love the drive back to Hope Street, the first views of the Manhattan skyline, the familiarity of guiding the taxi driver 'right, left, right' to my little pale blue home. I don't love the traffic, but New York is definitely not perfect.

More Lower Parel

Coming back to India, I got my very own unique Indiafied welcome --just as warm, if a bit special--consisting of:

I. The Sweat

Take five steps off the plane and I'm drenched. Back at home, I could finally sympathize with people who can't stand the cold. I usually do well with cold weather, but India has spoiled me; I'm frozen in weather under 75 degrees! And India has reminded me that at least for the next two months I don't need to worry about taking a sweater with me 'just in case.'

II. Squitoes

"Hello! You're in India BITE!" I think by my sixth step, not only was I sweating, but I got my first mosquito bite of this trip. Damn you mosquitoes, why do you love me so?

III. Babies

You know the sinking feeling when you board a plane, find your seat, and realize you're seated right next to a baby? Well that happened to me this morning. And not wanting to be the person who steals someone else's seat to avoid the baby on board, I plunked down (you know...there were so many empty seats, why did I bother?). Of course the baby was cute and of course he was fussy. I held my ground and popped on earphones, until after a trip to the bathroom the baby came back bare bottom with his junk hanging out. It's a baby, so not a problem usually, until said bare baby butt rests on my cloth covered seat. Hmmm

IV. Taxi Drivers

You know, I don't even mind drivers trying to rip me off, when compared to those who try to rip me off and waste my time by driving me nonsensically around. Drivers: I live here, so don't bother! HA

V. Red String Bracelets

Yes, I'm not Hindu, but I love the red string bracelets one can get in temples (my bracelet lasted for 6 months). However, it's a bit disconcerting when out find one mixed in with your cumin and coriander spiced banana chips at Cafe Coffee Day. Ermmm...

Even more Lower Parel

Oh India. You know, I've kind of missed you!