Shopping and Street Food!

We left Cochin this morning at 6:30 am for an 8:30 am flight back to Mumbai. The flight was oversold, and we were thinking we wouldn't make it, but then with 3 MINUTES left before flight time, they cleared all three of us in first class.

T.I.I. (This Is India)

When we got to Mumbai, we squeezed into a rickshaw to go back to Nami's apartment. Because her place was so close to the domestic airport, the cab driver's didn't want to take us since the fare would be cheap. Somehow the driver packed our 3 suitcases and 3 handbags in this thing. Look how crammed we are:

After dropping off our luggage and relaxing for a bit, we had a masala tea at Coffee Day, and caught a rickshaw to the the Santa Cruz market. Rickshaws are only allowed in the suburbs of Mumbai, but they are really a great way to see the crazy energy of the town city and its kind of like being in a live Frogger game. Rickshaws and cars are everywhere. Traffic is absolutely crazy. You will not see stop signs, and roadway markings, but you will see random cows and other animals....by a random juice stand.

At the market we wanted to do a bit more shopping and also eat lunch. Street food! yes! You will be warned not to touch, but Frank and I both have stomachs of steel (knock on wood) and have already tested them with the street food in our previous trips. We also have had 12 days of straight Indian food with no problems, so we were ready. Below our mouths water.

The first place we stopped at we ordered samosas and fried chili peppers. Now, Im usually not one to eat a lot of fried foods, but some things I can't resist! Smita keeps telling me (an everyone else) that Frank and I must have been Indian in a previous life. A different friend thinks I was Latin in a different life.....hmmmm???

Ahhhhhh, feeling pretty satisfied we walk a bit further and pass a stand with vada pav...mmm, so delicious! Its a ball of masala potatoes with chilis, that is deep fried and shoved in this great bread with 2 sauces. How dangerous could it be? It's deep fried. we also tried a bunch of fried spinach served in the same bread...DE-LISH!

Hot Night Out in Mumbai!

Nameeta, Smita's sister took us out to a really cool place called "Hawaiian Shack" for our 2nd night in Indians. Besides the Indians, you might think we were in the US. Everyone was in "western wear" as they call it,(jeans and such) but the difference was the music. This place had 2 levels, these pics are from the lowere level where they played a mix of 80's music and even olders songs that I would not play in a million years, but we all sang and danced to it anyway...oddly enough, it's never as cheesy when you hear it in a different country. (familiarity?) The upstairs was more night club and Bollywood-Indian dance music..I love love love it! (why did we stay downstairs so long?) We stayed until they closed and of course, at the end I was at the DJ booth begging for one last request (sean paul, I'm sure)...some things never change!

Happy Diwali from India!!

We made it to INDIA! Last night at 1 am, Frank and I stand outside Ramkrishna Mission in Mumbai where a Diwali celebration started an hour earlier, and would continue until 4am.

What a great flight. If we had been in coach with the "commoners" this could've been a14 hour flight from hell....but alas...we were in business class and iwas soooooo easy! We enjoyed a great indian meal and several glasses of wine, Argentina style. We then SLEPT for a full 8 hours, right through the breakfast service!! We woke up watched a movie, ate dinner again, and landed just in time for the Diwali festival! The whole city was lit up with lots of fireworks (phatakas) We could see it all when flying in. We went straight to Nameeta's from the airport, ate AGAIN, (here, its all about the food) then changed into a traditional salwar kameez (turquoise for me of course) and we headed to the where a celebration started at midnight.
The place was full, shoes in piles outside the temple and everyone seating indian style (go figure)

We listened to the singing and chanting as people prayed to the goddess Kali. (good over evil) It was so relaxing, I had no idea what they were saying but you dont need to....the drums and chimes are enought to make you feel it. Here I am in the mission with the image of Kali shrine behind me. I look pretty fresh after a 14 hour flight, verdad????? yeah, right.... I love this picture of us outside the mission. Notice the image of Ganesh, the elephant god, the "remover of obstacles," above us. Hanging below that are fresh flowers strung like streamers.

From left to right, Nameeta's mother-in-law, Smita, Nameeta, me and Frank.

After leaving the mission, we went back to Nameeta's. We stopped by thia temple to Hanuman where people have tied bells over the years for good fortune. There are thousands of bells.

The girls stayed up talking til 4am! you figure out the time conversion....I vow not to. No "Ohio time" for me. I like to swing right into local time. Stay tuned!! Two more weeks of India updates!!!!