Continuation...
7/20
Nothing overly special has been going on... just more shopping and such, but my Gautam Mama dropped in for a surprise visit before we go to his place in Bombay. Today we all crammed into our sky blue Maruti "van" to go to a market, South Extension, to visit a tailor to get me fitted for a suit. This was followed by a delicious lunch at Bengali Sweets and Snacks and visiting a friend of my Nani. Then me and my parents jumped ship and went with Massi, her husband Krishan (who I just call Krishan uncle), and my wonderful cousin Shweta to Indian versions of American style malls. It was very hip, very trendy, and thankfully very air conditioned. All the conditioning I've acquired from life in Riverside still isn't enough to make me amiable to this kind of weather. It simply is beyond me! In the evening Gautam Mama arrived and we had dinner and a stroll. Like I said, just another day in the life.
7/21
Today was spent for the most part in Carolbagh (?), which is home of a number of state-operated emporiums, most notably the cottage industries emporium. Basically, these places sell handicrafts that fit the image of an older, grander India with such products as carpets, handpainted pottery, intricately carved wood statues of Gods and Goddesses... all sorts of neat stuff. They also had a line of small shops outside the main emporiums that sold similar stuff and hawkers of all kinds trying to sell fake brand name wallets and such. I had fun harassing those guys, but they deserved it because they latch on to you like leeches. Example of my harassing: they kept asking me to buy a wallet made of real camel leather, and I responded by spouting crap about how I'm against camel leather and how camels should be left alone ini peace because they don't anyone harm. It may sound slly, or dumb, to you now but it was fun for me at the time! We also paid a visit to the Hanuman temple there. Hanuman-ji is the monkey God, and my parents are both particularly affectionate to him. It's a nice place, and because it wasn't a Tuesday, the holy day for followers of Hanuman, it wasn't crowded at all. In the evening me, my parents, and Gautam-mama joined up with my Massi and her family to go out to dinner at a relatively fancy place. We got ourselves a nice private room and everything. It was good to catch up with cousin Pooja and harass dear cousin Shweta. Ah, these happy days ...
7/22 - 7/24
Well, the 22nd was the day of our flight from Delhi to Bombay, but since the flight was scheduled for late night we had time to go out and do some stuff. We ended up going to Red Fort, an extraordinary and elaborate Fort built with red brick by Shah Jahan, the same Mughal emperor that is responsible for the Taj Mahal. It was pretty awesome. I started getting angry at the 19th century British while over there because they removed all the precious stones that were once embedded in the walls to make beatiful patterns and decorations. The painted bits are still there, but the place where the stones were once now lie vacant or are filled with colored resin. Anyway, enough of that, the place was still pretty grand. It is basically a museum now, and there were some neat displays of wicked looking swords and daggers that I (of course) took pictures of. Those dudes were very good at inventing elaborate instruments of death. That's basically it for Friday. We, along with Gautam Mama, took a late flight to Bombay so we got there at Midnight to be greeted by Shalini Mami, Gautam Mama's wife. We drove back to their apartment building where we stayed in their nice place on the 16th floor. You don't get flattened from the heat there really because there are windows and balconies carefully placed to create nice breeze ways that give you nice cool air. I spent the night first talking with cousins Akhil and Dhruv about Harry Potter and such, and then went online until 5 am to talk to Priya about Harry Potter and such... well, maybe more was covered, but that's the most important bit. Right?
The 23rd began with me waking up far too early, at the pale hour of 9 am. I proceeded to get thoroughly demolished in table tennis courtesy of cousin Dhruv, age 12. It was fun though, and I actually worked up quite a sweat, and he's the champion of his school so I'm not bitter about it. After that, me and the parents set off with the Mama and Mami to our road trip. We took the wrong rout so ended up going through rough patches where there were more potholes than there was road, drove on the wrong side of the street (on purpose in order to avoid traffic), and drove on a narrow two-lane "highway" in pitch darkness, without benefit of street lamps, reflectors, or even adequate painted lines on the road, but with the company of potholes, crazy trucks, and bright headlights from oncoming traffic set on high beam. It was interesting, I tell you, an adventure. I actually got to drive for a 5 minute stretch, which is an experience because I still don't know how to drive stick shift and Indian roads being what they are, the folks who weren't my Gautam mama in the car became quite nervous! Anyway, we stayed at an Inn the night where I went online again and that's that.
Today, the 24th of July, my dear brother Varun's birthday, was filled with sight seeing. We went first to the Sai Baba (someone who was basically considered a saint, pretty much) temple in Shirji. It was jam-packed with 2000-3000 visitors, according to a travel agent or something who got us our tickets, but was considered a relatively good day as during festivals or during peak praying hours it can get far, far worse apparently. As it was, we had a tough time trying give darshan (vocab: darshan - pay respect / tribute as to a God or Saint for blessings and such) and got into a shoving match followed by a shouting match with some fellows who were too eager for Sai Baba's blessings. It was more crowded than the more famous Golden Temple in Amritsar that we visited just a week or so ago! The temple complex was quite large and we didn't have much time to explore everything due to time constraints but what we saw was very nice and, in typical Indian fashion, grand. After that we drove for a great number more kilometers to reach the archeological excavation known as the Ajanta Caves. These caves were the home to a civilization over 2000 years ago that carved out statues of the Buddha and others right into the stone in a very spectacular scale. There are also many complex paintings adorning the walls and roof depicting weird scenes that involved chariots and elephants, among other things. There were statues that dated back to 2nd century BC[E] and large 9 foot tall statues of the sitting Buddha in many of the caves we saw. All in all, pretty damn amazing. It's a crying shame that some photography wasn't allowed... if it weren't for the fact that i sometimes choose to ignore unworthy rules that aren't completely enforced, I wouldn't be able to give you a glimpse of what I experienced. I also got a couple of shots of spider monkeys, I think, that populate the area and, according to a hotel worker, break street lamps. Leaving the place was a lot of fun because there were many hawkers trying to get me to buy anything. I didn't pay for anything other than my water, but I had fun dealing with them while my mom did the shopping. I ended up getting some free rocks though, because I think they were as amused as me with my antics. Tomorrow we're going to Ellora, which is another similar system of caves that contain remnants of a long lost civilization and maybe then I'll discover something nefarious ala Indiana Jones. Yeah, well, maybe... it could happen.
7/25
Today was quite a day. We started off around 9:30 and immediately came upon the sight of dozens of sheep sitting on a hill right across the street from the hotel where we stayed the night. There were tents as well for the shepards, so I guess they must be residing there for a few days at least. Don't believe me? I got photographic proof! So we set off for the Ellora caves. If the Ajanta caves are known for their amazing paintings and statues of Buddha, the Ellora structures are known for their many, many, many sculptures based on Buddhism, Brahminism (Hinduism), and Jainism. The reputation of these places, the oft-proclaimed 8th ancient wonder of the world, is completely deserved, in my opinion. The carvings, which according to one of our guides were made over the course of 200 years out of a singlular stone (the mountain) roughly 2000 years ago, tell the stories I grew up hearing as a child regarding the escapades of the Gods and Goddesses. Actually, I got to hear some more tales of the Gods from various guides explaining what story each series of sculptures was trying to say. A lot of the Ellora caves focused on Lord Vishnu and very much on Lord Shiva, and his wife Parvati, and on Mahavere, God of Jains. The Goddess of the two major rivers in India were well represented throughout. Pictures were thankfully allowed so I unabashedly took many photographs of the carvings. Because of the way I focused on some of the individual ones they could appear small, but in fact most of the carvings were 10 feet tall. The scope of it all is staggering. How could these people so long ago create such a beautiful system of monuments out of a mountain? Why did they leave them to the wilderness after making it? How were the rock shavings and other logistics of the task handled? It's all enough to make me admire the ingenuity and genius of my ancestors. And as for the carvings themselves... The way they describe the stories I heard growing up is amazing because it validates them because these stories, which were recorded in our holy books back before these caves were re-discovered, are consistent with the tales told to children born more than 2000 years before me as they were growing up. The carvings I liked the most were of Lord Shiva's marriage with the Goddess Parvati, and a scene where a demon-like being Ravan was trying to disrupt their living area so Lord Shiva responded by putting his foot down and causing his upper body to turn 90 degrees and face the posterior aspect of his lower body. Amazing how it was all depicted. Man, I believe. I got to wander around a lot on my own, like going on top of a hill following damaged stairs and trails to go to a second level Jain temple, though it was not as much as I would have liked. I can't help but think how great it would be to have some of my friends with whom I've (tried to) go hiking with (Mike, Will, Matt, and Derek) along to explore the system. It would definitely be a great venture. I hope the future brings opportunities to come back here and see this stuff again. It may be a once in a lifetime type of deal for most, but I hope it isn't for me.
After the Ellora caves, which was our final desination on this road trip, we still had more interesting times. We stopped soon along the way so my mom could look at sarree with Shalini mami, which I think they both found to be of greater interest than the magnificent caves created by the ancient civilization of our ancestors. Gautam mama was hungry so we went across the street to a typical country side dhaba, complete with a functional water pump. Gautam mama actually started directing the guys in how to cook efficiently and quickly, making a few of the fellows in charge of waving their hands about to keep flies away, and took over some tasks such as cleaning vegetables himself. When my mom and aunt came from the shop, my mom went over to the kitchen area at her brothers request and actually did some of the cooking. It was kind of funny how they basically hijacked the restaurant to make food they like it and order about the staff working there. Good times. Soon to be followed by not as good times.
After the meal, we continued back towards Bombay asking for directions two or three times at every township we passed through. As much as I love India, I can't stand the roads here. If it's not enough that they are often too narrow and ill maintained, what takes the cake is how there is a lack of lighting at night and their are few or no signs that adequately tell you where the road leads. Most roads don't even have their names marked somewhere at major intersections! Honestly, I don't believe the majority of streets here are even named, rendering most maps grossly ineffective. As it was getting dark, the turn off to the main highway was nearly missed twice, and we had to make a u-turn to get back on track. When we did get on the road to Mumbai (or Bombay), we were suddenly hit with sheets of water pouring down. The rain came down in torrents and it became nearly impossible to see for a while. The silver lining, I guess, was that there were amazing waterfalls on the side of the expressway coming down the adjoining cliffs. We braved the bad weather and more pot holes and finally made it home around 11 pm after a quick pit stop at one of the few Indian malls for dinner. What a trip. Major appreciation to Gautam mama and Shalini mami for driving the 1000 kilometers or so on their own, and taking us to these remote but most righteously awesome places. Love it. Now sleep time!
7/26 - 7/29
What a ride, man. I don't know if you guys heard about what went down in Bombay, but I lived it. There was a record 47 inches of rain, the most in 100 years. The 26th was supposed to be our last day in town and we were trying to enjoy it by going around seeing the sights and trying to understand what the phenomenon of Bombay is about. We basically drove around looking at the notable buildings, some of which have been featured in Bollywood hit films according to Gautam mama, who served as our chauffer for the day. We checked out VT (Victoria Train) station, India Gate, Marine Drive (a famous street), got dessert at the Taj hotel, and a host of other things that none of you could possibly be interested in. I'll say that the architecture of some of those old British made buildings is grand. We also went shopping after lunch at a small local mistake. Me and my parents were in a shop called Benzer and Gautam mama had gone to pick up my cousin Akhil from school when the rains started falling. We ended up trapped in Benzer for 3-4 hours before we got a taxi to come to the flooded street to pick us up and take us home. Thankfully the roads we had to take were relatively clean, so we got home in a timely fashion. This was sadly not the case for the uncle and cousin who were trapped out for 5 hours in waters that were waist high to my 6 foot uncle and chest high to the much shorter cuz. They had to lock up the car somewhere and walk/wade their way to cleaner roads and a taxi to take. The rest of that day became a waste in terms of tourism but it was fun enough for me as I played a lot of Tekken with Dhruv on Playstation 2.
The next day was our intended day to go back to Delhi, was being the operative word. We started out by going shopping again for my mom, and to a restaurant for one of my uncle's favorite sandwiches. I had only a small bit of it because there was serious beef between the sandwich and my stomach. The chutney didn't get along with me at all. Anyway, we headed out towards the airport but found our way impeded by lots and lots of traffic, followed by an army blockade. Apparently the road to the highway had been jam packed and people were stuck there since 8 pm the night before, when the rains were going full force. Water reached epic proportions and caused the whole bloody thing to shut down. Some unfortunates thinking they would be safe locked themselves in their air conditioned cars and actually suffocated when their car turned off due to water rising and submerging the vehicle totally, rendering the AC useless. The place was jam packed totally with cars packed on that road like sardines in a tin. We actually took a u-turn into oncoming traffic to make our escape back home. With the help of Kiran massi, who was based in Delhi, we got information that the airport was actually shut down since the main runway was submerged. Man, the sewer systems here are much in the lacking. It was fortunate perhaps for me that we turned back because the disagreement between the chutney and my upper GI tract esculated quickly, and my body finally had enough of it's guff and tossed that sucker out. That is to say, I got sick in the stomach and threw up. We got our flight rescheduled for the 29th morning at 7 am, which was cutting it close for my dad because his flight to home sweet home (which by now I have started to miss a bit) was at 7 am on the 30th morning. Anyway, I swore off food in Bombay and promptly fell asleep.
The 28th was spent shopping in the morning, of course. Since Gautam mama had to go to work (it's hard for him to take time off since he's a vice president of some telecomm company), we went with Shalini mami and my other cousin Divya, who is actually the daughter of Rajan mama but stays in Bombay because of her work. Anyway, we went out to a number of shops and ended up getting some touristy stuff for my friends. If you would like something, chances are that I have a key hanger with your name on it (figuratively speaking). After that we went home and I played some computer game with the cousins, followed by basketball, table tennis, and soccer. Good fun.
Since the flight on the 29th was at 7, I had to wake up at 4:45 to get ready in time enough for us to be at the airport by 5:30. We reached there on time, more or less, but found the Jet Airways flight to be delayed by 45 minutes. Somehow despite the flight being booked full, the right number of people didn't show up to allow me and the parents to have an empty seat next each of us, giving a pleasant buffer. We reached Delhi at around 10 am, and soon got to work. After lunch, we went to get my suit fitted in South Extension. Then to the Cottage Emporium, a state run store where they sell handicrafts, to get my dad his leather briefcase, and finally went to Saket so my dad could say goodbye to his dad. In the evening we went out for a nice dinner at the Guykhana club with the parents, nana and nani, massi and Krishan uncle, and Shalini mami's parents, where Shalini mami's dad has a membership. According to him the waiting list is 35 years long but he somehow was able to skip it, maybe because he was a Brigadier. Anyway, the food was delicious and I think it was a splendid sending off dinner for dad. Busy day, but not overly exciting.
7/30
Today I again woke up at 4 am to go with my dad to the airport. It was great to have him come to India with us. He was great company in all of our trips to the great monuments and structures, not only because his insight and everlasting vigilence with the video camera, but because it was fun doing things with dad. He was reluctant to come along because of Varun staying at home for school, and despite the way I would occasionally annoy him with my presumptuous and overly sanctamonious behavior he seems to have enjoyed the trip. After seeing him off, we went back to our house and I slept until 2 pm. My massi came over and she, my mom, and nani chatted in here while I listened / played spider solitaire and listened to music on my head phones. Listening to my english music gives me great nostalgia of home. In particular, the Grease soundtrack evokes vivid memories of Will and Rose singing beautifully at the SRHC banquet. I think that's one of the great memories of MS1 that I'll never forget. Lest I get too homesick, I try to remind myself that it will be many years before I can come back here to India so I should try to make the most of the time here with my relatives. It's so easy to miss all of my friends, even though I know most aren't reading this, I'll tell you it's because you're all such good and wonderful people who can tolerate my frailties and magnify my strengths. Ah, enough of this, I don't want to feel unworthy of you all (maybe as I should) and get sad now. Time to go downstairs and eat some mangos!
Nothing overly special has been going on... just more shopping and such, but my Gautam Mama dropped in for a surprise visit before we go to his place in Bombay. Today we all crammed into our sky blue Maruti "van" to go to a market, South Extension, to visit a tailor to get me fitted for a suit. This was followed by a delicious lunch at Bengali Sweets and Snacks and visiting a friend of my Nani. Then me and my parents jumped ship and went with Massi, her husband Krishan (who I just call Krishan uncle), and my wonderful cousin Shweta to Indian versions of American style malls. It was very hip, very trendy, and thankfully very air conditioned. All the conditioning I've acquired from life in Riverside still isn't enough to make me amiable to this kind of weather. It simply is beyond me! In the evening Gautam Mama arrived and we had dinner and a stroll. Like I said, just another day in the life.
7/21
Today was spent for the most part in Carolbagh (?), which is home of a number of state-operated emporiums, most notably the cottage industries emporium. Basically, these places sell handicrafts that fit the image of an older, grander India with such products as carpets, handpainted pottery, intricately carved wood statues of Gods and Goddesses... all sorts of neat stuff. They also had a line of small shops outside the main emporiums that sold similar stuff and hawkers of all kinds trying to sell fake brand name wallets and such. I had fun harassing those guys, but they deserved it because they latch on to you like leeches. Example of my harassing: they kept asking me to buy a wallet made of real camel leather, and I responded by spouting crap about how I'm against camel leather and how camels should be left alone ini peace because they don't anyone harm. It may sound slly, or dumb, to you now but it was fun for me at the time! We also paid a visit to the Hanuman temple there. Hanuman-ji is the monkey God, and my parents are both particularly affectionate to him. It's a nice place, and because it wasn't a Tuesday, the holy day for followers of Hanuman, it wasn't crowded at all. In the evening me, my parents, and Gautam-mama joined up with my Massi and her family to go out to dinner at a relatively fancy place. We got ourselves a nice private room and everything. It was good to catch up with cousin Pooja and harass dear cousin Shweta. Ah, these happy days ...
7/22 - 7/24
Well, the 22nd was the day of our flight from Delhi to Bombay, but since the flight was scheduled for late night we had time to go out and do some stuff. We ended up going to Red Fort, an extraordinary and elaborate Fort built with red brick by Shah Jahan, the same Mughal emperor that is responsible for the Taj Mahal. It was pretty awesome. I started getting angry at the 19th century British while over there because they removed all the precious stones that were once embedded in the walls to make beatiful patterns and decorations. The painted bits are still there, but the place where the stones were once now lie vacant or are filled with colored resin. Anyway, enough of that, the place was still pretty grand. It is basically a museum now, and there were some neat displays of wicked looking swords and daggers that I (of course) took pictures of. Those dudes were very good at inventing elaborate instruments of death. That's basically it for Friday. We, along with Gautam Mama, took a late flight to Bombay so we got there at Midnight to be greeted by Shalini Mami, Gautam Mama's wife. We drove back to their apartment building where we stayed in their nice place on the 16th floor. You don't get flattened from the heat there really because there are windows and balconies carefully placed to create nice breeze ways that give you nice cool air. I spent the night first talking with cousins Akhil and Dhruv about Harry Potter and such, and then went online until 5 am to talk to Priya about Harry Potter and such... well, maybe more was covered, but that's the most important bit. Right?
The 23rd began with me waking up far too early, at the pale hour of 9 am. I proceeded to get thoroughly demolished in table tennis courtesy of cousin Dhruv, age 12. It was fun though, and I actually worked up quite a sweat, and he's the champion of his school so I'm not bitter about it. After that, me and the parents set off with the Mama and Mami to our road trip. We took the wrong rout so ended up going through rough patches where there were more potholes than there was road, drove on the wrong side of the street (on purpose in order to avoid traffic), and drove on a narrow two-lane "highway" in pitch darkness, without benefit of street lamps, reflectors, or even adequate painted lines on the road, but with the company of potholes, crazy trucks, and bright headlights from oncoming traffic set on high beam. It was interesting, I tell you, an adventure. I actually got to drive for a 5 minute stretch, which is an experience because I still don't know how to drive stick shift and Indian roads being what they are, the folks who weren't my Gautam mama in the car became quite nervous! Anyway, we stayed at an Inn the night where I went online again and that's that.
Today, the 24th of July, my dear brother Varun's birthday, was filled with sight seeing. We went first to the Sai Baba (someone who was basically considered a saint, pretty much) temple in Shirji. It was jam-packed with 2000-3000 visitors, according to a travel agent or something who got us our tickets, but was considered a relatively good day as during festivals or during peak praying hours it can get far, far worse apparently. As it was, we had a tough time trying give darshan (vocab: darshan - pay respect / tribute as to a God or Saint for blessings and such) and got into a shoving match followed by a shouting match with some fellows who were too eager for Sai Baba's blessings. It was more crowded than the more famous Golden Temple in Amritsar that we visited just a week or so ago! The temple complex was quite large and we didn't have much time to explore everything due to time constraints but what we saw was very nice and, in typical Indian fashion, grand. After that we drove for a great number more kilometers to reach the archeological excavation known as the Ajanta Caves. These caves were the home to a civilization over 2000 years ago that carved out statues of the Buddha and others right into the stone in a very spectacular scale. There are also many complex paintings adorning the walls and roof depicting weird scenes that involved chariots and elephants, among other things. There were statues that dated back to 2nd century BC[E] and large 9 foot tall statues of the sitting Buddha in many of the caves we saw. All in all, pretty damn amazing. It's a crying shame that some photography wasn't allowed... if it weren't for the fact that i sometimes choose to ignore unworthy rules that aren't completely enforced, I wouldn't be able to give you a glimpse of what I experienced. I also got a couple of shots of spider monkeys, I think, that populate the area and, according to a hotel worker, break street lamps. Leaving the place was a lot of fun because there were many hawkers trying to get me to buy anything. I didn't pay for anything other than my water, but I had fun dealing with them while my mom did the shopping. I ended up getting some free rocks though, because I think they were as amused as me with my antics. Tomorrow we're going to Ellora, which is another similar system of caves that contain remnants of a long lost civilization and maybe then I'll discover something nefarious ala Indiana Jones. Yeah, well, maybe... it could happen.
7/25
Today was quite a day. We started off around 9:30 and immediately came upon the sight of dozens of sheep sitting on a hill right across the street from the hotel where we stayed the night. There were tents as well for the shepards, so I guess they must be residing there for a few days at least. Don't believe me? I got photographic proof! So we set off for the Ellora caves. If the Ajanta caves are known for their amazing paintings and statues of Buddha, the Ellora structures are known for their many, many, many sculptures based on Buddhism, Brahminism (Hinduism), and Jainism. The reputation of these places, the oft-proclaimed 8th ancient wonder of the world, is completely deserved, in my opinion. The carvings, which according to one of our guides were made over the course of 200 years out of a singlular stone (the mountain) roughly 2000 years ago, tell the stories I grew up hearing as a child regarding the escapades of the Gods and Goddesses. Actually, I got to hear some more tales of the Gods from various guides explaining what story each series of sculptures was trying to say. A lot of the Ellora caves focused on Lord Vishnu and very much on Lord Shiva, and his wife Parvati, and on Mahavere, God of Jains. The Goddess of the two major rivers in India were well represented throughout. Pictures were thankfully allowed so I unabashedly took many photographs of the carvings. Because of the way I focused on some of the individual ones they could appear small, but in fact most of the carvings were 10 feet tall. The scope of it all is staggering. How could these people so long ago create such a beautiful system of monuments out of a mountain? Why did they leave them to the wilderness after making it? How were the rock shavings and other logistics of the task handled? It's all enough to make me admire the ingenuity and genius of my ancestors. And as for the carvings themselves... The way they describe the stories I heard growing up is amazing because it validates them because these stories, which were recorded in our holy books back before these caves were re-discovered, are consistent with the tales told to children born more than 2000 years before me as they were growing up. The carvings I liked the most were of Lord Shiva's marriage with the Goddess Parvati, and a scene where a demon-like being Ravan was trying to disrupt their living area so Lord Shiva responded by putting his foot down and causing his upper body to turn 90 degrees and face the posterior aspect of his lower body. Amazing how it was all depicted. Man, I believe. I got to wander around a lot on my own, like going on top of a hill following damaged stairs and trails to go to a second level Jain temple, though it was not as much as I would have liked. I can't help but think how great it would be to have some of my friends with whom I've (tried to) go hiking with (Mike, Will, Matt, and Derek) along to explore the system. It would definitely be a great venture. I hope the future brings opportunities to come back here and see this stuff again. It may be a once in a lifetime type of deal for most, but I hope it isn't for me.
After the Ellora caves, which was our final desination on this road trip, we still had more interesting times. We stopped soon along the way so my mom could look at sarree with Shalini mami, which I think they both found to be of greater interest than the magnificent caves created by the ancient civilization of our ancestors. Gautam mama was hungry so we went across the street to a typical country side dhaba, complete with a functional water pump. Gautam mama actually started directing the guys in how to cook efficiently and quickly, making a few of the fellows in charge of waving their hands about to keep flies away, and took over some tasks such as cleaning vegetables himself. When my mom and aunt came from the shop, my mom went over to the kitchen area at her brothers request and actually did some of the cooking. It was kind of funny how they basically hijacked the restaurant to make food they like it and order about the staff working there. Good times. Soon to be followed by not as good times.
After the meal, we continued back towards Bombay asking for directions two or three times at every township we passed through. As much as I love India, I can't stand the roads here. If it's not enough that they are often too narrow and ill maintained, what takes the cake is how there is a lack of lighting at night and their are few or no signs that adequately tell you where the road leads. Most roads don't even have their names marked somewhere at major intersections! Honestly, I don't believe the majority of streets here are even named, rendering most maps grossly ineffective. As it was getting dark, the turn off to the main highway was nearly missed twice, and we had to make a u-turn to get back on track. When we did get on the road to Mumbai (or Bombay), we were suddenly hit with sheets of water pouring down. The rain came down in torrents and it became nearly impossible to see for a while. The silver lining, I guess, was that there were amazing waterfalls on the side of the expressway coming down the adjoining cliffs. We braved the bad weather and more pot holes and finally made it home around 11 pm after a quick pit stop at one of the few Indian malls for dinner. What a trip. Major appreciation to Gautam mama and Shalini mami for driving the 1000 kilometers or so on their own, and taking us to these remote but most righteously awesome places. Love it. Now sleep time!
7/26 - 7/29
What a ride, man. I don't know if you guys heard about what went down in Bombay, but I lived it. There was a record 47 inches of rain, the most in 100 years. The 26th was supposed to be our last day in town and we were trying to enjoy it by going around seeing the sights and trying to understand what the phenomenon of Bombay is about. We basically drove around looking at the notable buildings, some of which have been featured in Bollywood hit films according to Gautam mama, who served as our chauffer for the day. We checked out VT (Victoria Train) station, India Gate, Marine Drive (a famous street), got dessert at the Taj hotel, and a host of other things that none of you could possibly be interested in. I'll say that the architecture of some of those old British made buildings is grand. We also went shopping after lunch at a small local mistake. Me and my parents were in a shop called Benzer and Gautam mama had gone to pick up my cousin Akhil from school when the rains started falling. We ended up trapped in Benzer for 3-4 hours before we got a taxi to come to the flooded street to pick us up and take us home. Thankfully the roads we had to take were relatively clean, so we got home in a timely fashion. This was sadly not the case for the uncle and cousin who were trapped out for 5 hours in waters that were waist high to my 6 foot uncle and chest high to the much shorter cuz. They had to lock up the car somewhere and walk/wade their way to cleaner roads and a taxi to take. The rest of that day became a waste in terms of tourism but it was fun enough for me as I played a lot of Tekken with Dhruv on Playstation 2.
The next day was our intended day to go back to Delhi, was being the operative word. We started out by going shopping again for my mom, and to a restaurant for one of my uncle's favorite sandwiches. I had only a small bit of it because there was serious beef between the sandwich and my stomach. The chutney didn't get along with me at all. Anyway, we headed out towards the airport but found our way impeded by lots and lots of traffic, followed by an army blockade. Apparently the road to the highway had been jam packed and people were stuck there since 8 pm the night before, when the rains were going full force. Water reached epic proportions and caused the whole bloody thing to shut down. Some unfortunates thinking they would be safe locked themselves in their air conditioned cars and actually suffocated when their car turned off due to water rising and submerging the vehicle totally, rendering the AC useless. The place was jam packed totally with cars packed on that road like sardines in a tin. We actually took a u-turn into oncoming traffic to make our escape back home. With the help of Kiran massi, who was based in Delhi, we got information that the airport was actually shut down since the main runway was submerged. Man, the sewer systems here are much in the lacking. It was fortunate perhaps for me that we turned back because the disagreement between the chutney and my upper GI tract esculated quickly, and my body finally had enough of it's guff and tossed that sucker out. That is to say, I got sick in the stomach and threw up. We got our flight rescheduled for the 29th morning at 7 am, which was cutting it close for my dad because his flight to home sweet home (which by now I have started to miss a bit) was at 7 am on the 30th morning. Anyway, I swore off food in Bombay and promptly fell asleep.
The 28th was spent shopping in the morning, of course. Since Gautam mama had to go to work (it's hard for him to take time off since he's a vice president of some telecomm company), we went with Shalini mami and my other cousin Divya, who is actually the daughter of Rajan mama but stays in Bombay because of her work. Anyway, we went out to a number of shops and ended up getting some touristy stuff for my friends. If you would like something, chances are that I have a key hanger with your name on it (figuratively speaking). After that we went home and I played some computer game with the cousins, followed by basketball, table tennis, and soccer. Good fun.
Since the flight on the 29th was at 7, I had to wake up at 4:45 to get ready in time enough for us to be at the airport by 5:30. We reached there on time, more or less, but found the Jet Airways flight to be delayed by 45 minutes. Somehow despite the flight being booked full, the right number of people didn't show up to allow me and the parents to have an empty seat next each of us, giving a pleasant buffer. We reached Delhi at around 10 am, and soon got to work. After lunch, we went to get my suit fitted in South Extension. Then to the Cottage Emporium, a state run store where they sell handicrafts, to get my dad his leather briefcase, and finally went to Saket so my dad could say goodbye to his dad. In the evening we went out for a nice dinner at the Guykhana club with the parents, nana and nani, massi and Krishan uncle, and Shalini mami's parents, where Shalini mami's dad has a membership. According to him the waiting list is 35 years long but he somehow was able to skip it, maybe because he was a Brigadier. Anyway, the food was delicious and I think it was a splendid sending off dinner for dad. Busy day, but not overly exciting.
7/30
Today I again woke up at 4 am to go with my dad to the airport. It was great to have him come to India with us. He was great company in all of our trips to the great monuments and structures, not only because his insight and everlasting vigilence with the video camera, but because it was fun doing things with dad. He was reluctant to come along because of Varun staying at home for school, and despite the way I would occasionally annoy him with my presumptuous and overly sanctamonious behavior he seems to have enjoyed the trip. After seeing him off, we went back to our house and I slept until 2 pm. My massi came over and she, my mom, and nani chatted in here while I listened / played spider solitaire and listened to music on my head phones. Listening to my english music gives me great nostalgia of home. In particular, the Grease soundtrack evokes vivid memories of Will and Rose singing beautifully at the SRHC banquet. I think that's one of the great memories of MS1 that I'll never forget. Lest I get too homesick, I try to remind myself that it will be many years before I can come back here to India so I should try to make the most of the time here with my relatives. It's so easy to miss all of my friends, even though I know most aren't reading this, I'll tell you it's because you're all such good and wonderful people who can tolerate my frailties and magnify my strengths. Ah, enough of this, I don't want to feel unworthy of you all (maybe as I should) and get sad now. Time to go downstairs and eat some mangos!