Mumbai day 2 - Happy Diwali

I read about the latrines issues in India, or should I say lack of latrines, lack of education around safe defecation (sanitation), widespread disease, abuse risk (i.e. putting oneself at risk of sexual assault/violence while defacating in an open field), and challenges with people accepting the idea of being in a confined space with feces. Modi claims "total sanitation" by 2019...how can we make this a realistic goal?

Morning chai and the newspaper came again at 6:45. Birds singing and outside a man walking a leashed dog...first one I've seen! This at the same time I was reading about street dogs (oft referred to as Indian pariah dogs). I heard a scamper on the A/C and saw a pigeon standing there. I opened the curtains slightly and played hide and seek with it...probably confused it a little, but often animals love this game (!), so I continued for a bit :) 

Camilo continues to enjoy his sleep. I've been awake since chai and reading about this wild, fascinating place. Somehow I know there's a way I can make a difference while I'm here (even if it's just making avian friends).

We grabbed a late morning snack at Gulmahar cafeteria: idli wada mix and paneer pakoda. Then Mukta cooked French toast and served it with cut papaya, watermelon, and the guava we bought yesterday, mmm.

After eating we went for a walk around campus. Did I mention we're staying in the Jalvihar Guest House at IIT Bombay? This campus is a gorgeous array of wildlife: tropical plants and trees; fauna like geese, ducks, [really loud] squeaking chipmunks, turtles, cows, dogs, a kitty, lizards, snakes, large crows (a lot of them), caged rabbits; and on the path we read a sign that warned of panther sightings (i.e. avoid walking here at night...and we've been told it's actually a leopard, not a panther, that's been sighted). We then saw a monkey (add that to the list above) in the trees overhead. It might have been at least 3 feet tall standing! A second one tree-hopped toward the first, then a third...a fourth, and once I counted 5 aloud Supreet said, "Ehh, okay, I think we can go now." :) He and Mukta have had a monkey come into their apartment in recent weeks. When they leave the door open for a cross breeze, he comes in and takes something...maybe opens the fridge and grabs something to go, or finds another bite in the kitchen. They're a little freaked about this intruder and also didn't want the monkeys above to come down for a curiosity visit or to snag my camera.

We walked down a side path to the pier (more of an overlook to the lake), where 2 security guards were sitting relaxing. They exercised their authority by asking who we all were and proceeded to have an animated discussion with Supreet about a local construction mogul who's building a slew of upscale high-rises downtown and dumping all the construction waste water into the lake we were admiring. There were a few guys in handmade boats - barely floating, but not sinking - who were laying out fishing nets by hand from these small rafts (imagine a guy on an inner tube fishing with a thin, long net). The guys speculated that this gorgeous lake will die within 10 years due to the pollution. Despite efforts in recent years to clean up the lake and surrounding wildlife area, this self-interested construction mogul is mucking it all up again. They mention that the fish are less tasty now than in the past, that they are looking more black than before, and that people who know their source no longer buy them at market.

We said goodbyes and walked back towards the guest house. Grabbed a couple items and then walked to the staff mess hall in M&S's building. They "temporarily" (read: more than 1 year now instead of a few months) live in staff housing vs. faculty housing due to lack of space on campus. Their building's in really bad shape, something you wouldn't typically put your faculty in. For lunch we had: fenugreek paratha, mix veg, toor daal, mix veg rice, and a sweet milk/milk fat dessert. "Salad" is sliced cucumbers, carrots, onion, and lime wedges. Mukta and Supreet took the moto to get items at the market for tonight's gathering and we returned to our room to relax. It's been very hot and humid the last two days, so on went the A/C and out went the humans into naptime land.

After a few hours and a call from Mukta, we unstuck ourselves from the mattresses, dressed, and went to their place to help prepare. I was in charge of grating cucumber for raita and beets for a veg sauteé. I then carved a Hindi "Happy Diwali" message into half a watermelon for the fruit bowl!

I hopped on the back of Supreet's moto and we went to pick up Tandoor chicken he'd ordered. We also got 1/2 kg of Naturals chickoo (sapote) ice cream - wow, delish! Other flavors include: kala jamun (black berry, different from blackberry), anjeer (fig), kaju kismis (cashew raisins), and kesar pista (saffron pistachio). These Hindi words don't seem too difficult to me! Kaju actually sounds like cashew and pista like pistachio ;) We brought the foods home as the naan order was being delivered and a few friends had already arrived. Mostly fellow professors at IIT and a few of them brought their majorly-cute kids. Food we ate was: fruit bowl (decorated by yours truly), plum cake, mini samosas, kachoree; followed by mixed paneer and veg sauteé, warm beetroot with raisins, the Supreet chicken special (did not try), amazing naan; dessert was caramelized yoghurt (a Bengali special). Everyone enjoyed the Johnnie Walker double black and Amaretto that Cami brought over.

Sometime in the middle of the festivities a street dog came through the front door (and we're on the 4th floor!). Mukta tried to shoo her away and screeched at her a bit, but we figured with all the rockets and crackers being set off in the streets that she was likely scared and seeking refuge. She beelined to M&S's bedroom where she hovered in the corner below the ironing board, panting heavily. It was also still quite hot at this point. I checked on her through the night and, at first, we thought we could bribe her out with a chicken bone. Once everyone was leaving and the crackers settled a bit outside (sometime after midnight), Supreet successfully shooed her out.

'Twas a late night - went to bed around 2:30 am after chatting with Cami about the day...4 hours of sleep to ready me for my 6:45 chaiwakening the next day ;)

Mumbai day 1 - We have arrived!

Heeyyyyyo!!!! We toured Mumbai today: had morning chai at 6:45 am and read the local paper (courtesy of the guest house where we're staying); rode a local train (packed like sardines); visited an historical art museum; ate Parsi food, masala dosa, uttapam, tamarind rice with green beans, fresh lime soda; saw the passage to India gateway arch at the port; visited the post office; walked by many market stalls, bought some guavas; Camilo stepped in cow dung; made friends with a young girl on the train who looked at me a lot and we smiled at one another, then she waved and said "Bye!" when she left (she was super cute and sweet, like Chelsea when she was a kid); almost got run over by a bus; hired a few auto-rickshaws...more to come! :)

PERU - Día 1

12 Mayo 2008

I am in Peru! A dream that I've had for five years has finally come true....

Carlos and I arrived in Lima at 6 am, picked up our luggage and almost made it through customs scott-free. In the customs line there is a machine that randomly chooses a customer for baggage search...and as my luck has it, I was chosen. I walked past the machine and tossed mis maletas (suitcases) onto the table. I unlocked them, answered a few questions and then went on my merry way. Carlos was waiting for me in the other hallway, worried, thinking I had been eaten by the security monsters.

We weren't sure where to go from there, so we asked some security guards, who seemed pleased to be approached by a cute little American girl and her friend. Downstairs we went, and waited for the family to come. I admit that I was nervous...I was convinced that I was not going to be able to speak Spanish as well as I thought prior to arriving. This is probably because in the airport I just heard lots of mumbling and fast-paced Spanish speaking, and understood almost none of it!

Carlos' family showed up shortly after 7am: tia Maruja (aunt), primo Dante (cousin) y abuelita Julia (grandma). We hugged, kissed, introduced, and then lugged our things to the car. We went straight to the apartment to unload our things. Tia Maye (who lives in Huaral) would also be there for the welcoming, and later Maria, the daughter of Carlos' cousin Liz.

First thing's first - desayuno (breakfast) - te (tea), palta (avocado), pan (bread), jamon (ham) y jugo de papaya y pina (freshly made, in the blender, papaya and pineapple juice). Carlos, Dante and I bought some fresh rolls and ham at the little tienda (store) in the area of the apartment complex. It was a little place where you can buy one of almost anything...you name it, it could be in there!Breakfast has a traditionally different setup than here in the states. The saucer and teacup are the center of focus, placed directly in front of you. Then you eat your food - in this case it was bread rolls with avocado - without needing another plate to put them on, just letting the crumbs fall onto the table, and they would be cleaned up afterwards. Abuelita (grandma) ate her rolls, letting the crumbs fall into her tea. She even broke up the rolls and dropped the pieces into her tea so they were softer and more flavorful.

After breakfast we had a gift-distributing party...well, not really a party, but a time of gift-giving. Carlos and I had each brought an extra suitcase from the US full of gifts for his family. They were from Carlos' mom, who lives in Pittsfield, and his aunt who lives in Georgia. It was a nice time and I think they all enjoyed it. At this point, I still wasn't comfortable with my speaking abilities, so just listened and heard: "Blah blah blah super rapid blahblahblahblahblah." Tias Maye and Maruja are the fastest and most random Spanish speakers I've met. Even once my Spanish improved and I was speaking every day, I still couldn't understand half the things that tia Maruja was saying...apparently neither did anyone else, hehe (she babbles a lot).

Now, I was tired, so I took una siesta (a nap) for about an hour and a half. Waking up from my nap was very refreshing!

After my nap, we headed to Chinatown; abuelita did not come with us. I learned that a little over 100 years ago there was a huge influx of Chinese immigrants into Lima, to help with the agriculture. I'm not sure about China's history at that time, but there must have been a good reason that so many Chinese people flood into Peru to work in the fields....

We parked the car and went to eat Chifa (Chinese food) for lunch. Chifa is the word that Peruvians have come up with for Chinese food. I don't know its origin, we all just posed educated guesses at where it came from. The difference between Peruvian Chinese food and Chinese food in the US is that in Peru it is a fusion of Chinese recipes using Peruvian ingredients. Since the Chinese have been a part of Peruvian culture for over 100 years, they have learned to integrate new ingredients into their traditional recipes. The fried rice was definitely a lot lighter and tastier, and less greasy, than the fried rice in the US. (I have to admit that I was amazed to see so many Chinese people speaking Spanish.) Our lunch comprised of: sopa de pollo y vegetales (chicken and veggie soup), arroz frita (fried rice), pollo con vegetales (chicken and veggies), pollo sesamo con melocotones (sesame chicken with peaches) y limonada (lemonade - realllly sweet).

We walked around Chinatown a bit before leaving - Carlos needed to buy a converter for the playstation that he brought to Lima for his son, Luca (he's 8 years old and SUPER CUTE), from his first marriage. Through Chinatown we walked briskly and close together, me keeping my purse in front of my body, guarded. There have been occasions in the city where punks have used razor blades to cut open women's purses and steal their belongings, even before the women noticed. I was not about to let that happen!

After Chinatown, we were off to buy things for the new house. Carlos' aunt and uncle are building a new house in San Miguel, which is due to be finished by June. (We stayed in Callao in their older, much smaller apartment for the duration of the trip.) We stopped at the bank, where I picked up $100 USD, which I later changed into $275.04. If you're wondering if I'm a magician, able to change money like that...I am.

We stopped at the mall in San Miguel and dropped off tia Maye, who had a doctor's appointment. Tia Maruja went off to buy a mattress for the new house. I visited a travel agent to get a quote on travel to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. The quote was for $500, including airfare, hotel, breakfasts at the hotel, an English-speaking tour guide, access to hiking and day pass to the Machu Picchu historic site. For just the flight, it was $160. I wasn't sold on the package, thinking it was much too expensive for me...so I waited. I thought maybe I could make the plans on my own, without the travel agent. We walked around the mall a bit, waiting for tia Maruja to finish shopping. Even though it was a Monday, the place was packed! I don't think I've ever seen so many people in a mall on a Monday.

After squishing the mattress into the back of the station wagon (quite a sight, considering the mattress was a queen!!!) and delivering it to the new house, we went back to the apartment in Callao. When we got back, tio Obcis (Carlos' uncle) was there, home from his day of work at the Ministry of Education...what a kind man! [NOTE: It was around shopping time that I developed my confidence in speaking Spanish. Also note, we are only on day one! :)] So I sat and chatted with tio Obcis about work, travel, education....

Around 9pm I got hungry and four of us - Carlos, tio Obcis, Dante y abuelita - went to Norky's for dinner. I just wanted something light, so I ordered a big ol' salad with avocado. I hesitated at first, wondering if I should have salad...I've always been told that if you're in a country where you shouldn't drink the tap water, then you also shouldn't have the ice or salad, which has, most likely, been washed in the tap water. I didn't care. I thought, "I'm gonna risk it." It turned out to be a yummy salad and I didn't get sick. I also tried pollo a la brasa y papas fritas (chicken a la brasa - rotisserie style with specific spices - and fries). I loved the chicken! Little to my knowledge, this was to become my new favorite way of eating chicken while in Peru.

While in the restaurant, we saw a bit of the news on TV (hanging in the corner of the restaurant). There was a huge earthquake in China the day before...quite devastating. Learning to watch the news in Spanish was definitely going to be a challenge.

Today's observations:

- Feral dogs roam the streets, but many of them have sweaters, which locals have made and put on them to keep them warm

- the streets are much dirtier and the people much poorer than those at home

- the drivers are insane, having no respect for the rules of the road (are there any???)...passing cars, no indicators, honking like mad

- the streets aren't taken care of - there are sections missing huge 10 feet (or larger) sections of concrete, just a big hole down to the soil...perhaps they are doing construction? haha, I think not

- there seems to be no regulations for noise pollution (the constant honking and loud cars, despite the mufflers...do they actually muffle?), air pollution (all I could smell in Lima was diesel fumes), and physical garbage pollution (there was trash blowing around and lying in the streets)

- due to the sounds of the cars (beeping and exhausts), it always sounds like there's a race going on outside, especially in the early morning when everyone is "racing" to work :)