Pushker

Pushker is about 140 km from Jaipur, but given the poor road conditions, it takes about 3 hours to get there by car. Pushker is a very small town and it's claim to fame is having the only Brama Temple in the world. Brama is the god of creation, Vishnu is the god of balance and Shiva is the god of destruction. Pushker has a special meaining for my family (and extended relatives), as the guru they follow actually delivered a lecture under one of the banyan trees in 1974 in this town and as a result a temple was resurected there. So all of our family members were happy that we had a chance to pay our respects at that particular site/temple. Our guru traveled to 84 cities in India to deliver lectures. So our family/relatives try to visit as many of these sites as they can and often times plan their trips around one of these sites. Although, ours happened to be by chance, as our trip to Pushker was a spontaneous decision. Pushker has a similar tourist underground scene as Goa, consumption of marijuana/bang is quite popular in this otherwise sleepy town.

Jaipur-Pink City

We flew into Jaipur a few days ago. Traveling in India is challenging, given the overpopulation one needs to watch their purse at all times and we remove all of our jewelry. My grandma was nervous about our excursion so we got a cell phone so anyone could reach us at any time. Both the domestic terminal at Mumbai and Jaipur were impressive. Unfortunately, the international terminal at Mumbai needs to be renovated as it is not a good first impression of the city/country.  We were warned that it was much colder in Jaipur, however, it was hard to imagine if it's 90 degress in Mumbai that it cold enough for a jacket.   It is mostly desert so it gets really hot during the day and cools off quite a bit in the evenings. Jaipur is in Rajastan, which is north of Mumbai and has a population of 3.4 million. Jaipur is the second best planned city in the world, Paris is the first. Jaipur is known as the pink city given all the buildings/walls were painted pink. There are nine main gates to enter the city, if all gates are closed, no one can enter the city. It is a popular tourist destination and we went during the peak season so we met people from all over the world during our tour. We visited many of the forts and palaces, the most impressive was Amber Palace where many Bollywood movies are filmed.  The other cool palace was the Jal Mahal, which is a palace in the water.  The other interesting spot was Jantar Mantar, which was designed by one of the kings who was very knowledgeable in astrology/mathematics. He build devices which allowed one to tell time, date, zodiac sign based on where the sun's shadow fell! 

Swimming

A few of my neighbors go swimming so I was invited to join them one day. They belong to this fitness center, which is no longer extending membership to new customers so it is quite exclusive. The swimming area is partioned by male and females. Upon entering the women's quarters there is a sauna, hot tub and pool, which is the size of a pool in one's backyard. Whereas, the men's pool is olympic sized. There were about a dozen women, half of them were lounging in the chaise chairs. Everyone was dressed in a one piece suit and wearing a swimming cap. I thankfully packed a pair of swimming shorts to wear with my 2-piece and was able to rent a cap from the front desk. Even so I still felt out of place. I swam laps for awhile, but most of the women were hanging out chatting in the pool. There was a small kiddy pool connected to our pool, but no kids were there. It was an interesting experience. The irony is the pool is alongside Chowpatty beach, a popular beach in Mumbai. However, you will not find Indians swimming/sunbathing at the majority of beaches in India. Instead there are food stalls in the sand and people hanging out in their 'street' clothes.

World's largest home

Mukesh Ambani is the 5th richest man in world. He is head of Reliance,  petrochemical industries, and just build a 27-story home in Mumbai. From my grandma's balcony one can view his home.  At night it is lit up with different colored lights. Since it's only a few blocks from my grandma's flat we decided to check it out one evening. Upon arriving at his home guards were stationed within the 18 foot gates. The first 6 floors is a garage, there are 3 hellipads, a swimming pool and a theater. There were other people who were also curious at the grandeur of his home and we were all trying to take photos, but the guards would not allow it.

Turkey Wrap-up: Food, Nightlife, Shopping, People, Sights

In my 'blogging' break, I didn't get a chance to wrap-up my trip to Turkey.

Food - as a carnivore the seafood, lamb and kabobs are great. The sweets are similar to those found in India with a lot of nuts/coconut/cream/etc.  As a veggie- yogurt, freshly squeezed juices, pide - bread stuffed with cheese, crepes and sandwiches are commonly found everywhere

Nightlife - we tried to experience the nightlife by hitting up a variety of spots (clubs, lounges, wine bar, hookah bar, and a pub) throughout the course of the week, as is typical in most metropolitan cities the clubs/lounges were all about dressing to impress and the later were more casual...but I still think Saigon, Bangkok, Barcelona and South Beach offer the best nightlife

Shopping - bargaining is the norm, this becomes challenging as a visitor as you have no idea what the going rate is for anything...

People - for the most part are friendly, not everyone speaks English, but in the touristy areas everything is clearly labeled so it's easy to find your way around. Most importantly, we felt safe everywhere we traveled to at all times of the day/night

Sights - like everywhere there are some must-see spots and others that depending on your interest you may enjoy. My favorites were the Cistern (Medusa), Topakopi, Museum of Modern Art, Grand Bazaar and St. John's Basilica. I highly recommend the Turkish bath as well.

Bathroom Etiquette

India has a very interesting bathroom policy. Every home has a separate bathroom for #1 and for #2.  As a result everyone knows about your bowel moments. Most of my family is fortunate that both these types of bathrooms exist in their homes. There are other condominiums where there are common area facilities shared by all the residents on that floor. These are older buildings...when my dad was a teenager he had an uncle who lived in one of these buildings and told me about the tricks they would play on some of the elderly tenants in the building who would use the facilities.  The other interesting social norm is everytime you use the #2 bathroom you must bathe.  One time I was visiting my grandparents and my grandfather had the runs, well you can imagine how comedic it became when he would use the #2 bathroom and then go take a shower and change into new clothes and 5 minutes later repeat the cycle!  So it's best to get your system on a schedule so use the #2 bathroom in the morning and shower and are set for the day. However, not everyone has that regularity...so you end up knowing more than you'd like to about your relatives' bowel moments when visiting.

Mumbai - Sensory Overload

Greetings from Mumbai!  It's a balmy 90 degrees out here. I arrived a few days ago and have been busy visiting friends and relatives and EATING. Whatever weight I lost in Turkey from lack of vegetarian options I have regained and then some in a short span with my grandma insisting I eat every 2 hours. My mom and I have adopted somewhat of a schedule, she walks with the neighbors from 7-8am and then hangs out with them in the park for their 'social' hour. Freshly cut coconut is delivered to my grandma's at 8ish so I have coconut water and some of the fruits found in this region. Other than the pomegrante I'm not sure what the 'English' names are, but they are all very sweet.  Then I hit the gym with a neighbor from 9-10 am. It's amazing how health conscious all the women in my grandma's building have become, they have all lost weight since my last visit.  When my mom and I arrive, we have chai and hot snacks (eg. samosas) with my grandma for breakfast. We get ready and by then have visitors dropping by.  My grandma's cook is always asking my mom and I what our favorite foods are and once she gets a sense of who likes what and the level of spiciness prepares different foods for everyone. Our meals are consumed while sitting on the floor. We gather around in a circle and eat on 'steel' plates with our hands. After we eat lunch the servant arrives (he comes in the morning as well to make our beds, wash our breakfast dishes, do the laundry and clean the bathrooms - all these activities occur on a daily basis). After lunch he arrives to wash the dishes and sweep/mop all the floors. After lunch everyone even our visiting guests go down for a nap.  Then it's time for tea and snacks. After which we'll head out to the temple, drop by friends/relatives, go shopping, etc. On our way home we stop by for ice cream or freshly squeezed juice. The ice cream is much lighter than in the states and typically consists of nuts/fruits. When we return our cook asks what we want for dinner and runs out to buy the necessary ingrediants to prepare for our next feast. We change our clothes everytime we leave the home, so we have what are referred to as inside clothes (eg. older saris/salwar kameez, I stick with capris as it is way too hot for the former and easier when sitting on the floor as is the custom in many cases) then when going out I will change into an indian outfit or a long skirt/dress.  After dinner we go for a stroll in the garden. We constantly have neighbors dropping by and they typically bring something they have cooked for me to try. Then the servent arrives after dinner to do the dishes and set our bedding for the night. I've been in food coma and have not lifted a finger since I arrived....I feel extremely spoiled.