two to tunis

our next and final destination in the country was tunis so we woke up early hoping to make our way back to the capital. we'd hoped that going to a bigger city might make catching a louage a bit easier. it wasn't quite so straightforward, unfortunately. we made our way to the station only to be met by big crowds and a tiny ticket office. i left JR to stay with our bags near the louage marked 'tunis' while i went to buy our tickets. (why we couldn't buy them on the louage itself here was unclear.) i jostled for a spot in line outside the station near a ticket window only to learn, several minutes in, that i'd have to order a ticket for tunis inside. of course the inside was packed with people jammed up in lines. the line was interminably slow but i did only see a few arguments break out and a couple of people jump to the front of the line for whatever reason. fiiiinally i got our tickets and went to join JR at our louage. we had a bit of time to get some last minute snacks at a kiosk before our van was full and ready to go.

asla (meaning honey), our temporary pup

the trip itself was largely uneventful and in a few hours we were back in tunis. now it was a matter of finding our airbnb. while it wasn't in the labyrinthian streets of the medina it was just out the city walls in a small alley which turned out to be perhaps even harder to find. after a number of (probably expensive) confused phone calls to our host and plenty of frustration we finally made it. happy to drop our bags - and the wrapped up carpet that poor JR had lugged all over - we said hi to the friendly dog and tried to relax a bit. our host left before we got the wifi password from him (oops) but we tried to make a plan for the day with the maps and info we did have at our disposal.

we had once again managed to miss the typical lunch hour so finding food was proving difficult. in the bustling streets outside the medina we managed to find a little stall where someone was making what looked to be savory crepes, but the meat was some kind of nondescript flat, red circles and the cheese came in a little foil wedge. whatever, it would do and it at least had harissa on it. with some food in us we were a little less hangry and ready to take on the rest of the afternoon. we hopped on a local train to take us out to carthage, just a quick ride across the water.

overlooking carthage, or what's left

from the station it was a bit of a walk to the historical site (which you'd think would be better marked, right?) but we managed to find it. once there, we tramped around the ruins of carthage (such as they were) in the late afternoon sun, enjoying identifying what was left of the various buildings and store rooms. it really was pretty well decimated. the museum on site had some great mosaics and quite a few interesting artifacts but we only had about 45 minutes to enjoy it. JR was eager to find more ruins (and, indeed, there were random roman columns and sprinkled all over the place without sign or ceremony) and so we tramped around in search of old things.we managed to stumble across some aqueducts, a possible temple (well, columns) and an old amphitheatre. most had no signs whatsoever and were littered with garbage.

sunset views from cafe essaude

we found another train station and hopped on the train a few more stops to make it to sidi bu said, which we'd wanted to hit before the sun went down. it was just starting its descent so our timing was fairly good. the town was full of tourists but we made our way through the busy street to a cafe advertising a rooftop terrace (i, of course, wanting to catch the sunset from a nice vantage point). this one fit the bill - it had mint tea and cocktail shisha. we lingered a little longer and JR tried his first turkish coffee - served with a syrupy 'flower water' that was delightful. leisurely sipping out drinks and chatting into the night was definitely a highlight of the day for me.

by around 8pm we figured we should probably try to head back to tunis before it got too late. we made the short walk down from the town's main drag and caught the next local train. there were some young guys inside goofing around, trying to jump in and out while the train was still moving. we watched but didn't pay them much mind. then all of a sudden as we were approaching a station one of them grabbed for my camera bag and started to run. luckily i had it and my purse secured under my arm (as i nearly always do when traveling) and of course i held on tight. he pulled me up off my seat but i kept my grip tightly and eventually he fell backwards onto the platform. JR immediately jumped up ready to put up a fight but it all happened so fast and almost as quickly as he had lunged for me he was on his back in the station. no harm done really but we were a little shaken up. just a good reminder to always secure your stuff and be aware of your surroundings!

the next metro ride was short but we sat in the station forever just waiting for the train to move so we didn't end up getting back until almost 9. the streets of the medina were dark and nearly deserted - it was a little eerie, to be honest. at some point we were walking through a dark passage with little light to see the dirty ground.. and i managed to slip in whatever was covering the ground (likely at least some percentage of that was poop). fortunately i fell forward onto my knee and not onto my back, but still - ew. nothing seemed to be open so clearly we missed mealtime once again. eventually we passed a few open cafes but JR was nervous and anxious to get back (probably a good idea to follow your instincts in such scenarios) so we stopped at a little kiosk near our place to grab some chips, sodas and a snack that was 'oriole' flavored (we think they meant oreo..). back at the airbnb we realized we still didn't have the wifi password so our attempts to watch a movie were thwarted. all in all not our best day but still an adventure.

classic view of tunis' rooftops

the next day we slept in all the way until 9.20 - what luxury! our host, hamza, offered to take us to breakfast in the medina. anxious to get a meal at the appropriate time we acquiesced. he took us to a fabulous little cafe filled with antique chairs, rugs, and various textiles and lanterns covering every surface. most people around us were start in on the shisha but we decided to stick to coffee and tea accompanied by some little almond cakes he snagged at a kiosk around the corner. we had a nice conversation about his work and travels - all in french. funny, while he said he's learned spanish, italian, and russian he said he'd never managed to learn english. i translated as best i could for JR. of course we weren't getting away without being taken to a few carpet shops, many of which feature rooftop views of the city and the signature minaret of the great mosque. having secured our major rug purchase already we listened politely to their spiel but demurred when they urged us to buy another. hamza was very gracious and made it clear we weren't being pressured to buy anything. back in the medina he took us past his friend's perfumerie. here i got suckered into buying some argan oil (which i'm positive was incredibly overpriced, but we wanted to be nice). in fact it was apparently so overpriced that they threw in some perfume oils, which i appreciated.

cafe mrabet still life

here hamza left us and we explored the souqs on our own for a bit before it was about lunchtime. we were in the middle of the medina and - miracle of miracles - actually found a restaurant open and had a proper meal. our host had recommended el ali cafe and it was indeed very nice - clearly where folks have business lunches or rich housewives come for a break. we had a 'brik au thon' (flaky fried pastry with egg and tuna) along with 'briwettes' with shrimp, almost like an eggroll but perfectly fried in flaky dough. for our entree we shared a plate of what was essentially tunisian bolognese. it was huge and quite tasty, with a bit more red pepper than the italian version. from lunch we wanted to pop into the mosque but (once we eventually found the door on the giant structure) were told it was closed for prayers. logical, since it was still around lunchtime. we were told to come back at 2.15. to pass the time we stopped in some more souqs and took a little break at the historic cafe mrabet, with its landmark red-and-green painted columns. people were stretched out, lounging over shishas and lemon drinks. we got lemonade with mint and shisha although eventaully all the smoke (from cigarettes as well) started to give me a headache.

i like any place that gives tiles their due

we left and went by the mosque again - closed for prayers, we were told. (really??) we swung by the airbnb to drop off our purchases and use the wifi (we had the password, finally!) only to discover that the internet wasn't working. still, we tried to find our way to the sidi qasim zelliji zawiya - a mausoleum for a famous tilemaker. anyone who knows me knows this is right up my alley. we had vague directions and between that and the map on my phone we were eventually able to find the place, but not without getting turned around several times. there was actually a little workshop going on so we were able to see some artisans at work and the small place itself was indeed covered with tiles as promised. from here we figured we'd have enough time to get to the bardo museum before it closed at 4.30. the cab ride took about 15 minutes so we got there at around 3.45... only to discover the museum actually closed at 4. argh! definitely a disappointment missing that. we got out of the cab here, figuring we could hop on the metro instead. well this turned out to be a mistake. the metro came to a halt before we had even made it one stop. it finally did move again but at a snail's pace. instead of taking it all the way to the main transfer point we got off and grabbed a taxi to the station where we could get on the local train for carthage. all of this took nearly an hour.

one of the crowded punic cemeteries we explored

eventually we did make it to carthage. JR had found a few more sites he wanted to try to see. one was something called a trophet, which as far as we can tell is a place used for child sacrifice, a practice done in the punic religion. it was walled off with a little guard station but we were able to walk right in and see the little chambers and stones, whose purpose we could only guess at (there was no signage, naturally). we walked on, the sea just to our left, and passed a number of other ruins that we admired through the iron bars that walled them off. JR still really wanted to see the american cemetery though, realizing that not much or any of it may be visible. after a lot of walking we did find it, discovering that it was closed (although it was unclear if we would have been able to enter even if it hadn't been). unfortunately the big wall around it made it virtually impossible to see any of it. from here we tramped through a large field (full of snail shells, we noticed) in search of the nearest train station. figuring we'd rather get a meal rather than head back to tunis and be disappointed, we set off again for the touristy town of sidi bu said. we went up the now familiar main drag and settled on the place we'd been to the night before because at least we knew they had food and a view. here we had a a panini and a waffle with nutella (basically your universal tourist fare) and of course enjoyed our last shisha of tunisia. we lingered over our drinks as the night grew darker and just enjoyed each other's company. before leaving the town we popped in a few of the souvenir shops to get some gifts and spend some of our last tunisian dinars.

so, all in all, we learned that things tend to take longer than expected in tunisia. we certainly made some mistakes and if we'd had it to do over again we definitely would have done some things differently. but overall we enjoyed a beautiful new country together and i'm so glad JR got to see a different part of the world.

out of india

well we've finally come to the end. i don't know how i can possibly sum up nine months in any concise way, except by using platitudes like 'amazing experience' which are gag-inducing but nevertheless true.

people always ask me what my favorite place has been in these past few months. a fair question, and one that i would most likely ask myself if the roles were reversed, given that i have managed to visit 13 states over the course of the last few months. the problem is i just find it an impossible question to answer. india in particular is an incredibly diverse country, in almost every sense of the word you could imagine. so naturally every place i've visited is spectacularly different - in food, language, customs, dress, you name it. so how can i possibly choose a favorite place?? or trip, for that matter. was it visiting the craft villages of kutch? riding buses and trains through the jungles of kerala? getting spoiled by families in indore? taking a road trip through the desert in rajasthan? playing holi in delhi? sampling french pastries in pondicherry? tramping around the ruins of hampi? splashing in the invitingly warm waters of the arabian sea in goa? browsing through piles of books in bangalore? dancing garba in ahmedabad? gorging myself on the world's heaviest food in amritsar?

i'll stop myself there; i'm sure you get the idea.
suffice it to say that i can't possibly choose a favorite place in india, but every trip, town and village has special memories for me. (except for chennai. chennai is the worst.) bombay, of course, is particularly near to my heart. even for all its infuriating moments (two words: local trains) there are so many amazing aspects too (two words: marine drive).

so did i accomplish everything i set out to? perhaps not. but i think i did accomplish quite a bit. there's always more of india to see but i'd say i got around quite a bit. i've managed to get a pretty good grasp on hindi (comprehension-wise.. i still sound like a confused caveman when i try to speak) which i'm quite proud of. some of my prouder moments were being able to follow entire hindi movies (not counting houseful 2, since it has no plot) and managing to yell at people in somewhat coherent language (don't worry, they deserved it). and, most significantly, i've made some truly fantastic friends while here. (and so the letter-writing list grows) to the point that, while i was sitting in the mumbai airport at two in the morning, instead of feeling sad i just felt so grateful that i had such great friends who would even come to the airport just to see me off at the door or call me in the middle of the night for a last farewell.

so as i sit here in heathrow airport surrounded by gray clouds behind soaring glass windows and too-clean rows of seats and floor tiles trying to drown out the chattering brittish tweens behind me with my indian playlist i'm certainly feeling a little wistful. but more than that i feel so fortunate to have been able to make such wonderful memories in this country i love. 

and don't you worry, india. i'll be back for those other 15 states!

safe behind bars

allow me to wax poetic (or perhaps pathetic) for a moment with a few words i scribbled down on my last train trip.

i've always been enamored of overnight train journeys. there's something intrinsically romantic about being rocked to sleep by the rails as the train moves ever forward into the deepening night. it's a shame that i never experienced overnight trains in my childhood.. i'm sure i would have been charmed by them, as i was by crumbling english castles and sugar cubes at tea time. (a sidenote.. but the state of railways in america is lamentable to say the least)

as it was, my first overnight train ride was one from france to italy when i was in high school. i loved it right away. the semi-privacy of the trim compartment, every element so efficiently designed. the joy of watching as the lights - or dark - roll by.

but the indian rails have a special place in my heart. even now as i sit in my sleeper class berth, the golden light of dusk peeks in through the bars on the windows. dusty towns flit by, their residents preparing for night. in my car happy families share secrets, offer each other snacks, or play, vaulting from the metal bars or jumping between the bottom seats. dutiful vendors pass, swinging their wares in tune with their sonorous cries.

forgive me if i'm sounding overly saccharine - but it's my penultimate journey here on the indian rails and i'm beginning to get nostalgic. i mean, where else will i get a rs. 5 cup of chai delivered to my seat? or vada pav and lonavala chikki passed to me from just outside the train window?

of course trains aren't all shy toothy (or toothless) grins and wafting breezes from wood stoves. there are always the loud arguments, even louder bodily functions, and questionable smells in closer quarters. and it's pretty much the last place you'd ever want to be sick. but even with all that, my positive experiences have far outnumbered any unpleasantness.

i know i'm hardly the first person to be inspired by the trains.. but i had to try to pay some homage to one of my favorite parts of this amazing country.

even now as i post this i'm about to get on what will be my last train trip in india for some time. but i hope know there are many more voyages to come.

sleeper class zindabad!

all in the families

i've spoken a little bit before about the hospitality i've encountered in india. well, here comes some more. i went to ajmer on something of a whim after pushkar. (i can only take so much dreadlocks and ali baba pants, you know) i texted a friend (really more of an acquaintance, at the time) that i'd be in ajmer asking for recommendations. seconds later, he called me giving me his parents' number and told me i would be staying with them.

nom nom namkeen

sure enough, a few days later i hopped off the bus in ajmer and was greeted by a grinning, friendly-faced man in a baseball cap who flagged me down and took me straight to his home. there i was offered chai and namkeen (tasty fried snacks, which just about everyone has just made during diwali) for the first of dozens of times in the subsequent days. we chatted, we rested, we shared meals together in a little picnic on the bed, we watched tv, we took walks on the roof (back and forth, back and forth), we visited family. overall it was lovely and relaxing.

entering the dargah, loaded with offerings

his parents were both busy with work during the day but i managed to get into the city and explore it a bit. i didn't do the fort, which is perhaps the biggest (literally, in any case) attraction in the city. i saw some mughal architecture here and there. and i even saw the craziness of the chisti dargah on bakri id/eid al-adha. it's a big muslim pilgrimage site on any given day, but on one of the more important islamic holidays the streets were particularly bustling. interesting how religious events here - whatever religion - seem to include offerings, whether they be flowers, candles, or foods.

old streets of ajmer

aside from people watching, i did my own roaming around the city and doing two of my favorite things (shopping and taking pictures). i wandered around the old streets, popping into havelis here and there, admiring doorways, and attracting a lot of confused stares (as usual. but then i was pretty far out of tourist turf here). i stopped on a whim for some mosambi juice or a little daal ka halwa when the mood struck.

rolls and rolls

i also indulged in my latest obsession - buying trim! in theory i'm buying trim (or ribbon, but ribbon just makes it sound like i'm wrapping a christmas present) that will match fabric i've bought for kurtas, though some are just too pretty not to buy. i'll find a purpose for them later. plus they're so cheap (even compared to bombay prices)! after i had had my fill of shopping (chappals, incense, snacks, glass bangles, and snacks for the train) i tracked down a rickshaw, haggled for a decent price back to the family's house, and silently reminded myself to be grateful i live in a city where i never have to do that.

that night, as i said, was eid, and i found out we had been invited to a dinner at a muslim friend's home. delicious mutton with plenty of oil - yum! only then did i realize that i couldn't remember the last time i'd had meat (non-veg, here). i tried not to stuff myself too much which ended up being a very good thing, since from there we went directly to a wedding, where i was presented with a smorgasbord of snacks and desserts. i managed to make room for dahi wada, halwa, and gulab jamun, but had to pass on the dosas (and many other things, i'm sure). i even managed to make my way to the dance floor for some good old bollywood dancing with some perfect strangers. i could have stayed longer (my friend later told me his mother said it was 'hard to get me off the dance floor'.. oops) but still it was a fun night.

from there it was a sad goodbye to a new family and hello to a new one. i took the night train (my first in sleeper class, totally fine!) to indore and was greeted by a car and driver. this family, parents of my mom's neighbors and friends, lives right in indore in a really lovely, airy house with pale blue walls. i was of course offered the requisite tea and a chance to 'get fresh'. i happily took a sorely-needed shower before a delicious homemade lunch.

traffic jam

the next day i was taken to mandu, a town that was 2 hours of winding, often bumpy roads from indore. in addition to the driver, i was joined by uncle and the 12-year old daughter of family friend's. she graciously shared her music with me, asking me every other song if the (american) musicians were famous in the US. to her continual shock, they all were. and that, my friends, is how i was graced with the sounds of the jonas brothers for the first time. if you haven't had this experience, you're not missing much. the same few chords along with repetitions of the same inane lyrics, pretty much what you'd expect. on the way back we listened to hindi music, which was much more my speed (because in india my music tastes are about equivalent to that of a pre-teen). the other highlight of the drive was the herds and herds of sheep and be-turbaned shepherds we passed on the roads. like a sea of wool!

now that's a window

at any rate, mandu itself wasn't much. at one point there were something like 40 or 50 mughal forts and palaces spread across the town, of which only a few remnants remain. we explored three or four of the bigger ones and there were some interesting elements. sadly this also coincided with my camera acting up, but i did at least get the shot i came to get (see right). it's a pity the forts, and roads, aren't better maintained. but such things are not always priorities.

in indore itself we saw the typical things.. a musty old out of place baroque palace and a rather pitiful museum. there are good things here, but generally the state of these city museums is rather sad! i'd love to give them some TLC if someone would let me. we also saw the glass temple, a jain temple that certainly lives up to the moniker. every inch of the place is glass! no photography, of course, but it was quite a sight to behold.

sabudana khichdi, nice and spicy!

the main reason i came to indore (besides meeting up with family of friends) was twofold: eating and shopping. i was completely taken care of in both regards. i showed the family a list of a few things i had heard or read i should try in indore. upon seeing the list, uncle popped out to get me one dish (subudana khichdi - YUM) for breakfast and auntie planned to make another for lunch (baingan ka bharta, a delicious eggplant dish, with baajre ki roti, some of tastiest i've had), which she also showed me how to make. i was thoroughly spoiled! and then for shopping we headed out for some textile shopping. i was taken directly to the cloth market and directed to the best shop. there was no shortage of great materials and i had great fun, as usual, poring over them and matching colors. i walked out with 9 new fabrics (i may have a problem!) and a smile on my face.

in the few hours before my last meal in the city i spent time with auntie looking at lovely old pictures and going through her beautiful saris. by the time i left indore (another night train), i really did feel like i was part of the family. the goodbyes on the platform very nearly got teary.

i had an absolutely lovely trip and it really is because of the wonderful people i've met. it seems the more places i go to, the more i need to re-visit. it never ends! but i don't suppose that's a bad thing.

around a'bad

well while the principle reason for this visit to ahmedabad was navratri, it's pretty much relegated to nighttime (aside from the requisite shopping theretofore). so the days were filled (when not shopping) with seeing the sights and sites of the city. i had seen most of the old city the last time i had visited, all the main mosques and whatnot.. or so i thought! i was tipped on to the heritage walk by multiple people until finally i thought i should see it for myself.

i'm so glad i did! not for the guided tour - which i confess i heard almost none of. but because it allowed for fantastic (and city-sanctioned) wandering around the picturesque 'pols' (areas) of the old town. my roommate and i got left behind several times taking pictures, but that suited us just fine. below are a sampling of my photographic exploits in those two hours.

decorations for navratri, shiny of course

beautifully carved window boxes

sleepy dog waits for the morning sun to reach him (or for someone to open the door)

a many-headed horse inside a temple

makes you wonder what's back there, doesn't it?

mmm, garbage!

the ever-present talisman

that is one dusty bike..

as kristen put it, 'all the colors are so perfect!'

just when we thought it couldn't get more photo-worthy.. PUPPIES!

stylized wall

 

typical: bull, scooter, door

wonderful colors

old details

speedy little chipmunk

and here we have another picture of someone else's laundry

typical intersection

there's a goofy postcard caption in here somewhere..

an intriguing doorway

what a sweet smile!

old town scene

morning stretch

how fresh is your mouth?

last stop.. a renovated haveli

ahmedabad - a gem of a city!

garba garb, and other textile tales

it's always interesting to go back to a place you've been before. some things are just as you remembered, while others seem to have changed completely. the last time i was in ahmedbad it was this past january, sadly just after uttarayan (the kite festival). remnants of kites were littered in the trees and power lines, and there were a few kids here and there playing but nothing like the big festival i've heard of.

how to choose?

this time around it was navratri - the festival of nine nights, which is also considered to be the biggest dance festival in the world. so when i strolled around the familiar sights of the old city.. the jama masjid, manek chowk.. the landscape seemed slightly altered. the piles of mouth fresheners and dried fruits remained but were overwhelmed by rows of dangling silver necklaces, small clothes with shiny tinsel fringe, and meters upon meters of fabric covered in embroidery, beads, mirrors, tassels, shells, bells - anything eye-catching and loud (literally or figuratively). the law garden (another shopping area) was more of the same. sequined umbrellas, sparkling dandiya sticks and fabric that was wall-to-wall glitz. i'm told gujaratis have a particular flair for all things glittery.. i would be inclined to believe that.

everything sparkles.. even the sticks

so these chaniya choli, worn for the dancing i mentioned, consist of a long skirt, short bodice-type top and a long scarf. and they are everywhere. the shopping area i remember looked completely transformed. it was hard to find anything but these outfits. (though that didn't stop me from buying about a dozen types of fabric.. it is the city of textiles, after all. more on that later.) i did end up getting myself a chaniya choli as well. 'when in rome' and all that sort of thing..

stalls at the law garden. can you spot the person?

going about finding one of these was harder than expected, considering i was literally surrounded by them. the general mentality with these items seem to be the more, the better. sequins? good. mirrors? great. tassels? sure, why not! as for color, well if you were hoping for something monotone, you've come to the wrong place. while i think these crazy, busy, shiny designs look fabulous on other people and are certainly wonderful for dancing in, i'm not so sure i could pull it off (or carry it home..) so me looking for something 'simple' (ha) was something of a wild goose chase. then there was price to consider. i tried to be sure i was getting a good deal (it helps to listen to the prices locals are quoted). in the end, i found one i liked for a reasonable price. it still had beads and shells but it was only two colors, one of which was somewhat muted. and, hey, it still twirled and made noise. success.

i also managed to find some regular textile shops in the middle of all this madness. i saw a few materials and was directed up a narrow flight of wooden steps with a hanging knotted rope for a banister. my rewards at the top was a room filled with piles and piles of fabrics of all kinds. solids, prints - wood block, batik, bordered. it was heavenly - i took my time and leisurely chose some prints and matching solids for pants. i bought a few the first day and came back (after shopping around a bit) another day for more. who knows when i'll be in gujarat again! i even found some pretty striped silk to have some pillows made. now all that's left is to find a tailor..

and now, for something completely different..

the textile museum. it's an experience in itself. the rules are many and hardfast. my first introduction to this was last winter, when i tried to visit the museum at 1.30. silly me. you can only visit the museum at 10.15. if you have a reservation. and leave your camera and phone at the front gate

the grounds and buildings themselves are beautiful - apparently the property once belonged to the wealthiest family in ahmedabad. you'll have to take my word for it (as of course i have no pictures) but the grounds are lush and shady, with plenty of palm trees, flowering plants and small ponds. the houses themselves are gorgeous, with beautifully carved wooden window boxes and elaborate brackets. the collection itself is vast - and even more impressive. saris, turbans, tents, wall hangings - from all over india. in all different styles, techniques, and colors (thought there was a lot of red and gold). the tour itself was another story. the guide (whose reputation precedes her across the city) was insistent that everyone stay together and not dawdle and her explanations seemed to be muddled. mostly what i got out of each one was the geographic origin and maybe the use of the textiles in that room. at the end we were told to wait so we could go as a group to the next section to see the tools. we wanted to duck out and go to the store, which we did with some difficulty, only to discover that the dozens of postcards that line the walls are no longer in stock. 

at any rate, ahmedabad certainly lived up to its monicker as the city of textiles. the landscape and experience of the city during navratri was a sight to behold. maybe next time i'll make it for uttaryan...

heavenly hosts

i have to take a minute to say a word about the people of kerala. they are incredibly hospitable. this is not to say that all indians are not - certainly they are. but it's just that bombay is a big, busy city and people tend to leave you alone (which is usually appreciated). but in kerala.. people bend over backwards (sometimes literally - if you're in a bus, say) to help you out and make sure you're alright. what proof of this do i have, you say? i'm so glad you asked.

gauri laughing

exhibit a: i stayed with my (now) friend rekha for four nights in thrissur. i say now friend because i hadn't even met her until a few weeks ago. she's a friend of a friend of a friend i met in richmond but we began corresponding by email and over the weeks and months and eventually we met in kerala. unfortunately circumstances had changed over time and by the time i arrived her father was very ill and had just been discharged from the hospital. this made me feel awful being there and rekha feel guilty for not showing me around during onam. somehow we made the best of the situation and even managed to have some fun despite it all -  trading spanish and hindi lessons or discussing bollywood movies. i was welcomed by her family and greeted immediately by her niece with a big smile and a 'glenna chechi!' (chechi = sister) in between it all i was taken to various onam events around town - including one where i was honored as their special guest and given a gift. when i left i really did feel like part of the family

exhibit b: in traveling around kerala i've been on my share of transportation (trains, car, buses, boats, rickshaws..) the most daunting of these is surely the bus, due in no small part to the names and numbers written in incomprehensible malayalam squiggles (which look to me something like 'MMWLCM'). yet every time i found myself at a bus stand i asked an attendant, or failing that, a random person how to get to a city i was told exactly what bus to get on and, usually, the next stop (invariably something long starting with a 'k') where i'd have to get down and transfer. once i talked to a friendly family with two small adorably sleepy children who, after getting down at one stop, asked around and put me on a rickshaw to the other bus stand nearby so i wouldn't have to wait 50 minutes for the bus where we were.

the hills outside kottayam

exhibit c: i arrived in kottayam and was urged to meet with a friend of rekha's. you remember, the girl i had met only a week before. she assured me that her friend jennifer would help me out. sure enough, she and her father met me at the bus stand and asked what i'd like to see in the city (i was staying with them, that much was explicitly understood). i said that i was interested in seeing the churches and, in passing, mentioned that i had heard there was a waterfall not too far that i had hoped to see. before i knew it, we were on the road towards thekkady, passing through rolling hills and deep green valleys. and hour and a half later, we reached the waterfall, enjoyed for a few moments, and then a rainbow greeted us on our way back. that night after returning to kottayam the driver dutifully took us to all the main churches in kottayam so i could see them.

the next day i spent at their beautiful home. while i would have elected to do this, i didn't really have a choice. see, that day kerala was on strike. literally. the transportation in all of kerala came to a halt - no buses, trains, motorcycles, autos - nothing. the logistics of that alone boggles the mind. can you imagine anyone trying to orchestrate a strike like that in virginia? impossible. at any rate we spent the day watching tv, eating sweets and walking through the rubber tree plantations that populate the area.

exhibit d: i went to calicut for two reasons, chief among them being that my flight left from there. the secondary reason i went was to see a professor - a colleague of my advisor's who's the head of the folklore department in the university. well what with hours of bus rides i didn't arrive in the city until just after 5pm. i was told that professor varmaraja had just left but within minutes i was put on the phone with him, and about ten minutes after that i was in his car on the way to his house. i was treated to dinner in his home - dosas, pickles, maggi, banana chips (of course), and any other snacks they could find - and given a tour of their home. (highlights: the indoor swing, the verandah over the jasmine bushes, and playing with their harmonizer - like an indian accordion)

(see what i mean about the alphabet?)

as if this was not enough they took me into town later that evening. at 8 we left to see the city (pretty unheard of in kerala, since things tend to shut down after dark) i was given the option to see the 'giant wheel' - which turned out to be a ferris wheel. much smaller than ours but a heck of a lot faster. my stomach felt like it dropped out with every revolution. when i and their 14-year old son got down it was announced: 'we will go to a movie'. my protestations fell on deaf ears and i was carted along to my first movie in india - in malayalam. 'it will be an experience', i was told. well that was true enough. not surprisingly, the 3 words i learned in malayalam (that would be 'hello', 'thank you' and 'water') did me very little good. i was still able to follow the story since it was so simple and over-acted. it seems i got the authentic mallu movie experience - complete with brief power outage (immediately followed by a din of whooping from the audience below), goofy fight scenes with super-cheesy sound effects and an intermission where more snacks were forced upon me. after the movie it was decided 'we will go for ice cream'. no matter that it was nearly midnight and i was stuffed to capacity. a mixed fruit falooda was ordered for me (ice cream with little noodles, i suppose is the best way to describe it) and somehow i managed to eat the whole thing. after all this they still insisted on driving me to the airport in the morning, even stopping for banana chips along the way. a wonderful ending to my journey in kerala and yet another example of the peoples' generous nature.

i suppose i shouldn't be surprised. after all, kerala is 'god's own country'. and in india, 'guest is god'.

india-bound

well, it's official. i'll be heading to india in just a few days (hours now, really) for a 9-month stint in india, thanks to the state department and the good people at fulbright-nehru. i'll be based in mumbai and traveling to study folk art made for all kinds of festivals. (i know - can you believe they're paying me for this?)

while i'll make a blog for my official research-y type information, i'll keep this blog going for my more general, informal travel musings. so i guess for the next few months the g will stand for 'gori'.

beginning of the end

well, my time here is quickly drawing to a close. time to pack up, say my goodbyes and readjust to another lifestyle. again. though this blog has been geared more towards my trips than my time in lyon i think it's worth saying a few words about my seven months here, which i'll probably look back on as one of the most carefree periods of my life. there are few people who get to work 3-day weeks interspersed with several 2-week vacations. all this and in living france too. i'm pretty sure it will be hard to readjust to the american work schedule; i've been very spoiled.

i'm afraid this recap will be very boring, as i have no real complaints about this year. my job, though unfortunately a (costly) 50-minute train ride away, was great. some of the other assistants complained about the kids or the lack of preparation, but for me it was just the right amount of teaching without being stressful. plus french kids are adorable. one girl asked if i'd bring her back to america with me in my suitcase; i should have said yes. stupid weight limits.

probably the hardest part was getting settled - finding an apartment, opening a bank account, and doing endless paperwork - all while adjusting to a new country. i don't think i ever felt anything i would consider culture shock but the biggest difference was probably the sheer extent of french bureaucracy. once we had figured that out (after the first few months) things calmed down and we felt better adjusted.

i met some fantastic people here who i will miss dearly. but i think i may miss the city itself just as much. never having actually lived anywhere but suburbs, i really loved being able to walk around the city, especially one so beautiful. i felt so lucky to live here. i still remember walking over my bridge for the first time almost in disbelief. i feel so fortunate i got to live in this city and got to know it so well. it's wonderful being able to walk - or bike - everywhere. oh and the bikes. i think i'll miss them most of all.

and of course a good deal of my time here was spent traveling. i was able to take some wonderful trips, though sometimes i thought i should have tried to visit more new countries. still, i had some amazing experiences. some highlights/best of's:

• best country: tunisia
• best city: sevilla
• best experience/people-watching: carnevale in venice
• cutest: colmar in winter/annecy in spring
• exhibit: 'picasso and the masters', paris (the only one that wasn't free); joaquim mir, barcelona; 'repartir a zero', lyon; gerhard richter, grenoble; kazimir malevich, madrid
• museum: egyptian museum in turin, miniatures museum in lyon
  
• festival: fête des lumières
• hiking: cassis for the view, deux alpes for the mountians (sorry, andorra)
• meal: paul bocuse brasserie (le sud) in lyon; homemade meals in turin and st-étienne
  
• crêpe: fresh strawberry/nutella crepe in paris
• pastry: strawberry tarte in grenoble, praline tarts all over lyon
• bread: pain complet in aubagne (tiny town between aix and cassis)
  
• market: barcelona's boqueria for food; aix-en-provence for crafts
  
• city view: bastille in grenoble, arc de triomphe in paris
  
• purchase: kilim in sousse, scarves in faro
• chapel: matisse chapel in vence, arena chapel in padua
• church: fourvière
  
• cathedral: sevilla, milan (for the facade)
  
• palace: the alcázar
• square: plaza de españa, sevilla
  
• park: maria luisa (sevilla), tête d'or (lyon), parc guell (barcelona)
• sunset: on our hotel roof in kairouan

though this is the end of my time in france (for the time being) it's certainly not the end of my travels. though for a while my trips might be a little more, shall we say, domestic. still, i'm sure i'll be jetting around when i can.

stay tuned.

by the numbers

as it's a new month i thought i would give a little preview, in numeric form.

here are
the number of...

• days in february: 28
• days of vacation i have: 16
• days i have work: 5.5
• countries i'll be visiting: 2
  
• cities i'll be visiting: 13

if you didn't hate me already, there's a good chance you do now.
i apologize.

home for the holidays

i've just returned from a wonderful 10 days back in the US. it was a blur of seeing friends, family and trying to eat everything remotely american i could get my hands on. it felt very comfortable being back but there were a few clear american/european disparities i couldn't help noticing. which i will now attempt to elucidate in my favorite form of communication, bullet points.

things i missed about france:

• velov'ing! i swear, it felt like i hardly moved. except, you know, in a car.
  
• generally beautiful surroundings. or, failing that, old.
• open container laws - what do you mean we can't have a bottle of wine in the street?
  
• speaking french (yes, it's true)
• smoke-free bars. let's get with the times, virginia
  

things i did not miss about france:

• our pitiful shower
• spending all my precious euros on groceries
• cold toilet seats and equally frigid water
  
• having to think all the time (about, you know, speaking)
• commonplace public urination
• the awful, awful music.. though much of that is contributed by america
  

american things i think the french would be mystified - or amused - by:

• driving over the speed limit. and just driving everywhere in general.
• not greeting everyone you see
• hugs
  
• cheese in a can
• football everywhere
• portion sizes. and the snacking.. all the snacking
  

i must admit it's a little strange to be back after a relatively short relapse into my american lifestyle. so for now i'm just trying to readjust and keep warm.

oh well.. only one month until the next vacation!

gooooal(s)

just before i arrived in france i came up with a mental list of things i hoped to accomplish while i was here - improve my french, travel, etc. etc. pretty standard. after being here for about six weeks i've come up with a new set of goals. while they may not be as practical, they certainly seem more fun.

• be able to write with the handwriting of a french student. (i'm getting there!)
  
• finally get the whole 'celsius' thing down. and kilometers, if i'm feeling ambitious
  
• distinguish between regional english dialects
• be able to walk by (and smell!) a patisserie without staring in amazement/whimpering a little
• have some sort of understanding of french wines. or at least be able to fake it convincingly.
• be able to tell people off in french (i've had to do this twice now but it was not quite to my satisfaction)
  

more to come..

looking to the future

as this vacation draws to a close my mind begins to turn to other things.. namely our next vacations.

i have lots of ideas but i (sadly) realize that i can't make them all happen.
here are the front-runners thus far:

france to croatia overland
hits up some exciting cities (venice? grenoble? zagreb?) as well as some new countries (hello, slovenia). and with the 169 € 15-day bus pass this seems like a brilliant plan. if only all the good cities in croatia weren't so far out of the way.

tunisia!
i would love to get to tunisia somehow. they have a) the obvious appeal of being a muslim country with (naturally) beautiful artwork b) the charm of being on the mediterranean and c) very close proximity.. as the crow flies.. to france and moderately inexpensive plane tickets. plus i hear their doors are pretty gorgeous.

iberian peninsula
beautiful beaches, moorish architecture, a little español, and the ever-elusive tapas. not to mention the one and only annie mchale.

turkey
while i have already been to turkey i am more than sure that it's worthy of a more in-depth visit. i've found some gorgeous regions as well as fabulous architectural masterpieces. now if i could just get around that $45 visa business.

thoughts? comments? relatives who'd like to feed/house me?
send 'em my way.

pictures!!

pictures are up.

israel

jordan

lyon

miscellaneous france

this post was made possible by our newfound internet. that's right. no more borrowing mcdonalds wifi (here, pronounced like 'beefy' except much less masculine)

in theory, this would mean that posts and emails would be more frequent. in theory.

on y va

well i leave for france (actually israel.. via england, the CR, and, hey, france) in just about 3 days. it's a little surreal to think about being gone for nine months. so in my preparations, i thought i would resurrect this blog in case anyone's interested in my goings-on. (plus, this way there are fewer emails for me to send out.) so, off we go.

oh. also. in dusting off this blog, i discovered a feature that posts news stories by searching for the words of your choice. i chose a few to start with. feel free to suggest some more!