Horn OK Please!

"Sound Horn" is written in most trucks in India. It is a message for the driver behind the truck to sound the horn when they are passing the truck. In our experience while riding the buses and autorickshaws, there is no need for the truck to have that sign posted, as it has become a habit for drivers to constantly sound their horns no matter what.

In fact, not just trucks, but many vehicles have the words, "Horn OK Please!" painted across the rear. Taking these words to heart, Indian drivers of everything from trucks down to the smallest little weenie of a moped, fiercely "horn OK please" at any and all of those whom they encounter on the streets.

The larger vehicles have air horns that would deafen the most hearing impaired listener. These air horns would turn one's internal organs to jelly if you spent even a few seconds in front of them. Lucky for Pradeep who brought ear plugs; he was able to save some his hearing from the noise since the sound of horns is a constant 24/7. Daniela stoically observed the sensations of her ear drums ripping apart! Horn OK Please!

Indian English

Indian English is a language unto itself. We're not just talking about the accent either. There are word usage differences, such as the usage of "hotel" for restaurant, mentioned in a previous post. Sometimes these simply reflect the influence of British English, such as the ubiquitous signs reading "to let" instead of "for rent". Perhaps most amusing, however, are the occasional spelling mistakes. For example...

"Hotel's" and water quality

In India, at least in South India, the English word "hotel" historically has been used to mean a restaurant. Thus, you will see establishments describing themselves as "veg hotel" (ie: a place that serves only vegetarian fare, but may serve eggs), or a "pure veg hotel" (serving only vegan and lacto-vegetarian fare), etc.

The quality of drinking water in hotels (read "restaurants") is quite variable. Some will use purified, UV treated, and filtered water, while others will just serve what's coming out of the faucet. Some hotels will make it clear what they serve. However, most hotels have bottled water, with such brands as Bisleri or Aquafina, which are trustworthy. The bottom line, though, when eating at any hotel in India is to be very aware of the source of water, and ensuring you don't drink anything that isn't purified.

One hotel we saw went so far as to advertise to just what a diner could expect when patronizing their establishment (see below). Well, at least they were honest about it! Needless to say we didn't eat there :-)

Under the weather

The busy schedule of traveling and sight seeing under the hot Indian weather has finally caught up with Daniela. We spent most of our outing to Mamallapuram on Saturday August 1st under the hot South Indian sun. We did have some snacks and water but we could have had a little more hydration on that day. Our Sunday plans to Kanchipuram were cancelled due to not having small bills for the bus and no store willing to change a 500 rupee note (Store keepers feared that the note might be a fake.) Neither of us was too unhappy with the sudden change of plans. We walked back to our hotel and cool off with a nice shower. We decided to spend the day catching up in our sleep and our meditation. By evening, both of us were suffering from sore throats and lack of appetite. We stopped at a pharmacy and purchased some Vitamin C, lozenges, ayuverdic vitamins and Samahan (another Ayrurvedic cold prevention medicine) to hopefully strengthen our bodies. Luckily Pradeep was able to fight the virus but Daniela was not so lucky. By Monday morning when we planned to leave for Pondicherry, she woke up with bodyaches, sore throat and a fever. :( The only thing she managed to eat was her favorite idli for b-fast. We decided to stay an extra day in chennai for Dani to get some rest. She slept most of the day on Monday and we thought to wait and see how she felt on Tuesday. Still woke up with headache and light fever but managed to eat idli and dosa for b-fast. :) We decided to visit a local doctor to make sure this illness was no malaria or H1N1. The doctor reafirmed us not to worry. She approved of the medications being taken and prescribed an extra day of rest. No Pondicherry on Wednesday either. We have postponed the rest of our travel until Thursday and also reduced the number of cities we plan to visit. So much to see, so little time, but health is more important.

Why Idli dosa?

Idli and dosa are two very popular South Indian foods usually served for Breakfast. They are often found in the "Tiffin" menu or snack menu. Pradeep and Daniela love idli and dosa and that is the reason we named our blog after this delicious food. Both are made with rice, Urad dhal and require a fermentation process. We could eat idli and dosa ever single day!! Our current hotel in chennai offers a complimentary breakfast and they serve idli everyday with yummy sambar and coconut chutney. Daniela has been eating idli every single day that we stayed at the hotel. In fact, she loves idli so much that it was the only meal she could eat while she was sick. No appetite for anything but idli. :)

The dog magnet

After our day of exploring Mahabalipuram, we decided to take a break and have some snacks and drinks to relax. So, we purchased a sweet roll and some salty/spicy snacks at a sweet shop and found a rocky area near the shore temple to sit. It seems that the granite rocks were piled high around the perimeter of the Mahabalipuram shore temple after the 2004 tsunami, to protect it from further damage. The rocks ranged from 1 foot across to 10-15 feet across, and the pile sloped up from the beach level up some twenty feet to the base of the wall surrounding the shore temple. We sat on a small rock at beach level.


Sadly, the sweet roll was not so tasty. It was filled with candied fruit rather than the typical South Indian "poornam" that Pradeep was told it contained. Daniela didn't like it. As we ate, some black birds began to circle and land a few feet away. They cawed raucously, eyeing our food. Daniela decided to toss small pieces of the sweet roll to the "seagulls", as she called them. Pradeep suggested that maybe they were crows. Daniela swung her arm high, repeatedly tossing pieces towards the crows.


As the birds competed with each other to snatch up the morsels Daniela tossed, neither Pradeep nor Daniela noted the perilous advance of a pack of wild dogs sniffing the aroma of sweet bun. It wasn't until the crows suddenly flew off and four or five scraggly feral dogs were in our midst that we realized Daniela's innocent bird-feeding had lured the canine threat. We were backed up against the rock pile and surrounded by the dogs. They leered at us, eyeing the plastic grocery bag containing the bun. Pradeep told Daniela that they should not panic, but just get up casually and walk away. Both of us arose and began to move down the beach, but the dogs only surrounded us on all sides, baring their teeth.


In a brief moment of lucid thought, Pradeep took the food bag Daniela held, so that he held both bags, and told her to move off so that they would only follow him. She did so, and predictably the pack of dogs followed Pradeep. Of course, he was thinking, "great, now I've got the whole pack after me." Wild ideas shot through his mind as he thought furiously how he might escape his plight. He even considered giving the alpha dog a swat across the muzzle.


In the end, Pradeep did the obvious thing and tossed the plastic bag with the sweet bun in it away from him. Immediately the two largest dogs leapt at the discarded booty. Pradeep smiled a self-congratulatory smile; "heh, got rid of that nasty bun and the dogs in one go!", he thought. As the two curs fought for dominance, Pradeep thought to make good his escape, and continued walking non-chalantly along the edge of the rocks toward the sea.

No good. The other dogs continued to follow him, eyeing the remaining bag. But Pradeep was not about to give up his treasured murrukku! He stuffed it into his shirt, but the dogs were not fooled. Their noses knew the truth. So, Pradeep had no choice, but to scramble up the slope of granite rocks and boulders. Two of the dogs followed, loping along casually in Pradeep's wake. As he climbed the rocky slope, the rocks turned to boulders and he continued desperately leaping from one to the next, rising higher and higher, toward the path encircling the perimeter fence of the shore temple. One dog could not make the leaps and was left behind. But, frustratingly, one last rabid hound stayed on Pradeep's heels. Thinking to lose him, Pradeep approached some picnickers. Maybe the dog would shy away at that point. However, it was no good - the dog had a nose for murrukku. Pradeep kept climbing higher, then made a final Matrix-like leap (there is no spoon!) across a gaping chasm from the highest boulder up to the path. Daniela was already on the path, having seen Pradeep's trajectory and having leisurely taken the dirt path up (sans wild dogs), rather than scrambling over the rocks. Pradeep joined her and they made good their escape, leaving the last tenacious dog slavering hungrily on the granite boulders.

She's gone native!

It's official, Dani's gone native. At first she just donned a traditional salwar kameez, the morning we arrived. Then of course, we had to get her some stick-on pottu-s (what northerners call bindis). With that and braided hair, she looked like she could pass off as an Indian. But that was just the beginning. Then came the jasmine flowers in her hair, the kungumum from the temple, and the bangles on her wrists. We would walk the streets in Madras and Bombay and no one would give her a second look - she just blended right in. People probably assumed she was a Kashmiri college student or something. But even that wasn't the end. Daniela started picking up Indian mannerisms, like the figure-eight movement of the head, that nebulous head-nod which can mean either yes or no. She eats with her right hand (no utensils, thank you very much), and does you-know-what with her left hand. Okay, so that last part she didn't exactly take to so quickly. She was actually pretty incredulous when Pradeep gave her her first potty lesson. He even found a nice site on the web to explain the details.
http://www.pbase.com/jtodhunter/indian_toilet



Tune in next time for details on Pradeep's narrow escape from a pack of wild dogs after him for his sweet buns!

Back in Chennai

After savoring and exploring a few days in the busy Metropolis of Mumbai, we are back in Chennai. Mumbai was a lot of fun! We walked through some of the main streets admiring the colonial arquitecture and made our way through some of the busy bazars. Upon completion of our rainy 10-day Vipassana course, we took a train to Aurangubad seeking some dry weather. We took a day trip to the major sightseeing sights in the area including the Ellora caves temples which include Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monasteries chapels and temples. They all were beautifully carved into the rock. We are back in Pradeep's home town for a couple of days to get some rest and plan the remaining of our trip. Pradeep is happy to be back to a place where he can understand the language. We struggled in Mumbai where Hindi is the main language and somehow manage to make our way through the trains and restaurants. Daniela is also happy to be back in South India where she can get delicious idli and dosa. :)

Monsoon Wetting

We successfully completed our 10-day Vipassana course at Dhamma Giri which is the main Vipassana center in the world, taught by S.N. Goenka. The center is located in a small town named Igatpuri. It rained non stop from day 1 to day 10 of the course -- we were frequently wet and got a real "Monsoon wetting!" Luckily Daniela purchased an umbrella and Pradeep purchased a raincoat which kept them fairly dry. After the course we found out that Igatpuri is the second rainiest place in India -- the rainiest place is Cherapunji which is in the Guiness Book for the rainiest place in the world (467 inches per season) -- couldn't find the amount for Igatpuri. Let's just say the rains were torrential and almost non-stop, with high wind gusts. Miraculously it did not rain on Day 0 as we arrived to the center nor on Day 10 "Metta Day" nor on Day 11 as we left the center. It stormed with heavy rain and strong winds at all other times. We concluded the rainfall mirrored the storms within the meditation halls.
More yet to come...

Incommunicado

Daniela and Pradeep will be our of touch for the next 11 to 12 days.
We will be attending a 10-day Vipassana Meditation Course in Igatpuri, North of Mumbai.

The course ends July 26 so it may be a couple of days after that before we find an Internet cafe.
All the best until then.

Traffic

Cars! The road has far fewer bicycles (and no cows!) today than 20 years ago. But traffic is heavier. The road is jammed with tiny little Maruti Suzuki cars, Hyundai Santros, etc. These subcompacts are a sleek and nimble testament to India's vibrant and growing yuppie population. Of course, driving is still as chaotic and jaw-dropping. There is little regard for traffic lanes, or for that matter even signal lights. Cars, motorbikes, mopeds, and especially our much beloved 3 wheeled autorickshaws weave and dodge in a chaotic manner that defies logic. The hand-eye coordination of the drivers puts to shame the best 8 year old videogamers in the US. Interestingly, in the 4 days we've been here, and despite that traffic behavior, we have not seen a single accident - not even a fender bender. Compare that to the daily accident or two that we used to see in Minneapolis, despite the low traffic density and lane maintenance. What is the secret, we wonder?

Indian Progress

India has changed so much since the last time I (Pradeep) really spent any time here. Although I was here in 2002, it was just for a couple of weeks, and I spent the whole time mostly at home. Before that, I was living here for almost a year, in 1990-1991. So, it has been 18 years. This time, Dani and I have been running around town, so I have had a chance to really see things. So much has changed. India has really progressed.

In the 4 days we've been here there have been no power outages or even brown outs. The airport was massively expanded and modernized. In 1990, I arrived in a vast and dingy hall. Customs consisted of a single middle-aged man dressed in a drab olive-green uniform, decorated at the shoulders with gold braid (someone's idea of irony, no doubt). The rickety little wooden writing desk at which he sat would creak and threaten to fall over as his prodigious belly pressed against it with each breath. The throng of disembarking passengers swarmed around him, jamming their passports at him, as though that would help. He laconically eyed each visa, then directed a baleful glance at the passport holder. Savvy persons might surreptitiously palm him a large denomination, while those less bold waited interminably for him to ask random irrelevant, but officiously worded questions in stilted English. When it was all over and one cleared customs, the dilapidated baggage claim area, with its single carousel, inspired little hope that one's luggage would arrive, and that too intact.

In contrast, this time we arrived to a clean and brightly lit hallway, with white marble floors and air conditioning. The long hallway led to a broad customs area, with a row of booths where clean, young, efficient customs agents welcomed us with a warm smile. Our passports were inspected rapidly, efficiently, and with courtesy. A few quick stamps and we were on our way with cheery wish for a pleasant stay. In baggage claim, although Daniela's bag was delayed, the airport official quickly and professionally processed the tracking paperwork.

Pradeep's relatives

Our first days in India have been very welcoming. Daniela has met several of Pradeep's relatives: Paati (the maternal grandma) and her sons Madhavan uncle, Chandru-mama (uncle), Jikki-mama with their respective wives Kalpana auntie, Rajalakshmi auntie, Shanta manni. She also met a couple of the cousins: Kartik (Madhavan uncle's son) and his wife Subba who have one a 9 year old boy: Easwar. Plus Arvind (Jikki-mama's son).

Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. They all want to see us and have meals with them.

We also had the opportunity to visit one of Pradeep's uncles on his father's side. Venkatu-uncle is 85 years old and is in poor health but was very happy to see us. It has been nice getting over the jet-lag and getting aclimated to India while spending time with family.

Jasmine flowers

Most girls and women wear fresh jasmine flowers on their hair. There are lots of street vendors selling fresh garlands of flowers. Most of the vendors are women, although today to our surpise we saw a man selling flowers outside one of the temples. On my first visit to one of the temple's, Subba, who is the wife of Pradeep's cousin - Kartik, fixed my hair and got me a garland of jasmine flowers. She told Pradeep that he must buy me fresh flowers everyday for my hair. :) We have bought fresh flowers for my day ever since that day. I am hooked on these beautiful flowers. They smell so good and look so nice.

The most fun bus ride!

We decided to take a bus from our hotel to Pradeep's uncle's house. Bus 23C from Thousand Lights to Adayar in Chennai. The bus was packed but we managed to squeeze in. I really mean Squeeze in! It was full of young men who were very cheerful. They were singing, whistling, banging on the bus, running with the bus, climbing on the bus. It was so much fun!! Yes! They were climbing on the bus. They made it look so easy and fun. Ah! It was the best bus ride that I have ever taken.

Shopping for Salwar

Pradeep was born in Chennai and still has many relatives here. His uncles wanted us to visit right away to say hello and of course to meet this new mysterious Mexican girlfriend. Of course, I wanted to make a good impression and I wanted to wear my Indian clothes that were in my lost carry-on. A perfect opportunity for shopping!! We found a shop after getting off our fun bus ride (see fun bus ride posting). It was a small version of a department store like Macy's. They had children, men and women's clothes, accessories and fabrics. I found three possible Salwars: Cotton of course, for the hot weather; short to long sleeve; nice colors and reasonable prices. One of the three fitted perfectly and it was only 799 rupees , approximately $16!! Apparently is a modern style with the pants long enough to be gathered at the bottom. I will have to take a picture and post it online. I think I definitely made a good impression on the family. :)

Dubai to India

Ahhh....Chennai has welcomed us warmly. Pradeep and I (Daniela) had a long flight from JFK to Dubai. We managed to stay awake for most of the flight to Dubai watching three films in a row. :) We were able to finally watch Slumbdog Millionaire and Monsters vs. Aliens! The Dubai Airport itself was a great experience with its beauty and cleanliness. Pradeep warned me that in India, people usually do not stand in lines and he was right. We arrived in Chennai and people started to line up to get through the Swine Flu Check-in Booth (we just had to filled out a form stating that we have no flu symptoms and then they stamp it approving that we are healthy), however after a couple of minutes, the line disappeared and everbody just swarmed to the doors. One must move fast and with the flow. Daniela's luggage did not make it to Chennai. Despite traveling with a carry on, it was too big to fit the standards of a carry on in Emirates airlines. A lady at the Chennai airport, helped us filled a complaint form and took all the information needed to hopefully find my luggage. We arrived to our hotel but our room was not available despite having a reservation and had to wait in the lobby area. Hotel staff must have felt sorry for us so they offered us a small room furnished with a bed and a T.V for us to rest until a room was available for us. After a couple of hours, we were able to get our hotel room We were able to get a couple hours rest to give us enough energy for our first day in Chennai.