RIP Hippo

I know, I know - it’s been a long time since you’ve heard from me on here. Over the past four months, I have completed another three-week business trip to India, started my final year of grad school, and landed back in India one last time for my final four-week trip.

This incredible journey is coming to a close and I’d be lying if I said it’s not bittersweet.

Speaking of bittersweet – my paternal grandmother, affectionately known as Hippo or d'Maw, passed away yesterday, at the age of 81, after getting a bacterial infection after a recent knee surgery. Yes, she is out of pain, yet she is gone and her passing leaves a deep void in my family.

Hippo, around 2009, enjoying her crosswords and reading the paper

This is the first close relative I've lost and it is weird to be so far away from family while all of this is going on. I am thankful for my friends and colleagues here who have provided support to me over the past day, and for all my family who has spoken with and comforted me on the phone.

One thing I learned from my grandparents is that travel and exploration is not a scary thing, but something to be embraced. Seeing pictures of them in foreign countries and hearing their travel stories shaped my mind to realize that I, too, can travel. Their example helped me embrace travel abroad opportunities in college to Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia, which set the stage for my travels to Zimbabwe, Peru, India, and other places after graduation.

Hippo and Papa during their extensive travels

So now, as this South Carolindian stares out across the skyline in Bangalore, almost 9,000 miles away from my family, I want to send this tribute up to Hippo, my grandmother, to thank you for the happy memories of jelly beans, Gameboys, sodas by the pool, your laugh and your jolly nature.

I will remember your love of the arts, lilac-dyed hair, and the massive stack of silver bracelets and necklaces that gently clinked as you moved.

May you rest in peace.

Hippo and me, July 2015

Honk Honk Beep Beep

I'll be in India for just two more weekends. While I am desperately looking forward to coming home, I am overwhelmed by the experiences I still want to have while I am here.

The past four months have stretched on for what feels like a year, but when I think about having less than two weeks left in Bangalore it suddenly feels as if I just arrived at 3 AM, jet lagged, nervous and excited. Such is the funny nature of time.

You try crossing this street!

I've yet to take any cooking classes and I never found a serviced apartment to live in - I've been in a hotel the whole time. I have a million things I still want to buy for myself, family and friends, and I feel the pictures I've taken haven't captured enough of what life here has been like.

One thing that I wasn't prepared for and that I have learned to live with is the number of interruptions that occur in everyday life. For example, walking in the states is generally associated with a therapeutic activity - Passion Pit even memorialized this in their song, Take a Walk.

An apt song title for walking in Bangalore is Say a Prayer or Please Don't Die. Sidewalks are rare, and cars, auto rickshaws, and two-wheelers pay little heed to pedestrians. Cross walks are virtually non existent, and when you do find one, they are useless as motorists frequently disobey traffic signals.

Aerial view of the local market traffic

In the US, people use the horn to say "watch out!" or "go!" or "stop texting and pay attention!" In Bangalore, horns are used to announce the presence of the car to the world, as if the world is blind.

When you walk, motorcycles fly by you, blaring their horn every time they approach, even if you're not in the way. Auto rickshaws honk incessantly to see if you need a ride. Cars honk to announce they need everyone else to clear the road so they can squeeze their "four wheeler" down the pot-holed, dug-up, double-parked, trash-filled street, as if they win right of way because they're the biggest.

So between the horns, trying not to step on trash, in mud, or in stray dog poop, and generally just trying not to die, walking around the city is transformed from a therapeutic activity to one that sends you to therapy. I must say though, that I've mastered the skill of walking on Indian roads - don't text, keep your eyes down, don't make eye contact, and just keep on walking.

The workplace is also filled with interruptions. My company's offices are expanding, but the new workspaces are not yet ready, so cubicles designed for two people have been converted to space for three by simply throwing an extra chair at each workspace. Since it's impossible for three people to sit comfortably side-by-side, most office cubicle dwellers, myself included, move one of the unoccupied chairs to the aisle. This chair situation turns simple activities such as walking to the bathroom or getting a glass of water into a test of agility, patience and balance.

Two-wheeler parking bumps right up to the masquerade of a sidewalk

There's also a dearth of conference rooms, so most people take conference calls at their desk - on speakerphone. One of my colleagues from the US visited my office here last week and exclaimed, "I don't know how you work in this environment. Not to sound snobby, but I just couldn't."

It's not ideal, but what option do I have? I've had to adapt.

All these disruptions - horns honking, elevated stress during commutes, lack of quiet space in the workplace - take a physical toll. Someone told me that people in Bangalore get sick a lot, and that's true. Over the past four months, every single person on my team - myself included - has been sick at least once. Poor city sanitation, pollution, food quality, I'm not sure - but it's a serious problem.

Even the idyllic city escapes such as Nandi Hills and Lal Bagh park are increasingly infected with two-wheelers - and their incessant horns.

I have a friend here from India who mentioned that when he went to Florida for the first time, he had difficulties falling asleep because it was too quiet. I wonder if I'll experience reverse culture shock when I go back to the States. I wonder if I'll miss the horn chatter or feel a lack of stimulation in the US office, which disabled the speakerphone button on the office phones.

One thing is for sure - I do plan to use my horn more - once I'm finally back behind the wheel of my car!

Cricket Craziness

Today is the last regular season game of India's professional cricket league, known as the IPL (Indian Premier League). I ended up following quite a bit of the two-month season for many reasons - my friends and coworkers here love cricket; I want to be current on the pop culture topics; I was in bed for five days with food poisoning and there was nothing else on TV; and the teams stay in my hotel when they're playing in Bangalore and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

In the lounge at my first cricket game

Watching all this cricket has made me realize how unique the IPL is; in fact, the IPL is the only league that I know of where:

• The pitch, the target, and an out are all called the same thing - a wicket.
• The team names are so long - instead of the Panthers or the Yankees, there's the Royal Challengers, Rising Supergiants, Knight Riders, and Super Kings.
• There are so...many...rules.
• If the game is cancelled due to weather or other reasons, the teams split the points automatically.
• If the game is delayed due to weather, the number of overs ("at bats") get reduced.
• Two franchises have been suspended for two years for game fixing.
• The games are played literally every night of the week.
• The top four of eight teams make the playoffs - then there are THREE games before the final. #1 plays #2 (game 1) and #3 plays #4 (game 2). The winner of game 1 automatically makes the playoffs, and the winner of game 2 plays the looser of game 1 to determine the other finalist.
• The cheerleaders for the teams are all foreigners (mostly Russians and South Africans).
• The cheerleaders from both teams dance together in the studio during breaks.

Note that these observations apply to the T20 format, which lasts about 3 hours. There's a longer - much longer - five day format that is played internationally, along with the T20 format and a one-day format.

Tim Cook (Apple CEO) was in India this week promoting Apple's growth plans for the Indian market, and the commissioner of the IPL took Tim Cook to a cricket game. Tim commented that he could really tell how much cricket meant to Indians by the passion of the crowd, and having been to one game in Bangalore, I can agree. The passion rivals audiences at a major concert, or celebratory crowds at New Year's Eve celebrations.

Royal Challengers Bangalore fans - pic credit

This passion for cricket has been somewhat demonized by local media for the detrimental impact the league has on the country-wide drought. Some games have even been moved to other regions to appease the public cries for water conservation and blasts of league commercialization.

I'm not sure what the right answer is, if there is one, but I do know one thing - Indians sure do love their cricket and after experiencing the excitement first-hand, I can see why.

Goa Trip Reflections

Last week, I spent a long weekend in Goa, and since I returned from the trip, I've had trouble summarizing my thoughts on this famed beach destination.

Goa has a reputation as being a hippy-centric party spot. I pictured long, sun-filled days with raging parties on silky-sand beaches. While I did see some parties and a few hippies, Goa, in particular Baga Beach, reminded me of Myrtle Beach.

Delicious rose water

When you land at Dabolim Airport, you taxi through rows upon rows of military planes and are greeted with an announcement from the captain that "photography at the airport is strictly prohibited." The co-location of the military and civilian airbases to me is a stark reminder of the number of conflicts the state of Goa, like much of India, has experienced.

The State of Goa gained independence from its colonizer, Portugal, 14 years after the rest of India gained independence from England. The sources I consulted said that the Indian army finally decided to take back Goa from Portugal in 1961 "with little resistance."

To me, that sums up Goa. I get the sense that the people have given up the fight to preserve their legacy and historical status and try to go through life with as little conflict as possible. Why do I say this?

Beautiful buildings in the picturesque downtown Panjim are in disrepair.

The river flowing through the city, once a revered trade route, is mired in trash.

Tour boat operators, shop keepers, and casino promoters seemed to be just going through the motions.

Weather-worn facade in the capital of Goa

Drunk driving is embraced by many as part of the Goan life.

It was almost as if there was a "take us or leave us, this is what it is" attitude among many of the Goans I encountered, which differs to me dramatically from the attitudes I've encountered from the people I've met in Bangalore and Kerala.

(Note, the hotel staff at the Marriott really did seem to care and provide excellent service, although many of them confessed to me that they were looking for transfers to other places far away from Goa.)

I recognize that we went towards the end of the typical tourist season, so a general fatigue may have settled across the region that was waiting for the crowds to dissipate and refreshing from the monsoons to come. But the indifferent attitude I encountered among many Goans confused me because I heard from a number of them that tourist traffic was down and "they couldn't understand why not as many tourists were coming to Goa."

I did enjoy my visit and I do want to return to experience the Monsoon season (I heard it was beautiful), tour the less-crowded and picturesque Southern beaches, and escape to the scenic Northern beaches. Perhaps I'll escape when, like the Portuguese in 1961, I feel the need to surrender from the stresses of holding on to daily life and I need to kick back and relax for a few days.

Faded umbrella dot the Baga Beach strand

Because that is the great part about Goa - it doesn't care if you wake up early or stay out all night partying. If you want to wear a string bikini or a full-body bathing suit, go for it. You're not really questioned as you are in other states; they're used to seeing it all. A friend compared it to being in Las Vegas.

So maybe that's the beauty of it - beyond the parties, beyond the beaches, Goa is a place whose indifference is refreshing in what otherwise can be an overbearing and intrusive country.

Kerala and The Backwaters

These two songs remind me of this boat ride, so feel free to listen them while reading this post for a multisensory experience!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MauA2Adejgc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzhtQFz-CBM&index=3&list=PL2gxaGXEGl6kGQWVcQVhB8BAQ2UbJOkRU

View from the front seat of the boat in the backwaters

One of the quintessential activities while visiting Kerala is touring the backwaters, which are a chain of canals and lagoons that link five major lakes in the region. The backwaters connect many villages and serve as local commerce corridors. To experience the backwaters, many visitors chose to rent a houseboat, such as this one, and spend a couple of days meandering through the canals.

Typical houseboat in Kerala

Since I was exploring Kerala on my own, I didn’t really want to spend the night on a boat by myself, with the boat driver. As much fun as that sounds, I prefer my resort room with helpful room service, and security, staff :)

So to experience the backwaters, I rented this blue gondola-type boat for a couple hours one morning while I was staying in Lake Kumarakom. The driver, Benny, was friendly and gave a swift tour of the local canals. Benny pointed out his house to me, which was on the main channel. He also introduced me to his wife, who we passed while she was fishing in a separate boat.

Boat I rented

Benny the boat owner and operator

I enjoyed the morning ride as I got some fresh air and really got to soak in nature, including many numerous palm trees and herons. I even saw a Kingfisher bird, and a water snake.

Selfie on the backwaters!

The ride did feel a bit strange though as I felt like I was riding through the villagers’ backyards and peering into their daily lives. Many small houses are located on the backwaters, and since we were out for our ride in the morning, the canals were full of families going about their daily business. All of the houses on the canals had an opening to the backwaters from the yard, covered in large stones, where the women performed tasks ranging from doing laundry, washing dishes, bathing, and brushing teeth – all right there in the river.

House among the canals in Kerala

Most of the shallow waters we went on were opaque and I spotted numerous water bottles, shopping bags, and other refuse scattered in the lake. I wondered how this “dirty” water could be used for all of these tasks.

Overall I enjoyed the boat ride and being in the sun, distanced from the traffic and honking horn cacophony that permeates Bangalore (the residents there mainly used boats or two-wheelers to get around), but I felt a bit sad during the ride looking at all the pollution that humans have caused to these beautiful habitats.

Mangroves and other life on the backwaters

It really makes me wonder how I can have more of impact on sustaining the environment, both here in India and in Charlotte when I return home. I want to make sure I am recycling all I can and making smarter choices when it comes to my water consumption and use of plastic.

Clip from the trip:

Kerala and Lake Kumarakom – The Creature

“It looked…kind of… like…this.”

I put the pencil down and showed the front desk worker at Lake Kumarakom Resort my rough depiction of “guess the animal that was in Michelle’s room earlier.”

Thankfully he drew version 2.0.

“Did it look like this?”

“No,” I said. “It wasn’t a rat.”

“Ok – what about this?”

“That looks more like it. What is it?”

Google images revealed that what I’d seen that morning was possibly a grey skink, aka an Arana lizard. It looked kind of like this little guy, although not exactly:

My "roommate" looked kind of like this

Assured that they weren’t poisonous, I returned to my room to relax a bit.

You know the noise the smoke detector makes when it runs out of batteries?

That's the noise I heard when I went to grab something from my purse.

Guess which one I drew??!

Luckily I had recently ordered room service, so I knew help would be on the way soon. I sat still as a log until I heard a knock on the door.

I ushered the resort employee in and explained the situation. He picked up my purse and carefully went through it, finding nothing. He searched around all the curtains, carefully looking in each pleat, coming up empty.

Then I saw it, perched at the top of the curtain, debating a jump to the man’s head.

I squealed and he placed his hand on his head, averting the danger.

Pest control showed up with two long, skinny sticks. Not Raid, not poison - sticks.

As I learned over the next squealing minute of drama, there is some type of tree that grows a substance at the end of the branch that acts like a glue. This “glue” is so sticky it traps pests, such as lizards and rodents.

Once captured, the lizard was placed outside and I was informed that I could “sleep safely now.”

It's at this point, as I'm writing about this poor lizard, or rat, or mouse, or whatever it was, trapped in my room all day, that I realize I’ve given way too much thought to this particular creature. I guess this points to the broader issues of development, loss of wild habitations, deforestation, overdevelopment, etc. Man tries to coexist with the rest of God’s creation and sometimes helps yet sometimes hurts.

Any interesting lizard or creature stories from your vacations? I’d be happy to hear them!

Kerala – “God’s Own Country”

Kerala is one of India’s 29 states, and its motto is “God’s own country” due to the natural beauty and lushness of the state. Kerala is in South India, on the West coast, aka the Malabar coast. Kerala is known for its beaches and backwaters (network of canals), and its lush greenery and peaceful way of life.

This weekend I had a couple of days off of work and I chose Kerala as I was in desperate need of some rest and relaxation - the constant traffic and work stress in Bangalore were really getting to me! After consulting a Lonely Planet guide and many Tripadvisor reviews, I chose Lake Kumarakom in Kerala for my R&R, and stayed at the Kumarakom Lake Resort.

Kumarakom Lake Resort - a bit of Indian paradise

The resort was a little piece of paradise. The climate was tropical, complete with palm trees, humidity and friendly lizards (more on those later). My room was HUGE and came with a private jacuzzi. It was in a two-story building that looks like it’s made up of 4 two-story condos, but each floor is a room to itself. 

Front porch of my "villa" :) 

Every evening from 5:30 – 6:30, the resort offered a “sunset cruise,” complete with live local music, consisting of a drum and a flute. I really enjoyed this part of the day - I went on the cruise all three nights I was there. Check out this video to hear some of the tunes:

The resort specialized in Malayalam cuisine, which is characterized by rice and rice-based breads, seafood, coconut, cashews (which I avoided), fried onions, tamarind, and spices. Bananas are also frequently used; some typical snacks in Kerala are shown here:

Kerala snacks and coffee (I may or may not have eaten four of the rice balls)

Kerala snacks and chai

At one dinner, I tried a vegetable called drumstick. I had initially inquired about the item as it was listed as vegetarian, and I was confused (aren't drumsticks chicken?). I learned that drumsticks are a green fibrous vegetable, boiled as part of a stew; the taste of it reminded me of okra (which Indians call “ladyfingers”). The drumstick remains tough when boiled, so most people chew it for the “meaty” inner portion and juices, then trash the fibers.

Eating the drumstick required more work than eating an artichoke, to put that in perspective.

Kerala rice is another staple of Malayalam cuisine. This red rice is promoted for its health benefits as the fibers are not removed before cooking, giving it the reddish tint.

I liked most of the food I tried; the seafood especially was fresh, and I enjoyed the prevalence of coconut and rice in the cuisine. The resort has a sister hotel in Bangalore that has a Kerala restaurant; I will be sure to check it out.

Appam and prawn curry

I'll post more on the backwaters and other adventures I had soon, so stay tuned!