Presently we're in Hyderabad with Erica's sister-in-law. It's a quick trip, I haven't had much time to see any of the city. Back to Bombay possibly tonight, but most likely tomorrow morning. Everything has been a bit crazy. Many stories but no time to tell them. More later.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
tales from the land of bollywood
I haven't been online in so long, I can't remember everything that has happened since my last post. We're still in Mumbai, enjoying the shopping and night life and the Bollywood stuff. I haven't been an extra in any films or anything - we are avoiding the creepy scouts this time around. We have had a few funny Bollywood encounters though. Erica saw Ram Gopal Varma (famous director) in the Hyderabad airport last week when she was en route to Delhi. We also saw Amitabh Bachchan's house, because it was down the street from the movie theatre where we went to see The Last Lear. Funny story... we were walking down the street at night looking for a taxi, and this creepy man wandered over to us. He was old and stumbling like he was drunk, and groaning a lot... it was like he was a zombie. Anyway, he walked right up to Erica, then just fell onto her. I was ahead of her and turned around because she had screamed, and saw her running away from this guy. He tried to follow us, or rather kind of lurch after us, and so we decided to run across the street. Then we look up, and we're actually right in front of Amitabh's house, and all his security guards (he had 5!) were watching us screaming and running. They didn't help us or anything. Thank you, Amitabh's security guards.
Then, that same night, we were driving in an auto-rickshaw to a bar, and we stopped at an intersection. Suddenly Erica grabs me, pulls me across her to look out her side of the rickshaw and points forward. At first I had no clue what I was looking at, then she says "It's Salman Khan!" He was on a motorcycle, two rickshaws ahead of us. I was like "No way, it's not him" but then he turned his head and I saw him in profile, and if it wasn't him then he has a twin. Not sure why he'd be on a bike and not in a private car, but hey. It wasn't just us who noticed him, too. All the rickshaws pulled up alongside him and the driver closest was nodding back to the other ones to confirm it. We tried to get our rickshaw driver to follow him, but he drove off so fast, and we didn't know how to say "Follow Salman Khan" in Hindi or Marathi. I made Erica's brother in law teach me to say it though, so if we ever wind up behind Salman in traffic again (or anyone else I want to follow, for that matter) we're all set. Haha.
We had a filmi day yesterday too. We met our friend Shikha's cousin Rajat, who is a director, and he brought us to a place called Filmistan, which is probably the busiest bunch of studios in Bombay, even busier than Film City. Also much more concentrated than Film City. He had a friend working on one of the sets there, so we got to sneak in and watch them shoot some scenes. Interestingly, the film was a collaboration between Bollywood and Hollywood, with a Hollywood director - Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. The film's title isn't 100% confirmed as far as I could tell, but it's something like "Nagin: The Snake Woman" or Snake Goddess, or something to that effect. It appears to be about a very pretty Indian woman (Mallika Sherawat) who transforms into a giant snake and eats people. Seriously. We got to watch them shoot one scene where a guy freaks out because he is about to be eaten by the giant snake. He falls to the floor and screams in terror. Then we had to leave the set, because they were bringing in the giant snake and we weren't allowed to watch. (In case we leaked film secrets or something?) We saw the snake's head though, and it was hilarious. It's not a real snake, it's a ginormous fake snake that they built, like something from a horror B-movie. Jennifer Lynch herself wasn't particularly nice. We came on set quietly and stood out of the way, but she made a point to stand near Erica, and say loudly enough for her to hear "They can't come on this set just because they're Americans. It's bad enough I have to deal with the Indians." (Quote has been altered slightly to remove foul language.) How sweet, eh? Charming lady.
Anyway, after leaving her set, we decided to wander around and see what else we could find. We saw a sign that said Red Chillies on it, which is Shah Rukh Khan's production company, so we tried to go in onto the set, but the door guy wouldn't let us. Undeterred, we found an unguarded back entrance and snuck in that way. It was a freaking massively huge futuristic set that looked like a space station or something and glowed bright green. In the middle there was a small spaceship. Inside the spaceship, there was a man wearing a shiny costume. The spaceship was on cables so it hovered straight up and down, and there was lots of fake smoke underneath. We have NO idea what they were filming. Actually, they didn't shoot anything while we were in there, so we figure they were just getting the shot set up for later on. After about 10 minutes, we were noticed and questioned about what we were doing there. We convinced them to let us stay a bit longer, but then eventually we got kicked out before any actual shooting started. Still, it was a pretty crazy set.
After that, we sat down next to a building to figure out how to sneak in to a different set. We were just waiting around there when this American guy with full sleeve tattoos and a beard came up to us. We thought we were going to be in trouble for something, or told to move, but he just asked where we were from and said his name was Brian. He's one of the special effects guys on the giant snake film. We chatted with him for a minute, and we were asking him about the snake, and suddenly he was like, "Hey, come with me!" So we followed him, and he took us into this back room where they were keeping all the special effects stuff for the film! It was insane. There were giant snake heads and different parts of the snake. It's all really complicated stuff, it's built to move like a real snake. We saw one of the actress's costumes, which is a half-woman, half-snake suit with a 6 foot tail. And another costume that looked like some kind of alien creature. It was all wired up to move on it's own - Brian squeezed some handles and the face moved like it was real! I am sure Jennifer Lynch would have been livid if she knew we were behind the scenes with the snake, but that made it better somehow, haha. It was seriously really cool - Hollywood sci-fi special effects. Brian said the Red Chillies spaceship set looked like children made it. I still don't have particularly high hopes for Nagin, but it was fun to see behind the scenes anyway.
After all this, we wandered some more. There were a million dancers running around, and we could hear a song sequence being filmed, but the door guy wouldn't let us in, and we couldn't locate a back entrance. Aww. After that, we were starving, so we gave up on the film sets and left. We did see Mallika Sherawat for a few minutes, but we didn't talk to her or anything, because we didn't particularly care.
So that was our film experience thus far. Otherwise, we've been having fun going out in Bombay. Last time I was here I was alone, so I didn't go to any bars or anything. We went out Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to different bars, which is definitely a bizarre experience to have in India. They have these extremely posh bars, and once you step inside you've completely left behind anything third-worldly and might as well be in London or NYC or wherever. Saturday night we went to a nightclub called Enigma, which is inside the Marriott hotel, and was definitely the fanciest club I've ever been to in my entire life. It's hotel guests and couples-only to get in, but single ladies are also accepted, of course. The cover charge to get in was 12$ for each of us, but that was cheap. Couples paid about 60$ to get in. Being a single lady has advantages, apparently. Inside was packed - you could barely move anywhere! And the drink prices... oh my god... it was 20$ for a rum and coke!!! Fortunately, our entrance cover doubled as drink tickets so we could afford one, haha. It was insane. The music was really good though, a mix of Western stuff and Bollywood stuff. Erica and I had fun dancing, even though we had to fight off the occasional creep. One guy asked me, not kidding, if I was "single and ready to mingle". I was literally speechless that anyone would use that line. That guy wins hands-down for worst attempt at a pick-up EVER.
Anyway, I think we're done with the nightclub scene for now. It was fun once, but way too expensive to do a second time. I am not sure what we're doing for the next few days, but I think we're leaving for Hyderabad on Thursday morning. Will post photos once we remember to start taking them again. Oooops.
Then, that same night, we were driving in an auto-rickshaw to a bar, and we stopped at an intersection. Suddenly Erica grabs me, pulls me across her to look out her side of the rickshaw and points forward. At first I had no clue what I was looking at, then she says "It's Salman Khan!" He was on a motorcycle, two rickshaws ahead of us. I was like "No way, it's not him" but then he turned his head and I saw him in profile, and if it wasn't him then he has a twin. Not sure why he'd be on a bike and not in a private car, but hey. It wasn't just us who noticed him, too. All the rickshaws pulled up alongside him and the driver closest was nodding back to the other ones to confirm it. We tried to get our rickshaw driver to follow him, but he drove off so fast, and we didn't know how to say "Follow Salman Khan" in Hindi or Marathi. I made Erica's brother in law teach me to say it though, so if we ever wind up behind Salman in traffic again (or anyone else I want to follow, for that matter) we're all set. Haha.
We had a filmi day yesterday too. We met our friend Shikha's cousin Rajat, who is a director, and he brought us to a place called Filmistan, which is probably the busiest bunch of studios in Bombay, even busier than Film City. Also much more concentrated than Film City. He had a friend working on one of the sets there, so we got to sneak in and watch them shoot some scenes. Interestingly, the film was a collaboration between Bollywood and Hollywood, with a Hollywood director - Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. The film's title isn't 100% confirmed as far as I could tell, but it's something like "Nagin: The Snake Woman" or Snake Goddess, or something to that effect. It appears to be about a very pretty Indian woman (Mallika Sherawat) who transforms into a giant snake and eats people. Seriously. We got to watch them shoot one scene where a guy freaks out because he is about to be eaten by the giant snake. He falls to the floor and screams in terror. Then we had to leave the set, because they were bringing in the giant snake and we weren't allowed to watch. (In case we leaked film secrets or something?) We saw the snake's head though, and it was hilarious. It's not a real snake, it's a ginormous fake snake that they built, like something from a horror B-movie. Jennifer Lynch herself wasn't particularly nice. We came on set quietly and stood out of the way, but she made a point to stand near Erica, and say loudly enough for her to hear "They can't come on this set just because they're Americans. It's bad enough I have to deal with the Indians." (Quote has been altered slightly to remove foul language.) How sweet, eh? Charming lady.
Anyway, after leaving her set, we decided to wander around and see what else we could find. We saw a sign that said Red Chillies on it, which is Shah Rukh Khan's production company, so we tried to go in onto the set, but the door guy wouldn't let us. Undeterred, we found an unguarded back entrance and snuck in that way. It was a freaking massively huge futuristic set that looked like a space station or something and glowed bright green. In the middle there was a small spaceship. Inside the spaceship, there was a man wearing a shiny costume. The spaceship was on cables so it hovered straight up and down, and there was lots of fake smoke underneath. We have NO idea what they were filming. Actually, they didn't shoot anything while we were in there, so we figure they were just getting the shot set up for later on. After about 10 minutes, we were noticed and questioned about what we were doing there. We convinced them to let us stay a bit longer, but then eventually we got kicked out before any actual shooting started. Still, it was a pretty crazy set.
After that, we sat down next to a building to figure out how to sneak in to a different set. We were just waiting around there when this American guy with full sleeve tattoos and a beard came up to us. We thought we were going to be in trouble for something, or told to move, but he just asked where we were from and said his name was Brian. He's one of the special effects guys on the giant snake film. We chatted with him for a minute, and we were asking him about the snake, and suddenly he was like, "Hey, come with me!" So we followed him, and he took us into this back room where they were keeping all the special effects stuff for the film! It was insane. There were giant snake heads and different parts of the snake. It's all really complicated stuff, it's built to move like a real snake. We saw one of the actress's costumes, which is a half-woman, half-snake suit with a 6 foot tail. And another costume that looked like some kind of alien creature. It was all wired up to move on it's own - Brian squeezed some handles and the face moved like it was real! I am sure Jennifer Lynch would have been livid if she knew we were behind the scenes with the snake, but that made it better somehow, haha. It was seriously really cool - Hollywood sci-fi special effects. Brian said the Red Chillies spaceship set looked like children made it. I still don't have particularly high hopes for Nagin, but it was fun to see behind the scenes anyway.
After all this, we wandered some more. There were a million dancers running around, and we could hear a song sequence being filmed, but the door guy wouldn't let us in, and we couldn't locate a back entrance. Aww. After that, we were starving, so we gave up on the film sets and left. We did see Mallika Sherawat for a few minutes, but we didn't talk to her or anything, because we didn't particularly care.
So that was our film experience thus far. Otherwise, we've been having fun going out in Bombay. Last time I was here I was alone, so I didn't go to any bars or anything. We went out Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to different bars, which is definitely a bizarre experience to have in India. They have these extremely posh bars, and once you step inside you've completely left behind anything third-worldly and might as well be in London or NYC or wherever. Saturday night we went to a nightclub called Enigma, which is inside the Marriott hotel, and was definitely the fanciest club I've ever been to in my entire life. It's hotel guests and couples-only to get in, but single ladies are also accepted, of course. The cover charge to get in was 12$ for each of us, but that was cheap. Couples paid about 60$ to get in. Being a single lady has advantages, apparently. Inside was packed - you could barely move anywhere! And the drink prices... oh my god... it was 20$ for a rum and coke!!! Fortunately, our entrance cover doubled as drink tickets so we could afford one, haha. It was insane. The music was really good though, a mix of Western stuff and Bollywood stuff. Erica and I had fun dancing, even though we had to fight off the occasional creep. One guy asked me, not kidding, if I was "single and ready to mingle". I was literally speechless that anyone would use that line. That guy wins hands-down for worst attempt at a pick-up EVER.
Anyway, I think we're done with the nightclub scene for now. It was fun once, but way too expensive to do a second time. I am not sure what we're doing for the next few days, but I think we're leaving for Hyderabad on Thursday morning. Will post photos once we remember to start taking them again. Oooops.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
photo update from mumbai
Neither of us knows what it means to be prosected, but we're sure it can't be good. Ha. This sign was by a sidewalk in Delhi.
We have safely arrived in Mumbai and are staying with Erica's brother-in-law. Our flight was turbulent, due to heavy monsoon rains. And we had a hell of a time in the Delhi airport, mainly because we're both ridiculous. I tried to take 3 bottles of water through security because I forgot they were in my bag. Erica did the same thing. The security lady was like, "Ma'am, this is NOT allowed... now you have to drink it." So we had to stand there drinking to prove it wasn't poison or lighter fluid or something.
But we got here, and all is good. Have I mentioned that Bombay is weird? I always end up talking to the most random people here about the most ridiculous things. Today we were in McDonald's (I like the novelty of Indian McDonald's because they have a dozen different veg options) and some man started talking to us. He was a Christian preacher, and we got subjected to a half hour impromptu sermon on trusting and obeying God. He also wanted us to gather up 20 of our friends and move to India to open a school. Yeah right.
Anyway - photo update! Random Delhi adventures:
1. Me with Shah Rukh.
2. Erica with Aamir.
3. Us both with the India Gate.
4. We join the police force.
5. Random dog sleeping at India Gate (it's not dead, I swear).
6. News vans crowding around one of the bomb areas.
7. A gentleman selling "real leather" cowboy hats. Actually they were foam.
8. A handy bathroom sign.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
delhi (wherein erica is scared by a bloody chicken)
This is an overdue update from Delhi. A million things have happened and I’ve been nowhere near the internet. I got to Delhi on Friday afternoon. A few random stories from Mumbai before I get into the Delhi stuff, though. At a restaurant, this random creeper who tried to chat me up last March found me again! He stopped at my table and was like, “Hey, do you remember me?” I made myself look as confused as possible, and then said “Uh… no.” And then he stared at me for a second longer, apologized, and moved on. Whewww. It’s so weird that 6 months have gone by, and there are still a handful of people in Mumbai that know me. Also random and unrelated – my efforts at blending in were working a bit too well. An older lady stopped me on the street to ask me for directions – in Marathi! Or at least I assume it was Marathi, since I know enough Hindi to know when someone is speaking it. Unfortunately I couldn’t help her, since I don’t know a single word of Marathi. Weird. I only knew she was asking for directions because we were next to an entrance to a tunnel that went under the street, and she was pointing at a sign.
The last thing I did in Mumbai was see another Bollywood film. A really stupid one called Hijack, about a plane that gets hijacked, if you couldn’t figure that out from the title. It was kind of stupid timing – I saw it on 9/11 without even realizing the significance, and also it was the night before I had to take a domestic flight in India. And I’m not a big fan of flying already. But whatever, it was entertaining enough, and again the plot was suitably contrived so I could follow without subtitles. My comprehension is getting better though, honestly. I can understand about 25% of what’s being said, I’d guess. But it’s not overly helpful. For example, I might hear a sentence, but I’d understand it like this: “Oh my god! Raj and Rohit are ---- to ---- and ----!” So I get that something is happening but I don’t know what. My vocabulary is limited to food, objects around the house, and overused words from songs. I must work on that.
But anyway – Delhi! I landed Friday afternoon, then proceeded to hang out in the domestic airport for about 5 hours. I made a friend named Amit who helped me out and let me use his phone. (What’s with random Amits helping us out in airports?) I was stuck waiting for a few hours because I wasn’t sure when Erica was supposed to be flying in from Hyderabad so I was waiting to hear from her. She missed the last flight out though, and had to come in Saturday morning. So her mother-in-law picked me up from the airport, which was extremely nice, and brought me back to their apartment, and the next morning we went back to pick up Erica.
So, Erica and I are reunited, and the fun begins, right? We’ve been staying with her in-laws for the last few days. They’ve been feeding us home-cooked Indian food every day, and letting us ride around with a private car and driver, which seems really fancy to me but is actually a pretty common thing for people to have here. On Saturday night, our plan was to meet up with Erica’s friend Sahira, then go out for dinner and to some bars/clubs. Obviously, this didn’t work out. We found out about the bombings right when we were pulling up to Sahira’s. So we stayed the night there, but didn’t go anywhere. It was still a good night though, and Erica and I have some funny videos to post. On Sunday, we went to Connaught Place to do some shopping with Erica’s father-in-law. A couple of the bombs went off in that area, and one bomb was found and defused in the park at the center of the shopping area. So there were police everywhere, and a few million news vans.
We went back there again today to meet our friend Sid for lunch. Originally we planned to have a few other meetings while in Delhi, but everything has gotten a bit messed up and disorganized after the bomb stuff happened, so we’ve been taking it easy here. We met with Erica’s father-in-law again later on and we all went for coffee. The guys at the coffee shop screwed up at first and gave our order to the wrong table. Then my drink had a fly in it. So Erica’s father-in-law got irritated and yelled at the coffee shop guy... and you have to imagine this, he’s a really big man, like 6 feet and several inches, and he calls the poor waiter guy over and is like “Do the flies come free with the chocolate?” It was simultaneously embarrassing and hilarious. He totally chewed out the coffee shop staff, but by the end of it everyone was laughing, even the waiter was fighting not to laugh. I had sympathy for the coffee guys, of course.
We also did a bit of street shopping. Erica is pretty hardcore when she bargains. It’s a big change from shopping with Micah last time. I made a video of that too, will post whenever I get a chance.
OH. Ugh. One more story. Last night on the way home, we stopped at this outdoor fruit and vegetable market. They also had a meat market. Erica was making a video, and we wandered into the meat market. This was a very, very fresh meat market. As in, you point to which live chicken you want, and they cut off the head and de-feather it, cut it up right in front of you. We were a bit slow to realize what was happening. Erica was focused on making her video, when suddenly the guy she was recording chopped the head off a chicken right in front of her. She swore loudly and ran away. The meat guys found this all very funny.
Anyway, tonight we fly back to Mumbai. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to catch up on posting photos and videos when we get there.
The last thing I did in Mumbai was see another Bollywood film. A really stupid one called Hijack, about a plane that gets hijacked, if you couldn’t figure that out from the title. It was kind of stupid timing – I saw it on 9/11 without even realizing the significance, and also it was the night before I had to take a domestic flight in India. And I’m not a big fan of flying already. But whatever, it was entertaining enough, and again the plot was suitably contrived so I could follow without subtitles. My comprehension is getting better though, honestly. I can understand about 25% of what’s being said, I’d guess. But it’s not overly helpful. For example, I might hear a sentence, but I’d understand it like this: “Oh my god! Raj and Rohit are ---- to ---- and ----!” So I get that something is happening but I don’t know what. My vocabulary is limited to food, objects around the house, and overused words from songs. I must work on that.
But anyway – Delhi! I landed Friday afternoon, then proceeded to hang out in the domestic airport for about 5 hours. I made a friend named Amit who helped me out and let me use his phone. (What’s with random Amits helping us out in airports?) I was stuck waiting for a few hours because I wasn’t sure when Erica was supposed to be flying in from Hyderabad so I was waiting to hear from her. She missed the last flight out though, and had to come in Saturday morning. So her mother-in-law picked me up from the airport, which was extremely nice, and brought me back to their apartment, and the next morning we went back to pick up Erica.
So, Erica and I are reunited, and the fun begins, right? We’ve been staying with her in-laws for the last few days. They’ve been feeding us home-cooked Indian food every day, and letting us ride around with a private car and driver, which seems really fancy to me but is actually a pretty common thing for people to have here. On Saturday night, our plan was to meet up with Erica’s friend Sahira, then go out for dinner and to some bars/clubs. Obviously, this didn’t work out. We found out about the bombings right when we were pulling up to Sahira’s. So we stayed the night there, but didn’t go anywhere. It was still a good night though, and Erica and I have some funny videos to post. On Sunday, we went to Connaught Place to do some shopping with Erica’s father-in-law. A couple of the bombs went off in that area, and one bomb was found and defused in the park at the center of the shopping area. So there were police everywhere, and a few million news vans.
We went back there again today to meet our friend Sid for lunch. Originally we planned to have a few other meetings while in Delhi, but everything has gotten a bit messed up and disorganized after the bomb stuff happened, so we’ve been taking it easy here. We met with Erica’s father-in-law again later on and we all went for coffee. The guys at the coffee shop screwed up at first and gave our order to the wrong table. Then my drink had a fly in it. So Erica’s father-in-law got irritated and yelled at the coffee shop guy... and you have to imagine this, he’s a really big man, like 6 feet and several inches, and he calls the poor waiter guy over and is like “Do the flies come free with the chocolate?” It was simultaneously embarrassing and hilarious. He totally chewed out the coffee shop staff, but by the end of it everyone was laughing, even the waiter was fighting not to laugh. I had sympathy for the coffee guys, of course.
We also did a bit of street shopping. Erica is pretty hardcore when she bargains. It’s a big change from shopping with Micah last time. I made a video of that too, will post whenever I get a chance.
OH. Ugh. One more story. Last night on the way home, we stopped at this outdoor fruit and vegetable market. They also had a meat market. Erica was making a video, and we wandered into the meat market. This was a very, very fresh meat market. As in, you point to which live chicken you want, and they cut off the head and de-feather it, cut it up right in front of you. We were a bit slow to realize what was happening. Erica was focused on making her video, when suddenly the guy she was recording chopped the head off a chicken right in front of her. She swore loudly and ran away. The meat guys found this all very funny.
Anyway, tonight we fly back to Mumbai. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to catch up on posting photos and videos when we get there.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
delhi bomb blasts
Erica and I are currently in Delhi. If you've seen the news on TV or online, you've maybe seen that there have just been 5 bomb blasts in Delhi. In the downtown, market areas, etc. Erica and I are currently at her friend Sahira's house - we were all about to go out for dinner, but obviously we are going nowhere at the moment. We are just sitting here watching the TV. Right now it says 18 people have been killed and 90 injured. One of the blasts happened at a market about 10 minutes away from us right now. This is all really scary. But anyway, I am posting because Erica and I are safe. I don't know what we'll be doing for the next few days. Probably just staying inside, since we can't go anywhere at the moment. We had plans to go back to Bombay on the 17th but not sure what the situation will be, or when we can actually travel. I'll post again if I get internet access in the next few days and can find out more about what's happening or what we'll be doing.
Apparently there was a 12 year old boy carrying one of the bombs. This is just really scary. :(
*hugs* to everyone at home.
Apparently there was a 12 year old boy carrying one of the bombs. This is just really scary. :(
*hugs* to everyone at home.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
MONSOON!
Holy crap. When it rains here, it seriously rains. I just got caught for 20 minutes in a downpour, and when I got back to my hotel, I had to wring out all my clothes in the bathroom. I was soaked through to my underwear. Crazy. To be honest, it's not any worse than some of the rainstorms we've been having in Nova Scotia recently. It just lasts a bit longer. And it's hot out so it's kind of fun. Everyone here is prepared for it to rain at any second, so they all carry umbrellas. But I am not so prepared, and so I get wet.
Anyway, in contrast to yesterday's post, which was largely negative, I have decided to post some things I like about India. I'll try to keep it short, since talking about nice things is boring. I love the food - I am stuffing myself silly on the best food in the whole world. I love that they have like 50 different TV channels that play nothing but Bollywood movies and songs all the time. I love that I can go see all the movies in the theatres with lots of people who are also excited about them. I like that I can buy any DVD I want here for cheap... haha, enough with the Bollywood related stuff. I like the smell here - well, not the third world smell that you sometimes get (even though that's part of the experience), but the other one that's kind of a mix of incense and yummy food cooking. I like that there are a million colors everywhere, and everyone's clothes are so pretty. Nothing is boring or bland in that regard, ever. I like that no matter where I go, there are always nice people who are willing to help me if I have any trouble. I even like the heat and humidity here - heat suits me anyway, and even the humidity is much more tolerable than it is at home, though I don't know why. The climate makes my skin much nicer. Weird.
I like most things here, to be honest. Really the only thing I find frustrating is that I am incapable of blending in, and therefore am often subject to odd racial stereotypes. (I.e. white people are all rich and promiscuous). Anyway, I am trying to find a way around that. Today as an experiment I made it a point to dress particularly Indian (tunic type shirt down to my knees) and look like I knew where I was going. This seemed surprisingly effective. I didn't get a single pervy comment all day, street vendors didn't harass me, and the beggar children didn't chase me down the street. It was a really hassle-free day. Yay. :)
It was monsooning all afternoon which spoiled my plans to walk a gajillion miles to some gardens and a mosque, so I went to see a movie instead, which was called Rock On!! Fortunately for me, the plot was so contrived and unoriginal that I had no trouble at all following along. It was about a rock band that fell apart and then reformed 10 years later. They weren't a particularly badass rock band... the costume department dressed them all in classic rock and metal band t-shirts so they sort of looked the part, but there wasn't a tattoo or illegal drug in sight the whole movie. It was pretty tame stuff. Which is good, I suppose, since people brought small children with them. It was a suitably entertaining few hours though, and gave me a chance to work on my Hindi comprehension. And at one point during the show, some guy's phone rang and he answered it and started having a really loud conversation in the middle of the theatre. And then everyone started shouting at him, haha.
Sorry I keep posting so randomly. I am just killing a few days in Bombay before I meet Erica again in Delhi, so not much going on just yet. I am typing to amuse myself while it downpours outside! Now I will brave the water in search of dinner. Mmmmm.
Anyway, in contrast to yesterday's post, which was largely negative, I have decided to post some things I like about India. I'll try to keep it short, since talking about nice things is boring. I love the food - I am stuffing myself silly on the best food in the whole world. I love that they have like 50 different TV channels that play nothing but Bollywood movies and songs all the time. I love that I can go see all the movies in the theatres with lots of people who are also excited about them. I like that I can buy any DVD I want here for cheap... haha, enough with the Bollywood related stuff. I like the smell here - well, not the third world smell that you sometimes get (even though that's part of the experience), but the other one that's kind of a mix of incense and yummy food cooking. I like that there are a million colors everywhere, and everyone's clothes are so pretty. Nothing is boring or bland in that regard, ever. I like that no matter where I go, there are always nice people who are willing to help me if I have any trouble. I even like the heat and humidity here - heat suits me anyway, and even the humidity is much more tolerable than it is at home, though I don't know why. The climate makes my skin much nicer. Weird.
I like most things here, to be honest. Really the only thing I find frustrating is that I am incapable of blending in, and therefore am often subject to odd racial stereotypes. (I.e. white people are all rich and promiscuous). Anyway, I am trying to find a way around that. Today as an experiment I made it a point to dress particularly Indian (tunic type shirt down to my knees) and look like I knew where I was going. This seemed surprisingly effective. I didn't get a single pervy comment all day, street vendors didn't harass me, and the beggar children didn't chase me down the street. It was a really hassle-free day. Yay. :)
It was monsooning all afternoon which spoiled my plans to walk a gajillion miles to some gardens and a mosque, so I went to see a movie instead, which was called Rock On!! Fortunately for me, the plot was so contrived and unoriginal that I had no trouble at all following along. It was about a rock band that fell apart and then reformed 10 years later. They weren't a particularly badass rock band... the costume department dressed them all in classic rock and metal band t-shirts so they sort of looked the part, but there wasn't a tattoo or illegal drug in sight the whole movie. It was pretty tame stuff. Which is good, I suppose, since people brought small children with them. It was a suitably entertaining few hours though, and gave me a chance to work on my Hindi comprehension. And at one point during the show, some guy's phone rang and he answered it and started having a really loud conversation in the middle of the theatre. And then everyone started shouting at him, haha.
Sorry I keep posting so randomly. I am just killing a few days in Bombay before I meet Erica again in Delhi, so not much going on just yet. I am typing to amuse myself while it downpours outside! Now I will brave the water in search of dinner. Mmmmm.
Monday, September 8, 2008
mini-update from mumbai
I think I might have just broken my toe. I am not sure. How can you tell? Maybe it's not broken, because I am not in any pain at the moment, and it doesn't look broken. But this internet cafe is dark so I can't really tell. It's not even a good story - I was walking on the sidewalk and I tripped on a loose brick or something and hit it really hard. And then when I tried to put pressure on that toe to walk, it was excruciating pain. Maybe it is just fractured. I suppose it doesn't matter - there is nothing to be done for a broken toe anyway, right? Ugh.
I also just managed to get groped on the sidewalk. It's not a good day for me and the sidewalk! I'm normally pretty good at avoiding random gropings, because I keep as much distance as possible from sketchy men who are staring at me or following me, but this one I didn't see coming. This kid who looked no more than 12 totally grabbed my ass while I was walking by him! I would never have expected it - he was just a kid in a school uniform! And it was definitely intentional, no mistake about it. What a pervy kid. The lesson is, be on guard all the time, even around seemingly innocent looking school children.
Last night after I left the internet cafe and went for dinner, I walked around the Colaba area. I managed to get scouted for Bollywood within about 15 seconds. They were recruiting for a TV commercial, and a London nightclub scene for a movie. Neither of these were of particular interest. I am not familiar with the actress in the movie, and I don't feel like being made to wear a mini-skirt this time around. You see, now that I've worked with Amitabh Bachchan, I'm quite choosy about what roles I'll accept. Hahaha...ha...ha...
I also ran into my two favorite sketchbag Bollywood scouts from last time I was here! They both recognized me, which was weird. The creepy greasy one with the ponytail has actually cut his ponytail off, much to my dismay, because I was hoping to take a photo of him this time to show everyone what a Bollywood scout looks like. He did leave himself a glorious rat tail in the back though, so all is not lost. I have to find a way to ask for a photo without him interpreting that as a come-on. A guy at Leopold's (Mumbai's most famous restaurant/bar) also remembered me. Weird.
I am mostly avoiding that area of town for the rest of this trip though - too irritating. I got followed by 3 different guys wanting to take me for drinks. One of them got pissed off when I rejected his spontaneous marriage proposal and called me a slut in Hindi. It took me a minute or two to remember what the word meant though, so I missed the opportunity for a comeback. I'm ready next time though. (I should point out that my sexual harassment stories do not reflect all of Mumbai. It mostly just happens in Colaba because that's the tourist area so the perverts hang out there. Most of Mumbai I could walk around hassle-free.)
I am now going to try and figure out transport to Delhi. And then go to my hotel and decide if my toe really is broken. Ahh, my hotel has the scariest elevator ever. The stairs are closed so I have to take it, and it freaks me out a bit every time. It just seems... rickety. In the event of a fire I'd probably have to jump out the 4th floor window in the hallway. Eeeek.
Better stories and photos to come, I promise.
I also just managed to get groped on the sidewalk. It's not a good day for me and the sidewalk! I'm normally pretty good at avoiding random gropings, because I keep as much distance as possible from sketchy men who are staring at me or following me, but this one I didn't see coming. This kid who looked no more than 12 totally grabbed my ass while I was walking by him! I would never have expected it - he was just a kid in a school uniform! And it was definitely intentional, no mistake about it. What a pervy kid. The lesson is, be on guard all the time, even around seemingly innocent looking school children.
Last night after I left the internet cafe and went for dinner, I walked around the Colaba area. I managed to get scouted for Bollywood within about 15 seconds. They were recruiting for a TV commercial, and a London nightclub scene for a movie. Neither of these were of particular interest. I am not familiar with the actress in the movie, and I don't feel like being made to wear a mini-skirt this time around. You see, now that I've worked with Amitabh Bachchan, I'm quite choosy about what roles I'll accept. Hahaha...ha...ha...
I also ran into my two favorite sketchbag Bollywood scouts from last time I was here! They both recognized me, which was weird. The creepy greasy one with the ponytail has actually cut his ponytail off, much to my dismay, because I was hoping to take a photo of him this time to show everyone what a Bollywood scout looks like. He did leave himself a glorious rat tail in the back though, so all is not lost. I have to find a way to ask for a photo without him interpreting that as a come-on. A guy at Leopold's (Mumbai's most famous restaurant/bar) also remembered me. Weird.
I am mostly avoiding that area of town for the rest of this trip though - too irritating. I got followed by 3 different guys wanting to take me for drinks. One of them got pissed off when I rejected his spontaneous marriage proposal and called me a slut in Hindi. It took me a minute or two to remember what the word meant though, so I missed the opportunity for a comeback. I'm ready next time though. (I should point out that my sexual harassment stories do not reflect all of Mumbai. It mostly just happens in Colaba because that's the tourist area so the perverts hang out there. Most of Mumbai I could walk around hassle-free.)
I am now going to try and figure out transport to Delhi. And then go to my hotel and decide if my toe really is broken. Ahh, my hotel has the scariest elevator ever. The stairs are closed so I have to take it, and it freaks me out a bit every time. It just seems... rickety. In the event of a fire I'd probably have to jump out the 4th floor window in the hallway. Eeeek.
Better stories and photos to come, I promise.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
mumbai/bombay - take 2!
AHHHHH. For anyone who didn't happen to read my last blog, or perhaps just skimmed it and missed this info - I am currently in Bombay. INDIA! Again! It feels SO strange to be back here. Things are familiar, I know my way around, I am even using the same internet cafe I used last March. Which makes me feel like I am not really here, but actually just wandering around in a dream or something. It's a bit surreal, I don't believe I am actually here again so soon. I am very very jet lagged and haven't had a proper meal in a day and a half though, so everything seems a bit foggy.
I left Halifax on Friday afternoon. Some planes there were practicing tricks (for an air show coming up, I assume) and we got to watch a fighter jet doing fancy spins while we were waiting on the plane to leave. In Newark I met up with Erica (who is my travel buddy this time) and we managed to kill the 6 hours of layover by eating and walking excessively around the terminal.
The 15 hour flight over here was fine, except it just felt like night the whole time. We left at night, then it turned into daylight as we were going over the ocean, but all the windows were shut so it seemed dark and everyone went to sleep. Then when everyone woke up, it was getting dark again outside, and we landed at night in Bombay. So I just feel like I had a really long Friday night and missed Saturday completely.
But the plane ride itself was fun - Erica and I were sitting next to a guy named Amit, who became our friend right away. We all shared similar tastes in Bollywood stars. He was on his way to India for his wedding, and invited us to come, but it's in Chennai which is quite far South so we couldn't make it. But there is a reception in Bombay on the 21st, which we're definitely planning to attend. He met his wife-to-be on an internet dating website! The other highlight of the plane ride was the view. Mostly it was dark the whole time or too cloudy to see, but in a few places it was clear and we had an incredible view. I got a good look at the deserts and mountains of Turkmenistan, of all places. Here are some in flight photos - Turkmenistan, fancy clouds, sunset, and the in-flight map that shows us coming in to India!
When we landed, we had the challenge of collecting all of Erica's luggage and hoping we didn't get hassled at customs. Amit stayed with us and helped us out, and also let us use his phone to call Erica's friends and relatives to try and figure out what to do with all the luggage. She realized, a bit too late, that the domestic airlines in India might not let her check in 4 suitcases.
In fairness, half the stuff she brought was for other people, but still! We bypassed customs, because the customs guys were lazy and just waved us by without checking. So Erica didn't have to explain why she was carrying multiple laptops and cell phones. (Gifts for family, actually.) Erica's friend Punit picked us up from the airport then, and because nothing was open that late (it was after midnight by this point) he just drove us around the city. Everything looks different here at the moment because they are in the middle of a big festival for Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god, so there are decorations and lights EVERYWHERE. Very pretty. It also started raining really hard while we were driving, with lightning. It didn't rain once the entire time I was in India in March, so this is kind of a novelty. Also - Bollywood moment! We saw John Abraham's car. John is a very attractive male model turned Bollywood star. Celebrity cars - how exciting! Don't worry, I'm (half) joking.
Finally Punit dropped us off at the Domestic airport so Erica could catch her flight to Hyderabad. We stopped in a parking lot so Erica could rearrange some of her luggage and transfer some of it into a suitcase she didn't need right away and could leave behind with Punit in Bombay. You have to imagine, it's 3am and she has got half her suitcase dumped out on the ground in the parking lot. Actually, it was mostly shoes. Hilarious.
We waited for many hours for Erica's flight, then I waited a few more hours and phoned some hotels. I finally found a decent one, and so I am staying here for a few days on my own until I meet up with Erica again in Delhi, probably around the 10th.
All is well here, India is pretty much like I remember it. A cockroach tried to attack me in the airport bathroom by falling on my head but it missed my face by an inch. I also got cheated pretty bad by a taxi driver who charged me double the fare (his "meter" was definitely broken), but I was soooo tired and dying to find my hotel so I didn't bother to argue with him like I normally would have. And everywhere I go, young men stare at me and yell out "Hello Madam!" so it's all the same as before, really. It's fun, but will be a bit better once I've slept, for sure.
Now I will go locate a restaurant and eat some Indian food. I'll write again once I've done something more interesting than just land here and find a hotel, haha.
I left Halifax on Friday afternoon. Some planes there were practicing tricks (for an air show coming up, I assume) and we got to watch a fighter jet doing fancy spins while we were waiting on the plane to leave. In Newark I met up with Erica (who is my travel buddy this time) and we managed to kill the 6 hours of layover by eating and walking excessively around the terminal.
The 15 hour flight over here was fine, except it just felt like night the whole time. We left at night, then it turned into daylight as we were going over the ocean, but all the windows were shut so it seemed dark and everyone went to sleep. Then when everyone woke up, it was getting dark again outside, and we landed at night in Bombay. So I just feel like I had a really long Friday night and missed Saturday completely.
But the plane ride itself was fun - Erica and I were sitting next to a guy named Amit, who became our friend right away. We all shared similar tastes in Bollywood stars. He was on his way to India for his wedding, and invited us to come, but it's in Chennai which is quite far South so we couldn't make it. But there is a reception in Bombay on the 21st, which we're definitely planning to attend. He met his wife-to-be on an internet dating website! The other highlight of the plane ride was the view. Mostly it was dark the whole time or too cloudy to see, but in a few places it was clear and we had an incredible view. I got a good look at the deserts and mountains of Turkmenistan, of all places. Here are some in flight photos - Turkmenistan, fancy clouds, sunset, and the in-flight map that shows us coming in to India!
When we landed, we had the challenge of collecting all of Erica's luggage and hoping we didn't get hassled at customs. Amit stayed with us and helped us out, and also let us use his phone to call Erica's friends and relatives to try and figure out what to do with all the luggage. She realized, a bit too late, that the domestic airlines in India might not let her check in 4 suitcases.
In fairness, half the stuff she brought was for other people, but still! We bypassed customs, because the customs guys were lazy and just waved us by without checking. So Erica didn't have to explain why she was carrying multiple laptops and cell phones. (Gifts for family, actually.) Erica's friend Punit picked us up from the airport then, and because nothing was open that late (it was after midnight by this point) he just drove us around the city. Everything looks different here at the moment because they are in the middle of a big festival for Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god, so there are decorations and lights EVERYWHERE. Very pretty. It also started raining really hard while we were driving, with lightning. It didn't rain once the entire time I was in India in March, so this is kind of a novelty. Also - Bollywood moment! We saw John Abraham's car. John is a very attractive male model turned Bollywood star. Celebrity cars - how exciting! Don't worry, I'm (half) joking.
Finally Punit dropped us off at the Domestic airport so Erica could catch her flight to Hyderabad. We stopped in a parking lot so Erica could rearrange some of her luggage and transfer some of it into a suitcase she didn't need right away and could leave behind with Punit in Bombay. You have to imagine, it's 3am and she has got half her suitcase dumped out on the ground in the parking lot. Actually, it was mostly shoes. Hilarious.
We waited for many hours for Erica's flight, then I waited a few more hours and phoned some hotels. I finally found a decent one, and so I am staying here for a few days on my own until I meet up with Erica again in Delhi, probably around the 10th.
All is well here, India is pretty much like I remember it. A cockroach tried to attack me in the airport bathroom by falling on my head but it missed my face by an inch. I also got cheated pretty bad by a taxi driver who charged me double the fare (his "meter" was definitely broken), but I was soooo tired and dying to find my hotel so I didn't bother to argue with him like I normally would have. And everywhere I go, young men stare at me and yell out "Hello Madam!" so it's all the same as before, really. It's fun, but will be a bit better once I've slept, for sure.
Now I will go locate a restaurant and eat some Indian food. I'll write again once I've done something more interesting than just land here and find a hotel, haha.
Monday, September 1, 2008
maiden voyage of the milky dream
The travel blog becomes a travel blog once again! It's about time. Many things are happening in the near future. But before I talk about those things, I'll first show you some pictures. My brother recently purchased a sailboat, which was a dream of his for some time. Someday he will circumnavigate the globe. But for now, he just sails around the Halifax Harbour. Last week, I had the privilege of being on the boat when it had its maiden voyage. I didn't actually know it was the maiden voyage, and that he and my sister had never attempted to sail it before, or I probably wouldn't have gone. I was tricked. But it was pretty awesome, except that I thought we were going to tip over several times and I screamed. I'm lame. My sister used to be a sailing instructor though, so she probably knew what she was doing.
Random funny story about the boat. When my sister first saw it, it was from a distance. She was struggling to read the name of the boat on the side, which actually is Misty Dawn. But because she's a bit special, she thought it said Milky Dream. Ever since, we've called it the Milky Dream, which is a much better name than Misty Dawn anyway. So, here be photos.
1. I wear the hat. I steer the boat.
2. Brother Adrian hides in the cabin.
3. View from the top with the crew down below.
4. Pretty view from the boat.
5. Cheers to the Milky Dream.
6. Totally unrelated photo of my dog putting his face out the car window.
Okay, so, in travel-related news... I am working seriously on the whole teaching-in-Korea thing. I've applied and have interviewed for a few jobs. The interview process is exhausting because I have to operate on Korean business time, which is 12 hours ahead of my time, meaning I end up having phone interviews at midnight. And since I get up at 4:30am for work most days, this doesn't really put me at my best. But whatever. I've had 2 actual job offers so far. The first one I didn't accept because the pay wasn't great and they deducted a lot more from the pay for stupid reasons. The second job I'm still debating, but I think will likely turn it down. It seems like a decent school and it's in a great area of Seoul, but the contract is pretty sketchy. I tried to discuss the contract with the boss but he wasn't very helpful. I asked him to change a few things (basically I asked him to write in the rates of things deducted from my pay, like taxes, pension, etc.) and he did not. He "revised" the contract and sent it back to me with minimal changes. He also lowered the pay offer without mentioning it. Not cool. And also he wants me to teach kindergarten for a million hours a day, which is a bit too intense for me. Older children would suit me better. So the point of this massive paragraph is that I am still looking for a job in Korea and I am aiming to get there and start work around early November. We'll see what happens.
Now, if you've read this far, it's about to get a bit more interesting. In a sudden burst of last-minuteness, I am going back to India. Very soon. On Friday, actually. As in, about 3 days from now. This doesn't seem quite real to me yet. It all came about sort of suddenly. My friend Erica decided she was going to India, for a number of exciting reasons which I won't babble on about here yet, and she invited me to come with her. Many factors were involved in making this decision, but basically I couldn't pass it up and so I bought a plane ticket. We are meeting up in Newark on Friday and departing for Bombay on Friday night. We'll be there for 3 weeks, and I'll be back home again on Sept. 30th. I'll mostly be in Bombay, Delhi, and Hyderabad. We have tentative plans, but only tentative because the best thing to do in India, really, is just go with the flow once you're there. We'll really be going with the flow because it's still monsoon season over there. Eek. Anyway, I'll maintain the blog as much as possible, and Erica and I have plans to video blog too! So, watch this space. ;)
And, one last exciting thing - I have cut all my hair off! I have been keeping it long for ages, in hopes that it might look like this:
But then I accepted that this would never happen. So I cut it all off and it's a million times better and I love it. Here is a before and after picture.
This blog has been all over the place. More to come very very soon.
Random funny story about the boat. When my sister first saw it, it was from a distance. She was struggling to read the name of the boat on the side, which actually is Misty Dawn. But because she's a bit special, she thought it said Milky Dream. Ever since, we've called it the Milky Dream, which is a much better name than Misty Dawn anyway. So, here be photos.
1. I wear the hat. I steer the boat.
2. Brother Adrian hides in the cabin.
3. View from the top with the crew down below.
4. Pretty view from the boat.
5. Cheers to the Milky Dream.
6. Totally unrelated photo of my dog putting his face out the car window.
Okay, so, in travel-related news... I am working seriously on the whole teaching-in-Korea thing. I've applied and have interviewed for a few jobs. The interview process is exhausting because I have to operate on Korean business time, which is 12 hours ahead of my time, meaning I end up having phone interviews at midnight. And since I get up at 4:30am for work most days, this doesn't really put me at my best. But whatever. I've had 2 actual job offers so far. The first one I didn't accept because the pay wasn't great and they deducted a lot more from the pay for stupid reasons. The second job I'm still debating, but I think will likely turn it down. It seems like a decent school and it's in a great area of Seoul, but the contract is pretty sketchy. I tried to discuss the contract with the boss but he wasn't very helpful. I asked him to change a few things (basically I asked him to write in the rates of things deducted from my pay, like taxes, pension, etc.) and he did not. He "revised" the contract and sent it back to me with minimal changes. He also lowered the pay offer without mentioning it. Not cool. And also he wants me to teach kindergarten for a million hours a day, which is a bit too intense for me. Older children would suit me better. So the point of this massive paragraph is that I am still looking for a job in Korea and I am aiming to get there and start work around early November. We'll see what happens.
Now, if you've read this far, it's about to get a bit more interesting. In a sudden burst of last-minuteness, I am going back to India. Very soon. On Friday, actually. As in, about 3 days from now. This doesn't seem quite real to me yet. It all came about sort of suddenly. My friend Erica decided she was going to India, for a number of exciting reasons which I won't babble on about here yet, and she invited me to come with her. Many factors were involved in making this decision, but basically I couldn't pass it up and so I bought a plane ticket. We are meeting up in Newark on Friday and departing for Bombay on Friday night. We'll be there for 3 weeks, and I'll be back home again on Sept. 30th. I'll mostly be in Bombay, Delhi, and Hyderabad. We have tentative plans, but only tentative because the best thing to do in India, really, is just go with the flow once you're there. We'll really be going with the flow because it's still monsoon season over there. Eek. Anyway, I'll maintain the blog as much as possible, and Erica and I have plans to video blog too! So, watch this space. ;)
And, one last exciting thing - I have cut all my hair off! I have been keeping it long for ages, in hopes that it might look like this:
But then I accepted that this would never happen. So I cut it all off and it's a million times better and I love it. Here is a before and after picture.
This blog has been all over the place. More to come very very soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
