I actually can't believe it is the 9th August today and that also means I have a few days to catch up on. I am not sure if I should just do one big blog, or break it down. I think I will just see how this goes and then decide.
So today I am going to Daisy, the post office, the travel agent and really I should go to the gym and do some exercise. I am failing miserably on this and the prospect of doing a 10K at some point in CA is rapidly diminishing! Maybe now I have publicly announced this it might help?! Do I need a question mark there?
So, Friday night we went to Jalsa, that's the restaurant where I first ate with my hands and I have to say I think I have improved! We went with another couple who are here for a year from Singapore-Olivier is French and Muhan is Chinese and then there is Detlef too who I have mentioned as one of MT's colleagues from CA but he's actually from Germany originally. See this is the really neat thing about going to other countries because not only do you get to meet people from the country you are visiting/living in but you get to meet other people from all over the world and learn about them too.
Drank too much wine, although it was only three glasses, and on Saturday morning when we had to get up earlyish to go to the flower show I had to deny my feeling of roughness! To be honest I felt dehydrated and a bit grumpy but did my best to move on!
The flower show-we were told it only happens twice a year so well worth a look. I was more fascinated with the people than with the flowers. The saris and clothes are equally if not more beautiful than some of the flowers. I think also because we come from the Uk/ England we have been spoiled for beautiful flowers and gardens at out parents and shows that this was not as amazing as others thought. I hope this does not sound bad and like I did not appreciate what I saw.
I was impressed though with the huge India arch made of flowers. The glass house seemed a little too hot for me and think that's maybe why some of the flowers were not in their full glory because they had wilted. There were lots of orchids, very beautiful. I have always managed to kill the ones I have had but I have got two friends who both seem to manage to keep them alive-must be doing something wrong!
There were a few stalls outside selling gifts and flowers and plants including aloe juice and there was also a stand selling natural cockroach killer! And a white spider landed on me too, on my head, where it came from really not sure and there were super sized ants that landed on Muhan and MT. Oh it did tickle me that one of the flowers was called something like cockscombe!!!
Whilst we are on creepy crawlies, something has also bitten me again. It's on the underside of my elbow and my concern is that its going to swell up like when we went on Year 8 camp a few years ago. My arm looked like I had elephantitus, no idea how to spell that, and felt like it was on fire. It does not seem to have got any bigger today but my it itches bad! I guess on the plus side the one on the boney bit of my ankle has gone-hooray!
So after our trip to Bangalore's botanical gardens we went S's house for lunch-he's kind of MTs boss here. It was a really lovely afternoon. They have two twin daughters age 10 months and his wife is lovely too. Her name begins with a P I am sure but I cannot remember how to say it-I will have to ask and I hope that will be okay. They lived in CA for a number of years and they seem to have fused together the best of Indian and American. I said that I liked some wooden bowls that they had and the funny thing was is that they had bought them in America!!!
So we had an assortment of yummy Indian appetizers and then for lunch some more tasty Indian dishes-some veg and some non veg. There was a dhal dish, I think that's lentils and cauliflower and chicken and rice and paneer. Oh and this roti I like because it is thin and makes it easy to use to pick up your food and because its thin it does not fill you up too much. It's a bit like a handkerchief.
Yesterday afternoon I went with Detlef to do some shopping-he needed to get a few things. I can't remember the area, Taminahalli maybe? It's super busy on the street with food and trinkets being sold, cars beeping their horns, autorickshaws, cows, people. They are also more western style shops so you get a mixture of Indian people there some dressed traditionally and some in clothes more like we'd wear. But I have to say that most women I see are dressed in quite traditional clothing or at least a fusion of east meets west.
While I was sat in the opticians, yes the opticians in India I had a good chance to really observe some things. Firstly there was a lady and she was wearing a kurtur, dupatta, that's the scarf so I have got that wrong in some of my past blogs and salwars, the loose fitting trousers. It was very nicely put together. The scarf matched the trousers and the top had the same trim as the scarf and trousers. The top was black, knee length and the pattern was kind of paisley in a variety of colors. If I have the chance to have something made again here I may well opt for something like that. I am not sure it would look quite the same on me as she was rather stunning with long black hair, beautiful dark skin and just a few pieces of gold accessories-earings and bangles. Oh and yellow flowers in her hair too which was braided.
We looked at a number of beautiful materials and patterns in the market place too-I cannot believe all of the patterns and colors and how inexpensive it all is. It's like being in Aladdin's cave! Seriously, if anyone reading this is coming to India just bring a few clothes and have it all made here. If I had known what I know now then I so would have done that.
I also had the chance to watch the pani puri man creating his pani puris. So he takes the thing that looks like a profiterole, then makes a hole in it with his fingers, then stuffs it with some potato looking filling and then puts some liquid in it which I think is like a sweet water. Then it's handed to the customer in a little metal bowl. Most of the people buying them ate two, then paid, wiped their hands on a small piece of newspaper given to them by the vendor that I imagine he must have spent time cutting up because all of the edges were rather neat.
Saw my first rat, saw two men having a brawl which is not the first time here thinking back to the waterfall day and bought a hair clip with bells!!! Went for Chinese, it was not so good but finished the evening with a mint choc chip ice cream because that's the ice cream our Grandpa would have when we went to the seaside and who I hope in some kind of way is with me on this adventure!
And hear I shall end because if its too long it might be a little boring and I already feel I may have perhaps overdone it with the pani puri man!!!:)
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