Monday, February 28, 2005
February's Update from Bangalore
Tuesday, February 2, 2005
Took Charlie to the local photographer, G.K. Vale, to have his one year photos taken. He was a less than willing customer. It was tough to get a shot of him without my arm showing in the photo, and I don't think there was a shot with a true smile. Somebody pointed out later that girls are usually more in love with the camera lens, but I hadn't thought of that.
Wednesday, February 3, 2005
Had my first Indian teeth cleaning at Lavelle Dental. It was recommended by one of Maya's classmate's mom. It's the same place Mom went last month to have lots of work done. After the ultrasonic cleaning, my teeth felt cleaner than ever. I'd never had that method used in the U.S., and it definitely seems effective, if irritating to the ears.
February 6, 2005
Ahh! Light at the end of the tunnel. Badri comes home tomorrow after three weeks away. It'll be very nice to have him back. Maya has a calendar next to her bed where she's x-ing off every day that goes by until there's a smiley face on the 7th of Feb.
We had a nice day today. Went to the local mall (about 30 minutes drive away) where they have a "KidZone"--a large light-filled room with toy cars, playhouses, ball bins, etc. for the kids to play in. You pay 70 rupees ($1.50 U.S.) per child for one hour. Met a few friends there with their kids, the same friends I went out to dinner with a couple weeks ago. Aarthi is British, of Indian descent, and she has a girl and a boy Maya and Molly's ages (4 and 2); Laura is American with 2 boys, 3 and 1 years old; and Nicola is British with one girl, Jasmine, who's 16 months. The kids had a blast and Maya and Karishma, Aarthi's 4 year old, really hit it off.
After the KidZone we had our first Indian McDonald's (as in the "Golden Arches") experience. Absolutely no difference from the Americana version. It was Charlie's first McDonald's ever, and he enjoyed the fish filet.
Monday, February 7, 2005
Went to my first ever Muslim wedding. Our watchman, Beig's, daughter was getting married. It was held at a wedding hall of sorts and was interesting in that the bride and groom went through two separate ceremonies in different rooms. Didn't get to see a lot of the ceremony because Charlie and Molly were there, it was very warm, and neither of them were in a mood to be there. They were pinched on the cheek a record number of times by other guests. It is the custom here, as well as strangers trying to take children in their arms. I've had to start telling people (or have it translated for me) that "she doesn't like to be touched by strangers" because so many people try to grab Molly and she screams!
Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005
Went to a store called KempFort and bought some plastic playground equipment for the front yard: a slide, a seesaw, and a rocking horse that flips over into a desk. The local park closes between 10:30 am and 4 pm, so that will give us more options when the kids are restless and we're all going stir-crazy.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Badri and I went on a early Valentine's day date tonight to Cosmo Village. It's a three story restaurant/bar. Badri'd heard about it from work--a couple people say it's the best restaurant in town. We got a lovely corner table on the top floor terrace and really enjoyed ourselves. Huge menu with interesting collection of dishes: Thai, French, Indian, Mexican, etc.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Today we all went to FunWorld for a couple hours. It's an amusement park that we went to back when we first arrived in Bangalore. At first we thought it was closed because there were no cars in the parking lot. Turns out nobody comes until 5 pm and after, and we arrived at 3 pm. We had most of the rides to ourselves. A little strange.
Maya was in heaven going on the rides, but Molly and Charlie were a bit hesitant. Molly's favorites were anything to do with water--she really loved the paddle boat ride. She didn't want to do it at first, but then she saw me with Maya and that convinced her. The only ride Charlie went on was the carousel, but I ended up holding him in my arms for most of it.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Went to a fun 40th birthday party of an English friend, Denise. She lives out in Whitefield, in a gated community called "White Acres", and wouldn't you know, of 30 people, Badri was the only Indian! It was definitely an expat party, with mostly Irish, English, and Americans there. They had a barbecue with beef and mutton kebabs, green salad, baked potatoes in foil, and plenty to drink--very unusual fare for India.
There were British pub games, such as one where you'd have a golf ball dropped in your glass and be told to drink "two fingers" if you happened to be holding your drink in the wrong hand. By midnight some of the guys were playing rugby in the backyard, and as we were leaving we heard the sound of breaking glass--all were having a heckuva good time.
Monday, February 21
Badri went to Calcutta and Bombay for a business trip yesterday and is due back tomorrow.
Our cook, Vani, is now two months pregnant, which is very exciting. This is her second child, and she's really hoping for a girl (her first is a boy). Unfortunately, she's been out sick the last couple days with what sounds like a stomach virus that's going around. Our friend Emily was in town last week, and she was hit particularly badly with something bacterial that really knocked her out. She came to dinner at our place one night, and we went shopping at Fabindia, an amazing store that sells hand-woven and hand-printed fabrics sourced from villages all over India. This is one of a few stores I try to bring visitors to see.
We have yet a new driver. His name is Melvin and he seems very good. Our last temporary driver broke our favorite lightweight stroller, which wasn't really the worst of it. I wish there was a way I could give an eye test to every driver we try out. Babu (the stroller-breaker) squinted a lot and hunched over the steering wheel--not a good sign.
Gearing up for another four-day trip to the beach in Goa on the west coast of India. I am SO excited to see the ocean. I was thinking I've never lived so far from the sea for so long in my life, but then I remembered I lived in Bolivia and didn't see the ocean for a whole year!
The kids love the new front yard and it gives us an excuse not to go to the local park so often. Charlie's at a tough age, though, where you can't sit back and just enjoy watching the kids play. He wants to pull out flowers or crawl up on the patio steps and push the strollers over the edge. Our friend Emily reminded me of what my Mom told us when she was in town last month--that we had a dozen diefenbachia (dumb cane) plants in the yard which are poisonous. Beig (our gardener/watchman) pulled them out last week. After looking at a list of poisonous plants, I see potato vines and foliage are also harmful (produce severe digestive and nervous disorders), so we'd better pull that out, too (Beig planted some potatoes and a papaya tree in the yard).
Monday, February 28, 2005
Just came back from Goa, a beach town on the western coast of India. Goa was once a colony of the Portuguese who only left in 1961 (easy to remember--my birthyear). We went there back in Oct. and loved it so much we decided we'd go it again. This time stayed at a place called Taj Holiday Village, and it was phenomenal. We stayed in a seaview cottage with two interconnecting rooms. Later found out that it's the nicest spot on the property (I was wondering why all the staff keep asking us if we liked our room--I suppose they wanted to know whether we appreciated it).
We brought Celine Auntie (our nanny) with us again. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to go out for dinner each of the three nights. Badri and I went out for a lovely dinner the first night, to the Beach House. This place has Goan seafood which we tried--Badri the prawns (shrimp) and I the fish in a yogurt/coriander sauce. Heavenly. Also tried the local toddy, fenny, which is made from cashew or palm. The waiter recommended we have "Old Man Francis", a cocktail made with the fenny, and we loved it!
The second night, I went next door to the Fort Aguada Hotel to have dinner with some British friends who are also living in Bangalore for a couple years. Marian and Phil are here for a couple years with their son Benedict, who's almost two. Marian runs the Reuters operation that is in the same building as Badri's office, and Phil is a stay-at-home dad. Badri was a bit under the weather (caught some throat thing from a colleague at work) so was unable to join us. Phil's parents, Eileen and Dan, were visiting from England and had dinner with us. Dan's family is from County Mayo in Ireland, just like my mother's grandfather. Such a small world. Also, Dan and Eileen took a vacation in California and basically went to the same places Badri and I did on our honeymoon--Monterey, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Napa and Sonoma, San Francisco.
For dinner on the last night, Badri and I went to Brittos on Baga Beach in Goa, a place about a 20 minute drive away, with tables on the sand right at the beach. Had yummy Goan seafood again. Walked part of the way home and had a good view of the night life.
Every evening the children had dinner in Jungle Jam, a restaurant specifically for kids that's right next to the playground and playroom. They serve the usual kiddie fare (pizza, burgers, etc.), but also some yummy healthy food that the kids enjoyed, like chicken with spinach sauce and dal and rice.
Spent most of the time at the beach and in the pool. While poolside on Saturday with Marian, Phil and Benedict, we hung out with Boris Becker, the famous tennis player (won Wimbledon in 1984 at 17 years old!). Actually, I wouldn't have had a clue it was Boris, but Phil and Marian suspected and confirmed it. He was at the pool bar with a few friends. The following day, a helicopter was flying very low overhead and somebody pointed up and said, "That's Boris's copter."
Stargazing aside, we had a terrific time. Maya drank a good portion of the pool, but is having a great time "learning" to swim. Charlie and Molly are both water rats, too. I spent quite a bit of time standing in the ocean holding Molly. She didn't want to get out and walk or sit in the ocean, but really wanted to be in it with Mom.
One morning hired a small boat for half an hour and saw dolphins playing close to us. Badri and I were very tempted to go parasailing, but put it off until it was too late (might have chickened out in the end, myself). I went for a heavenly massage: first a half hour scrub with sea salt and turmeric, followed by a shower, then an hour long aroma massage with ylang ylang oil. The following day Badri had a massage right on the beach for a fraction of the price and said he enjoyed his, too.
I know there are so many places to see in India, but we really love Goa and would love to go back sometime. Would really love to go back in time and see it the way it was 40 years ago, a laid back hippie hangout. Badri actually went there about 20 years ago when it was still pretty undeveloped. Oh, what happens to all these beautiful places...
And with that, I wish you a happy March.
Charli'e first birthday
Maya and Molly at local park
Nannie and Charlie
Maya
Mama sandwich
Molly ready for the monsoon season
Charlie after his first haircut
Maya in our front yard
Sabzi wallah (vegetable seller) in front of the house with Vani (cook) and Maya
Multicultural Day at Maya's school (Maya is in orange)
Molly (with new haircut) ready for the arctic winter
Big sister feeding little brother
Emily Auntie visiting from San Diego
Breakfast in Cafe Caravela on the beach in Goa
Dolphin off the bow
Our cottage at the Taj Holiday Village
Tuesday, February 2, 2005
Took Charlie to the local photographer, G.K. Vale, to have his one year photos taken. He was a less than willing customer. It was tough to get a shot of him without my arm showing in the photo, and I don't think there was a shot with a true smile. Somebody pointed out later that girls are usually more in love with the camera lens, but I hadn't thought of that.
Wednesday, February 3, 2005
Had my first Indian teeth cleaning at Lavelle Dental. It was recommended by one of Maya's classmate's mom. It's the same place Mom went last month to have lots of work done. After the ultrasonic cleaning, my teeth felt cleaner than ever. I'd never had that method used in the U.S., and it definitely seems effective, if irritating to the ears.
February 6, 2005
Ahh! Light at the end of the tunnel. Badri comes home tomorrow after three weeks away. It'll be very nice to have him back. Maya has a calendar next to her bed where she's x-ing off every day that goes by until there's a smiley face on the 7th of Feb.
We had a nice day today. Went to the local mall (about 30 minutes drive away) where they have a "KidZone"--a large light-filled room with toy cars, playhouses, ball bins, etc. for the kids to play in. You pay 70 rupees ($1.50 U.S.) per child for one hour. Met a few friends there with their kids, the same friends I went out to dinner with a couple weeks ago. Aarthi is British, of Indian descent, and she has a girl and a boy Maya and Molly's ages (4 and 2); Laura is American with 2 boys, 3 and 1 years old; and Nicola is British with one girl, Jasmine, who's 16 months. The kids had a blast and Maya and Karishma, Aarthi's 4 year old, really hit it off.
After the KidZone we had our first Indian McDonald's (as in the "Golden Arches") experience. Absolutely no difference from the Americana version. It was Charlie's first McDonald's ever, and he enjoyed the fish filet.
Monday, February 7, 2005
Went to my first ever Muslim wedding. Our watchman, Beig's, daughter was getting married. It was held at a wedding hall of sorts and was interesting in that the bride and groom went through two separate ceremonies in different rooms. Didn't get to see a lot of the ceremony because Charlie and Molly were there, it was very warm, and neither of them were in a mood to be there. They were pinched on the cheek a record number of times by other guests. It is the custom here, as well as strangers trying to take children in their arms. I've had to start telling people (or have it translated for me) that "she doesn't like to be touched by strangers" because so many people try to grab Molly and she screams!
Thursday, Feb. 10, 2005
Went to a store called KempFort and bought some plastic playground equipment for the front yard: a slide, a seesaw, and a rocking horse that flips over into a desk. The local park closes between 10:30 am and 4 pm, so that will give us more options when the kids are restless and we're all going stir-crazy.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Badri and I went on a early Valentine's day date tonight to Cosmo Village. It's a three story restaurant/bar. Badri'd heard about it from work--a couple people say it's the best restaurant in town. We got a lovely corner table on the top floor terrace and really enjoyed ourselves. Huge menu with interesting collection of dishes: Thai, French, Indian, Mexican, etc.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Today we all went to FunWorld for a couple hours. It's an amusement park that we went to back when we first arrived in Bangalore. At first we thought it was closed because there were no cars in the parking lot. Turns out nobody comes until 5 pm and after, and we arrived at 3 pm. We had most of the rides to ourselves. A little strange.
Maya was in heaven going on the rides, but Molly and Charlie were a bit hesitant. Molly's favorites were anything to do with water--she really loved the paddle boat ride. She didn't want to do it at first, but then she saw me with Maya and that convinced her. The only ride Charlie went on was the carousel, but I ended up holding him in my arms for most of it.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Went to a fun 40th birthday party of an English friend, Denise. She lives out in Whitefield, in a gated community called "White Acres", and wouldn't you know, of 30 people, Badri was the only Indian! It was definitely an expat party, with mostly Irish, English, and Americans there. They had a barbecue with beef and mutton kebabs, green salad, baked potatoes in foil, and plenty to drink--very unusual fare for India.
There were British pub games, such as one where you'd have a golf ball dropped in your glass and be told to drink "two fingers" if you happened to be holding your drink in the wrong hand. By midnight some of the guys were playing rugby in the backyard, and as we were leaving we heard the sound of breaking glass--all were having a heckuva good time.
Monday, February 21
Badri went to Calcutta and Bombay for a business trip yesterday and is due back tomorrow.
Our cook, Vani, is now two months pregnant, which is very exciting. This is her second child, and she's really hoping for a girl (her first is a boy). Unfortunately, she's been out sick the last couple days with what sounds like a stomach virus that's going around. Our friend Emily was in town last week, and she was hit particularly badly with something bacterial that really knocked her out. She came to dinner at our place one night, and we went shopping at Fabindia, an amazing store that sells hand-woven and hand-printed fabrics sourced from villages all over India. This is one of a few stores I try to bring visitors to see.
We have yet a new driver. His name is Melvin and he seems very good. Our last temporary driver broke our favorite lightweight stroller, which wasn't really the worst of it. I wish there was a way I could give an eye test to every driver we try out. Babu (the stroller-breaker) squinted a lot and hunched over the steering wheel--not a good sign.
Gearing up for another four-day trip to the beach in Goa on the west coast of India. I am SO excited to see the ocean. I was thinking I've never lived so far from the sea for so long in my life, but then I remembered I lived in Bolivia and didn't see the ocean for a whole year!
The kids love the new front yard and it gives us an excuse not to go to the local park so often. Charlie's at a tough age, though, where you can't sit back and just enjoy watching the kids play. He wants to pull out flowers or crawl up on the patio steps and push the strollers over the edge. Our friend Emily reminded me of what my Mom told us when she was in town last month--that we had a dozen diefenbachia (dumb cane) plants in the yard which are poisonous. Beig (our gardener/watchman) pulled them out last week. After looking at a list of poisonous plants, I see potato vines and foliage are also harmful (produce severe digestive and nervous disorders), so we'd better pull that out, too (Beig planted some potatoes and a papaya tree in the yard).
Monday, February 28, 2005
Just came back from Goa, a beach town on the western coast of India. Goa was once a colony of the Portuguese who only left in 1961 (easy to remember--my birthyear). We went there back in Oct. and loved it so much we decided we'd go it again. This time stayed at a place called Taj Holiday Village, and it was phenomenal. We stayed in a seaview cottage with two interconnecting rooms. Later found out that it's the nicest spot on the property (I was wondering why all the staff keep asking us if we liked our room--I suppose they wanted to know whether we appreciated it).
We brought Celine Auntie (our nanny) with us again. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to go out for dinner each of the three nights. Badri and I went out for a lovely dinner the first night, to the Beach House. This place has Goan seafood which we tried--Badri the prawns (shrimp) and I the fish in a yogurt/coriander sauce. Heavenly. Also tried the local toddy, fenny, which is made from cashew or palm. The waiter recommended we have "Old Man Francis", a cocktail made with the fenny, and we loved it!
The second night, I went next door to the Fort Aguada Hotel to have dinner with some British friends who are also living in Bangalore for a couple years. Marian and Phil are here for a couple years with their son Benedict, who's almost two. Marian runs the Reuters operation that is in the same building as Badri's office, and Phil is a stay-at-home dad. Badri was a bit under the weather (caught some throat thing from a colleague at work) so was unable to join us. Phil's parents, Eileen and Dan, were visiting from England and had dinner with us. Dan's family is from County Mayo in Ireland, just like my mother's grandfather. Such a small world. Also, Dan and Eileen took a vacation in California and basically went to the same places Badri and I did on our honeymoon--Monterey, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Napa and Sonoma, San Francisco.
For dinner on the last night, Badri and I went to Brittos on Baga Beach in Goa, a place about a 20 minute drive away, with tables on the sand right at the beach. Had yummy Goan seafood again. Walked part of the way home and had a good view of the night life.
Every evening the children had dinner in Jungle Jam, a restaurant specifically for kids that's right next to the playground and playroom. They serve the usual kiddie fare (pizza, burgers, etc.), but also some yummy healthy food that the kids enjoyed, like chicken with spinach sauce and dal and rice.
Spent most of the time at the beach and in the pool. While poolside on Saturday with Marian, Phil and Benedict, we hung out with Boris Becker, the famous tennis player (won Wimbledon in 1984 at 17 years old!). Actually, I wouldn't have had a clue it was Boris, but Phil and Marian suspected and confirmed it. He was at the pool bar with a few friends. The following day, a helicopter was flying very low overhead and somebody pointed up and said, "That's Boris's copter."
Stargazing aside, we had a terrific time. Maya drank a good portion of the pool, but is having a great time "learning" to swim. Charlie and Molly are both water rats, too. I spent quite a bit of time standing in the ocean holding Molly. She didn't want to get out and walk or sit in the ocean, but really wanted to be in it with Mom.
One morning hired a small boat for half an hour and saw dolphins playing close to us. Badri and I were very tempted to go parasailing, but put it off until it was too late (might have chickened out in the end, myself). I went for a heavenly massage: first a half hour scrub with sea salt and turmeric, followed by a shower, then an hour long aroma massage with ylang ylang oil. The following day Badri had a massage right on the beach for a fraction of the price and said he enjoyed his, too.
I know there are so many places to see in India, but we really love Goa and would love to go back sometime. Would really love to go back in time and see it the way it was 40 years ago, a laid back hippie hangout. Badri actually went there about 20 years ago when it was still pretty undeveloped. Oh, what happens to all these beautiful places...
And with that, I wish you a happy March.
Charli'e first birthday
Maya and Molly at local park
Nannie and Charlie
Maya
Mama sandwich
Molly ready for the monsoon season
Charlie after his first haircut
Maya in our front yard
Sabzi wallah (vegetable seller) in front of the house with Vani (cook) and Maya
Multicultural Day at Maya's school (Maya is in orange)
Molly (with new haircut) ready for the arctic winter
Big sister feeding little brother
Emily Auntie visiting from San Diego
Breakfast in Cafe Caravela on the beach in Goa
Dolphin off the bow
Our cottage at the Taj Holiday Village
