Indian Princesses: Visitors... Continued

When I left off, Mom was being a pretty good passenger, given the circumstances, and we were listening to the rhythmic honking of the autos, motorcycles, busses and cars around us. Thursday afternoon, we had some mommy/daughter time at the salon where I covered up my highlights (there’s not a lot of locations around here that do blonde-streaking and I know I would just wind up pissed off if my hair was fried - it's already falling out as it is!) and Mom got a pedi and a head spa treatment. Nice and relaxing.

Friday morning we woke up, lazed around a little, and enjoyed a yummy lunch of masala prawns prepared by Lakshmi. We got ready and started on our first outing together. Savannah, Mom, Dad and I went down to T. Nagar. I have never thought about taking a video of the world around me, but someone put this on YouTube and I found it when I was searching for T. Nagar. It’s 6 minutes long, but 30 seconds in will give you a pretty good idea of what this trip included… people, honking, cars, motorcycles, more people and more honking. Looking back, this probably wasn’t the best idea for Mom & Dad’s first outing in India, but it was similar to some methods of learning how to swim: go to the deepest part of the pool, no matter how cold the water is, and let your uncle throw you in. (Didn’t we all have that uncle or grandpa or dad who thought this was the best way!?) In any event, we were there. Right in the big middle of Diwali festival season shopping time, which is similar to US shopping time before Christmas. This shopping district is crowded, even by Indian standards, on a normal weekend as people from all over the state come here, but a couple weeks before the Diwali holiday only exaggerated the massive amounts of people everywhere. We went to a few dress shops, as Savannah wanted to buy a selwar suit and got a couple tops for me, one for Savannah and some scarves for Mom & Dad to give as souvenirs back home. We also got Kameryn and Kate some colorful Indian-style dresses. To nobody's surprise, Dad took a seat on a bench and made friends. He talked to some locals who had either been to visit or lived in San Francisco, so he was entertained for a while. After browsing a few stores, we made our way to the street vendors and came across some toys for the girls, some bangles for Sav and Kam, lots of fresh veggies and fruits, teas and coffees, and even some fresh cut hair... It was pretty hot out, Mom & Dad were getting tired, but they were troopers. We had reservations for dinner at Barbeque Nation for 7 PM, and I know they were ready to go home before that, but they hung in. We went around the corner to a furniture store (nice and AC filled) because I was searching for a nightstand and lamp. I wound up with a wall clock, a nightstand, a new skillet, a decorative vase and plate, and I am sure some other stuff I can’t think of anymore… We still had a little bit of time to kill before dinner, so we filled the gap getting mehndi on our hands by some of the local guys. Before we went, a friend from the office told me don’t pay over 200 rupees (appx $4) each, so I had this in the back of my mind. Savannah got both arms, front and back, done. Mom and I got both sides of our left arm done. I paid the guys for Mom’s and mine and walked down back to Savannah (she was a few buckets over…) and Dad. When her guy was done he stood up and told me 800 rupees. Me – No, 800 is too high. Him – 800. Me – No. 200. Him – 200 per side, per arm. Me – No, you’re trying to take advantage of me because I am white. Him – No, 200 per side, per arm, that is the going rate. Me – Here’s 500, because you did a good job, but I know it’s too much. Meanwhile, Dad is on the sidelines just chomping at the bit, not sure if he should step in as I know he was getting worried about me standing my ground. Mehndi guy – No, 800. Me – I am not paying any more than 500. That’s it. I live here and I know better. Him – Fine. I give him the 500 and start to leave. He hands me his card. REALLY? You’re going to blatantly take advantage of me and then ask me for more business? No, thank you. Grrrr! After that little adventure and moment of tension, we made our way over to the restaurant, Mom, Savannah and me all holding our arms out a little so the dye could dry. I would like to take a moment here to say what a TERRIBLE mehndi canvas my daughter is, because she got her stuff ALL OVER my jeans, my arm, her jeans, the car, and my mother, while she impatiently waited on it to dry. Finally, after feeling like the frogs in Frogger trying to cross the ridiculously crowded streets, we made it to dinner and had a terrific time. Dad enjoyed a couple Kingfisher beers and I had a frozen something-or-other made with rum (which is exciting because most restaurants do not have alcohol and only offer "mocktails" which can be really frustrating when you move to a new country and need a drink!) and we all enjoyed the grilled chicken, shrimp, veggies on skewers. Then we had a little bit of stuff off the buffet, but the skewers were our favorites. After the big day, we were all exhausted. We all went to bed almost as soon as we made it back to the flat.

Saturday we woke up and got ready for another Indian adventure, with a historical and cultural visit to Dakshinachitra, where we looked at art, handicrafts, history and architecture of southern India. It was a really neat experience and I even found a lamp for my bedroom in the gift shop, score! After Dakshinachtra, we continued down the ECR and made our way to Mahabalipuram. ECR, or East Coast Road, runs parallel with the Bay of Bengal, so it’s a scenic drive that Mom and Dad enjoyed. Well, they enjoyed looking out the window to the left to the water, not the road ahead, where cows and cars were zooming toward and around us. We arrived and, just like last time when Sav and I went, there was a goat eating flowers off a bus in the parking lot. We made our way through the vendors and went to visit the shore temples. It was pretty cool – we didn’t get to do that last time because I didn’t have enough cash, so I was glad to do it this time. After walking around and exploring for a little bit, we made our way to the gift shop (I spend entirely too much money when my mother is around, if you haven’t figure this out yet). We saw lots of beautiful handicrafts, decorative pieces, knives and jewelry, but Mom and I both fell in love with the room full of rugs and wall hangings. The rugs were silk and gorgeous. Most of the wall art was made from old sarees, which is kind of neat (and probably a big selling point they tell the gullible white folks). We probably could have been leaving with rugs, and wall art, too, but I sent a text to my Indian friend to check the prices and he said we were being quoted the FST – Fair Skin Tax – and we should leave without buying anything… Mom and I decided we both “needed” the wall art, so likely overpaid, but got it. They’re very nice and I only have a little tinge of regret about paying too much. Of course, when I go to the store where everyone told me to go next time (no FST applied, as it’s a government-run location) I might be kicking myself. Oh, well. Once I figure out how to hang them up successfully, I know it'll be fine :)

After our shopping venture we made our way to the beach, where Mom and Dad got to experience, first hand, the feeling of celebrity-ness that Savannah and I have grown accustomed to. Lots of stares, which are not unusual and they already noticed on Friday, but this time a guy walked around us and stared and smiled for a long time. Awkward-long. That’s enough, dude, long. Take a picture; it’ll last longer-long. Actually, he decided that was exactly what he wanted. His friend asked if he could take a picture WITH US. Mom and Dad were not quite sure how to react, so Savannah and I laughed and said, “sure, why not?” So we all smiled and he got right in the middle of us, grinning ear to ear. I kept laughing for a long time, off and on, because this was the first time anyone has had enough courage to ask us to be in a picture with us. Usually they think they are super sly and stealth with the camera phones, but we always wind up catching them. I’ll smile and wave while Savannah is mortified and tells me I am so embarrassing. Whatever. It’s funny and I am easily entertained.

After our beach time and shopping at the local vendors (of course we did, I was with Judy!) it was about dinner time. We went over to the restaurant we had planned to enjoy and had a terrific dinner on the beach. Dad had the catch of the day and Kingfisher, Mom and Savannah had fettuccini alfredo with chicken and I had a wonderfully seasoned grilled chicken dish with a vodka/cranberry to wash it down. (Remember? The restaurants with booze are rare... gotta take advantage!) There was a nice breeze, a full moon over the water, no honking, and no crowd. If we weren’t careful, we might have forgotten we were in India for a little while.

It seems 11 days with the ‘rents is quite a bit to tell about, huh? Well, coming from the girl who can’t tell a short story, anyway. So I’ll end it here and bring you the exciting conclusion later. I know you are just anxious with anticipation – as you should be – since it involves our first Indian dinner guests to our home and a Tex-Mex fiesta, Hurricane Sandy, Cyclone Neelam, and so much more.

Much love to you all and continued thanks for the prayers and thoughts for Dynamo, Savannah and me.