Day 2 in India

I arrived at 9am or so at Indira Gandhi International Airport, got my luggage and sleepily made my way to my hotel, the White Klove. This involved taking my carry on and two suitcases via the metro with a friend who met me at the airport then stuffing us and all my things into an autorickshaw ( small yellow and green cabs that are essentially a scooter driven by a driver with a backseat that comfortably sits 2 but often whole families will pile in) when we found a driver who seemed to know where the hotel was. I can't imagine doing this alone or without speaking Hindi.

Upon arriving I was greeted with a few issues. The hotel supposedly had wifi but the entire time I stayed there I was unable to login. I also learned my ATM card was frozen from some transactions in Dubai so I wasn't able to easily get money. I also didn't use my US phone. If I wasn't planning to be reliant on my friends I would have been up the creek without a paddle.

Despite these challenges I was to overcome the next few days I thought I would relax as I met with an old friend and was in good hands. I cannot recommend enough that if you ever visit India you need a good local guide, preferably a personal friend who knows the prices and value of goods and services and is willing to stand up for you in the cases where locals will charge the "gora tax" to foreigners. In some cases my friend was being overcharged because people thought we both were foriegners.

I asked my friend to take me to see New Delhi from his perspective, not so touristy. We made our way via auto.

The air is filled with a dusty haze and there are wild street dogs laying willy nilly waiting for a scrap or for the humans to look away so they can rifle in the nearby bucket of trash. The road is littered with scraps from snacks and small packets of chewing tobacco in paan masala flavor or more nasty mix of stuff called gutkha.

The streets are lined with shops but nothing like someone raised in America can understand. There might be a building with several holes in it that might be 5 or 10 feet square. Dust covers everything and many Indians spend time sitting around or loitering by some of these places. You might see some fruit stands or drink vendors scattered about.

We went to this outside shopping district that was in a large arc that had more "proper" shops and restaurants but also a lot of street vendors. We went to a popular little eatery to get some rolls. Imagine delicious spicy tandoori chicken wrapped in a roti. It tasted somehow better than anything I had tried in the us. I'm also pretty sure it wasn't just because I was hungry. I was excited to get a 20oz bottle of Thums Up which is like coke but so much better.

After eating at the cafe we took another auto to the capitol building in Delhi where the parliament sits and where the prime minister would be. Across the way from there we saw India Gate where the names of all of the martyrs are inscribed from the country's history and a never ending flame burns in their honor.

These buildings are massive enough that you can visit one and see the others from a distance. Throughout the walk around India Gate families are scattered on the lawn, more street hawkers selling balloons and other trinkets as well as fruit and roasted corn. The desis see me in this area and stare and sometimes children or beggars approach looking at me as a walking meal ticket. I have no reassurance if I give money to one of these people if they will ever keep it or if there is a boss literally forcing them to beg. Its a very difficult social situation.

The sun was setting and we had more to see before it got too dark so I was taken to a kind of local marketplace. Incidentally "ComicCon India" was happening in the same place. Here and in the metro stations security was beefed up. I lost track of how often my bags were scanned and when there is a security check, ladies walk through a separate metal detector. I found the curteosy an inequality but from an eastern point of view this is actually necessary. Once I had stayed longer in India I came to appreciate it.

So there was a never ending throng of people (not just in the marketplace, this pretty much describes all of Delhi at any hour) and occasionally a young Indian dressed as a comic book or anime character. Wolverine was probably the best character I saw. In the back of the market there were some comics for sale, many I didn't recognize, there were some X-men and some Asterix and Obelix. I was tired and overwhelmed from my trip so I passed up the chance to buy any as I didn't have a sense of what might be good. I'll look for more in the other cities ill be visiting.

I did end up buying two purses and two nice scarves. Scarves are handy to have to cover your head in any holy place or keep the dust out of your face if going by autorickshaw.

We finally returned to the area near the hotel at night. It's the same as in the daytime with a massive amount of people traveling. Everyone driving in the street honks to let you know they are there. This is like "hey, I'm coming up behind you, or in front of you, or darting out into traffic without looking so don't hit me!" Traffic is very chaotic everywhere. There's no discernable rules of the road. The shops along the road are open till 9 or 10 at night. Without  wifi I knew I needed a working phone for some viable means of communication. I had maybe 5000rs to start thanks to a generous friend helping me out and I spent about 3000 on it to get a phone with Indian number. That's about $60 usd. I feel this is still too expensive but I would have to go kind of far at night to find a better deal. I was tired jet lagged and overwhelmed and felt like "screw it I'll need a phone." It should activate on Monday when someone is in the office to process my paperwork. My address is the hotel I stay at :) hopefully I can sell the phone to someone here or back home.

I was so exhausted I returned to the hotel for room service for dinner. Some chicken lollipop kind of appetizer chicken biryani and butter chicken. I wanted to try my favorite dishes here. The butter chicken is delicious and somehow different than in the US. Wish I could figure out why and cook it myself !

I ate a lot and catnapped for a while. Adjusting to the time difference wasn't so hard. I later got up in the night to use the toilet (here, toilet means the entire bathroom) there's a small water heater on the wall that might give like 5 minutes of hot water. I broke up my showering ritual into two parts. That night I took a shower without washing my hair. Next day washed hair. Not sure what to expect in Lucknow and elsewhere in my friends homes!

I was becoming sleepy and missing Seattle but excited as to what else I'll see in Delhi. I think I fell asleep around 8pm.

I just visited India!

Essentially I wanted to tell my rollercoaster of a story about how I've mixed with desi culture over the last few years, but that can wait because I've just returned from my very first visit to India. I'll be publishing one post per day I was there and including pictures and what not. This very first post will be a little bare bones, though, since it takes forever to travel there. So without further adieu, I give you my travel journal...



Day 1
I've spent over a full 24 hours in planes and airports and really looking forward to putting my feet on solid ground in India.

I flew Emirates to Dubai and as far as planes go it felt like luxury. It also was 14 hours spent in and out of consciousness watching Bollywood and Kollywood movies. There were some decent ones available in the flght; Student of the Year, Urumi, Vazhakku Enn 18/9, and English Vinglish.

On paper a 8-9 hour layover seemed like a fine idea and makes it easy to reach and check into my hotel in New Delhi after landing at 9am, however there were a few pluses and minuses in practice with this.

Cool stuff:
The holographic-like sheikh greeting me as I headed toward my connection in Arabic and English.

The huge amount of duty free shopping available.

The volume of foreign nationals. I lost count of how many different languages I heard being spoken and a few I couldn't identify

Also, hookahs for sale in the gift shop with shisha and if I did the math they were cheap even in the airport!

Important announcements in Arabic and English. I tried memorizing the numbers but gave up drifting in ad out of consciousness.

Not so cool stuff:
I wore jeans, a long sleeve shirt with a hood and chappals (sandals) and I was freezing cold the whole time. They don't really sell sweatshirts or blankets in the desert. My bad next time ill dress for Seattle when heading to Dubai.

Adjusting to the restroom. This is kind of a part of any national travel and wasn't so bad, but I could see where my elder less worldly relatives would likely be freaked out, or at least grossed out. Frankly speaking America is one of the few countries that doesn't promote strong ass cleaning hygiene via its methods.

Being a solo travelling white female. I would have loved to have gone out and taken a tour and seen the Burj in the middle of the night but didn't want to feel hassled without travelling companions or trusted guide.


Now I'm on a 3 hour trip to New Delhi finally and am about to have breakfast, again. The food has been great on these flights, I recommend it. Not your typical airline crap, mostly. Also I just got the little customs form you fill out declaring stuff, cool I'll fill it out soon but I'd like to eat first and get it out of the way.

It will be great going home and gaining a day. The sun set, rose, and set again and I will see it rise on this leg once more as I reach New Delhi. Excited to figure out how I'll get a phone since I left the vonage at home and if I managed the right adapter and converter for power.. Here's hoping I don't have my phone or camera charger blow! Cheers!

Introduction to Desi life at AT&T

As an ignorant southerner in a "big city", some of my first experiences were a little daunting. Starting my job as a tester at AT&T gave me a lot of firsts - my first serious career role, first time hearing Hindi/Tamil/Telugu/Kannada/Malyalam, first Indian movie, first iced over parking lot, first Indian pizza from CanAm, among many others.

I had no idea my natural curiosity would lead me down the path I was about to take. I had come to Seattle married at a very young age, with some health problems due to a medication I had taken, and everything was about to change.

My coworkers were amazing. I was initially the only American female there, except for our Manager. There was one American guy who was your typical fist pumping dude. Another was a young nearly ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) Tamilian who seemed embarrassed to be Indian unless it was convenient to be Indian. I felt some sisterhood with a young and beautiful mom from Bengaluru who was very spiritual and dealing with her daughter growing up American. I've gone drinking and dancing with a few Telugu dads who lived in the same complex and had children the same age who were just amazingly nice hospitable people. I worked under a shy conservative Tamilian as one lead, and a hysterical creative guy with hair all girls would be jealous of from AP that grew up in Chennai and on occasion would attempt to teach me about the language and cinema of Tamil Nadu.

As I grew myself as a person in this new place, and expanded my horizons beyond the tiny world I had lived in, my thoughts and feelings changed about a lot of things about myself. I somehow found myself feeling attracted to some Indians. I learned to live on my own in a city far away from my home, and somehow became very comfortable and used to being around Indians. I started going to their parties, discovering Bollywood movies, learning a little Hindi and Tamil just from people speaking it and through music. This whole process was a lot more complicated, painful, and joyful than a simple paragraph, but those details aren't the focus of this blog, just a necessary note to understand my journey.

Then Holi 2011 happened.

What attracts me to Indian culture?

One of the most common questions I get asked by people of all races and creeds is, "What made you get so involved in Indian culture?"

 It's a valid question. There are many who like the music, the food, the art, the history, but usually these people like little subsections of India and don't have some fervor or passion to delve deep into all aspects of desi life.

 When I'm having a conversation with someone its fun to explain it anecdotally, but I've been thinking about what I want to express in this blog and where to take it into 2013 so I thought the best way to start would be a multi-part introduction to myself as its writer and to analyze exactly what the recipe was in my life to go from Small Town American Girl From the South to Ecclectic Exciting Engineer in Seattle Who Promotes Bollywood Dancing and Indian Culture.

 That is quite a journey and it has provided certain challenges in my life both personal and professional. I think I want to share some of them in the future and this background I will be providing will give insight to why I feel certain ways. I speak a lot and am usually never concise. I will try to give an abridged version of the first 28 years of my life to catch up to the events which I think most strongly influenced my path.

 I grew up on a barrier island on the southwest coast of Florida. You can see where my house was here. Growing up here meant in order to visit friends, go to school, or anything on the mainland I needed to get into a boat, and then a car to go anywhere. It was always a challenge making plans to do anything. I was somewhat isolated, despite being social. In retrospect I've always had a duality in my personality, one which loves and thrives being on my own and finding ways of being creative and amusing myself, and the other which desperately loves the company and attention of others and wants to be the life of every party.

 I excelled in school and got my first personal computer at home when I was in 6th grade. Using it through high school inspired me to go to college to study computer engineering (and play copious amounts of video games). I graduated in 2008 from University of Central Florida as a computer engineer. No, really, I have proof :)

 It was difficult finding work when I graduated so in 2009 I moved to Seattle to find a job. I thought I had to go where the work was and Seattle has a very focused tech corridor since theres Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Expedia, AT&T, Samsung, Tmobile, etc. The list goes on.

 Finally my first job was working as a contractor doing software testing for AT&T. With an extreme sense of smalltown girl just made it in the big city, I was about to begin a journey not even I could have dreamed of...

Kabab Palace

Food, food, food! I write a lot about food! I love to cook as well as eat so thankfully there is room to do both as I discover my passion for Indian culture.

One of the better Indian restaurants in Bellevue I feel is Kabab Palace which is right near Mayuri Grocery and Video. I do recommend their lunch buffet as you get a decent amount of food for an affordable price, however I find their dinner setting to be nice to meet with friends. The quiet atmosphere and white linens lend nicely to a hearty lunch or celebratory dinner.

I was there for my birthday last year, actually, and the crowd favorite by far was the chicken tikka masala. I don't quite know exactly what the minute difference is between a nice tikka masala gravy and butter chicken (or paneer) gravy but both are fantastic. I think I like the tikka masala more because it is a bit spicier. Definitely get this dish.

I also recommend their biryani and, well, I haven't had a dish there I didn't like. They are also a halal restaurant so bonus for any Muslim readers! The staff was also kind enough to let some friends and I bring in Thums Up from the next door grocery. For those who aren't familiar, Thums Up is essentially Indian Coca Cola. The recipe is slightly different but eventually the Coca Cola company bought the brand and really now it is accurate to say its Indian Coke.

The devil is in the details, and while many desi restaurants will have a TV with some Indian show on, I never really watch them for long except here. I've seen and begun to learn about cricket, interesting pseudo local ads for companies and services which actually seem kind of sketchy to me, and when a movie is on I'll totally pay more attention. Its a small and cheesy touch that just makes the experience a little more fun. I'm sure there are others who could care less or don't think its appropriate, but I strangely like it.

Shalimar Grocery & Cafe

Have you ever been really hungry and needing groceries at the same time? You know how that turns out, you go to the store for 5 things, and your appetite convinces you to come out with $100 more stuff than you intended to buy?

So the best place to go to satisfy your appetite and finish your shopping is this great place down in Redmond called Shalimar Grocery and Cafe. Theres a wide variety of desi fare to shop for - groceries, personal care items, seasonal and festival items. I strongly recommend the phulka there in the clear package, they really are delicious and super fun to cook!

 If your hunger can't wait until you get your items home and into the kitchen stop by the cafe. The biryani is great and the chicken tikka masala even better. The chef who is there now is experienced as he previously worked at Kebab Palace for 8 years.

 If you're a non desi, it can be a little intimidating walking into a store and not recognizing things you typically aren't exposed to in your every day kitchen. Learning the differences between rice grains and lentils can seem daunting but I find that just asking friends or even the folks shopping can really open up new avenues of cooking and even inspire new friendships.

 If you're not ready to jump into learning how to make a Dum Biryani or complicated gravy style dish, then I recommend starting with some snacks. If you aren't afraid of having bad breath, Masala Peas are delicious, low calorie, and delightfully tasty as well as crunchy. I don't mind the punjabi mixes of dried nuts and ground chickpea based snacks nor the southern style Sev. If you're looking for sweet and savory, though, have some jalebi, gulab jamon, or even laddoo. Jalebi will be orange and look like a pile of red vines wound in a circle. Gulab Jamon are, in the words of an old coworker, "syrup-y donut holes," and laddoo are traditionally had to celebrate weddings but are also donut hole shaped. I like them the most and suspect because of that they are the highest in calories!

 Believe it or not, local DJ RDX is the owner over there and he's really pleasant to deal with. He will help you find what you need if you're a seasoned veteran of indian cooking, and if you're new to it like me he can give you some hints and tips. If all else fails, you can always pick up some Maggi noodle but I think he'll be able to help you find everything you're looking for!

 The only downside for me personally is making the trip over to Redmond from downtown Bellevue but sometimes its good to get out and get some fresh air. I'm also a fan of Inchin's Bamboo Garden nearby, but that is another post for another time!

Moksha

Moksha can have a spiritual meaning, however Moksha in Bellevue's case is an upscale Indian restaurant. I first saw this place as I was walking by the mall after spending way too much money on a DSLR camera, a new hobby of mine. It looked somewhat crowded. I raised an eyebrow. The very next Friday I went there with a friend to see what it was all about.

Tall ceilings with a beautiful paint job, and an inviting bar make this what other Indian restaurants near Bellevue aren't; a classy joint. I ordered a mojito, my friend an Indian beer, and some small plates. It was just after 9pm and their website advertises late night hours on Fri/Sat but we were told the kitchen was almost closed. They let us get shrimp 65, chicken kebab, samosas and lamb pastries. The chicken kebab was literally one piece of chicken on a stick, the shrimp 65 was exactly that, 6 or 5 pieces of very delicious and nearly spicy shrimp. I liked the veg samosas better than the lamb pastry but both were still very good.

By the time we ate the food which wasn't quite enough to fill our stomachs, I asked the bartender to make me a drink he hadn't made in a long time. I got some kind of raspberry martini that wasn't half bad. I told him this is like drinking Barbie and James Bond at the same time. Overall our bill was 70$ including tip. I found the bartender to be the most friendly and serviceable, the food good, but overpriced, even for Bellevue. Come on, its an Indian restaurant.

Just because its situated in Lincoln Square doesn't mean I want to pay downtown Bellevue prices for an average experience. I would go back again but preferrably when I'm not the one footing the bill. They have a happy hour from 3-6, I think its probably your best bet if you want to try this place out unless you're able to hit them up for the lunch rush.