China Trip..... Stop # 1 - Beijing

Tianamen Square

Forbidden City

Temple of Heaven

Kung-Fu Tea Service

Peking Opera

The GREAT WALL!!!

We left Bangalore on Wednesday, March 24.  Flight was around midnight.

The day was hectic, Vim and I had work, the kids had an evening program at school (I will post the details and pictures of the program), and we had to leave for the airport straight from the school.  Needless to say, it took a lot of planning to get everythign in order, we ran out of the school as soon as the program was over and headed to the airport.  The whole way, I was thinking that we were insane to cut it so close.  Funny thing, we get to the airport and Milan's friend Sonia (yes, the Sonia) and her family did the same exact (insane) thing!!  They were on their way to Tokyo and Bangkok.

So, we landed in Beijing on Thursday afternoon...  completely exhausted.

Friday was DAY 1 of our touring:
We started off in Tianamen Square.  This is the largest 'city-square' in the world.  However, it did not seem to have the feel that I would have expected for a city square.  Essentially inside they had the building where you can see the body of Chairman Mao, they have a few towers, and states.  But no real bustle of of city square.  To the North of the Square was the Forbiden City which is palace during the Ming Dynasty.  Then we went to Temple of Heaven which was used by emperors in the Qing and Ming dynasties to pray to heaven.  Last stop for day one....  a Peking Opera.  It was a full day of adventure and we were out and about all day.

DAY 2:
Here we started off with a trip to the Ming Tombs.  Yes, just as the name suggests, the burial places of the Ming emperors....  Then it was off to the GREAT WALL!!!  It was amazing.....over 6000km long..... Built to keep the Mongolian Army out of China.  The Great Wall is considered a 'Wonder of the World'.  Day 2 ended with a trip to the knock off market.  Mira and Milan were introduced to the Converse High Top - knock offs....  by the time the trip was over, Milan got 3 pair and Mira got 4 pair....  I got a purse (come, one that was a given, right....).

DAY 3: 
Here we went to the Summer Palace and the Beijing Zoo to see the Pandas.  And then it was off to the airport to catch our flight to Xi'an.

Overall, Beijing was a nice city.  Looking back, a nice blend from the big city feel of Shanghai and the small town feel of Xi'an.  Seeing the Great Wall was the best part.  The weather was chilly....  it was a high of 50's and it was a little cold for us...  but we survived....  Our tour guides were Cindy and Catherine...  they were great.  It is really hard to get around in China without knowing Chinese.  English is not commonly spoken or understood.

Check out the pictures!!

Blocked Out!!!

We just came back from our trip to China.  It was really great!!

We were in Beijing, Xian, Tibet, and Shanghai.....  So much to write about.

Would have loved to fill you in on all the details while we were traveling but the blog was one of the blocked websites in China.  Also included are all social networking sites - facebook, twitter, etc....  It is hard to be believe that they still have so much control over such a large population of people.

We are now back and over the next few days I will post all the details about the trip.

Catching up.... Plus some BIG NEWS!!!

We just came back from a 4 day trip to Madhapur, my dad's home town.  It was GREAT.  There is something so relaxing about the village lifestyle...  so simple....

The kids loved going on the scooter rides everyday....  especially Milan.


The mornings would start with an early rise...  usually due to the Ringing bell from the temple which is nearby, then the dogs barking, and then the town wakes up.  The morning noises are heard because one, the houses are really close together, and two, the windows are open during the night because it is really HOT!!  It was in the high 90's when we were there.  But the daily naps help to combat the early mornings....



The shopping was great....  did a lot of damage in Bhuj, which is the neighboring town, and big city in Kutch.

Overall, it was great to spend time with family.  I was able to see all of my dad's 3 sisters, and his brother.  And meet my grandfather - my mom's dad.

I will post some pictures soon.

OK, now for the BIG NEWS!!!!!

TACO BELL has opened in Bangalore just a few days ago!!!

We made a trip out for lunch on Saturday.  It turned out to be a 4 hours expedition.  Over an hour drive, over and hour to order/get the food, and then the drive back.....  You may ask, was it worth it?????  ABSOLUTELY!!!  Not exactly like taco bell back home, but still good.  There was paneer tacos (come on I am sure that you were expecting that one!!!), and potato crunch wraps....  Interesting twists....

I will post some pictures soon from the trip to Madhapur and the trip to taco bell!

Manjula's on Vacation!!!

For those of you don't remember...  Manjula is our maid/nanny/cook, etc.....

She is going to her home town for 3 days.  Typically she aligns her vacations to when we are out of town (which is not hard since we are on the move so much!).  Anyways, she asked a few weeks back, in a very nervous tone, if she could have the days off.  She was geniunely concerned if we would be able to get by without her.  I told her, no problem...  go, we will manage.....

Well here we are...  she is gone, and we have to do the following:

• Wash our dishes after breakfast
• Do our own laundry, and fold it too!
• Make our own dinner
• Sweep the floors
• Take out the garbage
• Oh...  the list can go on....
• Since she is only gone for 3 days...  I am proposing that the bathrooms don't need to be cleaned, and the floors don't need to be moped...  hopefully this proposal does not get vetoed by Vim.

I know...  I am not getting much sympathy from you all...   and I know, it won't be long before we are doing it ourselves again....  But for now....  We are taking the time to appreciate all that Manjula does for us....  And next time she wants to take a trip that does not line up with ours....  we will think twice!!  Just kidding!! : )

Milan

Milan said something so funny the other day....

I was trying to tell him to do some thing and he came back with 'array yaaaar'...  with a full thick accent...  I laughed so hard!!!

For the non-indian's that is a hindi slang term for 'come on man'.  The funny thing is that it is used commonly among the 'locals' and the fact that Milan is now using it clearly indicates....  Milan is turning into a full on Local-Indian!!!

Shopping for Fruits and Veggies

Now, some of you probably know the place that I used to go to for my weekly run of fruits and veggies back at home - Nino Salvagio... I would make a run there at least once a week... and I would come back with all that I would need for the week, and then some!! : )

Since being here in India, I have found a new shopping ground... it is a far cry from the set up at Ninos. It is the local open air market. It runs on Sundays in the village that is about 5 mins away from our house - it is called Varthur Market. I go there every Sunday. Check out the pics.....

So, here are some of the differences between Nino's and Varthur Market:

• You have to carry your own groceries - usually at the end of it I have about 10kgs in my bag!!
• You have to squat down to select your produce...  they are all on ground.....
• There is only one type of onions - red onions... no yellow, no white, no vidalia, etc...
• There is only one type of potatoes.... no yellow, no red, no idaho, etc....
• There is only one type of tomatoes - basic roma... no cherry tomatoes, no vine-ripened, etc...
• Don't get me wrong, the limited selection is perfect... who needs infinite varieties... at the end it is all the same
• I can only buy things in increments of 1kg and .5 kg... beyond that, it throws off the calculations... remember, it is a manual scale and the math is done in the head....
• The veggie selections change to the seasons... everything is locally grown
• I can get all my fruits and veggies for the week for less than 400 rs (less than $10). I would spend at least $50 at each trip to Nino's.
• The 'butcher' shop at varthur market lacks quite a bit compared to Ninos... thank goodness I don't cook meat at home!!  One time Milan came with me to the market and he looked at the stuff just hanging, and asked me what it was, I said, nothing...  don't worry.... and quickly diverted his attention...
• One thing is common, the workers at Nino's started to recognize me with the frequent visits, and that is the same with the veggie peddlers at the Varthur Market.
• Speaking in Hindi to make all my transactions...No, my Hindi is not great, but enough to get by...

All in all, I really do enjoy my weekly visits to Varthur Market...  I look forward to it... Some of my friends send their drivers to pick up their weekly veggies, I prefer to do it my self...  It is an enjoyable experience!!