I should have really nice legs by the end of this trip. I'm sure I will appreciate escalators more once I get home. We've had a great time thus far in Italy. We've seen the pope float across a crowd, had a few gelatos, and walked up (and then down) thousands of steps, literally.
Rome was like one large museum -- you could spend months, maybe even years there, and not see it all. Florence, on the other hand, is rather small and no matter what direction you are headed or what street you take, you seem to end up back at Piazza del Duomo. Every time.
I would have uploaded photos, but the internet seems slower here, so no photos for now :-( Ah, and Nin -- wirehair dachsunds seem to be in here...
Labels: Honeymooning
As a wedding present Raju's cousins sent us on a sunset trip into the desert, dune bashing. It was oooooh so scary but ooooooh so fun. The Land Cruisers were sliding this way and that way, and some were getting stuck, but not our driver.
We headed into a camp after watching the sun set for eating, drinking, camel riding, falcon holding, and watching belly dancing. We made friends with the other passengers in our car, Saresh, Sandeep, and his mother Mrs. Kunder. They really made the night -- we watched Sandeep mimic the belly dancer by balancing his mother's cane on his belly!
I've made a highlights gallery with some of my favorite pictures so far from Singapore, India (Bangalore, Bandipur, and Belur), and Dubai and Sharjah. Lots of animals and some nice sights, too!
Labels: Honeymooning
The picture above is not mine -- our friend Pathy has already posted pictures on Picasa of our wedding in Bangalore and I thought I would share.
Click here for pictures.Update: A bit of a recap of the wedding from Raju's cousin, Indu.Raju & Courtney Wedding:
The Bangalore Finale You've seen the movie, now read the book.
As the pictures show, it was traditional, colourful, solemn in parts, joyous in most, and a splendid time was had by all.
But what the pictures don't yet show are the befores and the afters
So here's a verbal picture of that too... The pre-nuptial excitement set in with a grand lunch-and-mehendi party hosted by Latha and Shankar at Chimes Inn. Ashok and Bhanu, the 'inn-keepers' had everything meticulously in place to give us a sparkling welcome. Apart from the Uttar Karnataka fare, there was Latha's own delicious parsley soup and lasagne, and Shankar's puliogare bhat that were competing for our compliments.
Then the mehendi lady began her work on the bride's hands. The visitors were given a quick background of the significance of mehendi: the darker the patterns, the luckier Courtney would get…with her mother in law! And that as long as the designs remained, she would not be expected to do any housework. (Furtive applications of lime juice over the mehendi patterns assured very dark designs...)
Soon Bollywood music was switched on.
And then began the dancing—also known as the seduction of Shankar by the dancing ladies. As Shah Shankarjehan lay about on the takias, red rose in hand, Aishwarya, Madhuri, Hema Malini, and Rekha (names changed to protect their identities) performed several item numbers in the grand Indian film tradition. Then it was mayhem as everyone was lured to take the floor, and dance their way towards Courtney and bless her. Raju did a particularly deft number.
How much we missed Anu and her adorables, Nina and Rhys, the dancing sensations of America...
And then the Wedding!
Even as we were rushing about searching for our mascara and mallipu, a flood of guests arrived very early... (unusually clear Bangalore streets devoid of traffic was the reason!) And then Raju and Courtney made a royal entrance.
"Asal bommai attum irruka! Aha…Raja madiri irrukan!" were frequent exclamations. We welcomed the gathering and then Mrs Sharma the Arya Samaj high priestress conducted the hour-long ceremony. Debra (mother of the bride) and Tammy (her sister) were dressed by Leela in grand silks and looked like they'd worn sarees all their lives. Courtney articulated Sanskrit slokas with ease. Raju flashed his devastating grin. And it was a lovely, intimate moment when the entire gathering moved up right around the stage to shower the lovely couple with flowers.
While the official pictures were being taken, some of the guests moved over to the Banquet Hall to see a fun audio visual , earlier played at the Washington reception, showing clear evidence that that this tryst was ordained since the baby days of Raju and Courtney. Then as guests sat down to enjoy lunch, the couple moved around and greeted people at every table.
A truly wonderful day.
And now... we hear there's shortly going to be a Bollywood version of the earlier Hollywood hit, starring Jennifer Lopez, "The Wedding Planner". This time of course it will star Bhanu. A rousing applause here!
Krishnamurthy and Leela met up with so many cousins and pals who'd made the effort to be there. There was much catching up, smiles and laughter.
And then a family tradition that began with the time Krishnamurthy and Leela got married over 40 years ago was religiously repeated, at the wedding of their son.
Several relatives accompanied Raju and Courtney on their honeymoon :-).
A bunch of determined cousins, who decided they needed a treat after the hard work at the wedding, merrily joined the couple on a fabulous trip to Bandipur Game Sanctuary. The American visitors were delighted to find that we have animals in our forests too, apart from the ones that roam in our streets.
Fortunately the cousins have stayed back from the rest of their honeymoon plans, and even as you read this, Raju and Courtney are enjoying themselves in Dubai.
Cheers!
Labels: Honeymooning, Wedding
Singapore, Chingi Airport, October 12th, 5:10 pm:So, really, not much has changed from my day-to-day life. Except soothing voices are paging passengers as I type this.
We arrived at SFO Wednesday (it's Friday here, I think it's Friday at home). I was bummed because we were seated in row 1 on the plane -- I would have seat to stick my luggage under. Mind you, this is after Raju has said, "We can get in the First Class line".
So, internalizing that I'm bummed, I then realize, "Row 1 -- wait, isn't that first class?" Raju smiled a small grin. "Surprise! I've been trying to keep this from you forever." Apparently that's not too hard, as it didn't even hit me when we were in the first class line. At that point, had he not smirked, he probably could have told me it was a one time, during-the-trip upgrade.
This life rocks. Sitting in lounges, eating free food, drinking free drinks. The best part is the new Singapore Airlines first class is apparently tops -- 35 inches of seat, that lies flat into a bed. Your own 23 inch flatscreen, filled with the newest movies as well as TV shows from around the world (old and new, I got to watch Pinky and the Brain which I haven't seen since high school). Oh, and as much vintage Dom and Krug as you can drink. I seriously was ready to spend the next 30 days on the plane. I just need to take a moment and say the husband -- BEST HUSBAND EVER.
But, they did eventually land the plane, and we're in Singapore, which is pretty cool. We arrived last night, and hopped in bed in the airport's hotel. Today, they let us through immigration, so we headed out to explore. We took a cable car from the Harbour Front over to Sentosa (I think... tourist trap I'm sure, but the cable car ride sounded fun and that's where it took you) and saw the merlion statue. The cable cars were pretty high over the water -- a bit scary, especially when they left the station. Then we headed back over for a trip through the mall. I have never seen so many high-end shops. Between the airport and the shopping center we went to, I've been bombarded with Fendi, Bvlgari, Gucci, Burberry, Cartier, and the list just goes on, and on, and on. These people have money. And I should have never worried about buying beauty products before leaving -- the airport has many duty-free shops that definitely rival Sephora (though, a huge thank you Kristen for that Caudalie travel kit -- the refreshing spray is just that - jeez my skin is soft now).
Pictures, I'm sure, will come at some point, but not today. We're set to take off for Bangalore in a few hours, so for now, I'm just going to relax, and continue sipping my champagne.
Labels: Honeymooning
Old photo, same sentiment -- HAPPY!In other holiday news, we are ready for our holiday, as the Europeans say. So, not that I've ever gotten around to updating this blog daily anyways, but updates will still continue to be spotty. If I can get some photos uploaded along the way, though, I will update.
Ciao!
Labels: Day in the Life
Yesterday morning when I woke up, it felt like holiday-time. The air was cool, and I just wanted to snuggle back down under the covers, which I did for a while.
Thinking about the holidays put a smile on my face, and I started thinking about my favorite ones. Thanksgiving, Christmas. Then my mind wandered, and I was making a list in order of favorite, and then I thought about how those had changed over the years.
1.
ThanksgivingThis one became my favorite somewhere in college. When I was younger, I'm sure Christmas would have trumped Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is all the fun of Christmas - family, food - without the stress of buying presents. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is pour through the Martha Stewart magazines, my collection of cookbooks, and foodie websites, and Thanksgiving gives me a great excuse for a couple of months leading up to it to spend my time doing so.
Last year, it was just Raju, Milo, and I. We spent the day stuffing ourselves silly - but no turkey was had. Instead we feasted on oysters and bloody marys while watching football, and we had prime rib for dinner. It was wonderful, but this year I want turkey.
2.
ChristmasWhat kid doesn't love christmas? I remember barely being able to go to sleep the night before, being all keyed-up from the events of Christmas Eve. When I awoke the next morning, there would be a split second of bliss where I was snuggled under the covers, away from the cool air (much like yesterday morning), before I would remember, "Oh yeah! It's Christmas!!!" and jolt out of bed.
No matter how old I get, or whether I've opened presents the night before, I still get that feeling when I wake up on Christmas Day.
And even though finding the perfect present is stressful (not to mention getting that present to Tennessee) Christmas is still pretty high on my list. Lately I've taken to just making most of the presents, which is awfully fun. I think everyone likes the homemade presents -- if not, they've yet to say anything.
Plus, 'tis the season for sausage balls! I don't think I've ever eaten sausage balls other than around Christmas time. Once, my mom made some for me before I went to school. She served them to me in my room, or maybe put them under my tree in the room, with a glass of orange juice, and gave me a suede jacket (I guess an early Christmas present?). That was a good morning.
3.
Valentine's DayWhen I was very young, I'd wake up early, before Dad had to leave for work, and we'd all exchange Valentine's gifts. Mine was always candy and sometimes a stuffed animal or something (I still remember the little white dog on a red pillow Dad gave me...). Valentine's Day, like Easter, means I get to eat candy for breakfast. Chocolate, to be exact.
For many years, I'm sure this holiday would be further down the list, but since this is the day Raju and I celebrate our anniversary, it's been pretty high on the list for almost 6 years and counting.
4.
New Year's EveI love any holiday that celebrates with lots of champagne! Bubbly is indeed a wonderful way to start your year, though I think me along with others in my family have decided the Southern tradition of eatting Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is not particularly lucky for us.
5.
EasterThere's just some satisfaction I get from biting an easter bunny's ears off. My Mom and my aunt still send me either chocolates or money for chocolate, and just this past year I tried to get Raju into biting bunnies' ears off (he just didn't get it). I do miss coloring the easter eggs -- maybe next year I'll try it, just for the heck of it.
I remember the year I went egg-hunting at Jodi's house. I never got to do a lot of easter egg hunting, and I was excited about going to this one. However, at the end, when we were checking out the loot we had found, one of the people that had organized the egg hunt told me I couldn't have one of the eggs I found (it had a dollar in it) as it was meant for someone else. WTF??? Not so big on the egg-hunting after that.
6.
Fourth of JulyFourth of July is a bit iffy for me. I love fireworks, I just hate the usual trek you have to make to watch them. And it usually involves sitting in the grass if you forgot a blanket. Grass makes me itch. It's a lot of planning, walking, itching, and time involved for 30 minutes of light.
However, Raju and I have gotten lucky a few times with the firework displays. When we were in Kansas City, we once drove directly to a place in Overland Park, parked, and found a place to lay down and watch the fireworks overhead. In San Jose, we can simply take the lightrail downtown. Last year we didn't feel like even doing that, and we discovered we could see several displays from our porch. Cool!
7.
HalloweenMuch more fun as a kid than now. I remember trick-or-treating with my cousins once, and my cousin Josh and I would run ahead of the others (who were younger) and get all of the candy from the bowls left on doorsteps of people who weren't home. I know it was mean, but damn it was fun.
I always went trick-or-treating at my grandmother's house, and when I got back in, I would sort out all of the candy I didn't like and feed them to my dachsund, Odie. I'm sure Tootsie Rolls have no chocolate in them, because I probably fed him 5 lbs or more of those things, and he lived to be 17 years old.
Labels: Reminiscences
We received the pictures from the
DC reception and they're posted in my
family pictures within
travels.
I've also finally gotten around to resizing and adding the wonderful photos Martin took of the
rehearsal dinner and that he and Phoenix took at
the wedding . Someday, we'll also get his video on there, but I have a feeling that'll be after the honeymoon.
Ciao! (practicing my Italian... I think that's about the breadth of my knowledge)
Labels: Wedding
