India Photo Blog

Parathas, Sangeet and a Mehndi Party.. Oh My

Adi and Nitasha's aunt graciously invited us over to lunch at their farm house, which is so called because the lands there used to be farms.  The spread of food was delicious and way more than abundant.  We had our full of chicken biryani, parathas and rice pudding.  There were so many different types of parathas, and as each one came out, she insisted we try the new one.  Poor Kevin had already eaten a full serving of potato paratha when the cauliflower one came out.  So of course he ate two more.  Then the radish one came out, and so he had to try that one too.  By the end of the meal, I think he had undone his entire belt.

After a food coma induced nap, Aradhana's driver dropped me off at the parlor, where I was to have my sari tied and pinned.  I have yet to learn how to tie a sari on, thankfully there's youtube (seriously).  After some skillful pinning and Kevin donning his kurta, we headed out to the Hyatt where the Sangeet was being held.  Usually, only women are allowed at the sangeet, but in this case, everyone was invited.  The main purpose of the sangeet is for the family and friends to perform for the bride and groom.  In this case, Rustam and Shweta also exchanged rings, so we first watched that ceremony and waited for the family to take family portraits.  We then watched Shweta's friends and family perform dances and songs, and then finally we watched Rustam's friends and family perform.  After the performances, it was party time, and we stayed at the Hyatt until they kicked us out... around 2am.

Waking up rather late the next day, I was fed another amazing traditional Indian breakfast.  Aradhana had been kind enough to make us something traditional and different every morning so we can truly get a taste of authentic Indian food.  Following breakfast, Aradhana and I headed back to Rustam's house to the Mehndi party, where I got henna done on my hands.  Because Rustam's cousin in law is Shahrukh Khan, there were photographers (paparazzi) at every event, and Adi and I both had pictures in the Times of India!  Granted, no one knew who the heck I was, probably wondering who this random Asian girl is, but oh well!

New Delhi

New Delhi.  With a city that has so much culture and history, it's not uncommon to see a new modern glass building sitting right next to a tomb built in the 1700s.  For our second full day in India, Aradhana and Adi had arranged for their cousin Nitasha to take us around sightseeing.

Our first stop was at Dilli Haat, which is a food and crafts market with stalls representing each state of India.  The different states of India are all culturally different, so Dilli Haat was built to showcase the different crafts and food that can be found in India.  We picked up some souvenirs, although Aradhana wouldn't let us buy any pashminas because you never know if it's real or not.  We were definitely fortunate to have been traveling with locals who were able to haggle for us in Hindi - I'm sure we would've paid 10x more if we tried to haggle on our own.

 

(1. decorative hangings, 2. big cow at the front of Dilli Haat, 3. various clothing, 4. bangles, 5. kevin and I in front of colorful cloths)

Our first tomb on our tour of New Delhi was the Safdarjung Tomb which was built in 1754.  (We were actually looking for Humayun's tomb but got lost, oh well!)  The Safdarjung tomb is said to represent the last phase of Mughal style of architecture.  Nestled in the busy streets of Delhi, it is surrounded by a beautiful garden, and apparently at the very top of the tomb is the Archeological Survey of India.  

We then headed over to the Delhi Gymkhana for lunch.  It is one of the oldest clubs in India, and the membership is so selective that the wait list can be 20-30 years.  The club is primarily a sports facility, but they also have restaurants and food stalls in the courtyard.  We were told we weren't allowed in the club at all, but could sit in the courtyard to eat because Kevin didn't have on proper shoes nor a collared shirt.  There were several food stalls outside, including Chinese, BBQ, Thai and even hot dogs.  There are also a couple of stalls for ice cream.  The ice cream in India is surprisingly different from what we have in the States.  It is so much creamier and definitely a lot richer.  Probably because they don't use pasteurized milk.  

Following lunch, we headed over to the government district of town, where we saw the President's house along with some congressional buildings.  On one end of this main strip is the President's house, and on the other is India Gate.  It reminded me a lot of the DC Mall, with two significant buildings/monuments at opposite ends of each other.  This area of town is supposedly one of the most prestigious and sought after areas to live in.  A lot of the property in here is government owned and is lent to you if you hold a high government position.  India Gate itself is a monument to all those who fought for India.  At first, it was built for those who lost their lives during WWI, but after India's independence from British rule, it is now also a monument to the Unknown Soldiers.  There are also three flags present to represent the different armed forces:  army, air force and navy.  

We eventually found our way to Humayan's tomb, which was built by Humayan's wife for him in the 1500s.  It was the first tomb to use red sand stone and marble, and it is said that the Taj Mahal was greatly influenced by its design.  This tomb was absolutely gorgeous, although by this time, we were trying extremely hard to appreciate it as it was hot, humid, and we were all tired from the heat.  The main chamber housed Humayan's cenotaph and was serene and quiet (unlike in the Taj).  The tomb also shows a strong Islamic influence in its architecture, even down to his cenotaph, where his head is placed facing north, and his face is turned sideways to face Mecca.

 

(1.  door at Safdarjung's tomb, 2. Humayan's tomb, 3. details at Humayan's tomb, 4. at India Gate, 5. Safdarjung's tomb, 5. gate outside President's house)

Following a much needed nap, we then headed back to Rustam's house for another wedding festivity.  I'm not too sure what the significance of this night was, but there was a lot of singing and performances from friends and family. 

New Delhi - New travels

When our friend Adi invited us to India to attend his best friend's wedding, we jumped at the chance.  India? a place I had never traveled to but always wanted to?  With locals?  Staying with locals?  Seriously, where do I sign up? 

After a long day of traveling and some crazy India driving, we finally arrived at Aradhana's house, where she had graciously prepared a late dinner of mutton and curd (or as we say it, lamb and yogurt).  Much much much better than the beans and chickpea a la American Airlines dinner.  

Immediately upon arriving in India, it became very evident that there is a huge distinction between those that have no money and those that have even just some money.  Those that do typically have live in help, along with hired drivers.  Those from extremely wealthy families can have upwards of 10-20 servants living in their homes.  

For our first full day in New Delhi, Adi and Aradhana took us clothes shopping.  I picked up a beautiful blue saree (which I still have no idea how to tie - YouTube?) and Kevin picked up a navy kurta.  The sheer amount of choices at the saree store is overwhelming - kind of reminds me of wedding dress shopping.  

 

After a jetlag induced nap, Adi invited us to the Puja, which is a prayer ceremony that happens a couple of days before the wedding.  It is supposed to invoke the wedding Gods and is done on an auspicious day.  Because it is a religious ceremony, there is no alcohol allowed in the house, even after the ceremony is done.  So what did they do?  They had a car bar (literally.. in the trunk of a car), out in the courtyard, past the property line.  Probably the most amazing thing were the dhol drummers.  Loud, but amazing.  It was really fun to see everyone get really into dancing.  There is just something about cultures centered around drums and beats (e.g. they can actually dance).

Some interesting things I noticed about India:  rather than saying "my neighborhood" (or as Kevin says, "my hood"), they say "my colony."  And rather than being 13 hours ahead, New Delhi is 13.5 hours ahead.  Yup, there is an extra half an hour added in.  Definitely threw me off for a day or two.

Ilha Formosa

When the Portuguese saw the island of Taiwan in 1544, they named it "Ilha Formosa," or "Beautiful Island."  Yesterday, my uncle took me and my cousin to several tourist spots to see the many and different beautiful things Taiwan has.

Our first stop was Yehliu Geopark which is a coastline filled with geological landscapes. Admission to the park is NT50, or less than $2 USD.  The park is most famous for the Queens Head, so named because it is shaped like Nefertiti's head.  The geological landscape was formed due to sea erosion, which continues to this day.  This means that through the years, the neck of the Queens Head has become thinner and the park rangers are worried that in a few years, the Queens Head may break off.  I am definitely glad I was given the opportunity to see the real thing before that happens! 

Due to the fragility of the Queen's Head, the park made a replica of the head that is near the entrance of the park.  Here is my uncle and cousin with the replica, along with the entrance sign and a sign explaining the Queen's Head.

Here we are with the actual Queen's Head.  Unfortunately, due to the time of the year, there were just way too many people around so I could never get just a shot of the Queen's Head.  When my brother and my dad went last year, they were able to get great photos of the Queen's Head without anyone in the background.  C'est la vie.

Here's the line JUST to take a picture with the Queen's Head.  Ridiculous.

Us with other interesting rock formations.

After Yehliu, my uncle then drove us to San Zhi, which is famous for its water wheels.  One of the most impressive is one made entirely of wood and uses the water from the nearby river.  

Near San Zhi is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.  There is a temple not too far up the mountain that is almost entirely covered with seashells.  In Mandarin, it is called "Pei Khe Miao."  Pei Khe being seashell and Miao being temple.  So literally, Seashell Temple.  It is customary for people during the first 15 days of the new year to go to the temples nearly every day to pray.  Usually, temples, even the Seashell Temple is relatively empty, save for a few devout worshipers.  We probably chose one of the worst times of the year to visit a temple.  The amount of people there was simply incredible, and we had to park maybe a quarter of the mile away.  The main hall of the temple is like any other Buddhist temple in terms of layout.  However, this particular temple also has a small tunnel that goes through the back and is filled with smaller deities, wishing ponds and of course, seashells.

In all the times I come back to Taiwan (which is quite a lot, considering I come back every 1-2 years), I had never been to the above places.  It was so interesting to see all the amazing things Taiwan has to offer.  I can't wait for my next trip back so I can visit other spots!

Upon returning home, we had some birthday cake for my cousin, who turned 9 yesterday.  He was so happy to have been able to go out with us that he barely slept the night before.  Generally, kids in Taiwan are in school 90% of the time.  Even though classes end at a reasonable time, most end up going to "bu xi ban," or extra study hall.  These can last until 8 or 9pm at night, so for him to have the opportunity to go out and play was a rarity. 

After a much needed nap and some dinner, I went with my cousins to the world famous ShiLin night market.  I had been to the night market on several occasions, but I had never seen it this full of people.  The night market is several alleyways that are filled with shops and moveable carts, so it's not one big open space.  I literally felt like I was being herded through.  CNY is probably the worst time to go, as it is full of locals, Taiwan tourists from the middle and south, and other tourists.  My cousins and I thought we were being smart by getting there at 7:30pm (usually the later it is, the more crowded it gets).  Even then, we had to wait half an hour to park our car in the lot!

The night market is most famous for its inexpensive products - clothes, jewelry, shoes, you name it.  It is also famous for the food.  Taiwanese culture revolves around food, and the night market does not disappoint.  Within a few blocks of the night market, you can already begin to smell the assortment of good eats the night market has to offer.  Perhaps the most distinctive smell is stinky tofu - which, in my opinion, smells quite good :) You kind of just get used to it.  There are also stands that sell milk tea, something called frog jelly tea, chicken cutlets, hot cakes, chinese sausages, oyster pancakes, you name it, the night market probably has it.  Actually I take that back, I've never seen pizza at the night market.  

pictures of stinky tofu, cold noodles, hot cakes, lanterns, and the crowd:

After buying the few things I needed and getting some stinky tofu, we decided it was time to escape the crowd and head home. 

Happy Chinese New Year

In Asia, Chinese New Year is probably the most rambunctious and jubilant time of the year.  Almost everyone has the week off from school and work, and a lot of people like myself, fly back to Asia specifically for Chinese New Year.  It is a time for celebration, family and traditions.

Celebrations begin on New Years Eve, and for us, it started with breakfast at my grandmother's house.  Tradition dictates that you spend New Years with the male's side of the family, so we went to my dad's mom's house.  Most people in Taiwan are Buddhist and have an altar at home for their specific family deity and also for ancestors.  The morning starts with praying to the deity and ancestors and showing them offerings of food, flowers and the burning of incense.  

This is the altar at my grandmother's house.  The picture on the far left is of my great grandmother.  the table in front of the altar has offerings of various food and also paper money.

Decorations in my parents' building

 

Most people will also tape writings of well wishes and luck on their doors.  These are generally written on red paper.

One of the most important meals during this time is the family dinner during New Years Eve.  As it is with the male's side of the family, my dad's older and younger brothers and their families all came over for dinner.  The dinner will usually have some kind of fish and noodles, and depending on the region, there may also be dumplings and nian gao.  We're not that traditional.  We only had noodles.  Noodles symbolize a long life, which is why it is very taboo to "cut" your noodles into smaller pieces during this time.  It basically means you are cutting your own life short.  The Chinese word for fish is "yu," which is also the same phonetic sound as the word for abundance.  Having fish at the meal therefore symbolizes a year full of abundance.  Almost all foods served during New Years have some kind of meaning, mostly from phonetics.  Our family dinner:

::correction::  I asked my dad about not having fish at dinner, and he said we did have fish.  We just don't eat it.  This way, we still have "yu" (abundance) for the next year!

After dinner, most families then head to the temple.  Traditionally, there is a race to be the first person to place their incense stick into the censer at the stroke of midnight.  For us, we get there as early as possible to avoid the crowd because of my grandmother's age.  At the temple, one prays with incense to the different deities for good health, fortune and other wishes for the coming year.

We again went to the Ma Zu temple that I mentioned in my previous post.  This is the temple at night:

My cousin & my uncle praying with incense sticks, and my grandmother praying at the temple:

 

The night continued with sounds of firecrackers in the streets.  It was surprisingly a nostalgic sound to fall asleep to.  The next morning, tradition dictated that we return back to my grandmother's house for breakfast.  Breakfast on the morning of New Years day is usually a vegetarian one.  According to my uncle, this is because during New Years Eve, it was believed that the world would end, and when morning came and people saw that they were still on earth, they would abstain from meat as a show of thanks.  After breakfast, we again went to the temples to give offerings and to pray for the new year.  Instead of going to the big Ma Zu temple (which, by this time, would be so crowded it would be impossible to get into), we went to two local temples, one of which my grandfather helped to start over 40 years ago.  His name is on the plaque on the wall.  The local temples are places where the deities protect the local people, people in that particular neighborhood.

This is the interior of the temple that my grandfather helped to start:

Other pictures from New Years:

 

Taipei International Flora Exposition

My uncle and I went to the Taipei International Flora Exposition yesterday.  The event is in Taiwan from November 2010 through April 2011, and is the first time the International Horticulture Exhibit is in Taiwan.  Even though we were there from 9am until 4pm, we saw maybe only 1/3 of the entire exhibit.

The exhibit itself is in downtown Taipei, to show an urban green living space, and it is about 0.4 square miles.  There are 4 major areas, with 14 pavilions highlighting various themes.  There is an exhibit on renewable resources and energy, one on the future, and an area showcasing designs and flowers from other countries.  There are also living roofs that you can walk on.  In all, there are over 800 different orchids and over 329 million plants.

The only downside of the Expo is the sheer number of people who are there.  To further compound the problem, most of Taiwan is now on New Years break so they don't have to work this week.  For several of the pavilions, you must line up first to get tickets that then direct you to come back at a set time.  For the most popular exhibits, these tickets are completely handed out by 10am.  (the Expo opens at 9am!).  Most people who have gone have said that to see the entire Expo, you probably need 3 full days - which I can definitely agree with.

Ticket prices aren't too bad, they're about 300 NTD per person, which equates to roughly $10/person.  For $10, I would definitely say the Expo was worth seeing.  There are a lot of really beautiful flowers and floral designs and the conceptualization behind the Expo was well thought out.

Love and Hate

Things I hate about Taiwan:

1. Humidity - my hair is naturally wavy.  Wavy hair + humidity = Monica's hair in Barbados (friends episode)
2. Crazy drivers - please don't run me over
3. A lot of people smoke - yuck. yuck yuck yuck yuck yuck
4. I can't go shopping for clothes here b/c nothing fits me (the girls here don't have hips or butts)
5. All my relatives want to force feed me - which I don't understand since I already can't fit into the clothes here...
6. Squat toilets - enough said (although luckily, most places now have western toilets, thank God)

Things I love about Taiwan:

1. My family's here
2. The food - all the food!  street food, din tai fung, beef noodle soup, oyster pancakes, everything
3. Everything is cheaper here (except for cars, but I'm not buying a car so I don't really care)
4. Universal Healthcare - enough said (for those of you against "socialism," *ahem Michele Bacchmann, welfare is money from the government, yes you, Bacchmann, who received $250,000 in welfare - idiot)
5. The milk here is so much more fragrant than the watered down crap we have back in the states.
6. Chinese New Year in Taiwan = $$$$ :D

Din Tai Fung

No trip to Taiwan is complete without stopping by Din Tai Fung.  It has attracted so much attention globally, that the NYT rated Din Tai Fung as one of the top ten restaurants in the world - the only Asian restaurant on the list.  In 2010, Din Tai Fung's Hong Kong location was awarded One Michelin Star.  Oh, and that Din Tai Fung in LA?  Doesn't even come close.  There is just something about the ones in Asia that makes it stand out.

There are 5 locations now in Taiwan, 4 in Taipei and one in Hsinchu.  Yesterday we stopped by the closest one to our house, which is located in the Tienmu SOGO department store.  Yes, the department stores here have restaurants, and grocery stores, and just about everything else.

Din Tai Fung is famous for it's xiao long bao - a little pork dumpling that is wrapped in a thin, almost translucent dough, but strong enough to hold the dumpling and the broth in without breaking.  Din Tai Fung is also famous for their impeccable service.  Even though the wait can be over an hour long, once you are seated, service is nonstop and your food comes out right away.  Also, if one of the skins on your dumpling breaks, they will actually steam another one for you!  THAT is service.

 This is a shot of inside the kitchen, where they are making and filling the xiao long bao.

 This is what the finished xiao long bao look like, after they have been steamed.

That is how much broth comes out of one little xiao long bao - it's the best part!  Which is why they will steam you another one if the skin on one of the dumplings break and all the broth spills out.

 Inside of a shrimp dumpling.

Dessert - layered cake

Aside from their xiao long bao, Din Tai Fung is also really well known for their chicken soup and fried rice.  Apparently tourists from Japan go crazy over their fried rice.

This time around, we ordered 3 baskets of xiao long bao, 1 of the shrimp, some vegetables, chicken soup and hot and sour soup.  No need to take up precious stomach real estate with fried rice :)  I left full and happy - and then I promptly sent a picture over to my brother who couldn't make the trip.  I'm so mean.

Old

I was out by 8pm last night.  Out.  8pm.  Out cold.  So asleep that I had no idea my aunt and cousin dropped by at 8:30, even though they were supposedly very loud.  A sign of getting old apparently.

To be fair, I slept maybe 6 hours on the flight over.  It appears that every time I am flying to or from Taiwan, there has to be a really loud snorer on the plane.  For this flight, the guy slept most of the flight (13 hrs), and snored for probably 90% of that.  And it was one of those loud abrasive jars you from your sleep type of snoring.  Eventually I gave up and grabbed my iPod and listened to Krishna Das to help me fall back asleep.

We landed in TPE around 5:45am and got home around 7.  After unpacking and settling in, we went with my grandmother to the temple.  My dad's older sister has been in the ICU for the last 2 weeks and my grandma has been fraught with worry.  She wanted to go to the temple to pray for my aunt, so we accompanied her to buy some flowers and fruit and went to the temple together.  This particular temple has been around for roughly 300 years and is one of the earliest Mazu temples in northern Taiwan.  Mazu is the Heavenly Holy Mother, so the temple is devoted to her and named after her.  She is the one who will answer problems and help with whatever worries and cares you have on earth.  As my grandma and parents prayed to Mazu, I held my incense and prayed to God that he would help my aunt recover and look after my grandmother.  I've come to realize that my difference in religion from the rest of my family doesn't mean I can't respect who they worship.

(Here is an image of ceremonial money being burned as an offering.)

I also ordered my qi pao, and after much deliberation, I decided just to go with the traditional red.  You really can't go wrong with a red qi pao.  At least I hope not!

I am a nerd

Unfortunately, Karen had to work on some of the days I was visiting her.  I took the opportunity to walk around the American History Museum.  Museums, I love them.  I especially love walking through museums by myself.  Why you ask?  So I can take my time and read everything and not have to worry about making people wait impatiently.  (nerd alert 1)

The American History Museum is one of my favorites, and it also houses the famous First Ladies Exhibit where the gowns are put out on display.  I have been reading a lot of biographies on our founding fathers (nerd alert 2) and it was so neat to see artifacts from that era and from the very people I have been reading about.  I can only imagine what they were like when they were alive.

The first major display upon walking into the museum is the original Star Spangled Banner Flag.  It was the flag that inspired Francis Key Scott to write the song that would eventually become our national anthem.  It used to hang in the Smithsonian, but it is so fragile now that it is laid flat and will never hang again.

Some highlights from the museum:

This statue of George Washington created quite the stir when it was first revealed.  It was thought to be vulgar as George Washington was "inappropriately dressed."  I really like the symbolism of the statue and how all the details mean something.  It's a Grecian style statue to symbolize Greece as the world's first democracy.  There are smaller figures of American Indians and Christopher Columbus to symbolize the old and new worlds.  Most important though is the outstretched sword, which symbolizes him selflessly relinquishing power to the people after he led the country to victory in the American Revolution. (nerd alert 3)

Michelle Obama's Jason Wu inauguration gown

 

 

George Washington's Original coat

Lincoln's pocket watch.  Inside the watch, there is an inscription of "Jonathan Dillon April 13-1861 Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon April 13-1861 Washington thank God we have a government Jonth Dillon." Apparently Lincoln never knew about the inscription. (nerd alert 4)

time line of our Presidents

Slavery.  This whole exhibit brought tears to my eyes.  I have been watching Ken Burn's Civil War (yes... nerd alert 5) and it's hard for me to fathom how people can justify treating other human beings this way