Stitch-n-Pitch a success!

Boy oh boy did we have a fun time!

We got on a not-crazily-full subway and were taken right to the steps of Shea Stadium!

Tickets checked, stairs climbed...

Goody Bags Received!!!

Hot dogs, french fries, nachos and waters...

Phew...time to sit and knit!!!

As we approached our seats Meg looked up and smiled at me. "They're ALL knitting! All of them! Wow!!!" And indeed they all were, with more pouring in as we sat!

During one of my trips to get us more water (it was a bit warm out) I heard a guy exclaim, "Did you see all of the knitters?"

His friend replied, "Yah, you don't see that every day... but it's not bad... looks like a lot of hot chicks knit!"

In a lucky turn of events, Dan's college group was given free tickets to the same game! They sat a few sections away from where we were seated and we were able to visit each other.

Yes, before the night was through Meg did request a ball cap sundae... "When I'm done with it, it will fit Kirsten PERFECTLY too!" Well, if it'll fit your American Girl doll...

Overall? The weather was lovely, the people cool and the game - a nail-biter to the very end!!! (Yes, the Mets won...which was OK by me since they don't play the Red Sox anyway!)

Yu-MMY!

In a necessary break from studying while I cooked up dinner...

...Look whose custom made Tuxedo arrived today in the Post!!!
He'd ordered it in Hong Kong when we were there in April, but a small misunderstanding required the trousers to be remade and delayed its arrival.

Yes - he got a real bow tie (I'm a total sucker for a man in a bow tie!!)

Now we just need to find an excuse to break it out and to bust Dan away from the crazed study schedule he's on.
He's in week 2 of his one year Master's program at Columbia University and is a studying machine!!!

Hmmm...where to wear the tux first...

Meanwhile, upon my return from this next trip I have a TON of sewing to do! I've dropped two sizes since last summer and my closet of dresses mine as well be potato sacks!

So much to do - darn that work thing!

The Whirlwind Departure

Up early I was packed and ready -- but alas my dearest was not. We did leave later than I'd hoped to, but were at least able to get to see the Gateway of India (shown left.)

This building was surrounded by tourists and those selling their wares. It's men that are selling things - - again - - very few women are seen that are not either tourists, panhandlers or of a religious ilk promising to pray for you for a fee (see Dan being asked below.)

To the right you can see the men selling the peeled cucumbers, a cool snack on an already hot day. The men stood there gabbing and staring. Once ina while someone would say something which brought a smile to their lips, but I didn't see laughter.

There were also men selling toys and trinkets.
One man even selling bags of popcorn.

It is here that you would board a boat out to Elephanta Island. Next time we'll take the boat as is it's been recommended highly to me by numerous people.

Following the Gateway, our taxi driver brought us past this amazing Mosque. Amazing to behold. Below I've posted two photos -- one of the Mosque way out on the point, and one of Dan photographing it so you can see just how far away and large it was!

From here he brought us to a beautiful Jain Temple. One of the folks I work with here in Mumbai follows the Jain religion as did the taxi driver. I wish I'd known more about what I was looking at. The guide books we had spoke very little about this religion. I know it's followers are not only vegetarian, but eat no root vegetables. They also are known for being extreme animal lovers.

After the temple visit, we had the long ride to the airport. Long due to the tremendous traffic, not distance. I cannot stress enough the traffic here. WOW! Bicycles here, as in China, are used to carry everything! At left you can see the 3 wheeled bike carrying a load of gas tanks. They could be empty or full!

They also pile everything and anything on top of the taxis. They have too with the taxis all being so very tiny!! This was the car in front of us as we journeyed out to the airport.
I had thought as we passed these people cooking (photo right) that I'd really love to stop and buy some lunch, but this was one of the areas where the traffic actually WAS moving. We arrived at the Mumbai airport and had to pass all of our luggage through the scanning machines where they would be bound by a machine to show they had been scanned.

TRAVELERS NOTE: You are allowed 2 check-in bags and only 1 (one) single carry-on (either a purse or bag) unlike much of the rest of the world. Thankfully Dan had only one check-in bag so I could check in my second carry-on under his space. The fellow at the check-in gate was rather nice and really walked us through their different system. I usually only have one check-in bag - but with this trip being 6 weeks and many climates long...

After checking in, we made our way to the gate. Security check was at the actual gate. Men to one side, women to the other. We didn't realize this and Dan was quickly ushered to the other line. After a quick check of my bag we sat down to await boarding.

They announced the boarding was about to start and we all slowly gathered into a line. Another announcement was made in Hindi. Many faces around the room suddenly looked pained and went to sit down. Next they played a pre-recorded message in English. It mentioned that this was a practice effort and to listen to all directions from staff...the man standing in front of us told his English-speaking friend that in Hindi it said "there is a security threat, please get your hand luggage and leave the building immediately." We were brought into the boarding gate, but rather than taking us to the plane, we were brought outside and under the building on ground level. Now we've been moved steps away in to lot between the buildings. (I snagged a shady spot.) And we wait, outside, with no proper word as to what's going on. Never a dull moment. Military men mulled around a little. Staff from our gate all looked but confused and pained

No. I did NOT get any photos of this all. There were enough military handy to keep my camera in my bag thanks.

As we boarded the flight we passed by the fellow that had assisted us at check-in. Dan asked him if it has really been a threat or simply an exercise. The reply was got was only a forced smile and a nervous giggle with a head nod for us to move long. No formal answer.
From here we were hustled onto the plane, seated and voila! We're off to Sri Lanka!
This was the first flight I'd been on where they sprayed something into the air on the plane to kill any bugs that might be on it. It smelled awful -- I can't imagine it's "OK" for you to inhale. That poor flight crew! I passed out on the flight over. It was SO SHORT! Only about 2 hours.
We landed at the Bandaranayake International Airport and gathered our bags. I was pushing the cart and stopped to exchange some money while Dan went ahead to arrange a taxi. As I rounded the corner, a man with a safety vest came over and said he'd push my cart. I told him no thank you. He physically pushed me off my cart and took off ahead with it. (I was fuming!) We got through the doors to the taxi area where Dan had arranged a car and he stopped. Now he wanted to be paid for pushing the cart. I was so mad.

Dan paid him. Not only did he PAY HIM - but when the guy was handed Sri Lanka Rupees, he pushed it away and demanded US dollars. Which Dan paid him.

Sometimes I hate being a physically small woman. If Dan had been pushing the cart I guarantee you he wouldn't have been treated so. I do understand he was only trying to make a living, but do not appreciate his tactics. It made me very uncomfortable. Thankfully I can say we were not treated like that again.

The taxi brought us the 15 minute ride to Negombo and our hotel. The Golden Star Hotel lets out right onto the sandy beach of the Indian Ocean. Yeah!!! We were greeted with a welcome drink (think tang on steroids) and shown to our room. It was simple. Basic. Not fancy in anyway. It was also a room at the ONLY hotel that replied to the masses of emails and faxes I'd sent trying to arrange a room at all. Thus - IT WAS PERFECT! It had a private bath and a view of both the pool and beach in the distance.

We had a room with half-board (breakfast and dinner included), so we headed down to the dining room to see what was on offer. It had been quite a long day. Upon arrival at dinner we realized that we were the only guests under 65 in the joint. This was fine as it also meant there were no rowdy and obnoxious tables of overly drunk young travelers. The menu was small but complete and we hit the salad/bread table to start. I enjoyed my glass of local wine which I followed with a Pina Colada while Dan enjoyed the local beer. I tucked into the shrimp plate (above) and Dan enjoyed the curry dish he got. It was filling but not fantastic... which is not a complaint. I'm writing this having already been through the trip and can safely say the local, not tourist food, blew it out of the water. But alas, I'm getting ahead of myself.

After dinner we couldn't keep ourselves from the beach and ocean any longer, and suited up for a night time swim. Save for when my feet got caught in a fishermans net that was in the water (which freaked me right out!!!), it was relaxing and beautiful! We certainly weren't alone...

These little fellers were everywhere out hunting for dinner I'd guess! The swim tired us both right out! Time for sleep. We have an early wake up set to catch the sunrise!

Mumbai: Day 3

Part III: New Cameras, Big Crabs and Spicy Chillies
What a long few days.

Work ran over (don't ask - very frustrating) and sadly, all of my free time that I'd planned in was eaten up. Yep, my entire free day - whoosh - gone. Well... Up until 4pm today at least... We had tonight "free."

Upon return to the hotel the doctor came to our room to check out Dan's bug bite and hooked him up with a prescription and a tetanus shot (all for $32USD including tip -- and that's with him making a hotel call to our room!) After picking up his meds at 4:30pm, we went to the "mall" located upstairs in a building connected to the Hilton Towers (our hotel) to pick up my replacement camera (see yesterday for the camera story). The concierge had located a store that carried the IXUS850IS (what my camera is called outside the USA.)

Dan and I arrived at the store...um...it was a photography studio?
Shaded lights, an old desk and a few chairs blended in with the single computer and filing cabinets. I inquired about the camera. The owner had received the call from our hotel. He asked us to take a seat while he got on the phone and began making multiple calls about the camera, with "IXUS850IS" being the only part I understood with each call.

Finally he turned to us and said, "Waiting very BRAND NEW piece from factory." Um...yah, that's the point, no? I found it funny enough to immediately write down exactly how he'd said it.

One hour passes and we are still sitting on stools by the shabby chic desk. A runner arrived with a bag containing a camera, case etc.

"Your new camera!"

I opened the bag to inspect and the new box reads "IXUS800IS" not "IXUS850IS". It's the wrong camera...the one with the plastic back...the one most likely to break...I'm not buying it. Words are said from the owner to the runner. Calls are made. Phones ring. More calls.

He confirmed that the "IXUS850IS" is the one I want because if he goes to get it, it cannot be returned. I confirm. He waits. We wait. Phone calls in, phone calls out...
He suddenly decides to go himself to get it...

We wait. 1 hour and 45 minutes have passed.

A woman that has been in and out sits in his chair and strikes up a conversation with us. She's the wife of the owner, Nepalese and comes from a well to do family. This we learn in the first few moments as she let's us know that he father owns a large international hotel chain inquiring if we knew of it (which we did - you would. It's big.) We chatted and chatted and chatted... Chai tea arrives. The time moves so slowly in the dull low ceilinged florescent lit room. I get up and look at the photos on the walls of Bollywood and International stars as I'm told her brother-in-law photographs all the stars. She talks on about how difficult it is for her sister who is married and living in Connecticut in the USA. She asks how we do things in the USA, being that we don't all have help? Her poor sister has to cook the meals and take care of her two children all by herself! Without a live-in? Terrible, no? She then said how amazing it was when her nephews would come to visit, they would make their beds when they got up and could even get their own cereal, all at age 8! Her own children who are late teens early twenties didn't even do that. (They have household help and still live at home.) Interesting the differences in how people are brought up. It's cultural here to have household help.

We wait. 2 hours and 15 minutes. In times and places like this you have to wait. If you leave to come back later, nothing will get done...so, We Wait.

Finally - 2 hours and 40 minutes later - my replacement camera arrives. Yeah!!!

Sadly it ate up our entire touristic evening, but I'll have a camera for the rest of this crazy world tour!!!

All of that waiting was very tiring (which I know sounds weird)...perhaps it was the lighting? We opted for dinner within the Hilton Towers hotel at India Jones. They serve food from 8 Asian countries. Yum! (Subsequently I found out that it had a very high rating - good call on our parts!)

The staff at India Jones was extremely attentive, with 2-3 people stopping by from time to time for different things. Upon deciding on our order, I followed our waiter through the kitchen to the tank in the back to select our crab... upon arrival I chose the only one they had. Boy oh boy was he BIG!!!
We started with the Rice Crackers and dip (left) and the Appetizer platter for two including my favorite green papaya salad! (right)





Next we had Singapore Chili Crab (left) which was a blue crab when I'd seen it pre-cooked (yes I knew it would change color-- but it was so pretty in its blue coloring.) We also had a Pomfret fish common to Bombay (right below).
Yum yum yum! They even gave us lovely embroidered cloth aprons to protect our clothing from the Crab-ness.





The wine was tasty, the service good and it was mere steps from the elevator that brought us to our room for a good nights sleep.
Tomorrow morning it's whirlwind touring of Mumbai on our way to the airport.

Then...Sri Lanka here we come!!!

Mumbai - Day 3



Part I - Laundry and Getting There

As with any business trip, I'm here to work.

This means it's often the "getting there" where I get to see most of the culture. Is you peer out the window you have to decipher what you see in little bites until you have the full story. This often involves a long continuous list of "what's that" "why does that have a" "is that the norm?" etc. to whomever is sitting near me, local and speaks English. Shown at right here is a view of housing that I saw daily as we left central Mumbai.

One of the things that I saw a lot on these hour+ long drives to the factories, were the families sharing the mopeds/motorbikes. Although I've see it so many times in China, it amazed me to see the women riding side saddle due to the restricted movements in their saris. Often is was four people with a second child seated between the parents. Almost no one uses a helmet either, although the government is desperately trying to enforce this compulsory law. They certainly don't have the man power to stop every bike with non-helmet wearing passengers. Instead, they are using signs, like this one at right, at toll booths that you must pass through when traveling 40 minutes outside the center of Mumbai.
Another option are the Auto-pedicabs (shown left.) They were out in droves this morning. I didn't see them within Mumbai center much, so I'm not sure what their driving restrictions are, but just outside the center -- VOILA! They are about as wide as 2 seats at the cinema, smooshed together and are set-up like a trike with 2 wheels at the back and one front. The driver most often, from what I noticed, is barefoot and sitting on one foot casually as he navigates the traffic and roads. Three people are often seen to have poured themselves into the back, sitting upon one another in order to fit. Yes, it's a less expensive mode of transportation from the taxis that also abound.

A I travel, I find myself trying to imagine what it would be like to live in which ever country I'm visiting. What would I be up against if my finances or class level kept me where I was without much chance of change in my lifetime... A hard thing to think about.

This morning on the way to the knitting factory, we were treated to a stop by a Mumbai landmark.

The Laundry.

Perhaps you're thinking what could be so interesting about a bunch of people doing laundry? How about this:





or this:



Dan and I couldn't help but stare in awe before grabbing our cameras and going for it. I was hoping my camera would work for a few more minutes (it was slowly dieing), and it didn't let me down. Even let me get a few moments of video (see it at the very bottom of this blog entry)!

This is where the hotels, restaurants and many households send their laundry to be done.

It extends nearly as far as the eye can see!! An amazing sight.

To the left of the area where laundry was being done you can see the commuter train, at times bursting with people. Some hanging on as they half hang out the door.

I have so many photos of the laundry...but only space for a few!!!

India...
There are just SO MANY PEOPLE here.

Everywhere you look - people. You can tell this a bit as you watch how they interact with each other and how they walk. Very little personal space is accounted for. Everyone walks very close to one another...something I see in China and Hong Kong too. I suppose when you put this many people into a small space you don't learn what it's like to have personal space. It really makes you appreciate it when you have those few moments where no one is so close to you. I sometime have to remind myself that people aren't being rude and that their culture is different. It can be very overwhelming when walking through crowds.

Mumbai - Day 1

The Final Chapter: After hours
After we returned from our late lunch/early dinner Dan and I decided to go for a walk. In Mumbai there is a famous coastal road called Marine Drive which happened to be outside the door of our hotel. It runs from Nariman Point around to Chowpatty Beach. (Lower left hand corner of the map on the left.)

It was time for the sunset after all! The perfect time for a walk. (This first sunset photo is the view from our room.) Marine Drive is where people go at sunset for a stroll. Lots and lots of people, which means it's also a good place to people watch.

I love the caste cement jax that are along the waters edge. Dan has seen them in other cities before, but I hadn't. Anyone know what they are officially called? I really liked this photo of them.

(***UPDATE: Celia told me they are called dolo (singular) dolosse (plural). See her wikopedia link in the comments section of this entry! Thanks Celia!!!)

As we walked down Marine Drive we began to notice, like at the factory today, it was mostly men out and about. I'd been told at the factory that women worked more in the sewing and beading areas. (Something about women being better at that fine detailed work then the laborous work at the printing/dying factory.)

I'd say 1 out of every 20 people on Marine drive was female...or less. So...if the women aren't at the office...they must all be...at home? There were a few women in pairs walking and a few with a man walking... Hmmm...I'l have to ask more about THAT!As the sun set lower in the sky, I took another shot including the lit up buildings across the bay.


When we'd gotten sufficiently far down the road and decided to cross the street for the return journey, we happened upon this:



my first live Cricket game!!!

I am in the land of Cricket so it was a fun thing to watch, especially being played in a local park by the roadside. I was also the only woman there...the men were either giggly or unnerved that I was there...but I stood and watched (Dan wandered a bit to take photos.) Again -- no women around...


Upon returning to the hotel we were ready for bed. Dan's still fighting a virus and I'm simply exhausted! It was a fun Sunday though! Tomorrow it's knit factory time!! Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

INDIA -- I'M HERE!!!


After a 14 hour and 20 minute direct flight on Delta from NYC's JFK, we landed in Mumbai, India without any trouble. It was a nice flight!

Upon landing we moved swiftly through the very long line at immigration -- it moved remarkably fast! Then on to luggage...


Yes -- spoke too soon. An hour-and-a-half later we found our luggage in a pile in a corner where someone had taken it off the belt. Then on to the long and slow line through customs. Every bag you have with you has to be fed through an X-ray machine before you are allowed to cross through into India. Two X-ray machines for 100s of people means relax, joke and be patient (which is just what we did).

Once you get through customs, you walk through a very small cordoned of doorway to where you are met by throngs of people awaiting the arriving passengers... OUTSIDE. The crowds that you would find in any airport -- quadruple them and drop them on the street. Voila, welcome to Mumbai.

I'd arranged a car to pick us up through our hotel and he was there waiting for us. A smart idea I can tell you from the looks of the taxi line. I think it's actually cheaper too!


The drive to our hotel, after midnight now, was interesting in itself. We passed through many neighborhoods of varying financial levels both low and high.

The taxis (shown right) are SO TINY!! And there are auto-rickshaws everywhere! According to the driver of our Toyota Carolla (huge in comparison to the taxis), both the taxis and the auto-rickshaws have either 5kg or 10kg tanks (you get approx. 20km/kg) of LPG - liquid petroleum gas (natural gas). I'll get a better photo of the taxis and one of the auto-rickshaws tomorrow or the next day.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Bernard and I went down to the restaurant for a bite. I was sipping my water when who arrived? DAN!!! After 5 long weeks - Yeah!!! He's a bit road worn after 4 weeks volunteering in and exploring South Africa. Time to start our Indian adventure!


Tomorrow we all head to the Printing Factory. I love seeing new factories! Learning what equipment they have and what their capabilities are...helps me decide what I can design!!

Nighty night! Up in 6 hours to start the day!!

Dan's Birthday

We swooped into Seattle last night around midnight. Dan had arranged a room at the Weston in downtown Seattle. An interesting building, the Weston. The first 3 floors comprise the restaurants, bar and reception. The rooms are in two round towers that extend 30 some floors into the air. This means the rooms are circular. These two photos are the view from the room. Beautiful. Oh, the beds are indeed heavenly as they advertisements say. A good sleep was had before we got up and started our day.

My first day in Seattle! Yippee! Dan had a meeting to attend in the morning, so I took the opportunity to wander around downtown. I started with a stroll through the Nordstroms. Being the flagship store, I figured I had to check it out. I also can highly recommend the shoe shiner on the basement level. He gave my boots an amazing rebirth!! From here I walked down to the waterfront to Pike Market. What a cool set of shops. Seeing all of the amazing fish markets and produce markets made me wish that I had a kitchen nearby. I stopped by the Market Grill for a cup of chowder. Knowing we had many meals lined up still for the day, I refrained from trying one of the grilled fish platters, but it was hard – they looked and smelled SO GOOD!! After a good wander around I stopped by the flagship Starbuck’s across from Pike Market. They had a fun 3pc band pluckin’ away outside. Fun!

Before I knew it the morning had flown by, Dan had picked me up and we were off to pick up Meg for continued birthday fun. Meg was going to play tour guide! First stop, the section of town called Ballard and Than Brother’s Pho for a bowl of Dan’s favorite pho. I’d heard about it for months, so it was nice to try it. They give you a cream puff to wrap up the meal. Yum! Meg showed me how good she’s gotten with chopsticks! I still remember the first time she was able to use them last summer when she came to NYC! I love Meg's new glasses! They're fancy, from PARIS! (She's very proud of that!)

Since it was Dan’s birthday, we walked across the street to a fun spot called Cupcake Royale! Mint chocolate and Red Velvet cupcakes – YUM! Meg and I packed most of ours into a box for later (we were still full from lunch!) We spent the afternoon browsing the stores in Ballard. Nice neighborhood! Reminded me of some towns in Westchester County, NY.


We decided to stop at a café so Dan could open his gifts before we joined Dan’s friends for dinner. Of course, somehow I walked into the wrong door and before I knew it we were seated in a Mexican restaurant ordering a few appetizers to snack on while Dan opened gifts. Dan’s lucky! All of his presents were homemade! First he opened the BIG BOX from Meg. She’d made him a custom back-to-school kit complete with painted/glitter covered pencil case, special notebook, school supplies and a wonderful card!! Next he came to my gift – the scarf I’d been knitting since late September, from the Italian Merino boucle yarn he picked out when we were in Florence. It’s so soft, and warm. I love it! He said it’s the warmest thing he owns!

From here we continued the birthday fun by meeting at Simon and Molly’s house for some more present opening followed by dinner at Dandelion. We had some tasty meals, yummy wine and wonderful company! It was so nice to finally meet Simon after all I’ve heard about him this past year!! I hope to have more time for conversation on our next visit.

After dinner, on our way back to the hotel, we swung by the Space Needle so I could have a closer look. Voila!
Phew! Busy day! Another to follow tomorrow!! Bring on the Heavenly sleep!