trip

Hey everyone. Today is my last day in India.  I am really busy so I will post when I get back in the US.

IPL Final (Cricket)

When we got back to the apartment we watched cricket and ordered Dominos Pizza!! Dominos pizza is really popular in India and actually really really good!! Chennai ended up winning the cricket game so we were all really happy!! I am actually starting to understand and enjoy cricket:)

Domino's Pizza and ketchup :)

Window Shopping in Bombay

Today Chandra and I had a lazy morning.  I slept in while him and his mother went to a near by temple.  After that we had breakfast.  Chandra took a nap and his mother showed me old photo albums of Chandra and Uma when they were little and Chandra’s parents engagement.  Chandra’s mother also showed me her Sari’s  which were a lot of fun to look at.  It was nice to have time to get to know her one-on-one.  She is so sweet and caring.  

Once Chandra woke up we got ready and headed to the mall.  The mall is called High Street Phoenix and is huge.  It has a lot of different sections some are outside some connect some do not.  In the courtyard of the mall there are people playing games with little kids and advertising new products.  That day they were playing games and giving out Fanta to the winners.  They also had huge cigarette advertisements to show how many cigarettes an average person smokes in a year.  It reminded me of basics year in college so I took a photo. 

Chandra and I walked around the mall to scout out a place to have lunch with Uma when she got off work.  We decided on a place called Spaghetti Kitchen which was really good! I got chicken lasagna and loved it.  Chandra and his sister got pasta and also liked their food.  After eating we headed out to Fahrenheit 21. 

Cigarette adds.. sooo many cigarettes

Cigarette adds 

Rides for kids at the mall

McDonald's at the mall

take away dessert window!! They had so many different ice creams

Menu lots of spicy chicken and no beef

part of the mall

Line for the movies

Fahrenheit 21

It took a long cab ride and an emergency bathroom break but we finally made it to Fahrenheit 21 and it was worth the wait!! Fahrenheit 21 is a club that is 21 degrees Fahrenheit and is made out of ice.  Before you enter the club you are given a winter coat and gloves to wear.  The club has an ice bar and ice seats with fur that you can sit on.  We paid a cover charge and were given cards that we could trade in for drinks and food.  We all had a lot of fun eating, drinking, and dancing.  I never thought that I would wear a winter coat in India :)

We left the bar early to watch the cricket match with Chandra and Uma’s mom.  To get home we decided to take the train.  We got first class tickets and the train was really nice and saved us so much time!!

Bombay Sightseeing

Today Chandra, his mother, and I went out into Bombay to do some sightseeing.  We went to the Gateway of India and to the Taj Mumbai Palace Hotel where the 26/11 terrorist attacks happened.  Both of them were great to see.  We unfortunately were unable to go into the Taj Mumbai Palace.  After seeing the two places we went to a café and had sweets and ice cream to cool down.  Then we drove down Marine Drive to see the rest of the city.  Along the way we saw amazing views of the ocean and some old architecture. 

Gateway of India

Victoria Terminus

Taj Mumbai Palace hotel

Marine Drive

Samrath

After sightseeing we went back to Chandra’s house to relax.  After relaxing Chandra’s family took me out to dinner.  We went to a restaurant called Samrath where they served Gujarati food.  We had the “Thali” it is a full course meal with starters main course and desserts. It was fun to try new and different foods.  After eating we headed back to watch the cricket game that Bombay was playing in.  

Uma and I in a taxi on the way to the restaurant

Chandra and I outside the restaurant

Inside the restaurant

All of us at the restaurant

My meal

My ice cream :)

Uma's Chocolate Mousse

Flight to Bombay and Chandra's family's new place

Chandra and I took our first flight together to Bombay.  The security was very different then in the US.  First we had our checked bags checked at security.  Before our bags went thought the scanner they zip tied the suitcase zippers together.  Then they went through the scanner.  After we had our bags looked at we went to the ticket counter where we handed over our bags.  After that we went through air port security.  Most of the security in India separates men and women.  The women had one line and the men had four because there are so many more men than women travelers.  After we got through security we got banana nut muffins and found our gate.  

 

Our flight was pretty uneventful.  Chandra and I shared my neck pillow and slept the second we got in our seats.  When we woke up we spent the rest of the time flipping through tv channels.  While channel surfing we came across a news station talking about a plane crash that happened the night before near Delhi.  There is no good time to find out about a plane crash but in a plane is definitely a bad time!  Luckily our flight landed safely and we got our bags fairly fast.  When we left the airport Chandra’s father was waiting for us with a cab and took us to their place.  It was nice to meet Chandra’s parents and see their new place in Bombay.     

Chandra with his suitcase!! he survived the taxi ride!

Chandra's Dad with the Taxi from before we were born!

The back of the cab

 The Apartment

Chandra's mother and I outside the apartment building

The apartment building

Me at the dinning room table

Chandra's mom and dad

The Kitchen

Chandra's parents room

Uma's room (Chandra's sister)

Views from the balcony

Views from the balcony at night