For my 32nd birthday, I decided to give myself a very special present.
On August 29, 2009 I embarked on a trip to Bangalore, India for the Hindu wedding of Karthik and Vyshnavi. Karthik is the brother of my good friend Archana. I’m so very appreciative of them for inviting me to participate in this wonderful event.
I traveled by myself and have had several people comment on how brave I am. While I was a little bit nervous, I didn’t let it phase me. I wasn’t going to pass up this opportunity. I am, however, taking applications for travel companions as this trip put a bug in me. :)
The Flights
The flights were as follows, both ways:
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Atlanta, GA
- Dubai, UAE
- Bangalore, IN
Total travel time to India was 24 hours, returning 27 hours. That’s a lot of flying… trust me!
Fortunately, sleep is my best friend, so I spent most of the flights dreaming. The only uncomfortable side effect of flying for so long is swollen feet.
Day 1
The Hotel
I got into Bangalore at 3 am and to my hotel, Casa de Bangaluru, at 5 am. The hotel was, in my book, a 5 star hotel. The room was like a small apartment with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette and living room. It also had 2 balconies - one off the bedroom, the other off the living room. It was quite cozy.
The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. If I needed anything they were there.
The hotel also had a restaurant which included a delicious complimentary continental breakfast. The breakfast was certainly much more than I would expect here in the states - a buffet of several different types of Indian fair. I was also introduced to dosa by one of the wait staff. Dosa is a thin pancake which is broken off and dipped into two different chutneys. I very quickly became a fan!
Karthik set up the details for me and all of his friends. It ended up costing me only $50 a night! I am still amazed.
The Bus
In the morning I boarded a bus chartered by Karthik for a number of his friends from school. His friends were from many different places: Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore and of course India. This in itself was a great cultural experience.
While I waited in the bus for everyone to arrive, I recorded the sounds of the road. The first thing a foreigner will notice is the amount of street noise - honking, diesel cars, & motorcycles. What you’ll very soon discover is that Indians navigate with sound - constantly honking at each other. Honking isn’t negative like it is in the U.S. It is instead a way to indicate to others that you’re there.
Click here to listen.
Mehndi Ceremony
The bus took us to the Mehndi ceremony, which was being held at a house in the country, just outside Bangalore. The meager house was surrounded by a beautiful garden, a couple of platforms and cages which housed 40 dogs. (I never did find out why they had so many dogs.)
The Mehndi ceremony is organized by the bride. Skilled artists are brought in to apply Mehndi (henna) to the brides hands and arms. All women in attendance are also invited to have Mehndi applied.
The Mehndi goes on as a thick paste which dries and eventually flakes off, leaving behind a deep orange or red stain. The designs which the artists apply are very ornate - especially those of the bride. My artist was incredibly fast and detailed. She was also deaf and mute - communicating through hand signals and writing. Very talented young woman.
The Mehndi is intended to stay on your hands until the day of the ceremony. Most brides take care not to get them wet until the day of the ceremony. For instance, my friend Archana placed plastic bags over her hands when she was married.
The Mehndi ceremony also included lunch, which was absolutely delicious. I honestly do not know what I ate - Archana told me, but I was so overwhelmed with new food the entire trip that I haven’t retained it.
As you’ll find out in posts to come - Indians are all about food. I ate so much on this trip! And I didn’t have a single bad meal. You can bet that I also picked up some cook books while I was there.
After the Mehndi ceremony, the bride and groom are not to see each other again until the day of the wedding ceremony. So, Karthik left with us to go to a still theatre production he had arranged for us to see.
Bimba: Still Theatre in Miniature Art Form
We headed back into Bangalore to see a still theatre show. A couple ran the theatre - the wife being the creator of the miniature art form. Her family has created this art through the generations and she decided to start sharing it with the outside world.
The particular still theatre she showed us was the story of Ganga, the River Goddesses descent to earth through her marriage to Lord Shiva. [Wikipedia entry.]
The story was told really well and the still life very well put together. You can tell a lot of love and care was put into it.
What interested me the most about this visit however, was the exterior of the theatre which this couple owned. It was very typical of the architecture in the city and I really enjoyed walking around the grounds to see fully intact buildings aside partially destroyed buildings. Building and tearing down structures seems to be common place in the city - however they leave remnants of such activity all over the place.
Fun End to a Day
After the theatre and a quick bite to eat, we all headed to NYK’s Lounge. The bride and groom had arranged for a private party at this rooftop bar. Only the young guests were in attendance. We drank and danced the night away to Indian dance music.
The most unique experience for me was shots of tequila. They don’t use shot glasses in India like we do. Instead, the owner of NYK’s walked around with bottle and poured it straight into your mouth. Being a lover of tequila, it was definitely tasty.
At the end of the night we all stumbled back to the bus and back to the hotel to have a good nights rest.
Note: All photographs from day 1 can be viewed on Flickr.
I am taking an oral typhoid vaccine for my upcoming trip to India. The vaccine is to be taken on an empty stomach every other day for 7 days.
I recently acquired a refurbished 1979 Coleman tent trailer from my parents. This isn’t just any trailer - I grew up with it.