Year of the Dragon

The year of the Dragon is considered the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac. 2012 is the Water Dragon, water calms the Dragon's fire which can be a good thing. In just this one week, this year of the Dragon has been more than spectacular. I indeed feel lucky, I hope it continues for myself and every one of you.

I ventured out on the streets of Mumbai on foot again today. I am feeling more confident in exploring every nook which you need to do here, it is the nooks that hold some of the most interesting shops and people. You wouldn't EVER think something like that would be there but once you walk down a small crack of an ally, it opens into a whole world of colorful things. The incredibly intense gawking I attract doesn't even bother me anymore. I must be getting somewhat accustomed to the heat also, it seemed as if I wasn't sweating as much, which is really noticeable when you see everyone bundled up with scarves, long sleeves and sweaters and here I am soaked.....

Today I explored foodie things, more spices, teas, Indian bakeries and stainless steel cookware. The pans used here are fun and much different than I have seen so I wanted to check them out. My sister does not live in a touristy area so the prices are incredible and the shop keeper gave me a discount when I told him I was the one who would be using the pans. They loved that, wanted to know where I was staying, my name, brought me savory lassi and when I said I was okay and didn't need anything to drink, they insisted and said I was their guest! Shopping here is an extraordinary experience. The kindness is amazing.

I didn't recognize a thing at the bakery so the man offered me samples of everything, again, amazing....all these chewy almond, pistachio, date, fig fudge~y treats that he packed into an adorable little box.

I found the "expat" store that I had read about. I wanted to purchase chocolate chips to bake some cookies for Maks and Jen. They are the tiniest chocolate chips in the tiniest package, one ounce. The man said he had them at his other store and if I could wait 5 minutes, he would have them here, no problem. The store was Indian as well as western so I was more than happy checking everything else out until the chocolate chips arrived.

I saw the restaurant named Royal Challenge which of course cracks me up. Vladimir said it was a good place to eat so I will have to try it....

The Markets of South Mumbai

I will attempt to play catch up here....as if it is at all possible to describe the last week or so....
The market tour blew me away. We first went to the Crawford Market, one known for it's food. Rosemarie, the lovely woman I met during the Village tour told me to find the Spice King, so that was my first stop. This was incredible, he had his presentation all set for his eager audience, pouring out each brilliantly colored spice into little stainless steel bowls for us to smell and taste. I purchased way too much but I told myself, I can justify it.....birds of all sizes and colors at this market as well as any fruit or vegetable you can imagine.

Then off to Mangaldas, the textile market. This was my wonderland. After walking a few steps inside this market, I felt transfixed. Color does something to me, it is hard to describe, when surrounded with the vibrancy of such richness, it is like it fills my heart with the same. I feel giddy and drunk with it and want to be wrapped up in the brilliance of it all. The joyful irony here is that with sari, I literally can be....

So I just stood there beaming like a crazy woman and couldn't even attempt to narrow it down to make a purchase, not this time....way too overstimulated. So I just staggered thru, trying to breath it all in and etch this dazzling vision into my memory.

We breezed thru Zaveri, the jewelry market, this was a high end jewelry market of gold and diamonds, out of range....

It is the wedding season here in Mumbai so the Bhuleghwar Pool, flower market, was bustling with activity. Here is where they are making garland and complete walls, curtains and drapes of pure flowers and flower petals. Here you can breath deep and forget you are in Mumbai. The colors and detail of this work blew me away, some of them were working one single rose petal at a time.

We visited a few temples learning the ritual offerings and passed by many vendors all along the way. I stopped to replenish my bindi collection and tried to keep up and take in all the surroundings at the same time. The streets were packed with throngs of people walking, pushing carts, carrying their parcels upon their heads.....I cannot wait to visit south Mumbai again.....

The Dark Side

The poverty and population of Mumbai is staggering. It is considered the richest city in India as well, which is not the statistic that comes to mind when walking the streets. It is all thrown together here, the spectacular, heartbreaking, chaos, peaceful temples...everything. The population of Mumbai is over 20.5 million and growing. 10~15 people die each day on the public transportation system. Mostly from people hanging on from the outside or sitting on the top of trains, the wires above that the trains pass under are 220 watts, this is the reason for the highest mortality in this horrifying statistic. So many people, even with trains leaving every 5 minutes, it is not enough to accommodate the demand. Once on the trains, it is often impossible to make it in time to the door to get off at your stop. There are no maps on the train and no one announcing the stop.

The signs and the smell of poverty that you witness no matter where you are here is something you cannot even conceive. Due to a corrupt government, things happen here even if illegal. Gut wrenching barbarity like child prostitution. I can only imagine how a place like this must dull your senses after a long period of time. I hear that people who have grown up here have a hard time leaving, they feel lonely, that it is too quiet elsewhere.....

Tamarind Jungle

Reality India is a tour group that is beyond any tours I have ever imagined. They are fabulous. Only three in our group each time and 80 percent of the money goes to the place you are visiting and Dharavi. My amazing sister with her extensive research found them, they came highly recommended and I certainly know why. Yesterday I attended the Village Tour. The translated name of the village is Tamarind Jungle. I left the apartment at 6:30am and returned after 9pm speechless with the whole spectacular adventure. We all met up at the Gateway of India in South Mumbai. I hadn't been there yet and at 7:30am, it was just starting to take a morning stretch. Marine Drive was full of people taking walks, stretching, doing yoga, some in what we see as workout clothes but most in traditional clothing of India, women walking in sari with sneakers.

On this tour were two other women, Rosemary and her daughter, Sonja, both from Germany. Rosemary has been living in Mumbai for three years. We were instructed to board the ferry and our guide (one of the founders of Reality India) would meet us on the other side.

We met up with Krishna and hopped on the bus. I had the adventure of hopping on as it was traveling down the road, determined NOT to be separated from the rest of the group. Before catching the rickshaw, we stepped into a cafe for some late breakfast, tea and discuss what we would be doing for the day. The food here was amazing. Everything I have had out has been made from rice, even the unleavened breads. Then I discovered what an Indian toilet is like. Here, there are no seats. You squat over a hole. Some places have a spigot and pail to fill and "flush" or rinse the hole. It smelled as if I was the only one who did the rinsing step. We then clammered into a rickshaw for a long dusty trip. We stopped to pick up as many school kids as we could fit on our way to the school. The school had a handful of small classrooms that had to hold 60 students, many sitting on the floor since there were not enough seats and desks. It was an exam day so after much commotion of us being there and them wanting us to take their photos (Krishna downloaded our pictures so he could make copies for everyone) they settled in. With much giggling, the girls shared with me that my name in Hindi means cat. The feathers in my hair has been drawing much attention everywhere I have been going. I pulled some out and pinned them in their hair. Much excitement.

Then off to the village. About 200 villagers had left that morning on a pilgrimage to a holy place three day's trek away, so it was very quiet. It was peaceful anyway, no automobiles just bull driven carts. It was like being on another planet after Mumbai. I loved it here. The land was covered with rice fields, some trees and a small cluster of brightly painted homes. Each home had an elaborate alter to the Basil Tree with a Basil tree growing on top. Everyone came out to great us, we were invited to lunch with many homes. We did have an arrangement to have lunch with one family. The two young girls of this family joined us for the whole walk, gathering tamarind, fruit and berries for us to try along the way. The village had one shop that was half of the shop owner's home. The owner was also a musician so with his wife's prompting, he pulled out chairs and his piano accordion to play and sing for us. Most of the remaining village gathered as well. It was fantastic.

We walked to the rice fields to see families threshing the rice. It is the time of the winds so men were sifting rice as the wind blew to remove the chaff. We were invited to join them for lunch also.

There is a tribal village above this one. The tribal residents make temporary dwellings of straw here in this village and are the brick makers. Bricks are all made by hand, sun dried and then kiln dried. We visited the tribal village briefly before heading back.

Lunch was incredible and served in traditional style. We sat on a mat on the floor and ate together without silverware. This is what I had been preparing for back in Maine. I had given up using silverware and switched from coffee to tea a week before the start of my trip.

The ferry ride back to Mumbai was festive and lively. Not just us but everyone on the boat was rejuvenated. We were on the roof of the ferry, the boat was packed due to the next one being canceled. Music was playing, people were dancing and laughing. A man was selling potato chips he was kettle frying up fresh before boarding the boat. One of the young men bought a huge bag and the whole ride the young men were feeding the seagulls from their hands. The seagulls wildly followed the ferry all the way on our one and a half hour journey to Mumbai.

Mumbai is breathtaking at night. The lit up skyline is magnificent and from this view coming in from the harbor, it did not seem chaotic at all. Even after getting off the ferry and walking thru the throngs of people selling balloons, cotton candy, bubbles, tea, trying to take my picture and hail me a cab.... as I stood on the street deafened by the horns, cracking up over the gawdily flower decorated and neon lit horse drawn silver carriages, I found all the craziness of Mumbai somehow alluring after dark. Mumbai is growing on me.....

Slumdog Millionaire

There is so much here in Mumbai to take in that is so foreign to anything I have ever seen. By the end of the day I am utterly exhausted beyond imagination. It is like my brain is learning something new and incredibly difficult each day just by witnessing these things. I don't even think I can attempt to recount the events. Jen described it wonderfully, it is like trying to describe a taste of something to someone who had never eaten that before, like a strawberry. After today, I am now thinking it is like describing a strawberry to someone who cannot taste at all.

I went on a tour of the largest slum in India, Dharavi. I felt torn about this, that it would just break my heart and seem a disrespect and violation of the resident's privacy. Jen explained that the money went to the community and we read the debate that the folks, Reality India, gave about how it was to educate people about what was actually happening in this community and what the industry was there and the work that was being done....the tour was fascinating. The guides for the tour were young men from Dharavi and the community center that the Reality India tours created and funded taught Dharavi residents the computer and language skills to continue to college and help with job placement.

Dharavi was incredibly intense. The feeling I am left with is the remarkable pride of these people, they work hard and everywhere I went I was greeted warmly. The "tour" is kept small, there were three of us. I could go on and on about the fraction of this amazing place that I saw. One million people in Dharavi which covers just over one half a mile. Most of what we saw was the recycling of plastics. What the companies make and the pittance of what the workers are paid and the conditions they work under is a crime. The industry makes 650 million after taxes a year and pays out 150 rupee a day to the workers which is $3. The residents who stay do not want to leave Dharavi due to the close sense of community. Most of the residents work outside of Dharavi. It is mostly migrant laborers from other villages in India that do the industry work inside Dharavi.

The ride to and from Dharavi was in itself an epic adventure. The four lane highway is just a guideline at best. Most times there were six or more cars careening around and down the highway. Anyone who has ever had me as a passenger in their vehicle knows how challenging that can be. I decided to NOT look at the road at all ahead of me if I didn't want my heart to explode and to focus instead upon the other mind boggling scenes we zoomed past. It was the best call I could make.

Streets of Mumbai

There is so much to see and take in while roaming the streets of Mumbai. My head hurts after. I felt better prepared today, yesterday was just intense and overwhelming. Today I was READY. The sounds of Mumbai are a constant, endless around the clock blaring of horns and hammering. At dark add dogs barking, at about 3:15am the roosters start. The air is thick with smog, heat and a smell you don't want to think much about, later in the evening and early morning there will be a lingering scent of smoke. Hitting the streets I started on a lovely road lush and shaded with greenery and a perfect breeze. The streets are not marked so trying to absorb the landmarks when not familiar with anything and feeling overstimulated is always interesting. Jen and Vladimir made a good point, try looking up, the building of school, apartment and new apartments being built are all quite tall. When I hit the major street of my day's adventure it was complete chaos. Crossing the road was one of those life threatening challenges, that when I finally made it to the other side, my heart was racing. I crossed this street twice.

I saw everything you could imagine. There were chairs set up on the side walk with a man lathering up a man's face for a shave, others cutting men's hair in front of a stand selling cups of tea in front of another tarp roofed shop selling sandals. A bicycle with a grinding wheel to sharpen blades, vans parked with doors open to display incense and bags full of colorful spices, chickens in cages with the racks of eggs for sale right above the chickens, young boys pushing carts up steep hills full of pineapple, with a machete to cut it up for you, loads of street food vendors with carts or make shift tables, tarp covered shops selling everything, fruit piled upon tables lining the sides of streets and flowers that looked like carnations strung on strings of garland. All of this with a constant noisy stream of cars, buses, trucks, rickshaws, bicycles, motorbikes and loads of people on foot, the horns going off continually. Attempting to take in the vast array of shops, I noticed there were also pockets of shops, a horse shoe alley of sorts to check out. These shops are mingled in with dwellings. This is where I found my salwar kurta, orange of course! It is a casual wear one and I love it.

I stepped into a bank since my ATM card is free anywhere for currency exchange. There was a man standing at the entrance with a shotgun. At the end of this street there was the Oberoi mall. I wanted to check this out and perhaps find a restroom. I walked thru security like at the airport, complete with walk thru metal detector, bag search and pulling me off to the side for the wand scan. The mall was huge, several stories and air conditioned. Restrooms were spotless. As I stepped outside the mall, there were three men scrubbing the walkway around the entrance.

From the apartment where my sister and her lovely family live, is a lush view of the milk district. Seeing so much green space in such a tremendous city is like comforting eye candy. People here work endlessly, Mumbai does not sleep it seems. This is a city of monumental population, 24 million and growing. I wonder what people do all hours of the night and where they are continuously rushing off to....

New Year~

As a blogger it would be shameful that it has been this long since I have blogged. It has been a wild ride since I have last posted. A blur of an amazing season, the highlights being the farmhouse has a *new* roof, brilliant new paint job and the inside front two rooms re~taped, mud and painted. Huge. The exterior work prompted by the insurance company which has my coolbot walk in cooler project postponed another year.....ah, well, the house looks fabulous. I am still in the process of putting it all back together on the inside, which of course has spurred on a feng shui attack. Much needed. Having piled two rooms (and of course epic rooms, the kitchen and living room) into the other already full two rooms for several months as the schedule of markets and farm never cease, has led me to feel as if I could be on the edge of being a hoarder. Which scares the crap out of me. But, hey, if this is what it takes to make my life more simple, I welcome it!! Purge!

Another of the many highlights is: Fish Tacos at the Common Ground Country Fair!!!!!! I finally did it, applied and was excepted as a food vendor at the Common Ground Country Fair. This fair is a spectacular event of all Maine Organic fare from celebrations and DIY workshops of all types of rural living. I have been doing the Farmer's Market at the fair since 1993, making crowns from dried flowers and the ever fragrant signature scent of the fair: Sweet Anni. This year, I had my amazing staff doing the crowns for me and another fabulous crew assisting me with Fish Tacos over in the food area. Fish from Port Clyde, hand pressed masa tortillas formed and cooked right there, with the crunchy slaw and chipotle crema, all made fresh and from Maine (except the lime....). We had such a blast I wondered why it had taken me so long to do this? We laughed thru the three days that flew by.

I am now on the trip of a lifetime. I am in Mumbai visiting my sister and her lovely family. I have been here one day and know this will be the trip that will change my life. I am thrilled and always wanted to go to a place that would have such an impact. Photos and adventure tales will soon follow.....