The Christmas holiday is not really observed in China. Very few people are given the day off. In fact, Mat's company was open on Christmas day. However, the Chinese retail industry has embraced the commercial aspects of Christmas, and the timing is conveniantly close to Chinese New Year's, so Shanghai shoppers have no better excuse to hit the pavement. And trust me they do. It was absolutely insane before I left. I literally had to karate kid chop my way through the crowds to make it to my apartment. Granted, India is credited to have the world's second largest population, and the crazy driving, crowded streets and pollution can easily compete with China's, but somehow we feel at peace in our oasis on the Arabian Sea.
Incidentally, China's influence is ever present in Kerala these days. The Communist party is currently in majority rule, and red flags bearing the sickle and hammer abruptly greet you at the airport. Mao, Marx and Lenin photos and socialist propaganda are plastered on billboards, motor vehicles and highway walls everywhere you go. I found it very ironic to see these idealist figures of socialism in "God's own country", Kerala's commercial tourist slogan. Moslems, Hindus and Christian live side by side and are generally tolerant of each other's beliefs.
We flew through Dubai to get here. Geographically speaking, it was not the most efficient route. We literally flew over India from China (9 hour flight) and then caught a connecting flight that made a southern descent down India's coast from the Gulf (additional 4 hours). Long journey considering we were already in Asia, but we saved $1000 USD. On a positive note, we had a overnight layover in Dubai and got to explore the place. Dubai reminded us of Las Vegas, only bigger and more decadent. The construction is booming and the skyscrapers downtown seem to soar to heaven. Dubai is the most liberal of the Gulf countries, but Islamic traditions are still observed. There are prayer rooms scattered throughout the airport, and the loadspeakers come on full blast when it's time for prayer. Sheiks in their crisp white robes and head dresses monopolize the walkways, their eyes almost always shielded by designer metal rimmed aviator sunglasses. Their wives and family follow close behind and are always inpeccably dressed. Even the burkas are bejeweled with swarvoski crystal, and often enough you can catch a glimpse of Christian Louboutin or Monolo Blahnik under all that black cloth as the women walk.
We stayed at an awesome hotel, the Palace (thanks Elaine for the recommendation!). It was a beautiful Arabic hotel and we had a great nap. We woke up and headed to the Dubai Mall. It was the biggest mall I've ever been to, with every luxury shop you could possibly imagine, an aquariam with a tank bigger than Monterey's, an ice skating rink and mile long gold souk (market). We had an amazing Lebanese meal at the food court for $20USD. Funny enough, Taco Bell was the most popular stall there. I guess even the richest oil tycoon needs his gordito fix. With our stomachs full and shopping bags in tow, we headed to Dubai Old Town. It was a cool relief to walk the narrow sandstone passageways and sip tea in an outdoor cafe.
We flew through Dubai to get here. Geographically speaking, it was not the most efficient route. We literally flew over India from China (9 hour flight) and then caught a connecting flight that made a southern descent down India's coast from the Gulf (additional 4 hours). Long journey considering we were already in Asia, but we saved $1000 USD. On a positive note, we had a overnight layover in Dubai and got to explore the place. Dubai reminded us of Las Vegas, only bigger and more decadent. The construction is booming and the skyscrapers downtown seem to soar to heaven. Dubai is the most liberal of the Gulf countries, but Islamic traditions are still observed. There are prayer rooms scattered throughout the airport, and the loadspeakers come on full blast when it's time for prayer. Sheiks in their crisp white robes and head dresses monopolize the walkways, their eyes almost always shielded by designer metal rimmed aviator sunglasses. Their wives and family follow close behind and are always inpeccably dressed. Even the burkas are bejeweled with swarvoski crystal, and often enough you can catch a glimpse of Christian Louboutin or Monolo Blahnik under all that black cloth as the women walk.
We stayed at an awesome hotel, the Palace (thanks Elaine for the recommendation!). It was a beautiful Arabic hotel and we had a great nap. We woke up and headed to the Dubai Mall. It was the biggest mall I've ever been to, with every luxury shop you could possibly imagine, an aquariam with a tank bigger than Monterey's, an ice skating rink and mile long gold souk (market). We had an amazing Lebanese meal at the food court for $20USD. Funny enough, Taco Bell was the most popular stall there. I guess even the richest oil tycoon needs his gordito fix. With our stomachs full and shopping bags in tow, we headed to Dubai Old Town. It was a cool relief to walk the narrow sandstone passageways and sip tea in an outdoor cafe.
Surprisingly enough, we were exposed to a massive amount of Malayalee (Kerala) culture in Dubai. Most of the labor force in Dubai are of Indian heritage, and Malayalees make up the majority. We strolled down streets populated with sari shops, dosa restaurants and newsstands selling periodicals from Kerala. It was quite fun. On the downside, most of the men employed are on two to three year contracts and are not permitted to return home to their families during that time. They live in humble quarters and work long hours usually in the desert heat. The money they earn abroad is far greater than the salaries they would be earning in India. But it saddened me to learn of their sacrifice. Upon arriving to India I learned my own cousin, Jeffrey, was assignment in Saudi Arabia for two years as a mechanic. We would miss him at Christmas.
In Kerala, we have been spending much of our time going from one relatives house to another, sharing meals and chai with loved ones. Some days we visited more than three families and had multiple lunches. Indian hospitality requires that you eat something before you leave. I hope I don't gain too much weight! My favorites have been curried fish, sambar, dosa, and idli.
Mat's Mom was thrilled to have a full house with both her sons in town. There is a new member of the family, Chandu. He is a six month old Bassad Hound who is absolutely adorable and follows my mother-in-law around like a small child. We spent New Year's together at the family's country house, the Chinese Hills Estate. It was my first visit there and well worth the seven hour car journey to the Western Ghat mountain range in Tamil Nadu. The estate is located on a 17 acre tea plantation surrounded by a protected forest and is one of the most scenic, awe inspiring peaceful places I've visited. The house is perched at the top of a mountain and there are no neighbors in sight. Mat's brother, Zubin, is coordinating a major renovation that includes a man made lake and modern updates to the villa. It's going to be a fantastic tourist home when it's done, and I hope you all have a chance to visit it one day. The clouds and mist greet you in the morning, the sunshine lights up the scenery during the day and the evenings are perfect for star gazing. One night we sat on the enclosed veranda and waited for leopards and tigers to show up. There is a reserve nearby, but no luck this time. We did see unusual black and bishop monkeys as well as some wild elephants though. I took tons of pictures, too many to post. I'll send an update on that later.
Mat is back in China now. He had to return to work. I miss him already. I'll be here through Jan 16th. I am planning a trip to Hyderbad this weekend to visit my cousin. I initially planned on going to an Ayurvedic/Yoga clinic during my solo stay. The consult I had with the practitioner was discouraging though. Mat and I went to the clinic with an open mind (well maybe not Mat, he is very skeptical of alternative medicine). The practitioner accused my mother of being neglectful for not treating my rheumatic fever when I was young (granted I never had this fever as far as I know) and insisted that all my health troubles were due to an abundance of "hot" blood in my body. He insisted that I rid my body of this bad blood. This reference reminded me of the blood letting practice that was popular during Henry VIII's rule in England where physicians slashed you with cuts to and let you bleed to cure illness. I was outta there in a heartbeat. This guy was obviously a hoax and when we got the medicinal potion estimate for $14,000 Rupees (this is A LOT of money in India, you can buy prescription drugs for $1000) Mat politely thanked him for his time and we exited. So no transcendental India experience for me this time. It seems that all the genuine ayurvedic treatments are housed at the luxury spas and hotels mostly reserved for non-Indians. Kind of annoying from my perspective. I'm going to get my teeth whitened instead.
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