Interesting Shorts on My Last Days in Chennai

Sweet Shopts, Fast Food,Yoga, Swanky Neighborhoods, Pot Shops, Department Stores, Eyeglasses

August 31st, Sunday

I haven't written since that long sum up e-mail since nothing all that interesting has been happening, but sometimes that is also good...before the "next thing" we sometimes need a period of "nothing"...very cleansing and relaxing and a good way of renewing energies for whatever is to come.

This entry will be "shorts" about diffenrent little things that have been going one...

Let's see...I guess it was Wednesday but not quite sure of the days this past week...all like one big blur of limited action and spurts of activity....Ravin took me to a place called Shree Mithai....Mithai meaning sweets...and this is a truly lovely shop, quite large, immaculately clean, nicely decorated and wonderful smells. The front half is a fast foods and take away place which i will write about later....but this particularly day we went to get me almond milk...while there, Ravin really wanted me to taste at least one of the sweets there...there was an amazing variety and several I had already tasty on my last journey, finding all of them almost sickeningly sweet for my palate, but quite delicious, so I chose one at his urging, some sort of Galub I think, not sure which was a white ball in a syrupy liquid. Of course it was delicious but SOOOOOOOOO sweet....afterwards his father explained that it is made somehow from milk which has been separated into curds and whey and the whey part is used for this together with sugar I guess...don't know...and then we looked at all the other things...found out badam is almond, kaju is cashew and the variety and types of sweets is enourmous...also marzipan and halva which I can't stand either even at home, but I can imagine getting used to some of the types of sweet balls and really learning to like them.

We took the almond milk home and it was absolutely delicious...again VERY sweet but full of real almonds and the flavor was amazing...I drank half and couldn't finish so the rest I had in the afternoon for a snack...

Later that evening, we went back to the same place to get take away for dinner, but I knew I wouldn't find anything to eat there...it is a lovely place, with people sitting and eating there, much like they would at McDonald's and others taking home food...they even have a drinking water dispenser with only mineral water in it and a sign saying that all foods are prepared with only mineral water. If I could eat spicey, I could have had a ball there...all kinds of sandwiches, fried things like samosas which were crispy and fresh and then all kinds of dishes which I don't know what they are....while waiting for our order (Ravin ordered something made from dahl and curd I think for me and told them not to put anything spicey on-but I still could not eat it when we got it home, to the amusement of all)...he ordered some snack for himself, don't know what it was, but insisted I try just one with ONLY the sweet sauce on it...not the hot one...they are little fried open hollow balls of some kind of crispy dough with something in them and sauce poured over them and they are popped whole into the mouth. Well, no fool I....I did no popping, just a little tiny bite to be sure (sure of what I already knew would happen)...and with one taste and swallow had Ravin run for water for me....half an hour later my tongue and throat were still burning!!...so no matter what you read later in this entry about my getting used to Indian food...it is not REALLY as true as it sounds!

Next day we went to a neighborhood also with beautiful houses...(oh, forgot, decided to take a walk right here in the neighborhood up and down the streets, and just the next block over I saw some of the most beautiful homes I've seen so far. Not just the homes themseleves, but the entire street was immaculately clean and the gardens both inside and outside were as nice as any in Kfar Shmaryahu (very posh Tel Aviv suburb where only millionaires live) etc. I've seen many homes here but this is the first time I've seen whole streets so un-Indian like in being clean and landscaped on the outside as well....really enjoyed that walk...

So, next day we went to this neighborhood after Ravin took his parents to do some shopping for presents for his borther-in-law who is arriving...and we wound up at one of the most wonderful vegetable shops I've EVER seen/. Number 1...it was A/C ....and I have never seen such an enormous variety of fruits, veggies, greens etc in an indoor shop...only in markets ...and the check out counters were computerized issuing you a bill with each item purchased listed by name, price/kg, amount purchased and final price....afterwards we also drank some fresh juice from the shop next door and all in all it was quite a pleasant outing...at least for 3 of us...Ravin really does have a true aversion to ANY kind of shopping!

Now, on Friday I went finally for my yoga class but the teacher I was supposed (Saraswati) to have could not come and so I actually had my class with the director of the therapy...same one I saw for my consultation...turns out he is an MD who runs a clinic in the evenings, and during the day, is a yoga master!...quite a combination! He was so professional, his explanations, knowing that I am not new to yoga, were fascinating and eye-opening and thought provoking, explaining each asana in detail as well as breathing, philosophy etc, and adapting all to my very personal needs...He noted the most minute signs of tension while I was practicing in shoulders, neck, face etc. and gently corrected and encouraged. Would like to come and study here to become a teacher if I can ever do it......says I need mostly much relaxation and to focus on nothing else-get breathing correct and all else will follow and tension will automatically be released. Also had me, in addition to my regular pranayamas, add "om-shanti, shant,i shanti" thing which I will enjoy doing although I don't know how much people within hearing range will enjoy my doing!

YEsterday I spent the day with Rachel and more about that in a separate entry. But we went to the biggest Sari shops in the world (or so we were told)...one Nalli and one Kumaran...but how many saries and fabric etc. can you look out...it was beautiful an interesting and then off we went to prowl the outdoor market which was really really great fun.. Pandi market I think it is called...I got to see an Indian "pot shop" which I will try to describe, but will not be able to do it justice with my limited language...I've taken a couple of pics also but doubt they will show much...it is an enourmous shop, much larger than shops generally are here, all filled with stainless steel type pots, utensils, urns, trays, etc., etc., etc. includng the entire ceiling which has pots hanging, the walls, the floors, the counters....almost hypnotizing in effect...THOSE are the kind of things that it would really pay to send home...

After that we walked and walked and then just on the end of the market was an up style department store called Globus where we cooled off a little, and then auto on to the big department store in the city called Life Style...it was really nice there with a very large line of both western and Indian clothing available of good quality and up to date fashion...there was also a nice coffee shop where we had lunch and talked, as only woman can, when sitting over food and coffee! but then the funniest thing happened...I chose my order of veggie burger very carefully after being assured it was in no way spicey. Rachel has no problem as she loves spicey food....we sat down to eat, I put ketchup on the bun and happily began eating. I noticed it was a little spicey but nothing that my "new" palate could not take and was thoroughly enjoying and being pleased with my new ability to eat things I could never have done even one month ago, and truly enjoy them! rachel had put some ketchup on her plate to dip her whatever she was eating into when all of a sudden she says..."whoa..." this is not ketchup, it is chilly sauce...don't put it on your burger, you will die it is so hot!!!" I'll get you ketchup, one sec she says...when I say" I've already eaten half my veggie burger with that sauce on it and most enjoyed it. "Well", says she, "you HAVE come a long way, haven't you!"...

Then, in the evening, glasses!!! Well, we all make mistakes in life...and this was my mistake in India...actually, if I had listened to my instincts I would have not agreed to have a second pair made when the first pair was no good...but I allowed Ravin and the guy to convince me that it was an honest mistake and would be corrected. Well, these are no better, cannot use them, and assuming the prescription is correct this time, it must have something to do with poor quality lenses because everything is made smaller, including writing...everything becomes miniscule when I look at it, everything looks round, like the keyboard, computer screen...it looks as if I am writing on a ball....I feel nauseating just eating and walking...and have already worn them for several hours this morning with no change in sensation...there is also a problem with depth perception...anyway....that's the way we learn...I figure like this....I paid 600 shekel....in Israel, to get a frame as nice as I got here, I would pay at least 500 shekel if not more, so, I've got myslef at least a nice frame for my next pair of glasses and have learnt a lesson to boot. A little sorry at spending the money now, but will make up for it when I shop at Anokhi or buy my flight back to bby by paying with my visa...

This morning I reaaranged all my "stuff" and have whatever I need to send back in a package ready and was still able to pack all I wanted to take with me (barely)....tomorrow I am sleeping over at Rachel and Nick's house, Wenesday we will send the package hopefully with no problems and Friday morning I am off...

So I imagine I will not write again until I get to Delhi, and even then will not have much to write about except for the 30 hour train ride ....but I'm sure that will be just another pleasnt and interesting adventure...it no longer frightens me...