The Mango Dumplin' Gang

Noah, Jimmy, Grayce, Cody, Kay, Billy (Noah and Cody's Dad, Shawn in supervision mode)

This is a good portion of the kids that were on the ex-pat Zoo outing. (It's not all of them due to the nature of this animal at the zoo. A complete photo is nearly impossible as they are very fleet of foot and endlessly curious making them unable to stay in one spot for any length of time.).

Many of the the ex-pats have their family in India with them. I was surprised to discover that many of them have kids in the same age range as the Murphy clan. On the other hand, kids age 2-6 are perfect for the experience as they easily adapt to the changes and are also at the very impressionable age to take the wonderful experiences of India with them through life.

The Murphy's live in a gated community with some bigger houses so ex-pat playmates are a built-in advantage.

The Mango Dumplin' Gang seems mostly like kids in the U.S. at the same age....the 6 year olds are into Animal Planet and Power Rangers. The 4 years olds are into non-stop movement of any kind and art (Kay). The two year olds are...well, a lovely two. I am not being snide- I didn't see any 'terrible two' in India.

What's different? The younger kids easily learn and understand when Hindi is spoken to them. The older kids (Jimmy) are able to correct my pronunciation and sing the commercial jingles in Hindi. Ha! Kids memorizing commercial jingles....some things are just universal, huh?

Peace- W:)

Really like that Rangoli thing

I was really blessed to be in India around Diwali. One of the traditions associated with Diwali fascinated me, Rangoli decoration. Of course I liked them, it's artistic. :-D

What's a Rangoli?

"Rangoli is a traditional Indian art created to decorate the ground in front of houses and places of worship to attract Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of wealth. Designs are created using decorative patterns marked out on the floor. The drawing of Rangoli patterns is often combined with rituals associated with auspicious occasions, such as major festivals and celebrations. The patterns are usually drawn by the women of the household in villages in parts of India; and in some places it is a daily ritual to mop and clean the entrance to the home and then make beautiful drawings in the doorways as a message of welcome."

The hotels that I ate or stayed in had Rangoli's set everyday...many times made of flower petals which were made with fresh petals early each morning. Because I was there around Diwali, and the Rangoli's are meant to attract Lakshmi (the Hindu Goddess of wealth), and a Lakshmi puja (blessing ceremony) is the focus of Diwali, many stores, and individual homes had beautiful Rangoli arrangements. Tracy and I went for a excercise-walk early a.m. on the day that Diwali was celebrated and many homes in their neighborhood had Rangoli's on the front walk or landing to the front door (unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with on the walk). I'd be interested to know if they are all unique designs.... my thought is that they are unique to the occasion and the individual 'setting' the Rangoli.

W:)

The Bangalore Zoo- haven't you always wanted a Monkey?

The day before Dewali was celebrated, 11/8/07, was a vacation day for the kids from school. What better time for an ex-pat outing? The ex-pat pals that the Murphy's hang with in their neighborhood (Whitefield) is a large, kid-rich group. No better place to hang that day than at the zoo!

The zoo was unitque in that there was a section of the zoo that we traveled safari-style in a 'caged' bus and the animals roamed free. In India, they have tigers (photo) galore! We also saw leopards and a lioness hanging about.

The rest of the zoo had beautiful, well kept gardens....and some unique displays. The pheasant display, apparently unique, rang a little weak with the Minnesota crowd. There were many, many snake displays- yuck! I am still filled with curiosity over the need for a pigion display, and wonder if there is any coincidence in the proximity of the pigion display to the snakes?

What was most unique about the zoo were the Macaque monkeys who really live there...they are not in cages. We had an endearing visit from a group of them...one bold monkey decided that the kids apple juice box was exactly what he needed. (photo) No worries, the kids are well trained for this occurrance...drop the box and run, man. The monkey had seen these juice box things before and opened up the straw hole a bit and tipped it back. After the big guy finished his juice, we had this this more tender visit from a Mom and her baby. (photo)

The outing was good fun, and exactly what the Dr. ordered- the kids were tired out!

India Fine Fact, #5. If you want chicken, just buy one.

So we were out running errands a couple days ago and stopped to get some chicken for dinner. Seems simple enough. Nothing is ever quite so simple here, however.

When you buy chicken here, apparently you tell the vendor how much you want and the vendor gives that weight to you. Unfortunately, the vendor starts at the top of the bird, including every and any piece of the bird to make that total weight.

After a few chicken dinners, an edict was set in the Murphy household... there will be no more mystery pieces of chicken. You know, pieces that can't be traced back to a physical location on the original bird?

Not knowing the detail behind this, I was somewhat surprised when we showed up at the chicken vendor to buy chicken....and saw only cages filled with chickens.
The process is that you tell the vendor about what weight you'd like. Based on that, you agree upon a single bird. The bird is immobilized (the wings are broken) to allow the vendor to easily weigh it (fully dressed) and then, well....it's undressed, entirely and put in a plastic bag for the trip home.

Really there is no problem about it, just....surprising to those of us accustomed to foam trays and plastic wrap.

You should see Russel Market where you buy beef, mutton, etc.

There is no refridgeration capability in these markets....part of why most of the country is vegetarian?

I keep learning......

HUGs, W:)

Plagorism.....

For additional viewpoints on my adventures here, check out the Murphy Blogsite at:
www.loudamericans.blogspot.com

Entries on 11/5 for "Wendy's Here, Wendy's Here" and "If Kay had 100 rupees" account some of our group adventures here.

Diwali Approaches!

As it so happens, I'm flying home tomorrow on Diwali. Diwali is one of the biggest holidays celebrated by Hindus. It is celebrated much like Christmas is in the U.S.; family gatherings, rituals around food, decorations, fireworks and gift giving. Even among non-Hindu folk, the holiday is still celebrated (the Sikh's celebrate this day as a return of a guru).

This festival is celebrated for five continuous days, with the third day being the main Diwali or 'Festival of Lights'. The day is celebrated with people lighting many small clay oil lamps called diyas and candles around their house. Lakshmi Puja (blessing) is performed in the evening to seek divine blessings of Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth. Diwali gifts are exchanged among all near and dear ones.

The ritual behind these customs is that the fireworks and lighted diyas bring "supernatural brightness and joy with the hope of finding light in darkness, achieving knowledge where there is ignorance, and spreading love amidst hatred." Light signifies goodness in Hinduism. So, during the Festival of Lights, 'deeps', or oil lamps, are burned throughout the day and into the night to ward off darkness and evil.

So this is a very fine and good holiday. I'm pretty much here taking in the parties that would normally occur right around Christmas at home....except that the one that I'm attending tonight requires more traditional Indian attire.

What happens in Bangalore, stays in Bangalore.

I'll be home soon.

HUGs, W:)

Meet the Murphy's....and check out the photos!

I've added photos to my previous blogs to give you a clue what I've been seeing. While I'm at it, please meet the Murphy's (Tom, Tracy, Jimmy 6, Kay 4, and Billy 2).

Peace- W:)

Auroville

We took a short day trip from Pondicherry to a township named Auroville. Part of their charter;

"For millennia, we have been developing outer means, outer instruments, outer techniques of living, and finally those means and techniques are crushing us. The sign of the new humanity is a reversal in the standpoint, and the understanding that inner knowledge and inner technique can change the world and master it without crushing it."

Auroville is an international commune of 1800 residents started in 1968. It is a VERY BEAUTIFUL place. The residents renounce religion and meditate for 6-7 hrs a day in the meditation center, Matrimandir. With their free time, they do what it takes to keep the community together. They strongly stress education and applying learning and understanding from the world at large. They engage in ; research into a cashless economy, environmental regeneration, organic farming, renewable energy, health care, education, handicrafts, etc.

In addition to sustaining this in Auroville, the township also provides a major source of employment to the 40,000 inhabitants of local villages and works with those villages to improve their infrastructure and provide education and health care.

On our arrival, I was very impressed with the visitor center. A series of unique buildings built into a hillside and with many terraces w/vines and trees. It was a very clean, cool and modern place. The walk to the meditation center was about a 10 minutes walk on a beautiful path- lots of shade, a beautiful rock garden, benches to rest under a huge Banyon tree. The path is supposed to be walked in silence.... so I skipped ahead of the kids a bit to take that feeling in.

The center itself, Matimandir, is a huge golden ball (very Epcot center-ish) with a point at the top bringing in light to a prism where it is reflected on the walls. There is a deeper meaning to each reflection point....but, I didn't take notes on that. I may have remembered, except that when I got to the center, I discovered that I couldn't enter it. It was closed for remodel. "When will it be opened?", I asked the security guard. "Six months, Maam". Drats.

Well, of course, I sat down and did the meditation that I came to do, anyway!

Back at the visitor center, I did some shopping....could have done a lot more. It's probably good that the kids needed to go!

It is certainly one of my favorite adventures on this trip and points directly to the need to come to India again. I want to go inside Matimandir to meditate.

The reflection that I have on Auroville.....it's rather interesting that this community renouncing all religion is in India- a place filled with religious history and practice so powerful that it is an intricate part of daily life.

Here churches aren't important for most. Religion is practiced wherever you are. If you are Hindu (most are), there are temples everywhere, but you don't need to go to a temple and you don't enter into a religious community to offer puja....there doesn't have to be a service and other people...it's an innate part of each individual. In Auroville, the inhabitants renounce all religion, but it feels no different. It's an extremely spiritual place. It's just practiced in a different way. What I've been surprised by is that regardless of each person's religious beliefs, the culture here really respects all religion and is quite open and welcoming to anyone- even a Western female tourist.

Peace-
W:)

India Fine Fact #4: Whats with the shoes?

Here we go. I'm changing.

Let's talk about the small things first, shall we?

Shoes.

The first couple times I had to remove my shoes to enter a temple or building I felt a little bit of bother in the back of my head over it. My feet will get dirty (as if they're not). Everyone else has walked here bare-footed too (as if it matters).

I've gone through that ritual now many times to enter a temple or home.

I've come to realize that really, I was looking at it all backwards.

Removing your shoes is keeping the place that you are entering clean. It is keeping it holy.

Not removing your shoes seems to me now, very disprespecful.

I think I'll be removing my shoes more often.

You know what else? Going bare-footed is really fun. :-D

Ok.... I know. It's cold there. I've even heard that it snowed. I haven't worked the 'barefooted theory' into practice around that. Give me some time.

Got to go now. The sun is out. The pool awaits. And...I can walk the couple blocks there barefooted, if I want.

HUGs- W:)

Arrival to Pondicherry and the Bay of Bengal

I

know this trip to Pondicherry that I keep talking about seems to be going on and on.....but, the trip there really did take a very long time over the span of two days. Sometimes, it's really is more about the trip than the destination. No worries...in this case, both were great.

So, I last left you at the temple where I was blessed by the temple elephant. Blessed three times mind you. Tracy got a photo. Well....we can talk more about that later. ;-)

After the temple, we felt very blessed, but the car didn't partake in that.....the flat went flat once again. We pulled off into a small town. There was a bit of anxiety at this point, because we didn't have Sharmenon, the normal driver (and member of the family), we still had this hired driver who did not speak english.

Regardless, it felt comforting that we were in front of a tire shop. Our driver left in a auto-rickshaw, the tire shop worked on the tire and we waited. The did fix the tire with an inner-tube (blessed), but permanently destroyed the spare when they removed the valve from the tire (very not blessed).

These are mere details. We got underway and arrived at our destination- and, it seemed VERY SPECIAL to have arrived to Pondicherry!

The resort that we stayed at; The Kailash Beach Resort (photo) was very nice. Large pool, nice rooms, blah, blah.

Most importanly, it had been raining for 15 days straight before we arrived and Friday morning the sun was out and we walked down to the Bay of Bengal to check it out.

It was beyond great, y'all. I haven't seen the ocean for a year and a half, which is too long for me. The Bay was beautiful, the beach clean and empty of any development. Tracy, Tom and the kids played in the surf. I took my camera and went for a long stroll down the beach. (photos).

Until next time-
HUGs- W:)

India Fine Fact #3, Sound Horn

I'm not sure the history of the practice, but the car horn holds a very special place in Indian culture.

It is so important, that even trucks and some cars, have 'Sound Horn' painted on the rear of the vehicle.

The process is that when you want to pass, or if your are close to another bike, motorbike, auto-rickshaw, car, truck, Cow, Water Buffalo, street dog, monkey or chicken, you sound your horn to let them know that you are passing at high speed and that if they don't move, they will get hit. This is mostly effective, however, there are times where the driver has no choice but to slow or quick stop due to incompliance to the blaring horn.

With the amount of traffic, and the limited traffic laws horns are sounding constantly if you are near any road.

In all of this madness; there is one participant who is least likely to be injured, for sure. It's the wary street dog. They are all over doing what they can to get by....... and know and understand more about Indian traffic than I'll ever know.

And so it is.

W:)

Worlds Largest Temple or at least a very large one

Friday, 11/1, en route to our final destination in Pondicherry, we were traveling very close to one of the largest temples in India; the Arunachaleswar Temple located in Tiruvannamalai (Northern Tamil Nadu). This is a smaller Shaivite town where Shiva (a God) is revered as Arunachaleswar, an aspect of fire.

The temple dates from the 11th century, but was added to in the 17th and 19th centuries. It has four large unpainted gopurams (intricate pyramid gateway tower). The largest is 13 stories tall. We went through the main shrine and offered puja (prayers). As you pass through the shrine, the priest puts a bindi (forehead mark) on the men and offers ashes to the women to place your own bindi (as he can't touch a woman).

It was obviously a spiritual place and I was suprised by the level of acceptance, openly allowing Western tourists to take part.

We weren't done touring. As we walked through another shrine, the puja had obvioulsy affected Billy too (2 1/2 yrs old). He wanted a kiss and a hug and I toured the last building carrying him. This was the best of all because he is so observant. He pointed out every important sight to me in a calm sharing manner....he's quite the kid.

I' m saving the best for last...there is a resident temple elephant. We stopped with the kids to feed him biscuits.....of course, I participated fully as a kid. Tracy suggested that I see if the elephant would bless me. Huh? What's that? She told me to hand to elephant a 10 rupee note and see. The elephant toke the note, handed it to his trainer sitting nearby and then laid his trunk gently on my head. The elephant actually did it three times, the third time Tracy got a photo. This is a huge trip highlight to say the least.

It was a big day. More to come later.

HUGs- W:)

Halloween, how spooky.......

After a quick trick-or-treating round of the neighborhood, we were off to our weekend holiday to Pondicherry.

Starting late in the evening, our aim was getting 2/3rds of the way there.....a hotel 200km from home.

I know...sounds sort of funny, doesn't it. 200 km isn't very far. Reminder: I'm in India. My guess (I'm not looking up the direct conversion now) is that's about 170 mi?

Why does travel take so long?

• we had a new driver hired for this trip alone...who got a little lost
• traffic. traffic here is just not like traffic at home. We'll talk.......
• had some rain and darkness to contend with
• had road conditions including miles of potholes as big as Oklahoma 'lakes'
• because of the combination of most of the points listed above, we also had a flat tire.

Imagine it....the Indian 'outback', it wasn't raining but lightening was all around us. I saw a snake sliver across the road. It's 1:30 a.m. and we're broken down with a flat tire.

Now, that's a good old fashioned spooky Halloween adventure. :-D

Of course it ends well- I'm on the Internet! Unphased, we pulled into our hotel 7 and 1/2 hrs later.

The Murphy's are quite a hardy crew. That includes, you know, a 6, 4, and 2 year old. Yes, I also handled it well. I really felt that I shouldn't behave any worse than the 2 year old, so that didn't leave me any room for an emotional outburst. ;-)

The journey to that point was exciting and well worth the adventures of our weekend getaway.

More to come!

To bed now.

HUGs all- W:)

India Fine Fact #2, waiting in queue

Waiting in line.

In Minnesota there is an unwritten rule..... leave the appropriate empty space between people, first person in queue is first to be 'served'.

Not so here.

The queue is really just the first step. After that, it's every person for him/herself. It seems as though the old have an advantage in budding through the line. At first I thought it was out of respect for elders..now, I'm not so sure. I think it's actually just because they have more experience.

Example: on the layover in Amsterdam, I felt a bump then pressure on my hip. I mean, I'm not even sure I would go this far on a first date! I immediately moved. I'm just not into pushing and why do I need to get on another plane for a 9 hr flight sooner rather than later? Well this 65ish old lady was a pro. On the tarmac (sp?) waiting for the shuttle to the plane later on I tested her skill. We were at the same point in line. She got on the plane 9 people in front of me.

Application of this fine fact applies to all life here......walking, biking, motorbike, auto-rickshaw, car or bus.

Unfortunately sometimes when in Rome, you have to do as the Romans do to get by.

And now you know-
W:)

Bangalore- Commercial Street, Fine Fact #1

A typical weekday morning in the Murphy house, except that today is Halloween! Happy Halloween everyone! :-D

(<- Commercial street after dark)

So. Yesterday was big fun for me. After getting the kids dropped off at school, Sarvenon, Tom and I headed towards commercial street- the main shopping district here. So..... it's a small street, with cars, auto-rickshaw (motorbike seating three), bicycles and people walking. In general you drive on the left side of the road....but, potholes, cows, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians drive where anyone really is moving. The person/vehicle that first arrives to any given point has right of way.

Commercial district is one shop after another....10 foot openings, rough, with merchandise displayed. Some shops are only that and open to the street, some are actually nice shops with glass cases, wood floor and doors separating the shop from the street. You can get just about anything there.....and I found one of the things that I came to get (Xmas is a coming....that's all the detail I can provide, family). I was a happy kid. Without Sarvenon, I'm not sure how a person could really know exactly where to find anything here!

India Fine Fact #1: Here is the most magical thing that I've discovered about Bangalore through Tom trials. You can get anything fixed, get it fixed well and it's inexpensive. Things are fixed, not thrown away.

Well today is a new day. Tracy and I have already done yoga. Headed to the club to work out with Tom later. We've got trick-or-treating this eve and then we're off to our long weekend get-away to Pondicherry. We'll drive part way there tonight and arrive tomorrow.

The weather could be a bit choppy as there was or is a tropical storm in the Bay of Bengal (the weather forecast is a bit unreliable here.)

After today, you won't hear from me for a bit....... on vacation from vacation.

Love and Hugs- W:)

I'm on vacation

You know a funny thing happened today.

I stopped thinking about what time it was at home.

Sincerely on vacation, W:)

Bangalore it is!

So when last I left you, I was rattling on about Agra. Cool place. Go there.

My individual adventures ended Saturday. On Sunday I scrambled out of bed and readied for my trip to airport. 10:30 a.m. flight, so had to leave the hotel by 9:00. Oops, discovered the plane was now scheduled for 9:50 departure at check-in. I may have been a bit worried about that except that I'm on vacation and in true Indian fashion the flight departure was changed twice more before we actually left. The plane took off about the time it was originally supposed to and at the gate that they announce just before the departure. Really, do all those details really matter? (they seem to at home....)

After I got my bags I found Tom waiting with a smile. After a couple hugs- one wasn't enough- their driver Sharmenon (sp?) pulled up in the car with Tracy and the three kids- dressed in Halloween costumes. We went dirctly to an OWC (overseas women's club) charity Halloween party for the kids. The Power Ranger (Jimmy), Princess (Kay) and Herbie the Love Bug (Billy) looked stunning and had a blast. The best part about the party was being led by Billy to every Jack-o-Lantern in the building. He was enthralled (even though the pumpkins where an odd green color). In true Murphy fashion that was only the first gathering of the evening. We also had an Ex-pat BBQ- pot luck gathering d0wn the road. A fun group hosted this time by a couple from Germany.

Oh Bangalore. I was going to tell you a bit about that. Let me share with you my first two impressions. I love to discover things just before landing so had my eyes peeled as we descended... first: it's Sunday afternoon- every field was full of people playing cricket! Having just had that experience for the first time a couple months back with my work group, I got a big smile from it.

My second impression, and shock before landing.... look at that building. Familiar, somhow. You've got to be kidding me. Target India HQ. Standing out and proud with an oversized bullseye. It's built at the end of the runway!!!!! What are the odds, y'all?

Until then- W:)

Yooo Hooo!

Hi! :-D

All has gone according to plan to this point....although I feel a little lost today because it's the first day that I've had without a plane or train! (I am in Banalore now at the Murphy's, but this blog account covers only my first couple days).

Here's what I've been up to.....
- I only had one connection on the flight here and made it to Delhi probably faster than anyone. My departing plane was boarding when I landed in Amsterdam. I stopped rushing when I ran across a Target employee and her family on the way out of the place. I only knew she had a connection to TGT because of the Mizrahi designed Target bag she was carrying- a one of a kind freebie given out at our annual meeting. I met her for the first time, but she knew of me as she works in an area that I used to work in. Her brother (?) assured me that "it's the airlines liability, not ours. They'll wait for us. ". And so they did. No worries, we had plenty of time.
I arrived in Delhi about 'lunchtime' Friday for you. It was really after midnight here though....and I turned out the lights at 1a.m. with a 4:45 wake-up call to catch my train to Agra early Saturday a.m.

Holy sightseeing batman:
1) Saw the Taj- no reading could prepare me. The size of it, the intricate detail all over the outside carved with many illusionary methods to portray perfection and symmetry, what the inlaid gemstones really look like in the white marble....incredible. The Taj is a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to his favorite queen. He is laid to rest beside her here. It took over 17 years and 20,000 men to build. She died giving birth to their 14 child....that must have been a powerful love!
2) The Red Fort of Agra. (Photo of Red building, above). Also built by the Mogul empire, this by Emporer Akbar (1566). Beautiful red sandstone fort with intricate carving and architecture design. It provided for water cooled air conditioning in the emporer's rooms. It is only a couple km's from the Taj. Shah Jahan was imprisoned for the last years of his life here by his son. He was able to see the Taj from the fort, but not allowed to go visit his late wife.
3) Fetehpur Sikri-a. (Photo of white marble temple within the ruins, above). A preserved palatial 'ghost town' abandoned only 16 years after it was built. After the Taj, this was most impressive.....and usually not seen by many tourists because it's a 1 hr drive outside of Agra. The interesting thing....no one really knows why it was abandoned?! Water supply is a favorite guess.
4) Visited a craft shop grinding gemstones into intricate and tiny patterns for inlay into white marble. This is the technique used at the Taj and famous to the area.
5) Visited a hand made persian run craft shop..... and somehow managed to get out without buying one. Whew!
6) Visited a gem/jewelry shop and got the low down on gems available only to this area (they are not released to anyone except local craftsman).
7) At last.....it was over an hour late, but caught the train back to Delhi. Arriving back at my hotel again after midnight.

How?
The travel service that Tracy hunted up for me was incredible. I had the same driver and 'lead' in Delhi and another team that met me in Agra along with a guide. Most people don't get the extra lead...but, I was the only single person and he thought that it would be nice to always ride in my car. We had great conversation- they taught me a lot. You have no idea how nice it is to get off onto a train platform late at night and be immediately accosted with a warm handshake, smile and excited questions about my day from my driver.

He assured me of two things. My country is the best. (And, after telling him about the rest of my visit with Tracy, Tom and the kids) he assured me that the next time I travel to India, I'll have children of my own! I think not!!!!

Until next time, W:)

This is a test of the global communication system......

..... if this were truely a global communicaiton, ...well, I'd have more to say. Until that time, I'd like to welcome you to my blog spot. :-D

Why True Places? Well, I'm certain that I'll have many adventures to share. Some unique adventures in places far away. Some may only be as exotic as my own back yard.
I don't think the place really matters. What matters is what I see. I'd like to share that with you.

"It is not down in any map; true places never are."
~Herman Melville

Peace- W:)