Three Temples and a Beach

Landed in Singapore after a 24 hour delay in Chicago (did make Silver status though Hooray!!!!) Headed to an extremely clean hostel just outside of Chinatown. After a semi cold beer hit the hay and awoke the next morning to explore.  Singapore is a very clean city with no street people.  We ate lunch at the "hawker stands" which are endless rows of outdoor eateries each of them specializing in various genres of Asian cuisine.  We then went to the Buddha's tooth temple to view not only his tooth but 10,000 other Buddha's fashioned after his likeness right after enlightenment.  It also houses the only underground parking lot of any temple in Asia :)  We then headed to see the Sri Mariamman Temple with 100s of life size cows and Krishnas not only inside but sitting on the fences surrounding the temple for all to enjoy. 

Enjoying some Thai food at the hawker stall

That evening we met up with Lindsey's college friend who is living in Singapore where we indulged in some local cuisine of chili crab.  Then because the tax on alcohol is so high we grabbed a six pack of beer to drink on the bridge where it is legal to drink but not chew gum. 
The next day we woke up early  to grab a long distance bus to Malaysia when we arrived at the terminal they had all left for the day so we decided to grab a local bus to the border.   On our trek to the other bus stand we meandered through the Arab Quarter and visited a Mosque.  It was a beautiful structure we got to go inside and wander around.  Then finally began our journey to Malaysia. 

Inside the Mosque

After we crossed the border we had a few hours to kill in a bus station in Johor Bahru (JB)  the entire top of the station was a shopping market filled with many faux sneakers and all the different types of burkas you could buy. We had an AWESOME lunch roti filled with onions, egg and meat that was rolled, filled and cooked before our very eyes.    
That evening we ended up in the fishing port of Mersing where we were serenaded by a woman with very few teeth (and even less marbles) as we looked for accommodation.  Her tunes ranged from variations on a theme of Righteous Brothers, Ace of Base and Whitney.    We woke up the next morning for a ferry to a village (loose word two beach shacks) Nipah on the island of Tioman.  It was a peaceful place where we spent our days lounging in the sun and snorkeling with barracudas and our nights drinking beer and eating delightful Maylay food.  

Soaking up some rays outside our digs

We are now awaiting a bus to take us to Melaka on the western side of Malaysia.    

Rice rice baby

As a PhD student I sometimes have evening seminars that I have to attend.  As a "good" wife I make sure I leave my husband a meal in the fridge so that he can cook it when he gets home and doesn't go hungry.  These meals keep in mind have the meat, seasoning, sides, cooking instructions, all put together in a single zip lock bag.  All my husband has to do is open, read, prepare, and eat.  The meal for the evening was BBQ chicken with a side of sweet potato fries.
My darling husband gets home, looks at the bag and determines this meal would not be balanced without rice (as a true Indian I should've known he would want rice).  Instead of texting me (he didn't want to interrupt my super "important" PhD seminar) or use that new fangled thing called google, he elected to call the Patel family house.  His father answered the phone the conversation went something like this. . .
Sankat- Hi Dad, what is the ratio of water to rice
Dad- well first you take out the pressure cooker
Sankat- we don't have one, but the question is what is the ratio
Dad- we have an extra one at the house
Sankat- no dad we don't want one, what is the ratio
Dad- ok, take out the rice maker
Sankat- we don't have one, ratio dad
Dad- we have an extra one at the house we can bring to you
Sankat- we don't want one dad I just want to cook the rice on the stove, ratio please
Dad- where's Selina
Sankat- school dad
Dad- well your mom always cooks the rice, call her

Not part of this story but there is a small skirmish about Sankat's mom driving while talking on the phone

Sankat- hi mom, how are you.. .
Mom- Great Beta
Sankat- Mom I'm making rice what is the ratio of water to rice?
Mom- well first you take out the pressure cooker
Sankat- no mom we don't have one, what is the ratio
Mom- we have an extra one at the house
Sankat- no mom we don't want one, what is the ratio
Mom- ok, take out the rice maker
Sankat- we don't have one, ratio mom
Mom- we have an extra one at the house we can bring to you
NOTICE the Pattern here
Sankat- WE DON'T WANT ONE, I just want to make rice on the stove
Mom- Where's Selina?
Sankat- school
Mom- You know you can make premade rice
Sankat- MOM
Mom- well first you must soak the rice for 20 min
Sankat- I Don't have time
Mom- 2 to 1

Now I can just picture my loving mother in law getting off the phone and looking at her husband shaking her head and saying, "You know, he has a LOVE marriage and look what happens, NObody know how to make rice."

How will I ever make this up to my mother in-law to prove that even white women can cook rice and get their PhD at the same time.

So I married an Indian. . .

and along with the Catholics and the Jews they too have mastered the guilt complex.  Sankat wants me to write a book, but on top of those pesky things called qualifying exams I really shouldn't be focusing my energy on writing the true story of my adventures in the Indian world (and other cultures that I visit).  So I decided to keep a blog. If some day it turns into a book so be it, as long as a sexy young thing plays me in the movie that is really all I care about.  I'm going to try and use this space to talk about my adventures leading up to my marriage and the events of the weddings (the s is not a typo) themselves.  So feel free to read and comment as you see fit.  I'm also going to use this space to talk about my current adventures as they happen and will send the blog link in my email updates. 

Namibia and beyond

I spent three days on the west coast of Africa in a bizarre village (ok second largest town in Namibia) called Skwakamond which was surrounded by dunes that looked like the middle east (largest sand dunes in the world)!  It was a weird Lake Geneva, located in LA serving German food.  Crazy place.  I spent the days there relaxing walking along the ocean even though it was about a high of 60 degrees!!  

WE then drove back to the capital of Namibia Windhoek where I spent the evening with my friend Nicole from Chicago where we had some great south african wine and a pizza!!!  The next day we took a taxi through the savannah hills with the sun shining listening to micheal jackson, boys to men and lieonal richie.  I began my two day journey back to Nairobi (by plane, yes it takes two days by plane)!!!  I had a great flight from Windhoek to Jo burg sitting next to a miner from Australia and a anthropologist from Italy who were discussing mining and its effects over several bottles of wine!!!
In Jo Burg I was whisked away by the AFrican Moon hotel which is the fanciest place I've stayed this trip!!!  I had pasta room service and watched bad TV.  Yesterday I flew to Nairobi and discussed American Politics with my Jambo Taxi driver.  Recently Kenya has gotten a new Constitution and they are a hybrid of the UK system and the US.  I arrived at the Hilton for my rendezvous point with Sankat.  After a yummy steak dinner at the nicest restaurant ($25 on visa!) Sankat arrived at 2 am. This morning I took off to get us First class tickets to the coast so we shall see how this train ride goes (I"m the definition of insanity trying the same thing again and expecting different results!!)  We are off to explore Nairobi

101 Hours of travel

Long story short.  tuesday the 19th took a ferry in huge swells at noon from zanzibar to Dar es salam.  got train tickets first class sold out so we were in second class sleeper.  Train was delayed 11 hours finally left station at midnight and headed out.  right after the zambian border the train ran out of gas, 12 hours later more gas.  Then the brakes were sparking setting the savannah on fire, 4 more hours. 

Needless to say three nights on a train with a constantly rotating cast of cabinmates (all women) ranging from two teens with a baby brest feeding non stop to a 26 year old woman who was fasanated with our nightly 'American rituals" of cleaning our contacts and such.  she asked us all kinds of questions about the US such as do we know homosexuals? (it's an abomination) to her asking about naked runners and if everyone has a gun.  We probably left her with the impression that we are all gun touting, homosexual mounting, naked running Americans.

On thursday night we got off that god forsaken train and headed by taxi to lusaka and the yesterday a 6 hour bus ride to livingstone.

This morning we got up early and headed to the FAlls.  It was amazing and we had it all to ourselves only took us 5 days to reach it!!!  There is barely electricity and hardly internet so I'm sooooo sorry to all those for not answering iit email (it doesn't open) and updating fb. 

I'm now headed to meet my class on an 18 hour hopefully good shape bus in Windhoek.

Zanzibar

Hi guys for the past four days we have been laying in the sun on Zanzibar island.  The first day we arrived here we stayed in Stone Town which is an old walled city made by the portugese to begin growing their own spices.  We walked around the town looked at old forts, visited the market and watched the sun set over the ocean with dhow boats in the background.  The next day we took a tour of a spice plantation which was not what we had expected, some villagers from just outside the town had set up their own tour and the tour ended with a tour of their village which was not expected and very sad.  I purchased some spices to deal with my guilt. 

That evening we headed north to the beaches and have spent the past few days dining under the stars, laying on the beach and enjoying the sunset.  Tanzania has an electricity outage every day and hot water and internet are very hard to come by.  it's a whole other world that makes me see what huge benifits we have living in the US of A.  Speaking of the United States there is Obama everywhere.  Villagers carry him on the purse, wear them on the skirts, and even name shops after him.  In stonetown there is an Obama barber shop that has a huge mural of his head and an american flag.  This is one of the few places I have traveled where being from the USA is grand!!

Tomorrow we get on a train to Zambia for two days to see Victoria Falls