Baroda

Last weekend, we got back on the travelling wagon with a weekend in Baroda, Gujarat.  Baroda is a short hop from Mumbai by plane and we booked our visit to coincide with the Baroda half marathon.  Unfortunately, the half marathon didn't happen (we're not sure why, but it never opened for entries!) but we enjoyed a touristy couple of days in Gujarat nevertheless.

The trip started well as I had a great conversation with an elderly Indian man sitting next to me on the flight who turned out to be a wealthy industrialist who's travelled extensively in India and abroad.  He highly recommends Bhutan and Myanmar as nearby travel destinations so they've gone on our list as travel options for the future...

Baroda feels like a much smaller and less crowded city than Mumbai and is pleasantly cool in December.  On Saturday, we hired a car and driver and drove 50km out of Baroda to Champaner and Pavagadh, the major tourist spots of the area.

Champaner is an abandoned 15th century walled city with several amazing mosques (Jama Masjid) dotted around its ruins.  Champaner sits at the foot of Pavagadh, a monolithic 800m hill which looks like a large piece of rock has landed from space in the midst of otherwise perfectly flat surroundings.  Pavagadh too was inhabited in the past and is covered in temples and other rocky structures in various stages of decay; although now exists as a popular hill station and pilgrimage spot for the locals.

We had hired a local driver who was lovely, helpful and very reliable.  This is not always the case and makes the day a lot easier.  We started by driving halfway up Pavagadh (after a short detour to tick off a local stepwell, Phil's choice not mine...) then walked up the rest of the hill, most of which was on stone steps lined with locals selling their wares.  This was a hot process although the cooling breeze at the top of the hill made up for it. It was slow going owing to the large volume of people climbing up to the peak, most of whom were visiting the temple on top of the hill.

We took the adventurous route down by riding on the cable car. This was a far cry from the slick modern cable car that we travelled on in Hong Kong and looked very steep and rickety.  We decided to risk the journey on the basis that thousands of other people use it every day and seem to escape unscathed.  We made it out alive and it was a much faster way to travel down the mountain.

Champaner itself contained several mosques in very good condition and in a similar style to those we had seen in Ahmedabad, with open halls and lots of pillars.  I was a little perturbed when Phil insisted on us walking for ages down a narrow village track with no one else around but it was worth it to see the magnificant mosque at the end of the road (though I'll admit to being a little disgruntled that he was right after moaning heavily after being taken on a wild goose chase!).

The helical stepwell. Phil assumes me that it would look better if less full of water.

One of the many mosques in Champaner 

Climbing up Pavagadh 

Holy cow 

The view from the cable car 

Amazing arches halfway up Pavagadh 

 Another Jama Masjid

...and another 

...and another

Back in Baroda, we saw the Laxmi Palace which is the biggest privately owned residence in India.  Built in the 19th century over a period of 18 years, the rooms open the public were opulent and beautifully kept, and a fusion between Indian and European styles.  The highlight for me was the magnificent Darbar hall.  This has a mosaic floor which took many Italian artists (I think they said 20 people) two years to complete.  The ceiling is beautiful with a complex geometric pattern appealing to my mathematical side; and the front of the hall has several huge stained glass windows akin to those seen in fine churches in Europe.  This is the first time that I've seen European stained glass showing images from Hindu mythology, an unusual mix which worked rather well.

We enjoyed the audio tour which was typically florid in its style and very complimentary about the royal family which owns the palace!  Going round opulent palaces is definitely near the top of my favourite things to do in India.  Phil's more into his forts and stepwells but the palaces are where it's at for me.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the palace but here are a few from the grounds.

The Darbar Hall.  This picture doesn't show the stained glass but you can see the awesome ceiling.

View from the main entrance standing at the front of the palace grounds, just before the start of the palace's 18 hole golf course. 

Carved facade and screens - Indian-style architecture 

Listening to the audio tour whilst being towered over by a stuffed baby elephant 

Italian-style courtyard 

The back entrance.  The palace has it's own stepwell in the ground which was closed to the public.  Phil tried to have sneeky peek anyway and got told off by a security guard!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxmi_Vilas_Palace,_Vadodara

We'd enjoyed a mammoth Gujarati thali lunch (one of my favourite Indian meals, with a sad lack of availability in the UK, something that needs resolving) so enjoyed a sleepy afternoon and evening.

Gujarati thali - food of the gods

Sunday started early for Phil, at 430am, when he met with a local running group to tick off a 30km run before I woke up.  The good run thing about running in India is that, probably because the conditions are non-ideal and it requires a lot of determination and commitment, those who do run are very enthusiastic and do everything they can to welcome you.  Phil was picked up at 430am from our hotel by a fellow runner who took him to the meeting point on his motorbike!  Phil is trying to get lots of training miles in now for the Mumbai Marathon in January (I am unfortunately showing less commitment to the half marathon, in favour of getting plenty of sleep) and a weekend away is no excuse to slack on his training plan.

Later that morning, we explored the central park in Baroda which a beautiful big green area including a zoo, museum, running track and lots of space to walk and relax.  We need this in Mumbai but land is too scarce and valuable here.  We explored the museum (well I did, Phil had sore legs so mainly sat down on a bench reading on his tablet!) and had a look round the zoo.

The zoo had an impressive array of animals although all were in cages which looked smaller than ideal.  It had several tigers which were pacing menacingly around their cages looking beautiful but deadly.  Although all the animals in the zoo were behind bars, these seemed to be pretty wide bars with very little between the public and hungry animals with big teeth.  The tiger area had a short wire fence to keep the public a metre or so away from the tigers but it would still be very easy for an enthusiastic toddler to walk forward and stick their arm through the cage. I tried not to think too hard about this.

Inside Baroda's central park 

The park has a train track and miniature train transporting happy locals around the interior perimeter.

Inside the museum, a Victorian red brick edifice which is decaying but still impressive. 

Tony the tiger 

The outside of the museum

After all this activity, we had a relaxing afternoon in the comfort of affluent India with a bit of shopping and watching a film at the local mall.  We saw Exodus in 3D (several weeks before it comes out the UK, unusually...) or rather, I saw it, and I'm fairly sure that Phil was asleep behind his 3D glasses for most of the film.  He had a good excuse following the 430am start time, so I didn't wake him up this time.

We have a couple more trips to Gujarat booked in the New Year to explore more of this fascinating state.

A stark reminder that we are not Indian

This blog post was supposed to be about a 10k / half marathon run by me and Phil in our local area this morning.  We registered for this event several weeks ago and Phil in particular has been looking forward to the run as a good opportunity to beat his half marathon PB and run the distance in under 1h30 minutes.

Phil picked up our running bibs on Friday morning and we were looking forward to the run until receiving a phone call from the race organiser on Friday evening.

Apparently, they had decided that foreigners could no longer participate in the race as this would be "security risk".  We were told that our participation would turn this local run into an "International Event" which therefore warranted greater levels of police security, external approvals and costs which the organisers were not able to provide.

This has never happened to us before and is very disappointing and saddening.  India is willing to provide visas which allow us to be resident in the country and for me to work, thus providing many new jobs and paying a bucket load of tax to the Indian government.  We had paid 750 rupees each to enter (this is a lot in India, more than a day's pay for the average Indian) and we have participated in many other running events in India in the past with no problems at all.

This is the first time in my life when I have felt discriminated again because of my race, and it's not a nice feeling.  I accept things like having to pay 20 times more than Indians for museum entry as a foreigner tax, but barring me from running in my local area is too much.  I was boiling angry for a while after the phone call although have mellowed a bit now as there is not much you can about some of the restrictions placed on non-Indians within India, except to push ahead and hope that these bureaucratic barriers will lift over time.  We must also keep in mind that many of our friends and colleagues are very supportive and inclusive and are just as embarrassed by these restrictions as we are incredulous and that things are changing, albeit slowly.

Growing up in the UK, I took it for granted that those in my class at school; white, black, Asian; had an equal chance to succeed.  Realistically, I know that opportunities are still not equal but at least the laws of the UK attempt to level the playing field.  Everyone is welcome at a Parkrun, irrespective of their place of birth or colour.

Anyway, my rant is over and I'm sure that we'll enter and enjoy many more races in India in the future.

Running with cows

Last weekend, we discovered the Aarey Colony, an area of farmland tucked away at the heart of the northern suburbs of Mumbai. The Aarey Colony is a group of dairy farms and looks like a typical Indian village, only in the middle of one of the busiest most crowded cities in the world.

We were taken to this area by a 10.55km running race early last Sunday morning.  I am very glad that we've discovered the Aarey Colony, it is quiet, green, leafy and not packed full with cars and horns blaring.  This made it perfect for a running event, although the hills were less good.  Phil didn't tell me that the course was really hilly when he signed me up...

We had a first at the race - Phil won!  I was second woman after an impressively fast young French girl who beat all the other men except Phil.

 A green haven in a busy city.

This almost looks like Britaim...

Foreigner lady

My blogging has lulled recently and I've been given firm instructions by Phil that I must continue to blog about the everyday things that I might otherwise forget about.

In the canteen at work, there is a team serving food throughout the day, including a small smiley elderly man who is usually out of sight, I assume cleaning or washing up in the kitchen.  He is very friendly (not the sharpest, but very happy) and always chats to me and greets me with great enthusiasm when we meet.

His name for me illustrates the difference between what is politically correct in Britain and India.

Foreigner Lady.

"Hello, foreigner lady.  How are you, foreigner lady? Where have you been foreigner lady?"

He says this with pure innocence and no comprehension that singling me out as a foreigner might be isolating.  Can you imagine referring to someone as "Indian man" in Britian?! In this case, I find the lack of inhibition around the language used refreshing rather than unfriendly.  One day he'll learn my name, but not yet.

 

Our first Indian wine festival

On Saturday, we spent a relaxing afternoon at the Bandra Wine Festival, conveniently located within easy staggering distance from our apartment and a great opportunity to learn more about local wine.

Wine making (and drinking) is on the up in India and most of this happens around Nashik, a city three hours from Mumbai with a Californian climate well suited to wine-grape cultivation.  We have been to Nashik before although, up to now, the only way to try new Indian wines has been a buy a bottle, so it takes a while to try the full range of what's on offer.  The wine festival presented the perfect opportunity to rectify this omission.

The Bandra Wine Festival has been going for several years and the organisation was slick and smooth.  The entrance fee was surprisingly inexpensive too - for £4.50 each we could enter the festival and were 10 tokens to taste local wine, 4 to taste international wine, 8 vouchers for cheese tasting, a wristband and several other types of ticket.  The most challenging part was keep track of all the bits of paper, which became harder as the number of wines we tried progressed!

We thoroughly enjoyed trying wines from many different producers.  The quality was variable, from pretty good to novelty (pineapple wine anyone?) to unpleasant, and we bought a few good bottles to take home.  So far, we have struggled to find Indian reds that we like but this changed on Saturday and we'll know which brands to go for in future.

The drinking mentality at the wine festival differed from what we saw in California or in the UK at similar events. The primary objective for lots of people seemed to be get drunk rather than taste the wines, though certainly not for everyone, and we heard requests like "give me your strongest / best wine" frequently while at the bar.  Saying that, many of the wine producers were passionate about their produce and keen to raise awareness both in India and internationally.  Wine is increasingly understood and valued in India.

The mix of people attending the festival was cosmopolitan - everyone was speaking English as a first language (most of the people there were Indian) which reflects the affluence of the attendees. We were stuck by the predominance of the rich elite at the festival; at a similar event in the UK (a beer festival) you would get a much bigger mix of people from across different social classes.

The food at the festival was great too with lots of local good start-ups selling their wares.  We found some lovely home-made cakes and jams and end up bringing lots of these home too!

The covers were required as amazingly it rained (the first since 2010!) 

Lots of seating, it could have been a pub garden 

 More fancy wine display

One of Philip's favourite reds 

More vino stands

The highlight of my day though was not wine-related.  On the way to the festival driving up from South Mumbai, we passed a broken down autorickshaw being pushed along by another autorickshaw.  There were no tow ropes used though, instead the driver of the working autorickshaw was pushing the second with his foot whilst moving at high speed.  Genius!

Breakdown cover - Mumbai style

What's on in Mumbai?

The monsoon has gone, Mumbai is cooling down, and the city has sprung into action.  There seem to be a lot of events being organised, if you know where to look to find out about these activities, and we're struggling to fit it all in.  I've been busy at work so we don't go out every evening but we are still managing to pack lots into our schedule.

In the last week alone, we have done the following:

1)  Found a great website called "Gourmet it up" which offers tasting menus at good restaurants around the city.  On Wednesday, we had a fab 7 course tasting menu at a great Japanese restaurant called Aoi for the princely sum of £10 each.

2)  Gone to see the circus.  Well, this was Phil only as I was at work but he said it was good fun.  Apparently the performing dogs were a highlight, marching around happily on their hind legs.

3)  Visited an amazing old Parsi cafe in South Bombay on the way back from renewing our visas (thankfully we're allowed to stay in the country for a while longer!) which looks like something from another age.  For £1 a head, we had tea, Parsi scrambled eggs on toast, plum cake and custard, mawa cake, cucumber sandwiches and maska buns.  Yummy.

4)  Gone to a local food festival, which we think was for some kind of Marathi / Koli food (there was a lot of fish) but it wasn't quite clear.  What was clear was that it was very local and we were the only white people.  Even the menus on the stalls were not written in English which is unusual for Mumbai. Naturally, we were escorted round and the local TV station homed in on us for an interview.  I was a bit nervous about eating lots of fish which had clearly been kicking around for a while but, two days on, we're both fine which is a relief.

5)  Seen Abba Gold (apparently Abba's most successful tribute band) in concert - a bonefide western group from London touring India.  This was in the grounds of a local gymkhana and felt very un-Indian; we could have been at an open air concert anyway in the UK (on a very hot day).  The band were great (sounded great, the female blond singer didn't quite have the Abba look with an extra 20 years and couple of stone compared with the original) and the music was very loud in the middle of a built up residential area.  I've been humming Abba ever since.

6)  Been to Mumbai's first ever craft beer festival.  They had 12 home brewed beers on tap, from Belgium white beers to porters, and a variety of food stands.  The venue was great, in the grounds of an old club in South Mumbai, and the event seemed pretty well organised in advance if pricey by Mumbai standards (£15 entry including 1 litre of beer, and £20 entry including 2 litres).  We enjoyed the beer and the organisers had put a lot of thought into the venue decoration though there were a few bonkers aspects.  There was no leaflet or information of any kind about the different beers - the people serving had no idea - despite the fact that new breweries were supposed to be advertising their wares.  The food was great in theory but the electricity to the food stands kept cutting out so getting anything cooked was a challenge.  The highlight for me was the festival beer - Bomgalore - and the waffle stand which did super salted caramel waffles on a stick.

7)  Been to our first ever proper yoga class.  Yes, that's "we", Phil did it too!  We went to a great local studio in an old bungalow in Bandra which did super fruit juices afterwards too.  I am quite achey today, the class was challenging, but I enjoyed it, and I'll be going back again soon.

Other attractions which we have not managed to visit include a literary festival (this clashed with Abba and beer) and Ted talks (looked good but at £100 a ticket we went off it).  Coming up, we've got several running events and a wine festival in a couple of weeks' time, where we'll be able to taste the wares of a range of local vineyards.

India is changing and Mumbai is leading this change. This wealth of culture and activities would not have been available a few years ago; we're lucky to have come to India at the time that we have.

Course 3 of the Japanese tasting menu 

My post-work treat 

A traditional circus with a big top 

Phil was very impressed with the acrobats... 

...and the wildlife. 

Lunch at a Mumbai institution - The Kyani Parsi bakery 

The bakery's house rules

The food festival 

Proof the modak can be sourced outside the Ganpati festival season.  The maker of these wanted our photograph mid-bite to advertise his shop.  We obliged. 

Prawn masala with rice bread 

Classic Abba 

A pleasant Sunday afternoon with beer and quesidillas 

The old Wodehouse Gymkhana building 

Doolally - a brew pub opening in Bandra "soon" - as soon as it obtains its final licence. 

Hipcask - an app to guide us through the beer which unfortunately only went live after the festival had finished.

A wedding anniversary trip - Five days in Hong Kong

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary on Wednesday 22 October.  I'm not sure where that time went, but it conveniently coincided with the biggest Hindu festival, Diwali, and hence more Public Holidays for me.

When moving to India, we had a vague vision of travelling to lots of different places in India in our first year, then going farther afield in Asia in our second.  We've done well on the first objective but stalled on the second, mainly because the first has proved so enjoyable and I haven't got much holiday left between now and the end of March.

Pre-anniversary treats in the lounge

Anyway, we decided it was time to spread our wings and Hong Kong is short-ish five hour hop from Mumbai so we used some of Phil's hard-earned air miles to secure a bargain set of flights for a few days away.  I knew very little about Hong Kong before arriving on Wednesday except that it used to be British, it seems to be a popular place for expats in Asia and is the home of HSBC bank.  My brief research suggested that Hong Kong is an international (not too crazy) city so I was looking forward to a few calm days of good museums, varied and exciting food, usable public transport and functional public toilets.  It's strange the things that I pine for whilst living in Mumbai!

Anyway, here's our mini-guide to Hong Kong based on our trip.

1)  History

Hong Kong was a British colony between 1898 and 1997 before being handed back to China when the British lease ran out, but under the condition that the British legislative structure would remain for 50 years following the return to China.  Whilst Hong Kong is now very much Chinese, as are most of its residents, the historical British influence is strong and tangible throughout the city.  I felt quite nostalgic upon seeing blue British road signs and the orderly driving, street names and general culture are reminders of Hong Kong's heritage.

We spent an afternoon at the Hong Kong Museum of History in Kowloon which is excellent and I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Hong Kong.  It was so good that we got timed out and had to miss out a whole section on the Japanese occupation near the end.

Old colonial buildings in Hong Kong are sparse but a few remain including the cathedral, tea museum in the park and the old tram travelling up to Victoria Peak.  Unlike India, Hong Kong has not tried to shed its Britishness but it retains a strong Chinese culture too, including temples within the city which are well worth a visit.

My top tip is to read about Hong Kong before you visit and understand how the city's past has influenced its present.  A lot has happened to such a small patch of land and it's well worth understanding how Hong Kong has developed.

Fisherman statue on Aberdeen Promenade - the historical trade of the Aberdeen area 

The Peak Tram approaching... 

World War memorial flanked by skyscrapers 

Incense ceiling hangings in a temple 

The Big Buddha (not strictly old, but pretty impressive) 

Monastery on Lantau Island 

Reconstructed old house in Stanley - now housing a tapas and German meat restaurant

2)  Nature

Hong Kong is described as one of the most overcrowded cities in the world but we found it to be blissfully quiet compared with Mumbai.  Most of Hong Kong island is protected countryside and most of the other islands and mainland are positively rural.  Even in the busiest areas, it is only a short walk into the hills to reach a peaceful trail and lush countryside which is spotlessly clean and beautifully kept.

We walked from our hotel in Aberdeen, on the south side of Hong Kong island, up to the top of The Peak to enjoy the view and catch the tram back down the other side of the hill. This was serene yet close to the heart of the city.  Later, we caught the bus to the south-east of Hong Kong island to walk along the "Dragon's Back", a popular stretch of hills with great views over the south beaches.  We saw great trails on our visit to Lantau Island although didn't have time to explore and have been told that the hiking in the New Territories is fantastic.  All the trails we saw were well labelled and maintained, though not too crowded so it felt like a proper rural walk.

As well as the hills, Hong Kong has beautiful beaches which we saw both on Hong Kong Island (Shek O and Stanley) and on Lamma Island.  They are spotless with soft white sand and netted off areas of sea to allow you to swim without getting eaten by sharks (always a bonus).

The natural beauty of Hong Kong was a revelation and the green verdant hills shrouded in mist (some would say smog) alone would be enough for me to return for a future visit.

Beach on Lamma island 

On the walk from Aberdeen to the Peak 

A happy sculpture in Hong Kong Park 

Enjoying the pond 

View from the cable car on the way to see the Big Buddha on Lantau island 

Climbing the Dragon's Back 

View of the south side of Hong Kong island from the Dragon's Back 

 On the trail

Shek O beach

3)  Transport

Hong Kong's public transport system is fabulous; cheap, efficient, well maintained, air conditioned and with a wide variety of modes of transport from which to choose.  The only thing we didn't do on our trip was travel by car; the opposite of our approach in Mumbai.  Most enjoyably, we walked a long way every day although we also took ferries, buses, a minibus, the metro train, the Peak Tram and a cable car.  I'm told that taxis are good value too but we genuinely didn't need one.

Here are some pictures of our transport experiences:

Enjoying dinner on the plane (business class treat though it wasn't very good on Cathay) 

Ferry to Lamma Island 

On the Peak Tram 

Star ferry from Hong Kong island to Kowloon 

The MTR 

On the cable car over Lantau island, mainly watching planes taking off 

The mid-levels escalator - site of a very good pizza restaurant

4)  Food

Hong Kong is a foodie's dream; it is a worthy equal of London or New York from a culinary perspective but with an Asian twist.

Unfortunately, I managed to pick up a stomach bug shortly before leaving Mumbai which curtailed my eating but we still enjoyed a variety of the goodies on offer in Hong Kong.  I would highly recommend several of the restaurants shown below which were recommended to us by others too.

Fish fresh from the sea 

and on to our plates 

Refined dim sum and Maxim's Palace.  The barbeque pork buns were excellent. 

Sushi (we ate a lot of it...) 

Shanghai style soupy pork dumplings - loading up on our meat

5)  Friends

The world is a small place and we were fortunate to meet up with two different groups of friends in our five day visit.  Dave Richards, from Cambridge, was passing through on a work trip; and the Bloomfield family have been living in Hong Kong for the last four years.

We had a great time catching up over dinner on Friday and Saturday and enjoyed learning about Hong Kong from a local perspective too.

Meeting Dave took us to Discovery Bay (other friends of Dave live there) which is a slightly bizarre place; an expat enclave which was built as a holiday village and subsequently abandoned.  We would never have otherwise visited DB which felt very much like a small part of California in Hong Kong; we wouldn't have guessed that we were in Asia whilst drinking beer, eating pizza and watching the fireworks from the nearby Disneyland over the horizon.

6)  Buildings

Hong Kong's skyline is rightly famous and we admired some of the sleek and stunning buildings in the heart of the city, including the HSBC and Bank of China buildings.  Feng Shui also plays a big part in building design adding yet more quirks to the landscape.

For me, the most overwhelming aspect of Hong Kong was the huge scale of the apartment blocks, far bigger than anything I've seen in India.  I found myself geekily estimating the number of people who must live in each one - some must house 10,000 people easily.  Many of the locals live in family units in very cramped conditions.  Space is at a very high premium in Hong Kong.

Aberdeen Harbour - The view from our hotel window 

 Our Ovolo Hotel - Tall, spindly and highly recommended

Victoria Harbour from the Peak 

 Very big building (can't remember which one)

 Bank of China.  The triangles shown cause Feng Shui problems but the big square buildings offsets this issue.

 Inside Norman Foster's HSBC building

Looking back over the Harbour from Kowloon

7)  Money

Hong Kong is a very wealthy place.  Unlike Mumbai, where extreme wealth exists in only small pockets or behind closed doors, Hong Kong's affluence is obvious wherever you go.

There are copious shopping malls with every expensive designer shop you can think of, apparently targeted at the mainland Chinese visitors.  A high proportion of the cars that we saw were BMWs or Mercedes and eating out was pretty pricey, in line with prices in London rather than Mumbai.

Tax rates are low and capped at 15% although accommodation costs are eye-watering - upwards of £4000 a month for even a small simple apartment.  Gambling is huge in Hong Kong, as Phil saw on his trip to the races, and accounts for 12% of all tax revenue.

So whilst Hong Kong is modern and international, the residents of the city (and tourists) pay handsomely for this.

A night at the races 

 Temple Street night market - low key shopping

Causeway Bay shopping 

 Hello Kitty is VERY popular in every form

Crazy crazy house prices 

A dog park.  Not something you see in Mumbai.

8)  The future

So what's next for Hong Kong? Change is afoot as student protesters have recently occupied several central streets in an unprecedented challenge to the Chinese government.  Hong Kong continues to grow richer and more powerful, along with China, and the power and rise of the East was clear to me on our trip.

My other observation was the power of technology in Hong Kong; wifi connections were everywhere alone with the latests phones and gadgets.  The top gadget in Hong Kong appears to be the rather bizarre "selfie stick" upon which a camera phone can be placed to allow for a selfie to be taken at a distance.  Very bizarre.  I hope they don't make it to India!

The selfie stick is hanging off his arm rather than in use here 

Protest tents 

Messages of support from the protestors