Farewell from the Islands!

Tuesday was a remarkable change from the previous day. There was no trace of rain in the sky, but the effects of the rain were everywhere. Bulldozers and heavy equipment moved sand around, to fill in areas of the beach that were washed out by the torrential rains.

After a quick breakfast, there wasn't much to do aside from pack. We ran into Jane and Rob at the pool, enjoying themselves before heading for the ferry home.



The week in the Virgin Islands had been a little slice of wonderful. I'm sure we'll return again someday!

Down came the rain and washed the spider out!

And then it rained. I mean rain with a capital "R"! Let me back up a bit...

Carnival ran all last week, winding down on the weekend. Most folks were going back to work on Monday, after a fun weekend. Little did we know those poor folks would be starting off their week soaking wet!

We'd planned on taking a boat trip to the British Virgin Islands, after a recommendation from Dave and Angela. We awoke as the rain rolled in and began to drench everything in sight. I'm not a fan of sailing in heavy seas, but I was feeling adventurous enough to pop some Dramamine and give it a go.

We were told to be at the Ferry Dock by 7:50AM sharp. 7:40AM, we were there and ready. 7:50AM comes and goes. 7:55... 8:00... 8:05... We waited in the rain and meandered over to other groups of people waiting for tours. It turns out that several other tours were scheduled and leaving from the dock.

When we finally got word about our tour boat, it was 8:35 and it was on its way. When it arrived, however, there was more bad news. One engine cut out, so the captain opted to scrap the trip. Doh! Ahh, well! We headed back to the hotel to wait out the rain.
So much rain fell that the Westin canceled outdoor activities, room service and anything that would put people outdoors. The heavy rains were flooding the streets - and some first-floor hotel rooms!

Late in the afternoon, the skies cleared and the rain ceased. We headed into St. John for a little shopping and dinner. Ramona found some cool shoes and a shirt for me - her fashion sense is sooo much better than mine... We were fortunate enough to get a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset. Jane and Rob are going to stay at the Westin for their last night in the islands. Hopefully, the rain didn't keep them from making it to the hotel.

Relaxing at the Westin

With the wedding behind us, everyone was settling into relaxation mode. Angela, Dave and all of Laura's friends were leaving late in the day; Mike, Laura and their mothers were spending another day here before heading home.

We met up with everyone in downtown Cruz Bay, just in time for good lunch - Mexican fare and a giant margarita at Margarita Phil's! While traditional Mexican food is always welcome, it was fun try fried conch and seafood.

We invited everyone to come and join us at the Westin, to lounge around a bit and enjoy the afternoon. Jane and Rob liked the Westin so much, they opted to spend their last night here as well.

Nice Day for a White Beach Wedding!

The wedding was held on the beach at Trunk Bay at sunset. As was now the fashion, we'd become accustomed to winding up and down the hilly roads, so we meandered out in plenty of time to make it. I wished I'd been able to pull over and take a few pictures, but the scenic overlooks were largely full of other tourists. Ah well!

We arrived just before the rest of the crew. Mike arrived with the mothers, looking rather dashing in his National Guard uniform and service ribbons. We'd barely had a chance to chat when Laura arrived with other half of the group. With our happy entourage assembled, we made our way to the beach. The secluded spot the wedding planner had picked out looked like a "Wish You Were Here" postcard. The soft sand and cerulean waters were the best backdrop ever!

Mike and Laura looked like a truly happy couple, surrounded by family and friends. What a perfect wedding!

As the happy couple celebrated their nuptials, Ramona and I went to Cruz Bay to pick up dinner for the evening, homemade barbeque from Uncle Joe's Barbeque! The plates of chicken and ribs were ready to go, and everyone was ready to eat when we arrived.

Gorgeous sand, gorgeous beach

The sun rises early here - 5AM or so. By early, I mean it's bright outside at 5AM! Ramona got up and worked out, so I came down and walked along the beach. I was greeted by a few stray cats, who seemed content to quietly inspect me. The sand and water feel absolutely wonderful - I can see why people disappear to the islands, for the perfect getaway or simply forever.

After checking out of our hotel room, we headed over to the Red Hook ferry. This was our route from St. Thomas to St. John. On the ferry, we met the rest of Laura's friends, also enroute to St. John. We rode on the upper deck and had a chance to see the scenery - other smaller islands - along the way.

In St. John, we caught a taxi to the Westin and encountered the same winding, hilly streets. I get hte feeling that driving here for the next few days will be a little challenging, to say the least! At the Westin, we checked and headed over to our room. In a word: posh! The digs were very, very nice to say the least! The Westin resort offers swimming pools, ocean swimming, restuarants - you name it!

Ramona was eager to get the ocean (read: jumped into swimsuit and ran headlong to the beach), so were off to the water. Strangely enough, the ocean was much, much saltier than I remembered. Still, we had fun swimming around and lounging on floating mats.

When we came in, however, we were both rather toasty! No sunburns, but we're definitely red!

The day came and went in the sun - I don't know where the time went, but it was certainly well-spent! For dinner, we headed over to the other side of the island - Coral Bay - to meet up with everyone who came out for the wedding. Driving for the first time here, I tried to be pretty cautious - it really is pretty hilly. I got turned around, and finally capitulated to calling for directions.

We met up for dinner at Skinny Legs restaurant. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, chatting with Mike and Laura about the events of the day. Jane and Rob had been snorkeling; Mike and Ang told us about their daysailing trip - everyone found plenty to see and do here.

The sun sets quickly and early at this lattitude. One moment, it was dusk - minutes later, all the light was gone!




After saying our goodbyes, we wound our way back through the dark streets to the Westin. A late-night swim was the perfect way to finish off the night. Tomorrow - we'll get up to work out, then prepare for the evening wedding!

Getting there is half the challenge....

I picked up Ramona at Oh-Dark-Early. I'm pretty sure that comes sometime between the crack of dawn and revelie, but I digress...

We were flying US Airways, so were taking the newly-renovated North Terminal. It was my first time here, so I didn't know what to expect. The new terminal was abuzz with early morning travelers, a nice change from the quiet, desolate L.C. Smith Terminal I flew as a kid. It distinctly different than the Northwest World Gateway, which was quite nice.

After we breezed through security, we grabbed a snack and boarded our flight. Expecting a timely departure, we had a mechanical problem that delayed us for half an hour. Once we were in the air, our pilots got us to Charlotte, NC for our connecting flight. Fortunately for us, our departure gate was immediately adjacent to our arrival gate. Sweet!

Our final flight to St. Thomas left on time with no problems. We passed the time picking up travel tips from the nice folks seated next to us. Apparently, they had vacation plans in Cabo, but canceled them with the outbreak of swine flu. They, too, were traveling to St. John and even staying at our hotel. With luck, we'll run into them in the next few days.

When we arrived, I found the weather was nice and comfortable. Low 80s, a little humidity - nice! The forecast had lots of rain, but it didn't seem to be an issue. Folks say that the rain will come and go in passing showers.

We had reservations at the Secret Harbour in St. Thomas. The taxi ride took us up, down and around the steep, wind roads and hills. Ramona was surprised at how hilly the island was. Checking into our hotel, however, I found that our reservation had been canceled. After some exchanges between the travel agency and the hotel, they got everything worked out.

We'd been told that Carnival was coming to an end this weekend. The influx of extra people would make resources like taxis and can rentals sparse, and dinners expensive. We'll see how much that would affect us.

Mike, Laura and their mothers had already arrived in St. Thomas and wanted to meet up with us for dinner. We caught a taxi to downtown Amalie and walked around the village that had been set up for Carnival. We'd arrived during the afternoon break - most of the people were gone, and there were just a few vendors open. We picked up a fried fish (with great, local hotsauce!) and had a quick snack.

Our taxi driver recommended Cuzzin's, a local restaurant and bar. We meandered through the side streets and shops to find it. The bartender was friendly, and gave us lots of nice tips. He was also nice enough to give Mike driving directions, too!

Mike and Laura met up with their friends Angela & Dave, David and Jen, who had also flown out for the wedding. Mike rounded everyone up in their rental car and drove over to Cuzzin's to meet us. The Moms were safely back at the hotel, decompressing from the flight and the day's activities.

Dinner was filled with great food and conversation. I tried friend conch for the first time and loved it! I'm really starting to like Carribean fare...

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to charge up the batteries for tomorrow!

Off on another adventure!

When Laura and Mike told us about their wedding plans, we jumped at the chance to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ramona had been to the Carribean before, but I had never been further south than the Florida Keys. Yup - time for us to go on another adventure!

The wedding will be held on the island of St. John, essentially a giant U.S. National Park, on Saturday. We opted to fly down on Thursday, then stay into the next week. After booking hotel accommodations and flights, there was nothing left to do but go!

Pause for Station Break

Hi folks -

I fell behind on the blog while we were in India. Sorry to leave you hanging before the Taj Mahal entry - things are a little hectic at work today, so I'll try and get caught up over the next few evenings. My goal is to have all the entries (and pictures!) entered by Wednesday evening. This weekend, I'll upload some video we shot from our cameras as well.

Thanks!

Out and about

For the last few days, we were up and running by 9AM, so sleeping in until 11:30AM was quite a treat! After a wonderful, hot shower and black coffee, we were ready to go!

Our host turned out to be super-resourceful. At the drop of a hat, he was able to book tours of the places we wanted to visit and got a driver arranged. The car was there by 1:30PM, so off we went.

We got the same driver who picked us up from the airport and began to get around the town. Food was the first order of business, so he dropped us off at the Friends Colony Community Center for lunch. It was an open-air mall of shops, packed with convenience stores, fast food restaurants, shops and more. As we walked along, we noticed many stores had security guards at the doors. They would open the door for you as you approached and great you with a smile or say "nameste" as you enter. The stores with guards seemed to be the cleanest and most likely to cater to westerners. As you can guess, the cost of labor is lower in India than in the US - a guard is a much cheaper way to cut down on theft and keep beggers out.

We stopped at a McDonald's for some fries - it tasted like home! After nearly a week of spicy, exotic Indian foods, my stomach was in dire need of something a little simpler. Since it was next door, we went to Pizza Hut to grab a bit of pizza as well. After connecting with our driver, we were on our way again.


Our first stop - Humayun's tomb. This was built in 1572AD, well before the Taj Mahal, as a mausoleum for Emporer Humayun. The site shares many similarities with the construction we would see at the Taj Mahal the next day. As we wandered about, we met the first of many westerners touring India - Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, a professor at the University of Kansas. Whacky how us academicians seem to find each out, halfway around the world, eh? He gave us several tips on getting to see a few more of the sites around town. It was nice to converse a bit as walked around the grounds.

Next up, we headed to the Indian Crafts Museum, near the Delhi Expo Center. The open-air museum hosted stalls of vendors, displaying artwork and handmake crafts. We wandered around a bit, taking in the various work. Of course, it was hard to leave without a few souvenirs, so Ramona negotiated some great bargains!


After the Crafts Museum, we were on our way again. We drove past the Rajghat, the site of Ghandi's cremation, now a national landmark. Our next stop was the Jami Masjid, one of the largest mosques in all of India. Unforunately, we arrived at sundown, so only parishioners could enter (guests can visit before sundown). Even from the entrance, you could see the beautiful domes and spires. It wasn't until Ramona showed me the description in our tour book that I could even appreciate the scale.


Right next to the mosque was Chandni Chowk, a bustling market, once known as the 'silvery moonlit square'. Two upcoming Bollywood movies feature this area prominently, so we were fortunate to see it while we were here. Our driver hailed a bike rickshaw driver to drive us through the market. The skinny lad spoke the right English words, so we were off on our way. We worked our way through the Kinari Bazaar, with its many stalls brimming with beads and garlands. Many of the wedding adornments we saw the bridal party wearing in Ahmedabad. After a turn, we passed perhaps hundreds of stalls on 'Sari Street' with wholesalers selling every type of cloth you can imagine. I'll bet that a skilled planner could get all of the necessary decorations for wedding here. We also passed the spice market, with its array of spicy goods. Not exactly what my stomach was craving! At the end of the bazaar, we passed the Digambar Jain, the oldest Jain temple in Delhi.


The rickshaw driver dropped us off at the Red Fort, constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 AD. At one time, thousands of army soldiers lived within the walls. For us, it was another piece of well-preserved history. In the pavilion, the Red Fort hosts a sound-and-light show, highlighting key elements in the Indian fight from independence of British colonial rule.


After a busy day of sightseeing, we were happy to get back to rest. Our host greeted us at the door. He informed us we needed to be ready to go by 5:15AM. We needed to meet our driver promptly, to make our way to the Delhi train station. Why so early? To catch our 6:30AM train to Agra, site of the Taj Mahal! We were eager to see one of the wonders of the ancient world, so after a quick shower, it was time for bed.

Delhi Bed and Breakfast

We arrived at the Delhi Airport late in the evening. I was surprised to find the airport still crowded with passengers and travelers, but I'm getting used to that. "It's a different part of the world, I have to remind myself!" After fetching our luggage, we stepped out and met the first of many wonderful drivers. Actually, that's not entirely true - the drivers we had in Ahmedabad were very good at quickly and safely getting around in the chaotic streets.

Our driver, Shamphu, worked his way through the crowded streets (starting to see a theme here?) and told a bit about life here. Near the airport, you could see construction projects on many major roads. I wonder what all that is for?

The Delhi Bed and Breakfast, our homestead for the next few days, wasn't too far from the airport. It was in a nice, quiet neighborhood set back from the hectic Delhi streets. We were greeted by our host (who unfortunately lugged my suitcase up two flights of stairs - sorry!). Breakfast was set for 8:30AM, but after our travels of the last few days, I didn't expect we'd make that.

Seeing the sights in Ahmedabad

With a good lunch in us, we were off for a quick sightseeing tour. First up was the Akshardham temple complex on the edge of Ahmedabad. Unfortunately, we found it was closed when we got there. Bummer - it was supposed to be a pretty neat temple.

From there, we traveled to the Ghandi Ashram, a museum at the site of one the homes Gandhi lived and worked in. The museum was full of pictures and memorabilia of Gandhi's life, his work and his message of peace. It was an uplifting experience, to say the least.



Our driver took us past many ornate buildings belonging to the local government and the high court as we made our way to the airport. Later, I learned that quite a few of them dated back to British colonial times when they were originally constructed. After a short, uneventful flight, we were now in Delhi!

Farewells

With the fun of the wedding ceremonies and behind us, we moved to a more somber note in the wedding. Now that Pranav and Smita are wed, she will be moving in to his home. For the bride's family, this marks a change in her status, as she "leaves" her family's home to join another. The occasion is a mixture of happiness and sadness.


At the beginning of the wedding process, Pranav brought a coconut with him - a traditional offering at the start of the marriage rites. Now, this same coconut is placed beneath the wheel of the car that carried them away. Breaking the coconut is a wish for good times for the couple ahead.

We ride along with Pranav's younger brothers to their home, where the ceremony rites will conclude. We arrive at a tall, high-rise complex near Law Garden, a large public park. Inside, we learn that Pranav, his brothers, parents, grandparents and great-grandmother live under the same roof in the multi-story condo. Given that the cost of land is so high in India, it's very common for many generations to share a home.


As we lunched and mingled, we learned about the couple's plans for the near future. Pranav was taking time from work for a month-long vacation for the newlywed's honeymoon in New Zealand - wow! As this will be Smita's first time out of the country, I'm sure it will be an exciting experience for her.



In a short while, it was time for us to share our goodbyes. With several hours left before our flight back to Delhi, we had time for more sightseeing in Ahmedabad.

The Wedding!

Wow - it sure was easy to get behind on the blog! Each day has been full of traveling and adventures; each evening has been full of fun!


The day of the wedding turned out to be a pretty busy day. We, had another buffet-style brunch - more high-quality Indian food. The menus continue to have a variety of dishes. However, I'm starting to miss being able to eat a salad or non-fried vegetables.


During the brunch, there was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Pranav's grandparents. There was plenty of cake to go around, so everyone was invited to have a piece. Immediately following, the younger folks began to separate, to get ready for the wedding. Ramona had a dress to pick up at the mall; I had received a nice, ethnic shirt and pants to wear for the occasion. It took a little work to get every thing arranged in the proper order. I was pretty impressed at how comfortable the whole outfit was. I'll have to save it for another Indian wedding someday...

Before things got underway, we paused for a few pre-wedding photos.


Before the wedding ceremony, we participate in what's known as a bharat. In ages past, the groom's friends and well-wishers would proceed the groom on his white horse, as he walked through the village from his home to the bride's house. All the way, his entourage would dance and sing in his path, trying to slow the groom down. With more time to think, he might decide not to get married at all, avoiding all of the headaches of wedded life.

As we prepared to walk along in the bharat, that's when I got my biggest surprise of the trip: the groom's friends all get turbans! Yup - I got to wear a turban for the event. Ramona snapped a great picture of me and another friend, Devansh, in our turbans. Later, I will upload video with all of the guys in our turbans.


The groom was preceded by a marching band, a troupe of drummers, and a throngs of wedding guests. We all paraded back and forth in front of him, dancing in his path. This gave everything a wonderful, carnival atmosphere, as we occassionally stopped for pictures, songs, and so on. Our celebrating delayed the procession for nearly an hour; not bad, all-in-all. Fornatunately for Smita, our delays couldn't change Pranav's determination.

When we finally got to Smita's home, it was marvelously decorated. Flowers everywhere left a wonderful scent in the air. Guests were treated to a wide array of Indian and international dishes, to the first night of the wedding. As usual, we grouped up with the younger crowd. Our table was overflowing with good food and even better conversation !

While we ate, Pranav and Smita performed the marriage rites with a priest in a small shrine. Their families gathered nearby and looked on as the formalities proceeded. Once things finished, the newlyweds moved to the head of a receiving line, not unlike a western wedding. As groups of extended families or friends greated the newlyweds, professional photographers would snap group photos. As Pranav and Smita had an army of photographers (and videographers), the wedding events were well-recorded. I can't wait to see how their pictures turn out!

Thanks to a day of dancing in the streets, Ramona and I were pretty worn out very early in the evening. Since the newlyweds would have to close the place out to receieve the hundres of guests, we took our leave. Our drivers took the wedding party back to the hotel, to prepare for another early morning of wedding events.

Ahmedabad - Day Two

The morning schedule was just as packed as the previous day. Per custom, the groom's family has a function called a mayara to recognize many family members. The bride's family has a similar function to recognize family members on their side as well. As with the previous functions, there was live music - this time in the form of more traditional Indian instruments and a female singer. As each family member was introduced by the mother and father of the groom, there was a song sung in their honor. The event concluded with a lunch buffet, similar to the night before. I was detecting a pattern - buffets and music - developing here...

After lunch, we stopped by another mall for a second attempt at shopping. I found a couple of ethnic shirts - Ramona scored a pretty dress, shoes and a just-slightly-too-small clutch. Even though today is the 14th (Valentine's Day), I didn't get a chance to get her any of these for Valentine's Day. Ah well - next year!

The evening's event was another auspicious dinner, this time, held at a country house owned by the groom's family. The festive decorations were right out of Monsoon Wedding (if you rent the movie, you'll know exactly what we're talking about). We walked around, taking in the live entertainment that had been hired for the event. There were all sorts of artists, reminding us of a carnival atmosphere. There was a portrait artist, entertaining the children with pictures. There was a slight-of-hand magician, amazing us with his disappearing change. A puppet show, pottery wheel and dancing troupe rounded out the mix. I couldn't believe there was enough to keep so many people occupied.

Late in the evening, various members of both sides of the family put on a series of dances and skits. It seems to be very popular to perform dance numbers from famous Bollywood films, so several couples took the stage. Two of the girls from our party - Amanda and Manisha - also performed a dance (job well done!).

We were a little too worn out for dinner, so we snacked a bit and returned to our hotel. Tomorrow brings the actually wedding ceremony!

Ahh, yes, Ahmedabad

Okay - we're definitely in another corner of the globe. After claiming our luggage, we were met by our driver just outside the terminal. He worked for the travel agency the family was using to help coordinate things. We found out they had hired several cars for the weekend, to get the guests to and from all the destinations. He was a nice guy and told us a few things about the city and the weather on the drive.

The first thing you notice about the roads in India - there's no traffic control. In our whole time here, we've seen only one stop light and it was flashing yellow. The bus we took simply muscled it's way around - how would a sedan fare? The best analogy I can thing of is getting a drink in a busy pub. Imagine having to slowly, methodically work your way to the bartender, all the while trying not to bump other patrons. Yup. That's what it's like on the streets. There were few, if any, fender-benders that I could see. However, traffic wasn't moving quickly at intersections, with a few bursts of speed on the straight segments. Just like our bus driver earlier, our chauffeur knew how to negotiate this chaos, and made it look like he'd been doing it for 20 years.

After I got used to watching us careen in-and-out between other cars, I noticed that not only were there cars and bicycles the road, we also shared lanes with mopeds, motorbikes, pedestrians and the occasional cow. Yes, cow. I believe the ones with horns are called bulls.

At the hotel, we got ourselves checked in and met up with several of Pranav's friends. Some of them were his friends from Georgia Tech; others were friends from work. All-in-all, we met folks from every segment of his life. Ramona spoke very highly of him - his friends were equally nice.

After exchanging pleasantries, we headed to our first event - the mehendi party. If they wish, the women basically get henna tattoos on their hands and/or feet. The men mostly hang around and chat. The event was catered with a variety of snacks and appetizers; little did we know this was soon to become the standard for things to come! I got to know a little more about Pranav's friends (who I now call our 'handlers'), their backgrounds and so on. Once her henna was applied, Ramona had a little bit of difficulty keeping it on. She had a natural tendency to rub it a bit. It turned out pretty nicely - you'd be amazed at the intricate details in the loops and whorls.

We had a few hours before the evening's dinner party, so our handlers took us to a nearby mall. We poked around, looking for clothing and what not - I scored a few shirts, but Ramona didn't fare as well. Hopefully, we'll have better luck before we leave Ahmenabad. After we changed at the hotel, we were off to dinner.

The dinner party was an incredible event! It was held in the backyard at Smita's parent's home. We told more than 500 guests had been invited. We never knew how many showed up, but it was not crowded and more than comfortable. Besides, they would have just taken out the lighting rigs, speakers and performance stage. There was a live music act, a dancing pop singer with contemporary, upbeat, danceable pop music.

The dinner was a buffet-style dinner. There were more than a dozen tables and an army of people serving dinner. Early on, we were assigned a server (he's standing behind Ramona in the picture to the right). As we walked past each table of food, he would fetch a plate, take food hot from the grill, and supply us with silverware. I have a picture of the menu to post later - it was unreal! It took me almost an hour to realize I was only eating vegatarian dishes. I'm not even going to attempt and butcher the names of the good stuff we ate. There was a barbequed tofu dish that I couldn't get enough of. We spent the evening gorging ourselves on ever manner of tasty dish. As the evening wound down, we piled back into the car and were driven back to the hotel. The schedule of the next day was equally full, so we had to turn in as soon as we could manage.