Taj Mahal

Speaking of the Taj Mahal Hotel, I wanted to share the lunch buffet I had at the Taj Mahal palace, which is a mixture of Western and Indian foods. The price and presentation are significantly different than the other meals I have had on the trip.  It was nice to have a little indulgence...

Bollywood Rocks!

Feeling like a Bollywood movie tonight? Check out Chillar Party, a family film about A gang of innocent but feisty kids who lead carefree lives in Chandan Nagar colony. They take on the big bad world of politics when one of their friend's life is endangered. Reminds a little bit of the Sandlot. Check it out!

I found this wonderful perfume shop right next to the Taj Mahal palace. The perfumes here are made with real flowers by perfumers whose families have been in the perfume business for generations. It's a hole in the wall shop that can easily be missed if you don't look hard. Its about the size of a closet, but it's a charming place with lots of character. I made friends with the owner of the shop. We started talking about Indian culture and the observations foreigners point out. One of those observations (which I also pointed out) is that in India, friends hold hands with each other. Holding hands is not seen as romantic, but rather a display of close friendship. The shop owner told me how funny it was to him that almost all of the foreigners he engages with tell him this.

Another interesting conversation I had with him was about the terrorist attacks in 2008. I asked if he was at the shop when the incident happened. He told me that he was at home and heard about the attacks on the news. Everyone in the city was advised to stay home. He mentioned this was hard for many business owners especially those who owned shops in the tourist area (by the Taj). People didn't go to work for about a week. 

Connecting to the modern world

I can see why Kim has chosen to come to live in India. The economy is growing and because of this there is a lot of opportunity here. I've heard from several people that many are optimistic about the future, a feeling that seems to be missing these days in the US. As proof of the optimism, there are around 700 NGO's created in India everyday. Today, I visited an elementary school located in a Central Mumbai slum called Reay Road. 

Stefano, a client from Kim's work, showed us around the slum. Stefano works for an NGO called Corp, whose mission is to teach children basic computing skills. He teaches them in English, which most do not understand in the beginning, but eventually will pick up. I found out today that English is becoming a more common way to communicate in India and many of the poor do not complete enough school to learn basic English. These two skills that Stefano teaches, computing and English, gives these kids a chance to connect to the modern world.

Ink Fruit

Interested in Indian designed and screen printed t-shirts? Ink Fruit is the indian version of threadless.

Laughter yoga

One of the best experiences I have had so far is participating in Laughter yoga. If this entices you, you might want to check if there is a laughter club near you. At 6:00 this morning, Kim and I met the laughter group across from the local park. Most of the group consists of Indian senior citizens.

When we started it was still dark outside. We did a lot of basic stretches for a good portion of the time. It wasn't until it became light that the group incorporated laughing into the exercises. However, when we laughed we had to do it silently. I guess the laughter club used to laugh quite loudly until the neighbors complained too much. Now they just laugh to themselves, but I guess it still does the job. At the end, Kim and I were pulled into the middle (because we were newcomers) and were given the “gift of laughter”, which meant getting high tens from the crowd. Following the ceremony, tea and biscuits were served. It was a nice way to start out the morning.

Shopping

I spent the day shopping today. This is probably one of my favorite things to do in another country. Most of the stuff you can buy in the street you can probably buy back home, Indian jewelry, purses, sandals, figurines, etc. The only difference is the price, here it is cheaper. Finding something unique can be more difficult if you don't know where to go. Before I left, I looked up Design Sponges city guide to Mumbai. I like to look at their guides before traveling to another city. I recommend it to anyone traveling and who appreciates design.

If you ever get a chance to travel to Mumbai I recommend these places to check out. They are all in the same area, right near the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba, Mumbai.

Bungalow Eight -
One of the fanciest looking of these three, they carry Indian designer clothing, accessories, jewelry, and house goods. The interior space alone is inspirational, makes for a fun shopping experience. This store is located on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors of this building.

Good Earth -
This place carries fun linens, stationary, baby products, and housegoods. A lot of these products looked western (compared to the products on the street), but with an indian flare.

Bombay Electric -

Out of these three stores this one is the most "hip". They carry mostly clothing and accessories. I bought a beautiful pair of earrings here. Most of the items in the store are designed by Indian designers.

Getting around

It's hard to navigate the city because none of the streets have names except for the main streets. If you look on google maps supposedly these streets have names, but no one knows what they are. So how do people get around? everyone uses landmarks to navigate. You have to have a good sense of what is nearby in order to give someone directions. I've mostly been using rickshaws and Taxis to get from place to place. When I hop in one I tell the driver the name of the place I am going to (if it is well known) or I tell them a landmark nearby. How I get home is I tell the driver the part of the city I live in and when I get close I tell them the name of a local cafe. From there, I walk home, which is about a half mile away.

Drivers don't speak very much english so it can be hard to communicate with them sometimes. However, they know the basics for giving directions, which can make it easier if you know where you are going. I've been traveling from Kim's apartment in the northern suburbs to the tourist area (where most of the action is) in south Mumbai. It can take about 40 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. The whole trip usually costs about 4 dollars. Most of the time they over charge, but I've taken the trip so many times I know how much it costs now and can catch them trying to get more money from me. 

Products to travel with

This usb camera is perfect for traveling. Matt, got this for me for my birthday. It is really tiny, which makes for a great travel item. It's also discrete so you can take lots of candid photos. This is helpful when you don't want people to see you are taking photos. Even if you aren't taking photos of people, a camera seems to cause a lot of attention. It takes a mini SD card so you can store tons of photos and even other digital files. Another cool feature, when I am feeling playful, I can wear it as a necklace.

Plug adapters are not the most exciting items to purchase for a trip. There are so many interesting products for traveling, but most adapters are so boring. However, I did discover one that is design worthy. I found it at flight 001 in Chicago. It comes in several different colors, which helps make this utilitarian object more exciting. It also combines the UK, US, Europe, and Australia plug adapters together, handy for traveling to more than one place.

Markets are everywhere

There are tons of markets to go to here. I have been to 4 or 5 already. Half of them I stumbled upon. The Crawford Market (one of the more famous ones) has a ton of imported candy and snacks, teas, spices, and pets (sadly cooped up in cages). I didn't find anything to purchase, but it was neat to see and many people have recommended it here.

My favorite market that I have been to is the Chor Bazaar. Chor means thief in Hindi. Most of the items you find here are stolen. You can find tools, car parts, antiques, and a variety of other goods.

I found this antique marble soda bottle here.  I am sure the seller picked found it in the garbage so I didn't feel as bad purchasing it from him. I used to collect these bottles several years ago and was excited to discover this.

Winter in Mumbai

Mumbai's weather is so beautiful right now. It is usually 75-80 degrees outside with a nice cool breeze. Just like Chicago, when the weather is nice everyone is out enjoying it. Although in Mumbai the beautiful weather is in the Winter and in Chicago the beautiful weather is in the Summer.  Check out the photo from the day I left Chicago compared to the photo of my first day here in Mumbai, both places are experiencing winter.

Yoga

I went to my first yoga class in India. Kim and I went to a place called The Yoga House. This place is part yoga studio, part cafe. It's expensive compared to more traditional yoga places so there are more foreigners here than Indians. The class was a lot of fun. It was very similar to most of the yoga classes I have taken in the US except the teacher was more involved. She knew how to correct our poses better than any other teacher I've had in the US. I am really glad to have gone today. Traveling has been a little stressful and it was nice to clear my head.

My first day here I ate at the cafe. Their menu has a lot of healthy food including fresh squeezed juices. I had a pomegranate, rose water, and watermelon juice. Very refreshing! It's a nice place to go if you need to slow down.

I made it to Mumbai!

It was a rough adventure getting here. Almost missed my connecting flight, lost my luggage, and couldn't find my friend Kim who was meeting me at the airport. Kim had been back and forth from the international airport and the domestic airport trying to find me. A kind stranger let me use her phone to get a hold of Kim and we were able to figure things out after 3 hours of not knowing where the other one was. But I am here...

We took a rickshaw from the airport to Kim's apartment. The weather was really nice and made for a good first impression of the city. The photo above is the vegetable vendor that is in front of Kim's building where I am staying (her apartment is down the path to the right). Kim gets some vegetables here and some vegetables from a vendor down the street. A bigger grocery store is only a few steps away. Everything is very convenient. You don't have to go far to get the essentials. I like that.

So far, I am really enjoying Mumbai. It's a beautiful, vibrant city with the friendliest people. Can't wait to see more!

I'll be posting more soon!

Onward to Asia and Africa

As most of you know, I will be spending the next 7 months abroad. I will be seeing 4 countries, India, China, Zambia, and Kenya, which are places I have dreamed about visiting for so long! As my first post, I thought I would share a brief itinerary so you know why I am doing what I am doing.

Mumbai, India 01/14/12 – 01/29/12

For 2 weeks I will be visiting my friend Kim and doing research for Elephant Water, the water filtration project I am working on. I will be taking lots of photos and making lots of observations, traveling to rural areas, interviewing people, and meeting with non-profits. I also might have an opportunity to stay at a non-profit who takes in trafficked women and helps them develop skills to sustain themselves. These 2 weeks will be jam packed and hectic, but I am ready for it!

Tourism-wise, I am most looking forward to taking a yoga class, visiting a market, seeing or maybe even riding an elephant (my favorite animal), and visiting the Gandhi museum.

Shanghai, China 01/29/12 – end of June

After Mumbai, I'll be heading straight to Shanghai where I start an internship doing design research/design strategy. I'll be working for a company called CBi. They are the only Chinese based design research/strategy firm in China. I am most looking forward to learning how they conduct their research since Chinese culture is so different than American culture. I don't have a place to live yet and hopefully I'll find one soon. It's one of the last things I need to do.

Zambia and Kenya end of June – end of July

At the end of my internship, I will be leaving Shanghai to visit my family in Africa. My Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Dana moved to Zambia many years ago to serve as missionaries. We see them every 3-4 years and I've always enjoyed hearing about what their lives are like in Africa. This year, my youngest Cousin, Josh, will be graduating from high school in Kenya and my Dad and I plan to spend time with our family seeing where they have lived most of my life. We will spend the first part of the trip in Zambia (where my Aunt and Uncle are from) and then head straight to Kenya to see Josh's graduation. Afterwards we will all stay by the coast and just hang out.

I look forward to all of the adventures. I am sure there will be bumps along the road, but there will be good stories to share. I would love to hear what others will be up to. Email me when you have a chance:

erica.michie@gmail.com