2010 - A Year of Travels

2010 was certainly my best year yet when it comes to international travels. Thanks to some great work opportunities and also some careful planning, I was able to visit 11 countries in 2010 (8 of them for the first time). And Ani traveled to 9 countries (8 for the first time). Not too shabby for either of us!


Here's a brief recap of our 2010 travels:

1. and 2. Singapore and Bali

We started the year in Singapore and Bali and absolutely loved both. We loved Singapore largely for the food and we often talk about going back for a long weekend. If all goes as planned, we will make a return in 2011 where most of our meals are already decided - chili crab at Jumbo Seafood, chicken rice at Tian Tian Hianese Chicken Rice and dim sum at Din Tai Fung. My mouth is water just typing this...

Enjoying a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel

(See previous posts on Eating Our Way through Singapore and Exploring the Streets of Singapore).

We also had a lovely week in Bali, where we celebrated both my birthday and New Year's. This vacation was a great combination of relaxation, adventure and culture. We enjoyed the beach and pool at our resort in Nusa Dua, cycled through rice fields in Ubud, and enjoyed kecak dance shows and Indonesian cooking classes where I learned some of my now-favorite dishes. We also had some amazing meals in Bali, with the most spectacular being at Mozaic on my birthday.

A kecak dance performance at Uluwatu Temple

(See previous post on Nusa Dua and Southern Bali and Ubud and Central Bali).

3. and 4. Hong Kong and Macau

We hit Hong Kong and Macau in February 2010. I made it into a stopover on my way back from Sydney (where I was fortunate to go for training and where I was even more fortunate to return to later in the year, so more on Australia later). Ani flew from Delhi and met me there for a long weekend. Thanks to my everlasting supply of Marriott points, we had a lovely weekend stay at the JW over the Chinese New Year. This proved to be both a blessing and a curse. It was great to see the city lit up with festive decorations, but it also meant that many shops and restaurants were closed for the holiday. On top of that, the weather was pretty yucky, so our views from the top of Victoria Peak were extremely limited due to the massive fog.

A lion dance performance for Chinese New Year

We also took a high-speed boat over to Macau for a night. Honestly, I found it to be a strange juxaposition of wealth and poverty - a lot like India, but in a more compact space. We did venture over to the Venetian Hotel, which was just like the one in Vegas, but bigger of full of Chinese gamblers there for the holiday. We also had a really nice Portugeuese-Macanese meal at La Lorcha that was the highlight of our 24 hours there.

(See previous post on Hong Kong and Macau).

5. Australia

I spent 6 weeks in Australia for work in May-June 2010 and Ani was able to travel there towards the end of my stay for a visit. I spent the majority of my time in Sydney, but also traveled to Melbourne on a few occasions and Ani was able to see both during his 10-day visit. In addition, we spent an incredible weekend in Queensland where we snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef and visited the wet tropics near Cairns and had a lovely day-trip to the Blue Mountains, which are just outside Sydney.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge and in the Blue Mountains

I also got to spend time with my friend Yomi from the US and her awesome Australian husband, Dave. For those of you who haven't heard their story, Yomi and I have followed similar paths over the past few years. We both traveled to faraway countries for work project, only to find and fall in love with our now-husbands. And today we now live in Delhi and Sydney, respectively.

(See previous posts on my first visit to Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and The Blue Mountains).
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6. Switzerland
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Not wanting to travel all the way to Europe and not visit a *new* country, I added in a weekend in Switerland before our longer visit to Italy. We started in Zurich where we happened to arrive during Zuri Fascht, a street festival throughout the city. This was a great way to explore the streets, the food and the people all in one go. We spent the following day on an amazing day-trip that took us up Mt. Rigi by train, down to the village of Weggis (which we LOVED) by cable car, and then over to Lucerne by ferry. We rounded out the day with another train ride back to Zurich for our final night in Swizterland.

From the top of Mt. Rigi and Hanging out in Lucerne

(See previous post on Our Swiss Holiday).

7. Italy

We spent nearly two weeks in Italy, which was our longest vacation ever. We started with a few days in Lake Como, which is trily as beautiful and relaxing as everyone says, and where we discovered our favorite pizza. This was followed by a few days in Cinque Terre, where we hiked most of the paths connecting the villages. Next was the highlight of the trip, several days in Chianti for Drew and Simona's beautiful wedding. All of this was capped off with a few final days in Florence and a day trip to Pisa and Lucca.

Our favorite pizza and at Drew and Simona's wedding

(See previous posts on Lake Como, Cinque Terre and Drew and Simona's amazing wedding).

8. US

In September, Ani and I both headed back to the US for what has become our annual trip. I started about a week before him and arrived in time to participate in the HL Reunion and Baby Shower Palooza at Brooke's house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. There, we celebrated the now recent arrivals of Baby Horak, Baby Oates and Baby Henneman Kastellec.

The following weekend was for the annual trek to Mike's house in Maine for relaxation, lobster and a little outlet shopping. And finally, we headed up to Saratoga Springs, NY for Joey and Jarret's weddingh. Somewhere between all of our weekend travels, we managed to squeeze in some quality time at home with the family.

The gang in Maine and Mike, Ani and I at Joey and Jarret's wedding

9. and 10. UK and Sweden

On my way back from the US, I met up with my bossess for a few days of meetings. I ended up being in London for barely 24 hours, but fortunately I had a bit longer in Stockholm. Our first day of meetings there was literally at the airport conference centert, so we stayed in a nearby hotel and didn't get to see much of the city aside from a brief trip in that night for dinner. The following day, we worked from the Stockholm office and after my bosses left for their flight back to Delhi (via London), I headed to the Old Town to explore for a few hours. I needed to fly back through Paris and could only take an early morning flight in order to connect to the once daily Paris-Delhi flight, which gave me a bit of time to see and enjoy Stockholm.

Old Town Stockholm

11. Sri Lanka

We spent the long Christmas weekend in Sri Lanka for our final trip of the year and our final international trip sans child. We figured that being only a 3 1/2 hour flight from Delhi, a holiday weekend in Sri Lanka was comparable to one in Goa, but probably a bit more peaceful. All in all, it was a nice, relaxing weekend, but we could have done with less road travel. We spent the middle two nights on the south of the island. While it was a mere 200 km (125 mi) from Colombo, travel time on the two-lane road takes about 6 hours.

View from the hotel lobby

So, that's a wrap of our 2010 travels. Again, 2011 will certainly be quieter, but hopefully we'll get in one or two international trips to satisfy our hunger!

Congratulations Drew and Simona!

The reason for our trip to Italy this summer was to witness the nuptials of Drew and Simona and enjoy a fun-filled wedding weekend with their friends and family from around the world.

The fairytale wedding was held on July 11th at Villa Mocale in Montefiridolfi, Chianti and the settling could not have been more beautiful.

But Simona and Drew didn't plan just a day of festivities, but a whole weekend of activities with their family and friends from around the world - literally. Our table at the reception was representative of the diversity of their friends. There were 8 people at our table, composing 4 couples, and all 8 people were from different countries: France, Spain, Italy, Greece, UK, Serbia, India and the US.

Our hotel was absolutely beautiful. with awe-inspiring views of vineyards from the pool! When we weren't relaxing there, we spent an afternoon in Greve in Chianti, followed by a lovely lunch at Ristoro di Lamole and a pre-wedding dinner at Ristoro l'Antica Scuderia. We also managed to squeeze in an afternoon trip to Florence where we met up with Armen and Nyree, who were also staying nearby for a friend's wedding!

All in all, the wedding in Chianti was amazing. Thanks Simona and Drew for allowing us to be part of your celebration!

Back in India

We returned to Delhi last Tuesday and I returned with a cold. A nasty cold and a chest infection. I still haven't fully recovered, but I'm feeling much better.

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And fortunately, I recovered enough to spend some time with my cousin Randy who was in town. As you may have heard me say before, Randy has the best job ever. Ever. He works for Sports Illustrated and originally worked on their website. But a few years ago he stumbled upon the opportunity to be the "On Location" photographer for the swimsuit edition. So now, he travels with the team as the shoot each year's swimsuit edition.

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And that's only half of it - he also gets to travel to amazing locations around the world where they receive star treatment. This year he's been to the Maldives, Portugal and India. And he has another international trip coming in a few weeks, but I can't tell you where. Oh yeah, and he gets to hang out with the models.

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In any case, after spending 2 weeks at Amanbagh Resort in Rajasthan, Randy added on a few extra days to his trip so he could visit Ani and me in Delhi. On Friday, I was a pretty worthless tour guide and hobbled my way through a visit to Humayun's Tomb and Khan Market. And on Saturday, I bailed on a trip to the Taj because I didn't think my body could take 8+ hours in a car. So Randy had to venture off on his own, but fortunately he was in the good company of Raju, our driver.

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But I think on Sunday, I was back in action as a hostess. First, we ventured to Connaught Place where we hopped on the metro and headed to Old Delhi. The metro was incredibly crowded for a Sunday afternoon, but it still proved to be the most efficient way to reach Old Delhi. Once there, we took cycle rickshaws through several markets to reach Jama Masjid. And of course, we ate at Karim's, a requirement for any trip to Old Delhi.

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We continued on through a bunch of other markets: the firework market, the motor markets, the silver and jewelry market, the spice market, the pan market, and of course the paper market. And like all good trips to Old Delhi, we stopped for dahi bhalla and ended in Haldiram's to buy sweets.

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On our way back home, we intended to make a brief stop at Ani's house. This turned into a much longer, but incredibly enjoyable visit where Randy got to meet most of Ani's family and enjoy the hospitality of an Indian home. Randy also took about a million photographs of the kids and the rest of the family.

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Later that evening, we said goodbye to Randy and dropped him (and all of his equipment) off at the airport. Now, we're patiently waiting for the next visitor (Brooke in late November), so we can continue to show our friends the wonders of India.

Laura's Trip to India

I'm a little late to report this, but Laura finally came to India. Her trip was short, but action-packed. Here's a brief recap.

12 hours after her arrival, we were back at the airport for a flight to Kerala. We spent a day in Cochin (and stayed at probably my favorite hotel ever, the Old Harbour Hotel), before heading to Varkala. The next day were spent at the cliff-side beach and we didn't let the rain get in our way. The timing couldn't have been better...upon heading to the beach on our first day, I exclaimed: I can't believe you are in India! And then right there in front of us was an elephant! Oh, India.

After coming back to Delhi, I set Laura off on her own for the day, while I worked. After exploring Khan Market for a few hours, Laura and Ani headed to Janpath for coffee and then drinks to the Imperial Hotel. I met them there after work and then we went to Ani's house so she could meet everyone.

Friday afternoon we ventured to Old Delhi to see the sights from our rickshaw and to partake in a meat-filled lunch at Karim's. Next, Laura and I headed out for some shopping and hit all 3 Fabindia stores in GK Market! Our next stop was another favorite: Smokehouse Grill. After enjoying a nice dinner, we headed downstairs to meet up with some friends, drink and dance. We didn't let our early wake-up time on Saturday morning get in the way of a fun night.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early for our day trip to Agra. We left at 7am and were joined by Ani, his brother, Bhupinder, his sister, Rajni, her husband, KK, and their daughter, Sheren. 5 hours later we arrived at the Taj Mahal (my 4th and hopefully final trip!).

To see Laura off on Sunday, we had a super yummy brunch at Tonino's, an Italian restaurant. The three of us were joined by Kamlesh and Rajesh, Ani's sister and brother-in-law. With stuffed bellies, we were to Dilli Haat for a final round of shopping. Even though I already own more scarves than one could possibly need, I HAD to buy more! Laura picked up a few gifts - including a few for herself, before we headed home to pack. That evening, we had a quick dinner at Ani's house and made our way to the airport for our farewell.

Only 8 days in India, but Laura is already planning her next trip in 2009. That's a good sign.

Me, Sarkozy and the Taj Mahal

My cousin Lewis made a brief visit to Delhi on Friday and Saturday after spending a few days in Bangalore for work. The French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, threaten to ruin our plans since his visit to India (without Carla Bruni) coincided with Lewis's visit. But we managed to not let him get in our way.

On Friday evening, we ventured to Old Delhi, giving Lewis the chance to take in the “real” India. After picking up wedding invitations, we took a cycle rickshaw to the main street, Chandni Chowk. There were eat street food, dahi bhalla and tikki, before going to Haldiram’s to load up on (and taste) Indian sweets. ccccCCCCCCCccOn a cycle rickshaw in Old Delhi

Stocking up before the dry day!

Haldiram's Sweet Shop

Enjoying Street Food

Later on, we went to our favorite restaurant in town, Smokehouse Grill. We managed to get there just in time to enjoy one drink with dinner – restaurants and bars stopped serving alcohol at 11:30pm because the following day was a dry day due to the Republic Day holiday.

On Saturday, Lewis and I battled road closures, awful roads and even the French president, but we prevailed and managed to see the Taj Mahal, if only briefly. We planned to leave Delhi at 6am, but our driver claimed he couldn’t make it through town because many roads were blocked for the Republic Day parade through the center of town. Of course, roads were still open, but you had to go around the action.

Ani spent the next hour or two on the phone trying to locate another cab for us. Fortunately for us, he was successful and we finally left the apartment around 8:30am. Unfortunately for us, this also meant that we would arrive in Agra at just about the same time as Sarkozy. And that’s exactly what happened.

As we were approaching one of the side entrances to the Taj, we noticed that the road was blocked up ahead. They had stopped traffic for Sarkozy’s motorcade. At first we though he was leaving, but instead, he was running late and was just arriving at the Taj Mahal.

On a side note, Sarkozy was the guest of honor at the Republic Day parade and flew to Agra from Delhi - a 30 minute flight. It takes me longer to even get to the airport, and that doesn’t include the wait time just to enter the airport!

Agra Fort

Because the Taj Mahal was closed for a “private viewing,” we made our way to Agra Fort, along with every other tourist in Agra. Despite the crowds, it was a nice visit and my first. At about 4:30pm we finally made our way to the Taj, again, along with everyone else in Delhi. The lines were enormous and I waited for almost an hour in the “female” security line, while Lewis’s “male” line went much faster. Once inside, we made a mad dash around the structure. We needed to get back to Delhi because Lewis’s international flight was to depart at 3am and we had no idea how traffic would be on the return.

Me and Lewis at the Taj Mahal

I promised Lewis he would see the Taj and I delivered. I was very worried on Thursday when I realized that Sarkozy planned to visit the same day. And I was even more worried when I realized that roads would be closed on Saturday morning. But we found a way and while the visit was brief, it was well worth it.

Chokhi Dhani

After a REALLY long car ride to Jaipur from Agra, we finally arrived at our hotel Chokhi Dhani. We rested for a bit and then made out way to the grounds for a Rajasthani dinner and village entertainment. We enjoyed a spicy, veg meal while sitting on the ground - Rajasthani style! These photos will look very familiar to some of you, especially Joey and Jarret.

Afterwards, we walked about the ground and listening to the music, watched the dancers, and sipped yummy chai. My mom and I even took a camel ride! Unfortunately, both of our camera batteries died at this point, so we don't have any proof!

Agra and the Taj Mahal

On Sunday, we ventured to Agra by car to visit the Taj Mahal. After an early start (6am) and nearly 5 hours in the car, we finally arrived. Our timing was great and we got there just before the masses arrived.

My favorite part was the discrepancy in prices for India nationals (20 rupees or $0.50) and foreign nationals (750 rupees or almost $20). Somehow this price difference is justified because the foreign tickets include a bottle of water and slippers to use while inside (otherwise you are requried to take your shoes off).

Anyways, once inside, we thoroughly enjoyed it. We hired a guide to show us around, which was great because I missed a lot of the details the last time. After about 2 hours of walking around and touring, we headed back to the car and avoided all of the tourist-trap shops.

Next stop: Jaipur

Meet the Parents

Well, it was more like the parents meeting each other. Last Friday, on my parents first full day in Delhi, we had dinner at Ani's family's house. We were warmly greeted by his entire family - Dad, Mom, 1 brother, 3 sisters, 1 sister-in-law, 2 brother-in laws, 2 nephews and 2 nieces! We had a wonderful dinner at their house and most of the time was spent chatting with one another. Ani's brother-in-laws took the lead and ensured that my parents were entertained and felt at home.

It couldn't have been a better first meeting. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and is looking forward to more similar evenings.

Charles and Wanda are coming!

My parents arrive in Delhi very late on Thursday night for their first trip to India. I'm not sure how excited they are, but I certainly am. We will spend the first few days in Delhi before heading on to Agra (to see the Taj Mahal) and Jaipur. After Jaipur, I'll return to Delhi, but they will continue on to Udaipur where they will stay in the fabulous Lake Palace Hotel. I'm already jealous because when I visited Udaipur, we only went to the Lake Palace for lunch...

And finally, my parents will return to Delhi just in time for Diwali, which is next Friday, November 9th. Everyone I've about their visit immediately replied, "What a wonderful, festive time to visit India." It's true. This is a great time to be in Delhi because the weather is mild, people are happy and there is excitement in the air. But it also means that more people are out and about on the roads and in the markets. And it means that firecrackers are constantly going off and scaring the crap out of me.

My parents will also meet Ani's family for the first time. In addition to celebrating Diwali with them, next Saturday is also Ani's father's birthday, so I am sure there will be a family gathering for that.

All in all, the next few weeks will be very busy - between my parents visit and the holiday, but it should also prove to be an exciting time.

An Extra Night in Delhi

Jen's flight back to the U.S. on Saturday night was cancelled due to the big snowstorm there last week. Fortunately for Jen, this worked to her advantage as she got to spend the night in a great hotel, attend a few parties on Saturday night and explore a new area of Delhi on Sunday.

Upon hearing that Jen's flight was cancelled, Ani immediately exclaimed that she would get to stay in a 5-star hotel. Jen and I kind of laughed at this, but it proved to be true. Here, unlike at home, if your flight is cancelled for almost any reason, airlines will provide accommodations for you - and at the top hotels. Once Jen finally got through to the airline, she inquired about the hotel room. She was told that she could stay anyway - no limit - and the airline would reimburse one night's charges when she arrived at the airport the following day.

Ani immediately called The Imperial (this is where I get manicures and pedicures when I want to be pampered) to a book a room and to our amazement, Jen was upgraded to a suite when she checked in. The suite was huge and featured a big, fluffy bed, a pillow menu, and two giant, flat-screen TVs.

Lucky for Jen, her cancelled flight also meant that she could enjoy one more night in Delhi. First, we went to Nic's place in GK-1 where he'd gathered some friends for a casual dinner on his huge rooftop terrace. Afterwards, we headed to an expat birthday party with an Indian theme. Most people were wearing traditional Indian dress, but [I forgot to tell Jen to wear her sari. After this party, we stopped by a nightclub for a bit, but I was disappointed by the lacking of Bollywood music. I was really hoping for Jen to experience the craziness of Indian dancing. Next time.

I was to lazy to get out of bed in time to meet Jen at the hotel for breakfast, but I did make it there in time for lunch. But this was after, I took advantage of the wonderful, piping-hot, powerful shower with a bath tub. Bath tubs are rare here and it can be difficult to properly shave your legs without making a mess in the entire bathroom.

After lunch, we walked around for a bit and then stopped for coffee. Then in the evening, we went to Pahar Ganj, the main backpacker area in Delhi. There, we enjoyed fresh lemon mint water at Ani's friend's falafel shop and chai masala at another of Ani's friend's guest houses. Then, back at my apartment, Jen enjoyed her last Indian meal in India, before heading off for the airport.

Boxes Galore

After hearing about wooden boxes for months from Nic and Louise, I finally ventured to Sharma Farms this weekend to check it out for myself. And of course, I brought Mike and Jen along. Mike was especially excited to see the boxes after seeing and reading about them on Louise's blog. And he planned to buy something, if he saw anything he liked.

As it turns out, Sharma Farms is not just a wooden box store, as I had imagined, but an antique furniture warehouse. Of course, nothing is that antique because you cannot remove anything from India that is over 100 years old. But upon entering, we were overwhelmed at the size and scale of the showrooms. They had everything you could imagine there - boxes, desks, wardrobes, beds, doors, and more.

We spent several hours there, wandering through the crowded, dusty aisles. We didn't even see everything. There was just too much and it would have taken a few more hours and a lot more energy.

In the end, Mike left with a bench and a box and I left with two wooden tables with inlaid bone. Actually, we didn't leave with any of these things. I have to go back to Sharma Farms next week to "inspect" our purchases before they are packed up for shipment to the U.S. And then they will make the long 45 day journey to the Boston, where, hopefully, one of Mike's brothers will pick them up.

And because Mike and I spent so much money, Jen got this lovely vase for free!