Sorry for the delay in posting! The last 2 days have not been loaded with amazing photo ops as the past days have been (thank goodness – my trigger finger is sore!)
Yesterday we went up to “film city” in the hills outside Mumbai. We visited a new film school there, Whistling Woods, which is the new top of the line in the country. We had a good tour and met some students and faculty, but school was not in session so it was a bit one-dimensional. Still, another slice of life, and my big lesson for the day: Bollywood is not a place, it’s a genre. I thought it was both. Now I know.
In the afternoon (insert dramatic music here) …. we shopped.
This was actually the most fun cultural experience of the day. While the girls picked out sarees, we had assistants running around finding matching underthings (a petticoat skirt and a cotton shirt), and then wrapping them all up in the outfit. It was extremely funny, and in the end we all came home with an Indian outfit (except Mr. Walczak, who got distracted by the linens and things).
Last night, at the suggestion of several people including my dear friend Pradeep Kapadia ’74 we ate at Indigo, perhaps the best-known upscale restaurant in all of India. Pradeep’s next-door neighbor when he was a boy in Mumbai is the owner and executive chef, Rahul Akerkar. Sadly Rahul had left for Australia so we missed the chance to connect and tell Kapadia stories … another day!
Of course, we all donned our fancy evening wear for this, even the dads, who were dashing but not as flashy as the girls. No, Mr. Walczak did not wear his new blanket. He served as our “Western escort”.
We all had a wonderful time dressing up, and the food was by and large fantastic.
Today we started with 6 a.m. breakfast and got on the bus at 6:30 for the airport. We got the 9:00 flight to Chennai (formerly known as Madras – home of that sporty pattern we like on our shorts so much!) We arrived in Chennai and hopped the bus to our hotel, an elegant modern design that is both funky and confusing (e.g., the ‘sink’ in the restroom was just a glass slab – no bowl of any sort. I think I’m too concrete for that kind of challenge in the potty, and I know David Mallen is …)
The 8th floor rooftop infinity pool is gorgeous, and there are princely lounging beds around it with canopies. I think we could get used to this … but we can’t! Tomorrow we head off on a bumpy 3-hour drive south to the rural area to visit 2 schools in the next 2 days. We’ll say in the former French settlement of Pondicherry, where I intend to hold my American French accent up to their Indian French accent and see how I fare.
More later!
Yesterday we went up to “film city” in the hills outside Mumbai. We visited a new film school there, Whistling Woods, which is the new top of the line in the country. We had a good tour and met some students and faculty, but school was not in session so it was a bit one-dimensional. Still, another slice of life, and my big lesson for the day: Bollywood is not a place, it’s a genre. I thought it was both. Now I know.
In the afternoon (insert dramatic music here) …. we shopped.
This was actually the most fun cultural experience of the day. While the girls picked out sarees, we had assistants running around finding matching underthings (a petticoat skirt and a cotton shirt), and then wrapping them all up in the outfit. It was extremely funny, and in the end we all came home with an Indian outfit (except Mr. Walczak, who got distracted by the linens and things).
Last night, at the suggestion of several people including my dear friend Pradeep Kapadia ’74 we ate at Indigo, perhaps the best-known upscale restaurant in all of India. Pradeep’s next-door neighbor when he was a boy in Mumbai is the owner and executive chef, Rahul Akerkar. Sadly Rahul had left for Australia so we missed the chance to connect and tell Kapadia stories … another day!
Of course, we all donned our fancy evening wear for this, even the dads, who were dashing but not as flashy as the girls. No, Mr. Walczak did not wear his new blanket. He served as our “Western escort”.
We all had a wonderful time dressing up, and the food was by and large fantastic.
Today we started with 6 a.m. breakfast and got on the bus at 6:30 for the airport. We got the 9:00 flight to Chennai (formerly known as Madras – home of that sporty pattern we like on our shorts so much!) We arrived in Chennai and hopped the bus to our hotel, an elegant modern design that is both funky and confusing (e.g., the ‘sink’ in the restroom was just a glass slab – no bowl of any sort. I think I’m too concrete for that kind of challenge in the potty, and I know David Mallen is …)
The 8th floor rooftop infinity pool is gorgeous, and there are princely lounging beds around it with canopies. I think we could get used to this … but we can’t! Tomorrow we head off on a bumpy 3-hour drive south to the rural area to visit 2 schools in the next 2 days. We’ll say in the former French settlement of Pondicherry, where I intend to hold my American French accent up to their Indian French accent and see how I fare.
More later!
2 comments:
Thanks for keeping everyone updated. It is so cool to hear about the trip and see your videos. A lot of what you write brings back memories of my time in Nepal. I can't wait to hear more about it when you're back!
The colors of those sarees are stunning! Would have a tough time deciding what to wear in the morning!
MGP
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