Shout out to Kristen for an awesome trip far far away from
Tamil Nadu. It was a great trip with ups
and downs. I am an introvert so having
to spend an entire week with a person every moment of the day is overwhelming
at times…I needed some “me time” to rejuvenate… didn't always get it, but we had
a blast nonetheless! I wouldn't trade it
in for the world. Thanks for a great
time J
P.s. to those of you who think I am lying about the
introvert thing, I am not. Even though I
enjoy talking to people and am not shy, that does not mean I am not an
introvert. The difference between an
introvert and an extrovert is the manner in which they recharge their
batteries. If you are the type of person
who would like to go home and read a book, walk alone, watch TV or write in
your journal…any activity, but just alone after a long hard day, you are likely
an introvert. If you want to go hang out
with people and do any activity after a long hard day, you are likely an
extrovert…you feel charged by getting energy from others around you. I feel drained…sorry guys, but it’s the truth. When my life is most overwhelming I retreat
the most…not because I am sad, but because that is the only way I can get
enough energy to face the world again. Love
you all…smooches!
Enough about hermits and butterflies…lol…Kolkatta!
The first leg of our trip was to Kolkatta…what an
interesting time of year to visit. We
went at the end of the Durga Pujas (I think it was durga…it might have been
another…I can’t keep them all straight in my head). Nonetheless, it was a huge celebration of one
of the goddesses. Like I said, it was
the end so we got to see the closing festivities when everyone was bringing
their huge floats and shrines of the goddess to put into the Ganges. How exciting!
It was also interesting because there was absolutely NO traffic
anywhere. Everything was calm…which from
what I hear is not the case usually…traffic is as bad as in Chennai, but we at
least came at a time to get a break from the hustle and bustle. 
We spent time at Mother Theresa’s House, and went looking
for Tigers in the Sunderbans! We never
found them, but had loads of fun in the mud, cruised in the beautiful Bay of
Bengali for hours upon hours, and found lots of other interesting creatures. Our final day in Kolkatta culminated with a
little shopping, a visit to the Victoria Memorial and a SUPERB Italian dinner
at a restaurant that I stepped into and forgot I was not home. Food was awesome! Pizza with pesto and chicken, a salad with
spinach and smokey mozzarella…my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
The
next day we flew to Bangalore…our number one goal there was to relax and get a
much needed pedicure after romping around in the muddy mangroves! Kristen had the bright idea to get a “fish
spa” something that neither of us had ever heard of or tried, but it was on the
menu of choices at the spa we found in the mall. I took one for the team this time, but will
likely never do it again…though I went looking for animals everyone knows I am
not a fan of them and letting little fish eat the dead skin off of my feet was
not my idea of fun…I was scared! Haha…But it was my choice…and well, I am not
going to make the same one in the future…lol.
Bangalore is indeed a different world from the south of Indian, women
wear mini-skirts, there are Café Coffee Day shops on every corner…it’s just
like starbucks, and going to a bar or a club is just as normal as it is at
home... So we tried out a bar and I must
say I had little faith that India was going to be able to satisfy my lounge
needs, but I was pleasantly surprised that the place was pretty classy and enjoyable!
I had a
mojito, it was lady’s night to entrance, appetizers and certain drinks were
free…it was a nice time. I am not a big
dancer in public, so I mainly watched and it made me feel right at home…seemed
pretty normal lounge/bar to me. Plus it
was on the rooftop which is always a nice touch. We
dropped in on a Rotary meeting and met some nice people. The highlight tourist spots were the Lalbagh
Botanical Gardens (BEAUTIFUL) and also the Industrial & Technological Museum. Pretty cool experience.
It was an awesome step away from Chennai with lots of
interesting twists and turns: we got followed and then quickly lost him, met 4
very nice and helpful people on 3 different occasions, rode a bicycle driven
rickshaw, got bitten by little bugs in the mud and then voluntarily put our
feet in a fish tank to be bitten, I slipped in the mud and busted my bum, we
got lost (nothing new to me, so no worries there), took a picture in front of a Hard Rock Café, and
I lost my shoe on the very last hour of our trip…good thing I had flip
flops! A trip to remember indeed!
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