Bombay Part 2

Here are the last of the pictures from our trip to India! These are all from Bombay (Mumbai).

We stumbled upon Yazdani Bakery when we decided to be a bit adventurous and take some unknown backroads over to our cousin's office and risk getting lost. (Consequently, I can't begin to tell you where it is, except that it's within walking distance of Churchgate, but Google can!) But boy am I glad we did, this place was fantastic! We started with a couple of mini-muffins and a bag of shortbread cookies, but immediately went back in for some cake and bread to take back home with us!

I love how these signs look like they could be absolutely anywhere in the US or Europe, but here they were in a back alley of Bombay! Fresh apple pie and cinnamon buns? Who would have guessed?!

Here are a bunch of street scenes from around our neighborhood (Mahim.):

Loved the color of these doors.

Chaat-walla. Best. Stuff. Ever.

View from overpass near Chowpatty.

Furniture delivery Indian style!

Cool guy on a motorcycle and a street dog, hanging out together.

Ubiquitous cow.

A cat and a laundry line, how could I resist?

There's a whole series of these!

New entrance being made for Shivaji Park.

Shivaji Park workout.

More pick-up games of cricket! Notice all that construction? (Shivaji Park)

Great colors! Dog on a wall and lady in sari.

Hubby and his Mom with fun wall mural at the new BCA (Bombay Cricket Association.)

Me and Mummy at the other end of the mural. (I'm in love with that outfit!)

And of course I had to have mehendi done before I left!

I had a cone to take home as well, so I did another design myself that I'll show you later.

This was one of my favorite shots of the whole trip, it's at a little beach behind Hinduja Hospital.

We went there to see the new bridge from a distance (it was still under construction when we were there last), can you see it there? Neither could we, darn fog!

And finally, there's me, looking a bit like I was green screened in!

Ok, so that's the end of the pictures from the trip, but I'm not done with the India theme yet! I'll show ya'll the textile kick I went on while I was there (I brought back two suitcases full!) I also want to share some of the images from the Indian versions of home decor magazines, it's really cool how they mix the traditional Indian designs with what's happening in International design trends!

India, Bangalore Quick trip

Ok, so (finally!), here are my pictures from our quick trip down to Bangalore. We stayed at the Cross Roads Inn, which I can't say enough about. I've stayed in some horror-story places on previous trips there, and it looks like largely hotels are either super-cheap "local" style hotels, or very expensive international chains catering (and charging for) business travelers, with very little in the mid-range. This hotel PERFECTLY filled that niche! Under $100 (US) a night we had a very nice AC room, clean bath with western toilet and 24 hour hot water (that's not always the case in India, so ask!), and even the extras like tv, closet space, mini fridge, cheap room service, and buffet breakfast included! The bed was Indian style (read hard-as-a-rock), but that's what I sleep on at my in-law's place, so it wasn't a problem for me. Anyway, if you're going to be in Bangalore, I recommend the Cross Roads Inn for accommodations.

I forgot to take pictures of the hotel itself, but here are some street scenes from nearby:

A wall of advertisements.


A pickup game of cricket (always a good picture!)

Love the colors!

Construction site, very low-tech.

A good spot for a nap, school kids in background.

South India has their own movies, separate from Bollywood, and they're known for being even more melodramatic!

I couldn't manage to hold my camera steady, but it tickled me to see Au Bon Pain translated into the local script!

The next day we went to do a little Indian style shopping around Commercial Street:

Always crowded!

The view from the coffee shop.

The cricket world cup was going on while we were there, so anytime you saw an enthralled group of men, you just had to look for the TV!

Oh, this is what I wanted Hubby to wear for our wedding! We compromised with western pants, a shorter jacket with a little embroidery around the collar and a red vest. (Someday I'll get him in one of these, I'm determined!!)

I loved how they sell things on bikes. My favorite is eggs, but I've never managed to get a decent picture of that!

Stopping for a little fruit along the way...

Lastly, and most randomly, a cool design on the wall of the mall!

I've got a few more shots of our last three days in Bombay, which I'll post soon, and then I'll show you some of the cool stuff I got on all those shopping trips!
: )

India 2011: Part 1

Hello Everyone!
I know, it's been a terribly long time since I've posted... I'll return your money, how's that? Happier now? Good. Moving onto cheerier things, I've just returned from my first trip to India since we bought the house! We had gone for 4 years in a row, and the last trip was in winter of 2008, and I was missing it, so it was really nice to get back there! I didn't take nearly as many pics as I usually do since our trip was pretty short (about a week and a half actually there,) and we were mostly just visiting family, but I did get a few fun shots anyway.
Actually, quite a few (200!), so here are the photographic highlights from the first half of our time in Bombay:

Mobile veg stand, Mumbai

Famous tiffin (lunchbox) delivery, Churchgate Station Mumbai

Napping inside Churchgate Station

Need a toilet? This one's convenient... Mumbai near Fountainhead


Umm... courthouse? I don't remember- British Colonial architecture.


Hubby on a Valentine's Day sail in Mumbai Harbor


Me and a Mumbai fishing boat.


The fishing boats returning as the sun sets over Mumbai.


Me, stopping for coffee and a quick-change at the Taj Hotel (which is looking as grand as ever!)


Now that's what I call a flower arrangement! Taj, Mumbai.


Locally famous street restaurant, I'm not allowed to eat there... Mumbai, behind Taj.


McDonald's delivers! Mumbai.


Tata Nagar, near Dharavi, where the tailor lives.


Great old lady and graffiti, Tata Nagar.


Super shiny office complex directly across the street from Tata Nagar.



Napping in trucks...


I liked these two because they looked like something out of a Bollywood movie, they've got the tree and all!


Living where you work, scrap recyclers.


Street scenes, Dharavi.


Street scene, Mahim (where my in-laws' place is.)


Classic truck shot, "Horn OK Please!"

Love it... tune in later this week for the shots from the jaunt down to Bangalore, and then for the last few days in Bombay!
Meanwhile, if you're curious about what Bombay is like, check out this ad put out by the Times of India for a photography contest (incidentally, I love the whole ad campaign for this competition, but I could never get pictures of the billboards because the taxi was always moving too fast!) But that video kind of encapsulates what Bombay is, in my head anyway.
:)