God's Own Country

Our second visit to Kerala this year was a work trip for my husband. We were put up at a hotel in Cochin close to the airport (read: far away from anywhere else!).

While my husband was working, I caught up on sleep, took a dip in the pool, and wandered the streets of Fort Cochin. The hotel runs a complimentary shuttle from Cochin to Fort Cochin, and I took advantage.

I then walked from Fort Kochi to Jew Town and stopped at some of the several shops that dot the road along the way. Most of them are traders that sell rice, spices and tea in bulk, but there are several shops that cater to the tourist crowd.

I managed to get a few shots, but my camera battery died just as the light started to get nice. It was the first time since I've owned my camera that I thought it would be handy to have a spare.

I remembered this lady and her shop in Jew Town from my last visit there. She sews and hand embroiders kippahs, little baby dresses, and a lot of other stuff. She didn't look nearly that concerned the entire time I was chatting with her!

The older buildings on the island reflect Portuguese and Dutch architectural influences (including a synagogue and a Dutch Palace), but sadly, I don't have any photos to share. I walked back to Fort Cochin giving myself enough time to get out of the heat, sip on a fresh ginger-lime soda and read my book.

Re-entry is difficult

So much has happened in the past month and half, I'm not quite sure where to begin. So here is a random list of things to help me start:

1. I spent the second half of September in the US of A. Spending two weeks on the other side of the planet made for a lot of rushing around and jet lag, but it was lovely to see family.

2. I was in Kerala for a week after we got back. Our trip involved some long bus rides and stunning country side. And we ate well.

3. I finished a couple of sewing projects before I left on the trip.

4. I missed yoga class for a month. It's dark when I get back from class these days. Sorry, no photo.

5. We enjoyed being in India for Diwali this year. It was noisy, but very festive.

Festival of Lights

Happy Diwali.

Biryani for dinner

My first attempt at making a biryani last month was such a sucess, I decided to make it again a few weeks ago when we had company for dinner. Second time around, it didn't turn out quite as well. Why does that happen when you have people over? It passed the taste test, but I made some basic mistakes. I used too much rice (and then over-cooked it), and I didn't cook down the chicken curry enough before layering it with the rice. It made for a tasty but slightly mushy feast.

A biryani is primarily a rice dish made using a lot of different spices in combination with meat or vegetables. It is different from a pulao (pilaf) in that the rice is prepared separately from the meat. The semi-cooked rice and meat are then layered in a large pot, which is then sealed tightly (with dough) and the biryani is cooked on dum (very slowly, traditionaly using hot coals) till it is ready. I used quality basmati rice, chicken, potatoes, and a gas stove! Attempt number three was perfection.

Third time lucky. I served it with a mint-cucumber raita.

The 2007 Zampa Syrah complemented the biryani nicely. It made for a memorable dinner.

A new top

I bought a couple pairs of tights recently (the wonderfully pleasant weather made me do it), but I didn't have a sigle top in my wardrobe that I could wear with them. So I decided to make one.

Using my pattern making book and the Burdastyle website, I finished drafting a basic bodice block. I then lengthened it to make a hip block. It had to be sleeveless, since I only had about a meter to work with, and I hadn't drafted a sleeve block yet. I made a few sketches, and had a lot of different ideas in my head, but this is what I came up with in the end.

It was very breezy on the hill!

I kept it simple, but threw in a waist band and pleat for interest. I used bust darts and back darts for shaping, finshed the neck using interfaced facing, and made bias tape using the left over fabric to finish the armholes.

I really enjoyed my outfit yesterday - I wore it all day long! Thanks to my wonderful husband for taking the photos.

Wine country

We headed to Nashik over the weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday. Nashik is considered a 'holy' city that hosts significant religious events and weary pilgrims each year, but we mostly went to check out the wineries. It is Maharashtra's (probably India's) wine capital. The weather was perfect - a little wet, but with the cool breeze, it felt like spring in high-country Colorado.

View from the deck at the Sula vineyard.

We sampled some wines (Dindori was a favorite) and went on a tour of the Sula winery on the first evening.

Hills around Trimbak.

We went to Trimbak the next day, around 30 km away. Trimbakeshwar temple houses one of 12 jyoti lingas (Shiva shrine) in India. Without planning to visit them, we've quite accidently seen two of 12 jyoti lingas in the last six months!

Hiking up to Gangadwar.

Our plan was to hike up Brahmagiri hill to find the source of the Godhavari, a major Indian river. We took the path up towards Gangadwar, climbed 500-odd stone steps (the locals love to tell you how many steps lead up to the various temples), and took a quick chai break before hiking on.

Vanita, Sunita, and their dad. He makes a good cup of chai.

Can you spot the trail that goes up the hill? I'm not sure how to draw arrows on my photos (maybe one of you will enlighten me), but it's the steep path climbing up smack in the center of the photo.

It felt a lot like hiking in Scotland - it was misty and wet - but we had a wonderful time. You can view more photos of our trip here. We closed the evening with a tour of another winery (no pictures, I forgot the camera in the hotel), and tasted some more wine.

We had a lovely time in Nashik, although I did feet guilty enjoying the verdant countryside knowing that the farmers in the surrounding area have been badly affected by the poor Monsoon this year (it had started raining a few days before our trip, therefore the green hills). Hopefully, there will be more rain soon and hopefully it will bring some respite.

Ganpati bappa moriya*

After a typical Maharashtrian breakfast of poha (flattened rice, all spiced up), we decided to take a walk around the neigbourhood on the first day of Ganesh Chaturti.

The streets were decorated,

and people were waiting patiently in anticipation of the evening's celebration.

We saw Ganeshas being transported on foot, bicycles, and motorbikes. The smaller ones are generally for peoples' homes, while the larger ones are put up on a makeshift stage in the neighbourhood, like this one below.

We were inspired to make our own little 'shrine' when we got back home. Bringing a 'real' Ganesh idol into your home for Ganesh Chaturi is considered a big deal. Once you decide to do it, you are committed to bringing one home each year (along with carrying out a whole slew of pujas) for the next several years. We almost bought one this year, but then decided to refrain from angering the Gods!

It rained in the evening, but with the setting sun, the larger processions took over the road. I didn't get too many good shots in the dark.

We also stayed busy in the kitchen, making sweets and snacks. And eating! More pictures tomorrow.

* A cheer heard throughout the festival of Ganesh Chaturti.