It's the Bom-bay be

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Reentered India via Bombay, a good place to make a return. As the country's economic capital, it's a good place to see today's modern India. It's a busy metropolis (16 mil), but beyond paying too much on fancy meals and nicer hotels (they provided towels) there really isn't much else to remark on. Besides the fact that it was the first place we've seen in India to house the Golden Arches. We've been without it for so long we no longer had a craving for a hit on the McCrack pipe but we were still curious to see how they could go about bastardizing the local cuisine. There aren't any burger items on the menu-- no Baba, not in Hindu country. So we tried the Chicken Maharashtra burger, the McAloo Tikki, and the Paneer Curry Puff. It definitely has an Indian flavor-- mild spices, a little saffron aftertaste-- and yet, McDonald's has still managed to make it their own. Mold it into a perfect shaped disc, throw it on a soggy sesame bun, and run it between old Ronnie's white-powdered thighs for that unnatural salt sting and you have the illogical conquest of the McDonald's giant, proprietor of the beef burger, over the country that holds the cow sacred.

The only scare we had in India occured the other day as we prepared to head north via train. Picture the following scenario:
Television: "This morning, police are investigating a bomb explosion at the train station in Ahmedabad."
Carolee walking through the door: "Ok, I just got the train tickets for Ahmedabad."
We watched all morning for a story to see whether it was safe to pass through but the Bird Flu has also just arrived so that took up most of the broadcast. Well, should we still go? We did just pay 500 rupees for the ticket (eight dollars). Yeah we're goin! When we arrived, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary so we just jumped a bus to our next stop, Udaipur. Udaipur has been crowned the most romantic city in India. The big money seems to be on the Lake Palace which sits in the middle of the lake/reservoir. It was a palace back in the day but has since been transformed into a luxury hotel. From outside (you can't set foot on the island unless you're a guest) it was actually a bit bland. The best thing to do is to have dinner atop one of the several roof-top restaurants near the ghats which look over the water at night. During the day, a boat round is requisite but be sure to visit the City Palace museum where you can walk through the labyrinthe of galleries of old dynasties. This was to be the better of the string of palaces we visit afterwards in Rajasthan.

Then travelled 5 hrs north to Mt. Abu, a surprisingly good stop. Mt. Abu is a resort in the mountains with clean crisp air and a decent lake in the town center. The best thing about it is the tourism it attracts. It's more a vacation spot for Indians than the international crowd as it's an easy getaway spot for local Gujaratis and Rajasthanis. Yes there are a few pale faces roaming about but the vibe is utterly Indian vacationer and it's cool to see how Indians themselves seek relaxation and entertainment. The icing was the Dilwara temple just north of town. Built in the 11th Century, these 5 Jain temples all carved from ivory are an impressive latticework of floral pattern, budded columns, elephant forms and goddesses so intricate it looks like it was carved out of butter. Quite possibly the most impressive temple decor we've seen throughout India.

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Comments

[Corinne]

You guys are never coming back are you? Enjoy, and keep living it up....you are not missing a thing here (except a few drunken blurrs with Brendan and Bill)!! I love reading your blog and find myself laughing out loud often. Jay, you are an EXCEPTIONAL writer. Maybe you both can get paid to do this on the travel channel or something.

[Joanna]

Where are you?
Let us know where you are; it's been over 3 weeks since you updated your blog! :)