more trivy trivvies

Trivandrum, INDIA --

1) caffeine fix care of coffee day, india's popular chain of coffee shops. good service and home of the kaapi nirvana, winner of the silver medal at the '04 world barista championships (yes, i read the entire flyer). i normally don't like anything coconut -flavored(except maybe sunblock) but for this yummy iced frapp i'll make an exception. for some reason, the coffee i've ordered elsewhere tastes like 2/3 evaporated milk and just the tiniest hint of roast. just one complaint though: maybe you can come up with more creatively-named offerings? veg pizza, non-veg pizza, veg burger and non-veg burger don't really sound enticing.

2) just like the brits, when you want food to go here you say you want it "in a parcel." and lawyers are called barristers.

3) major dailies here have entire pages devoted to "marital ads." you post one not to look for a date but to get hitched to a "suitable spouse." no wonder people here don't ask you if you have a boyfriend. they ask if you're engaged like it's the most casual of questions.

4) if you visit the trivandrum zoo, you'll only get in for free if you meet very specific requirements:



5) emotional upheaval+bird droppings on your shoulder= not a v. good day

trivia from triv

Trivandrum, INDIA -- i'm back from new delhi! spent three days in a tizzy looking for a kaftan (which i found out refers to a man's cloak & not the breezy blouse i had in mind), getting to agra to see the taj mahal, & trying to avoid touts around the city.
some insights:

1) the taj mahal, that hulking slab of marble, is translucent and massive. a pity the shah had to use public money to build such a beautiful tomb for his beloved. he spent so much on it his son had him on house arrest to protect the treasury!


2) the national museum in delhi is pretty neat. it also has an unhappy & unfriendly staff (according to my mother it's because "they work for the government." "but i work for the government," i countered. "give it a year & you'll be unhappy too," the wise woman retorted). my favorites were: the miniature period indian paintings of such scenes as krishna wooing radha, akbar hunting, and a lovesick heroine (apparently you just have to lie in bed with your head hanging limply to look the part); the coin collection ("from cowrie to credit card"), and the indian arms and armory exhibit (very cool elephant headgear, jewel-encrusted swords, gold-plated shields.. i could go on ad infinitum).

3) i've grown so accustomed to the hot!hot!hot! food that even breakfast doesn't seem complete without my tongue burning. i'll have some masala & roti with my coffee, thank you very much.

4) visiting in july is both good and bad: the crowds are minimal at the touristy places but it's also the hottest time of the year. lemme go slather more of that spf 60 on myself..

zoolanders

Kerala, INDIA -- namaste from trivandrum, kerala! i'm at a beachside city south of delhi. it's pretty laidback out here. went to the trivandrum zoological gardens. it ain't san diego zoo but the mom & i had fun camwhoring with the friendly locals in between looking at the animals.
the place is a bit rundown & its residents didn't look too happy (who wouldn't be living in a cage forever).apparently this is the place indian men take their women on romantic strolls. must have seen ten lovey dovey couples scattered around the place.
highlights were the majestic (and sleepy-looking)himalayan black bears.
zoo entrance fee: 6 rupees
camera ticket: 20 rupees
sight of 2 mongoose humping by the exit:priceless

i'm on holiday!

Changi Airport, SINGAPORE -- i've got 7 hours to kill before our flight to india. it's a thursday, and i'm out of the office! such a welcome change. it's my first time here in the lion city and i'm amazed at how huge the airport is.
we're leaving for trivandrum tonight then heading to new delhi tomorrow.
to psyche ourselves for our trip to the land of the elephants (tigers?) trixie and i had the thali meal with vegetable biryani and some roti prata. and then, since we have an unnatural fear of starving in a foreign land, we ate our baon chocolate krinkles from goldilocks. so pinoy! haha.