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I really did not expect to be talking about Miss America here… But congrats to Nina Davuluri, from Syracuse, NY, the first ever Miss America of Indian heritage.

Shame on the haters, who’s rants are testament to their own ignorance. Stay strong, Nina. And draw from the wisdom of another famous queen of beauty:
“My goal is to always come from a place of love …but sometimes you just have to break it down for a motherf****r” ― RuPaul

I do not recall having ever been in a cyclone before… But a “very severe” cyclone is due to hit the east coast of India this weekend, in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh, with heavy rains and 115 mph winds. Emergency planning there is being hampered by the fact that 600,000 government employees are striking in protest of the bifurcation of the state & formation of Telangana state; 30,000 electricity employees joined the strike this week.

Basically, a cyclone is the same weather as a hurricane or typhoon, the basic difference being where it is formed. That weather in the South Pacific is deemed a cyclone. Sadly, NOAA is shut down – ahem, US Congress!?!– so don’t look there for info…..

Since I live in just about the middle of the county, I think we’ll just see rain & power outages. It’s like living in Orlando when a hurricane hits Miami. We have generators and clean water on hand as part of our regular routine here, so BAU.

Update from on 11th: Just got this from the US Consulate, “The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is reporting that cyclonic storm Phailin is developing over the east central Bay of Bengal. The system should intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the evening of October 10, 2013. It should continue to move northwestwards and cross the northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast between Kalingapatnam and Paradip by evening on October 12, 2013, and become a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 175-185 kmph. Under the influence of this system, rainfall will occur in many places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places throughout the region. [….] U.S. citizens are urged to identify shelter in case of severe conditions, monitor media reports, and follow all official instructions. Please be alert to flooding and downed electrical wires, and secure loose objects around residences when possible. U.S. citizens should carry their travel documents at all times (i.e. U.S. Passport, Birth Certificate, picture IDs, etc.) or secure them in safe, waterproof locations. We also suggest that U.S. citizens contact friends and family in the United States with updates about their whereabouts.” You’re hereby updated that I’m in Bangalore.

Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrating Ganesh’s birthday, which was celebrated last week (and into this week, too). Lord Ganesha, the elephant-head god, is the son of Shiva and Parvati. “Mom” Parvati made Ganesh out of clay or sandalwood paste, depending on the version, and gave him life to guard her whilst she bathed. “Dad” Shiva accidental chopped of Ganesh’s human head due to a case of mistaken identity — since Shiva had never seen his son before and since his son was preventing him from visiting Parvati, he … um… overreacted & chopped off Ganesh’s head. To appease Parvati (who was heartbroken over the loss of her son), Shiva gave Ganesh a elephant head to make up for the one he lost and restored him to life.

Hindus prey to Ganesh often, at the start of any new venture, as he is the Remover of Obstacles (as well as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune).

For his birthday, people make or buy clay figures of Ganesh and place them on an alter with sweets, fruit, flowers, fairy lights, etc. (Ganesh has a sweet tooth — he once ate so many sweets his tummy started to burst open, but he took a nearby snake to wear as belt to keep it together. Modak, sweet dumplings, were said to be his faves; I agree they are tasty!) After Ganesh sits on the alter for 1,3,5,7 or 11 days (I gather you can pick whatever suits your convenience), he is immersed in water. Often a bucket or tub at home (the water is then used in the garden) or a tank (man-made lake).

My friend P and her family invited us over for the holiday. It was great catching up with P. And she put out a great spread for Ganesh!

We visited the Lalbagh Garden over the weekend. A 40 acre oasis in the midst of Bangalore. it was started as a garden back in 1760. There is a reservoir, lotus pond, bonsai garden, floral clock (ok, that clock was cheesy – it involved garden gnomes…), a Kew Gardens-inspired pavilion (Kew Gatdens in London, not Queens), rose garden, etc.

It is a truly lovely, calm place in the middle of the hustle of the city. Wish there was less litter….

What do you think it means that all the carts in Chandigarh are pulled by horses, as opposed to the cattle-drawn carts in Southern India? Well, never mind the bullocks…

Chandigarh

outside of Bangalore

My maid put mehndi on my hand for today’s Ganesh festival (it’s his birthday). The pattern should last about a week.

I feel like I barely got to see anything other that hotel rooms, conference rooms and traffic… The people were warm & friendly but I am ashamed to admit that I know little more about the culture now than I did when I arrived. I feel so “Accidental Tourist”….

Here are the highlights of what I learned: the Philippines has Koala bears, — who knew!– grows/makes its own chocolate –yum! — and they feature Spam in many many recipes, including fine dining restaurants. (If I wasn’t afraid of copyright infringement, I’d play “Spamalot” song in this post…)

So goodbye, Manila. I hope to see you again!

downtown Manila

This Magical Mystery Bus is in fact public transport . It looks so groovy….

Different than Puri and Pondicherry/Paradise Beach, this beach was quite and practically deserted –even on a hot (HOT!) weekend day. The surf was high, but only 3 boys chasing waves and a few birds were around to enjoy it. There are kiosks for vendors and ample parking, so perhaps this is a hang out that picks up at dusk.

There are dunes planted with seagrass and other vegetation (something that appears to be a cousin of sea grapes), which is great for the long term preservation of the beach. This seems like a terrific beach to relax reading –a book or enjoy a picnic…(if I wasn’t playing “power tourist” the weekend I visited I would have enjoyed going back… With a vat if sunscreen if course!).

Puri beach is very different from its cousin further down the Bay of Bengal Coast, Pondicherry. Both have lifeguards dressed like traffic cops, but the similarities end there. It is a much more welcoming, playful beach here.

The surf was up the saturday I visited Puri, so no one was in the water further than knee deep (no boogie boards or body surfers in the crowd). Most beach goers sit or stand in their street clothes on the sea side of the dunes, in the wave zone, allowing the water to wash over them. Kids, parents, grandparents, men, women — everyone is there.

When you first approach the beach it doesn’t seem crowed, until you look over the dune. But these ladies don’t mind having the beach to themselves– it makes it easier to find an umbrella!