Jaipurrrrr

The gates of the Old City of Jaipur wind around the major sites and bazaars that are not to be missed. The gates, like much of the Old City, are rather, well, pink. The streets in between the major sites are lined with what seems to be an unlimited supply of shops. The shops are filled with beautiful fabric, stunning jewelry, and a gorgeous assortment of lanterns, rugs, and other various home goods. Before coming to India I thought that everything would be incredibly cheap here, and given that I have been purchasing imports from India since I was a very young teenager I had visions of stacking up on stunning goods. However, after being in India for just a few days I found that my hopes were quickly dashed. Nothing in India is cheap, at least when you are working off of a Thai budget. However, I couldn’t pass up the gorgeous black embroidered duvet cover with over 3,000 small mirrors, and then of course had to get pillow shams to complement what will be my beautiful Indian themed bedroom. Enough with the shopping, what has really moved me here is the architecture—and this is what we really started the day with.

We woke early, and grabbed breakfast at the cutest hotel we’ve stayed in yet. I highly recommend the Pearl Palace Hotel with its eclectically Indian stylized rooms, and gorgeous peacock themed rooftop restaurant. We began the day somewhat off the beaten path, and just south of the Old City. Thankfully we had decided to hire a driver for the entire trip, and this turned out to be the best decision we could have made. He tipped us off to Albert Hall which is where we began our journey in Jaipur. Albert Hall is only briefly mentioned in the guidebooks as the “Central Museum”. Lonely Planet describes it as displaying, “a fine display of tribalware, decorative arts, costumes, drawing, and musical instruments”. I would not disagree with this, but I would say that they truly sell this beautiful building filled with the rich history of India rather short. I found myself marveling at the wonders of the Indian culture at every turn. Not to mention the beauty of the building itself. I truly believe that to pass up an opportunity to see this is to miss an integral part of India.

We made our way from Albert Hall through the Jaipur traffic (Bangkok will seem quiet after a week and half in India’s traffic), and found ourselves in front of one of the most stunning structures that I have yet seen here. Hawa Mahal is a stunning five-storied, honeycombed, pink sand-stone structure. The building was originally intended for the ladies of the royal house to watch the busy city streets while not being seen themselves. Wandering through the winding halls of Hawa Mahal one is met at every turn by shuttered windows that look out onto the streets below. The opulence of the environment means that the royal ladies that once looked out onto this space did so in a great amount of comfort that would have been a stark contrast from the dirty city streets below. I don’t think that my words are sufficient to describe the soft pink glow of this stunning structure.

After a couple of hours wandering through Hawa Mahal we made our way to Jantar Mantar. Immediately I felt that I was transported to the set of one of my favorite childhood movies. The winding staircases to nothing, the sharp angles, the strange spinning dials. Still no clue? Well, let’s just say that I really was keeping an eye out for my very own Goblin King (minus the tights and bad haircut of course—I’m thinking well fit jeans and great eyes will do the trick..just saying). Jantar Mantar is the city’s observatory which was constructed in 1728. The giant sculptures were meant to chart the sun’s movement through each of the zodiacs. Unfortunately they had the staircases blocked off so that I couldn’t climb them into the faerie world, but you know my mind wandered there anyway.

After Jantar Mantar we made our way to the city’s bazaars where we flexed our haggling muscles (some of us better than others—I was strangely moody that afternoon, and my haggling skills turned out to be quite subpar). About halfway through our shopping adventures we stopped at the little rooftop Ganesh Restaurant. I can’t tell you exactly what I had there—as it was simply called the Ganesh Special—but I can say that it was damned tasty. It seemed to be a curried mix of potatoes, onion, chickpeas, paneer, and something that had the same texture as tempeh. No clue exactly what it was, but damned good. After lunch we made our way to a couple of the “factory stores” where our driver had enthusiastically explained we could get very good deals. Although I had heard of drivers taking unsuspecting tourists to the government emporiums, and was therefore a little cautious, I wasn’t expecting the song and dance we got at the two “factories” he took us to. It was a little like theater, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, from the palm reading jewel dealer to the wheeling and dealing textile hustler. A good time was had by all, except the merchants whose pockets were not filled by our rupees by the end of our time together.

Jaipur was altogether wonderful, and I highly recommend it. I also recommend having a ton of money with you when you arrive as so far this is the best shopping I’ve seen in all of India (which is turning out to be surprisingly expensive—did I mention that already?).

Grateful,

The Epicurious Gypsy

And Now Introducing India...

Upon arriving in India we were immediately met by a large raised frieze of various mudras. These larger than life sculptures of hands in various meditative positions reminded me immediately that I was not in Kansas anymore, or Thailand, or Bali, or…well, you get the idea. Exiting the airport the air was some of the coolest and driest that I had felt in well over six months, and it was absolutely lovely. After only a little bit of hassle, we found our driver whom the hotel had arranged to fetch us from our flight, and we were on our way. The simply surreal sights of New Delhi, the wide and winding streets, the auto rickshaws (the Indian version of a tuk tuk), and the architecture echoing the rajas and sultans that had once led this land were starkly contrasted by a various assortment of new and well equipped cars, well manicured properties, and the blaring American hip hop music that our driver seemed to enjoy playing for us. Allow me to spend just a moment of your time here, as the music needs to be noted. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed Usher as much as I do now, after hearing him blared from our driver’s car. Or maybe that isn’t exactly accurate, maybe it isn’t Usher, but rather the Indian DJ who had mixed beautiful Bollywood with down and dirty dance. Genius!

We came in late on a Sunday night, and the traffic was at a minimum, as was the noise. Where was the Delhi chaos that I had heard so much about? Where was the mass of bodies in every direction? Where was the gridlock? Where were all the street food stalls? Where was I? Then the scene started to change as we passed the Old Delhi Gate, and I started to wonder –this time for very different reasons—where was I? Old Delhi could not be more different than New Delhi. Imagine the outskirts of Bangkok, but dirtier, filled with more homeless people, and a lot grittier—no help? Okay, imagine the slums of any major American city, and you would be getting close. We were prepared for things to be a little dirtier, stranger, scarier—and had in fact signed up for it willingly. We were not disappointed. As we made our way to our hotel, through the hotel, and up into the room, I found myself wondering why we had chosen The Tara Palace Hotel in Old Delhi. However, it was far too late to change our plans now, and we opted to keep our room in Delhi for the next couple of nights. As we fell asleep, I prayed that all would be well, and that we wouldn’t wake with bed bugs, or worse.

Prayers answered, we woke the next morning to a scrumptious breakfast of curried potatoes and fried bread which they refer to as paranthas. India does breakfast the right way if you ask me. We headed downstairs to discuss our options with the hotel’s travel agent, and found that we could hire a car for the entire trip for about $215 per person—given that we would be running close to this with trains, buses, auto rickshaws, and tours, we decided that in order to enjoy our 12 day stay more thoroughly it was well worth the cost—even if it was out of my budget. Social life this May? Social life smocial life! Who needs it? It didn’t take very long leaving our hotel behind to realize that the answer was, “Not me!”. Trying to navigate everywhere we went without a car would have been expensive, time consuming, and extremely frustrating.

The day began in earnest at Humayun’s Tomb one of the 15 UNESCO World Heritage sights in India. Humayun’s Tomb immediately conjures thoughts of an earth-toned Taj Mahal—albeit on a much smaller scale. The 16^th century structure brought Persian architecture to India. Constructed of red sandstone and white marble, the main building, smaller structures, and manicured lawns retain notes of the splendor that this complex must have once been. Walking the grounds, and wandering in and out of the main building had me bobbing along like a bobble headed doll, and snapping pictures like the paparazzi. It also filled me with a deep sense of gratitude, and enough awe to squeeze a couple of tears out of my eyes. I also found myself thirsty, ravenous, and more than a little hot after our hour long walk around the site.

Thankfully our driver took us to one of the best spots in Delhi for Tandoori Chicken, which we tucked right into, along with a spicy mutton filled nan, and the standard serving of pickled veg and chutnies. Who’s a happy girl?

Our bellies properly filled, and our bodies rehydrated we headed for yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. According to Lonely Planet the Qutb Minar, “is a Babel-like tower of victory, which closely resembles similar Afghan towers.” What they fail to mention is how this structure, which began construction in 1193, still inspires so much reverence from anyone who visits the site. The guide also fails to mention how when the sun is at a certain point in the sky, shadows fall in between the glowing rays this structure was built to catch. It also fails to mention that if you are very lucky, and very patient, the winds will pick up at just the moment when you are between the older structures’ dilapidated walls the wind will pick up just right, and you will feel the divine embrace you. Or maybe that’s just my over active imagination? Thank the powers that be for that gift ;) I spent nearly two hours wandering around the many gorgeous buildings, columns, and preserved yet crumbling structures of this site before exhausting every possible nook and cranny.

Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was my dehydration, maybe it was exhaustion, but when we next stumbled into the Delhi Haat Emporium I felt, rather euphorically, that I had stumbled into the den of 40 thieves. Glittering jewels, gorgeously grafted Ganeshas, and billowing bolts of beautiful fabric left me drooling. As is often the case in Southeast Asia nothing fit, and I almost made it out without a single purchase (which is saying something given how much I love Indian goods), that is until they pulled out a beautiful white silk bolt of fabric embroidered with glittering peacock feathers. Those of you who really know me know that this is the point where trouble came soon after. You guessed it! Within less than five minutes they had me measured and were off making two Indian ladies tunics for me out of this gorgeous find, which I am currently waiting for them to deliver as I sit writing this account of my very first day in incredible India.

For now I will leave you with this recipe for Tandoori Chicken, and warm wishes for all of your childhood dreams coming true.

Enjoy,

The Epicurous Gypsy

Classic tandoori chicken from India is marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, and plenty of spices, then grilled or broiled. Plan ahead. This recipe needs to marinate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Prep Time: 8 hours, 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 9 hours, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces, skinned and trimmed of all visible fat

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or malt vinegar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon peeled and grated or crushed ginger root

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Vegetable oil, for brushing

Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

Slices of cucumber, red (Spanish) onion, tomato and lemon, for garnish

Preparation:

Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork. Then, using a sharp knife, cut slashes in the flesh to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the chicken in a nonreactive large, shallow dish.

In a nonreactive bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, cardamom, cloves, black pepper and salt. Stir until well-mixed, then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it into the flesh, turning the chicken several times. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (Do not marinate for longer than 2 days.) Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

The chicken may be grilled or roasted. If using a charcoal grill, prepare a fire for direct-heat cooking. Position the grill rack 5 inches from the fire. Allow the coals to burn until white ash covers them and the heat is moderate.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, and brush with oil. Place the chicken pieces on a well-oiled grill rack and; grill, covered, with the vents open, turning 3 or 4 times, 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

If roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook, turning once, 25 to 30 minutes until the juices run clear when a piece is pierced near the bone with a knife.

Serve with sprigs of cilantro and slices of cucumber, red onion, tomato, and lemon.

Beatific, Bemusing, Beautiful Bali

The incense sweet scent sifting slowly through the warm, moist, enveloping air of Bali upon my arrival made it very clear that I was not in Thailand anymore. Irritable after dealing with the hassle of procuring a visa upon arrival, and frustrated when unable to find my friends that had come to greet me, I did not enter Bali in anything close to an attitude of gratitude. Not unlike the toxins pouring from my pores my bad attitude seemed to permeate the air around me. My scowling brow, overheated skin, and sharp manner did not make a pretty sight. When I gave up being such a bitch my sight started to clear, my manner started to cool, and it finally dawned on me where I was. Beatific, bemusing, bejeweled, bewildering, but above all beautiful Bali!

Checking my ego at the exit terminal, I let myself surrender to Bali, and all its many gifts. I found myself soon surrounded by the wonderful women I had come to join on this amazing adventure, and we were off. First stop? The bizarre bazaar. The bazaar that our hired driver drove us to was set off from the many tourist destinations, and the locals were hungry for business. We found ourselves snaking through the overcrowded aisles with an entourage of local artisans peddling their wares at our heels. At this point I found myself hungry, tired, and culture shocked. We eventually made our way back to the car where I proceeded to pass out. Exhausted, me? Never.

My frazzled nerves and shell shocked mind was soon soothed and centered by the waves crashing to the shore of the white sand beach we lunched at. If I have learned anything in Thailand, it is that water brings me back to my personal center every time. If I am upset, angry, frustrated, whiny, bitchy, whatever—all I need is to get myself to a body of water (ocean, lake, or pool—they all work wonders on my mind, and spirit). It is a great tool to know what my triggers are, it is a gift to know what gets me back to center. After some time ocean-side, a large Bintang, and some Beef Rendang I was golden—a nap as we headed to Ubud didn’t hurt either.

How do I describe Ubud? The only close comparison I have would be Asheville. The winding, hilly streets of this little town are covered in holistic healing spas, shops filled with beautiful jewelry from the local artisans, and more art than you could shake a stick at. Ubud is like Asheville, only smack dab in the middle of Bali—so basically heaven for this curvy, artsy, spiritually minded mama. Our hotel, the Champlung Sari Hotel, was literally a stone’s throw from Monkey Forest—in fact on our third day taking breakfast at the pool side verandah I was joined by three monkeys who were hoping for a little bite of the delicious breakfast buffet. Our room was spacious, with a gorgeous marble bathroom (including a large tub and separate shower), and a little private garden right off our front patio. The grounds were even more beautiful with lush foliage, Balinese architecture, and a wonderful infinity pool. I can already see that my adjectives are a bit lacking, but how many ways can you really say beautiful? Okay, so according to my word processor’s thesaurus there are quite a few ways I am not employing. You’ll just have to forgive me for this.

We found when booking our trip that we would be in Bali at the same time as the Bali Spirit Festival, and although I have to admit that at first I balked (if not for the price of the entire festival, than at the line-up that I had never heard of for the evening music festival), I will say that I was soon schooled. Our first night at the festival started with a two for one drink happy hour special, and god bless them they had Mojitos. No, of course I didn’t take advantage of that—I only had one or two—I think. What can I say of the talent that was featured at this festival? I can tell you that the crunchy, granola-lovin’, hippy fest I was expecting was not what I got—unless I have managed to turn into a crunchy, granola-lovin’ hippy myself—but I seriously doubt it. Hands down the most amazing, surprising, and soul moving music that was featured in the line-up would have to be Delhi 2 Dublin. I don’t have words to describe how amazing this ensemble really is, so I will let their promo video speak fro them. You be the judge.

Delhi 2 Dublin

The rest of my time in Ubud, when I wasn’t busy shakin’ it at night (super grateful for the world beats music DJ set) was spent shopping for a few really beautiful pieces—sorry to say I was packing light with just my weekend/hiker’s backpack so I couldn’t bring back very much. I did procure a gorgeous large silver ring inlaid with mother of pearl, a few sets of gorgeously carved earrings for my modestly stretched ears, a couple of pieces of silk clothing, a moonstone pendant, a couple of beautifully carved hair pins, a delicately carved silver bangle, and a couple of pairs of beautifully carved earrings for some larger stretched lobes that I know could use them. We also wasted a few hours at one of the local healing spas where I received a massage, scrub, moisturizing mask, floral bath, and pedicure (all for about US 20). Oh, and the food! I think my favorite meal in Ubud would have been at Ibo Uku where we enjoyed the local favorite suckling pig—scrumptious!!!

On my fourth day in Bali we departed Ubud, and I can tell you that I was very sad tobe leaving so soon. I will be back. Our driver met us early in the day, and we headed for the village of Takasurin where much of my favorite jewelry is made by local artisans. The ride there was simply stunning, mostly blue skies, the greenest fields and rice terraces you could possibly imagine, and so quiet. We began our adventure that day at Gungkawi, a sacred site of the Bali people, which was just absolutely stunning. A couple hundred steps (or more) leads you into the temple structure where gorgeous carvings, beautiful rushing waterfalls, and some of the most serene setting awaits you. I was moved, transfixed, and inspired. Ultimately I had another one of those moments of intense gratitude that shakes tears from me. However, the walk back up those stairs is no joke—and I was shaking when I got to the top—but for different reasons. We headed up to Mtn. Batur after leaving Takasurin. The road was filled with local arts and crafts there and back that I seriously could have stopped to explore for hours. As it turns out this is the wholesale route, and the goods are only for sale en masse.

It was pouring when we arrived at Mtn. Batur, which is actually a dormant volcano. Our driver had arranged for us to eat at the buffet overlooking the volcano. Once we had settled the rain, and our view had cleared. It was absolutely amazing to be eating a delicious meal overlooking my first glimpse of a volcano. The view was simply amazing, but so was the food! I believe that I may have had my first taste of ear as well. Truly the closest I have come to an Andrew Zimmern (a personal favorite) moment since I arrived in Southeast Asia. The satay was really amazing though. I believe that when most Americans think of satay it is rather bland meat on a stick with an equally bland peanut sauce on the side. Let’s just say that your taste buds have not even come close to true Balinese satay. Spicy, full of flavor, savory, somewhat sweet, complex, and amazing Balinese satay, you just have to try it to know what it really can be like. I plan to take a cooking class when I return to Bali, and if you ask really nicely I might just make it for you. I fully intend to be versed in several different Asian cuisines when I finally make my way back to the North American continent.

We arrived, after only a little searching, at an amazing five star hotel (which the Lonely Planet had listed as midrange—if this was midrange I have never seen what they are considering as upscale). The hotel lobby was jam packed with quirky sculpture, and as we soon found out, so were the grounds. We ended up at the Kamala Pantai Hotel in Legian (although we were only a stone’s throw from Seminyok). Again, the hotel room was spacious, and the bathroom beautiful with a separate shower and bathtub—not to mention the large porch that overlooked the stunning grounds. The curved lanes that twisted and turned around the large property were immaculately groomed with an array of lush, tropical foliage, and an assorted mix of hidden statues around every bend. The hotel’s two pools both boasted an assortment of sculpture, but true to form it was the swim up bar I got really excited about (lame, but oh so true). We ended our evening with live music, and amazingly good Italian food at the hotel’s open air restaurant (that boasted a real wood burning stove for their mouth watering hand made pizzas). The next 36 hours were spent with me budging very little from our wonderful digs. What can I say? Mass hordes of tipsy tourists, streets lined with t-shirts, and assorted other crap just doesn’t appeal to me. For now I am holding my review of Balinese beaches since I did not make it to Ahmed, but instead spent my time at the far more populated and polluted Kuta and Legian. I will leave you with a recipe that I am hoping gets you close to the amazing satay that this island does so well.

Enjoy,

The Epicurious Gypsy

Ingredients:
300 gr minced chicken
5 tbsp spice mixture (see recipe for this below)
5 lime leaves shredded
1/2 cup grated coconut
About 3 tbsp fried shallots
1 tblsp palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
wooden chopsticks
Mix the coconut, spice mixture, palm sugar, fried shallots, salt and lime leaves together until all ingredients are well and evenly mixed. Add the chicken and knead the mixture together. Add some water or cocounut milk if it is too dry. Take a tablespoon if the mixture and wrap it round a wooden chopstick. Do this until all the chicken mixture is used up. Then grill until golden brown. Serve with stay sauce.
Balinese Spice Mixture
1 tsp whole black pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 an onion or 5 shallots
1 large red chilli with seeds removed
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
2-3 candlenuts
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp tumeric
5 tbsp galangal
3 tsp kencur
1 1/2 tbsp ginger
1/4 cup water (used to make it more pastey if too dry)
Grind all the ingredients into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have one, then use ground black pepper, ground coriander seeds etc. Then place all ingredients in a blender. Heat some oil in a wok and fry until golden yellow in color. Cool before using