31 March 3013 ~ Happy Easter

Listening to: BMW ~ Natural Mystic

 

30 March 2013 ~ Mysore ~ Part 1

Listening to:  Willie Walker & The Butanes ~ Put Out The Fire


While in India, I took a day trip to Mysore. It's about 146km southwest of Bangalore, and took just over 3 hours to drive there one way.

The city has recorded history dating back a thousand years and a mythical history which explains the origin of the name - apparently, this was the place where the demon Mahishasura was slain by the Goddess Chamundi.

Hyder Ali who was a commander in the army usurped power in the late 18th century. Hyder Ali was succeeded by his son Tipu Sultan, who fought and lost a war with the British, dying in battle in 1799.

We stopped by Tipu Sultan's Garden House.

And the site where Tipu's body was found after a battle with the British on 4 May 1799.

St. Philomena's Roman Catholic Church.

And Jamia Mosque (remember, that was also the name of the mosque I lived across from in Hong Kong).

 

24 March 2013 ~ Deer in Backyard

Listening to: Stir Fried ~ Ain't No Bread in the Breadbox


I was sitting at my desk writing up my grocery list when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.

Lo and Behold! A deer was strolled into my backyard parking lot!

Not sure where to go next...

Decided to at least have a snack while here.

Here are 2 short videos. I hope the deer stays safe.

http://youtu.be/2lePbbevEOQ

http://youtu.be/JKx27oVF4BM

17 March 2013 ~ Napa Trip

Listening to:  Bob Dylan ~ You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go


The Napa Trip last month with Haleh was so much fun.
We hired a driver that drove my rental car to/from Berkeley, so we had a designated driver at all times.

Our first stop was Mumm Napa for a champagne tasting.

Driving to Frog's Leap.

The view from Frog's Leap.

Mustard plants.

Inside Caymus.

Outside Caymus.

The house of Paraduxx.

 

Finished up the day at Silver Oak.

 

 

An evening picnic at the gate of Far Niente before heading back to Berkeley.

 

14 March 2013 ~ Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt

Listening to: Van Halen ~ Jamie's Cryin'


I joined a group of co-workers for the San Francisco Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt on 23 Feb.

The Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt is a unique urban sleuthing adventure played on the streets of Chinatown, North Beach, and Telegraph Hill on the night of the annual Chinese New Year Parade. Treasure hunting teams have four hours to solve sixteen clues leading them to obscure landmarks, forgotten architectural delights and vestiges of San Francisco's colorful past.

One of our teams won 4th place for Best Noir-Themed Team Name : Go Ahead, Snake My Day, and received this cake.

It was fun to see the parade.

Lots more firecrackers were set of than I'd ever seen in China or Hong Kong. This picture is just showing the smoke from the firecrackers.

11 March 2013 ~ Ski Trip

Listening to: Aaron Emry ~ Moon of the Daylit Sky

I still have photos from India to post, but I'm going to switch gears and show the Ski Trip photos.

This is the house we rented. I went with 9 other co-workers and it had 5 bedrooms. Although I'm not a skier/boarder, this was close enough for a ski-in.

Nice comfortable living room.

And a convenient cooler for all our beer and vodka.

We had lots of fun playing games.

And more games.

We all took turns cooking meals, and this is the night I cooked a Turkish dinner for the group...salad, red lentil soup, köftes with pita and yogurt.

One day was beautiful and I walked around outside.

This picture didn't turn out great, but the house is owned by a Morman family that have lived there since 1867. This is the family tree.

5 March 2013 ~ Legacy of Punjab

Listening to: Patti Smith ~ Because The Night

Happy Birthday!

My Bangalore lunch was a buffet at the Legacy of Punjab.

Great ambiance. I love sitting on big sofas with pillows. Started off the meal with fruit, chicken, lamb, Russian salad, (made with green beans instead of peas, but nonetheless delicious), and a glass of ayran to drink (I don't know what it would be called in India).

Nice silk rolls hung over the buffet.

The waiter told me the silk was used to make these displayed kite decorations.

  Hanging above me were spools of thread.

For dessert I had helva (the green item) and some other flour dish.


 I wish there was a dessert bar to have partaken with the hookah on display.

2 March 2013 ~ Summer Palace & Tapioca

Listening to: Bob Seger ~ Night Moves

On the way to the Summer Palace we were stuck in traffic, and I was able to observe these bamboo mats being made.

This fruit is an elephant fruit. They are really large and I think would hurt if they fell on your head. They are fibrous with liquid inside, and really only elephants eat them.

Here is the temple at the Summer Palace.

And a more complete picture.

In the Meeting Room. The guide tried to take my picture where the Maharajah would sit, but it turned out kind of blurry.

Outside the temple a man was selling fresh tapioca. My guide and driver had never tasted it either, so we bought some to sample.

It's served covered in sugar and lime. Hard to describe the flavor...I don't think I would buy it again, but if it was served to me I'd probably eat it.

1 March 2013 ~ Bangalore

Listening to: Here We Go Magic ~ Hands in the Sky

Apologies for the delay in posting. I flew back from India on the 22nd - a grueling 22 hours on 2 flights. Then I did a Clue Race in San Francisco with some co-workers. Slept in on Sunday. Monday - Wednesday I was at a Customer site. And now I'm in Utah at a ski lodge with 7 co-workers. No, I don't ski, but it's fun hanging at the lodge. Stay tuned for pictures of those events.

But for now, back to India.

I did a daytrip through the city of Bangalore. We started off at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

Greeted by some dwarfs in front of a flower clock.

And a statue.

 

 

The flowering trees were beautiful.

 

 

After the park my guide took me to the Bull Temple. This bull was found in 1587 but no one knows when it was carved.

We had to take off our shoes to go into the temple, which I'm used to, but this was the first place where the entrance was splattered in bird droppings, so it was kind of gross.

Outside the temples are a lot of large bats hanging in trees. I was surprised to see them in the daylight.