My first day out...

Early Tuesday morning, I came with my brother to the store at Calle San Sabastian. My brother has tourist biz n it is fun when there are shoppers. The street is spotless, cobbled-stoned with broad tiled footpaths. Every alternate days, they clean the roads with soap n water, at 5 am…so it a pleasant feeling to walk in these clean streets so early in the morning. One by one, I see the other shops opening and all are busy cleaning their shop windows and sweeping their shops and the spotless foot paths outside their stores. They greet every passer by, sharing the latest news. Nobody is in hurry to reach any where and they love chatting, if there is no topic to discuss, then they will talk about weather….. There are very few cars at this hour of the day, but nobody honks, it is so peaceful that you can hear the footsteps of every pedestrian. Only the friendly conversation kills the silence in the air.

Main streets of Icod de Los Vinos

Icod de Los Vinos is a small village in the North of the island famous for its tourist attraction. It is famous for its Drago Milenario, which is a dragon tree believed to be of 1000 years old, and it also has a butterfly centre called Mariposario. Many tourist visit Icod de los Vinos to see these 2 main attractions. There is no big mall in Icod, however there are 2 main shopping lanes in Icod de los Vinos: Calle San Agustin and Calle San Sebastian that are right angles to each other separated by a town hall to its corners. The lanes are full of small shops that cater to the locals. Most of the shops are run by women. It is a small town where everybody knows each other and the shoppers will wait for a long chat if they visit your store.

Festival of Carmen

Summer in Tenerife means lots of festival and it is the best time to visit tis place. Every part of Tenerife has its own set of festivals. Natives of Canarias believe in Fiestas n siestas. This weekend there was a festival of Carmen celebrated in North of Tenerife at Puerto de la Cruz. This is a fiesta with strong connections to the sea, so water figures highly throughout the day. Huge crowd gathers at the sea front at San Thelmo, playing with water pistols splashing water on innocent bystanders. By late afternoon the area around the harbour becomes a thronging mass and the little beach disappears under a sea of people. Around 6.30pm an excited murmur spreads through the crowd announcing the arrival of San Telmo, followed by La Virgen del Carmen, both carried proudly on the shoulders of local fishermen. As they move with a rhythmic swaying motion which simulates being at sea, the mood of the crowd changes from one of frivolity to religious fervour and devotees clamour to touch the figures for luck. At the lovingly decorated shrine at the top of the harbour, La Virgen pauses to be serenaded by a rendition of ‘Ave Maria’ which sends a tingle down the spine. Only the hardest heart won’t be moved by the sheer intensity of emotion at that moment; all around tear stained cheeks glisten in the sunlight. The strains of ‘Ave Maria’ subside, replaced with cries of “¡Viva La VirgenỊ” and “¡Viva San TelmoỊ” which accompany the couple as they’re carried through the crowd to the water’s edge and the brightly decorated boats which have been chosen to take them on their brief sea cruise. It’s a painfully slow journey. A barrage of fireworks and blaring klaxons applaud their departure and the fact that a good fish supply should be guaranteed for another year and everyone can wander away to dry out before the sun disappears below the horizon. Celebrations take place throughout July and include the obligatory crowning of the fiesta queen, traditional Canarian dances, Jazz and rock concerts, antique car rallies, sporting events and air displays. source: http://www.realtenerifeislanddrives.com/

Home at last....

It took me nearly 24 hours to reach home in Tenerife and that includes flight time and transit time spend at the airports. My route was from Mumbai to Paris to Madrid to Tenerife. It felt like I have never been away although I am returning after three years. I live in a small town called Buen Paso, which is about 45 minutes from Los Rodeos airport in the north. I love the view on route, the streets are clean and colourful, and there is variety of flowers growing wildly on both sides of the road, red, yellow, orange, green, the sight is a treat to the eyes. Tourism is the main industry of Tenerife and every effort is made by the government to make the city worth its name. Road leading to my house View from my balcony. There are row houses opposite my house, each house is distinct from other by color. on left is the view of Atlantic ocean behind my house is new hospital which is still under construction and from my terrace there is a view og Teide, which is a dormant valcano and quite a tourist attraction.

Journeying through the airports…

During the last few months I have passed through several airports such as Mumbai, Dubai, Lagos, Accra, Paris, Madrid and Tenerife. Mumbai airport is a complete chaos. Mumbai airport has no sympathy for travellers. On the route towards airport, there is a narrow bridge leading towards the departure, which leads to traffic jam, At te airport, there is no seating arrangement nor any waiting lounge for visitors who come to see off /or receive their relatives, moreover, the airport stinks of strong phenol detergent and the bathroom attendants expects you to pay for the tissue paper that you need to wipe yourself clean. In sharp contrast is the Dubai airport, which spells luxury. It is pleasure to walk through Dubai airport; they have shiny crystal chandeliers, artificial plants and lots of shopping and have the capacity to receive 120 million passengers per year. Lagos and Accra airports are small airports, but they are better than Mumbai airport that there is place to sit with your family in the waiting lounge or in the restaurant while you wait for the flight to arrive or depart. Paris, Madrid and Tenerife are similar in design with glass and steel that offer a panoramic view of the runways and airplanes. In Paris, I loved the waiting lounge which even had easy chairs facing the runways. When there are long flights and there is a transit of few hours to rest at the airports, the passengers respond to their services on offer and benchmark their services against other airports around the word. I saw lots of constructions at Mumbai airport. I am hoping that Mumbai airport will keep in mind the comfort of the passengers and be more hospitable in its attitude towards the passengers to make the wait at the airports more pleasurable and worthwhile.

One more trip..this time to Tenerife.....

Now that my bags are packed again, I am ready to go to yet another trip, this time to Tenerife, where I have lived for nearly ten years…Tenerife is probably one of the last European paradise isles. "Fascinating" is the word for this island. It offers lush forests, exotic fauna and flora, deserts, mountains, volcanoes, sometimes snow, incredibly beautiful coastlines and spectacular beaches but I am not going for a holiday I am just going back to my home town where my family lives where I will be spending some time, just chilling…... I know every nook and corner of Tenerife, but while I was there, internet was not so common, and I had never heard of blogging, . .so this time, it will be a new experience blogging on my adventures (if any)…now won’t that be fun? But this whole preparation for the trip has been quite irksome … the air fares have shot up like crazy and still all the flights are full! I had booked the ticket with the travel agent about three weeks ago but she ditched me the last minutes and she went off to USA without handing me my ticket and I was left stranded looking for a new travel agent. It is strange that different travel agents have different rates and if we are not careful we are likely to be cheated. I wasted one week checking rates before I could narrow my search on one. I booked my ticket on internet with the agent who lives in South Mumbai. He couldn’t trust me with the money, so he had a person to pick up the cheque and deliver me the e-ticket in person. In India, people have no value for your time, they will make false promises and will never keep the appointment and you have to keep waiting. I wasted ten hours waiting for the travel agent to send the ticket over, and there were no apologies on his part. Anyways that the way things are and it will alwys remain so. I am glad I will be away from this heavy rains of Mumbai and prohably be happy to breathe the clean air of Tenerife.....

Time for lunch....Bhindi Potatoes, Sindhi estyle..

Cooking is my passion and my favorite pass time….My book on ‘Joys of Sindhi Cooking’ is almost complete, Next year, I will be going to China to get it published. In this book I have compiled all my mom’s recipes and I hope to get good reviews when it is published. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Here is the page from my book….. Seyal Bhindi Patata Ingredients: ½ kg ladies finger (slit it lengthwise) 2 potatoes (cut into rings) 2 tomatoes (chopped finely) 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp turmeric powder Coriander leaves Fenugreek leaves 10 cloves of garlic Chillies Salt Oil Method: 1. Pound into a paste the mixture of chilli, coriander leaves, fenugreek leaves, garlic, coriander powder and salt. 2. Keep it aside. 3. Heat oil and fry the pounded paste. 4. Add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder. 5. Stir and fry it well 6. Mash the tomatoes and add 1 cup of water 7. When it starts to boil, add potatoes and ladies finger 8. Cover and cook on slow fire till the potatoes are tender. 9. Do not dry the gravy completely.

Read meet over a cup of ‘Kappi’

Mumbai is an interesting city. People in Mumbai are always busy. Besides sweating at their work places, you can see them running on the roads, changing trains/buses, shopping in those shiny malls or eating leisurely on the streets or in the fancy restaurants. Non-residents of Mumbai would think that Mumbaites might be relaxing during week-ends. But no! Mumbaites cannot relax! Over week-ends too, they are busy with extra-curriculum activities such as kitty parties, picnics to out-station resorts, or movies. Then there are read-meets too, where the upcoming writers meet (once a month) to brush their writing skills. A theme is chosen each month, and all writers are expected to work on their script around that topic. They meet during these read meets, taking their masterpieces with them and allow it chop under the critical eyes of other writers. It helps them to polish their scripts and by sharing their writing tips with other writers, they get the gist of the real writing world. I, too, love attending these read-meets; month after month, we meet at different venues, sometimes in private homes, some times in open terraces and sometimes even under the trees in public places! And this month’s read meet was a special event, organized in an elite club which had strict dress code that would not tolerate any shabby appearance. During the read meets, it is important to look presentable for that eight-minute-fame while we are reading (to distract the writers from our bad writings to our physical charms) but this time, it was obligatory and if we dressed shabbily we would not get passed through those royal gates “Not just neat....shirts (even T-shirts) must be with collar; no shorts, no sandals; shoes and socks obligatory. Torn jeans are not appreciated..” informed one of the read-meet member “.My son came for a family dinner and was turned away because of his scruffy appearance and peek-a-boo toes, we had to rush him home, tie the long hair in a pony tail and give him my friend’s polo shirt and pant, also shoes....of course all too large, but in the view of the management, better he looked like Charlie Chaplin than a hobo”. Such was the venue chosen in Mumbai for June read meet. So this time the writers had not only to concentrate on writing on the theme ‘Water’ (this month’s theme), they would also had to focus on shopping for clothes for that special event. My friend Vinod, who normally comes to the read-meet in khadi clothes with a khadi bag slung diagonally across his chest (and black band sandals with toes touching the ground), came to my house, early morning on the day of read meet. “Why have you come here to my house so early in the morning?” I said “Do you have a black tie?” He said “Why do you want a black tie? You never wear one, all you wear is this khadi, long kurtas and khadi pyjama with this long, hanging string” I said “I know, I know, but you don’t understand, I want to attend read meet today and I have been looking since last fifteen day for a black tie to go formal for this day.” he said “You mean to say that you have not found any tie in any shop?” I said “No, no, it’s not that, actually I have wanted to buy a khadi tie but none of the stores are selling them.” he said “You can't possibly wear a khadi tie over these clothes! They won't allow you an entry. Why don’t you dress up like an English man and wear a full suit with shoes and socks and look neat and tidy?” I said “You know, na, I don’t have any suits and to buy such an expensive suit for just a day is a bit too much for me.” he said “Okay, let me go through my brother’s wardrobe. Maybe I could lend you some of his finest clothes.” I said “You girls are so lucky; you know they are allowing women to come dressed as they please. There is no restriction on dress code for girls.” he said “Yes, yes, I know, now take these clothes and try them on; maybe you can fit into these.” I said He went into changing room and came back after few minutes, dressed in my brother’s clothes, in two sizes smaller than his. “You know I cannot breathe” he gasped At 5pm, Vinod and I sat in an Udipi restaurant, sipping Kappi and reading to each other the notes on ‘water’ (the theme of the day) He was happy with just one feedback.

Cell Company ads on Indian TV channels.

Indian TV ads always interesing and some of them are really good. I have been enjoying nowadays an advertisement of one cell company. There are series of ads featuring Bollywood stars Madhavan and Vidya Balan as a married couple, who are connecting emotionally on the phone. There are three different ads so far, promoting their best network connection using this particular cell company services under the message: That it is cheapest, that you can pay your bills using their services and you can transfer money to your loved ones without leaving the comfort of your home. All the three ads have no music, there is soft and interesting conversation between a married couple, and I love all three of them. The first one is about the wife who is away for a holiday (probably to her mom’s place) and he keeps calling her (eight times in one hour) and the conversation are sweet nothings . (Message of the cell company in this ad is that with cheap telephone connections you don’t worry about the bills and can talk more often) The second ad on these lines is that couple are traveling in a train and are playing cards, and wife inquires whether he has completed all the last minute jobs before closing the house, light, water, doors, etc. She asks whether he remembered to pay the bills before leaving and he quickly pays his bill from his mobile and smiles when the message comes, ‘bill paid’. The third one features husband returning home, is tired and wife is messaging his shoulder. She asks him about his hard day at work and then she asks whether he had send money to his father, and he quietly transfers money from his mobile and then says ‘’long ago’ This particular cell company always portrays a gamut of human emotions and they really touch the cord. It is amazing how so many emotions are portrayed in just few seconds. All three ads are really cute and no matter how many times I have seen them, I don’t change the TV channel when this particular ad is playing…….

The crab seller in Lagos

Once, on my visit to Lagos market place, I was fascinated by this girl selling crabs. Nigerians don’t like their pictures to be taken without their permission and they may get offended if they see you shooting their pictures. Some of them would run behind our cars and make noise, abusing us if they saw us focusing our cameras on them. However, I took permission from this girl before I took her picture, she agreed but she pulled her cap down covering half of her face, and asked us to remove the picture of her crabs. Now how do we do that? Can we? Not when she had such a beautiful skin….couldn’t resist…

Apeksha

Neha is very excited that I will meet her sponsored, nine-year-old mentally challenged child who lives 10000 miles away. My bags are packed for my trip back home. I am ready to leave the next day. “Will you take this gift for Apeksha?” she says as she shows me a box containing a pretty doll, dressed in blue knitted suit and cap, holding on to a soft, tiny teddy bear. “Oh that is lovely. Of course, I will take it for you. I am sure Apeksha will be thrilled.” I say Neha brings out a roll of colorful gift-wrapping paper, few strips of pink ribbons, a pair of scissors and a cello tape. She squats on the floor beside my deranged suitcase and starts to pack a gift for her sponsored child whom she has never met before. For next fifteen minutes, she carefully wraps the gift-box and makes a cute pink bow curling the free ends of the ribbon with a sharp edge of the scissors. She brings out a card, writes a message for Apeksha, seals envelop and writes in a bold letter on the top of the envelop ‘For Apeksha, with lots of love from Neha’. “On my next trip to India, I would like to meet her,” she says as she attaches the card and the pink bow on the gift-wrapped box and hand it over to me. “Sure, I will take you to school to meet her.” I say. The box is too beautiful to dump it in my suitcase. I decide to hand carry it. A week later, I go to the school carrying Apeksha’s gift. It is lunch break and I see Apeksha standing quietly and watching the other children play roller skating. “Apeksha, How are you? Look what I have for you” I say as I show her the gift wrapped box. She looks at me suspiciously and then looks away to watch the children play. ‘Come and see what Neha has sent for you.” Says her class teacher as she approaches her and holds her hand to bring her into the room, but Apeksha refuses to come inside and frees her hand, stares listlessly at me and returns her gaze back to those children with roller skates. Her teacher throws her arm around Apeksha and guides her gently into the room. I hand over the gift to Apeksha informing her that Neha is a friend who loves her too much and she has sent a gift for her. She takes the gift from my hand and sits on the chair facing me. “Open the gift. Don’t you want to see what your friend has sent for you?” I say She makes no effort to open it and just sits there, staring at the gift. Her teacher bends over her and helps her open the gift, removing the card, pink bow and detaching the cello tapes to expose the doll in blue suit with a soft, tiny teddy bear. “Do you like it? It is pretty. Isn’t it?” says her teacher ‘Hhmn!” she says and then gets up and walks out to watch the children play roller skating, leaving behind the box of doll, torn gift-wrapping paper, pink bow with curly frills and the unopened card, all carelessly scattered on the table next to me.

Aamir....a must watch film.....review

Those memorable days in 2008

28th March was the day circled on my calendar. It was the day to celebrate my cousin’s birthday. What was exciting was that it would be celebrated in a strange land, a place that I had never visited before, exciting also because all of my family from different parts of the world, had also circled this date on their calendar. I belong to a close knit family, but all are scattered around the world and we meet whenever there is an occasion to celebrate, a wedding or a holiday, but this time it was special-‘A 50th birthday in Dubai!’ Who would want to miss it? The preparation started one month in advance. Email found their way to all the inboxes, we exchanged notes on planning the trip, the venue, the staying accommodation, the visas, the shopping….there was so much homework to do and the excitement was building each day. Accommodation was no problem, Nikki and Dina, who live in Dubai, happily agreed to share their house and were willing to accommodate everybody into their house. The birthday girl- Gitu- (from Lagos) first to arrive in the city with her sister Rajni(from Chicago) and her daughter Neha and went for shopping for air-mattresses, blankets, towels, and all the sundry items that would be required for our comfort and then they settled to receive with warmth the family that began arriving. One by one, family arrived, each received with hi-five, hug and laughter. Chandru and Baby (from Hongkong); Suresh (from Texas); Laju (from Lome); Reza (from Bahrain); Raju, Rani and Devkadidi (from Pune) and yours truly (from Mumbai). Sanju and Kareena (who stayed just few block away in Dubai, were of great help) and Asgar (the banker who would foot the bill) arrived just few hours before the actual event. And the fun began. The birthday party was held at the newly opened ‘Zen” a Chinese and Thai restaurant (a family restaurant in Dubai run by our Dubai host-Nikki). One thing good about celebrating in the family restaurant is the freedom to enjoy the food and the song. We went crazy clicking pictures, messing with the birthday cake and over-eating randomly from every table, and sometimes from the kitchen. The party went on till late at night and then continued for next ten days. A mini van (15 seated) was hired for traveling within the city as we did malls and restaurants hopping. Then there were Dessert Safari and Abra rides and long drives through the city. Morning were the best, when we would laze around, munching breakfast and sharing vague stories, jokes or ragging the weak ones. Late nights were for watching a film. Sixteen family members were merrily squeezed into 3BKH apartment and nobody was complaining. Those were the memorable events that refuses to fade away and they brighten my day, each time, when I browse through those pictures. I have captured each moment and framed it into my memory album, forever.

An Abra ride down the Dubai Creek

While in Dubai, one evening we were invited for a cruise down the Dubai creek. Abra was hired for us for 2 hours to enjoy the picturesque view of the city. After a lunch of Dim shims, we set out to the creek, our meeting place, to wait for Abra ride which was schedule for 5pm. We were a big group of twenty five members that included family and friends. For first one hour, half of the group was comfortably seated in the lower deck while rest of us braced ourselves on the upper deck, enjoying the cool breeze and watching the sun set down the creek. We had carried some bread for the birds and it was fun seeing the birds glide down towards our boat and pecking the bread away from our hands. The cool breeze mocked against our faces as we watched the old and the new harbors of Dubai. The Dubai creek is the foundation from which Dubai grew. It originally served as a port for trading vessels plying to and from India, Africa and the Middle East. Today a bit of the old shipping culture still remains. In and around the creek one can see some of the original buildings that have served as customs houses and defense structures. Then there were mosques, palaces and museum that were the important landmarks of Dubai and were dotted on both sides of the creek. there was lot of construction all over city and the sky line was interupted by lines of huge metal cranes After sunset, we joined the rest of the group at lower deck and danced to the rhythm of the music. There was food in plenty and we spend rest of the evening chitchatting and relaxing.

Cuisine In Lagos

Outing in Lagos meant going out to dine. Be it Chinese, Nigerian or Lebanese, Lagos boasts of its finest cuisine that is exclusive in taste and its presentation. On the road, they would run behind our cars to sell the plantain chips which were very delicious. I would also see the locals roasting corn, yam and fish at every street corner. Eating in restaurants is a treat. Every restaurant had its own specialty and it was quite an experience trying out the various dishes. I loved the Nigerian cuisine that comprised of hot pepper soup (the best that I have ever tasted), Suya (roasted meat on bamboo sticks), Jellof rice (rice cooked in stew) fufu of cassava, Garri (mashed yam) and charcoal roasted fish. The best Nigerian cuisine were served at Ikoyi Club 1938 (a local club) and in Terra Culture (a cultural centre) The Chinese cuisine that I tasted in Lagos was superb. The meat so tender that it just melts in the mouth. There were three main Chinese restaurants that we visited: Jade Place, Pearl Garden and Golden Crown. When we go to a Chinese restaurant, they serve the condiments of onions, ginger and capsicum. We can combine these condiments with chilly sauce and Soya sauce to suit our taste. A hot and sour Peking Chinese soup with crispy rice is the specialty of all Chinese restaurants in Lagos. Other dishes that were on their menu included Sesame Puffs with the filling of minced chicken, fantail prawns, reddish cake, chicken dumplings, crab balls, spring rolls with the fillings of mayonnaise and prawns. (These were real good and just melted in the mouth). There were many Lebanese restaurants spread all over the city and enjoyed by all Indian society. The most famous Lebanese restaurants were ‘Double Four’, 'Oasis' and 'Goodies'. My cousin was mentioning that she had tried Lebanese at many places around the world but nothing could compare with the Lebanese cuisine of Lagos. And she was right. I tried Falafel, Kibbeh (lamb kheema), Hammus, Babaganoush (brinjal dip), Potatoharra, Shovarma (meat roll) Istanbulli Kababs,and Shishtaul (chicken Kabab) Fatoush salad (salad of cucumber, tomato, lettuce and fried bread) Tabouleh (salad of Parsley) garlic sause and Tatashe sauce (chillies sauce, which we would often pack and take it home). I was amused with the menu card in the restaurants. All the restaurants had colorful menu cards with the photograph of the actual presentation of the food that will be served. It would be easy to decide what we could expect on our table and we were never disappointed.

‘Snow Flower and the Secret Fan’ by Lisa See

While in lagos, I had ample time to catch up with the reading. My niece lent me her book assuring me that it is a good book. and it was. 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is the book that I enjoyed reading. This is an extraordinary tale of Chinese Culture in 19th century, set in a remote Hunan county, it is a story of a bond between two girl friends,(the laotang or old same) Snow Flower and Lily that lasts a lifetime. The laotang, Snow Flower, introduces herself at the age of seven to Lily by sending her a silk fan on which she has written a poem in ‘Nu shu’ (meaning women’s writing) a unique language that only Chinese women could communicate secretly away from influence of men. Having a wife with bond feet was a status symbol for men in the 19th century and consequently having bonded feet increased a woman’s chances of marriage into a wealthier household. Women took great pride in their feet which was considered not only beautiful but also their best and most important feature. Snow flower and Lily had their feet bound during the same time and there begins their friendship. They both endure the agony of foot binding and together reflect upon their arranged marriage, shared loneliness and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. Excerpt: Snow Flower My son is here beside me My child bearing pollution days are not over My husband visits in the morning His face is happy My son has eyes that stare at me in question I can’t wait to see you at one month party Please use your best words to put my son on our fan Tell me of your new family I don’t see my husband too often. Do you? I look out the lattice window to yours You are always singing in my heart I think of you everyday Lily Lisa See has triumphed, writing an achingly beautiful story through vivid memoirs of eighty year old woman who reflect on her life during the 19th century and her relationship with her laotang Snow flower. Nu shu is the backdrop over which the whole story is woven. This haunting, beautiful and ineffably sad tale of longing so intense as to be taken beyond the grave, is written in See's characteristically strong prose. She has a keen ear for Lily's yearning, and manages to depict an era and place vastly different from our own Westernized world with grace, acumen and not a little humility. In her capable hands, Lily evolves as a character with whom the reader (of either gender) can feel a deep affinity, for Lily's quest is irrespective of era or geography or even isolation. See makes her audience feel what Lily feels, to identify with her desperate desire to be touched at that place we call "soul," to exorcise the alienation she feels through one passionate connection with another person.

Visit to Ghana and Togo

Before I came to Africa, I thought Africa is one big country, just to be recognised as east, west, north or South Arica not realising it as a continent that it is. I see Europe as the group of different countries in Europe and Asia as the group of different countries in Asia and moving from one country to another, I have been exposed to a completely different culture and custom and it is something to be accepted. But Africa…I always thought as a whole one country and that is when I was ridiculed at my ignorance. When I was to go from Nigeria to Ghana and I was to take an international flight and change the currency and take Visa, I was surprised. But like we go from India to Bangkok, we see the difference in culture, language, currency but that’s the difference we don’t find when we travel from one African country to another.there is hardly any difference between two countries in Africa.. So don’t blame…me On the periphery, we don’t see much difference. While Nigeria was more community based and there are huge iron doors everywhere, separating one residential area from another. In Ghana it is more lively and Lome is quite scenic. Apart from this, I didnt see much change in behavior of the natives, nor could I differentiate their culture or style After staying for four days in Acra, we decide to go to neighboring country Togo for few days. We hired a taxi to reach the border and then cross over and take another transport. Never in my life have I ever crossed the border between two countries by foot! and this is what I did this time when i crossed the border between Ghana and Togo. we took a taxi rite upto the border of Ghana and then walk through the nomans' land to a new country Togo. The formalities were similar like one we experience at the international airports, that is immigration, visa and checkpost but we did all that on the road. In the middle of the road! There are ill managed bulidings with the officers sitting on the wooden benches and issuing Visa. It took us one hour to finish all the formalities and then we were in a new country. Immediately after the border, there was a market place followed by the ride from the border to the house, a pleasant ride with a beach all the way lined with rows of coconut trees.

Market place in Lagos

Markets in Lagos are no different from the markets in other parts of the world except that you need to be prepared to face the heat that is quite cruel. In reality, one should be happy to visit the air-conditioned malls which sell almost everything and shopping in style should be the norm of the day. But if we come all the way to Africa, we are likely to be curious of a local market. After much cajoling, my cousin finally agreed to take us to the local market. First things first, we had to remove all the jewellery, wear cotton clothes, carry minimum of cash and carry lots and lots of water. Surprisingly, markets are clean. There is lots of crowd in this particular market and branded goods are available at throw-a-way prices. There are rows and rows of shops selling the same items at competitive prices. There are many more hawkers seen on the road causing traffic jam ( called ‘goslow’ ) and the market there is called ‘goslow market’ The streets are colourful with women dressed in bold block prints and a head scarf. They greet me with a smile and wishing me a very good afternoon. I want to buy a fish and she quotes astronomical price. “Wat, are you mad? It is too much” I say “No mamma! Price very good. I tell you, you no get this price nowhere.” “No, price too high, I no buy. You my friend? You no like me? You no want to sell? No? “Mamma, price very small, I make it small for you, for you only, I make it small, how mush you pay hah?” After much discussion, I finally get a good bargain.

Learning Art of Nigeria

There is no limit to the art world. Every country has its own signature into the art world. I was fascinated with the art world on this side of the globe. In Africa, there is art in the motifs and bright color pictures. I went to the local market and there was a display of African art in most of the stores. My cousin, who is also interested in art, wanted to learn this art from a local native and I decided to accompany here and be a silent learner. Moses, the local painter and artist, agreed to share his talent with us. We drove to his studio to learn his art. While my cousin sat on the hot seat, painting, I learnt it from a distance. We went for two days. On day one, they drew lines with glue cone to create embossed effect and coated with the primer of glue and distemper. They worked on three canvases, Two canvases were on motifs, the third one was on knife paintings. At the end of two days, my cousin had created three beautiful painting. While my cousin was busy painting he was creating more designs He was quick, within one hour he created three more paintings.. We learnt the different motifs, his style of painting and blending of colors. He worked with much ease and style, with no drawing or planning, letting the brushes move freely on the canvas, each stroke plucked from his memory, just creating whatever came to his mind and all were amazing…….

April....in a strange land.....

The branches of the tree are just few inches away from my first floor balcony. I stare at it as I sip my tea. I marvel at the large, green and brown leaves that sway with the warm winds. I slowly shift my gaze towards the blue sheet at the pool that glistens with sunrays. Two small heads plop in and out of the pool, their happy squeals cutting the silence beneath the trees. In this month of April, I am far away from my home town, in a dark continent, in West Africa. Same blue sky of my home town is above me, but, here I am surrounded by healthy, green, clean, fresh air, and a sweet fragrance. The birds sing a happy song. So close to the nature, I should be swinging with joy. I am but only for few hours. I am spoilt by my electronic world and I miss the glossy patterns of bytes and words. I take two hours to complete my work which would normally take only ten minutes in my home town. Slow internet connection drains me out and I wait patiently, furiously pulling the strands of my hair. There is shortage of power at all times of the day; luckily for me, most of the houses have transformers that run on petrol or diesel. My mind drifts to the village home, just few miles away, and I see the discomfort of a native in this primitive land. The weather is too hot and my inspiration has no wings. Is April the cruelest month? I feel sad, but momentarily. Glow returns with the radiance of smiling faces around me. An idle chat of poetry and song, a game of cards, a fancy cuisine or drives through the green winding roads towards the beach shifts my moods and I am happy once more. But, driving through those lonely roads, I am reminded of the armed robbery through the streets that are more common now and I cup my ears to hide the reflections of the stones that dangle through my ear lobes. My heart stands still till I see the familiar secured gates of my holiday home. Safe, once more, I take a chance to enter my virtual world. I am home away from home This April is the cruelest month It is not, or is it?

On the busy streets of Lagos

The car has stopped in the middle of the road and needs immediate attention. Due to bad oil, there is dirt in the carburetor. While the car is being repaired, I am waiting in the car. My car is parked under the shade of the tree, just below the bridge. On my right are palm trees. Each tree is labeled, it has its scientific name, tree name ad its uses. There is a royal palm tree which says is uses for decorative purpose and other shorter tree called Palm tree has its uses listed as edible oil. There are several hawkers resting under the tree. These hawkers are the ones who were hawking in the traffic jam. Here the traffic jam is called ‘goslow’ and these hawkers sell all kinds of wares at ‘goslow’. On my left, there is a bridge and I can see more than 50 hawkers in that small strip of the bridge. They sell all kinds of stuff and run after every car. It is so sunny and hot, and they have their clothes soaked with perspiration, when they are tired, they come here, on my right and rest under these trees.

Visit to Beauty salon in Lagos

One of my cousins was leaving for USA,so she decided to have a make over, to get a new look after her trip to Lagos. She wanted to do streaking and blow dry....we went to the salon, where the owner was a male hair style artist. The salon was full of beautiful paintings covering all the bare walls. There were Indian magazines on the magazine racks. Salon was quite expensive. For dyeing and blow drying my cousin paid about one hundred US dollars whole my couin who did streaking and cutting hair paid almost one hundred and sixty US dollars. It is quite expensive if we compare the rates with India, In Mumbai I normally pay Rs1000 (about 25 US dollars)for dyeing my hair, and that too in a good salon.