Dubai and India

Typical Street Scene in Kinshasa, DR Congo

First, I would like to you look at this picture of a typical scene in Kinshasa.  I took this photo on the road that leads to N'Djili Airport in Kinshasa.  Notice the dirt, garbage, crumbling buildings, and general disarray.

Kristen and Helle in between the Dubai Mall and the Burj Khalifa

Now, observe the huge smile on my face in all of my pictures.  Why the smile?  Because I was in the new downtown of Dubai, one of the most clean, orderly, gleaming places on the planet!  In January, one of my great friends from Kinshasa, Helle, and I took a trip to UAE and India.  We first stopped in Dubai, and the place pretty much put our systems in a state of shock because it is the complete opposite of Kinshasa.  I felt like I was somehow transported to some sort of marvelous, computer generated world of new, shiny buildings, immaculate-looking people, shopping that defies description, and restaurants that actually provide wonderful food and service.  I like to refer to this destination as "Adult Disneyland."  Dubai is probably THE most international place that I've ever visited - approximately 90% of the people who live there are from other countries.  Consequently, the restaurants and stores cater to this diverse population.

One thing that fascinated Helle and me more than it should have were the thobes/kanduras worn by the Arab men.  How, pray tell, do they keep them so pristine white and crisp?  Whenever I wear white it never stays that way for more than a few hours.  Also, is this particular item of clothing worn like a dress, or more like a shalwar kameez with pants underneath?  We really wanted to stop and ask them these ever-pressing questions, but we figured that they would somehow take it the wrong way...

We spent the majority of our time in or around the Dubai Mall.  Before you knock our use of time, remember A) we live in Kinshasa, and B) have you SEEN the Dubai Mall?!  This is not the standard suburban mall found around America, my friends.  It is also in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, which is the tallest building in the world.  The Burj Khalifa is 2,717 feet (828 meters) tall, and it completely dwarfs all of the other skyscrapers in the city.  However, it somehow seems to fit in with with the whole Dubai theme (big, shiny, new, wow!).  Also, every evening they have amazing fountain shows at the base of the building that incorporate water, music, lights, and fire (Again, big, shiny, new, and wow!).

Burj Khalifa - The Metaphor of Dubai

Spice Souk in Dubai

Admittedly, this isn't one of the more sparkly locations of Dubai.  The Spice Souk is located in the older section of the city.  It is pretty touristy, but it is a fun place to wander around and find a wide assortment of spices.  It is also located adjacent to the Gold Souk.  Ah, the Gold Souk!  If there is any place that will bring out your inner-princess, it is here.  Store after store of glimmer and glitter, gold and stones.  Fortunately for my bank account, this souk so completely overwhelmed my senses that I somehow managed to buy absolutely nothing.  Of course, this led to massive non-buyers remorse, and countless I-Told-You-So's from Helle.  Sigh.  Oh well, I made up for it in India!

We flew from UAE to India, and we stayed in CP, which is basically the center of Delhi.  Delhi is completely different from Dubai, but I absolutely love the energy of the city!  It is a strange mix of new and ancient, chaos and color. 
On our first full day in Delhi, we were met by a friend of my wonderful friend Astha, Anuradha (Munmun).  She then took us to a magical place called "Hazoorilal."  Hazoorilal is a very nice jewelry store in India, that specializes in Indian wedding type jewelry.  Again, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of shimmer and glimmer, and so I didn't buy anything.  Fortunately, I overcame my glitter-shock and I finally purchased some amazing gold and ruby pieces at Amrapali.  I am telling you now, you MUST go to Amrapali if you are ever in the market for Indian jewelry!

We wandered around some of the shops near Hazoorilal for a few hours, and then we stopped in front of an Indian restaurant.  Helle and I debated whether to eat there or at another place that was previously recommended to us.  At that point, a man walking by told us to eat at there, and so we did.

Later that evening, one of Helle's friends that she knew in China (who is Indian and now lives in Delhi) invited us to a party in another part of town.  Why not?  We arrived around 11:30 pm, and joined Nikil and his friends for one of their friend's birthday celebration.  Shortly after we arrived, a man walked in who looked vaguely familiar.  I didn't think too much about it because really, how many people do I know in Delhi?  The man then looked over at us and asked if we were in a particular shopping area earlier that day.  Anyway, it ended up being the person who told us to eat in the restaurant.  Crazy!  We stayed at the party for about two hours, and then someone in the group suggested that we go to a club called "Lap."  This club is owned by a Bollywood star, Arjun Rampal.  Apparently, it can be a bit tricky gaining access to the club, but fortunately, we were able to get in without any problems (Cheers to friends of friends!).  The club not only feels like it is in another world, it feels like it is in a different dimension.  The patrons were unusually good-looking, young, and well-dressed.  The decor also has an interesting mix of dark-Victorian-meets-neon-techno.  The music was amazing, and drinks were everywhere.  Somehow I  managed to find my usual straight-up soda water with a slice of lemon.  Yeah, I'm boring that way.  Finally, around 4:00 am we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.  We felt so cool getting into our sweet ride of a taxi alongside the Ferraris and Porches.

Anuradha (Munmun) and Her Family in Delhi

Anuradha, our new found friend who took us to Hoozorilal, invited us to dinner on one of the evenings.  Her eldest son met us at the door with bouquets of roses for each of us, which was very thoughtful.  Anuradha and Astha have known each other since they were students in Putna, and they've kept in close contact over the years.  She was so much fun to visit with, and we really appreciated her hospitality.  During the evening I mentioned that I really liked jalebis, and so the next time we stopped by her home, she gave me a box of them!  Anuradha also arranged for our driver within Delhi, as well as a driver for Agra.  She also sent one of her house staff to accompany Helle and I in Agra, basically to keep us out of trouble.  I'm used to having my driver around, but it was a bit of an adjustment having a driver, assistant, and guide accompany me during my sight-seeing.  Actually, they were all great guys to have as an entourage, and I was spared the terrible strain of carrying my hand bag as well as other such strenuous tasks.

Doing the Touristy Photo Shoot

Helle and I visited the Taj Mahal in Agra during our last full day in India.  Mildly put, it is absolutely beautiful!  The symmetry of the structure is amazing, and I was completely mesmerized by the all of the intricate carving of the white marble, as well as the beautiful inlay work of the semi-precious stones.  I've been to plenty of overrated tourist traps, but this definitely is not one of them.

Gate at Taj Mahal

The gates surrounding the Taj Mahal were also amazingly beautiful.  I could have spent the entire day simply looking at all of the carving on the buildings!

Helle and Me in Agra

One of my favorite things that I did in India was eat.  OK, so pretty much my favorite thing that I do on all of my vacations is eat.  Whatever.  Fortunately, most of the food that we ate was quite healthy, and so I didn't worry too much about  all of the naan and gallons sweet lime juice that I consumed over the trip.  Oh yeah, plus all of the duty-free chocolate from the airport.  And then there were the jalebies. And who can forget the bag of sesame candy and the chocolate covered dates stuffed with almonds?  But again, whatever.

Seychelles



Anders, Anson, and Soren at Anse Intendance in Southern Mahe Island (The beaches were never more busy than this!)



On January 1, we took a family vacation to the Seychelles.  I've been dreaming of visiting the Seychelles for as long as I can remember.  It is one of those destinations that is constantly featured in all of the travel magazines for having the best beaches in the world, and for good reason.  The Seychelles are in a very remote location - over 1,000 miles off the coast of Kenya in the Indian Ocean.  Also, because it is quite difficult to travel to these islands, there are relatively few tourists.  The beaches were never crowded, even though we were vacationing during high season.  Also, the weather is absolutely wonderful (highs in the 80s and lows in the 70s all year long), the islands are amazingly green, and words really can't adequately describe the water.  I have NEVER seen water so crystal blue!  I wish that I was a better photographer so that I could adequately show the incredible beauty of this island.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to return so that I won't forget the scenery!  The Seychelles are also unique in that they are granitic islands, whereas most islands are volcanic.  These islands broke off from the Indian continent when Pangaea separated, although the Seychelles are actually now considered part of Africa.  The culture is an interesting mix between African/Island/South Asian, and you really can't be too time or schedule conscious when interacting with the Seychellois.  No one ever seems to be in a hurry to go or do anything.  Drivers will also routinely stop in the middle of the road to visit with someone or to simply park their car.  Actually, this really can't be helped because the roads typically have no turn-offs or shoulders.  Also, the roads are very narrow and winding, especially on Mahe Island (the main island) where it is mountainous.  The views from the highway (if you can refer to the 2-lane road as such) are stunningly beautiful, but you really can't look around while you are driving or else you will almost be guaranteed to have a head-on collision and/or drive off a cliff.

We stayed on Eden Island which can be accessed via causeway from Mahe.  It is a private island with boat docks for each apartment or house.  On the morning after we arrived, I went out on our deck and I saw one of the most absolutely fabulous yachts that I've ever seen.  Well, I guess D.R. Congo isn't world-renown for its yachts, but still!  It was docked in the Eden Island marina, and it pretty much dwarfed all of the other boats.  The other yachts looked positively unremarkable in comparison, and I'm sure that those poor, poor sailboat owners probably had a major hit on their self-esteem.  Apparently, this yacht belongs to a sheikh from Abu Dhabi (Sheikh Khalifa, I believe), who is a regular visitor of the islands.  You can see his mansion/palace glowing like a super-fab lighthouse from the top of a mountain above Mahe at night.  I'd like to say that I was promptly whisked aboard this ocean vessel and then spent the remainder of my holiday touring the isles of the Indian Ocean, but alas, that did not happen.    

Sheikh Khalifa's Yacht (love the color-coordinated helicopter)



Anders and Anson on Anse Lazio on Praslin Island

 We flew to Praslin Island for a day, mainly to visit Anse Lazio.  This is consistently listed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  We arrived at the beach around 09:00, and we were the only people on the beach for almost an hour.  After that, there were a few other tourists, but as with the other beaches in the Seychelles, it never became crowded.  We spent the majority of the morning playing in the waves, building sandcastles, and catching sand crabs.  The boys also loved playing on the many granite boulders scattered around the beach. 

Soren and Anson Feeding Fruit Bats

After about 3 hours on Anse Lazio, we drove around the island.  We ate lunch at an open-air restaurant adjacent to Anse Georgette.  We then stopped for ice cream, visited a pearl farm, and drove through Vallee de Mai.  This nature preserve is a World Heritage Site and home of the coco de mer.  This tree is native only to the Seychelles, and much to the boys' amusement, the nut looks like a very large bum. 

After we ran out of things to do, we decided to stop at a tiny holistic medicine/spice farm that offered tours.  The sign was hand-written, and I really can't explain what an odd little place it was.  Added bonus, the family that runs it also had a large cage full of fruit bats.  The boys and I were able to go into the cage to feed and pet the bats while our guide told us various facts about the animals.  I've always loved bats, and so this weird little attraction was actually one of my favorite stops during this trip.

Anders, Anson, and Soren Participating in a Seychellois Cultural Lesson

While we were at the holistic medicine/spice farm, the owner gave us a lesson on the Seychellois culture and history.  He also showed the boys some of the traditional musical instruments, tools, etc.  He then gave us an interesting drink that was made with lemongrass and vanilla, which was actually good.  I bought some vanilla beans and coconut oil, and then we drove around the island some more until it was time to return to Mahe.

Note about the inter-island flights - you can see light from under the airplane door.  Enough said.

The Boys Searching For Seashells on Eden Island

One of the boys favorite beaches on Eden Island was a mini bay down a path from where we stayed, mainly because there were so many seashells.  Anson was particularly interested in seashell hunting, especially after I bought a few from him (money definitely increases the probability of reoccurrance of a behavior with him).  We had to be a bit careful walking in the water, because there was a large population of sea urchins.  Speaking of sea urchins, one morning the boys and I found a sea urchin that had been stranded on the beach due to the receeding tide.  We asked one member of the beach maintenence staff to return this poor creature to the ocean.  She nodded, picked up the urchin with her rake, and unceremoniously dumped it down a drainage ditch, much to the horror of the boys. We also found a puffer fish (my personal favorite), as well as many other varieties of fish.  The boys really enjoyed finding hermit crabs and other sea creatures.  One interesting creature looked like a cross between an amphibian and fish - it would swim but then hop along the shore.  Anders named it a "salatoadish" for a salamander, toad, fish.


Anders and the Boat Owner's Son Feeding Fish off Round Island

On our last full day in the Seychelles, we took a small excursion around some of the tiny islands off of Mahe with a family-owned company called Captain Nemo's.  The father (Captain Nemo, I presume) and three of his sons took our family out on their glass-bottom boat where we fed the tropical fish, explored a small island, enjoyed a wonderful beach bar-b-q, and snorkeled.  The food was traditional Seychellois, and it was definitely my favorite meal on our vacation.  It reminded me a bit of Thai food with an African influence.  If we had any time remaining in the Seychelles, I would have signed-up for another outing simply to have the food!

Soren with Baby Sea Turtle

 While  we waited for  our bar-b-q, we wandered around the island and swam in the water.  Sea cucumbers were absolutely everywhere, and for whatever reason, the boys that that these squishy sea creatures were absolutely hilarious.  While swimming, I found a newly hatched sea turtle.  I remember seeing the nature specials on TV when I was growing up (anyone remember "Wild, Wild World of Animals" on PBS?), and I especially liked the episode about the sea turtles hatching and then fighting to make it to the ocean.  Very dramatic.  Anyway, it was rather cool to actually find one of these amazing, little creatures in the wild.

After we completed our beach bar-b-q, we took the boat to another location and then we snorkeled.  We saw an adult sea turtle, as well as many varieties of fish.

Next dream vacation on my list - the Maldives, with transportation courtesy of a certain Abu Dhabi Sheikh!!!
 

Embassy Boat Trip

Anson and Anders exploring a sandbar in the middle of the Congo River. 

An aquatic parasite indigenous to central Africa taking over Anson's brain.

Our boat trips typically consist of our family, plus one or two other families.  However, during this outing we went with a large group from our embassy, as well as with several individuals from the US Embassy - Brazzaville.  This was probably one of our boys' favorite river outings because A) it didn't involve any dead bodies, B) no one siphoned the fuel from the boat, and C) we were joined by the Marines.  As many of you know, most US Embassies around the world have Marine Security Guard detachments who stand watch at Post One, and protect classified information.  They are also the youngest individuals who work at the embassy, and therefore the coolest (according to all of the boys).  While the majority of the adults on this outing sat and gossiped on the beach of the sandbar, the Marines were in the water and whipping the kids into an absolute frenzy!  It was so funny to watch these big guys running up and down the beach while being swarmed by a pack of screaming children.  They were excellent sports about the whole situation, and they certainly made it enjoyable for my boys!   

Today's entertainment is brought to us today by the Marines!

Our managment officer and ambassador (Brazzaville) discussing pressing world matters (or something) in the midst of the hullabaloo.

Should I be concerned that someone is running while holding my baby by the ankle?  Nah!

Birthdays - Another Excuse for a Party!

A favorite past-time in Kinshasa is hosting or attending birthday parties.  Hardly a week goes by without at least one person from our household attending one of these functions. Here are a few of the parties from the recent past:


Astha's "Black & Pearl" Themed Birthday Party

 If there was ever someone who DIDN'T need an excuse for a party, it would be Astha!  She is an absolute dynamo, and you know the party has started when she walks through the door.  I love hearing her stories of when she would escape from boarding school in India to go clubbing, as well as her adventures as a fashion reporter while she was in her twenties.  This year for her birthday, we all glammed it up in black & pearls while dancing to Bollywood hits, Akon, and whatever else the DJ would spin. 


Anders's 9th Birthday

This year Anders helped design and decorate his birthday cake.  It was his second Christmas tree themed cake, although he also had two baseball cakes and 2 snowmen cakes.  Hey, whatever works. Anders is one of those extremely pleasant children who gets along with just about everyone, and so most of his classmates attended his party.  To accent his Christmas-themed cake and decorations, we had a BBQ/pool party.  As I just said, whatever works.

 



My Birthday - It feels great to FINALLY be 25 (plus, um, a few years)!

 Look at all of these gorgeous ladies! I love it that everyone took the time to get dressed up for a night on the town.  We first went out to eat at a French restaurant, and then we danced at Crystal and Spice.  I was home by 2 or so in the morning (who can remember these details?!), but the more intrepid members of the party danced until almost dawn.
 

Praveen's Birthday (Celebrated on Diwali)

 Obviously, I missed the memo on the dress code.  All I can say is that I don't have any yellow in my closet, and white goes with anything.  Oh well, if I take that jacket to the cleaners in Kinshasa, it will be yellow and ready for next year.  As always, Bouchra was such a wonderful hostess!

 



Nimet's Birthday

 Nimet is such a wonderful friend, and I'm glad that she also works at the embassy so we can discuss important matters during our daily "meeting."  Sabine also happened to be back in Kinshasa for the weekend, and so I'm glad that she was able to visit us from Uganda. 

 



Soren's First "Night" Birthday Party

Because Soren is now in middle-school, he decided that he wanted to have a "night" birthday party.  Last year he didn't even want to consider inviting individuals with only X chromosomes to his birthday.  However, this year they were definitely on the list.  The party also involved very loud music, dance lights, a fog machine, and enough food to feed FARDC.

Spice Grand Opening




Toral and I (bottom left corner) discussing something riveting during the grand opening

  Kinshasa is rather limited in its "Things to Do" department.  There are a handful of clubs and restaurants where we'll go to visit on weekends, and of course we spend a great deal of time at each others' homes.  However, most of the clubs are seedy to say the least, and the music is not exactly what I would select.  Fortunately, my friend, Toral, opened a restaurant/club called "Spice."  The food, atmosphere, and music is fantastic, and it is now one of our favorite weekend stops.


Lizzy, Nimet, and Me



Watching the evening's entertainment. 



Birender doing his thing

Toral and her husband hired an amazing bar tender from Nepal.  Birender is only 19, but drinking ages don't apply in the DRC - if you have money, you can have alcohol.  Anyway, he is really entertaining and his specialty appears to be stunts involving fire.  Juggling flaming objects, lighting various surfaces on fire, pouring a myriad of beverages that are on fire, he does it all.  Entertainment trumps safety!  Because I do not drink alcohol, and apparently water is not flammable, I haven't tried one of his specialties.  However, he is also talented at pouring water with lemon.  The man has skills!