First take and review of Monkey Maze at Marthahalli, Bangalore

I had seen Monkey Maze many times on my drive over to WhiteField. It falls almost eye level on the left as you come off the bridge after Marthahalli. Today I finally took my four year old to it.

Monkey Maze is located above Pizza Hut, next To Purva Foundation Square. It is a huge, airy and well lit space. It has a nice play gym with slides, tunnels, climbing net walls, a ball pit and trampolines. It is not a huge gym but big enough for ten to fifteen kids to play comfortably in. Next to the gyms are toys of all sorts – kitchen supplies and soft foam puzzles and a few toddler entertainers like swings and push cars. In front to the gym is a café selling coffee, chips and juice. Lots of little tables and chairs near the café make it look like an ideal place for a kid’s party. At the other end of the huge space are a few book shelves with toys for sale sorted by age. The collection is not intensive but is interesting and there are a few puzzles that I plan to pick up for an eight year old from there.

Price Structure:

Rs 100 for 45 min of play

Rs 150 for 1hour of play + a cup of coffee + a drink (slice) + a pack of chips

Rs 200 All above + a surprise gift.

I took the Rs 150 package. While I paid Ashvin attacked the jungle gym. I joined him in there for a bit but the presence of other kids and a really helpful supervisor let me escape for my cup of coffee. I spent the rest of the time looking at their ‘store section’, taking photos, making faces at Ashvin and looking through their party packages.

The one in Marthahalli seems to be work in progress. Half the area seems to be undergoing some remodeling but this is shielded well and not obvious unless you walk around  and peek. It looks like a promising space with a lot of potential. Once they have more traffic and staff hopefully they will get regular pottery and other classes going for kids.

If Ashvin were to write the review I am sure he would say it was awesome. He had fun, so much fun that when his one hour was done he want  more time. As he is the one that matters at the Monkey Maze I’d say they have a good thing going and will see us back soon.

Address:

2ND Floor, Above Pizza Hut, Next To Purva Foundation Square, Varthur Main Road, Marathahalli, Bangalore - 560037

Phone:                 +(91)-(80)-40957631      

                                +(91)-9901117908

Email: www.monkeymaze.in

Hours of operation: 11:00 am - 08:00 pm everyday

Birthday Package details (please email them for the most up-to-date) please take a look at - http://kindazesty.blogspot.com/2011/09/monkey-maze-birthday-party-options.html

Hiking around Bangalore: Another trip with Ankit and BMC

Ankit and I went for a day trip via BMC to Turalli  today- It was a hiking-rockclimbing-rappelling trip for newbies and sounded perfect for a twelve year old.
It was a 7am - 6:30pm trip with all arrangements - transport, food, guide and equipment - for Rs 900 pp.

The not so good part:

1. It turned out to be a trip of twenty nine people. I had made the mistake of booking last minute and not asking how many people were on the trip. As this is a long weekend here I should have expected this. I do not like huge groups of people to go on such trips so was a little overwhelmed. This also meant you had less time to do an activity as you were waiting for people.
2. Trash - as usual there was plenty of it on this trail too. Broken whiskey bottles and plastic clogged puddles of water.
3. Random groups of  men drinking and  playing cards - many with their shirts off. This seems to be a popular activity in this area - come on your bike, drink, play cards and leave all your trash behind. Made me feel happy I was part of a big group and not here alone.

 The great parts :

1. 
   

1. As usual BMC arranged everything ( inspite of the large number of people) very nicely. Timely pickup and drop off. Good food and a great rock climbing instructor.
2. As stated in the trek description this was for newbies and there were plenty of kids on this trip and they all had a great time.
3. Made some good friends - Ankit has one over for sleepover tonight. He clicked with the kid and me with the mom. Similar people do similar activities. Met some other really interesting people too.
4. I know I cribbed about the large group. It interfered with my hiking ideals but it did show me something that has kept me smiling all day long - a family with three generations joined us. Grandparents, parents, aunt and uncle and four kids. The grandma was old and was helped along the trek with the help of a stick and family members. The grandpa - at 65 - rappelled and climbed a boulder. The kids cheered them and they clapped for the kids. I really had not seen this in India before. Just showed me another moment where I misjudged a traditionally dressed family.

So all in all - glad I spent another day out with Ankit. We walked and talked and had fun. I'll look for a smaller group next time but once again am happy BMC is here - helps me go into the jungles of Bangalore with its semi-clad 'trashy' dudes without any worries.

Adventures on an auto - dropped my iphone 4 in one.

Ankit and I came back from a hike today. The bus dropped us at Wind Tunnel Road and our plan was to get an auto home from there. I called home to confirm our plans and we picked up a little snack - roasted corn on the cob - before getting an auto. The fare was negotiated to a meter plus twenty but I am past that at the moment.

We ate our corn and some twenty minutes later were home. Some twenty minutes after that I realized that my phone was missing. My phone with all my contacts, with photos from the trip today, my iphone that would be hard to replace was nowhere to be found.

We searched high and low for it and then I succumbed to the realization that I dropped it in or out of the auto. "Now that it is in an auto then it is gone, there is no way to get it" Lalita - our housekeeper - sadly told me. I picked up the home phone and called my number. No reply. Peeyush called it. No reply. In my head I wishfully could imagine an autowala wondering how to answer the call. I also hoped that the ease of use of an iphone might help him answer it.

When I had called home my phone was at 5% charge so I was scared of ringing it too many times but that is all I could do - call it. And call it again. On the fifth try the autowalla picked up. Excited but scared of the battery dying I hurriedly asked him to bring it to our place.

For the next five minutes I could hardly contain my excitement and nervousness. What if he got distracted by another fare? What if he realized how much the phone was actually worth?

The autowala showed up and gave me the phone. He seemed to be as excited about returning it to me as I was to get it. I tipped him generously.  He told me I was lucky as two other passengers got in after me and noone saw the phone. I was so caught up in the emotions that I did not ask his name. I did not get the auto number. He might not have realized what he had - I do have a cute but kiddish hello kitty cover on my phone :) but he bought it back to me. For this evening he is my hero and I am glad that an iphone is as intuitive as it is.

Not an artist but a mom for sure.

Ankit is growing up. Not quite a kid. Not quite a grown up. A preteen. He is not always sure of what he wants. Not sure if he is happy or not. Not sure if he wants to give in and enjoy the moment like his four year old brother is doing or hold back and be all adult like about it. Our trip to Claytopia had all these elements. He was not hungry and he did not want to paint any of the ceramic pieces. He, as he put it, was not sad but just did not want to do anything.

My ceramic painting rule is that they paint things they will use; I am not getting another half painted dinosaur. Ashvin picked up a bowl and within a few minutes the kid in Ankit peeked out and he chose a plate. Then the adult in Ankit emerged as he looked at the design book and chose a complicated sponge design to replicate.

While Ashvin made little spots and stripes Ankit sponged and labored on an orange and yellow background. It looked good. Then he went extra creative and made some blue dots. The paint ran and smudged and that did not look too good. And the sulky preteen monster that seems to be constantly lurking around kicked in.

So, I did what mothers do - especially when terrified by a prospective sulking preteen - came up with a way to salvage it. We were going to draw sea creatures out of the blue blobs. That was what I suggested and was met with a ‘whatever’ look.

It started with fishes. Then slightly amused and beginning to smile Ankit suggested a turtle. I managed to draw one. Then I snuck in an octopus. It had like a “Hey Dude, what’s up” look and this made both of us break out laughing. A weird oyster was added and I had to google a shrimp image before the plate was complete.

The plate here is proof that I am not an artist of any sort. I wish I had a photo of Ankit and me cracking up at the octopus cause that is proof enough that I am a mom. 

                                                          

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Claytopia details and review at : http://kindazesty.blogspot.com/2011/08/claytopia-review-place-to-make-memories.html

Claytopia review– a place to make memories.

I have made four trips to Claytopia so far and everytime I like it even more. The first was to check it out for a birthday party. I ended up looking around and eating at their bistro making a mental note to return. The next three trips of mine were with the kids.

Claytopia Bistro in Indiranagar is in their words:

A fun place to hang out and have good food, while indulging your creativity. The Bistro is attached to Studio Claytopia, a "Paint your own pottery" studio.You can paint on white bisque ware,which is the base required for you to color your ceramic ware. Once you choose from the various molds we have, we provide you with the colors, brushes, palettes, stencils, stamps, books etc. to color with; you can sit all day and paint. After this we glaze it and fire it to 1100 degrees Celsius and return it to you in 10 days. Your masterpiece is ready!
You can do this while indulging in our delicious food, like burgers, pastas, sandwiches, subs, salads, soups, all day breakfast, waffles, pancakes, desserts, coffees and more.... 

There are many ceramic pieces to choose from – little show pieces to utilitarian things like trays, plates, cups, vases etc. The price for the pieces ranges from Rs 250 up and is inclusive of paint, glazing etc. For the first two visits I let the kids choose whatever they wanted but now I have a rule – you have to choose something you can use. I can only have so many dinosaurs and rabbits around the house.

Table all setup.

Once you choose a piece you get to choose four colours per piece (you are allowed to share colours so the more people you have the more colours you have). They have tables indoors, outside and even at their bistro and you decide where to sit. The paper covered table is ladened with paint brushes, stencils, and design books to help unleash your creativity. Beautifully painted ceramics decorate the walls and even the trees around you. The ambience, inspiration and material are all there for you.

I have only been there during weekdays so I can’t vouch for busy weekends or times when there are birthday parties but we had all the time we needed. Enough time that I went through two cups of coffee and ordered snacks for the kids as they carefully worked on their masterpieces.

Soup, pasta, shakes to help the artist work.
Pretty coffee for the mom.

Quick note on the food – I love their burgers – spicy chicken one and coffee. The children gobbled up the cheese toast and pasta. While I was delighted to see thukpa ( tibetian noodle soup) on their menu I must say it was a disappointment but their ores milkshake (so so good) more than made up for it.

Once the painting and eating is done the pieces are taken away for drying and glazing. The process takes ten days so you have to come back to pick up the pieces and if you are like us you end up painting another piece and the cycle continues J

So all in all it is not cheap. With food and ceramic pieces you end up paying around Rs  400 - 500 per person but you do end up with a full stomach, an afternoon of fun and a maybe an artistic but for sure a personalized cup, plate, paper weight of some sort.

An afternoons worth of work.

The best part is once you are done you can walk around and see all the pieces waiting to be collected. In nooks and shelves piled high. They are not delicate. They are not out of design books. They are not the kind that decorate the walls. But they are just like yours. Little smudged, little chaotic, very imperfect but under the glaze you see it – an afternoon of fun.

Address:

Claytopia
318, 6th Main
HAL 2nd Stage
Indiranagar, Bangalore 560 038

Tel: 080 412 67163
Free home delivery no: 080 41323394

Email: claytopia@gmail.com

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000110173278

Options and Price List for Birthday Parties:

Part of Bistro

Tiles decorate the entrance.

Wonder La - where else...

Where else do you have a water park but no swimsuits? No, I do not mean naked people and I do consider the top-to-toe leotards seen in the Atlantis at Dubai a form of swimsuit. At Wonder La, Bangalore where else ?? J

Plenty of women in salwar kameej, saris and capris. Most men were in tank tops and shorts, or TShirts ( one said “Killer Girl” on it – which is different from “Girl Killer”) and shorts but I did see two in their boxers – like underwear boxer shorts – and I did wish they were in some shorts.

 Where else do you have a wave pool with a divider in it? One side for women and children and another for men. Women were allowed in the ‘men’ side but there was no vice versa reciprocal allowed. In my attempt to go see what Ankit was upto in the far far end of the men side I quickly realized the reason for the division.

Where else is Ashvin asked his name and says “It is Ashvin only” as this is the twentieth time someone had asked him that and then pinched his cheeks.

It was interesting to see a water park very different from the ones I have been to in the US and other places. The place was clean and had really good well maintained rides. The food and drinks were cheap and plenty. The clothes threw me off for a bit but to each their own - you don't need a swimsuit to have fun :). The 'bad' parts were where people cut in line in front of you and poked their head in the changing locker to ask if you were done but you learn to deal with that really fast - don't leave space in front of you and keep a hand on the changing room curtain. Adaptability I call it.

Besides the modesty in clothes and some un-modesty in the men's side of the wave pool Wonder La was extremely fun. The six of us enjoyed it and made multiple plans for returning.









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Coming soon - a review with more pictures and details about the park,

Adventures on an auto - I am a meter plus twenty

I got in an auto and the driver - henceforth autowala - asked me "How much will you pay?" "Meter plus twenty" I confidently replied. He said it sounded good to him and off we went.

Auto fares - like most cab fares - are supposed to be determined by a meter hooked up inside the auto. However, it is hard to find autowalas that go by the meter alone.  The price ultimately depends a lot on what you look like and how you talk. How meaning how foreign or gullible.

I know my price - meter plus twenty. Sharon- blonde and very white - is meter plus fifty on a good day and meter into two on any other given day. My purebred Bangalore friends would balk at paying anything but what the meter reads till 11pm ( after which your looks don't matter anymore. Everyone looks the same - needy)

Outside a mall in Whitefield there is an auto stand - a place where you will find a group of autorikshaws at almost any time of the day. Whitefield is also home to quite a few expat communities which in turn means home to a lot of foreigners. Thus this particular autostand is home to some rather ridiculous fare quotes and bargaining. The fare to our community is Rs 17 and it is fun to see what you are going to be quoted.

I have had Rs 100 thrown at me a couple of times and barring a day where I had Ashvin sleeping in my arms I have bargained it down to Rs 30. Peeyush on the other hand does look more Indian than I do so I was rather surprised when he was quoted Rs 100. Shorts and slippers - the recently american returned look - did it we inferred. The fact that he agreed to Rs 50 has doomed all the guys in similar attire I am sure.

So back to me being a meter + twenty. Over my multiple trips that is what I have inferred my fare ends up being. This ensures I am taken home using the fast and short route with minimum haggling. And what do I do when I meet the rare honest guy who does not haggle and goes only by the meter? I give him meter + twenty at the end. You got to be fair right?

Teppanyaki Learnings

We went for our first teppanyaki experience in India at Shiro, at UB City in Bangalore. Ankit and Ashvin and I were seated at a table hosted by Chef Alvin. Alvin started his intro with something out of Alvin and the chipmunks and had the kids – literally – eating out of his hands in a few minutes. The kids loved everything he made – the veggies, fried rice and chicken in ginger and scallion sauce. Their adulation seemed to have really added fuel to his showmanship desires. He rolled eggs dangerously on the spatula, close to the kids and even bought out a fake egg that made the kids squeal first in fear and then in delight. He sold Shiro to me. He sold teppanyaki and Shiro to the kids. We returned there for Ankit’s birthday dinner and Alvin went out of his way to make him feel special. He had him at the cooking counter, had him dance and juggle eggs. He made Ankit happy and me even happier. The onion volcano at the end had Ashvin hero worshipping him.

Then Alvin went away. We realized that when we made reservations at the restaurant this weekend. There was someone blah enough that I do not remember his name. Blah to me is normal. He cooked the food decently. He did try and cook up eggs separately for the kids cause Ashvin wanted it. But he was not Alvin. He was about the food not the teppanyaki experience. He did not go out of way to make a memory.  If he had been our first chef I am not sure I would have gone back to the teppanyaki table at Shiro again. I am not sure Ankit or Ashvin would have liked that particular “cusine”

Just goes to show what one person can do. Goes to show that a job worth doing is doing well. Value the Alvins you have at work. They are selling your product in ways you don’t know.

Shiro Bangalore Review

Located in UB City it is a higher end Chinese/Japanese/Thai restaurant. Decorated nicely it has plenty of seating – inside, by the bar, outside and around two teppanyaki tables. A meal averages Rs $1500 pp and can go up considerably with alcoholic beverages.

Awesome – sushi and dimsum buffet during weekdays (~ 1000 INR).

Good- Teppanyaki table. Good entertainment and decent food ( ~ 1500 INR). Good mojitos and other cocktails.

Blah – Some of the Korean dishes off the alacarte menu and during rush hours their service. You have to work hard to get attention from the servers.

Point to note – it is a good place to take children along during the day – add a little sushi and dimsum to their lives -  but in no way during Friday, Saturday or Sunday evenings/nights. It is a party place at that time.

Weekend nights - Great for adults to hang out and have fun but not a place to lounge and chat. Loud music, lots of smoking. Fun for a bar scene and people watching.

They take reservations:

2nd Floor, UB City Mall,
Vittal Mallya Rd, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
080 41738864

Skandagiri - A hot and trashy hike

As prep up for the Everest Base Camp trek we went on an early morning hike to Skandagiri. Skandagiri is around 70km from Bangalore and is one of the hill forts of Nandi Hills. You can read the wiki on it – it has accurate info for someone who wants to hike it. Quick take – nice hike, slightly hard, will take you 1-2 hours to do it, nice remnants of a temple and fort built by Tipu Sultan on top, you can buy some food and water on the top. Supposedly there is a huge 'mela' up there on weekend nights, especially on a full moon night.

Personal takes:

1. It was hot and the two weeks of lazing around on the beaches of Goa showed J. It is a not a very hard hike but I kinda got why most people do it at night these days. The sun kills you.
   
2. You have to pay for parking. As I hear if you don't you will have to pay for car paint or worse car repairs (supposedly done by the disgruntled parking guy)
   
3. It is one of the trashiest hikes I have been on. There was more trash there than I expected. Somehow you think that people that like to hike like nature, thus care about it. This seems to be a very wrong assumption. Also, biodegradable does not mean it is ok to throw it on a trail. Banana peels, nut shells, paper bags – though not as bad as plastic bags and bottles- still take time to degrade and in the meantime degrade the trails people walk on.
   
4. If you have not been hiking before go with someone – don't show up with no water on a hot day and think that climbing the 'hill' with your friends is a good idea. We met a group on our way down. The girls were swearing at the guys and I was sure there was going to be more swearing as they had no drinks with them. Bad idea. Bad bad idea. Luckily some enterprising villagers sells water and bread-omelet on the top but still hiking in summer with no water. Ouch.
   

View from the top

As always getting to the summit and looking down from the top was breath taking. But the best part on this hike was getting to know most of the folks I'd be going to the base came with. The company was great and really made me feel comfortable about the upcoming trip. Someday soon though I might have to partner with folks to get some of the trash down and most of all stop people from throwing rubbish there.

A lone Nandi left near the temple

View from the bottom of the hill.
It is steeper than it looks.

There is a fire burning near this cave. Set off on purpose by
a villager

Hiking around Bangalore

I have been on two hikes in Bangalore. Just two but they have been such good experiences that I am planning on tripling that count shortly. This is mainly due to BMC Bangalore  (Bangalore Mountaineering Club) that arranges hikes – a day hike, a night hike and a two day hike – EVERY weekend. I love them. They arrange for food, transportation and a guide. They are awesome.

The first hike I went on was to SavanDurga. It was an 'adventure' hike and consisted of a short trek, cave exploring some rappelling, zip lining and kayaking. I took Ankit ( 11 years old) with me and it worked out great, though it is advisable to have a chat with BMC before taking a child on a trek. There were seven other people besides us and we had a great day. A really good start for a preteen on a proper day hike.

For my second hike I chose a night hike. No Ankit on this one. The pickup was at 9:30pm and we were dropped back to Bangalore at 11am. This was to NarayanGiri and was a short – too short for my liking – hike up a big boulder hill. Snuggling in a sleeping bag ( provided by BMC), chatting with newly made friends, watching lights go off and on while waiting for the sunrise was worth the disappointing hike. The other amusing and entertaining disappointment was a group of nine girls that joined the hike to celebrate someone's birthday. Not hikers by choice they provided a lot of laughter with their questions, whining and lack of decent footwear. They did provide all the material for my post – How not to hike like a girlie girl.

When moving here I was scared about places to hike and visit. I am not comfortable enough to do this on my own (or just me and my kids). Not knowing the language, lack of trails and a safety number to call are all deterrents. However, the presence of groups like BMC really help – with Rs 700 all inclusive hikes. At this point this is working great for me and I am looking forward to a lot more boulders to climb around Bangalore.

International, CBSE/ICSE, Alternative, Home – Options for schools in Bangalore

Good schools in Bangalore can cost you between INR 50K – 9.75 Lakhs a year ($1000 to $21,000). The class size varies from 20 – 55 children in the class. Most schools have a bus and lunch service. The curriculum varies from ICSE/CBSE to IB/ IGCSE (see legend at the end of the post) to "Curriculum prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education". Like the cost and curriculum there is a huge variation in teaching style but there are options. That is the part I iterate on the most – now in India there are options.

When we moved here I was rather lost on where to start a school search. I knew what ICSE and CBSE were but little about IB and IGCSE. Considering that my children are rather ( ahem … very…) weak in Hindi (a requirement for ICSE and CBSE schools) we opted for an International school. Even with international schools the choices in Bangalore are plenty. What they offer and their fees can vary a lot.
Reviews from friends of the school and its location were both criteria that made us zone in on TISB.

During our search here we were not completely aware of the alternative schools present in Bangalore. I had heard of the Valley school and love the concept but I also know Ankit well – he does well in a structured competitive environment - so making the decision to keep him in a school similar to one he was in Seattle seemed like the right choice.

Besides these options, twice in the last month, I have met moms that discussed homeschooling with me. This used to be an alien concept in India but seems to be a budding trend. There is a group in Bangalore that caters to such parents and it has over a 100 members.
Below is a breakdown of schools into International, Traditional and Alternative. The fees are just what I found from looking around so please use them to get a rough idea. I came across some good blogs/reviews and have linked them too. Let me know if you see any corrections or have any comments.

	Location	Curriculum		Cost per year in INR (Approx.)	School year	Blogs/Reviews
International Schools http://blog.bangaloreschools.net/2008/05/24/moving-to-bangalore-expat-school-options-in-bangalore/ http://www.edu.pushpi.com/international-schools-in-bangalore.htm
TISB – The International School of Bangalore	South Sarjapur Road	IGCSE IB		RF: 250K YF: 400K to 600K	August - June	BangaloreSchools.net
Indus	South Sarjapur Road	IGCSE IB		350K	August - June
StoneHill	North Jala Hobli	IB		RF:250K YF:365K to 975K	August - June
Canadian International	Yelahanka	OME IB		RF: 25K YF:310K to 510K	August - June
Ryan International	Multiple locations	ICSE		60K to 90K	June- March
GreenWood High	South Sarjapur Road	ICSE & IGCSE		100K to 180K	June- March
Inventure Academy	South Sarjapur Road	ICSE & IGCSE		RF:60K YF: 1,00K to 215K	June-March	Parentree.com
Indian/Traditional School
National Public School	Multiple locations	CBSE	YF:66K		June-March
Bishop Cottons	St. Mark's Road	ICSE	RF: Varies YF: 30K		June-March
St Joseph's Boys High School	St. Mark's Road	ICSE	RF:25K YF:24K		June-March
Delhi Public School	Multiple locations	CBSE	RF: Varies YF: 60K		June-March
Alternative Schools
Valley School	Kanakapura	ICSE	80Kto 110K (maybe more for NRI)		June-March
Prakriya	Sarjapur Road	ICSE	RF: 20K YF: 70K Fee varies per student		June-March	smitha-myviewsonlife vishwak blog
VidyaShilp	Yelahanka	ICSE & IGCSE	RF: 24K YF: 66K		June-March

Legend
RF	Registration Fees
YF	Yearly annual Fees
IB	International Baccalaureate Diploma Program
IGCSE	International General Certificate of Secondary Education
ICSE	Indian Certificate of Secondary Education
CBSE	Central Board of Secondary Education
OME	Curriculum prescribed by the Ontario Ministry of Education

No playdates - hanging out the Indian way.

I was unpacking boxes in the guest room – about one week after we moved into the house in Bangalore – when I felt the presence of someone behind me. I turned and was surprised to see our neighbour’s son there. “Where is Ankit?” he asked. I was still shaken but pointed him to Ankit’s room. “How did you get in?” I asked him. “The kitchen door was open” he answered, all matter of fact, before running off to find Ankit. Few minutes later Ankit asked if they could go out to play and they were gone.

Years in Seattle had weaned me off impromptu drop-ins and kids owning the entire neighborhood. In India, I don’t remember a play date being arranged while growing up. Play dates in India meant a kid popping into a house, looking for the kids or a grownup that would direct him to the children. If you were doing homework the friend would be asked to come later. That was the protocol. There were no phone calls and time sync ups.

In Bangalore, a few weeks later I was having a little cookie decorating party. I had invited kids that I knew from around but ended up with double the number as others dropped in. Since then our house has some kid or the other drop by after school daily. There is someone or the other with Ankit and Ashvin – cycling, playing badminton, trying Dance Dance moves on the Wii etc.

I was surprised the first day this happened but even then I had smiled when they left. Ankit had a friend even before I had had time to meet up with the parents and set it up. Now I see Ashvin roaming the sixteen houses in our neighborhood. He drops by with coconuts and gets cookies and apple juice in return. He asks for Arjun ( two houses down) to come out and play with him and has been known to sneak into Malavika’s house to watch TV on days not allowed in our house. He lets Aditi know when Ankit has come home and then stands at their door and has long conversations with her parents. He has friends and feels welcomed by all around him. India has been an easier transition due to this for them.

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India is changing too - we setup time with friends that live far away from our house but in the community you live in your attitude makes all the difference. If it is secure enough and it is a good neighbourhood it is best to keep a open door policy and let kids ( and their parents come in) and feel welcome all the time. I keep extra packs of popcorn and treats in the pantry too. It is really nice for kids to have more kids around and it really helps them miss their old home and friend less.

Valentines in India - $80 six course dinner, wine, a cooking class and a great memory.

India has changed. You will keep hearing this from me. This thought crossed my mind quite a few times during dinner last night. We have grown up and changed too I guess. Fourteen years ago in India our funds to enjoy a valentine's dinner were meager (nowhere near a $100) so I can't say I am comparing apples to apples. But I must say that the apples we had last night were rather delicious.

We were invited to a "Cook for Love" event at Caperberry - a Spanish inspired European fusion restaurant. Chef Abhijit Saha – great conversationalist and cook - taught us how to make champagne soaked strawberry and chocolate desert (Peeyush has learnt how to make pretty nice white chocolate garnish rolls). Desert making was fun but the dinner after, with never ending plates of delicious food, was something else. Orange and Carrot sphere, Prawns and pear salad, spaghetti with truffle oil, pear sorbet, lamb shanks, the strawberry chocolate dessert, and petit fours, served with four glasses of paired wines left me tipsy and pleasantly surprised.

I have had good food at five star restaurants here but this was a little different - global and a little more accessible. It was creative and nicely presented. In learning how to make the desert I heard the chef repeat how you can get gelatin leaves, good chocolate, glucose syrup in stores here.

The price for the cooking class, the wine paired dinner and goody bag to take home (aprons, photos, candles and chocolates) was under around $80 for both of us. To those far away it might be worth flying down to Bangalore for next Valentines.
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Also seen - flower bouquets of all shapes and colors - many with little teddy bears in them. Resturants decorated with uncountable red heart shaped balloons. People selling roses at traffic lights.

Sammamish to Ramagondohalli

Sammamish, Snoqualmie, Issaquah, Snohomish - they were hard to pronounce and remember when I first moved to the Seattle area. We ended up living in Issaquah and then Sammamish, made many a trip to Snoqualmie, rafted in Wenatchee and crossed the Snohomish county quite a few times. We camped at Yakima and I just nodded at the name when we drove through Scappoise.

This weekend we went to Hessarghatta and frequent the Bannerghatta Zoo. Oh, now we live in Ramagondahalli, nearby there is Dommasandra, Pattareddypalya and HakkiPakki. I must say India beats the US in tongue twisty names.

But for us - Sammamish to Ramagondahalli - we are living it up in another place where you have to always spell out your address.