[Sam Kapasi]

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Diwali. I know I did

Here's the YetiBlog® I promised.
I must warn you in advance - it has no grand stories of travel, just a few photos- it is a very simple story.

But one that comes from my heart. I hope you enjoy it.

[rjstyles69]

Welcome back Sam and nice to see another Yetiblog making its way to the forum.

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

But one that comes from my heart. I hope you enjoy it.

Your stories have brought back some good ole memories in our lives which we cherish.Dont be in doubt am sure each one of us here will enjoy it.

[speedzak]

Wow Sam!
We all were waiting for a Yetiblog to come out.

Aan de! Aan de!

And don't make any Natak by saying it's nothing great and all. I know it's going to be a cracker and we all will enjoy reading it.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Here's the YetiBlog® I promised.
I must warn you in advance - it has no grand stories of travel, just a few photos- it is a very simple story.

Thank you, a happy Diwali it was indeed, Sam!

But....err...um....you forgot to post the simple story!

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

But....err...um....you forgot to post the simple story!

Oho Anup!

I am going to write it now! I always write live.

[Sam Kapasi]

But baby, does it really make sense for you to travel thousands of kilometres for just one week?
Yes it does. I can visualise those lips pursing on that very obstinate face.
But you will be moving here by the end of the year. Why spend all that money and go through all that trouble?

Much as I am dying to see her, I don't want her to go through so much. TheOne® has already resigned her job and is serving her notice period. She is indeed moving here permanently.
She's been granted a week of vacation in October and wants to spend it here.

After all it is Diwali.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I celebrate everything and believe in nothing. It has always been the way I have lived my life. I enjoy all festivals, but none as much as I enjoy Diwali.

My mother loved Diwali.
Being Rajasthani, Mum always made a huge deal out of Diwali. I can never forget her beaming kind face smiling down at me, resplendent in a shiny new Saree and lots of jewellery and a big red tikka on her forehead, sitting on the floor applying rangoli and lighting diyas at our windows and door.

Till today, my Father and I light those diyas during Diwali in her memory.
---------------------------------------------------------

Of course I want to see you Jenny! I am only saying this because you will go through all that trouble for such little time!
This she says slowly coming from a man who flew to Germany for one weekend in July.

I smile instantly. She's got me there.
There can only be two results when you argue with a woman. Either she wins or you lose.

It looks like TheOne® will be celebrating her first Diwali in India this year.

[Sam Kapasi]

Honestly, it is still the 23rd night as far as I am concerned. I'm tired and bleary-eyed as I wait at Sahar Airport.

I wanted to sleep for an hour or two before the flight landed, but I couldn't sleep a wink. I am very excited.
It is wonderful how I am beginning to understand the German language each and every day. I stare at the Lufthansa logo and marvel as to how simple it could really be.



I know that Luft means air. I knew that from long ago with the popular Disco hit from Nena-99 Luftballons.

And Hansa is the sanskrit word for Swan. And look at that logo.
Some may argue that it is a flying crane and that the Hansa came from Hanseatic services, but I am happy to think of it as the flying swan.

Mumbai Airport is a mess. I can see a new parkplatz being built, looks like it is going to be 4 floors high of Airport parking. At 60 bucks and 100 bucks per car, I think it is the very least the authorities can do.
It's hot and dusty. The dust is a mixture of tyre kick-up on the kaccha road and flying cement powder. This repair has been going on for far too long and I cringe with embarassment as I look around at how badly managed the repair is.

There is no silence, security guards prefer to speak with their referee whistles and people spit, scratch and throw papercups of tea everywhere. There are hundreds of families waiting.
Often a young man or woman dressed up very internationally will return to the arms of some very traditional families, who have waited for hours just to welcome them home.

I love watching people. All kinds of people.

A week earlier there was some drama in Germany as the Air-India flight to Mumbai had been cancelled. They tried to put her on the next Air India flight which would have landed at 4am on the 24th. After much arguing in German, Air India finally agreed to transfer Jenny's ticket to Lufthansaa, on a flight that would land at 1am.
Both Jenny and I prefer Air India for its simple hospitality and good food.

Sure, everything looks a lot glossier on Lufthansa and the female crew are nicer to look at, but the food on Lufthansa is not good and the service can border on rude. In that respect, Air India is kinder, better and serves MUCH better food.

The flight has landed before I reach the Airport.

TheOne® has taken advantage of Lufthansa's new 24 hour early check-in, on the previous day. On her way to bad nauheim from Heilbronn, she drove past Frankfurt Airport, walked into an empty counter and checked her suitcase in and already has her boarding card.
All she had to do was now be there 45 minutes before the flight took off, with no luggage in hand!

A few smses are exchaged as we both agree that due to the early (and how!) check-in, her bag will probably be one of the last few to appear on the belt.

It is almost 3am by the time I see a familiar beautiful tall redhead. I never wait in the front and never with the crowd. I am always standing peacefully behind leaning on some pillar.
I see her walking in the glass corridor and watch her walk through. As usual I make no movement at all, preferring to watch her walk silently.

She quickly scans the 16000 odd people clamouring at the entrance and our eyes meet across the crowd.

Roger that General. Target is in sight and locked.

I have always wondered how she does that.

[maddy42]

Wow just speechless. The way you observe people is similartoi what i love doing but i will never be able to put them in words unless of course there is lotsa practise.
This style is omethin i crave for. Keep it up

[wheeler]

Sam bhai, you are back at what you do best!!! I like the beginning. Waiting eagerly for the rest to follow.

[navpreet318]

The last five lines are simply the best.Its like a perfect romantic film starting.The man waiting for her lady.Adoring her silently.Wow.

By the way spotting you in any indian crowd should be fairly easy.You're taller than average and the trademark Yeti hair style are good giveaways.


I think a lot of us enjoy observing people.Just sit in a corner and see people.the way they behave,their facial expressions etc.Quite a few times i have been looked back upon as is i was staring them.But a simple smile wards off their worry of being watched.

[s0uljah]

This is the first time Im actually beginning to read as you write... instead of digging up some old thread a few months late. So it should be all the more fun

[Sam Kapasi]

We wake up late. (Yetinote: Before you get all smart and smiley, don't forget that we got home at 3.30am. Oh OK you win.)

I must go to work today. It is a working day in what is clearly going to be a week full of holidays and festivity. I have a lot of pending things to be done and Jenny joins me to go to the office.
Not everyone has an private office with a large bed and lots of DVDs and books. It will not be difficult for her to pass some time there.

I'm hard at work as Jenny is still saying her individual hellos to everyone. One half of my mind smiles everytime I hear her laugh or talk and the things, sometimes funny, sometimes naive that the staff say to her. I can hear as my shouting window is open slightly.

We have some Diwali parties to attend. Tomorrow night will be the first one. It is a big classy gambling party with different levels stakes on different tables. One table for poker and another for small stakes. I have explained all I can about Diwali, but there is only so much I know.

Why is it traditional to gamble?
I'm not sure.
Well tell me what you know then.
I don't know why people gamble on Diwali. Laughing.

I go on to explain the rangoli and the diyas and the fireworks and the sweets and the glamour, clothes, jewellery, gifts and kharchi bits. The kharchi part turns out to be a costly piece of information, lol.

(Yetinote: I hope that some of you will be able to explain some traditions of Diwali and their reasons for TheOne® when she does read this thread, I am sure she will enjoy it very much. )

I wrap up as soon as I can and 3 hours later we're out. Shopping. There are many things a girl needs and we try and buy all of them in one evening. But most of all, the girl needs to buy some Indian clothes.

Why can I not manage a Saree?
Jenny, I do not know how that infernal thing is worn. I must admit it looks gorgeous but a badly wrapped saree will look awful.
Wrapped?
Look, it comes as a single large piece of fabric and has to be wrapped in a particular way. I should know, my mother wore a Saree (impeccably, if I may add) to her office every single day. Neither Dad nor I have any clue as to how it is done. Besides, you need a blouse and stuff. No normal Indian size blouse would fit you.

We start looking for Punjabi suits - either salwar kameez or churidar kurta. It is a difficult time as I begin to realise that Jenny is getting very confused and I am not able to help beyond a point.

Well?
It's nice.
Nice? You say that when you're not so sure.
I don't know, I cannot tell until you wear it.
That one's nice.
It's too blingy. Why is everything covered in gold here?
God look at that.
Oh God that looks beautiful.
Yup, at 20 thousand rupees it had better bloody look nice.

We develop a nice rythym and for the first time, we start speaking to each other in German. It starts of as a statement I make so that the salesman cannot understand me and she replies and we just do not stop from there.
On occasion I do not understand and she repeats slowly and I manage to grasp it within the context.
It is the forst time we have complete conversations in German. It is useful to be able to speak to her ad have no one understand.

A couple of tries later
What is wrong with these bloody pants she shouts over the changing room door.
Suppressing a giggle I explain That this is the nature of a churidar.
A WHAT?
A churidar. I wait while she understands and learns the word.
Arrey, what is wrong with this choo-ree-daar? I cannot even draw my calves into it.
I turn to the salesman. I think she'd rather wear a salwar.

We have already been to malls, stores, laa-dee-dah design studios and lucknowi chikan shops. Everything is either too much, too rich or too weird. I feel a little helpless and call a few friends. A few more suggestions and we're finally at Biba.

She tries on some stuff. So far I have not really seen her in a full suit because she won't step out of the changing room.
She finally does and I quickly suck my breath in. The sight of a beautiful, large, tall woman with flaming red hair in a white punabi suit causes even the salesman to exhale.

Beautiful madam, really beautiful. You must take this one.
She turns to me. What do I do with this scarf, pointing to the dupatta.
A little help and she's done.

Even though I have not taken my camera to the store, I will show you what I mean with some photos I took at home.





What about the black one?
Yeah that looks gorgeous. She's wearing a black salwar kameez with lots of heavy gold embroidery.
So should I take the white one of the black?
Well the black looks richer.
God the white one looks like something you wear for a wedding. is it not too heavy?
A wedding? What? I then realise that the lace and embroidery is confusing her.
Look, ladies really dress up for diwali. That white one would be simple.
So I'll wear the black one then?
Well, I'm not sure if one wears black on Diwali.
Arrrgghhh... so now what?
I am standing outside her door in the changing section. I feel helpless and confused. I should know more about these things...
You should really avoid wearing black on Diwali says an angels voice.
One of the ladies in the adjoining changing room has taken pity on my condition and decided to join the shouting party.
Thank you, shouts Jenny from the other changing room. So it's settled then.

We buy both the suits. The black and gold looks too delicious to leave on the rack.

Where will I wear the black one?
I don't know, to a wedding maybe?
To a wedding? One wears black at funerals, you know.
No not here. here we wear white.
Then why am I wearing white for the Diwali pooja?
Uhh....

That evening we're home as Jenny tries on all her new Indian clothes all excited as my father and I laugh. Later we enjoy a quiet meal with him. Tomorrow he will return to his home in Pune. It is an enjoyable conversation and a peaceful meal.

This will be one of the very few quiet evenings we will have on this trip.

[wheeler]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Where will I wear the black one?
I don't know, to a wedding maybe?
To a wedding? One wears black at funerals, you know.
No not here. here we wear white.
Then why am I wearing white for the Diwali pooja?
Uhh....

Jenny, that suit looks as if it was made just for you.

The Yeti's mind may not have been working after exhaling all that air. So he was confused with which suit to choose. In the end, a good choice.

[Jaggu]

Hello welcome back TheOne. Shopping experiences with women are the same be it India or Germany

Wishing TheCouple many a sparkling diwali's together!

cheers
Jaggu

[Sam Kapasi]

It's a Saturday. I have decided not to go to the office.

We have a lazy breakfast and leave for a handicrafts fair. You know, those fairs that have a stall from every state, selling everything from Kashmiri shawls to Mysore Sandalwood.
We have a nice time. It is wonderful to see her appreciate things that we often take for granted.

After spending some time there, we walk over to the Onyx stall from Pakistan. Jenny goes pretty crazy over these beautiful things, carved from exotic stone. Most people are very amused when I start bargaining in Hindi.
Jenny and I have discovered a simple way of bargaining. She tells me she wants this and I say no.
I then look at the vendor with a very disinterested face and tell him that my wife wants this item and I think it is not worth it. I don't want it and if he wants to sell it, he had better give me an amazing price or I'm leaving. It always works well.

Jenny is pretty good at striking a deal herself and we do not overbargain either. Somehow we end up with a carload of beautiful stuff, some for our future home and some for her friends and family.
Since she enjoys the exhibition so much, I take her over to Times Utsav at the BKC (That's the Bandra Kurla Complex for all you non-bombayites)
This is where it gets mad.

We are walking from stall to stall, asking prices, oohing and aahing at everything, trying and tasting everything

Try madam, just try, not fried all baked food.
See madam how I am cutting my carrot. One two three chop chop.
See how this cleans the ink stain. Buy one, one free.
Only looking, looking is free.
Just try our pizza topping, have this, have that.

She's having a blast this girl. lol.

The exhibition has furniture, food, electronics and everything else. it is massive and seems never to stop. We had planned a long evening walk today, it doesn't look like it's going to happen.
Sometimes we just choose a few things, a few we buy. I must confess, I buy some stuff too.

We're out of time and out of money too. The whole day has passed at these exhibitions. It is time to get home and dress for the gambling party.

I assume (incorrectly) that there will not be much traditional dressing up at the do.
Once the other women start getting in I can see the woman brains ticking in overclock mode in her head. She's taking in the shoes, the jewellery, the outfits.
An hour into the party I hear the dreaded sentence.

We have to go shopping again tomorrow. I cannot wear what we have bought tomorrow at the Diwali party. Plus I need shoes.

Women!!

We don't play. I never play with money, even small money. Jenny has no idea how to play. We just hang around with all the young people watching the high stakes table.

I shout out to the high stakes table.

Looks like someone buying a new Skoda tomorrow!!
Looks like someone is going home without his Skoda tonight comes the quick retort as the high rollers laugh.

It is strange to see the 500 rupee notes being played across the table. I dare not look at the waiters and the bartender serving drinks and snacks at the tables. Most of them will take a lifetime to earn the bundles of money placed on the table.

And yet they look happy, they know that the winner will probably get drunk and they will all end up with some fat tips.

And that is India isn't it? People laughing and gambling with money enough to buy a small house while the homeless sleep a few metres away.
You drink a glass of wine and the person that serves you that wine would have to work a month to pay for the crystal it came in.

It is a fun evening, with the most fun being had on the 10 rupee stake table where all the girls and funny guys are dancing and making each other dance like streetwalkers and bollywood style.

My Dentist is a funny chap, full of songs and dance. Jenny is sitting with him and laughing as he makes all his jokes. I walk by with my glass, just to watch the revelry.
Jenny looks at me

Manoj is teaching me Hindi!
Really? I smile. What did he teach you?
He taught me that when I want to call you I should say
"Idhar aa kutte kameeney."

You know how it is? Just at the moment when you want things to be at their loudest, the music goes off and everyone goes silent and the entire room rings with the sound of a young german lass looking at me and saying "Idhar aa kuttey kameene"

Everyone on the table is howling with laughter, people are wiping tears and picking up fallen currency notes, food and tissue paper. TheOne® quickly realises that she hasn't said something cool and starts apologising and holding my hand. I cannot stop laughing either, it just sounded so sweet coming in her accent.

It is a fun evening with lots of music, dancing and singing. Unfortunately no photos yet.

Tomorrow evening will be a Diwali traditional party. I have a wonderful plan for Sunday morning.