More Of Mumbai

 

We have continued to enjoy Mumbai in all its color and hospitable people. We have entered into "the festival season" and every week seems to have a festival to enjoy. It started with Dahi Handi where they hang large terracotta pots high up in the air. Then groups of people build a person pyramid (some 50+ people) to get a member of their team up to the pot to break it. It was fun to see large trucks of groups driving around and singing to find pots they could build a human pyramid to and break. We took a rikshaw through a few neighborhoods and were mesmerized by the colors and the merriment.  

The next festival started a few days later we had the Ganesh festivals start. They honor the god Ganesh. He is depicted with and elephant head because when his head was cut off by Shiva (another God). Lord Brahma went out to look for a replacement and the elephant was the first animal he saw. They honor Ganesh with large statues for their homes, their neighborhoods and the cities. They are ornate and colorful. They build makeshift temples for them to house the Ganesha statues then at the end of the 10 days they are immersed into water for rebirth. 

We have enjoyed all the of celebration around this festival. Every night there are drummers and bands playing and people dancing along in the streets. It is all up beat and fun. 

We went with a group of people to one of the large Ganesh temples in Old Mumbai. It was astounding to see how large the makeshift temple is. It was several rooms and high ceilings with chandeliers. These temples on the outside are bamboo and tarps but when you get inside there is detailed paintings and colors. Once the festival is over, they take it all down and rebuild another one the next year. 

This peacock statue was taller than me!

The kids were at school so we did a "day date" haha! 

There was a smaller Ganesh statue as well to give offerings and ask for your wishes. You do that by whispering in one ear while plugging the other so your wish does not just go out the other side. 

The large statue was so big that

Because it the statue was so big, you cannot reach the ears so there is the messenger mouse that will carry your wishes to Ganesh for you. Same thing, you have to whisper in one ear and cover the other. 

We have also found some amazing places around the city. There is always so much to explore. One of our favorite finds is a bookstore! Title Waves. It has all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore. All four of us leave with a few books each when we go. 

We found our favorites gelato place. And the best this is that they deliver as well. The Muggles love that they can play with the dry ice they deliver it with. So ice cream becomes a science project!

We went to an artist fair. It was so cool to see all of the artists and their craft. Many of them were excited to show us their art and explain how it had been passed down through generations. 

We have loved that we can find fresh flowers whenever we want them. When we go there are several options and we each choose some. We often do tropical flowers to remind us of Hawaii. And love that there are several colorful flowers to choose from!

We are always trying good foods. Lady Hiva has learned to make homemade Lemongrass tea (not really tea, more of a lemonade). It is delicious made with fresh ingredients. 

We have been enjoying Musubi too. Koala Bear loves to make them and both Muggles love to take them to school for a snack. 

We are loving all of the flowers in the house. The color and the smells are amazing. 

The other stores we have found are able to get us what we need. Instead of going to a large box store with everything like we would do in the United States, we have found small family run shops that provide customer service. We now know a framer, a deli meat (they have "real" bacon for Lucky Dragon to enjoy), a butcher, a vegetable seller, a fruit seller, a fabric person (we had covers made for our seats), a flower shop, and now a furniture guy! Each of them are so excited to show us their work and tell us their story. It makes the whole experience more personable. 

Lady Hiva was beyond happy to find Tuberose. They smell delicious and remind us both of home. She even brought the vase of flowers into the room with us at night "so she could smell them all night."

Lady Hiva and the Muggles did a science project with dye and Gerber Daisies. So even shopping for flowers becomes an educational event. (Notice the bowl of cucumbers...clearly it was my night to cook! I usually put out a bowl of vegetables or fruit and we all have "appetizers" while the food finishes)

Lady Hiva went with some friends to explore the flower market. It rained and was muddy but she came home with all kinds of stories about her experience. 

Lady Hiva and I went with some friends to Chor Bazaar "Thieves Bazaar." It was named that years ago from when the stores had 'allegedly' sold items that were stolen. But now it is a place they sell things they have restored or made new. We were excited to go because there were a few specific pieces of furniture that Lady Hiva wanted. We have been looking at all kinds of furniture stores. Some of them were really expensive. So we kept looking to make sure we found what she wanted.  We went to the one store that many ex-pats go do and it was so cool to see the new furniture that they made. And the old pieces restored to become unique pieces. 

We found several things we loved. Then as Lady Hiva was looking more, I walked across the road to a small shop that was piled with furniture and you had to suck in to squeeze by in some places. It was a family run store and the prices were amazing. They had exactly what we wanted and the prices were half of what the store across the street was--and a 1/8 of the price of what the furniture stores we were in that just staged it in a pretty way. There is a lesson there about how even the same piece of furniture can been valued more or less depending on how and where it is seen. 

We tried an Irani bakery and restaurant. It was fun to tray another type of food!