Half of today (Friday 9th) was wasted - through sleep. We slept straight through till midday. It felt great to get up after a good nights sleep. I tried Poha (Indian Breakfast) it was really nice, slightly spicy with a 'fluffy' texture, it wasn't quite rice, it wasn't quite rice flakes but somewhere in between the two.
Mid-afternoon we re-died Vs hair as she was fed up of the ‘orange’ glow. That took pretty much all afternoon and dinnertime was quickly upon us. Dinner, or I guess lunch (at 6pm) was Dosa it was delicious. There were spicy vegetables, sweet pancakes and a yogurt and coriander sauce. After we decided it was time to leave the house for a change of scenery.
We walked from Vs to Sector 8 market place. There were not too many people about, but enough crowds for me to get a feel for the place. We walked past a woman sitting cross-legged on the floor, selling garlands of white flowers. They smelt heavenly, they are used as presents (mainly husbands to wives) and to perfume rooms, by being hung by the AC.
It was only when V started explaining about Indian burgers (Manzils equivalent - after a night out food) whilst we were waiting for our coconut water to be ready. Getting coconut water by the side of the road was certainly an experience, although not one I would rush to repeat. The green outer shell of the coconut is macheteed off , to reveal the brown nut below. Then the top of the brown nut is sliced off and a straw stuck in. It tasted like thick water and was much more bland than I expected, not at all sweet as I had imagined. Actually it was rather unpleasant to drink, yet I would still recommend the experience, especially as everyone has different tastes. I also tried some banana chips at the same vendors stall. I like them but only if I imagine they are not made from bananas as they do not taste at all of the fruit. They actually don't taste of much. In my opinion the flavour comes from the spices added after frying, the banana chip is purely for texture.
We walked back to Vs house, passing a chorus or three howling dogs. There are lots and lots of stray dogs around. Walking through the gate to J lane, I noticed the beautiful stonework of a nearby house, I might try take a picture one day soon. It was so ornate.
Back at the house we got into the car and drove to pick A and N. Instead of waiting for N we decided to go sample some sugarcane juice until she was ready. This was amazing, so unlike what I expected, it could have been a bit sickly for some people but I thought it was great. For some reason I had envisaged it being a clear liquid, like the coconut water, but it was thick and a murky green colour, with bits of cane added in for authenticity (winks).
When everyone had been collected we returned to Vs, passing a mosque where men were praying. This was a mosque only for men, the women stayed home to worship. Back at the house we decided to have dinner, it was Parata with mango chutney. Not my favorite bread (Parata) but the chutney was out-of this world. I can conclude that Mrs C is an amazing cook and I am so lucky to be able to sample her culinary delights. I just hope the hostel food will be in the same league, if it is anything like that in halls at Southampton I am rather doubtful.
An impromptu gathering soon changed into a slumber party, we stayed up till the wee hours (actually the rather big morning hour of 5am) getting to know each other and swapping disaster stories. Luckily V has the biggest bed I have seen, width wise, not length wise. We fit 4 girls very very comfortably in the bed – best slumber party ever!! (Ok, second to Muds karaoke/slumber party, but that had karaoke too).
Mid-afternoon we re-died Vs hair as she was fed up of the ‘orange’ glow. That took pretty much all afternoon and dinnertime was quickly upon us. Dinner, or I guess lunch (at 6pm) was Dosa it was delicious. There were spicy vegetables, sweet pancakes and a yogurt and coriander sauce. After we decided it was time to leave the house for a change of scenery.
We walked from Vs to Sector 8 market place. There were not too many people about, but enough crowds for me to get a feel for the place. We walked past a woman sitting cross-legged on the floor, selling garlands of white flowers. They smelt heavenly, they are used as presents (mainly husbands to wives) and to perfume rooms, by being hung by the AC.
It was only when V started explaining about Indian burgers (Manzils equivalent - after a night out food) whilst we were waiting for our coconut water to be ready. Getting coconut water by the side of the road was certainly an experience, although not one I would rush to repeat. The green outer shell of the coconut is macheteed off , to reveal the brown nut below. Then the top of the brown nut is sliced off and a straw stuck in. It tasted like thick water and was much more bland than I expected, not at all sweet as I had imagined. Actually it was rather unpleasant to drink, yet I would still recommend the experience, especially as everyone has different tastes. I also tried some banana chips at the same vendors stall. I like them but only if I imagine they are not made from bananas as they do not taste at all of the fruit. They actually don't taste of much. In my opinion the flavour comes from the spices added after frying, the banana chip is purely for texture.
We walked back to Vs house, passing a chorus or three howling dogs. There are lots and lots of stray dogs around. Walking through the gate to J lane, I noticed the beautiful stonework of a nearby house, I might try take a picture one day soon. It was so ornate.
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| Me trying coconut water. |
When everyone had been collected we returned to Vs, passing a mosque where men were praying. This was a mosque only for men, the women stayed home to worship. Back at the house we decided to have dinner, it was Parata with mango chutney. Not my favorite bread (Parata) but the chutney was out-of this world. I can conclude that Mrs C is an amazing cook and I am so lucky to be able to sample her culinary delights. I just hope the hostel food will be in the same league, if it is anything like that in halls at Southampton I am rather doubtful.
An impromptu gathering soon changed into a slumber party, we stayed up till the wee hours (actually the rather big morning hour of 5am) getting to know each other and swapping disaster stories. Luckily V has the biggest bed I have seen, width wise, not length wise. We fit 4 girls very very comfortably in the bed – best slumber party ever!! (Ok, second to Muds karaoke/slumber party, but that had karaoke too).
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