Sleeper busses and coconuts

We've booked our tickets for our trip to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).  Calcutta was the English name for the city during their imperial rule of India.  After gaining independence in 1947, many cities in India chose to cast off the names imposed on them by the English and revert to native words with meanings relevant to the area.  Kolkota is most likely linked to the Goddess Kali, who is the main deity in that area, or a village in the area with a similar name.  Bombay also threw off the name imposed on them and changed it to Mumbai in honor of a local goddess.  Most of the natives still call it Bombay, though.  Same thing for Madras changing to Chennai etc.

Anyway, we are going to Kolkata on December 12th for a week long visit with our niece Pooja and her husband and his family.  We've never been to Kolkata and they haven't had any visitors other than her parents since she moved there, so this is an exciting trip for all of us.  In order to get there we'll take an express train from Bangalore which takes about 28 hours.  We're basically crossing the entire country on this trip.  I'm excited to see the scenery and Jasmine is excited about the whole train trip and especially sleeping on the train.  That, however, will be second part of the trip.  First, we have to get to Bangalore (Bengalauru).  Most people have heard of Bangalore by now because so much technology is coming out of there, and so many call centers have been moved there in the last several years.  (There is even a Ritz Carlton under construction in Bangalore. )  In order to get to Bangalore we have to take an overnight "sleeper bus."  I've never been on one and didn't even know they existed.  Apparently this one has only been in service here for less than a month.  There are 36 beds on this bus, each with privacy curtains and air conditioning as I understand it.  It should be an adventure.  Jasmine is definitely stoked about it.  We'll see how excited she is after riding in a bumpy bus all night, though.  ;-)  One think I'm definitely looking forward to is the cooler weather in Kolkata.  I'm really tired of being hot.

One of the great things about this part of the country is the proliferation of coconut trees.  Almost every meal here has some kind of coconut product in it.  In our house, there are at least 2 fresh coconuts grated every day.  And there are different types of coconuts as well.  For the yummy, sweet flesh that we're all used to, there are the little brown hairy coconuts like the ones we can get in the grocery stores at home.  For medicinal uses, there are the young, tender coconuts that are green and full of water.  I think the difference is just a matter of maturity of the coconut.  The young tender coconuts are very prized here and it is believed that drinking the water of the coconut will protect you from all kinds of diseases.  It is especially good for your belly.  If you have any stomach complaint at all, you'll be given a young, tender coconut to drink.  You can get one on most street corners.  They have little stands that are just piled up with them, and the shop keeper will chop the top off of one, poke a whole in the remaining skin and stick a straw in it for you.  It's really refreshing when it's hot outside.  I love to drink them.  In fact, they are now selling coconut water as a sports drink in the health food stores in America.  Several of us in the dance company have been buying them for a while because they have a perfect electrolyte balance.   They can cost up to $2 for a small box at home, and here I'm getting the equivalent of 3 boxes for about 25 cents.   I'm going to miss that when we go home.

We're in the process of having lots of beautiful costuming pieces made here.  We've been shopping for fabrics and consulting with our tailor on a regular basis.   He is supposed to have some pantaloons ready for me this evening.  As soon as we get them I'll be posting them on Facebook for purchase.  I'll make a note here as well.  I'm excited about the new designs. :-)

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Will write again soon.  Keep the comments coming.  It helps us feel connected.