Let's catch up....

December is here and I have neglected my duties.... my poor blog has had no action since May so here I go in trying to update on my life a little.

With May obviously came the heat and it was very very hot! It was regularly 45 degrees and only dipping to mid 30's over night. This is my third summer in Delhi so kind of getting used to the prickly heat that comes with summer and the suffocating feeling that comes with a sunrise. It is a tough time, especially with two little people who are forced to deal with some serious cabin fever! But we didn't have to wait too long for a break....with June came a trip to France and Albania.

It was a lovely three week break and a completely different weather experience. Rainy, cold and overcast most of the time in France and then beautiful low 30's in Albania. How the trip went is another post but let's say travelling with kids is hard work. They get sick, tired and don't sleep that well - especially when they can't get out and run around too much. So it was lovely to get out of Delhi, breath clean air and eat amazing food but it certainly wasn't easy......

On return to Delhi I started work again, just part time, but it is great to be back at the desk and I am really enjoying it. Some dear friends moved home (or somewhere else) over the summer following the end of their posting so that was very sad...... I still miss them months later. The downside of expat life I guess.

However on the flipside,expat life comes with lots of interesting holidays! In August we headed to Singapore and Batu Batu island. Now this holiday was amazing!!!! Perfect. Batu Batu Island is wicked and everyone should look it up and plan a holiday there. It isn't cheap but it is worth every cent! Singapore was also great as Mum and Dad came up and stayed for a week and my best friend was there from Melbourne. It really was a lovely way to spend a couple of weeks.

Happy and revitalized, we returned to Delhi and were head long into the infamous Monsoon season, it was a cracker! Rain rain rain..... more rain..... It was probably the longest monsoon we have enjoyed since I have arrived in Delhi. I love monsoon but it plays havoc with traffic and going anywhere can take hours.

Then of course it is Dengue season, were we spend every waking minute petrified of those little mossies with white legs! This year I was so scared that it would strike one of the kids but thankfully we managed to avoid it (touch wood). Sadly lots of people I know succumbed to dengue and it sounded hideous.

Now the weather is much milder and we have enjoyed cool nights, Diwali and now we are into Winter... a lovely time of year bar the hazardous air quality! It's hilarious but true, this place revolves around the weather!!! In all these seasons lots has been happening and might do separate write ups on a few things over the next couple of days.

But for now, I'm looking forward to my second Delhi Christmas and investigating a little trip to the snow. Let's see .....

Mum's the word.... on Mum's day

Mother's Day - the little wee celebration of Mum's everywhere. I never gave Mother's Day the credit it deserved, until I was a Mother and realised it is quite nice to celebrate. Sorry Mum!

I am not talking big gifts, as I really don't think Mother's Day is about gifts, but just a little appreciation - a card, a phone call, a sleep in - that's what we're after. Since my children can't use a phone, and are incapable of sleeping in, I got the card.

So roll around Mother's Day 2013. This year I am a Mum of two little barbiloots. One that is hitting her stride and is hilarious and adorable and the other, pretty fresh and getting his head around solids and sleeping and still pretty darn adorable. Luckily they have a Dad who did them proud this year. It was a gorgeous day. My card was beautiful, nicely homemade, as was my coffee and toast in bed.

Then it was time for breakfast!

Breakfast location of choice was at the Leela Palace Chanakyapuri.

First off there is walking in to this amazing OTT hotel. Our 2 and 7/8 year old walked in and just said 'WOW, look at this princess room' and how right she is - shining gold and silver everywhere, beautiful fresh flowers and immaculate staff. She was pretty pumped by this stage.

The lobby of the Leela

 

We walked to Qube restaurant and Soph saw the muffins and fruits and knew it was going to be a good morning, plus she had some new friends coming.

I ordered the eggs benedict, my husband a masala dosa and Soph's pancakes. All of it was delicious. Then we hit the buffet - fresh prosciutto, fresh honeycomb, muffins, pastries, fruits, freshly squeezed juices, yoghurts, cereals - it's all there. We had a really lovely morning and the staff were lovely. Cost of breakkie is about Rs1100 for adults (inc taxes) ($A20) and this gives you the lovely buffet breakfast, plus an order from the a la carte menu (Sophie wasn't charged). The Leela was very happy to have our three families there and had ample highchairs for us to use if needed.

In the afternoon I drove myself (yes drove myself) back to the Leela for my afternoon Mother's Day treat. A 90 minute hot stone massage. I think this is one of the best presents to give a Mum - particularly a new one - space (in a fancy 5 star lavish hotel). It is not cheap (Rs6500 or $A130) (by Indian standards) but sometimes you just have to spoil yourself.

The Espa at the Leela is luxe - beautifully appointed and a haven from this crazy place. Walking in is instantly calming, as is the ginger and lemon drink and cold towel you get when you arrive.

The hot stone massage was a lot more hard core than I had bargained on. The sweet little Nepalese girl turned into an angry young lady once she hit my back. I was stretched and pulled to loosen myself up and then coated in oil and rubbed with hot stones. It was amazing, painful but afterwards felt pretty great. 90 minutes was the perfect amount of time, I felt like I was relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the break.



Espa bathroom

Espa waiting area

Then it was time to hit the traffic, head home to my babies, ring our wonderful mum's, before being ready for another night of broken sleep!

Ahh motherhood :)

Summer lovin'

Welcome to summer Delhi.

It's hot, really hot but I'm still wearing jeans. I know it's going to get hotter and I want a buffer in place. I have 4 weeks until I'm escaping for a couple of weeks, then back into the furnace. The light at the end of the tunnel will get me through these early hot days.

This is my third delhi summer, I can't believe it, my third. When I think about it like that the time has actually flown and I have survived when, at the beginning of the season, I'm unsure if I'll make it through with my sanity. Of course I live a charmed life of AC most of the day, either in the house or car, but still if I want to bitch about it I will. It's really hot, all the time. ALL the time.

At the beginning of summer it is the cabin fever that gets you first...what the hell am I going to do with a toddler (and now a baby) for 3 long months..... Swim..... Swim..... Yes I have access to a pool, yes I'm lucky.

My family room is my sanctuary and each day over 40 degrees it just gets that little bit cosier and I get lazier. Last year I worked and it wasn't so bad (looking back on it) being occupied all day in an AC office leaving Mary to entertain Soph. However this year it is a shared problem..... And given baby's don't generally dig 45 degrees I think I'll be inside a bit.

So what's to do.

Here's my list of things to keep us all entertained over summer:

- ice skating in Gurgaon
- Stellar children's museum in Gurgaon
- walk aimlessly around a couple of malls
- plan a trip north, maybe Musoorie?
- swim.... Swim.... Swim
- make cookies, cakes and playdoh with toddler
- movies
- eat lots of mangoes
- rinse and repeat

Bring it on summer, after this one there is only one more to go on the sub continent..... I can do it. Yes I can!

Take me to the Second Floor

I discovered Second Floor Studio in Khan Market a little while ago. It is pretty much opposite Amici Italian restaurant, through a narrow doorway and up a couple of flights of stairs. You'll know it when you reach it - clean, white finish with stylish black font declaring its name on the windows.

Inside is some of the most beautiful stuff I have found in Delhi - stunning cushions, scarves, mirrors, camera cases and cute Indian collectibles. It also stocks my favourite En Inde jewellery. Other brands that I have discovered are Joli Joli and Olivia Das.

But then...... I discovered their Shahpur Jat store - AMAZING!!

This store is incredible. It specialises in interiors and I wanted everything. You must pay it a visit when you are here to see the candelabras, rajasthani busts, wall hangings, pictures, tables......

It is on the pricey side but sometimes you need a treat! On my most recent visit I bought a very cool steel thali platter and super cool key rings. I will be back again and again to stock up my house and clog up my wardrobes!



Interior of Second Floor Studio Khan Market

 



Scarf anyone? Khan Market

Cute camera pouches Khan Market

Oz Fest India

For the last nine months of 2012 I was a little distracted from my blog as I went and got myself a job. I was working on Oz Fest, an Australian cultural festival taking place across India from October - February.




NOW  WHEN: Image by 'Terra Form Australis by HASSELL, Holopoint and The Environment Institute'

Working in a country so foreign to me was an interesting experience - frustrating, rewarding, a very steep learning curve. However here I am on the other side and glad I did it.

I was working on the marketing and comm's for the Festival. I did this in conjunction with a team of peeps and two external marketing companies. The marketing and communications side was always going to be different, I am not used to how or why things work here.... plus this media environment is cluttered and busy. But, like everything here, 'it will be right on the night' rings true. Somethings are constants across countries - social media is king, as is word of mouth and budgets are limited! But other things, a many number of things, are quite different......

We produced a media launch, websites, brochures, bags, invites, banners, back drops, we entered twitterverse and plastered Facebook ..... the list goes on....

After months of work (for me) and a couple of years for others, we kicked off Oz Fest on 16 October in the presence of the Aussie PM - Julia Gillard. The Opening Night was a concert at Purana Qila, New Delhi and it was brilliant! Gurrumul, Mark Atkins and AGB events all travelled from Australia to make it a night to remember. I had never seen any of their work live before and I was amazed. Gurrumul was incredible, I mean truly incredible. The lighting by AGB events was out of this world and Mark Atkins didn't play nearly long enough. They were also joined on the night by Anoushka Shankar, an Indian sitar player - she too was brilliant and brought a completely different aspect to the evening.

The event was a huge success, the audience piled in, sat attentively, watched, absorbed, appreciated and left. It was a nice mix of expats and Indians and the team couldn't have asked for a better evening.

So that was a particularly good start to an amazing four month extravaganza.

Other events included the tour of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow - absolutely hilarious, photography exhibitions from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, music performances by 5 Aussie rock bands and the Aussie MasterChefs who were treated like rock stars!

Of course there was more but I headed off to have baby no. 2 and the festival successfully carried on without me.

I love the Indian Accent!

I am finally getting around to writing a post on my favourite dining experience in Delhi - Indian Accent - a must for those who love good food and feel like refreshing their idea of what Indian food could be.

I first went to Indian Accent just before Diwali in 2011, as a guest of a friend. We went for lunch and it blew me away. At the time I had no idea what a treat it was to be taken to lunch there, but now I am well aware of how spoilt I was. Since my first visit I have been back about 3 times, the most recent with my Mum, as I had to show her a different side to 'Indian' food plus the Aussie MasterChefs paid the restaurant a visit on their recent trip to the city...... so now everyone has to go don't they?

We ventured down to Friends Colony on a stunning Sunday afternoon, 5 of us (plus our newborn in the pram - who was amazingly well behaved). The restaurant was pretty quiet, just a few tables occupied but everyone already tucking into the delicous morsels.

When you arrive you receive a complimentary mini blue cheese naan which is the perfect entree into what is to come - Indian food but with an inventive, interesting twist using a variety of exotic ingredients. I am not a food blogger so I won't go into the flavours and textures but will give you a rundown of what we enjoyed.

The menu is complex so decisions are hard to make, but make we did, and here's a few pics of the results.





Sorbet course breaker in a cute replica pressure cooker



Amazing chicken

 

 

Rice crusted John Dory moilee, market green and pine nut poriyal - incredible!



Dessert platter



Goodbye treats - hmmmm umm no thanks but they look pretty.





My happy plate and my very lovely Rose.

 

 

Some of the other things we enjoyed (not pictured) were the:

chicken tikka quesadillas, swiss gruyere, pink peppercorn raita - SUPER CUTE

meetha achaar chilean spare ribs, sun dried mango, toasted kalonji seeds

soft shell crab, flame roast coconut, tomato pickle chutney - LOVE

duck tawa khurchan, mattar makhana malai

tamarind chutney glazed tandoori chilean pork ribs, tandoori aloo - AMAZING!!

slow cooked baby lamb shank, california prune and mulberry korma - yes please

 

 

All in all everything - the service, the wine, the food and the company was great. The only thing I don't love are the goodbye treats - not to my taste but hey it doesn't matter they look pretty.

 

The meal cost about Rs4000 a head and was worth ever rupee. 

If you're in the city - go there!!!!

And we're back

So it's been ages since a post but I've been busy adding to our family - Charlie Thomas was born in December. His arrival took me back to Perth for 3 months. It was beautiful - summer in Perth was a complete treat. Good food, fresh air and great friends. I loved it, however after 3 months it was time to get back to my world and life in Delhi.

So 15 hours later with two kids and a very patient and wonderful Mum, we made it back to Delhi. Anil, Surinder and Tom were all there to meet us and our 6 suitcases. My divine neighbours decorated the house for us and it felt good to be here.

The best thing about the timing of our arrival is I have caught the last of the beautiful cool Delhi spring weather. It is divine and if anyone is thinking of visiting this has to be the best time.

A few things struck me on my return, things I'd missed and things I haven't.....

Haven't....
- the filthy bank notes. Oh how I enjoyed dealing with the clean aussie bank note
- the truly terrible coffee (thank god for Nespresso)
- being the object of stares from the local male population
- my children's colds and cough (both returned in about 2 days of arrival)

Have ....
- the pure delight in Sophie's face as she chases peacocks around the place and her delight in seeing them display their feathers
- everything is possible, you just need to be creative
- my house is cleaned and dinner cooked by someone else
- yoga

India has put on a real show for my first week back. The weather is amazing - ok it's not 'let's go to Cottesloe Beach' amazing - but it's cool, the sky is blue and the air is relatively clean.

I made it back just in time to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary. It was a lovely night with French champagne and roses.

Mum's had a lovely time, to help her enjoy herself and relax after having us in Perth for 3 months we booked her into a massage at the Leela Palace at ESPA - 9.30 on Wednesday. We dropped her off and waved her goodbye. Sadly for Mum I obviously didn't make it clear enough I meant AM and they had booked her in for the evening so that didn't happen - 'can we offer you a pedicure instead maam?'. These people clearly haven't met us as we are in bed by this time, these days!

This time of year the Mughal Gardens at the President's Residence are open for inspection. Mum and I went today and they are magnificent. The variety of flowers, the colours and the layout are beautiful and free entry. Of course there is the usual high security presence - step off the lawn or I'll shoot! but you can block that out. Other annoyances include no phones, no cameras (hence no photos), no handbags, but you do get the bonus of a good touch up by the security guard on entry - always good when you are feeling lonely! But it was beautiful and a recommended outing for sure, especially in this amazing weather. Other highlight was seeing the tuk tuk named the 'Handicap Express' parked out the front plus the Imperial Hotel is just nearby so we just popped in there for lunch afterwards - ah it's nice to be home!

Other hot spots we've got visited this week include watching the 20/20 cricket, a long lunch at China Kitchen, lunch at the Italian Cultural Centre, shopping trip to Santushti and Khan Market. All very successful. Pick the expat?

So even though I adored my time in Perth more than anything and it was beautiful it is good to be home, showing off my boy to my friends and getting back into the swing of things. Delhi is being kind at the moment and it's nice to be back.