The photos of my trip to visit Bin in India are finally up in
Part I and
Part II. I had a fantastic time there and hope to go back, just not to
Nandi Hills...
In Calcutta we stayed with Bin's parents. They had just moved there from Shillong. I was also able to meet Bin's sister and her husband, as well as many friends of his. The brother of one friend was getting married, so we were invited to the wedding. We did not attend the ceremony, but the following day there was a New Year's Eve party at the house of the groom's family. The way the house was decorated made me think I was in a movie. There were flowers everywhere and the view from the rooftop was superb. There was a
Rajastani band that played throughout the evening, and we drank and socialized until the early morning.
The next day was the wedding reception. Bin's cousin helped me pick out a sari the day before and the mother of a friend of Bin's dressed me. I felt like I was getting a
bed sheet wrapped around me for a toga party (granted, it was a very
luxurious and elegant
bed sheet). After 20 minutes of folding and tucking I emerged.
The reception was nice, we only got to briefly congratulate the couple. Most time was spent eating. The food was excellent with a buffet of dozens of types of foods, including a curried lobster. The desserts were delightfully sweet and after dinner, instead of an aperitif, I tasted some
paan.
Paan is a
digestive. It is a betel nut paste and some spices
enclosed in a betel leaf. One is supposed to eat the whole thing at once, but I was forced to bite it into pieces and chew and suck (the leaf is huge). The party was fantastic, though I was happy to shed my sari when we got home due to my excessive fear of spilling something on it through the entire evening (try to delicately
deshell curried lobster without making a mess...it's near impossible).
In Calcutta we stayed with Bin's parents. They had just moved there from Shillong. I was also able to meet Bin's sister and her husband, as well as many friends of his. The brother of one friend was getting married, so we were invited to the wedding. We did not attend the ceremony, but the following day there was a New Year's Eve party at the house of the groom's family. The way the house was decorated made me think I was in a movie. There were flowers everywhere and the view from the rooftop was superb. There was a Rajastani band that played throughout the evening, and we drank and socialized until the early morning.
The next day was the wedding reception. Bin's cousin helped me pick out a sari the day before and the mother of a friend of Bin's dressed me. I felt like I was getting a bed sheet wrapped around me for a toga party (granted, it was a very luxurious and elegant bed sheet). After 20 minutes of folding and tucking I emerged.
The reception was nice, we only got to briefly congratulate the couple. Most time was spent eating. The food was excellent with a buffet of dozens of types of foods, including a curried lobster. The desserts were delightfully sweet and after dinner, instead of an aperitif, I tasted some paan. Paan is a digestive. It is a betel nut paste and some spices enclosed in a betel leaf. One is supposed to eat the whole thing at once, but I was forced to bite it into pieces and chew and suck (the leaf is huge). The party was fantastic, though I was happy to shed my sari when we got home due to my excessive fear of spilling something on it through the entire evening (try to delicately deshell curried lobster without making a mess...it's near impossible).
No comments:
Post a Comment