Let's Go Kroger-ing! Am I still in India or back in Detroit?

So, I am at Sante (the local import store for expats) shopping for meat and hummus (Big surprise, right? I am married to Paul!). Yes, there are some quite nice meats you can purchase that are imported. I am perusing the "aisle," when my eyes wander across the image you will see in the photo below...pay close attention to the brand.

For those of you located in Michigan, Indiana, or Ohio, I would like to know how on Earth did something from Kroger end up in Pune. Only people from those states will truly understand my question. The off-brand cream of tartar wound up on a grocery aisle shelf in Pune...did someone get stopped at customs? This is so bizarre! I cannot find JIF or Fleischmann's yeast, but Kroger branded items? What in the world!?!?! It truly is a totally RANDOM moment in India. Thought I would share this moment with my fellow Midwesterners.

To recap the day . . .

I had a nice conversation with Jessica and Alina (Seperately. It does not sound like a lot, but they each had a lot to say so it took awhile and then there are the intermittent power outages). I went to the gym, because that is what I do. Then, Adriana and I took the dogs out to play. While the dogs were playing at the dog kennel with the other pups, we went for a coffee and shopping. Here is the point in the afternoon where I get into trouble. I finally found a sari I like! It's lovely and perfect for the wedding we are going to in May. You know me, of course I pick the most expensive one at the store. Now, if I can just convince Paul . . .

Holi, The Festival of Colors

Holi. The festival of colors that welcomes spring to India. Paul and I awoke to an eerily quiet street. Typically, when we wake in the morning there are the usual street sounds--dogs, trucks, rickshaw horns, children playing. But not on this morning, today you could hear a pin drop. Today, is definitely Holi. I can almost see people creeping about ready to pounce on innocent city wanders with a splash of color to their bodies. Holi celebrates Spring with the flinging of colors everywhere! In other words, this is a great opportunity for you to celebrate your inner-5-year-old-child. Laugh, scream, chase, water balloon, and water gun your friends down with colors. Whether you are walking your dog in the park, walking down the street, sitting in a rickshaw, or buying some fruit--Holi can, and will, find you.

Paul and I decided to avoid Holi seeking us and go to a Holi party at Waterfront. Typically, most Indian families celebrate the holiday at home with friends and family. That is unless you are one of the unfortunate people to get attacked by a motorcyclist passing by with a water gun filled with color. We attended Holi at Waterfront with some friends and had an absolutely wonderful time! All colors used were organic and produced by EcoExist, a local Pune business that promotes eco-sensitive products using natural and recycled materials.

As we walk out the building, we see these lads running with their water guns . . . uh oh!?!

Welcome to Holi 2009! Yes, that is a man with a large bucket dumping purple dye on to other participants . . . Paul and I thought this might be the cheap way to tie-dye our clothes, but remarkably I have removed all the color somehow!

Here are the gals from cards . . . My plastic Ziploc got in the way of the shot otherwise it would have been perfect! And I think there is a stream of colored water being shot at Betsy!

After Adriana and I were done attacking each other, we decided to play nice and pose for a photo . . .

Paul and I have now had enough entertainment. We are completely saturated with colors. Luckily, I wore this scarf, so that my hair does not look like a rainbow as I am sitting here right now.

A Saturday Stroll to Koreagaon Park

Paul and I enjoy waking up Saturday morning and taking a walk from Kalyani Nagar to Koreagaon Park. Though, this is not a long, leisurely stroll like the old days when we would walk to Sweetwater Cafe for a coffee in the morning, it does somewhat replicate what we used to do at home.

We cannot take all the credit for this idea as it was not our original brainchild. To be completely honest and candid, we were a bit apprehensive to the idea of walking as a form of relaxing entertainment in Pune. Motorbikes, lack of sidewalks, the dog patrol, and autorickshaws can oftentimes make walking more of an obstacle course and a less enjoyable experience. However, our friends J and Cindy convinced us to go with them to German Bakery many moons ago, and since that day Paul and I really enjoy our little Saturday morning people watching excursion. We do not leave the house as early as we used to with them--they were really good at making us wake up early--but now we leave around 9 am for our little stroll to see all the morning business happening in our neighborhood.

We left the society and saw this woman and child outside the building, upon first glance you cannot easily tell what they are doing.

Then, we realize it's a newborn litter of pups playing in the grass . . .

We cross the bridge from Kalyani Nagar into Koreagaon Park and make our way down Lane 7 to see these cows meandering about . . .

We make our way up and down the lush, green canopied Lanes and encounter this interesting home delivery truck opposite the new Poonawalla "Mansion, Plantation, Estate, Whatever-You-Wish-To-Call-Their-Gigantic-Home" . . . Hmmm, Burger Mail? Sounds like something Paul would be interested in trying!

We continue on our stroll and finally arrive at the German Bakery for brunch. It really is not German at all, but we enjoy it for their terrible coffee, fresh fruit salads, strawberry and pineapple juices, eggs, and good hearty, dense bread. It's also a great place to go people watching and try to discern everyone's "story."

We leave German Bakery and make our way back to Kalyani Nagar with a quick stop at ABC Farms to purchase some lemongrass and tour, by happenstance, the new ayuvedic center. The lemongrass makes some excellent tea that our friend Adriana showed us how to prepare. Most importantly, it is quite refreshing in the Indian heat. Just boil a full kettle of water and pour over a handful of the lemongrass. Allow the tea to steep at least 5 minutes, and serve hot or cold. Now, the ABC Farms Ayuvedic Center was interesting, but probably not anything Paul and I will try soon.

We returned back home to greet a happy Lily at the door, who quickly became unhappy when she realized her fate was a bath that afternoon. Here she is all squeaky clean with her homemade haircut that is growing out badly . . .

Later that afternoon, Paul and I decided to go out for some grooming as well at the O Hotel. I was actually pretty impressed with the results. It was entertaining for Paul to watch me get my haircut when at the end 3 men were actually blow drying and straightening my hair. We went home, and then later that night back to the O Hotel for a yummy sushi dinner. Not a bad end to a lovely, relaxing day in Pune.