Brain Fry

Restaurant Menu

I've heard of people suffering a Brain Fry or is that Brain Freeze? However I never would have suspected people would willing subject themselves to eating it!

This was on our menu last night, but there was no way I was going to eat it.  The normal vegetarian curry was perfectly fine and we didn't wake up with a dodgy tummy thankfully.

That let me have another outing today during which I visited a new hotel in Chennai called the Grand Chola. It has only just opened and much of it is still being completed. The marble and carvings remind me of the Taj Mahal while the stair case which greets you as you walk through the front doors reminds me of the Titanic. Wandering around we found a few bars and restaurants that are opened, gate crashed a product debut up on the first floor (quickly exited) and then enjoyed a coffee and cake in the cafe.

The Grand Chola Chennai

Before we left, I couldn't resist a photo with the doorman...don't you just love his moustache!

At the Grand Chola

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a saree shop which was one recommended by a local. This time I purchased some beautiful fabric at a decent price. Since I had someone knowledgeable on sarees with me, I ordered the top to be made and the edges to be sewn, so I get to pick it up tomorrow. What I have learnt about sarees is you can now get them made so you don't have to wrap them, just slip it on and you're ready to go!

The Saree material

Another detour before we got back was a gold shop. As you may know gold is a big status symbol over here. Three floors later and we walked out empty handed, however I was certainly impressed by the variety of gold in there.

I tried to get a few photos on the way home from the car, unfortunately I missed a perfect opportunity - a group of people standing on top of a moving bus driving down a main road. It wouldn't have wanted to suddenly stop!

Weekend tomorrow and I get to do some tourist bits with H at last. 

More soon from our break in India...

Shopping in Chennai

Tuk Tuks and motorbikes fight against the cars to surge forward through the overloaded roads. Pedestrians wait patiently for a small break in traffic and when they see it, hold their hand up and sedately walk across. 

Read the messages on this Tuk Tuk

Old men squat by the side of the road, it's that old yoga pose that I can't do again. 

Beggars tap on the car windows holding babies and pleading for food.

Street food stalls scattered along the roads are full with customers eating their finest dhal.

Police assist the traffic lights, but I never do see a green light as the traffic surges forward. The locals peer in through the car window intrigued by this white, blonde haired girl that sits in the car.

At this stage if I was new to India I would probably be freaking out, but I've been here before and while there are many things that frustrate me about India, today I sit back and just enjoy. We will get to my destination in all good time.

Where might you ask am I headed. Shopping of course.. and today I wanted to check out the silk shops. As usual, the driver had to take me past his recommended shop, I did get slightly worried when I was led down some stairs through a cellar where people were working. But not to worry...it was just a shop.

When I arrived at the real destination (which was T. Nagar for those of you interested) there was a mass of different silk shops. Groups of women were shopping together, some with henna painted hands and obviously seeking the shops finest wedding sarees. 

I have never seen such a huge range of fabrics, it is such a treasure chest. If I had an overwhelming mass of money I could buy up.  I tried a beautiful wedding saree and the shop assistant wrapped it around me. Had it not been 24,000 rupees I probably would have bought it. It did start some conversation around the shop floor... 'look at that white girl there'. I could just imagine the talk.  By the way if you convert the rupee its about 230 pounds. You certainly have to be sure it's the right one if you're going to spend that.

What was particularly annoying is that the shops wouldn't barter and kept telling me they were fixed price. Yet I'm sure I saw a man bartering... 

I didn't come back to the hotel loaded with shopping bags but it was a nice afternoon out. I will do some further investigation of what I actually should be paying for a saree!

A post from Tamil Nadu

Today I'm posting from Chennai, India the capital of the state Tamil Nadu.

  

After a ten hour flight we arrived somewhat later than expected at about 5am India time. I enjoyed the flight though, I managed to squeeze a seat next to H up in Premium Economy (thanks to the lovely flight attendant) so with a bit of extra leg room, some nice champagne I sat back and enjoyed catching up on movies.

Of course it's always nice to relax before landing in the chaos that is India. Thankfully as we landed in the wee hours of the morning, things were a little quieter. It probably helps ease your way back into it actually, with just a few tuk tuks, buses, motor bikes, random people and dogs meandering the streets at that hour.

After a late breakfast/lunch during which I stupidly had a coffee (the milk didn't agree with me), I've since had a green tea, feel better and have escaped the confines of my room to relax in the 36 degree humidity down by the pool. By the way it seems all the wifes / girlfriends etc are down here to.

There are trees - behind me!

Now I'm reflecting on the last time I was here. Unfortunately I had a bad flashback of the cockroaches that plagued me thanks to a boss that put me up in a dodgy hotel. Plus a full month working here was a little to long for my liking.

Thankfully this time I'm in a nice hotel and have H here to share it with. Well time to do some real work, wedding organising and job hunting. 

A nice piece of Road Kill anyone?

Your choice of the day... flattened badger, fox or pheasant.

I found a television program last night called 'Come Dine with Me'. It features four individuals who host dinner parties. The one that gets the highest vote wins a thousand pounds. So after tucking into my roast mushrooms for dinner I started watching (By the way, I was thankful I had eaten before hand).

When one of the contestants said she only cooks Road Kill, I thought it was a joke. And then I saw the menu:

Starter : Pheasant Road Kill Pies

Main: Water Buffalo called James (She had a photo of him)
Dessert : The only normal one...Creme Brulee
Petit Fours : Barbecued meal worms and Chocolate Coated Scorpion


On the night she served her Road Kill dinner she wore a necklace made from animal teeth (perhaps that's where she collected them from). Only some of the teeth were cats so that is kind of sick isn't it? 

The other contestants were obviously a bit dubious about eating their meal, but when she reassured them that she had over cooked the pheasant to ensure any bacteria was killed, they tucked in. And as one of them said 'it will only come out as diarrhea...'.

I don't think I could subject myself to that. When I think of Road Kill, I think of all the dead Kangaroos and Rabbits strewn along Australian highways. Some have been sitting there for days rotting in the hot Australian sun. It certainly doesn't tempt me to stop the car, jump out and rescue the slain animal in a bid to feed my family.

What will today be famous for?

On my way to the gym this morning I found out what today will be famous for. 

Any ideas?

The new Apple iPhone was released. 

Of course, other than the Generation Y's and Techies you may find something else that today is famous for. 

Lined up in the Kingston Bentalls centre this morning were around 200+ people. Apparently a number of them had camped out since 4am. What I can't understand is why do you need the new phone today? Why can't it wait till next week or next month? What is the big deal?

It's not as if a phone is a new invention revolutionising our communication methods. Newsflash people - phones have been around for a while now!

And from what I read about the new iPhone there are no major new functionalities - it can't teleport you to the other side of the world. If it did that, then I would have been there lining up with them at 4am!

Perhaps they do it so they can tell all their friends they have it. A measure of status. If that is the case then how sad. Shouldn't life be measured by our experiences and the people in them than material goods. 

As you might expect by the time you have read to this sentence.. I will not be buying the latest iPhone.

Baking day

There is nothing better than messing up the kitchen and getting creative. If I was working it's a great way to escape from the stress, but as I'm not, it's something to do outside of the gym, housework, wedding preparation, visa stuff and blogging!

The cupcake of choice today was banana. A little secret that was told to me a while back is that you can keep over ripe bananas in the freezer, since I've got a few of them now, I thought I had better make up a batch of banana cupcakes. 

To spice it up I also made a raspberry coulis, scooped out the middle and placed some inside before icing. Taste = yum, Look = well that's up to you... What do you think?

  

  

  

  

  

Japanese

I've never been partial to sushi, the thought of putting something raw and fishy in my mouth coated in seaweed does nothing to excite the palate. It's a bit like pork, the smell of which leaves me feeling nauseous. Who could subject themselves to a flesh that apparently is the closest to human flesh? yuk!

You will then be surprised that I agreed to try Japanese on Friday. 

To ease my way into it, we started out at a bar called Mahiki. Apparently this is a location where Prince Harry has been seen a few times. We didn't see him and instead were entertained by the waiter who served us in his finest pirate voice...ahoy me hearties!  I tried the Monkey Brains cocktail which was delicious...

Monkey Brains

The Japanese restaurant that we went to was called Sake No Hana located just near Green Park.  I did attempt the raw fish, but found the cooked version of black cod to be the highlight. Some Saki and a wonderful chocolate desert topped off the evening. And yes I will go out for Japanese again, this time though a little less Saki.

The yummiest desert!

I love Harrods

I know I've previously complained about customer service in London but I had the most amazing experience on Friday.. I went shopping in Harrods.

If you don't know Harrods you don't know London. It is the most amazing shop.

I popped into the lingerie department and was immediately approached by a shopping assistant. When I told her I was shopping for my wedding she immediately proceeded to choose a whole selection of pieces and placed me in a change room.

I tried on bits ranging from the standard everyday prices, to pieces over one thousand pounds. I was a bit shocked by some of the prices, but thought I might as well enjoy the moment. When ever am I going to put a piece of clothing on that's worth that much?...never!

If you're ever in need of a special piece of clothing for that special occasion then try Harrods, at least you'll be guaranteed a real customer service experience.

Front row at the Olympians Parade

The big finale of the 2012 Olympics is well and truly over, celebrated not only at the closing ceremony but the Olympians Parade earlier this week. 

The neighbour invited me to go along to the Parade through central London. After my last experience of trying to view a parade (Queens Jubilee) in central London, I wasn't quite sure I should bother. That experience saw me walking around central London for about three hours and not see a thing.

But leaving early in the morning makes a difference and we got a front row seat. 

It was tremendous to be here in London and experience the Olympics, it will be something I will never forget.

Hope you like the photos ! And apologies in advance for not recognising the British Olympians.

The start of the Parade

Crowds line the street

The Parade kicks off with the British Lions

Jess Ennis and ?

Not sure who this was either

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Sir Chris Hoy and ?

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Paralympics

Having the chance to actually go to the Olympic Stadium in London was something I never thought we'd get to do, however H managed to secure us some Paralympics tickets a few weeks ago. 

It is a massive and very impressive Stadium. Walking into it you get caught up in the excitement amongst the mass of people going to support the paralympians. 

Olympics Stadium and The Orbit

We watched the athletics amongst a very revved up crowd. When the Brits competed and whether they won or lost the noise was like something you'd never heard before.

While I didn't get to hear Advance Australia fair, I did get to see a few Brits win gold and stand and sing to God Save the Queen.

The athletes themselves were so inspiring.

We saw a number of blind 100m sprints, these competitors are teemed up with a co-runner with sight.  When we watched them, it looks like they tie themselves together.

Then athletes with cerebal palsy, limbs missing, in wheelchairs - amazing achievements. I think this event will be the highlight out of my London 2012 Olympics experience.

  

A snog in London

You really do see some sites when you're wandering around London, actually you see some back home in Oz to. 

But if you ever fancy a snog in London then we found a great spot.....a snog shop.

The Snog Shop

  

It's free from fat and sugar... so why not ?

We were meant to be shopping for an outfit for H, but got sidetracked when we saw this. Actually I got sidetracked by it.

Don't ask me to find it again because I was completely lost from wandering around all the little side streets near Covent Garden. I also found an Aussie shop but I wasn't going to pay the eight pounds they wanted for promite.

The snog were selling frozen yoghurt by the way...

Barbies not allowed

And I don't mean the ones that are blonde and in the shape of abnormally skinny women.

In Oz you can have a barbie in any park. Typically you just add your $1 for the public ones or take your own. 

If you're home then most people on a warm summer night will enjoy firing up their barbie to cook a good steak, burger or snag.

But here..... we walked to three different parks all in the vicinity of our home, and barbies were banned. I don't get it. These guys don't live in the hottest and driest part of the world ! It rains practically every day and yet you can't have a barbie. What the?

We gave up in the end and resorted to cracking open a lovely bottle of french champagne served with our free strawberries (because we complained at the local supermarket - it pays to give feedback!) in a local park. It was relaxing and lovely to soak up the vitamin D but we were a bit naughty.....

We did light up our portable BBQ out on the balcony to try and cook our lamb and rosemary snags. Unfortunately it kind of smoked a bit too much and we had to extinguish it rather quickly with a bucket of water. 

Thankfully the frying pan and stove works just as well!

A bike ride to Richmond

What's the best thing to do on a gloriously sunny 25 degree day? A bike ride of course. 

This time I decided to go along the Kingston to Richmond route which takes you through Canbury Gardens, Teddington Lock, Ham Fields and into Petersham Meadows. Of course when you're out and about in Blighty you can't escape the history. 

As I cycled this route I stopped and took a number of photos. I caught sight of the white house across the river (third photo above). Amazingly I found it online.  

It's called Marble Hill House, and it's a Palladian villa set in about 66 acres of parklands. If you have no idea what 'Palladian' is like I didn't, try google. By the way, it's a type of architecture.

Apparently Marble Hill was built for a woman described as 'the remarkable Henrietta Howard', mistress of King George II when he was Prince of Wales, and friend and confidante of some of the cleverest men in England. Mmmm if you're a friend and confidante of numerous men could that be interpreted as something further?

  

The two photos to the right above, are the last stop just before Richmond, the Petersham Meadows. It took me about half an hour one way but that was stopping quite regularly to take photo's and enjoy the scenery.

Ham House

On the way back I did a detour past Ham House which is described as one of Europes greatest examples of 17th Century houses. I didn't go in this time but when I have more time I will. Ham House is said to be the vision of Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart who was deeply embroiled in the politics of the English Civil war and subsequent restoration of the monarchy.

See it's amazing what you can find when you go out exploring! Bit different from a bike ride in Oz which I'd still love, but for a whole load of different reasons.

Wedding photography

In one of my recent posts I mentioned that I'd started the shopping process for my wedding. Since I'm not working I've got plenty of time to investigate all options and since the location is now sorted, I'm looking for those other big purchases such as a photographer.

Who would have thought photography would eat up a large portion of the budget?

I think I might change my career!

In London I can find one on Gumtree for a whole day including all the photos on a CD for something between 450 to 800 pounds. There are loads of up and coming wedding photographers offering a cheaper rate and experienced ones looking to fill their diaries offering cheaper rates.

In Oz I'm lucky to find one for the same cost.

Since my wedding will be in the Barossa Valley, I looked at the local Barossa Brides website which had links to a few photographers;

1. Event Imaging : $3,400
2. Angelsmith Photography : No cost = expensive!
3. Barossa Photo Company : No cost = another expensive one!
4. Melanie Linklater Photography : Nice blog and photo's but no cost listed again!

Then I checked the Gumtree Australia site and found just one wedding photographer (Jason Milligan Photography) with quite a good website but poor photo's offering it for $1,100.

Looks like we'll be stuck paying through the teeth for these photographers!