This past weekend I was out to dinner at a local restaurant with my family and some friends of ours. It is a place we go to often not only because we like the food, but because it is a nice family run place. These guys on Saturday night were trying to run their business with power coming and going, back up generators kicking in, and some kind of an inverter hooked up to a truck engine in the parking lot. I give them so much credit for rolling with the situation. People all along the coast here are just trying to get their lives back to normal.
What was so weird for my husband and me was that the first time the lights went out, we both shot a glance at each other and instantly remembered our time in India. Specifically in Agra where the Taj Mahal is located. A truly amazing place to see, and somewhere I continually get inspiration from. I love the stone inlay, particularly all the carnelian. It's translucent look gives such a beautiful, warm feeling.
India is a place where the old traditions and the modern world bump up against each other. In Agra you can see how population growth has affected the air quality. These pictures we took in Agra, while not the best, shows the Taj Mahal from a window in the Red Fort from across the river. You can see the haze in the air from the traditional use of 'cook fires,' which are open fires to cook your meals. At night there are not a lot of city lights, or street lights, and you can see the glow of cook fires way out into the distance.
When we went out to dinner we came across the sweetest little boy dancing in traditional dress while his father played a sort of part flute, part recorder. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of him, but a quick google search found pictures that really brought back that sweet look on his face as he danced. We headed into the restaurant that had bare light bulbs hanging from cords in a web from the ceiling. Just after we ordered, the lights went out. It was pitch black. I mean we held up our hands in front of faces and you could not see them. The lights didn't come back on for at least 3 minutes ... a very long 3 minutes when you're wondering what is going on. After the second or third time we lost electricity, we got into a rhythm and didn't let it slow us down the rest of the night.
So, as I continue my list of things we were thankful for while traveling in India, it includes electricity and the ability to see my husband's smiling face over our curry dinner, which by the way was out of this world.
The Taj Mahal truly is magnificent. Lucky you for having seen it! People here take electricity for granted, but I'm thankful because I have experienced otherwise! Glad you enjoyed a great dinner :)
ReplyDeleteWe do take electricity, which is available to us at all times, for granted. I can't imagine being without it!
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate to have visited such an amazing place. There is so much to see.
I am thoroughly enjoying your India posts. You pick out the everyday-ness of the place and what life is like there. Other countries are so much more flexible than we are about electricity, water, bathrooms, etc. As a whole, we are a pretty soft bunch. LOL
ReplyDeletePower is such a wonderful thing! We're lost around here when it goes out! But it's surprising how creative you can be with no electronic devises to distract you :)
ReplyDeleteCynthia, your India posts are always so inspirational. I doubt there is another place on the planet with as much colour, contrast and contradiction!
ReplyDeleteYes, we take many things for granted here in the First World: electricity, running water, safe housing, food at a convenient distance and the transport to fetch it, health care, dental care, education... geez, I'm gonna stop there. We need to be more mindful as we are accessing all these privileges.
Such a beautiful place! We do take electricity for granted here and it always takes an adjustment when it goes out but thankfully it's very seldom here. We saw an interview with the guy who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and he's from India so they went back to him hometown. They were in a restaurant I believe when the lights went out. The American reporter was like, hey! But the other guy was like, oh, this is normal. It'll be back in a little bit. Crazy!
ReplyDeletehow amazing!! i would love to travel to India. So neat!
ReplyDeleteHelene in Between
If you haven't, I'd highly recommend reading "Shantaram", a memoir set in India. It's amazing. I scribbled notes and underlined passages all throughout the book. Ages ago, Johnny Depp bought the rights to make a movie but to my knowledge, nothing happened -- which is too bad, it is an AMAZING book.
ReplyDeleteI would love to travel to India!
ReplyDeleteI love your last line. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where the boys in your photos are now. I've lived with planned blackouts and after the novelty wears off, it's just something you have to adjust to. Kudos to the restaurant owners and staff for keeping things cooking ♥
ReplyDeleteSadly, the electricity situation continues to stay dismal in India. And water as well :( Folks who can afford them have generators and inverters, but for those who cannot, its hard. But oh well, they are used to that I guess :(
ReplyDeleteTaj is so romantic! We had lured our American friends to go to our wedding in India by offering them a trip to go see the Taj :)
The trip to India sounds magnificent! the dinner memories and even power outages, romantic!
ReplyDeleteThat must have been so awkward being in a pitch dark restaurant. Boston has a restaurant where you actually dine in the dark (not for me)! Electricity is a beautiful thing. The photos are wonderful. I love seeing the boys in their traditional dress.
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