Happy Deepavali

Part of living in another country is celebrating new holidays.  We missed Halloween - though we did attend a "halloween" party at the home of some new friends where a couple of people dressed up and someone carved a watermelon jack-o-lantern.

This weekend was Deepavali - or Diwali...  Andy got the day off so we did a bit of exploring to learn more about Hindu culture.

We ventured out to Little India for a look at the celebrations.  Unfortunately we missed the festival bazaar and concert celebrations leading up to the holiday and only got to see the brightly decorated streets of Little India.

Since it was the actual holiday when we went, Little India was swarming with people who were enjoying their day off....some a little more than others.  Everywhere we looked, there were men sitting around on the sidewalks, grassy areas, basically anywhere there was space.  Some had a little too much partying and were passed out on the street....What I'm wondering is, where are all the women?

Some of the pretty garlands hanging in the shops

While walking around, we saw some bargain deals...only $5 a pair of jeans...that is if you want to dig through this pile. 

The famous Mustafa Centre - open 24 hours for shopping.  It was so busy that day, we were diverted to the 6th entrance before we could enter since they only allow a certain amount of people into the building for safety reasons.  Crazy!

Of course, no better way to learn about culture than to sample some food!  We stopped at Komala Vilas for some good food.

While looking at the menu and debating what to order, our conversation went something like this:

Me: "I'm starving! I just want some chicken or something."

Andy: "Uh...honey, did you look at the name of the restaurant when you picked this place?"

Me:  "Why? What?"

Andy:  "It's Komala Vilas VEGETARIAN Restaurant...most Indians are vegetarians you know."

Me: .....

Guess I missed that memo. 

Even though I didn't get to satisfy my meat cravings, we still enjoyed our dinner.  I don't really remember the names of what we got...since we ordered the waiter's suggestions...but it was good! 

On our way home, we got to admire the festive lights.

(Some guy was thinking the same thing as me....)

All in all, a very interesting experience.  I'm sure I'll be back for some good Indian food, although I do have to say I might try to come at a less busy time.