Delhi, India + Rome, Italy
It's another Youtube companion episode! That means you can listen to us OR watch us. By the way, head on over to our Youtube Channel and subscribe, because not only do we release our monthly youtube companion episodes, we also have charity spotlights and shorts, which we call #10KForReels. Get it? Film reels and for real? We love the puns you have to explain, apparently.
Alison obsessed with Manifest, the NBC show about a plane that disappeared for 5 years, though for the passengers on board no time had passed. Alison is so excited about this show that she literally pulls out her phone to watch anytime there is a lull in her life. She goes on and on about the plot of the show until Lulu stops her and says "what if we want to watch it?". Lulu is obsessed with the Tasty Videos, the ones where you can watch how to make a recipe, but they're really quick? Absolutely obsessed, she cannot stop watching them. Whether she is following them and making said recipes is a different thing entirely.
Alison has been making cloud bread, because it is a Keto-friendly non-bread brain-tricking carb substitute. They describe the recipe for you, which has only five ingredients, but they forget to mention one major one, so just watch the Tasty video instead. Oh! And though you've already heard the girls talk about Keto in every episode this year, they filmed this video episode while together in January, so they are hoping that when it airs they will be looking back at their "before" bodies. Because they are going to do Keto and stick to it.
Alison is wishing for blkdiamond Activated Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder. Lulu points out that she has wished for teeth whitening on multiple episodes. Alison realizes that is right, so you know what she does? She hits "Add to Cart" and buys two off of Amazon. Thanks to Prime it'll be to her in two days. And that is the first time we've ever had a wish granted while talking about it, they excitedly exclaim! Wait, nope, technically in the February youtube companion episode, Alison wished for a wine foil cutter, which our guest gave to her right then and there. Lulu is wishing for shirts from Neon Witch, Jillian Bell's t-shirt company. She specifically wants the Overwhelmed tee for herself, the Murder shows tee for her mom, and also the panic attack tee that's in an ironically soothing pink font with a heart around it. Oh, and the Anxiety tee that looks like the airbrush tees you used to get at Walmart or the beach, but instead of your name the lettering reads "Anxiety". Love it.
First of all, in case any of you were confused like she was, Lulu wants to clarify that New Delhi is a small part of the bigger Delhi. They are not two separate cities. Hooray for you if you already knew that. Moving on. Lulu is staying in a luxury suite at the Oberoi Hotel, which she is happy to report promotes their air quality on the website. Delhi's outdoor air quality has the effect of smoking like two packs a day or something, so this "guarantee" that the indoor air is of good quality appeases Lulu's need to breathe. India is a relatively inexpensive place to travel, so getting to 10K will be difficult. Lulu is off to a good start however, with her Oberoi Hotel Suite costing over $5500 for two nights. It does however come with living and dining rooms, views of Humayun's Tomb, and 24-hour butler service. And the Italian marble bathroom has an in-mirror TV.
After Lulu has settled in to her 5-star hotel with it's 5-star air, she decides she wants to do a little souvenir shopping. She decides to hunt down turtle locks in local street markets. She gets three, one for her, one for Ash, and one for Alison, who has an affinity for turtles. The interesting feature of these turtle locks is that the catch is released by turning a key, then cocking the turtle’s head. Lulu is so excited to be in India, because she loves Indian food. She specifically loves Lamb Korma. So she follows her cravings to Ashok Meat Wala, Paschim Bihar. She's not sure why the comma is there, if that's the whole name, or who owns it? What follows after the comma is the area of town the restaurant is in. So she is going to Ashok Meat Wala in Paschim Bihar, where she eats all of the korma and all of the naan. Because clearly Keto does not need to be adhered to during their imaginary 10K Days.
Now for a little shopping to prepare for the reason she's in Delhi. She buys this Monrow Cutout-shoulder sweatshirt and these St. John Leggings, both in white. Now that she's comfortable and dressed all in white, she is ready to head to the Holi Festival of Colors. Holi is a Hindu festival that takes place in the spring. It is a festival of colors and of love, with religious roots, and it celebrates the general spirit of spring - the victory of good over evil, renewal of the earth, and other such beautiful things. It is a two-night, one-day event, and is in March this year. You spend the first night with rituals at a bonfire, cleansing yourself of any internal evil. To celebrate this healing, the next day everyone goes out into the streets and throws colors at each other. Good thing Lulu also purchased three-hundred color powder packets. With water guns, balloons, and bare hands, gulal - the traditional name for the colors used in rituals - is spread everywhere, by everyone. So her originally white clothes are going to have a fabulously fun look to them.
Lulu her Holi experience, but now she wants to get clean. Luckily she brought Paul Mitchell tea tree shampoo with her. And while she would normally just get her favorite $7 Pre de Provence Lavender soap, she decides to google "what is the most expensive soap". She found Cor silver soap, with colloidal silver and went with that instead. Lulu heads to the Amatrra spa where she decides to indulge in two Ayurvedic therapies. First Lulu enjoys a half-hour of Synchronized Abhyanga which is a four-handed massage using dosha-specific oils, followed by Shiro-Dhara, which is a process of a stream of luke warm oil dripping on to the center of the forehead, the third eye, which helps detoxify your body and mind and clarify emotions.
After body, mind, and spirit are rejuvenated, Lulu heads to dinner at Indian Accent, named one of Time Magazine’s 100 greatest places 2018. She does the Chef's Tasting Menu, and she knew none of the words, so she's just telling you that she did it. But if you look at the menu, there are words like “chicken”, “potato”, and “crab”. To be fair, there are also words like “dal”, “raita”, and “halwa”, so let’s cut Lulu some slack. All in all, Lulu managed to spend $7,000 in Delhi, which is a feat in and of it self, because, you guys, Delhi is totally doable. Well, with the exception of the flight, of course.
Alison is taking her heart - her eldest daughter - and is going to the heart of ancient Rome! They are staying at the Palazzo Manfredi, which is right across from the Coliseum, the Domus, the Roman Forum and the Basilica of San Clemente. She opted for the Gourmet & Ferrari Package, which includes a Grand View Colosseum Suite. This suite has two bathrooms, a jacuzzi on a terrace with a Colosseum view, and comes with a handy phone... whatever that means! The free mini-bar feature has the girls so excited, because, hello, the room pays for itself at that point. Oh and did we mention the free limousine transport to and from the hotel? And that is just the suite features, the package she got comes with a Ferrari rental for the day, a welcome cocktail in the panoramic lounge bar, and breakfast for two at the exclusive panoramic AROMA Restaurant, and most importantly, late check-out. Every frequent traveler's dream, right there.
Alison decides that this incredible day needs to be documented, so she wants to hire a photographer to follow them around all day taking pictures, and chooses Andrea Matone, and purchases his biggest package. And yes both her and Lulu fall apart with giggles at the accidental inuendo. They take in the Colosseum and Forum, visit the Baths of Caracalla, and then hop in the Ferrari. Worried about being able to navigate the traffic, Alison asks the photographer Andrea to drive them to their next stop, a cooking class at a Roman farmhouse. They get to learn all about Italian food secrets and learn to make pappardelle and fettuccine, ravioli, (clearly not Keto) as well as tomato sauces and desserts. Then they head to the tufa hills to taste organic wines in a medieval village. Lulu brings up that Alison's daughter couldn't have the wine, but in fact Italy is a pretty liberal country with a legal drinking age of 16, which is not enforced when the youth is with their parents. Just don't let her drive the Ferrari afterwards.
Satiated and slightly sauced, they head to Magliano Sabina to take a 30 minute hot air balloon ride, where after taking in the aerial views of vineyards and castles, they get sparkling wine upon their return. Next they do a private viewing of the Sistine Chapel that comes with a small-group tour of the Vatican's Secret Rooms. For dinner they head back to AROMA at the hotel, which has a smart casual dress code, where they do the tasting menu. As if this day wasn't packed enough, they are heading for an Evening Hammam at El Spa. From 9pm to 11pm the 2-person private experience in a steam filled room involves a total body scrub down, a washing ritual, and dips in the Roman thermal baths. Oh and she added hour long massages and Vitamin E facial serums for them both. Who else wants to be Alison's guest when she travels?
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