Lazy, lazy, lazy................

Having had so many "busy" trips, having already been to Goa and done the tourist stuff, this was our "do as little as possible except beach and food" trip. And we succeeded!!

Couldn't decide if my orange or black and white sunsets and silhouettes of the boys are best....so you get both!! Enough to say the evenings were awesome.

We rented a little house, with mini kitchen, 2 bedrooms, living area, small yard and terraces 2 minutes easy walk to the beach in one direction and 2 minutes to the main street complete with serial restaurants serving fresh prawns in coconut curried sauce with butter naan and cold beer...........no more need be said!

Candolim beach was long and golden, just waking up for the start of the season. Beach shacks were literally spring up before our eyes but it was still relatively quiet.

The beach hawkers were already out in force - but when they heard I lived in Bangalore and was not therefore going to be paying as high a premium as the real tourists they knew they were in for a tougher time. In fact the harder I negotiated and the more I beat them down the more respect they seemed to have for me and they'd stop as they walked past just to chat!

Watching the Indians and the European at play on the beach was an eye opener! The Indian Ladies, even the quite young ones, wear their full clothes in the sea - its hot so all dries quickly - no need for towels, sun oil, spare clothes etc. I'm not saying their western counterparts need to copy but surely we could have some sensibilities and not waggle, wiggling, wobbling, white buttocks in their faces!

I took far too many pics of the kids - so here are some of my favorites - the tip of the iceberg!

I love this pic of Adam - I have a similar one when he was younger with him embracing the snow. Both are so symbolic of his approach to life.

Wills, looking purposeful and determined - a look seen quite often these days.

The brothers, how I wish they were more often - sharing, plotting or planning but with a common cause!

And to finish, one of us all -which if I can't manage any better (have grand plans of us dressed Indian style) will be seen again on our Christmas cards!!

The wheels on the bus go round and round....all through the night!

The overnight bus was an experience - but surprisingly a good one. I had thought it was going to be a "grin and bear it" type of experience but it was actually quite fun!

Bus depot or even bus stop is an exageration for the non marked "pick-up" area for all the overnight buses. We had booked tickets on the top of the range model : the volvo a/c sleeper bus. All the buses use the same road side stop areas and believe you me, there must be a lot of buses rolling along the roads of India through the night. You seriously need to have your wits about you - buses pull up, folks climb on and bus disappears into the night. No checking names off lists or making announcements. But true to Indian style everyone seems to end up on the right bus with their bags! So many people waiting - the young turks headed to party city (some did return mummied up, victims of motorbiking induced road rash), families of multiple generations carrying new borns and propping up the extremely the aged, a few white travelers - backpackers headed for cheap beds and booze, intellectual middle-aged pseudo bohemians choosing to see India the "real" way and us!, a couple of nuns, business men....... a people watching heaven!! So many people, so many buses, so much potential for bus rage - but no, that Indian calm, "it'll be alright on the night", "c'est la vie", attitude prevailed even when some folks were seen tearing down the street yelling for their bus which was gathering sped and spitting out vast quantities of black diesel, to stop and open it's doors, which it always did!

My plan was to catch the bus at it's last pick-up point on it's way out of Bangalore, so we spent the least time possible onboard. With hindsight, not a good idea as we just spent more time in the car and we tumbled onto the bus in the dark. The berths are on either side of the bus, up and down. I had elected lower berths. Each double cot is the size of a normal double coach seat. I had wondered why when choosing your beds you had to check "male" or "female" - that is which you are not who you want to sleep next to! Now I know!

Once we had found our berths, not so easy in the dark as the bus was already on the move, the kids fell straight to sleep. Wills and I had an all night war over my shawl as it was cold and we hadn't asked for blankets which you can rent for the journey. In his sleep he seemed to have more perseverance, determination and strength than me and end up swaddled while I shivered. Once I had worked out how to subdue the a/c it was surprisingly comfortable - after lurching and bumping around the streets of Bangalore by car, I was expecting lying horizontal at the back of a bus with limited suspension, to be akin to being inside a spin dryer on maximum rpm -but not at all - this was OK - not comparable to my own bed, but not bad in fact very civilized!

It was quite amazing - sleeping on this bus hearing people snoring, fidgeting, coughing etc, but having no idea who they were (curtains for each double berth) until toilet stops or the morning. Aghhh the toilet stops - pretty basic ranging from a field (definately the most hygienic!) to the test your thigh muscles ceramic hole. The kids, who woke for the first time at the 6.00am cup of tea stop, are so used to Indian toilets, they don't blink an eye and are proficient at the don't touch anything routine. That cup of chai at the buzzing, bustling bus rest stop tasted so good. Once again tho' you can't get distracted - bus driver does not count people off and on - when he is ready the bus hits the road. And hit the road, or something thereon, we did on the return journey. At 3.00am, in the pitch black at the side of the road the bus crew were trying the bashed up bumper back onto the bus!

We arrived at our Goan home efficiently and by mid- morning were unpacked and ready to head for the beach - instead of still being at the airport waiting to hear the latest delay for that elusive Kingfisher flight. Would we do it again.... the kids a resounding "yes", for them it was efficient - they slept so well, had more room than they would have done in the car and are fed up of airports! For me, the cost is a big incentive - the cheaper the travel the more we can travel and the more we can see of this wonderful country, for Simon?????

Ladies Night at I-Bar

After whining that OWC India Night was all work and no play and most importantly no dancing - I got to shake and shimmy at I-Bar in Bangalore on Ladies Night. This really was Ladies night - vodka and whiskey based drinks free to the gals!! These gals are a really fun, welcoming group, friends of Shubha and lots of fun!

The shots looked a lot more fiery than they tasted - colored sugar water in the most part, but the flames added a dramatic twist. The bar doesn't actually have a dance floor but that didn't stop us - chairs were cleared aside and we moved!

Tonight was "commercial night" music wise, which appears to mean the prevailing top hits, - which thanks to my syncing (is that the correct terminology) with Ads i-pod I am well familiar with. I didn't see the day coming when I would be boogying to the music Adam listens to but it has arrived! I have however been able to educate Ads, giving him "history" lessons  - finding u-tube videos of The Stones to show Ads the namesake of one of his favorites  - "Moves like Jagger."

How many Holidays????

Simon and I left the UK in 1997 with very few Holidays on our schedule. Valentine's was only for lovers or secret admirers, Easter - just REAL chocolate easter eggs,  Halloween not really established, and of course Christmas, celebrated in a typical British understated way.

We then arrived in the U.S. to amplify our existing holidays and add a few more! Valentines sent to all - a mandatory requirement to send to all the kids in the classroom complete with candy, St Patrick's Day - going green with a difference!, Easter - an introduction to the Easter Bunny and his hidden candy filled PLASTIC eggs, the red, white and blue of July 4th, Halloween - costumes and candy - parties for adults and kids, Thanksgiving, and the one we spend mega bucks on, affix lights inside and out, bake cookies and cakes, party big time, cut trees, take pics with the big red, bearded chap  - Christmas!

On moving to India - surprisingly we haven't dropped any but gained yet more. The British Embassy sees we keep up the British end  - even an invite to a party to celebrate this year's royal wedding - toasts to Kate and William! Halloween made it to Indus and appears with gusto in the confines of Vista. We will unfortunately miss it this year as we will be on the overnight bus from Goa - more on that later! Wills, needless to say is not too happy with my bad planning on this one!

At the bus stop no ties or hideous formal Indus shoes on Friday, just an array of costumes......

Wills, aka Ninja (from old Ninja hand down top, Prince Caspian pants and the neckerchief cut out of an old batman cape!).

Since we have been in B'lore we have celebrated - India's birth and Independence, paint hurling Holi, Ganesha, Navrati/Dussera and now we are mid Diwali - which will get it's own blog but suffice to say the first firework I heard this morning was before 7.30am - now was this a hangover from last night celebrations or the beginning of today's celebrations?

Can we stand the pace?

Dynamite Diwali!!

Diwali, the festival of lights, and seriously the loudest of the loud, firecrackers galore! Not a distant echo from a far off field reverberating from an organized display but on the street, out of the front door, to celebrate good prevailing over evil and light over dark. Dawn breaking at 5.20 am along with the first of many bangs, booms, bursts, whooshes, whizzes and fizzes into the now lightening sky.


The fun actually started a few days ago when many of the houses in the 'hood were decorated with lights:

Even some of the Vista streets were prepared for party time, I know I really need to go on that night time photography course! Over the last few days there have been street parties and house parties all bursting with exuberance and goodwill -not to mention noise and food, going on into the early hours. With the party resuming at dawn, well actually before, as there are rituals to be performed before the first fireworks head skyward to greet the dawn, I tell you Indians have stamina!!

Huge temporary firework stalls have been appearing along the city streets getting busier and busier with folks buying literaly carts of firecrackers. Even now at 10.00am there is a steady rumble of firecracker pops. Its all very simple here, merely grab your fireworks, matches, walk onto the street and let rip!!

Regardless of the mythological explanation one prefers and there are a few, what the festival of lights seems to stand for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple - and not so simple joys of life.


At the more peaceful end, the little Diwalli lamps, Diyas, I saw being made at pottery town some months ago, are lit, placed both outside and around everyones houses, gifts are exchanged, new clothes bought and worn, friends and relatives visited.....

The festival goes on for at least another day but we are off on the overnight bus to Goa - now therein lies a blog!!

Indus will rock you!!

Over the last week I have had a tempestuous relationship with the kid's school. Being told the day before that Wills has to wear a Halloween costume the following day - not helpful in a land where you can't nip out a buy one at the last moment - managed to cobble together a ninja costume out of 3 old costumes. Then Adam's holiday homework.......supposed to be 40 mins a subject  - as he has at least 8 subjects that's no quick sit down and dash it off ....but then as the English is to read a book and write a book report thereon....all in 40 mins, I feel its going to take a lot longer!!!!

However Saturday night we went to see the schools performance of "We all rock you" and it did!!

The evening started off with a tribute to the Indus community school. On the campus Indus has built a free school for the kids from the local villages which it sponsors - each kid even gets a laptop. Adam gets to visit to help the kids with their English.  Some of the community school girls put on a traditional Indian dance, which was beautiful. The girls were elegant and confident.

One of the girls then gave a speech talking about the advantages Indus had given to her and her peers. There then followed too many tributes and thanks to the VIPs present, including a speech by the founder of Indus which was actually a good speech  - about corporate greed and the values they are trying to instill in their students - but it was a case of wrong time wrong place - everyone wanted the show to begin.

The school did an excellent job and I guess it's one of the advantages of having a k thro' 12th school in that the little kids can be involved alongside the incredible skills, application and confidence of the higher grades. Some of the jokes probably were more time-relevant to the parents!

Apparently Wills is singing "We will rock you" in his music class at school and now we all have Bohemian Rhapsody on our i-pods or equivalent - a tribute to the late great Freddie Mercury!!

Caught the Cornrows!

After a not very successful attempt by yours truly, a futile attempt at a salon, I tracked down an African lady to give Wills a professional looking Didya Drogba, Karate Kid (Jaden Smith).....

 Like all in this land of adventure the whole process was not as easy as just driving up to the salon. We had a sort of address - get to a specific hotel near a bank about 30 mins from here, turn down 3rd cross and call. So we did and after driving down this single track road among the Indians going about their business appeared an African lady. She took Wills and I down a side alley into a tiny little house and sat Wills down in the middle of the front room. Shankar meanwhile drove off leaving Wills and I to find a rick home, given we could successfully impart where we needed to go!

Wills was very stoic as his hair having grown a few inches long with a variety of very tight and looser curls, was a tangled mess and she had to tug somewhat to get a comb through it. He also had to sit still for about an hour.......

Nearly there........

Done!!

After the drive there, the whole process and the rick ride back, Wills has decided when the braids come out (up to 2 weeks) he's going to have his hair cut short! But I'm so glad he did decide to get it done as it looks so wonderful - if only once. Now we have to oil it and tie a scarf round it for the night to get maximum life out of the braids! The price of beauty!!