August update

July - We had guests

Max and Milo enjoyed their summer holiday and it was mainly spent playing with their friends who had stayed here in Bangalore. In mid July, their cousins came.( Freddie, 6, Amy, 9, their mum Claire, and her mum, Diane (Granny)

After a few days of recovering from the jet lag, as they went a night without sleep, we spent time by the pool and exploring the local area. 

We went on a tuk tuk tour around the city centre. 

We had to be in the city centre for 8am which meant leaving the house at 7am. There were 5 very smart tuk tuks waiting for us at a rendezvous.

The first stop was the Tipu Sultan's Palace. Guru, our guide, was a knowledgeable young man and he gave us a quick lesson in India history and how the palace came to be built .

Then we went to the temple next door. On the way in, the ladies got a small basket that contained a coconut, bananas, flowers, sweet basil and incense. You also have to remove your shoes and walk barefoot. At this point you mustn't sniff the flowers or basil because they will lose their power!

Inside the temple there were lots of gods and goddesses all over the place and the children were sent off on a mission to count them all.

Meanwhile, Guru explained as simply as he could how and why Hindus worship so many different deities. The children returned with different totals which was quite amusing. 

We then moved inside the temple to join in with a blessing. We gave our baskets to the priest who gave the coconut and bananas to the statue of the God ( I can't remember which one it was). He cracked the coconut open and poured the milk as an offering. We stood in two lines, girls on one side and boys on the other facing each other, each line behind a string line. The priest can then move freely up and down. 

The priest then started chanting and moved along the line of people (about 15 of us at that point) and asked each person their name. He chanted a "song" including the name given. Then he moved to the next person and repeated the chant but with their name. We were all proud of Amy, who is painfully shy, because she volunteered her name by herself. It was quite unnerving in this temple because it was very ornate with silver cladding and idols and with a strong of incense.

The priest then got a silver plate that has a small lit diva candle on it. As it comes to you, you waft the flame towards you and cover your face with a sweeping motion. you then put money on the plate and then you leave. 

As all this is going other people join in or leave. It seems very chaotic but at the same time ordered because this is how Hindus pray. They don't spend a long time in services. We then got the basket back with blessed bananas and opened coconut, which is put in a bag to take home.

Outside the Tipu Sultan's Palace.

Our next stop was the market. Oh my goodness me! We knew it was going to be challenging when Guru said, "whatever you do, don't let go of the children!"

We had one child each and walked into the fruit and vegetable market. There were lots and lots of vegetables and fruit in measured portions laid out in bowls on the floor.  There are no stalls as such, just the floor and the vendors sit crossed legged. It was rather smelly, busy and loud and the dead rat in the middle of one of the alleyways was rather off-putting, to say the least. But the market was colourful and interesting to see.

The fruit market leads inside to the flower market. Claire is a florist in the UK and so she was fascinated and so were we all. The smell was wonderful. There was a central area with sacks and sacks of flower heads that are sold by weight. 

Here, women sit weaving flowers into hair clips (that can be seen being worn by Indian women in their pony tails). All the ladies had flowers put into our hair and the jasmine was very strong and sweet.

Off the central area are lots of small corridors and down each corridor are booths with benches in. The sacks of flowers are taken to the booths and there are men ( no women ) weaving flowers for weddings and temple displays. The men sit crossed legged on the benches and so they are at eye level as you walk along. Luckily, it was not too hot ( 29) but in the height of summer, I dread to think what it is like with no air circulation and only standing fans. Claire was fascinated about how they managed to keep the flowers looking so fresh in the heat. 

Above the flower market, there were other levels where pots, pans, candles, coloured powder, and all kinds of spices can be bought. We decided that holding on to the children was becoming too much for them and so skipped this bit of the market. Our friend Joeline and her sister in law had come with us too and she often goes to this market as everything is such good value. So, we need to return....

We jumped back into the tuk tuks and sped off again. This time we were dropped off in a busy street to go and see how silk is produced for sarees. We walked in single file and it was a real road awareness test because the road was narrow and there are no traffic rules. There motorbikes, tuk tuks and cars all trying to go up and down the one way!

Unfortunately the silk dying rooms were not working. They use wood fired huge "cooking pots" to put the silk into. We looked inside and stared at all the silks that had been already dyed in their bright vivd colours. The sarees production looms were closed too and so we will need to go again to see this. After this, we followed Guru down a tiny side street where traffic couldn't go and hidden behind some very tiny houses was a dosa restaurant. Dosa is like a pancake but made from rice flour. Properly made they are very moorish. This little dosa place was amazing and the dosas were excellent. 

The  busy street. You can see Claire and Amy with the flowers in their hair.

All of us waiting for our dosas. You sit on the benches not at tables.

After our snacks, we set off walking again to find the tuk tuks. 

The next stop was St. Andrew's Kirk ( it was a church of Scotland church until 1959) The organist and a violinist were still there and played their instruments for us. 

We then went to a cemetery for another blessing. Usually Hindus are cremated but there is a section of society that are discriminated against because of the caste system. These people, known as Dalits, or untouchables have to buried and not cremated ( I hope I"m getting this information correct it was told to us quite quickly ....)

Amongst the graves is a temple and (I think..) the Dalits are only allowed to be associated with one goddess. We went into the temple and walked around the Goddess whose statue was in a lying position. There were lots of locks that had been locked onto a frame and the keys taken. People lock their fears or curses (?) into the locks and take the key so it can't be unlocked. 

We then went outside to be blessed. This involved a lady with very long unwashed and uncombed hair waving a courgette/ cucumber over our heads. She then passed an egg over our bodies and then broke the egg on a spike. The smell in this area was awful ..... there were some goats and chickens at the side ready for sacrifice too... but we went before we could see any of this.

While we there lots of the local people came to shake our hands.

This was nearly the end of the tour and it was now 2 o'clock! We were truly puffed out. We went back to where the cars were which were parked next to the Hard rock Cafe. Chips, burgers and ice cold drinks all round...

We finally got home at 6 after our meal and the traffic filled journey home. 

Mysore

Kevin the teenager (Max) was not happy the next morning when we all had to get up at 5 to set off for Mysore. The problem with Bangalore is that it is so big (12.5 million)  and to get across the city it can take at least 2 hours. Then you have to start the next part of the journey.

We had two cars and another driver, Arjun's friend, Dayalan, because there were 8 of us and the car can accommodate 8 (but including the driver). This meant we had a quiet car and a noisy one. Poor Arjun was allocated the noisy one. Milo insisted on singing nearly all the way. He made up songs with Amy and Freddie about mosquitoes and played music. Although Arjun said the songs did keep him entertained. ( but for 4 hours though?! )

A temple we visited near Mysore to break the journey and let Arjun have some peace and quiet.

We stopped at the Radisson Blu in Mysore. After checking in our rooms at about 11.30, we had a family picnic in one of the rooms ( laughing cow sandwiches, wraps and crisps. Yum!) 

Then we were off to see Mysore Palace. It is a very ornate and fancy palace.

The Maharajah, who still lives in the palace, keeps elephants that are used for a procession every year in October. They also work in the forest. They were loosely chained. This was a bit concerning but the mahout said that the elephants are on display for a short time and were just about to go for their bath and to be set free to roam and the chains mean they don't wander off into public places. He said would we like to get on an elephant ? Claire said she would. I'm so pleased she had trousers on! The elephant puts its leg out so that the person climbing can start to climb up but these elephants are very big and very powerful because of the weight they have to carry for the procession. Claire was struggling to climb up so the mahout quickly shoved her unceremoniously up by her bottom so she could get on. The mahout then grabbed Freddie and kind of threw him up on the elephant. After a few photos it was time to come down. It was easy for Freddie but not for Claire. Another touchy, feely session and she was down!

While we were at the palace, several people stopped us to ask us where we were from. I think we were the only people there from outside India. This meant we had lots of photos taken and you can see in the above photo some ladies showering Freddie and Milo with kisses. They were with their family from Delhi and Milo and Freddie got to meet them all. It really is strange all the photo taking that goes on when they seem "white" people. 

Kabini

We stopped in the same hotel as we did last year and it is right next to the river. After a 2 hour journey from Mysore we checked in and went swimming. We decide that would go on the boat safari in the afternoon at 3:30pm.  The boat trip is tranquil and calm. We saw lots of birds, 3 enormous crocodiles ( we got really close) and some wild elephants. One tusker (boy) was washing his food in the river at the water's edge .

After 3 hours we came back and had a welcome cup of coffee and a biscuit before we changed for our evening meal .

We were up early again the next day ( at 5) to get the jeep and then the open sided bus to go on the jungle safari. This is the safari that's a bit like wacky races. The drivers drive like maniacs and there are no seat belts. Also the seats are made from a slippery fake leather so with each fast corner you slide around. The only way to keep in your seat is to try and grip the back of the seat in front. The other downside is that are no toilets and its bumpy and 3 hours long!

Once in the tiger reserve, the drivers like to bump everyone down the uneven tracks, their only aim in life is finding a tiger.

We also went on another safari in the afternoon so I'll just combine what we saw. We came across a mother and a young baby and another female elephant. The mother was not pleased to see us and raised her trunk, stamped her feet and made an incredibly loud noise to warn us off. At this point, Milo started crying. We were about 20 feet away in an open sided bus. We had to just tell Milo to cry quietly. 

Coincidently, a few days after we got back, there was a video clip of the tiger reserve across the river where an elephant charged one of the buses and smashed the windscreen as it charged so I think we were rather naive as we were watching thinking nothing could go wrong. 

Luckily, it didn't and it was magical watching the baby suckle milk from its mother . After this encounter, we set off searching for tigers when we came across a wild sloth bear. The guides were so excited as these are very difficult to see. The bear was quite startled by us and ran back into the forest.

We had stopped to look for the bear when the driver got a message on his walkie talkie that 4 tigers had been spotted round the corner from us. He quickly put the bus in reverse, the guide yelled for everyone to hold on, and we drove backwards down the road. ( we back on the reserve main road) Then, still in reverse, we went over a huge speed bump. Freddie went up into the air and fell on the floor. I managed to pull him back on his seat and held on to him while the driver spun the bus so that we could go forwards. 

Meanwhile, Milo had stopped crying and was now laughing at the excitement of the journey.

Unfortunately, we just missed the tigers as they had disappeared back into the jungle. By now it was raining and as there are no windows we were getting soaking wet as the rain rolled off the roof and in.

By the time we returned we were really tired but elated at seeing the animals.

Dubare Elephant camp

The next day, we  travelled to the next place where the elephant camp is based.

It is the monsoon season and it decided to rain but not too heavily. We crossed the river in a small boat and we were greeted by our guide . The elephants had been in the forest and because it was raining they were very muddy. The guide couldn't wait for us to get in to the water to wash the elephants. 

Th elephants are amazingly gentle considering some of them have previously killed people. They were wild elephants that had gone "rogue". They are captured and brought to the elephant camp to be trained. If there was no camp the elephants would be destroyed. A few days go, a wild elephant had killed a forest worker fairly close by and other forest rangers took some of the elephants from the camp to capture the killer elephant and he was taken to the camp to be trained.

At one point there were 11 elephants being washed or waiting to be washed . We were surrounded by them. 

It really is a wonderful experience to do this and what is more wonderful is the fact that the elephant's come first. If they want to go they can. While we were waiting in the river for them, the first two had decided to stop for some food, no one rushed them - we had to wait for them. They really are respected animals at the camp.

After 2 hours, the elephants go back into the forest to forage on their own and to be free so we went to get changed ( we were covered in elephant water and pooh!)

We had some lunch ( very nice chips and mild Indian food) and then we faced the 6 hour journey home. Fine for the quiet car - poor Arjun again....

After all our travelling, our guests decided that stopping by the pool in Palm Meadows was the best way forward. 

Their two week stay was over too quickly and we said we'd see them soon ..... We had a wonderful time together .

June update

Transport options

As my ambition to ride a Vespa is on hold - I think I'm still rather too wobbly to venture out into the traffic, I have decided that a tuk tuk or a small car would be a good idea. Milo went to the dentist the other day and, because Arjun was with Andrew, I was about to call an Uber for the journey back (we had gone to the dentist in one) when the dentist asked if we needed a lift as she was going past where we lived. That was so very kind. During the journey she convinced me that I needed a car to zip around in. Now, Milo loves this dentist, as she lets him watch a movie when treating him and she's very smiley ( beautiful teeth) and she even let him operate the X-ray button the other day when I needed an X-ray. To his mind, as she is so clever and always right, and because she has suggested it then he's on a mission to find me a tuk tuk.

Some people do have them here to pop to the shops and it means it's easier to carry the shopping and a child or two. When the factory is built, Andrew will be further away and I won't have Arjun so I definitely need a plan B!

Hospital and Snake number 2

Yesterday was hectic, Andrew often asks me what I do all day, and yesterday was good example of the chaos then ensues every shopping trip or event.
 I went to the shop in the Marriott hotel where we get our meat just after dropping off the boys at the summer camp and Andrew at the office.
 All I wanted was 8 pieces of chicken, that's all, not too difficult. It took 50 minutes! The lady on the till has to ring the chef who then gets someone else to pack the chicken to give it to someone else to bring, who then gives it to someone else to put in a bag, who then gives it to the girl on the till ...... the process is long winded and confusing, sometimes a person in the chain gets distracted ....
 I then set off back towards the shopping centre to go to the supermarket ( I should say we, as Arjun was with me). Max and Milo had gone to the summer camp but as we were driving nearby, Max called saying he had hurt his foot and could he go to the hospital?

So we went in to get him. The previous Friday he had dropped the base of the swing ball on his foot and his foot had swollen up but he managed to walk. Now, a five year old had trodden on him and his foot was swollen again and very painful.

We got to the hospital at 10:30am. We have been to the hospital several times but usually go as early as we can because it gets so busy and, again, everything is so chaotic! I checked in at two different desks before we sat and waited. Watching the other people, we noticed that if one person is ill then there are at least 4 people for support, making a total of 5. These people then split up and each directly approach a different member of staff to find out how long they have to wait etc. There was only me to pursue the nurses.

 On the desk, there will be one person operating the computer and then 4 nurses watching the operator so the queues get quite long. In some departments there are electronic numbers so you know when to go in to see the doctor but in the bone department, oh no, you have to telepathically communicate through a closed door with the doctor and play a guessing game as to where you are in the queue.

After half an hour, I went back to the desk and hovered near the nurses who looked at me sympathetically. Two more people then it's Max's turn, apparently.

Two more people went in, then we got up to go in. But someone else (with their entourage in tow) barged through so I went back to the desk. Yes, she reassured me, Max was next but those people are getting their x-ray results so they are not counted as being in the queue. (so we were number 4 not number 3?) I pointed out that it wasn't really that clear that this was the system. Anyway, we were next, she made a point of loudly telling us and the rest of the queue were very supportive in waving us through too.


Max needed an X-ray so now we had to register at another desk (again with spare nurses and people and just one person operating the computer, taking the money etc.) and wait for an x-ray.
Another hour ... then we went back to the original department. Now it was our turn to barge in the door when the nurse waved her hand at us upsetting the queue.
No broken bones but Max had sprained his ankle, we were given instructions and off we went ... it's 1:00pm now so its not been too long, just chaotic!

So, now I've still got the shopping to do.

Arjun drops me off at the supermarket and then takes Max home, Milo has gone home with some friends so I can get the shopping done. Arjun comes back and helps me with the shopping. The usual chaos of weighing fruits and vegetables etc but we get it done.

I'm back at the house by 3:00 pm. Mala, lovely lady, has made lunch without being asked so I get a bowl of biryani and go and sit outside only to notice a huge snake poking its head out from behind a flower pot, a few feet away from me.

In my panic, I forgot how to ring for help on the emergency app! So I ran inside( after closing the doors behind me) and yelled there was a snake.

Mala hid in the bathroom but Arjun came outside with me and he had a look. Meanwhile, I managed to activate the emergency call to the guards who came quickly with their snake catching gear. Mala came out of the bathroom but stood behind the closed doors.

The guards and Arjun found the snake hidden behind some bricks. As they set up their catching equipment, the snake darted out and they all ran back as the snake was huge! It quickly escaped under the fence behind and went into the neighbours garden. Apparently, they think it was a rat snake. After searching for quite some time and Arjun climbing and walking along the high wall, the snake had obviously disappeared.

It is still at large and the boys are banned from playing in the garden!

This took us until 4:30 - 5:00pm .... I managed to finish my cold lunch then I took Milo swimming as he was meeting his friends.

At 6:00pm we came back and I got the dinner ready because I had forgotten to ask Mala to do anything in all the kerfuffle of the day.

So when Andrew asks me what I do all day .......

Max and Milo

The boys are now on holiday for 2 months and are having a great time. Milo has been going to the school where I help out as there is a summer camp there. His friends go too and Milo has been very busy dancing, playing football and generally just hanging out.  In the afternoons there's more playing with friends at someone's house or at the swimming pool.
Max has been a few times to help out with the younger children but then after he dropped the weight on his foot, he's been at home or with his friends. Unfortunately, they've been leaving one by one to go back to their countries to live or to go on holiday. Max spends a lot of time on FaceTime to his friends who live in Bangalore ( but too far to pop to .... to get across Bangalore it can take over two hours) or he is on FaceTime to Seattle, or Gujarat, or wherever.

Mangoes

We are surrounded by mangoes wherever we go and the smell is wonderful. However, the maids and drivers and gardeners all get very possessive about the mangoes growing on the trees. The other day our neighbour's driver gave some mangoes to the gardener team. These are the gardeners who have to cut the grass with shears and pluck the weeds by hand so their level of earnings and standard of living is quite shocking. So we have no problem with them having anything that is going spare. But the maids down our road were most put out that the mangoes hadn't been shared out fairly.

So Mala was on the garage roof and up the tree collecting the rest of the mangoes with our personal gardener who has invented a mango picker - a carrier bag on a long pole.
These mangoes have been shared fairly between all the maids and drivers and, whoever was on the list, down our road.
Harmony has been restored and we have avoided a mango crisis!

Part of the Mango season is the onset of the 'Mango Rains' and to watch these storms can be spectacular as seen in this photo taken out of the window:

 

Baked Beans

But we do have a baked beans crisis. Milo had agreed to come to India only if he could eat Heinz baked beans. Finding that brand was doable but involved a lot of searching. In the supermarket the set of four had obviously been split and sold at extortionate prices individually but needs must. I could find two or three places with the Heinz variety but there's none to be found at the moment. My stockpiles have dwindled and we've had to buy some different brands. Andrew and Milo are horrified.

Andrew and I were invited to the Queen's birthday bash at the deputy high commissioner again and we were talking to the Deputy Head of Mission there. His family is down to 5 tins and they are being rationed until the shops rekindle their supplies. His wife is on the look out and so am I. She had searched and searched but to no avail. Andrew has since been in email contact  with him to see if their supermarkets have supplies( he lives in the centre of Bangalore and we are on the outskirts) and no beans have been found...
As soon as the beans appear on the shelves again there will be no mercy..... I'm going to buy as many as I can to avoid this happening again!

 

Face pack

I was sitting outside studying my Hindi the other day, when Mala appeared with a piece of snapped aloe leaf and some turmeric in a small bowl and half a tomato. Without much warning about what she was about to do, she lifted my hair back and smothered my face in the concoction. She then waltzed off with the departing words of 10 minutes.
 It actually felt quite nice and I'm sure I could feel my wrinkles disappearing... I washed it off after the said time and carried on working. Mala appeared a second time, this time with milk and a flour product called besan. She smeared it on my face and departed, indicating 10 minutes again. This time I looked like I had an orange face with lumps on it. The mask was even tighter. It took ages to wash off but my skin did feel quite smooth at the end. Apparently Indian ladies do this quite frequently, I just need more warning ...

The new Factory

There is lots going on at the new factory construction site and as part of the marketing of the company, Andrew and others from the UK and Indian teams, carried out some publicity at a trade exhibition in Mumbai. Here you can see them in action.

 

Update from Mar - May19

Max and Milo

We are so proud of our boys. After all the changes they had and how nervous they were in the beginning when we arrived, the transformation in their confidence is amazing.
Max is now going out to his friends' houses for parties or the cinema in different parts of the city or to the shopping malls for pizza (Arjun takes him so that makes it much easier ) and Milo danced a solo dance in front of the whole school accompanied by a young man playing the piano.

Both of them love their school and have a set of friends that are kind and considerate.

One of Milo's best friends and his family left recently and it was so sad. We were all good friends with the whole family and we have been away with them too. We virtually had to prise the boys apart as they left for the airport. (that is the downside of the expat life as people come and go as they move on) Milo found it hard going to school, looking his friend's empty seat but he's recovered and has spoken to his pal and his brother on the internet so all is not doom and gloom. It just means that we are increasing the places that we can go for holidays that we wouldn't have considered before to keep in contact.

Max has his exams next week and face times his friends in the evenings so they can "study" together even though they have been at school all day. He's decided that he likes chemistry best and has studied hard in that subject. He was rather put out when I explained that you can't go to university with just one subject and that he needs to study hard in them all! The curriculum both the boys  follow is the IB curriculum and it involves in depth investigation on many different subjects. Its quite tough on homework levels and constant assessments but it seems just as good as the British system.

Mala and Arjun

Mala was very giddy yesterday. Usually she has a set routine for cleaning and ironing etc and nothing stops her. But yesterday she kept getting phone calls and she had various projects started all over the house that were haphazard, mats up , dishwasher half emptied, beds half made, cleaning cloths abandoned everywhere. It was very strange.

 I even found myself having to get the dinner ready as she sat outside on the patio chatting on the phone! This was strange too as she NEVER sits on a proper chair preferring a small stool in the kitchen or even the floor.

Arjun came to have his dinner and he was excited too.

The reason ?

 The election results were out. The BJP had won and they were both so happy.


Andrew and I have tried to watch the election on the local TV ( we have numerous channels in English but the news is hard to follow because they have a picture of one topic that they're reporting on, newsflash titles going across the bottom, then other headlines at the side and a different video sequence on the other side of the screen. The reporters also shout the news in an excitable manner.  So watching the news leaves you feeling quite worn out and anxious.) We do have BBC World news and watch that too ( it leaves us feeling much calmer ).

The election seemed very confusing and hard to follow but Mala and Arjun are happy with the results.
Mala was back to normal the next day...if you watch the Durrells on ITV, just think about their helper Lugretzia ... they're very similar in temperament!

 Nursery school

  Since April, I have been helping to set up a nursery-preschool, as a volunteer. I had no intention of "working" but I am really enjoying it. I go for two days a week.

The school is a brand new set up run by a lovely Indian couple, Sindhu and Satish, who have lived in the United States for 15 years. They decided to come back to Bangalore and to set up a school run along the British play based curriculum. At one of my morning clubs (zentangle - Japanese drawing) I was saying about my teaching experience. Then I got a call from Sindhu asking if I could meet her to help and guide her in how to go about putting a curriculum in place, train the teachers etc.

To cut a long story short, I loved their ideas, loved the building and what they were trying to do and decided I would help them. We have quite a few on the intake roll so its very exciting and the official school starts in August.

At the moment the school is being used a summer camp for children on their school holidays. Milo has been with me when he was mildly unwell one day and he loves it, he also gets on well with Sindhu and Satish's children, their son is the same age. He will be going in June to join in with all the fun. Max is going to help the younger ones. There's pottery, lego, hip hop dancing and lots of things to do.

All the staff are kind and friendly and so the atmosphere is so relaxed and happy. They speak English and Hindi. The children are very amused when I practise my simple sentences on them. The staff are good at correcting me. ( I am determined to speak Hindi fluently and it's still slow going but I can hear and speak more. I can also read the script now)

Mosquitoes

We each have an electric bat, and have several of them positioned carefully around the house for quick access. We seem to spend a lot of time fighting off the mosquitoes inside and out. We think that we would be better if we could have a harness, like you see on the television ,where there is sword that you carry on your back and then you quickly pull out your weapon and attack.

We have given up going outside after 7pm at the moment as it so bad. At about 6:30 pm the noise from the mosquitoes is so loud that it's like a high pitched humming, buzzing and can be heard from inside the house.

The mosquitoes buzz around your head, feet, legs and arms and it's difficult to sweep them all away in one go.

It's a real shame as its so warm outside but it's just not a wise decision to sit outside.
The monsoon is on its way so hopefully that will reduce the amount of the pesky things.

Luckily the bats have spotlights on them which helps when we have the power cuts as the thunderstorms roll in the evenings ( mango rains)
The rains helps to cool things down and is quite a relief from the high temperatures of the Indian 'Summer' period.