A few words from Mikey about his stay in India so far

Hi this is mike(epic guy).  I will tell about my time in india so far.  I have taken a lot of trips for minimum of 3 days,  maximum is 3 weeks, but this was not just a trip this was an adventure.  When I first heard we were moving for 2 years i didn't want to leave my friends and family especially my almost dead dog.  It took a couple of weeks to really believe what i was told but I'm here now so I believe what i was told now.
                     
                        When we got on the plane we stopped in paris for a connecting flight. We waited 4 hours in the lounge.  Our connecting flight finally came I was so happy....until I found out the flight to banglore was 9 crazy hours.  luckily I was in business class so it wasn't that bad.  We got to india i met my driver (ravena) and he handed my a flower necklace that was too big but it looked good.We got in the car and started driving. there was at least a million cows, dogs and goats.

                        We've been in India for 6 weeks. it was time to go for a family trip to Goa.  The first day in  Goa we went to the beach it was warm because we are near the equator.  On the second day   in Goa I did archery with dad.  Dads best was a 8, my best was a 9.  On the 3rd and final day we went to the beach again and left right after.

         I have had a great time here so far i have made friends from india, South Africa, Australia, germany, france, Japan, the UK and America, my teacher is from Mexico. India is awesome you should come and visit. Bye see you next time

                               THE                       END

Goa - A little bit of paradise in India

The kids had a three day weekend for a Hindu holiday of Dussehra which, according to wikipedia, is celebrated with the worship of implements used in daily life such as computers, books, vehicles, or kitchen tools.  Buses, trucks and machines in factories are decorated.  The effort to see the divine in the tools and objects one uses in daily life is central to this celebration so it includes all the tools that help one earn one's livelihood.  Knowledge workers go for books, pen or computers, farmers the plough and other agricultural tools, machinery for industrialists and cars/buses/trucks for the transportation workers - all are decorated with flowers and worshiped on this day invoking God's blessing for success in coming years.  Our driver took part in the celebration and decorated our car for our trip home from the airport.

Because of this celebration we were able to go away for a quick getaway to Goa, which is a resort area on the West coast of India.  It is known as a Spring Break type of vacation spot for foreigners looking for a fun, coastal vacation.  There are quieter areas of Goa that are more relaxing and friendlier for families and that is where we went.  We stayed at the Park Hyatt Goa which is only 20 minutes from the airport - something that was important because I didn't want to spend most of a three day trip driving to/from the airport.  It also has many pool areas including slides and waterfalls to keep the kids busy.  Originally we had intended to do some sightseeing and see how the West of India is similar and/or different from Bangalore.  However, on the day before the trip I came down with a minor case of Delhi belly.  I don't think I need to explain this to anyone, but suffice it to say that while I wasn't terribly sick, I also wasn't too confident to spend any amount of time in a car stuck in traffic.  Therefore, we spent a very relaxing long weekend at the resort doing almost nothing.

Jameson and Mike enjoyed the pool, particularly the slide, and they also enjoyed bodysurfing (with pool tubes) in the Ocean.  Neither sport was too kind on their bodies as they are now covered in scrapes and bruises from the sand and the scratchy slide surface.  But that didn't stop them!

Mike took an archery lesson and enjoyed it so much he went back each day for a turn to shoot arrows at a target.  He managed to get at least one bullseye on each outing and the instructor was amazed that he never missed the board.  He also got to play some cricket for a little while, but there weren't too many people interested in playing so it was Kyle and Michael playing with Jameson providing commentary in an English accent - which is somehow immensely more funny to the kids than should be possible.

And what better way to relax from a busy day in the pool than on the lounge chair with a book and a chocolate milkshake!

The weekend was so relaxing and fun that we almost forgot we were still in a third world country.  But, India has a way of reminding you just where you are!  On Saturday night as we were walking to dinner the power went out leaving us in pitch darkness on our walk.  This was't too scary because we were pretty comfortable with the direction we needed to travel in, but in true India style, the pathways are very uneven and include many stones that are significantly higher than the one next to it resulting in minor trips.  This isn't too bad when you can see the rise and fall of the walkway, but in pitch black I was high stepping the entire walk (at least no one could see me.)  The lights did return within 3 minutes or so but they continued to go off and on for the remainder of our dinner.  Ahh, the joys of India :)

But, when the view every evening looks like ours did in Goa, I think I can manage the minor power issues :)

Driving in India - I guess I've arrived!

Driving in India is quite an adventure.  I once asked Kyle which side of the road Indians drove on.  He responded by laughing while telling me that the rule of the road is to drive on the left, but no one really follows the rule of the road in India.  Seriously, he wasn't kidding.  And, his descriptions of the roads in India could not prepare me for the reality.

He told me drivers drive on the left side of the road but they share the road with carts and bikes and busses and construction vehicles and pedestrians that all feel they have the right of way and that all travel at completely disparate speeds.  Makes for an interesting congestion on the roads.  But, not to worry because no one really needs to "follow lane discipline" as the road signs here implore people to do.

On a daily basis I witness most cars pull into traffic without stopping to make sure it is safe to do so - everyone has the right of way after all.  Who needs to make sure it is safe to move when you are always in the right.  Also on a daily basis I witness four or more vehicles riding side by side and passing each other on what appear to be two lane roads - they only appear to be two lane roads because there are no actual lines to determine lanes.  If the vehicle in front of you is moving too slowly go around it.  No need to make sure there are no cars coming in the opposite direction because you have the right of way.  And, it is possible to pass a car that is at the same time passing a bus.  Why wait for one car to pass when two can do it at the same time.  Throw in cows, goats, street dogs and pedestrians and the roads are chaotic at best.

Adding to the confusion, everyone beeps all the time.  It isn't the angry "lay on your horn" type of beeping that we are used to in traffic in the states.  It is a more polite "hey, i'm passing you make sure you don't move an inch to your left or we'll crash."  But it happens all the time.  So much so that hotels catering to foreigners have installed barriers to deflect the noise.

It is said that one has arrived in India when they can ride in a vehicle passing a bus with another bus barreling down on them in the opposite lane without flinching.  Well, I've arrived.  Somehow I just trust that my driver is going to sneak into the tiny space between the bus and the car whose bumper the bus is nearly touching just in time to avoid the oncoming bus that doesn't care we are in the way.  Even scarier, one of those busses is likely carrying school children.  That isn't to say that I haven't held my breath believing that if I make myself skinnier it will somehow make the car skinnier and we will be able to better fit in the ridiculously tight space that the driver is driving through.

Once one gets comfortable in the car it is possible to take in the sights around the roads.  It is amazing the things to see - never a boring moment.  We've witnessed people walking their cows, families of four or more traveling on motorcycles, people carrying ladders and gas tanks and other dangerous cargo on their bikes.  Most surprising to me are the families because the father is almost always wearing a helmet, but no one else is.  In the photos below you can see the back view of a motorcycle and if you look closely you'll see the mother is holding a small child.  The second photo is a side view of the same family and you can see the child's arm holding on to her mother.

Families get used to this type of travel I guess and it just seems normal to them.  The crazier things I've seen usually happen before I can get my camera out to take a picture.  But today I was able to capture two men on a motorcycle with the man in back carrying a large stool of some sort.  I don't know how they manage to weave in and out of traffic and not lose whatever is being carried.  Crazy!!!

Never a dull moment in crazy India.