A Fresh Start

For reasons not bloggable, it was quite a wonky second semester here in New Delhi. Diplomatic relations between the United States and India were strained following the mid-December arrest of Devyani Khobragade in New York. Our school and its faculty were caught up in the fallout. We were instructed to keep a low profile as we traveled and on-line so blogs were pull down and status updates were intentionally oblique. For about seven months, life as expats in India was unpleasantly unsettled. With the issues related to the school now resolved, it is - finally! - time to breathe life back into Holy Sacred Cow. To accomplish this, here is the rundown on the very necessary "SuperFun Distractions" that helped get us through last spring.

The first, and most momentous, highlight was Jenn's visit from America. After nearly four years of nagging, my sister agreed (perhaps under duress on a wine-y summer night) to check out our life in New Delhi. Jenn accomplished this in five action-packed days during which she: visited the boys' classrooms, chaperoned a third grade field trip, ate piles of home cooked Indian cuisine (including momos, butter chicken, and samosas), sweat it all out at Jazzercise, bargained at Sarojini, took in the sumptuous breakfast at the Imperial Hotel, had a massage, rode a cycle rickshaw through the narrow alleyways in Old Delhi (her "Homeland moment"), and made a day trip to the Taj Mahal. We had. so. much. fun.

The second escape from reality was spring break. We were advised asked to keep our plans within India and while this was disappointing (had to cancel the return trip to Spannocchia that was already booked), we ended up with a great week in Southern India. We started the week trekking through tea estates and spice plantations around Munnar and then splashed out by the sea for a few days.

Next up was the first AES Rickshaw Race in which our team "Delhi Bellies" tied for second place. It was a terrific fun to zoom around Delhi, strategizing our route, researching answers to the Indian trivia questions, negotiating for items we needed, and fulfilling a range of challenges. For example, points were earned for "selling" vegetables at Sarojini Market (to Raghu, whose stall we go to every Sunday):

.....photos with creepiest mannequins:

.....selfie at the Salt March:

.....photo with a snake charmer:

....posing as sick tourists:

....and our amazing Bollywood inspired dance in Nehru Park (catchy tune, isn't it?):

The final getaway was traveling with a group of friends by overnight train (a first for Asa and Liam) to stay at one of our very top India destinations to date. We tromped around the hillside, breathed in cool, fresh mountain air, had some of the absolutely best food ever, and even woke up to find Snickers that the Easter Bunny had hidden around our cabins.

And now, three weeks into the new school year and it has already proven to be the much needed fresh start everyone hoped it would be. With the troubles of last year behind us, looking forward to a great year ahead.

Taj Mahal: Embrace Your Inner Tourist

There is a very short list of college students that I would want to have stay in our home, crashing on a spare bed in the playroom, for two weeks.  If you are currently in college and reading this blog, you're probably on that list (Sarah and Ariel, this means you!).  But still, when Abigail emailed Jonah a few months ago about a possible trip to India, we were a bit nervous about having our first visitor. Abigail was one of Jonah's students/advisees at Waynflete and now a college senior looking for an adventure for the last two weeks of winter break.  The last time I saw her was when the four of us attended her high school graduation party - Asa was not quite two and Liam was not quite six months old.  So like, a lifetime ago.  Anyway, it has been a delight to have her here.

Having our first guest provided the impetus to plan a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.  We are fortunate to have the services of a travel agent here at school and who made arrangements for a car and driver for the weekend.  It was a smooth, four hour journey to Agra except for the fact that Asa officially gets car sick.  Typical of road travel in India, the ride was slow with much to see out the windows (none of it captured on camera).  There was an eclectic collection of vehicles - many overstuffed with passengers. On every dusty field there was a cricket game in progress. We saw countless women walking along the road with impossibly huge bundles balanced on their heads. And then there were the animals: camels, goats, monkeys, cows, horses, and water buffalo.  And my favorite road sign: "Helmet or Hell, The Choice is Yours". 

Instead of booking one of the hotels the travel agent suggested - they all seemed overpriced and average - we chose to make a reservation at a guest house, India's version of a B&B.  A bit of a risk, but it was only for one night and we have the utmost faith in TripAdvisor.  We were not disappointed.  It was definitely the cozy atmosphere you'd expect staying in someone's home and it gave the trip a more authentic feel given that we were in town to see the Taj Mahal, just like everyone else. As an added bonus, we left Agra with the promise of an arranged marriage for Abigail.  

Once out of the car and settled into our rooms, we enjoyed some down time with our hosts and then set out to tour the Agra Fort which was just a few minutes away.  It was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon and it was great to be out in the warm sunshine and catch our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.

Afterward, we talked our way into the Oberoi Hotel - where the cheap rooms go for $800 a night - and enjoyed a sunset cocktail with a view.

Sunday morning, we were at the Taj Mahal close to the 7:00am opening time.  It was foggy and downright chilly.  Jonah and Asa were the only two people there wearing shorts and both were wishing they hadn't. As we were approaching the entrance, we bumped into one of the school drivers who was there with three authors (J. Patrick Lewis, Peter Sis, and John Coy) who are visiting the elementary school at AES this week.  We introduced ourselves and chatted about their time in India so far.  It was kind of crazy to run into people connected to school but that happens when tourists want to see the same place. Anyway, despite all the times I've seen its image, being at the Taj Mahal was an entirely new experience.  Sure there's all the history and architectural facets to the place but to see it in person was just, as one of the visiting authors called it, "nifty".  It's difficult to come up with a better word than that.  Of course we have many more photos - click HERE to see them.