Pondicherry

After lighting up the night on Diwali, we skipped town the next morning and spent two nights just outside Pondicherry, hoping things might be quieter. They were, and we had a nice little vacation, despite being rained on every day. Yay, monsoon!

Pondicherry was a French colony that was turned over to the Indian government in the 1950s, and its history gives it a different feel to what we've seen in India so far. It's an almost three-hour drive from Chennai down the East Coast Road, through some pretty rural areas and with nice views of the Bay of Bengal.

You might also know Pondicherry from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the book, Charlie's Grandpa Joe tells a story about the Prince of Pondicherry, who gets Willy Wonka to build him a castle made of chocolate. Johnny and I couldn't help laughing about this while we were there.

We stayed just north of the city at a fun, unique resort called Dune Eco Village. All of the rooms are in separate bungalows, some air conditioned, some "nature cooled," and some with wacky themes. Here we are walking the path back to our bungalow from breakfast on our last morning. To our left is one of the bigger A/C bungalows and in front of us is the Tower Room, no kids allowed.

We stayed in the Bamboo House, which was "nature cooled." That means it was open to the air (and rain and mosquitoes), so staying there was a little like camping, only with hot running water and a bed. Luxury camping?

Evie's holding a bowl full of shells she gathered at the beach. It was a very good beach for shell seekers. We found all shapes, sizes and colors.

The kids had a grand time getting dirty in the garden. They found tadpoles, a toad, various lizards and I'm not sure I want to know what else.

The walls were made of woven mats, which didn't meet the thatched roof. The sleeping area and a bathroom were inside the bungalow, and the living room/sitting area was outside. Thank heaven for mosquito nets!

Here's Johnny reading by lantern after Samuel and Evie were in bed. The kids had fun playing in the dark with flashlights.

To get to the resort we drove through a small village. Here's a photo of a typical house there. Our bungalow was an upscale version of this, with electricity, running water, and room service.

We arrived in the early afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day settling in and exploring the resort, which is also a working organic farm. Here are some farm workers harvesting something that probably ended up in our breakfast the next morning.

And here's my first close-up view of a rice paddy. I'm sure there will be many more to come.

The kids got to help milk the cows. Evie was particularly thrilled with this. It surprised me a little. She's usually content to watch things that might seem "icky" from a distance.

We spent some time walking the beach and relaxing by the pool, which extends out over a brushy area.

Evie just recently dropped the water wings. I can't believe how quickly she and Johnny have taken to swimming! I suppose it helps to be living in an endless summer.

Let me tell you, these kids live a rough life ...

In the evenings there were activities like balloon shooting (Johnny's a good shot!) and pottery making. Here's Johnny working on the pottery wheel.

And Evie showing off her creation.

That night it rained pretty heavily, but we were dry and comfy in our bungalow. After a great South Indian breakfast we headed into town to explore Pondicherry. Our first stop was to the Ganesh Temple to be blessed by the temple elephant, Lakshmi. Here she is in her glory, complete with sacred markings, bells and silver anklets. If you give her a coin or a treat to eat, Lakshmi will tap you lightly on the head as a blessing.

I love this photo of Johnny. He was so excited to be this near an elephant ... finally! He's been looking for elephants since we got here in June.

And here's Samuel getting his blessing.

I must admit to having mixed feelings about Lakshmi. Temple elephants are an old tradition in India and represent the living form of the god Ganesh. There were tourists visiting Lakshmi for fun, but there were also many devout Hindus who obviously revered her. Many temple elephants are honored and treated quite well. Many others are abused and unhealthy. Lakshmi seemed to my untrained eye to be reasonably happy, and I noticed that she was not chained (one of the things activists often complain about). Here's a link with more about Lakshmi, and here's one that touches on the controversy.

I hadn't had a chance to explore a Hindu temple yet, so Johnny and I removed our shoes and walked through the parts non-Hindus are allowed to see. It was full of people offering sacrifice and doing puja before the priests. I was struck by the color, scents, and busyness of it all, in design, decor, and in the actions of the worshippers.

One last look at Lakshmi.

Next we walked around the French Quarter. It had cobblestone streets and French colonial buildings. I was reminded a bit of New Orleans.

We spent some time in the Pondicherry Museum, a small place with lots of interesting stuff crammed inside. I have no idea how things are staying in such good shape, though. There was a whole room full of French colonial furniture with the windows wide open to the humidity, and many of the display cases were broken.

Here's a photo Johnny calls "Ancient Chola Pillar with Modern Tourist."

They had a really informative section on beadmaking and trading, and then there were these gems: copper plates from the 14th century and a book made of wooden slats (didn't get the date).

After lunch overlooking the Bay of Bengal, we explored the Promenade, where this huge statue of Gandhi has his back to the ocean.

John saw these rocks, so of course we had to walk out onto them.

Then we went back to the resort for more swimming, lounging, and shooting. After another night of rain (not quite as comfy, as a small leak developed right over my head), we had a leisurely breakfast and headed back home. It was a nice little adventure!

Proof!

This cow wasn't too fast for us (I've been trying to get a photo for ages) ... Imagine coming up on this at twilight while you're also dodging rickshaws, pedestrians, bicycles and trying to remember to drive on the left!

Diwali, part 3

This was supposed to be a post about the huge Diwali party at Johnny's school Saturday ... but we missed it, because we were all home horribly sick. So part 3 will instead be a shot of John and friends setting fire to Suyash's roof on the real Diwali (Oct. 26). Enjoy!

Apples and ... more apples

Yesterday in our Mommy and Me class we learned about apples. I didn't tell anyone that one of the toy apples was actually a peach.

Look at who's 2!

Since we've been doing far too much partying lately, we opted for a small family affair to celebrate Samuel's second birthday. Family plus Gopal and Joseph, of course.

Samuel's obsessed with motorcycles (he sees several hundred a day on Chennai's streets), so we got him one for his birthday. He hasn't put it down since he opened the package. In fact, he's sleeping with it as I type this.

Sorry about the red-eye. It won't go away.

He spent the rest of the evening driving the motorcycle all over the place. Every time I tried to get him to smile for a photo, he glanced up for a milisecond and said, "Cheese to the motorcycle."

He also really liked this puzzle book from Grandma and Grandpa Cragun. And so did Evie. In fact, Samuel might someday get a turn with it all by himself.

And here's a crazy loud spinning top with lights that he got from a friend at school. He shares a birthday with a girl named Sahana, so we let her celebrate her birthday at school this morning and we'll do our celebration on Friday. Here, when it's your birthday you're supposed to give cake and presents to everyone else (instead of receiving). So Sam got this contraption from Sahana for her birthday, even though it's his birthday, too. Get it? We're giving away board books for Samuel's birthday.

This will break soon ... and I will be happy.

When I have a little more time I'd like to make a long list of things I love about Samuel. For now, I'll just say that he's the happiest, snuggliest, funniest 2-year-old you'll ever meet. He loves anything with wheels. He loves to copy his big brother and big sister. He's just adorable, and we're so glad he's in our family. Happy Birthday, Samuel!

Halloween 2011

Halloween just isn't the same without the pumpkin patches, cool weather and trick-or-treating of home ... and I especially felt the loss of the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show. Sigh. We did manage to have some Halloween fun, though, with more activities available than we could manage to attend. I think there might be some overcompensating going on in the American community.

On Saturday we went trick-or-treating in the pouring rain to several Consulate houses and ended at a great party at our friends the Golsens' house. FYI: Everything happens in the pouring rain from mid-October to mid-November. At least I hope it ends in mid-November. Then on Halloween there were parties at the kids' schools and then another round of trick-or-treating and partying at the Consulate. We ended up skipping the Sparky's Diner party, because Mom was wiped out! Maybe next year.

I was surprised that the kids' preschool did Halloween, but the Indian moms in our Mommy and Me class told me it's becoming a little more common to celebrate the holiday in schools. It's still uncommon enough that we got all kinds of weird looks/pointing and staring/laughter when we went trick-or-treating, though.

Here's Samuel/Yoda at school.

He kept the outfit on for the full hour. Impressed, I was.

Evie wanted to be a scary witch, but I found her this pretty witch costume instead thinking that once she saw it she'd fall in love. I was correct.

Here's Johnny leading his class during his school's costume parade. He changed his costume plans multiple times, so I was relieved when he settled on something we actually had in the house.

"Join me, and together we will rule the school as teacher and student."

And here's a shot post-Consulate party, with Samuel covered in chocolate and Evie in a sugar-induced stupor. Happy Halloween!

Diwali, part 2

The Diwali festival lasts for several days, but the main day for celebration here in South India was October 26, the night of the new moon. We'd been hearing fireworks every evening for several days leading up to the 26th, but on Diwali we were awakened at 5:45 a.m. (A.M.!) and the noise didn't let up until well after midnight. Now I understand why so many of our expat friends skip town over Diwali.

We spent most of the day relaxing at home and watching safely from our kitchen window as our neighbors set the street on fire. That evening, though, we went to our friend Suyash's house for a Diwali dinner and "cracker bursting," as the firework mania is called.

Making our way to Suyash's house was quite the experience. He came to pick us up, and we walked out the door and into a war zone. The smoke was so thick it was as if the entire city were in a fog. We had to weave in and out of groups of people setting off fireworks in the middle of the street, and we're talking professional grade stuff. The explosions ranged from small "flower pots" (like roman candles) to huge rockets you'd only see in a professional show in the United States. It was insane!

We made it to Suyash's house in one piece, though, and had a really nice time. We watched them do their Lakshmi puja (Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth), and then the family marked each other and us (except for Evie, who was feeling shy) with a tikka on the forehead.

Here are the boys sporting their tikkas.

Then the kids ate entirely too many sweets, and we all ate a fantastic dinner. Suyash's family is from the North, so the food was slightly different from what we usually get here. It made a nice change, though I find that I love just about any Indian food I try (except for the sweets and some of the chutneys). Standouts from this meal were the biriyani, a delicious chola (chickpea dish), and a fantastic plum chutney.

After dinner we all went up to the roof to set off fireworks. The kids had fun with the sparklers and the flower pots and with some that spin around on the ground when they're lit. Evie asked to go inside once the bottle rockets got going. Here she is enjoying yet more candy.

Samuel lasted for quite awhile, but at one point he turned to John and said "This is too scary. I want to go inside." So Samuel joined Evie and me in the apartment.

While John and Johnny continued playing with fire on the roof, I listened to a fascinating political discussion among older members of the family. They were talking about relations between India and its neighbors Pakistan and Bangladesh. You probably know that they once were all one nation. A favorite topic for discussion here is why India is so much better off -- politically and economically -- than its neighbors. As one woman said that night, "We're all the same people." But India is the largest democracy in the world, in terms of population, and has one of the fastest growing economies. This isn't to say there aren't any problems, poverty being foremost among them. Pakistan, however, is bordering on collapse and Bangladesh is extremely poor and hampered by "worse than average" political corruption.

The general agreement at the Diwali party was that India is better off because of two things: freedom of religion and freedom of thought (meaning that the education system is not so politically skewed as it is elsewhere). Speaking as a non-expert outsider, I think I agree.

Johnny enjoyed the fireworks fun until the really heavy stuff came out, but when someone lit a bundle of three "tiger bombs" (shaking the entire building) he decided he was done. We later had to drag John off the roof and into the car to get the kids home. He would have been happy to join in the fun all night.

We had an uneventful trip home through the smoke and lights and got to bed extremely late. It was a whole lot of fun, though.