Nice day in school today but I'd forgotten how exhausting a group of under 5s can be! We had the two Rs in today, both have Downs and both are the centre of their parents universe and so used to always being number 1! Well today they had competition - two cute little girls having to share the attention, we had a few temper tantrums I can tell you. they have both developed their own individual strategies fro communication though and it was fascinating watching them try to communicate with people who were not used to their particular way.
Tomorrow they will be joined by A a little boy of similar age... stand back to survive I think! We've been doing the circle songs we made up every day and it was great today to see the mums joining in with the singing and helping their children carry out the actions. We've worked out a Tamil version of Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes! It's really nice to know that I can have such fun doing my job here too! Metilda and I hardly stop laughing and smiling all day long. next thing on our list for the carpenter though is a safety gate for the door. Like all wee ones, they like to head off into the big wide world given the opportunity, they can crawl pretty fast you know!
Tomorrow, I think I'll take a change of clothes... we are going to have water play with the three of them.... watch this space!
I handed over the cheques today to pay for staffing for the first year of the project to the School's Correspondent. That's Jeyakodi Chandramohan in the middle, and I hadn't realised until now that I am taller than him!

I have been working with the set of songs we made up, with two of the classes and today at 3.20 when it was time for class 1A to come in, they literally ran from their class to mine and one of the girls ran right up to me and gave me a big hug! After less than a week they have picked up the routine and are handing things around the circle as we sing. I had a wee smile to myself later in the day. Some visitors came to the school, as they often do. this was the assistant commissioner of police's wife and daughter who had brought snacks for the kids and coffee. The classroom assistant/houseparent who was dolling out the coffee, was singing one of the songs as she did so and smiling her head off. She's a few years older than me and it was great to see that what I was doing was enjoyable to staff too. The only things I ever hear them singing are hymns full belt at assembly. Anything sung by 160 children less than half of whom can actually talk let alone sing is something you have to experience!
This evening, Metilda and her husband and daughter came to visit me which was great. They brought lots of goodies and if I eat them all I shall be rolling home like a teletubbie! She also brought me some beautifully scented lily flowers for my hair. I think I am going to have to go and buy a metre of them ( they are joined together by hand with leaf veins as thread, into long strings and sold by length) to take in to school one day soon!
Having had 30 mosquito bites yesterday while in school - during the day when they are not even supposed to be about - on my legs, which I might add were covered by my trousers at the time! I would like to query the justice of someone - who shall remain nameless coming to India for the first time and not getting even 1 solitary bite! He didn't even coat himself in mozzie guard! It's nae fair!

Apparently.... I have a monkey living in my garden! It has eaten all the mangoes off the tree and the pomegranate! The little boys next door told my landlady about it today when she got back from the States and England, and she then saw it, so they were correct. I have yet to see this, the most exotic thing i have seen in the garden are some amazing butterflies, however being butterflies not moths they sit with their wings folded together most of the time rather than flat. I nearly caught a fantastic black white and red swallow tail with my camera the other day but it flew off as I crept up on it while it was sunning itself! I shall try to have more success with the monkey! Hope it doesn't take a fancy to some of my undies, the image of it shooting off down the street wrapped in playtex best is a little too much to contemplate!
My new girl came into school today and is gorgeous, there is something about Downs syndrome children which is just lovely. I had a chat with the principal after seeing her and arranging for her to come in and explained that it looks like I may end up with a group of around 5 or 6 who could all come in together. That way they could both learn from each other and give the mums the support which I had always hoped to do. I'm really pleased about the latter as it was one of my initial aims which I had been assured would just not happen, I'm so pleased it is back on the agenda.
The Principal is very enthusiastic and is talking about getting an extra staff member started before I go to assist Metilda and also a speech and language therapist to work with parents as well as children in the group. there is no SALT at the moment in the school. He is also really pleased with the way I have been involving the physiotherapists and drawing up movement programmes that we can use in class time. I didn't tell him that the real way I had won over the physio was by teaching the bakery manager how to make pizza at his request...! Joel is in there every break time now discussing ways of refining the toppings... naturally I didn't put enough chilli in for their taste!
Nancy my landlady and her husband got back today and I had been a wee bit concerned that might make life a wee bit difficult for me, I'm not used to sharing my space at the moment, but the omens certainly seem good, they were so friendly and welcoming and immediately offered me any support or help I might need which was very kind and I must say a relief. they might have been a little protective of their own space, but all seems well. They're off to Chennai tomorrow for a wedding which involves an overnight train journey.
Carrie is also off tomorrow, on the same train. At the awards in Bombay they were at recently as well as both she and Reggie winning an award, she has been given a place on a TV editing and production course, in Toronto, Canada. The only thing is it starts 5th Feb and she only found out about 3 weeks ago so has been travelling to and from Chennai ( an overnight train journey 14 hours) to get visas organised. Canada was straightforward, for an Indian to get a UK visa they now have to complete a 21 page form and supply biometric details (fingerprints etc) It then takes 10 days to process. It's taken a lot of organising and is a 4 month course. I'm really pleased for her, but will miss her being around. Still she'll be in Edinburgh, filming in new College on her way back to India in May so that is good.
Seeing the Diocesan treasurer tomorrow between classes, to hand over the first years support for the project... a photo opportunity no doubt!

Had a good day in school yesterday and another today. Yesterday one of the children I was seeing before Christmas (4 year old boy) came in with his Mum ready to restart regular sessions which was great and we had a really good 40 minutes or so. Today he came back in, with both mum and dad who wanted to see what we were doing and seems to approve. Little R was in with her Mum both days, she is coming in 5 days and sharing a session on 3 of those days. the other two days we are working as a one to one session. I now have 4 regular pre-fives and 4 existing school pupils that I am working with on a daily basis.
Little R is really enjoying herself, but I'm not sure how much her mum loves me just now! She is one of those we made up our set of circle songs for and apparently, she took a ball to her mum yesterday at around 11.30pm and wanted to start singing her songs!! How to be instantly popular, not bad for a two year old with communication disorder!
I had just finished working with her this morning when a man arrived to ask me to look at his 4 year old daughter who has Downs Syndrome. He is bringing her in tomorrow to meet me so we can do some assessment. I'm really pleased as he has not come through a clinic but been referred by another parent, so word is getting around which is great!
I mentioned we had been writing some circle activity songs which is something entirely new here. they have become very popular so I have been working with the two junior classes on alternate days from 3.20-3.50 when afternoon break starts. There is a picture below of Class 1A and the staff. I keep finding children from all over the junior section of school in my classroom wanting to come and 'play with Sally Auntie'. I've been getting flowers from different staff almost every day to wear in my hair which makes me feel very included, I've had jasmine, small lilies, marigolds, roses and others I can't spell whose name I have only been told in Tamil! Some of the scents are fantastic. I thought you might like the picture of the school cook doing rice for 180 people! Perhaps someone could run it off and show it to Agnes and Liz at school in Edinburgh, as I believe the pictures are blocked from the school system.

On my last post I mentioned the ox cart which takes children to school and back every day. Today I was there as it was loading up to come home so I lurked with intent on the road and snapped a picture from in front and behind as it passed me - so you can see I was not exaggerating. You can see the school bags strapped on to the side of the cart, and I presume that the hay on top is what keeps the oxen going while they are waiting all day long. You can see the painted horns too. Please notice also the range of traffic on the road!!
the picture of an archway was in the church round the corner, it's called the Good News Mission Cathedral (GNM) and is full to capacity 3 times every Sunday. They put up a banner like this whenever they have a wedding or in this case, a baptism... do you think the village would like that if we did it in Davidson's Mains? Probably not, we'd likely need planning permission! It's rather nice though to have something special to welcome a new member of the family to church on such a memorable day.

Warning! Those who do not like 8 legged beasties may find the last pic to be disturbing!

We had some birthdays at school this week and they highlighted the same problems as we have back at Canaan. Where to next? A is a relatively able young man who has just had his 18th birthday, in school he shines, takes responsibility and leads teh oterh children by example. Next though, in the world of work? What can he do and where can he go? The school here is developing a system where some young people can be employed in schools as general assistants. He would do very well at that as he is eager to please and very conscientious. At the moment he rings the school bell to mark the end of each period (a metal gong in a tree in the centre of the courtyard!). The pic shows him with the sweets he brought in to share with the other pupils. He is the boy whose spoken English is so good he translates to some of the teachers for me, he doesn't read or write effectively though!
C was 17,on the same day, she was so shy that I had to sneak a picture when she wasn't looking, (with her mum's permission) - she finds it hard to be centre of attention. Her skills are minimal, basic self help and limited mobility, it is hard to imagine any work setting which she could cope with and which would be of any help to her. She's a bit of an L. E. for those who remember her!The school has a farm on the outskirts of town which they are hoping to establish as a post school provision for some of their graduates, but I don't think C would manage that either. Her picture is with her Mum and family who provided lunch for us on the birthday.

On a lighter note, this is my favourite street sign here, it is the equivalent of our 'school children crossing' sign but to me looks like 'Children running for their lives' which is a more appropriate description!
The bullock cart is one which I pass every morning and afternoon, it brings about 20 children to school in the covered wagon from out of town, then sits outside the school till it is time to take them all home again! The bullocks' horns have been painted as part of the Pongal (harvest festival) celebrations which have been taking place here.
The third picture is of my new resident who I treat with respect. As you can see he is the same size as the lens in my glasses! Not dangerous, just there if you see what I mean!

I think I should tell you that I have probably died and gone to heaven! I have just had a bacon sandwich and it was probably the best thing since sliced bread... well actually it was sliced bread! I found this little pack of bacon at the back of the freezer in Spencer's supermarket yesterday... it was smoked and produce of Sri Lanka, but we can't have everything! So today I got out the trusty frying pan and set to! It was delicious and what's more there is enough for another one tomorrow AND I have kept the fat which will add a little flavour to some of my stir fry veg. Now if only I could find some Lurpak my joy would be complete!

PS It is also Republic day here in India... Jai Hind!

Hope you all had a guid Burns night, I thought of you and played the Burns CD which came free in The Scotsman a couple of Years ago and which I had sent out to India! Not bad actually and a good mix of stuff on it.
How was the haggis...? Yes Mike and David, I know a single malt is also required, but I prefer haggis! I love haggis and Colin brought a tin out for Shyama when we went to Bangalore as apparently she misses it! I should have got you to bring 2 Colin. Never mind. I actually saw turnip (white not 'neep) in a shop yesterday.
While on the subject of 'wee sleekit cowrin timrous beasties... we were settling down for lunch at school the other day, and were just bowing our heads for grace, I was a bit behind as it's hard to know when to bow your head when you don't understand a word of what is being said. I glanced up and there, running across a rafter in the dining room, was a rat... I swear it was 2 feet long... well actually about 6 inches not including its tail! but that was quite big enough,fortunately it made it to the other side and disappeared out of view, but not before several of the children also spotted it... I suppose their eyes weren't closed and their heads bowed as they too have difficulty understanding Tamil!
Not content with that I got home that night and went into the bathroom and there scurrying out of the way were two large cockroaches both around 2 inches... not an exaggeration this time ... they started to head for the door! I flew for my trusty annihilation spray and got there first! I obviously had not given a thorough enough spray after Colin and I returned from our travels!
The problem is finding where they are coming in, I think it is through the drain hole in the wall where water drains after having a shower (bucket wash I should say) or washing the floor, so I picked up a piece of marble offcut I found on my way home and have stood that up against the hole, that way I can remove it when I have water to drain away. Hopefully they will not have sufficient muscles to knock it over, unless they gather together a whole army of the brutes! If I don't see any more, perhaps I have removed that entrance way!
As if that wild life wasn't enough, I was at Carrie's last night, chatting to Cyrus while Carrie was on the phone, when a bat flew in the door, it was about 8 inches across the wings, a brown colour, not black as are fruit bats (which are enormous, over 15 inches across) and spent about 5 minutes flying around just above head height (the ceiling beams are quite low) before finding its way back out again! Cyrus and I ducked to keep out of its way as it was moving low and quickly and we preferred not to find out whether or not its radar was working properly. No real pics today, so here are some from my archives!

Had a really good day in school today, two of the children I assessed last term came in for their first session today! Not the two I expected, one of those didn't make it, but one did, Ramiyah, a beautiful little girl with Downs Syndrome. (You can see in the photo that she has spots on her face, these are made of ash and it is a way of stopping people coveting something which you think beautiful by making it appear flawed. It is also done to houses and other possessions as well as to children and animals.) Another little boy that I saw in December also came in. It was really nice to be working with under 5s. Both made good use of the frame I had made for hanging objects from (see yesterday's picture) we also did some really noisy play... children here don't play noisily normally, so that was an eye opener for the mums. At the end of the first session I arranged for the boy to come back in on Friday, the other mum asked if she could come daily. I was so pleased.
I worked with Subbaiah, the little boy I've been working with since the beginning as usual today. I decided to break his routine though, he has been getting a bit fixed on using cups and bowls to make (lovely and tuneful) sounds. Today I brought a bowl of water and put various things into it. He spent an hour pouring and emptying and splashing and having a great time. he normally sits in a corner of his classroom and twiddles the dial of a fisher price musical box which has lost its music! so to actively play for a full hour was just great, lots of eye contact, choosing and passing me things too. I'm really pleased with the way he has come on in the three months. Mind you I'm going to have to come up with some spare clothes for children to wear for water play... he was soaked by 10.00am! Lucky it is a warm climate!
The school staff today decided it was tine I wore some flowers in my hair as they do most days. I reckoned that getting anything to stay put in my short hair was a major challenge, however they managed as you can see below! Sorry about the scarey face but it's really hard taking a picture of the top of your own head! I love it when things like that happen, it makes me feel so much a part of school life and included in things. The school cook has offered to make me eggy toast with fried tomatoes for lunch on Friday, which may sound a bit dull but will be a real treat!

Well it's been a great break and fantastic to have Colin here, but now I have got to get my head down and catch up on what has been going on in Bishop Sargent School in my absence. Before that though it was the weekend!
I met up on Sunday with Clare who is over here also for 6 months, she's been in India since October but only just arrived in Tirunelvelli. She's 19 and taking a gap year before college. I am full of admiration for her, I don't think I could have done that at her age. She stayed a few days in Bishop Sargent and is now at a local college, living with the students there. I took her out shopping on Sunday and to visit some of the sights! We picked up an auto with an enthusiastic young driver who finally after a few false starts took us where we wanted to go and then took us to the science museum here. It is a bit of a hands on type children's experience, a bit run down but full of people on a Sunday afternoon, the only thing was that the bit he wanted us to see (baby animals) wasn't actually open. never mind another time. Entrance fee was 2 rupees (75 rupees to the pound) so not out of our price range. Colin brought me over, amongst otehr Christmas pressies - for which thank you if I have not said so already - a set of Vicar of Dibley and Prime Suspect DVDs. they should help to fill in a few hours. I also got some money so decided to invest £25 in a DVD player to use rather than risk wearing out the drive on my laptop! I bought a cheap Philips one and set off ready to go at home. Set it all up, tuned it in and put in the first DVD only to find it didn't work and said it was the wrong region... Onto trusty Google to investigate and apparently there is a 'Region' code on all DVDs which prevents them being played in different areas of the world and stops cheap imports and copies too. It also stops me watching my expensive and legally bought Christmas presents! India is region 5 UK & Europe are region 2... not a lot of people know that! I went back to the shop and explained. they said in Tamil and with a lot of sign language and gestures 'no bother', but I had to come back next day, which I did. They phoned Philips main dealers and got a code which unlocks the DVD player and now I can play DVDs from anywhere in the world! Cheap imports here I come!
By the way, I have observed - geckos do not eat ants! I have watched one regularly turning his nose up at the ants on my wall. The ants are not there very long I might add as I get out my trusty spray when all else fails!
I went back to school yesterday and it was good to catch up. Had a couple of really good one to one work sessions with two of the boys I have been working with. One of them was just great, he clearly remembered me and as the session progressed he got more and more involved and actually laughed out loud which I have never heard him do before. Fair gladdens the heart I can tell you! Today I got an even better response, he ran across the playground and gave me a hug! Not something he usually does either, in fact not a very Indian thing to do at all! As you can tell his vision is ok but he is one of those listed as autistic. His basic need at the moment seems to be slow and steady interaction and communication.
I was delighted to see that the joiner had finally completed the bits of equipment I ordered from him in mid-November, I'll put a picture showing Metilda working with Joseph using it. That was one bill I was very glad to pay!
The afternoon was spent at Day of the Disabled meeting. It was I'm afraid a very UN child centred occasion, although graced with two state ministers. We sat for almost 3 hours, the first hour and a half of which was waiting for the platform party to arrive. Then various speeches were made and gifts and prizes were distributed. Several adapted tricycles for young men in their twenties with non functioning lower limbs, a couple of 3 wheel motor scooters and two children were given new artificial legs. Very like that of our young friend 'N' at the Blind School for those who remember her. I'm not quite sure though why the legs are European coloured and not Indian which would have been nice for them. They were all very proud of their new aids, which will greatly increase their independence. The men were carried into the hall by friends and placed on the plastic seats. they soon shuffled off them and sat on the floor where they were more comfortable... and safer, they left on their new equipment! One nice thing was that as I was turning into my street later in the day, about 2 miles from the function, I passed one of the young men on his tricycle and was greeted with a happy wave. They are getting to know me in the community now as I keep showing up at these functions as do they!

When I work in our school at home, I often sing along, making up rhymes and songs as I work with a child, to reinforce what we are doing. That doesn't really work here as they wouldn't understand me! I do miss it though and songs make it easier to remember what is going on too as well as providing additional stimulus and cues. I have two girls coming in tomorrow with their mums (I hope) and I want to do some group interaction work with them. This afternoon, Metilda, Agnes and I sat down to try and write a few simple songs to tunes that they know, with phonetic Tamil for me. After a few false starts and lots of laughs, we have a 'Hallo' song to the tune 9sort of) of 'Mulberry Bush', a 'find a toy' song to 'Found a peanut', a 'pass the ball' song to 'Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose' and a 'goodbye, song to 'London Bridge' It's amazing what songs cross international boundaries isn't it! I've typed them out and the secretary has typed the Tamil versions out (you should see her keyboard!) and we'll see how it all goes tomorrow.

We arrived at our hotel, The Sangam in Madurai with its very flash entrance hall and were taken to our room. To be honest I was disappointed, the furnishings were lovely, nice bath etc, but the bed was the smallest double I had seen in India and we were supposed to be in an executive room, the second highest in their price range. I went to the desk and queried it,and was told that was what all the rooms were like. Later I had a look at the website to see what I had read there and sure enough it did not meet the description. I went back to the desk and asked what the differences in their different grades of room were, repeated my disappointment and to my delight, we were moved to a fabulous room on the top floor, which the luggage boy said was a "Status Room".

Had a lovely meal in the hotel restaurant that night the restaurant has a pool running through the middle of it! We slept well and decided against a swim next day, instead hiring a car to go in to see the Sri Meenakshi Hindu temple which is one of the largest and most impressive in all of India, as well as being one of the three most important south Indian pilgrim shrines. It covers an area almost 300 metres square, right in the centre of town and has about 15,000 visitors every day. It’s about 3 hours north of Tirunelvelli, so is very close to my home area and back to temperatures in the high 20’s and low 30’s Celsius! The town is very ancient and appears in Greek and Tamil documents dating from 302BC. Apparently the Roman geographer Strabo, complained that silks, pearls and spices from Madurai were draining Rome's imperial coffers! We spent the morning in the temple and could have spent longer. Our taxi driver found us an English speaking guide and I have to say he gave me the best explanation of a Hindu Temple I have ever had. This one was mainly designed in the 16th Century, but has parts which are ancient and records date back almost 2000 years. Sacred areas are only accessible to Hindus, but the public areas are remarkable too. Apparently there are 15 Million statues on and around the temple. Those on the towers are painted in a riot of bright colours, with the inner ones carved from solid grey granite.

There is a market to the East of the temple in an ancient market hall which almost looks like it is part of the temple. It is filled with men with treadle sewing machines who will run you up garments quick as a flash. Colin and I tested them though with an order for two European style shirts for Colin and a Salwar Suit for me, all made to measure and all in beautiful silk... we didn't even argue about the price! Well if the silk was good enough for imperial Rome, who were we to argue! We ended up handing over 2000 rupees (almost £30) and being told they would deliver them to my house in Tirunelvelli the next day. That was a little daunting I can tell you, we wondered if we would ever see them, Tirunelvelli being 3 hours drive away. I trusted them though as the man delivering turned out to know someone that I know… small world isn’t it. (True to their word, the garments were delivered the next day - how is that for service.) On our way back to get an auto, we spotted this girl acrobat and her mother begging in the streets around the temple.

We went back to the hotel for lunch and to wait for our car to take us back to Tirunelvelli. There was a four hour drive and we finally got home in time for a quick snack and sleep!
We spent the next two days in Tirunelvelli looking around the fairly limited sites and meeting my friends and colleagues at a meal I had arranged with Jeyakodi at the school. Then all too soon it was Wednesday and time to head back to the coast to Kovalum for an afternoon and most of a day on the beach. Colin went to the airport for his flight at around 5.00pm, to his delight he was upgraded to business class.on the first leg as far as Dubai and thoroughly enjoyed his complimentary champagne and the lobster thermidor which were on the menu! Fortunately too he had a flight direct to Glasgow and thus avoided the disruption after the air accident at Heathrow the day before. Now I just have to find out how things at school have gone in my absence.

We spent our first day in Bangalore wandering around the fantastic Russell market which sells fruit, veg, flowers, meat and fish. The absolute chaos of smells and colours leaves the senses reeling and it is hard to convey the atmosphere in words and pictures, however I’ll have a go. We went in at the Flower area, there were vases and pots of flowers I’ve never seen in India before, the sellers were making some into wreaths and bunches and others were being de-headed and strung into garlands. Garlands are given to welcome visitors, to honour guests and at weddings and ceremonies.
Next was the fruit section again an extraordinary collection of different fruits all displayed to show off the range and variety. For some reason they are selling imported American Red Delicious and Fuji apples. Indian apples tend to be smaller and less juicy but I can’t understand why when there is so much other cheap and delicious fruit available they are importing from the US. The veg section was next and again a huge range, the displays are just beautiful and the sellers enjoyed having their pictures taken. At least with a digital camera I can show them the pictures after I have taken them.
Meat and fish were outside the building, the biggest prawns I have ever seen and a wide variety of fish. Didn’t look too closely at the poultry and meat sections.

We moved round the corner and found clothes stalls with everything from socks to jackets each on their own stall… or groundsheet on the floor. I don’t think the cotton socks Colin paid 25rupees for had much cotton in them, but the seller was a nice young boy. We wandered around the corner and found a beautiful RC church surrounded with flower and candle sellers. The candles all came complete with a small garland of jasmine or marigold flowers. The church although open to the elements was wonderfully cool and peaceful in the middle of the chaos of the market and had around 30 people in it just praying quietly. We joined them for a short time.

Back out into the market and wandering around looking at shops, I wanted to find a Karnataka industries shop I had found last time I was here where the prices and variety were very good, this is a real maze of streets though and I didn’t really fancy my chances. The shops are all in groups of similar products together, streets selling clothes, then household goods, then jewellers. I remembered that the shop I wanted had been near a jewellers area so we turned off here and to my delight found the shop in Commercial Street opposite to the police Station, if you are interested! We went in and it lived up to my memories, both of us spent around £20 on souvenirs and gifts and came away with a wonderful selection of goodies. We had lunch in a restaurant I have begun to frequent on MG (Mahatma Gandhi) Road, the main street of Bangalore, this is called Ebony and is on the top (13th) floor of a skyscraper called the Barton Centre. The food is delicious and we had a lunch time buffet with soup, a salad selection, 3 meat and 4 veg dishes plus rice and breads there was even pudding to follow. We had a huge plateful each and could come and go as often as we liked. The best part of all was the price 150/- for women and 180/- for men! That’s between £2 and £2.50 each for a meal fit for a king (or queen). The service was extremely good, the place clean and shining. What I haven’t mentioned though is the view, we are above most other buildings in Bangalore and can see in all directions from the roof top terrace, the cricket stadium is just nearby, but sadly from Colin’s point of view India were having a controversial time in Australia and not playing here. We are on a level with the eagles and kites which circle around us and which we could see at really close range, amazing. I can highly recommend this place, one of those things I found by accident in 1998… how can you find the 13th floor of a tower block by accident I wonder!

We took Sham and family out for dinner that night to… Pizza Hut! We offered that as a choice and Shyama said yes- as it is not something they normally eat. Hard to tell the difference to the Uk places, except that all the pizzas have a spicy element to them.
Next day I had noticed there was an auto strike as the drivers want more money (their prices are very low so I think they are probably correct, Bangalore is one of the most affluent towns in India and their auto fares are amongst the lowest I have come across… and they use their meters which most don’t elsewhere. I had arranged to hire a car because of this and set out for Bannerghata a safari park about 40 minutes from Bangalore, we chose the Grand Safari bus trip and went though tiger and lion and bear areas, the drivers were very taken with us and grabbed our cameras to take pictures for us with the result that we have some fabulous ones.

A quick walk in the zoo area next then back to Bangalore, lunch at the Tower again and then back to UTC to relax. In the evening we had dinner with Sham and Jolly and Shyama in their house. Next day a quick walk in the area then off to the airport to fly to Madurai, we had been warned that Deccan, the airline we were using this time was often delayed and sure enough when we arrived there was a 1 hour delay planned, no problem though, when you know what to expect you don’t get upset and they set off as planned an hour late. Smooth flight to Madurai, a small plane though and we had to wait till everyone in the back half of the plane had left through the rear door of the plane as the hostess told us that the plane was tail heavy and if everyone left at once it would upset the balance of the plane, I had this image of a plane nose in the air and tail on the ground. We got our luggage and a prepaid taxi and set off. This was to be our most expensive hotel and I was looking for great things from it.

Colin reckons the drive to and from Agra /Delhi is something he'll never forget. You can forget about rules of the road, if you see a space head for it, doesn't matter which carriageway you are on, whether it is to the left or right of the vehicle you want to pass, or even off the side of the road. You can even carriageways on the short stretches of dual carriageway, they are a bit of a mockery anyway when you meet a cow having a wee rest half way across a lane, or a car coming towards you in teh fast lane in teh wrong direction! The strange thing is the driving is not really frightening, we never went much over about 90km per hour (which is 55mph) and you only managed that for very short stretches,it's about 200km and took well over 4 hours each way. We were very glad that we had stayed over the night before which gave us the whole day in Agra if we wanted it before driving back to Delhi.
Leaving Agra we visited the Moghul tomb of Akbar at Sikandra just to the North and on the Delhi road. This is the man who built Fatehpur Sikri (see previous blog). The building is very similar to the buildings there, and the grounds are incredibly peaceful with herds of deer wandering around and Langur monkeys. The inscription on the gate is from the Koran and says " These are the gardens of Eden, enter them and live forever".

After Sikandra, it was back on the road to Delhi... is that the title of a Bob Hope film? If not it should be! We got to the outskirts of Delhi just as it got dark having stopped at a roadside restaurant for some lunch, we took some pics of a camel and elephant there but declined the pleasure of a ride on them much to the owners disgust! It's strange I never associated camels with India, but they are very common in the north. there seem to be fewer working elephants about in the south though than when first came 11 years ago. The traffic in Delhi is crazy, it took us the best part of an hour from the outskirts to our YWCA guest house near Connaught Circle, the old Anglo-Indian centre. We passed India Gate and the presidents palace on the way and were very relieved to note it is national road safety week while we were in Delhi... if this is road safety heaven help them the rest of the time! Having said that we never saw any accidents in all our travelling - I'm sure it is the reduced speed which makes the difference that and that the general attitude is of giving way rather than forcing your own way through and expecting the unexpected all the time. We found a nice restaurant just along the road called the Kwality, which was of very high quality indeed. I'm still playing safe with food for eh sake of my stomach, but Colin was as adventurous as ever.
Went for a walk next morning, Saturday, did some shopping and Colin had his pics put on to CD so he had back up in case anything happened to his card or camera.
I have to say that Colin has revealed a new side to himself while here, after 32 years of marriage, I can reveal that he is as good a shopper as I am, needs to work on his bargaining a bit, but I'm sure that will come with practise. We found some lovely things for him to take home - just as well he brought out my Christmas pressies, he'll have extra room in his suitcase on the return journey! Talking of which, to those who I have not yet thanked, Thank you!
We didn't really have time to see much of Delhi before lunch at the Kwality again and off to the airport for our 2.5 hour flight to Bangalore. Indian airports may be fairly efficient, but they don't go in much for shopping or eating after security, or even before security for that matter. Trivandrum domestic was one of the best and the only one to have internet access available.

We arrived at Bangalore at around 8pm and set off for the UTC (United Theological College) guesthouse. As usual the driver didn't know where UTC was so I ended up guiding the last part of the way except they have changed all the roads and put in new one way systems which involve driving through the station... most unfair to infrequent visitors. Phoned Sham on arrival and went round to visit them. I was glad I could still navigate my way on foot to their staff quarters which are off campus, but they have moved house since I last was here and I was unable to identify the flat. While hunting though Colin noticed what at first we thought was an eclipse of the moon, but have now come to realise was just a 'first quarter' the strange thing is that the crescent was lying on its back so to speak rather than to one side as it is at home. We could see the outline of the earth's shadow though all around the 'dark side' of the moon, very strange. Must be due to the angle of the earth which we are viewing it from. Failed miserably to take a good picture despite trying. Sham, Jolly and Shyama were looking great, it was lovely to see them, Shyama is looking more like Jolly and is now 16 and a young lady, exam time just now so working hard, she has 2 more years of school. Sorry Jolly is not in the pics, unfortunately she had a migraine when we had the cameras out, she's looking great though and sends her love to all at Holy Cross. I thought Sham was looking slim and told him so so he told me he has been going for a 45 minute walk before work every day. He is currently running the dept single handed so is very overworked. He is still hoping for an extension of 2 years to his time in Bangalore to allow Shyama to finish her schooling without another move.

We spent the night in Agra in a reasonably good hotel called the Ganga Ratan, this is fairly central and walking distance of the Taj. I had booked it, as everything else, through the internet and that is always a bit of a gamble, for some reason people don't put things like: 'Quite a good view but lots of cockroaches' or 'Could do with a good clean' on their websites. We did OK though, you can find it on the internet if you wish. We had a top floor room which was quite nice, a king size bed, A/C, private bathroom with the first bath I have seen since the UK, and that was November. ... I hasten to add I have been having showers and of course bucket washes, but this was just fab, it even had loads of hot water! Sadly as there was a powercut, the luggage had to be carried up to the third floor by the porter - he wasn't even out of breath but I was! We had a view of the Taj from the hotel room, it was a fair way off, but we could see the dome quite clearly. The Dhobi (laundry) boy was really enthusiastic and said we had a lucky room! He then took me out along the roof top and up a flight of stairs onto the roof of the hotel next door for an even better view. I find the Indian people are often so very desperate to please visitors.
We went out for a walk to find the centre of Agra but really didn't manage. Agra seems to be a very poor town whose entire life revolves around the Taj. A pedal rickshaw approached us every step we took trying to persuade us to hire him, I think it may be out of season, but even so, they were offering an hour's use of the rickshaw and driver for 10rupees, about 12p. We really did want to stretch our legs though after the 4 hour drive from Delhi. After a while we gave up trying to walk in peace and turned back towards our hotel looking for somewhere to eat.
We had dinner in the hotel across the road which was a very plush 4 star job, I was still being careful what I ate so stuck to non-indian food while Colin was much more adventurous! The food was very good and we went back to our hotel replete. We were up early for breakfast next day (well early for us!)and then took our car to the Taj. Having a car with us from Delhi meant we could safely leave our suitcases etc in it all day. the car took us as near as is allowed - there is a traffic free zone around the Taj area to try to keep the marble safe from the heavy pollution of Agra which is an industrial city - we then switched to a cycle rickshaw and went to the South Gate where there was not even a queue. We had to wend our way through stalls and small shops to get there. As well as cycle rickshaws, there were horse and carts... or should that be horses and carts? and hand carts too all around, it is certainly a busy place with very narrow streets where life seems to have got stuck in a time warp around 40 years ago.

I had read that it was good to shine a torch onto the inlaid carnelian so had a small torch in my bag which of course I then had frisked off me at the gate! Fortunately the local guide we had kept it for me till we returned.
As you go through the entrance gate, the Taj is hidden by a large sandstone gateway, you go up the steps into this, and suddenly there it is in front of you, just like all the pictures and every bit as special. The stone work is constantly being repaired in the sandstone areas and the stone cutters were working by hand with hammer and chisel and drawing round their own legs etc to get shapes, extraordinary. For once, as tourists though we got a good deal... Our 'foreigners' high entrance fee entitled us to go to the toilet free of charge, while Indian residents had to pay 2rupees! I loved the lawn mower (picture below) I have a habit of noticing the bits you're not really supposed to notice.

We had a good wander around the grounds and had our pictures taken by a photographer on the expected seat! As well as the Taj itself, there are a mosque and a guest house one to each side of the Taj. They are built of red sandstone which compliments the marble very well. For those of you who were hoping to see pictures of a certain megastar, to our relief, Madonna visited the Taj the day after us,so feel free to move on to her Blog! The central tomb area is beautiful with incredible inlay of semi precious stones and as I had been told the carnelian glowed when the guides put their torches to it. You cannot take pictures in the main tomb itself, but all around the outside the marble carving and inlay is quite extraordinary in its beauty and skill, whole panels 10 feet high carved from a single slab of marble, some carved like screens, others with inlay, there are verses from the Koran around the doors, each arabic letter is inlaid with a single piece of black stone very narrow... no more than an inch wide, and sometimes up to 2 feet long. It looks like writing with a broad felt pen. You can see it in the picture of Colin and I to the side of the Taj.

A fantastic experience and well worth all the hype.

It was around 2pm when we got to Agra, so we decided to visit a monument nearby, Fatehpur Sikri, a town built by the Moghul emperor Akbar and intended to be a joint capital with Agra in Uttar Pradesh. It took 16 years to build then 15 years later in 1600 it was abandoned as the water supply was not adequate. The main areas today are the palace and a Mosque which is still in use. The palace is fantastic, beautiful buildings a mix of Hindu and Islamic architecture, and full of interesting stories, the whole thing is made of red sandstone so feels a little bit like home. It is incredibly well preserved and consists of various buildings and pavilions and the houses for his 3 wives - one Christian, one Turkish and one Hindu... who managed to produce a male heir so was blessed with the best house.

The road to Fatehpur Sikri, only about 30km, took well over an hour, the streets of Agra are not built for traffic at all and are lined with shops and stalls. We got there just before 4pm though and had a good hour and a half with a very pleasant guide. As usual though he was just the starting price, there was the foreigners entry fee, the Archeological Society of India fee, the fee to pay for our shoes to be looked after, the fee to buy a cloth to lie on the tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti by the mosque, - which is however extremely beautiful and has marble carving to rival the Taj. The screen at the end of this passage is carved marble so fine that it looks like a curtain.

As you can see we had to cover up for this one, I particularly like the shade of Colin's hat which is of green plastic! Then of course there were the beggars, I have come to the conclusion though that I cannot cure India's beggar situation single handedly so I give to the church charities who I trust to use the money well.
The little girl was the niece of the guide and the baby a much longed for one who had been brought to the temple to give thanks!
This is the main entrance to the Mosque from the new town of Fatehpur Sikri, a much reduced version and really just sprawling houses. the seller was one of many selling fruit and veg for visitors, ready peeled and ready to eat and as you can see even washed in the bucket beside him. Sadly though we didn't dare!

Well it's been awhile since I added to this Blog, but I've been travelling and enjoying having Colin here with me. We met up as planned at Trivandrum airport at around 8pm on the 3rd. Colin's flight was immediately behind that of the first group of Russian tourists to come to Kerala! They were well feted and their arrival was heralded by a full volume band of drummers, very exciting! It kept us amused as we waited for him to clear customs! The taxi driver was one who I have used on previous visits and when he heard it was Colin's first visit to India, he bought him 2 garlands and presented them to him on arrival.

Time to head down to Kovalum, settle into the hotel and a quick walk along the beach to unwind. We spent the 4th 5th and 6th (am) in Kovalum. Went for a trip on a boat along the backwater's of Kerala which was very relaxing and finished at the shore to see the sunset. An amazing selection of birds ranging from Kingfishers to eagles with all sizes in between.

After a couple of days relaxing at the beach we set off for Delhi by plane, all went well and we arrived in the chaos of the capital at around 9pm. Our rooms at the YWCA International hospital were basic but clean. We didn't need A/C but the heater on, how strange!
The next day a car journey to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. On the road we passed the usual selection of vehicles but also now, cycle rickshaws, cow and bullock trucks and... camel trucks. Colin did much better at photographing these, so this is one of his pics.

Colin has amazed me by the ease with which he has adapted to India, I had booked an A/C room at Kovalum and had the ceiling fan on as well, only to be asked to turn off the fan as he was cold! 32 degrees and he's cold! Our trip to new Delhi, in case you hadn't realised the scale of things was a 5 hour flight via Chennai it is around 2,000 miles and so we were only around 100miles from Nepal, Tibet and the Himalayas, so really a long way north. the people are different and the climate is different to what I am used to in the South. I wore socks for the first time since touching down in Doha in November and had to hunt to find a cardigan... fashion statement I was not!