Torture hut, but all will be ok as the Mantis is praying

Since our last blog post we have been lapping up the sun and swimming in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand, off Koh Samui. We were staying at a lovely place called Moon Hut, which is right on the beach; the food from the restaurant/bar run by John and Big, the owners of Moon Hut, is really good and recommended. We must do that TripAdvisor review as promised.! However, there is a little hut in Moon Hut which Heather has dubbed, 'the torture hut'. She will explain why. I avoided it.

Before we left Moonhut, I (Heather) decided to have a Thai massage - there is a massage hut on the beach where we were staying ( it's been renamed by me as ' The Torture Hut'). What an agonising hour it was as every knot, stress area, and bit of cellulite was crushed, squeezed and walked (yes, she walked all over me) out of my body!!  Thank goodness my earlobes were not knotted or stressed as it was the only part of me that didn't hurt as she pulled them!!! I didn't scream just silently groaned and I'm afraid the pillow my head was on probably has been discarded by now due to the big teeth marks!!! Anyway, I was able to walk after, and even felt quite 'loosened up' !! No doubt it has done some good - safe to say, I won't be having another and completely put Ken off!

Looks can be deceptive

It was great to see that even the insects are praying for us.

Sorry if you didn't get to spot the monitor lizards in a previous blog, you can't miss this little fellow!

On our last night at Moon Hut we were introduced by John to a lovely, friendly German couple, Amir and Gabby. That day Amir had taken Gabby to an isolated beach and had asked her to marry him; she said, 'yes'! They have been friends for nearly 20 years and had then decided to go out together and ...there you go! It was a shame we only met on our last night as there was a bit of a celebration (lots of white wine) and lots of laughter (and a bit of a headache the morning after). It was a great way to end our time in Samui.

The train journey back to Bangkok was another adventure, but the air conditioning on the train was freezing and the train went so fast there were times when we thought we'd fly off the tracks - but we didn't. Sleep was hard to come by.

As we arrived in Bangkok on time (6.30 am), we left our luggage at Hua Lumphong station and wandered around Bangkok until the Grand Palace opened at 8.30 am. We queued with hordes of other tourists for the ticket office to open. I know Heather and I are tourists too, but there were huge numbers of groups of both tourists and schoolchildren. Once inside there are lots of signs saying, 'Please be quiet'. Hmm, the guides of the groups shouted very loudly, most of the time, and groups swarmed everywhere, apparently unaware of anyone else except their guide and the next 'thing' to see. The Grand Palace and buildings are, like so many public buildings in Thailand, very impressive, but the people and the noise! And it was very hot and humid.

An Apsara - created during the Stirring of the Milky Sea (have a look at the Hindu creation story)

Later that morning we were able to meet up with Chris Miles -(he is Fiona and Nick Miles's son - Heather's special friends in NZ). Chris is in Thailand working but yesterday he was passing through Bangkok to the airport. We met him for lunch and had such a lovely time catching up!! Thanks Chris - see you in India next!!!

So, a little later today we'll be heading off to catch our evening flight to Sydney, and another chapter of The Browns in South East Asia and Australasia (that's a bit of a mouthful for a blog title).

We will return to Thailand in May and have plans to teach English through a local church which offers English conversation sessions.

"Sawasdee krab/ka" Goodbye from Thailand

Heather and Ken xx

Sun, sea, sand and Samui

Sun, sea, sand, Samui - bliss!!

Our journey to Koh Samui was very exciting for us 'untravelled folk’, as it was a night train - great fun!!

Not only did we have a delicious meal with our own special table and cloth

(the menu deserves a quick photo and could have put us off, but many words we might find unappetizing sometimes turn out ok!!)

But soon after eating, our seats were turned into very comfy beds. The curtains were drawn around and a snug, cosy space was made for the night. Ken gallantly climbed the ladder and crawled into his space above. 

We rattled through the night and were woken the next morning with sounds and smells of breakfast being served.

Such a fun experience (I sound as though I'm a tiny child but even the 'more mature' can be excited by such things) and really a great way to do a very long journey. A bus, ferry and taxi ride later and we arrived in the most idyllic setting of beach huts on the sand in a small quiet bay on Maenam beach. It is a little paradise for us for 8 days, to relax, digest our time in Delhi and North Thailand and think and pray about future plans and most of all CHILL !

We discovered that John, the owner of Moon Hut is originally from Kingston!! Small world really.

Last night there was a local market, full of delicious street food and all kinds of stalls. Great to browse and only browse, as I was quickly reminded that our luggage is already quite full and heavy and anyway, there is really no need for another shawl (or bag!) (I think I have heard that somewhere before!!!) and definitely no need for elephant print beach trousers??!!  We did indulge in the street food though as we won't be packing that and carrying it around for the next few months.  Green coconuts, full of lovely cool water, and skewers of bbq'd pork/chicken/ squid were delicious!!

We're back to Bangkok next Wednesday and then off to Sydney Aus, so our next blog may have a bit of an 'Antipodean bounce' to it. 

We are looking forward to catching up with Pete and Nic Nash during our two weeks there.

Love,

Heather and Ken X

Wat, Wat, Wat (yes, that's the correct spelling!)

We are writing this weeks blog from Chiang Mai, Thailand - our travels have begun having completed our time and visa allowance in India.

Last Saturday we had a lovely time with all our Saturday students at Ekta Vihar - dancing, playing games and then sadly saying goodbye - they are a wonderful group of young people and we miss them already!

Most of them had internship interviews the week before, so we now wait expectantly to hear of the opportunities they may have for work experience.

The Asha staff at Bikaji made their feelings about us leaving quite clear!!

We will be back, tho guys - but you have a few months to recover!!

We have been really pleasantly surprised by Bangkok - its clean, orderly, quiet and very easy to get around. However, our taxi ride from the airport, was a bit of a challenge -  the driver had no idea where he was going and spent much of the time on his mobile phone ringing people to get directions whilst driving on the motorway. He then decided that he would try to negotiate a rather high private charge for the journey even tho it was a metered taxi - we weren't having that, (Delhi has taught us well) so we insisted on the meter reading. All ended happily and by the end of the journey, we quite liked him!!

Wednesday and our fun began with taking the Sky Train and Metro to collect all our train tickets for the next few days. The company we booked through, 12Go, was very efficient. That done, we decided to see Bangkok from the river - a brilliant trip took us along the canals behind many of the streets where we were able to see some of the 'real' life, not to mention some of the 'wild life' too.

Now its time to play 'Spot the.....lizards (there are 2 and they are big!), Buddha (its not Ken!!) and the reason Heather also loves Bangkok!!

Spot the lizards

Spot the Buddha

Spot the reason 

We have now been to Chiang Mai and are completely 'Wat-ted' out!!  We have never been in so many temples (Wat's) and seen so many Buddhas - we are learning lots.  We had a lovely opportunity to ask some questions and find out more about Buddhism when a young monk, Som, came and sat with us as we had a drink in a garden.  He was really interesting to talk with and as he was studying Humanities at university, he was also interested in talking about Christianity, so we told him about Jesus and what he means to us.

If you have been to Thailand you may recognize some of the places we have visited:

W District Market, Wat Pho, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Mengrai, Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pan Tao, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Wat Suan Dork. (This has been over 5 days!)

Now we are packing again ready to take the train back from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in the morning.

Ken has obviously been pleasantly effected by the 'influences' of the Wats - he actually uncharacteristically tipped a folk singer playing last night as we had supper!  I, however, had an alarming experience, when at the train station. I saw some lovely teak benches to sit on. Ken had gone off to sort some tickets out so I decided to rest my weary feet. A monk was sitting at the other end of the bench and suddenly let out a very loud, shrill, high pitched screech of what sounded to me like "WooohoooTrillywillywillyweeeee"...  (it seemed to go on for ages) - I suddenly saw the sign that said, FOR MONKS ONLY!! I shot off and quickly perched on the plastic seats behind meant for the unenlightened!!  Won't do that again!!

On Monday, we take a night train to Koh Samui.  We are both looking forward to feeling the sand under our feet and swimming in the sea for a few days.

Lots of love to everyone.

Heather and Ken.

Our last week with Asha in Delhi

We knew the last week with Asha would eventually come, but now it's here, it feels very strange to imagine leaving - (even though our plans are to return next September).

It's been a very busy week - no time to pack our things yet - we will cram that into Sunday and Monday!!

Steve Curran arrived on Monday night and was immediately whisked off on Tuesday morning to visit Seelampur Colony.
 

Steve and Subhord

Ken and I were able to go with him and we had a lovely day seeing all the work Subhord, the team leader, is involved in.  We joined in their time of singing together with all the children and women,  (Subhord is excellent on the drum) and then we heard the bible story of the Good Shepherd.  The women made us a tasty  rice dish for lunch. We were invited to visit a few homes in Seelampur and made very welcome with masala chai at Sameena's home.

Very close to Seelampur is a 'new slum colony' - between a railway and a motorway, on a river bank, 3,000 people have settled there and Asha are beginning to become involved with the community. They are immunizing the children and encouraging them  to go to school.   They are looking to see what other support they are able to give.  We were able to see it from a distance.

A new slum near Seelampur

Steve only had a few days with Asha, but was able to meet Freddy and Kiran for supper to talk through his thoughts and ideas of supporting one of their projects.
 
Now, at the end of our week, it's time to say goodbye to all the lovely kids, students and people who have become 'like family' to us.

I had my last afternoon on the bus - I have left them with a book of all the songs we have learned and enjoyed together as well as lots of the English sentences they have learned. They have strict instructions to carry on singing and speaking English!!

Friday was party time in Ekta Vihar. We could hear the music from a long way a way, so knew there was to be lots of dancing!!

The ladies are always so beautifully dressed and proud of their glittery jewels, so I thought it would be a lovely surprise for them if I wore a sari and honored their culture this way. (Thank you, Sweeta, for the loan of your beautiful sari).

I had to arrive early, be whisked to a private area, and then had two ladies dress me in the sari.  Safety pins were used to secure everything, (thankfully - I could just imagine finding that the whole length of sari had unravelled during some energetic Bollywood dance!!) - and then I emerged to incredible applause and the sight of smiling faces!!  What a wonderful privilege and delight.  It is a beautiful outfit to wear - you can't help but feel feminine and serene when wearing it.  Everything stayed in place (you'll be glad to hear) and we had a lovely party with all the children.

Heather and the girls!

 

Heather and Shalini looking beautiful in their saris (Ken doesn't look bad either)

One comment from one of the mother's will always stay with us as we leave Ekta Vihar - she said "thank you both for coming and giving our children opportunities to learn English and sing and have fun with crafts -you have made such a difference to their lives. They love you and we love you and will miss you.  Thank you for staying so long - you are now part of our family!!" Wow! We were very moved and felt really humbled to have been able to be here.  After the party we were taken to the homes of some of Ken's students - they all wanted us to meet their parents, bothers and sisters and see their homes and drink more and more chai!!

In Rakhi's home

In Istiyak's home

The college students have had interviews this week with volunteers from the High Commissions for possible internships in businesses.  Asha HQ has been buzzing with all the candidates.  This is a very nerve-wracking time for them as they have prepared for many weeks now, have practiced their interview techniques with us and we have tried to underpin all their hard work in preparation.  We are praying for some great results and opportunities for them - 'What's App' messages will be buzzing between us as we take off on Tuesday for Thailand and begin our time of travelling.

We have another farewell party tomorrow with college students and then then a final, final goodbye lunch with the Asha staff at Bikaji on Monday.  

Our next blog will be from Thailand!

'Well, Well, Well' (yes, a very big one too!!)

Last Saturday evening we set off for Neemrana - where we looked forward to a restful couple of days and spending Valentine's Day together. We stayed close to the town in a hotel where Ken enjoyed swimming in a pool amongst hundreds of rose petals (it was freezing - like swimming off the coast of England in March!)

and I decided  to have an Indian head massage (when in India..... and all that) - INCREDIBLE!!!  Having had my head smothered in oil, pummelled, massaged and hair-twisted/pulled for 30mins, (you'll be relieved to hear there are no photos!!) I wondered whether I would wake up in the morning to find a massive hair growth or all my 'shocked' hair lying on the pillow - thankfully, neither, but I had a beautiful restful sleep!!  I'm off for another as soon as possible! (I did think it might be a bit risky for Ken though!)

Neemrana is best known for its 18C Fort Palace, now a hotel and unfortunately closed that weekend due to a wedding - but we did manage to have a brief look from the outside - definitely a beautiful place to visit next time!!

We were told about a  'Step Well' on the edge of the town - we found it after driving around for a while looking (it's just incredible that a major tourist attraction like this is not sign posted at all - we just stumbled across it!).

About Stepwells:

The stepwell is huge and extends to 9 storeys. The Baoli was used both as a reservoir and for “leisure” purposes.  There was no water in the well, but Neemrana Baoli appeared enigmatic with its complex architecture that has been crafted within the earth’s surface. We wandered around for a while amazed at the size and depth and trying to imagine it as a working well and how it used to work.

I have read since that, 'In a region where water is sacred, the step wells of Rajasthan are the temples of well architecture and Neemrana well, although dilapidated, is one of the best examples in the state. They are fantastic examples of subterranean architecture and engineering skills and are only found in arid Gujarat and Rajasthan where water was only available at great depths. Apart from serving an essential purpose, step wells fulfilled the social needs of the community in a gloriously artistic environment serving as shrines, sanctuaries and community spaces.'

Back in Ekta Vihar, the children loved preparing for Valentine's Day and made Valentine butterfly lollipop cards,

and my Saturday students made heart baskets full of sweets and lollipops, as they giggled about who they would give them to - (I'm not sure the lollipops made it out the door though!)

Ken needed his hair cut and was also hoping for an Indian head massage, so went to have his haircut by his student, Sadab, in the saloon where Sadab works in R K Puram Sector 7. Again, another good haircut and this time there is a photo too!

During our visit to Agra, we had met an American family, the Johnsons, who were about to come to Delhi as part of their travels. They were very interested in our work with Asha so we invited them to join us on Tuesday morning to see Ekta Vihar and hear all about the work of Asha. We had a wonderful morning with them, (thank you Ayesha and Shubhra for your hospitality at Bikaji and thank you Shalini, Azad and Narayani for making us so welcome and the delicious masala chai!). I know they were very impressed with all the work and achievements in health and education and I can imagine that Ben, their son could well be planning some fund raising and a visit back to help paint murals on the classroom walls one day (he's an artist).

Tomorrow night we will be welcoming Steve Curran, a friend from St. Stephens, who will be staying with us for a few nights.  He is here to visit Asha and talk with Freddy and Kiran Martin. We will be going with him to visit Seelampur Colony and Dr Ambedkar Colony.

It feels strange that this time this next week will be our last (for a while) - there are parties planned and we know that the goodbyes are going to be very hard!!

Our visas expire on 1st March, so we'll be off to Thailand. 

Next week will be our last Delhi blog.

Love and best wishes.

Heather and Ken xx

Agra - mostly photos

The "baby Taj" A very quiet day, and a lovely beginning to our site seeing in Agra.

Agra Fort - getting a bit busier here!! A riverside Fort with exquisite palaces and mosques made of red-sandstone.

Our friend, Eric, and his chipmunk - A big 'charmer' charmed a chipmunk (he was really hoping to see a Cobra!!)

An amazing view from the roof restaurant of the hotel Kamal situated in the 'heart' of Agra. Having been in RK Puram and Ekta Vihar in Delhi now for a while, the 'heart' of Agra seemed like home!!

An opportune moment as we walked along a narrow street on our way to the Taj, to jump into a school room.  The door was ajar and I couldn't resist peeping in and then being invited by the teacher to join them.  I would have loved to have been able to stay and sing songs with the children, they all greeted me with 'Nameste Ma'am'.  The teacher instantly offered me the 'collection box for the poor children of Agra' and although a round of 'Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes' would have been fun, perhaps they will gain something from my donation!!

Heather at the Taj Mahal (this was a quiet day!) It is a stunning monument - built for love.  Emperor Shah Jahan built it as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631.  It was completed in 1653.  20,000 people worked on it.  It is all marble with fine carvings and inlays made with thousands of semiprecious stones - so beautiful - also very cool inside on a warm day.

The Taj Mahal stands on a raised marble platform.  Raising the Taj up means that the backdrop is only sky - a master stroke of design. On either side are slender white minarets.  It seems that they were designed to slightly lean outwards, so that in the event of an earthquake, they would fall away from the precious Taj.

A man was arrested by the police for releasing a herd of bullocks on the main road. This one came close - too close!

A load of bullocks!     (Ken's way of ending our blog this week!!!)                                                                                         

      

Happy Valentine's Day on Sunday! 

Best Wishes,
Heather and Ken xx

HOWZAT!

Sunday morning we were up and out early, running around our ‘green garden area’, stretching our pectoral muscles, the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder, and the forearm muscles giving significant focus to our hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles – all essential to have warmed up when about to face the Ekta Vihar cricket enthusiasts!! Well, actually, in all honesty, we leapt out of bed, grabbed the picnic, and hailed an auto rickshaw which took us to the metro and from there to India Gate where we were met by the Ekta Vihar cricket enthusiasts and Eric. We thought it would be very crowded and difficult to find a pitch to play on, but in fact, once we had chased off 50 monkeys, we had plenty of space to set up our pitch.

Ken and Eric (a friend staying with us from London and a keen cricketer) captained the teams and action commenced.  Star batsmen and bowlers showed off their expertise, others of us tried hard and were soon caught or run out. It’s playing the game that counts!! 

I had read that a ‘regular cricket stretching routine makes it possible for fielders to provide the 'explosive bursts' required to reach for a catch’ – well, ‘explosive burst’ was exactly what I had to apply as I secured the ‘catch of the match’(to much applause and a great deal of hugging)!!!  I will have to start my ‘regular stretching routine’ as I am obviously a natural! 

You are all waiting to hear who won, I suppose?  Ken’s team won with 41 runs, and my team ??? We all had a great time – the monkeys did try to help field by scooping up the ball and running off with it but fortunately, they are not good at holding on, so we were able to retrieve it from them. 

Cricket over, and every good cricketer knows it’s the ‘tea’ that’s most looked forward to.  We shared a delicious picnic together – the Choco Puffs proved to be most popular. 

Ken, Eric and I were ready then for a bit of a rest, but others had spied the rugby ball and we were hailed into new teams and the most energetic rugby match followed!  It was suggested that ‘touch rugby’ rules would be applied, but I think ‘touch’ must mean full tackling, massive bundling all on top of one another and grabbing at the ball if you happen to spy it!  No casualities, surprisingly, and plenty of laughs!

We all then headed home, some limping a little, some planning the next match, and all having had a great day together. Thanks guys for coming.

Ken’s teaching is expanding – a young auto rickshaw driver (named Lucky) was bringing us home one evening and expressed a wish to have some English lessons, so they agreed to meet this morning, Ken to teach him English and in return Lucky will teach Ken Hindi (a good trade off!!).

Eric went off on Tuesday to spend a few days in Goa – he is due back tonight and will stay with us till Thursday. 

This Sunday, we are heading off early to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and other interesting sites – no doubt some pictures and news of that next week.

Best wishes,

Heather and Ken xx