Mumbai Trip

Last week we took a family trip to Mumbai. Brian was running in the Mumbai Marathon so we decided to see the sights. It reminded me a lot of New Orleans...charming, historical, lots of energy and... dirty:) With children it's hard to venture out and explore dining, museums, day tours, etc but we did get to see quite a bit and still get in our nap time (great for Mom and Dad too!).

Here are some highlights:

-We saw the CST, the Central train station for the local Mumbai commuter trains. These trains transport around 7 million passengers daily! This is where the closing dance scene from Slumdog Millionaire's "Jai Ho" was filmed.
I really REALLY wish I would have had my video camera on me at the time. We were there at rush hour and as the train pulled into the station to load new passengers men were jumping off the platform into the train doors while it's speeding in to grab a seat. When the train stopped women made a mad dash, running to find a chair. It was like witnessing a game of musical chairs when the music stops and all the children scramble to find a seat. I wasn't expecting this scene to unfold and really didn't know what was going on at first so it was rather humorous to me but to think of commuting 30 minutes to an hour or more each day standing up would make me join the mad dash as well.

-Saw the Gateway of India. It's a large arch that commemorated a king and queen arriving from England in 1911. We took our pictures in front of it and were mobbed by street sellers.

-Walked thru the beautiful Taj hotel that was attacked in November 2008 by terrorists.

-went to Chowpatty beach on Marine Drive, a main boulevard that runs along the bay. We enjoyed people watching while driving up and down this street many times. Lots of locals come to sit on the sea wall to hang out and watch the sunsets.

-We went to the former Prince of Whales museum and a public Aquarium that smelled like urine but the kids loved seeing the fish:D

-We visited Dharavi, a slum city that covers one square mile. Statistics say that over half of Mumbai's 14 million population lives in slums. The pictures that I took do nothing to really show what life is like for these people so if you want to view more realistic photos please go to this website that I stumbled upon with a collection of Mumbai slum photos http://artsytime.com/life-in-slums-of-mumbai/
While there, and seemingly the only foreigners around, we gained friends along the way, some of whom I took pictures of and included in the album below (yes, white lady WITH camera around her neck...can you say TOURIST!)

Brian did great in his marathon race! The best part was that he was finishing the same time as the elite runners were coming in (who started an hour later for more running space) so it looked like Brian came in 2nd place when we saw him near the finish line:D Some people came up to congratulate me that my husband came in 2nd:D Actually Kenyans came in first and second:) But the average onlooker didn't know this:D

So here's to Mumbai:

Random and Pictures

Here are pictures from our trip and a few random notes:

-After 2.5 years I discovered a post office about a mile from our house! This beats driving and waiting in line for 45 minutes there and back to the other post office. The only problem is when I went for stamps they were out:) Not sure how a post office can not have stamps but the clerk said to come back in 2 days:)

-I spotted a car with 2 marvelous and rare statements in India on its rear windshield...one giant sticker stencil running the width of the window saying "Praise the Lord" and a bumper sticker of the Texas flag and "Don't Mess With Texas". Beautiful. And we saw the car again 3 hours later on our way back home...easy to spot:)-We have been blessed with a new cafe near Brian's work that has BEEF burgers. This will eliminate our frequent hamburger outings that take an hour one way in traffic to reach. And to top it off they have hummus and pita bread for an appetizer. We've been there 3 times since last Saturday:D

Back to Bangalore

I can't believe it's been almost a 2 month hiatus from blogging! And really I don't know where to begin with describing our fantabulous trip to the U.S.!!! From the uneventful (good thing) flights there and back to the hugs and visits with family and friends to eating as much fajitas as I could squeeze in, it was just bliss.

Some highlights somewhat chronologically...
-only changed one diaper on the airplane there and one on the way back...MIRACLE!:)
-Thanksgiving feast with wonderful family
-First Black Friday shopping ever with my dear sister Elizabeth...not as crazy as I thought it would be and I had jet lag so I was up at 4:30 anyway:D
-Corban's first hunting trip with Paw Paw
-Roasting hotdogs and smores over a backyard fire
-Getting a hair cut after a year of no cuts:)
-Dinner with high school friends
-Ice skating
-Boat riding
-Driving around in my angel aunt's jeep Cherokee with the luggage packed to the ceiling...we couldn't see out the back window the whole 6 weeks:)
-Corban lost his first tooth
-A whirlwind trip to Pearland to visit dear friends
-The boys getting to take real baths in real bathtubs:)
-Eating wonderful food everyday whether it was baby carrots out of a bag already washed and peeled or bean burritos from Taco Bell or Christmas lunch with pies we savored it all
-Hanging out with Brian's college buddies--I don't think there's a more fun group of guys
-Making Christmas cookies and a gingerbread train
-Going to the family farm in west Texas...four-wheeler, throwing rocks in the pond, shooting fireworks, wide open spaces
-Celebrating Christmas with so many people we love
-Receiving way more Christmas gifts than we deserve
-Walmart:)
-Not a good highlight but poor Brian got swine flu and was in bed most of his 2 week trip. It was really, really sad

-AND most of all seeing all the wonderful people that we love so much. I just can't even imagine a better Thanksgiving and Christmas than what we had this year with our family and friends. Thank you to Ben and Alice, Brendan and Brad for flying to see us, to all those that drove in from out of town to meet us and to all who welcomed us into their homes (including the noise level we bring along:). We loved every minute of being with you. A huge thank you to my generous father-in-law who blesses others so amazingly because the Lord has blessed him. And to my aunt Carlisa who lent us her car for 6 weeks and her house for a few nights sleep...what an incredible sacrifice.

Bangalore is warm and welcoming. I knew we were back in India on our way home from the airport as the cab driver weaved in and out of transport trucks (India's form of 18 wheelers) as I was cringing:D The best drivers in the world live here! It was nice to wake up to the sight of women in bright sarees and flowers blooming out our windows. It was wonderful to see friends at church on Sunday.The unpacking is done and we are back to our normal routine, filled up with joy from getting to be in both of our "worlds"...home (U.S.) and home (Bangalore).

Pictures coming in next post...