Friday, April 30, 2010

What can you buy...

for 10 cents? or 20 cents? One of the most amazing(surprising or shocking also comes to mind) is the cost of things. With some exceptions, most goods and services are very reasonable (or just plain cheap). The other day I bought an ice cream for Dorian that cost 20 cents. The antibiotic eye drops that Arthur needed cost 18 cents. And, my ticket to the Children's museum cost a whopping 11 cents (5 rupees).
Dorian and Arthur got in for free. Of course, those examples are the very low-end of the price spectrum, but it does put a little perspective on things...

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Children's Museum

We went to the Children's Museum the other day and, similar to some other things we've seen in Delhi, you just don't quite know what to expect. It's almost set up like a campus with a big green lawn in the middle. Surrounding it are several buildings--the aquarium, the museum, some classrooms, a hostel and an outdoor theater. We didn't visit every part because it was hot and Dorian was determined to find the train whose tracks we saw encircling the whole campus. After much walking around and asking, we found out that the little train was not working.



But, we did run into these nice police officers who helped me carry the stroller down some stairs.The one closest to Arthur was so sweet--he asked if he could give the boys a kiss and I asked to take a photo.
Regardless of its small size, the boys loved watching the fish.



I had to take a photo of this...it was just on display near the classrooms.


Colorful mural.


Jet near the entrance.


There's a lot we didn't see. The only exhibit room was saw in the museum itself wasa display on the sun and our solar system. It was dark and dusty, but fun to see the models, paintings and photos. We'll definitely go back, but when the weather is a bit cooler.





Saturday, April 24, 2010

15 and 1/2 months

I know I just posted something about Arthur making big impressions on the people he meets here in Delhi. But, I realized last week that as he is almost 16 months old, he has now lived longer in India than elsewhere. It made me think about what that means...and, I find it incredible that what we (the rest of the family) finds new and exciting and interesting and challenging will seem completely normal to Arthur. Elephants, cows, monkeys, dusty streets, children working alongside their parents, children holding babies knocking at our car windows selling things or asking for money, having a housekeeper come everyday, a driver, guards, forts, temples, rickshaws, honking, dust, pollution, construction, heat, colorful saris, friendly people everywhere, playgroups with kids from all over the world is Arthur's norm. Does that mean that when we go to Europe or the U.S., everything will seem exotic to Arthur?

I sat next to Arthur on a recent drive across town. This is what he sees out the car window on a normal day:





Thursday, April 22, 2010

First impressions...

Since we've been in India, Arthur has gotten a lot of attention. He is blond, blue-eyed, smiles often and is a baby. People love him. At the Crafts Museum, it was no different, except that in addition to photos, he very willingly went into the arms of the man at the cash register:

Then, sat there while the man tried to take his picture:

Arthur refused to come back to me, preferring to stay with cash register man and making all the men at the entrance laugh when he looked at me and said "bye bye"...

And, then there was this very nice man, who was so happy to hold Arthur that he asked if he could give me 10 rupees to buy Arthur some chocolates. The first time I've been offered money...I kindly thanked him but refused and asked to take his photo instead.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Crafts Museum

Delhi is full of surprises and we were pleasantly surprised in our recent visit to the Crafts Museum. It's full of textiles, wood carvings, bronze sculptures and paintings. And, the museum is set up with some parts outside, some inside, almost like you're walking through one of the many forts we've visited--it unfolds. There is an area outside where artisans sell their wares but you can also see some of them working. Dorian was intrigued by a man weaving on a loom, while Arthur liked seeing the potter pound on his clay. There is something for everyone.

At the entrance, there is this huge pot and, fortunately, Dorian came with his binoculars so he was sure not to miss anything:
Outdoor clay sculpture area:
This beautifully decorated box-shaped piece was made to store grains:
Some more nice stuff:

I took these inside photos before I knew that I wasn't supposed to take photos inside. So, I don't have any to post of the amazing textiles and jewelry that we saw.

Friday, April 16, 2010

The eagle has landed...

There are huge eagles (i'm not exactly sure if they are indeed eagles or hawks or kites, but my driver called them eagles and so will i) that live in Delhi. I have been in awe of them because I did not expect to see eagles in a big city like Delhi. Plus, I have seen them all over the city and always flying high up in the sky.

At our recent visit to Humayun's tomb, we were lucky to see one on the ground:

One in a tree:

One in a nest:

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Kopi Luwak

We all like to indulge in something once in a while. And, during my friend's visit, she was quite taken with the idea of Kopi Luwak a.k.a. the most expensive coffee in the world. The cup she is drinking cost about $17. Yes, for that small cup. It is made in a very special way that involves the Asian Palm Civit and its intestines...I'll leave it at that, but if you want to know more, here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_luwak

I opted for a cold coffee drink.
And, young Arthur had his own special treat.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Tomb Raiders



One of my favorite places to visit in Delhi is Humayun's Tomb. I have now been there three times. The most recent visit was with my friend, Julie, who stayed with us for several days. We headed over to the tomb with Arthur and early enough in the day so it wasn't way too hot. We had nice weather and were not crowded by other visitors.



Arthur had so much fun exploring!





Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Flying Foxes



On one part of Janpath (one of the major streets in New Delhi), there are a few trees that are full of bats. And, they are big. It is quite amazing to see them hanging from the branches and to see an occasional flight.



I would have never known about these flying foxes, if it hadn't been for our driver, Anthony. He seems to know everything about Delhi and for that, I am very thankful.



Fun bat fact: my friend Julie (who has been staying with us for the past few days) informed me that there are 4,000 species of mammals in the world of which 1,000 are bats. I had no idea.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Dorian's 4th





My baby Dorian just turned four last weekend. I can't believe how big he is getting. And, I can't believe how much he has done in his first four years. He has lived on two islands in the southern hemisphere, been on more airplanes than he can count and is starting to learn a little Hindi. It has been a hard adjustment moving here, having a baby brother and starting school. He is now more or less happily settled and enjoying life here. And, that couldn't make me happier.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Let it grow!

Xavier loves salad. Raju, being the nice person he is, decided to plant some in our front garden so he could have salad whenever he wants. It's been getting hotter and hotter here. That, with a little water, will give you this:



The tallest lettuce plant I have ever seen! I, however will not be eating it. I seem to get sick every time after I eat lettuce, so I am giving it up. X, sick or not, will not give it up. He loves his salad!