Looking for pumpkins...

I've been helping organize a Halloween costume and crafts party for the little ones and my most recent mission has been to find pumpkins. Mini pumpkins. I had a tip that there were some at Moti Bagh market:

We found some pumpkins but they were not mini enough (you can see them on the ground behind the bicycle).  And so we headed for another market and when I told our driver that we'd need about thirty of them, he took us straight to Okhla fruit and vegetable market where you can buy things in bulk. It was quite an experience, especially with Arthur and Dorian in tow:

Potatoes across the floor:

A truck load of oranges:

Working our way through the narrow paths of the market with our driver and Arthur taking the lead:

Stopping to see a man make paan:

(here's a quick and simplified description of paan: a mix of shredded nut, a red paste called katha, part of lime called chuna, sweet spices called mitha masala and chewing tabacco called zarda. paan is kept on the inside of the cheek and chewed slowly and the juice is often spit out)

Stopping to see the cows eating leftovers:

And, finally the pumpkins:

They were mini enough--about 2 kilos per pumpkin--and Dorian had had enough:

But Arthur made a friend:

Rickshaw Driver...

The boys and I went with some friends to our neighborhood playground. One of our friends didn't want to walk, so Dorian put him on the back of his bike and they were off...halfway there, Dorian turns to me with a big smile and says "mama, I'm a rickshaw driver!!" I doubt he would have had this thought if we were living anywhere else but India. I love that.

Monkey about town...

Why is it that I never ever get tired of seeing the monkeys that live in Delhi? This one was particularly road savvy:

Water Filter...

In my opinion, this is quite possibly the most important thing in our house, a reverse osmosis water purifier with ultra filtration process. It is the only direct source of filtered water, other than buying bottled water, that we have for drinking, cooking with and bathing Arthur (since he's too young to understand not to put water in his mouth). Yes, he has a bath/shower in the kitchen sink. We have it cleaned every three months, as we're supposed to, but suddenly about a month ago it stopped working. Frustration. I called the company to send a technician who showed up within 24 hours. It worked for a few hours then stopped again...this happened two more times then we left for France. When we came back, of course, it was still not working. I bought a box of bottled water then called the company again to send the technician. By this time our warranty had run out and all the parts needed to be replaced. All in all it's not that big of a deal, just a hassle for what is so important and for what I no longer take for granted.

Empty Streets

I never ever thought I'd see the day when we were one of the only cars on a Delhi street. But, on the last day of the Commonwealth Games when all the shops, schools (except Dorian's school, of course!), mall, cinemas and restaurants were closed as were many major streets, we had Delhi to ourselves. Because of all the closures, I only left the house to pick up Dorian from school and this is what I saw:

Amazing!

Whirlwind continued...

After four quick days in Paris, we headed south to a town totally unknown to me, Cap d'Agde. The town itself was not all that impressive--a newish port-town with concrete vacation rentals and apartments everywhere. But, we were so lucky to find a deal on a hotel that was within walking distance to the beach. We spent our days walking along the port looking at the boats, feeding the ducks on a nearby pond, eating and playing at the beach. Absolutely perfect.

Sand in our toes:

 Seashell searching:

 Dorian and his papa's sand city:

 Blue skies and ocean breeze:

 End of the Cape:

 Lots of boats:

 Tiny streets of Agde:

On the go in a whirlwind...

We made good use of a business trip and joined Monsieur when he went to Paris. I wanted to get away from the Commonwealth games, the rain, the heat, the dengue...just needed a little break, I guess. And, what a break! We were so lucky to catch up with some friends in during our brief stay in Paris.

Here's Dorian with his good friend, Pablo, testing their pinwheels after a trip to the aquarium:

 In front of the Eiffel tower:

 The boys at the Tuilleries: