Goodbye Nana and Grandad

We were really lucky that Jo's parents came out to join us for 3 weeks in Thailand. It was great to have the chance to make and share so many memories together. While Jo and Pete were diving on the live-aboard, the children were having their own great holiday with Nana and Grandad. They played together in the pool, went  beach-combing for beautiful beach souvenirs, and went for adventurous swims and snorkels around the rocks. Great fun was had by all. We all felt sad when they left for England, but are looking forward to seeing them in New Zealand in 2013.

Thanks Mum and Dad for making it a great time together.

Swimming with mantas

We were very lucky to see manta rays on our liveaboard trip off the Thailand Andaman coast.

The photos above and the video linked below were shot by someone who was with us on the dive. They were kindly shared with all of us on the trip (thank you Mathew).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bh0cjclklixcimx/good%20manta%20video.MOV

A submerged forrest

Kao Sok national park was created in the 60's when a hydroelectric dam was built submerging an area of rain forest. The result is a massive lake surrounded by shear lime stone cliffs, which are covered by rain forest. In the evening and early morning you hear monkeys, birds and the sounds of insects filling the air. It is beautiful, remote and very peaceful.

We stayed in basic bamboo bungalows which float on the lake and again enjoyed tremendous Thai hospitality with delicious food.  The only way to get there is by boat. We were awed by the scale of the limestone cliffs on the ride to the bungalows. By now we are getting to know the typical Thai long tail boat very well. All our stays have involved several boat trips on these traditional boats.The children were cooked pancakes cut into fun shapes, and were even, one happy afternoon, brought a plate of specially made chips. The children were a bit of a novelty we think.

We spent the days swimming and kayaking on the lake, hiking in the jungle and exploring a cave. One evening we enjoyed a spectacular tropical storm that went on for hours.

It was wonderful to see the children have so much freedom to play. They each enjoyed paddling a kayak to a submerged tree in the lake. They would then climb the tree and jump from the top of the trunk into the water below. They had a ball. One of the things that we have loved the most about being away is enjoying the outdoors on a daily basis.

Ban Thalae Nok

After the Koh Surin Islands we spent 3 days in the sea side village of Ban Thalae Nok. This is a Muslim village that was severely affected by the 2004 tsunami. In the recovery period following the disaster the community worked very closely with aid agencies. This cooperation lead to the development of a community based tourism programme with a focus on sustainability in which some villagers open their homes to tourists as home stays and other homes offer activities that enable tourists to participate in the lifestyle of the villagers. We were accompanied by a guide for the whole period who acted as our translator and interpretor.

playing on the beach with the local children

We stayed in two houses and enjoyed the most tremendous hospitality, and ate the most plentiful and delicious food of our trip. We learned how to do batik painting, we learned about the many uses the Nepa palm has for the village, as it provides food, sugar and roof coverings - we made a delicious barbequed coconut snack using nepa palm sugar and palm leaves and we had a go at weaving palm roof tiles - a typical roof will require 2000 of these, someone skilled can make about 80 a day. We went fishing on the beach and ate the fish afterwards. We learned about the importance of the mangrove ecosystem and went on a tour and even spotted monitor lizards and monkeys swimming in the canals and among the mangrove trees. We learned how to make soap with 3 ladies from the village; a small coop-cottage industry that  mainly supplies local hotels.

making the coconut snack

weaving palm leave roof tiles

roof tiles drying on the not so busy road

dressing up in the traditional clothes of the village - our hosts are also in the photograph

Thailand - mummy mummy there is a crocodile on the beach

We have had a lot of fun in Thailand. Jo's parents joined us for 3 weeks and we did many exciting things.

We started of camping for 5 nights on one of the Surin Islands, in one of the many marine national parks in Thailand. The children all contributed memories of our time at the islands, which Nana drew together into a poem. One of the abiding memories of the first week is Benjamin, Helena and Sophia excitedly telling us that they had seen a crocodile on the beach, and would we want to see it too? (We have noticed that the children now have a surprising attitude to things that we would perceive as dangers. Rather than run in the opposite direction, they invite others to share in their wonder.)We did have a good look and it turned out that the crocodile was a very large monitor lizard, so there was no need to change to a different island!

The view from our tent on the beach that we shared with monitor lizards, monkeys and flying lemurs

Beautiful sunsets over the Andaman Sea

Camping on the Koh Surin Islands

Shades of turquose and beautifully clear
Are the waters of the bay so very near
To our tents, our home for five whole days,
Our base to snorkel or just to gaze

At the rushing long boat, and the lapping waves,
The scuttling hermit crab and how it behaves
In the shell it has chosen for its new home 
Before feeling safer and free to roam.

It made us giggle when we put it on our hand 
After picking it gently up from the sands
It tickled as it scuttled over its new terrain
In its oversized home where its chose to remain

One day our youngest three snorkelled close to to their tent
And discovered a lion fish, and a sea snake and
knew what that meant.
There were dangerous as was the cushion sea star
So they did not touch them but watched from afar.

We snorkelled four times a day if that were our wish
And saw lots of stunningly colourful fish
Enjoying the coral, in and around it
A magical world we were delighted to visit

One morning we saw four baby black tipped sharks
We recognized them from their distinctive marks
Other favourites of ours, a turtle, Nemo and a giant pufferfish
swam close to us as if granting our best wish!

Another morning we were told that we could
Visit the sea gypsies now living in a house of wood
Whilst there we bought baskets the ladies wove to sell
And cards designed by the children impressively well

A family of monitor lizards we were lucky to see
And Macaques called loudly leaping frrom tree to tree
Some flying lemur joined in on the act
A great time was had by all of us, we know that for a fact!

Delhi - India

Our last few days in India were spent in Delhi.

We went on a street walk with the Salaam Baalak Trust who look after street children and give them shelter, food, education and aim to reintegrate them with their families. Some of the children continue to work with the trust as adults and give guided walks, showing the streets through the eyes of street children. We walked around the railway station and one of the main tourist areas and saw the streets in a whole new light. The stories were touching and poignant and we learned a lot in the few hours we spent with them.

In Delhi we saw the film 'The life of Pi' in 3D a few days after its release in India.  We spent quite some time relating the film to our experiences. We all felt the film perfectly validated our questioning we had done in India. We have heard different stories across different faiths all seeking to enlighten us about the divine within and reasons why. The stories may be different, but it seems that the underlying truth of what makes us human may be shared.

We stayed in another homestay in Delhi. It was the home of a retired colonel and his wife. Neither of them seemed to ever go into the kitchen, but would ask "the boys", 2 live-in servants, to look after us for breakfast instead.

Through staying in different homestays, we have seen several different families, Hindu, Muslim, wealthy and poorer, some with servants. All the households would hold extended famillies, causing us to look at our own experience of  families scattered over hundreds of miles. We have seen grandparents doing puja for Ganesh whilst the rest of us ate breakfast, mothers and grandmothers fashioning fuel blocks from cow-dung, and watering it down to use as a floor-covering, heard tales of the challenges of trying to find the right wife for a 30 year old son, celebrated the merits of 3D television with a lady who collects her milk every morning direct from the cow, and been firmly schooled on the error of letting children with a virus drink chilled drinks when it is "cold" (28 degrees celsius) outside for fear of causing chest congestion.

India masala

Our time in India was the most challenging of our time spent as a family travelling. We found India to be full of energy, but not always comprehensible to us. Perhaps the greatest gift were the questions we all found difficult to answer. Here are a few.

Why do babies die?
Is this food safe for my children to eat?
Can they fall off?
Why does everybody honk their horn all the time?
Why is that moped driving straight at me on the pavement?
Why do we eat meat?
Why do we feel the need for a glass of wine (or 2) at home, but not here?
Why do people bathe in a polluted river?
How can a river be filthy and polluted and yet magnificent and spiritual?
Why do people shit in the street?
What spices are in this?
Why do we all have to die?
What did we take from India when it was a colony?
How difficult must it be to make progress in maths, when lessons are in English, and your first language is Hindi?
What is it like to have to collect your water from a well every morning?
How much does your kitchen roof leak when it rains?
Why is that car driving the wrong way down the motorway towards us?
Is it safe to eat a chapatti cooked in a cow-dung fire?
How can a grown man be happy to have his mother select his wife?
What was it like to be one of 300 concubines?
How will the world political stage look 10 years from now?
Why are we overtaking around a blind corner?
Will we make it?
How can there be such a difference between rich and poor?
How can the gap be narrowed?
Is this fruit juice safe to drink?
Why did people think it was clever to hunt tigers?
How many tigers are left in the world?
Why do people make their kitchen floor from cow dung?
How can you stop country-wide corruption?
How many cow-dung fuel blocks can one cow produce a day?
Do religions all have a common core?
What are we doing here?
How much does a camel cost?
How much does this carpet cost?
Can our children cope with this?
Why is it so noisy?
Why are there beggars?
Why is that mother begging with her child?
How can she be so gracious in her kitchen?
Is this hairdresser qualified?
What is the wifi password?
Does it hurt pulling those paratas out of the oil with bare fingers?
How could that girl's family sell her to be married at age 13, to a man who beats her?
Why are you putting henna on my hand?
Why do so many people chew pan?
Do they go to the dentist?
How many gold coins make a reasonable dowry?
Why isn't there a vaccine for Dengue Fever?
Why is that girl working in a fair and not going to school?
Why do we spend time shopping?
Why do you want me to put petals in the lake?
Is this a scam?
Does that child have a pimp?
Will I help or hinder that beggar by giving them 10 rupees?
Is it a good thing for my children to see death?
How many cups of chai do you need to sell every day to have enough to feed your family?
How is her life different to mine?
What makes her smile?
What makes me happy?
How are her cares similar to mine?

Pushkar

We really enjoyed our stay in Pushkar. The Camel Fair was a riotous celebration of colour and camels. We were all equal participants in the circus, with tourists from abroad, and from all over India adding to the festival in their own ways.

No-one takes themselves too seriously at the fair. One of the more hilarious events was the moustache competition open to entry by all men; the finale saw many moustaches on display, some several metres long, held up by hair nets and fondled, caressed and stroked by all within striking distance.

There were competitions for the most decorated camel; camel dancing and horse dancing; in between it all are variety side shows of acrobatics and tight rope walking, snake charmers and  camel rides; all offset  by magnificently coloured turbans and sarees. We took camel rides around the fair every day; at sunrise and sunset, on the edge of the desert.

Fairground rides were built up as we were there, not unlike Benjamin's k-nex.  We took many rides, with Rajastani turban wearing grown men joining in with as much gusto as us; we gave some rides as a present to some village girls - the joy on their faces was pricelesss. Health and safety concerns had long taken a back seat for us, (particuarly after some of the driving we had seen and experienced), but the lack of any kind of harness to hold people in on these rides was a litttle unnerving.

The lake in Pushkar is holy. The story as explained to us is as follows: Brahma, wanting a place to call his own, dropped a lotus flower to select the spot; this fell to the earth, and as it did, the lake at Pushkar was formed. Initially people were able to gain salvation by bathing in the lake at any time. However, the heavens got too crowded and the gods appealed to Brahma for reason. He eventually agreed that something had to be done, and limited the days one could achieve salvation by bathing to just 5 days a year, the last 5 days of the month of Karnati. As it happens this coincides with the camel fair and as the fair builds in momentum, more and more poeple come to Pushkar to bathe and be sanctified.

One day as we sat in the morning by the lake, drawing the beautiful ghats, an Indian family joined us. One of them was an architect and complimented Benjamin on his drawings. They had travelled to Pushkar to do puja for their departed grandmother; a priest joined the elders of the family for the elaborate and personal rituals.  The younger members of the family sometimes watched, other times joined in and recorded the proceedings on their smart phones.

One another occassion, a group of trans gender men dressed in female sarees, danced on the street around Sophia Benjamin and Helena.

The mix of the fun and frolics, trading and religious devotion was strange and delightful. We saw many surprising, entertaining, and thought-provoking scenes.

Agra

We managed various trips to the Taj Mahal and a trip to Fatehpur Sikri,

Fatehpur Sikri was a city built out of rock and stone and abandoned soon after it was finished in the 16th century because of an uncertain water supply. The mosque and complex is beautiful. An extreme example of man's folly from centuries ago. The children scaled the massive bed of the maharaja which was situated overlooking the site where 300 concubines  would recline by the poolside. Jo says; 'Perhaps it is a  little bit like going to an exclusive restaurant and choosing your fish from the fishtank and having it served up nicely on a plate.'

The children all enjoyed the story of the Taj Mahal, a testamant to "love" and adoration. Or perhaps a demonstration to the excesses of a tyrant. Whatever was the motive for the building itself, the result is stunning.

The children all found wonderful details in the marble carvings and we all had a go at drawing the taj mahal from a restaurant roof top.

Our stay in Agra was longer than planned because Peter caught Dengue Fever and had to be admitted to hospital for a few days for rehydration. The first 24 hours were quite worrying as we watched to see how the disease would develop; luckily there were no complications. Jo's sister was ready to fly out at a moment's notice with the backing of the Foreign Office in case any of the rest of the family had been infected as well. We were lucky to be staying in a homestay whose owners would not hear of us moving out, but allowed us to extend our stay until Peter was discharged. Shiron and his mother had taken quite a shine to the children, and they were offered extended periods in front of their new 3D TV. One of us becoming ill had been our worst fear before leaving the UK, but having a family who knew the ropes looking out for us, gave us the extra stability we needed to feel safe in a strange country. Our homestay was a stones' throw away from the hospital, pizza hut, costa coffee and a swimming pool, so we got through it all remarkably easily!

Orcha

"An example of harmonious imagination and organised execution."
This is how one of the magnificent monuments in Orcha was described.
Not a bad philosophy for life;  and especially 'harmonious imagination' is a theme we will continue to meditate on.

We stayed with a family in a homestay, organised by the Friends of Orcha, providing income generation opportunities for families in a village called Ganj nearby . The families in the project were lent money to build a guest room attached to their own home, the money they get from visitors like us enables them to pay back the loan, and earn a fair income for their family. Anu and Mukesh and their  3 children, aged 11, 7 and 4 made us very welcome. We ate breakfast and dinner with them in their kitchen every day.  We would sit next to Anu on the floor made with cow-dung, and see her cook chapattis and delicious curries in the cow-dung fuelled clay fire.

Because of Diwali, their children had school holiday, so Sophia Benjamin and Helena were able to play with them every day. We celebrated Diwali with the family which involved fire works and sweets, singing and dancing. The air was filled with the noises of  home-made explosives.

In the day time we would wander around abandoned monuments, imagine the lives of princes and princesses from centuries ago. In the evenings we saw beautiful sunsets  with vultures and green parakeets circling the ruins.

It was a wonderful experience to stay with such a gracious family, and to be invited to observe and share in their day to day experience.