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2-Jun-2012 India – The Big Off
Amazingly, after so many months planning, the big day has arrived. I first agreed with Dawn to come just before last Xmas and decided in January this year to bring Kody with me. I was keen to bring one of the girls but only Kody was keen – I figure it will be a great learning experience for her. Then I pieced together the voluntary effort at the school in Vrindavan (after quite a lot of searching for something that seemed appropriate and in line with what we (or I) wanted. Then I put together the rest of the itinerary, but it’s not too fixed, and then finally all the other practical minutiae like visas, tickets, jabs, what to bring and what to leave etc. I did buy a new camera specifically that can be charged via USB.
So Saturday, up at 7.30am as Kody needed to leave approx 8.30am for Soccer at Kirrawee. It was good that Dawn and the other kids made the effort to come and watch. Then some chores at Miranda and Sushi for lunch, then home to finish packing and sorting out last minute emails and working out an easy way for Dawn to let me know when she’d be home to ring.
Then a final run at the beach and a swim in the fading light at 4.30pm (it is mid-winter), raining and cold but I really enjoyed it and as a last time for 6 weeks it was great .. perfect even.
We left for the airport approx 5.30pm, by car to Sutherland then train. Checked in and the kids had a quick bite of food and I had a coffee then said our goodbyes. Kody and the other girls were quite upset as we are a small and tight family. Made it to the plane ok but in the middle aisle so no views, but it was dark anyway so no great loss.
The trip feels like a “just crazy enough to work” idea – long, but not too long, planned, but not too much. We are taking the bare minimum of stuff, but hopefully got the basics covered. Definitely out of our comfort zone but hopefully will provide us with some rewarding experiences. I want my children to understand, really understand, what a privileged life they lead in Australia.
For me, a big part is to not take my mobile phone, I just want to feel away from it all.
My goals for the trip are:
1) to get home in one piece, safely.
2) a stretch goal is to enjoy it and want to do something else similar – and hopefully encourage the kids to come too.
ps I had a “to die for” number 1 haircut/buzz cut on the day we left (administered by the ever-loving Dawn). I know it’s usually short but this is VERY short.
During June-July 2012 I went to India for over 5 weeks with my 10yr old daughter, Kody. I did write quite an extensive travel diary, and I am in the process of typing it up and adding to this blog. You can read all the posts in chronological order here. For some of that time we were in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, helping out at a school. Feel free to check out some photos here:
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Delhi
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Jaipur
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Vrindavan (incl school)
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Rishikesh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Dharamsala
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012ManaliLehLadakh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012DelhiAgra
Kody’s travel diary is online here.
3-Jun-2012 Delhi Arrival
The plane ride to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) was largely uneventful ie Kody was not sick and she ate some of the food. We got there at 4am and all the shops were shut. Had to take a train to the main terminal. Stretched out on a bench and chair. We bought a lime juice and orange juice and some toast for Kody at a coffee shop but she turned her nose up at the toast. At 8.40am we got the flight to Delhi – it was very busy and a smaller plane ie cramped.
Eventually (11.30am) we arrived – the time is starting to mean nothing as we keep changing timezones and I don’t wear a watch anyway. We didn’t bring a watch or phone or computer, just Kody’s ipod with a small speaker and a camera (all chargeable by USB). We did bring an indian plug and USB-adaptor. The plan even had a USB-charging point on the back of the seat in front!
Delhi airport was good. It said it was 36C with a high of 43C but it was also very humid. We got some money out of the ATM (we just took a credit card to use in ATMs and then everything else would be paid in cash). The we walked outside and straight into the Metro terminal which was also air-conditioned. 80R each for 4 stops but it took a long time although gave us a good glimpse into the Delhi suburbs – lots of derelict-looking buildings! I read that the Metro was built for the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and was semi-aircon. Coming out of the Metro station was our first real taste of India and wow it was a real shock ! For me it was like deja vue on how I remembered India more than 20 years ago, but until then Kody was quite impressed by the airport and Metro. I did say that all airports are the same the world over. She kind of got it as we came out of the Metro – a wall of humid air, shit-smelling, building site type roads, people coming over to haggle and barter and this sense of “Oh my god, we’re all alone!” Chaos and squalor.
We were going to walk to Pahrganj to a hotel, but it was quite disorienting and with our bags I knew that Kody was not up for it so we got an auto-rickshaw luckily at approx a fair price of 50R. Kody was impressed with the daredevil ride!
He dropped us off at Pahrganj. I made our way on foot to the hotel hare krishna that I’d picked out (no connection with the Hare Krishnas but it got a fair write up in Lonely Planet). 600R for no AC, 700R with ac, so we took the AC. Despite it’s off-putting front door and alleyway, the hotel was good, had wifi, ticket booking, lots of marble floors and stairs. The double room was good also, and even a western toilet that made Kody much more comfortable.
We settled in and changed etc then went out for a walk up the road and back and bought some indian-style trousers for her (250R) and a large pineapple juice (no sugar please!) for 30R and checked out the henna stands. Kody is desperate to get one. We went back to the hotel for a bit. The guy there was trying to sell us tours of Delhi, Agra et. We went to the computer to check email (me) and Facebook (Ko) then called home (20R per min). The internet was 20R for 30mins so very cheap.
When we were walking a beggar-type girl came to us and asked for money to buy milk. She took us to a shop and I said we would. She picked out a massive container of baby milk for her brother (she looked 6 or 7 and he brother about 1 or 2). We just bought her a small container which we was annoyed about.
Eventually we had a shower, it was probably cold water but because we were so hot and sweaty it felt warm but refreshing. By now it was approx 5pm – we were knackered but still too early to go to bed so we caught a rickshaw to Connaught Square, had an ice-cream and walked around the circuit. Kody bought some bracelets for her and school friends. Then we had a cold drink which we took to the park to have, once we found out how to get in and pass the police check (separate queues for males and females).
Back at the hotel we had dinner on the roof – rice, chapatis and one dish of veg and paneer. Kody ate some – a lot more than I thought so I was quite impressed.
During June-July 2012 I went to India for over 5 weeks with my 10yr old daughter, Kody. I did write quite an extensive travel diary, and I am in the process of typing it up and adding to this blog. You can read all the posts in chronological order here. For some of that time we were in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, helping out at a school. Feel free to check out some photos here:
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Delhi
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Jaipur
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Vrindavan (incl school)
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Rishikesh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Dharamsala
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012ManaliLehLadakh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012DelhiAgra
Kody’s travel diary is online here.
13-Jul-2012 Back from India
Well it’s great to be back home and see our family again. Kody was a very impressive young girl, behaved well, tried the food as much as can be expected and was a real credit – just took everything in her stride.
Since being home I have missed home cooked food, going running, going swimming (although it is very cold … but still great).
It’s good to have changed the flights and come home a couple of days early as Dawn has been off from work, the other kids were home and its good to get my head clear before starting work again.
I didn’t take a mobile phone with me and it was just great not having to worry about a phone. I still haven’t turned mine on again !
During June-July 2012 I went to India for over 5 weeks with my 10yr old daughter, Kody. I did write quite an extensive travel diary, and I am in the process of typing it up and adding to this blog. You can read all the posts in chronological order here. For some of that time we were in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, helping out at a school. Feel free to check out some photos here:
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Delhi
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Jaipur
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Vrindavan (incl school)
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Rishikesh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012Dharamsala
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012ManaliLehLadakh
- https://picasaweb.google.com/kevintiller/India2012DelhiAgra
Kody’s travel diary is online here.
Kevin Tiller 
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