M: We have been to the Red Fort on Saturday. It was built by Shah Jahan from 1644 - 1656. It took 5000 people to build it. While it was being built, Old Deli was too. Shah Jahan was building it so that when he was dead people would remember him by the city he built. As well as Old Delhi, he built the Taj Mahal, which you may know, so he must have enjoyed building. Shah Jahan thought that he ruled the world and that is what his name means: 'world ruler'. He was a Mugal ruler and that made him very important and powerful and people came from all round the world to see him.
When we went to see the Red Fort, dad told us lots of facts about the places we were in . Like when we were facing the throne, he told us that it was made of carved white marble set with pictures of Orpheus with his lyre and other gods . Originally it had lots of rubies and emeralds enlaid in it, and you can still see a few but most have fallen out or been stolen.
All the while, we were having our photos taken with people who were treating us like celebrities because we (english children) are so rare in there country. I thought that Old Delhi stank of dog poo and human poo as the drains aren't very good. The streets were very narrow with an awful lot going on: cycle rickshaws, people making tea, juice stalls, lots and lots of shops and market stalls selling anything you can imagine and lots of traffic so we had to have our wits about us.
W: The Red Fort was very big and do you know why it was called the Red Fort? Cos the outside was red bricks. Inside was white marble bricks. I remember the throne - you couldn't sit on it.
We played dogs in the gardens and L, she holded the lead, and me and M were the dogs and I was the number 2 dog and M was the number 1 dog but we were both Top Dogs! Lots of people were shaking my hands and M said only one photo but sometimes they did lots.
I liked looking at the cows in India. They are buffaloes. Their buffalo pats were splatted on a wall so the sun dries them and then people use them for their cooking fires. I've got a cold so I can't smell any stinks.
L: As you went inside the Red Fort, it changed to white marble from red stone as you got towards Shah Jahan's Private Quarters. There were lots of beautiful decorations and carvings and precious stones. I really enjoyed going there because it was quite interesting. Daddy spent most of his time taking photos, we did drawings in our notebooks and had lots of pictures taken of us! I thought it was a bit annoying when people took my photo and didn't ask.
I need to get on with my Hanaman story now so bye!
Monday, 29 November 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Metromania
End of week one and we're still here, alive, together, intact and continent. Wolfmum has just informed me that 30-70% of visitors here will have some form of travellers' diarrhoea within two weeks. So, 6 days to go? Her source? The internationally peer-reviewed and medically respected Lonely Planet guide. So enough of intestines for now....but we did so enjoy hearing on Parentmail that there's threadworm in Year 1 back at home. Cheering news, my friends.
Still in Delhi and enjoying the institutional delights of the YWCA: M's keeping a graph of daily toast consumption alongside the masala/plain omelettes for breakfast. Quieter during the week, or are we just adjusting to being in a city, let alone an Asian one? The children struggle to get to sleep but then the exciting illustrated 'Tales of Hanuman' (thanks Louis) probably doesn't help (with Wolfdad's graphic sound effects). Every night is a sleepover with two beds for three children, so one gets the 'snugglepatch' [Ed. What?!], i.e. is wrapped up at the feet of the other two. And the joy of sleepovers, as every parent knows, is the next day. But tonight they've gone to bed before us - the first brief parental downtime for a while.
The first few days were for getting settled in before Wolfdad went off to see some colleagues at the archives. I've been searching through the dusty old files (and I mean dusty - they fragment alarmingly) at the Survey for a few mornings and have found some useful material. More of that this week. After a few hours I've walked home again across Rajpath with the President's House just about visible if the fog or smog isn't too bad. Then after a morning of homeschool at the Y, we've had lunch and all gone on a modest outing around Delhi: to Lodi Gardens with parakeets and furtive snoggers amidst the tombs; to the National Gallery of Modern Art (watching Anish Kapoor being installed); found a great playground in a fantastically inappropriate location in the middle of six 'lanes' of traffic; to see the latest Harry Potter in Connaught Place (whilst Wolfdad braved the railway station booking office - drat, we're not eligible for the tourist quota anymore - as we're not here on tourist visas - and Indophiles will know what this means...3-tier all the way, m'dears). Over to Wolfmum:
Ok, to set the scene - we're in our 'ante'-room, explosions outside (more fireworks over the Bangla Sahib Sikh temple next door), children gently snoring and coughing (imported from home) and a stream of music off Spotify (technology is amazing, we've spent the evening harking back - M thought Michelle Shocked great but W&L more into wild dancing in their pants to Brimful of Asha)...
I think the idea of this period in the YWCA was for 'gentle acclimatisation' but as an Indian friend commented there is no such thing as a gentle introduction to life here. Everyone gets exhausted very quickly the minute we step out of the door into the noise and pollution - but has done the metro (the kids and I ride in the ladies' carriage, whilst Wolfdad has had to travel with the men, much more squashed and frantic), jumped in rickshaws, walked the streets of Old and New Delhi and interacted with the many admirers the kids attract, though their patience with the endless requests for more photos at the Red Fort was being challenged yesterday...We try to mix monuments ('work') with parks and off-the-leash time.
Wolfdad did some academic hobnobing (in a small way) last week and L went to a children's bookfair today, came back saying she'd made friends which was good news as YWCA has an 'older' clientele or american yuff groups, who look a lot less clued up than M and L, even W...
Homeschooling (yes, I am endeavouring to attend to the little darlings' educational needs) - we do something every day (well weekdays) and it's been a mixed bag of wild success (Wolfdad walked into all 3 painting still lives of indian fruit, listening to Bach!!!) and horror - L telling me that I'm not a proper teacher, and know nothing compared to Mrs Smith (I realise this, but thanks anyway L). I am getting braver - can cross big roads with 2 children, working up to 3 - this may not sound impressive, but the traffic does not give way to pedestrians, maybe will swerve to avoid you, but will not slow down, even if you are on a 'pedestrian crossing'.
We're here another week and then to Udaipur in Rajasthan for two weeks. All going as well as expected at this stage, better in some places. Is there nothing M won't eat here? Bananas. And she refuses pointblank for any of us to enter McD's even when W said he's tired and would like chips. M says it's not proper food, and by 'proper' she means biryani, tandoori roti and shahi paneer - at the very least, if not a double egg chicken tikka kathi roll. Good girl.
Ok, love to all. Time to sleep and dream of Albion.
Still in Delhi and enjoying the institutional delights of the YWCA: M's keeping a graph of daily toast consumption alongside the masala/plain omelettes for breakfast. Quieter during the week, or are we just adjusting to being in a city, let alone an Asian one? The children struggle to get to sleep but then the exciting illustrated 'Tales of Hanuman' (thanks Louis) probably doesn't help (with Wolfdad's graphic sound effects). Every night is a sleepover with two beds for three children, so one gets the 'snugglepatch' [Ed. What?!], i.e. is wrapped up at the feet of the other two. And the joy of sleepovers, as every parent knows, is the next day. But tonight they've gone to bed before us - the first brief parental downtime for a while.
The first few days were for getting settled in before Wolfdad went off to see some colleagues at the archives. I've been searching through the dusty old files (and I mean dusty - they fragment alarmingly) at the Survey for a few mornings and have found some useful material. More of that this week. After a few hours I've walked home again across Rajpath with the President's House just about visible if the fog or smog isn't too bad. Then after a morning of homeschool at the Y, we've had lunch and all gone on a modest outing around Delhi: to Lodi Gardens with parakeets and furtive snoggers amidst the tombs; to the National Gallery of Modern Art (watching Anish Kapoor being installed); found a great playground in a fantastically inappropriate location in the middle of six 'lanes' of traffic; to see the latest Harry Potter in Connaught Place (whilst Wolfdad braved the railway station booking office - drat, we're not eligible for the tourist quota anymore - as we're not here on tourist visas - and Indophiles will know what this means...3-tier all the way, m'dears). Over to Wolfmum:
Ok, to set the scene - we're in our 'ante'-room, explosions outside (more fireworks over the Bangla Sahib Sikh temple next door), children gently snoring and coughing (imported from home) and a stream of music off Spotify (technology is amazing, we've spent the evening harking back - M thought Michelle Shocked great but W&L more into wild dancing in their pants to Brimful of Asha)...
I think the idea of this period in the YWCA was for 'gentle acclimatisation' but as an Indian friend commented there is no such thing as a gentle introduction to life here. Everyone gets exhausted very quickly the minute we step out of the door into the noise and pollution - but has done the metro (the kids and I ride in the ladies' carriage, whilst Wolfdad has had to travel with the men, much more squashed and frantic), jumped in rickshaws, walked the streets of Old and New Delhi and interacted with the many admirers the kids attract, though their patience with the endless requests for more photos at the Red Fort was being challenged yesterday...We try to mix monuments ('work') with parks and off-the-leash time.
Wolfdad did some academic hobnobing (in a small way) last week and L went to a children's bookfair today, came back saying she'd made friends which was good news as YWCA has an 'older' clientele or american yuff groups, who look a lot less clued up than M and L, even W...
Homeschooling (yes, I am endeavouring to attend to the little darlings' educational needs) - we do something every day (well weekdays) and it's been a mixed bag of wild success (Wolfdad walked into all 3 painting still lives of indian fruit, listening to Bach!!!) and horror - L telling me that I'm not a proper teacher, and know nothing compared to Mrs Smith (I realise this, but thanks anyway L). I am getting braver - can cross big roads with 2 children, working up to 3 - this may not sound impressive, but the traffic does not give way to pedestrians, maybe will swerve to avoid you, but will not slow down, even if you are on a 'pedestrian crossing'.
We're here another week and then to Udaipur in Rajasthan for two weeks. All going as well as expected at this stage, better in some places. Is there nothing M won't eat here? Bananas. And she refuses pointblank for any of us to enter McD's even when W said he's tired and would like chips. M says it's not proper food, and by 'proper' she means biryani, tandoori roti and shahi paneer - at the very least, if not a double egg chicken tikka kathi roll. Good girl.
Ok, love to all. Time to sleep and dream of Albion.
Day 2, 21st November, YWCA Blue Triangle, New Delhi
Photos still challenging - we're working on it.
Namaskar! The distant sound of traffic, parakeets, horns and the occasional bang drifts into our room at the YWCA. The day after our early morning arrival in Delhi and we’re slightly less fazed by jetlag, and revived by toastbutterjam and pizza. Yesterday afternoon we walked down the road and through a few back lanes to Connaught Place: good practice at crossing New Delhi’s wide streets and the wild traffic, alarming for the uninitiated. Modern India transformed by the arrival of western conveniences such as air-conditioned coffee shops (with caffeine) and Pizzahut. The streets and constant buzz (and bangs) of the street are enough for the children to start with as we adjust to all being here. We look up and there are kites in the sky, just like home, though many more; and scruffy pigeons sit on the window sill hoping to hop through the window past the mosquito nets. But the screetch and flash of green as parakeets swoop from the trees are new. Late November and the hazy sun makes the days a warm 25 degrees by midday but it cools at night.
Kids good travellers so far: lots of smiles for the three of them complete with back packs and Harriet/Holly/Max cuddlies. The older 2 stayed awake on the plane watching videos on demand and then L crashed out in the taxi oblivious to monkeys, cows, crazy traffic. Last 24 hours as predicted: everyone a bit wierded out – M by shoeless children, L by time difference (up reading Horrid Henry at 4am) and W by unfamiliar food. However, team spirit high – all camping out in one YWCA room with a second room and bathroom ensuite – and learning how to brush teeth without using the tap water and trying to be a bit more pro-active about handwashing …
M: We went on an auto-rickshaw. Every time we swerved past a corner it felt like it would tip over because it tipped over to one side. When we almost back at the hotel when saw a huge temple all lit up with strings of light. It looked amazing!
This morning, after breakfast which was toast omelette and chips! Yes I know I said CHIPS! We went outside and saw a banana tree growing in its local habitat. Then up in the branches we saw a green parakeet!
L: This morning I am getting ready for my Christmas show which is Room-on-a-Broom, and at the end there is a really crazy sheep. It is changed a little bit. I have written a script. On the aeroplane I couldn’t go to sleep so I listened to stories and music. Last night I couldn’t get to sleep because of all the fireworks and bangs, and the cars. It is quite hot. Yesterday we went for a walk and we saw squirrels, birds and lots of stray dogs. Today we are going out to a restaurant and we might have dal and rice and chappatis - yum.
W: I liked the thing we went on when we all got squashed [the autorickshaw]. It’s sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Sleeping was the best with Mum.
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