It's all coming together

(The Emperor's New Groove) We are finally all moved into our new place. (well almost, I still have to do some unpackng and even though it's furnished, there are some things we need to buy). We don't yet have our internet set up though (hence the blog silence) but we're working on it. Our move in went well. We had to travel out to the new place (it's in zone 3 and we have to go by train but the connections aren't too bad and the train is pleasant) in two trips because we have too much to take on the tube in one go (the crib really pushed us over the edge). It was a big travel day but we got it all done.

On our second trip out, I had Anna in the wrap with the diaper bag over my shoulder and was dragging a wheeling suitcase and carrying her car seat. As I was going up the escalator to transfer from the tube to the train, the bag wasn't firmly on the step so when it started going up, the bag was a teetering on the edge. I tried to pull the suitcase onto the taller step but it was a bit front heavy (and just heavy) and started to tip back. Since I had the car seat, I wasn't holding on to the rail and we all started to go. I tried to steady myself on the railing but couldn't reach up to the top and the side wasn't any help (it being an esclalator and all) and we fell down. Naturally the escalator was still going and it wasn't a pretty sight. Before too long, someone pushed the emergency stop button and a couple of guys came to help us out.

I was fine but I couldn't see Anna and she wasn't crying yet. My first concern was to make sure she was ok (remember she was on my front and I kind of fell on her). Then I saw some blood and got worried. Fortunately, it was just from my finger which had a small cut (it's pretty much all healed now). Anna started crying, which was surprisingly comforting, and we started walking up the now stopped escalator to the officials with the two helpers carrying the bags I had.

Jason was caught up with us by this point. In case you were wondering where he was, he was carrying Anna's crib which is big, awkward and heavy. He wasn't moving very fast and would stop every now and then to rest. When he would do that, I would just keep going on and he would catch up when I rested.

So we walked tp the controllers and went into their little room to assess the damages and administer first aid. (Side note, a difference between here and the US is that here, they will actually do things to help you without worrying about being sued for doing something wrong.) I got a band aid (or plaster as they call them here) for my finger and some water. Anna had a little shallow cut abover her eye that wasn't even bleeding and some scrapes/bruises on her leg in the stripes of the escalator. Later on the train, I discovered I had some similar marks on my leg and a little cut. Some bruises have also appeared since then.

The workers also helped us to our train. It was a bit scary but we are all ok and everyone was very nice. Needless to say, I am MUCH more careful on an escalator now and very firmly hold onto the rail.

We have also been to church and the ward is great. It's a smaller ward and they were all very nice and friendly. We even got a welcome card from the primary. Anna was a huge hit. I'm guessing having a baby in a small ward that doesn't have many babies is just like that. There was a missionary who had just gotten home and they had a munch and mingle after church (which was good because church is from 10-1 and we were starving). There is a very nice couple who live just up the street from us and they've already told us about the good places to shop to save money and the best busses to take. I had forgotten how great the Church is and where they are arround, you don't have to do anything on your own even if you are far from family and friends. We are starting to think about where we want to go when Jason graduates in the Spring and really my only stipulation is I would like to go where the Church is.

As we get more moved into our new place and get the internet up and running (not having it is not an option) I will post some pictures of where we are living now. We are also planing on where we want to to around England and in Europe (there are some seriously cheap flights out of here, some people from Jason's school are going to Barcelona for £5 each way). We are taking requests if there is anywhere that you would like to see through us.

London Sightseeing

Surprisingly, in spite of everything that has gone on in the past two weeks, we have still had time to do a little bit of sight seeing. For Jason's studio class he went on a walking tour of the city and Anna and I went with him. We walked all over the place for about four hours! It was an architectural tour so we saw and talked about things that other people might not find as interesting (like 1960's buildings) but it was pretty cool. We started at St. Paul's cathedral and walked around the area around it before going in. The inside of the cathedral was amazing so of course they wouldn't let you take pictures in it. So of course Jason took a couple surreptitiously. They were getting ready for a chorale concert so we couldn't go up to all the really cool paintings but oh well, you could kind of see them from the roped off area. I think Anna really like the cathedral because that was when she decided it was time to do some loud talking. It was reverberating off of the rafters.

St. Paul's Cathedral

From there we talked about more buildings that were very interesting to the people on tour but probably not to anyone who is not either an architect of married to one. We did see the remains of the old Roman wall. They had a glass plaque type thing that had an etching of what the wall looked like in its day.

Roman City Wall with ancient shops on inner wall surface

Then more random buildings before going over to the Gherkin. This is the big, glas building that looks like a bullet. We sat and talked about it for a while. The guide even pulled a piece of chalk out of his pocket and drew on the sidewalk to help explain things. The best part of that was watching the people who were walking by watch him. There were a coupld of people who stopped and listened for a while. Next to that was the Lloyd's of London building where the chalk came out again.

Lloyds of London

Then we walked down to the river and saw the Tower of London and the bridge. For some reason I thought it would be more like just a tower and less like a castle. It was cool though and looked like a castle out of a book. I guess that's why the books have them like that. Then it was over to an old dock that has been turned into an up scale marina for yachts where we ended and ate.

Tower of London

It was quite a trek and we were all tired after it. Anna did really well the whole time. Everyone was impressed. I enjoyed seeing things that I wouldn't have otherwise and learning about things that I wouldn't have thought interesting. One thing that strikes me about London is that you're walking along in a city and suddenly there is a 16th century church just nestled inbetween two modern office buildings.

Gherkin with 16th c. church

As we were walking through the marina to where we ate, we passed an Indian restaurant. It smelled so good and I realized how much I miss Indian food. I couldn't believe it had only been a week since we were in India. I'm going to have to do some serious Indian cooking.

In other sightseeing, Anna and I have been to the British Museum three times now. It's great because it's free and huge. So we take a little bit of time and see everything in a room or two and spend about an hour. After that it gets less interesting (museum overload) and we leave to come back another day. Plus it's right by Jason's school.

Anna at British Museum

We also found a really cool park that is a little old for Anna but we still have fun on the swings. When we were there the other day we saw Kate Hudson with her son. At first I wasn't sure if it was her (she had on sumglasses and a hat) but then she talked and her voice totally gave her away. I didn't hav a camera of any kind and I didn't want to bother her when she was playing with her son but I did occasionally watch her on the sly.

Picture Update

Here are the pictures from our last trip in India. I can't believe this was only two weeks ago. It seems like so much more. So first we have Mumbai then Ajanta and Ellora. You may want to go back to when I wrote about them to remember what they all are. I can only fit so much in the captions.

Finally!

We finally have a place to live in London! Sorry for the lack of posting but we have been busy looking for a place and the lack of a home was getting my down such that I didn't feel up to posting (they would have been depressing anyway so you wouldn't have wanted to read them). But now we have a place so I am happy again and ready to tell you all about it.

It turns out that our budget really limited our options. Add to that the fact that we really do need two bedrooms and we are looking for a place for only three months and would like it to be accessible by public transportation and the list just got smaller. A lot of places were listed with agents but they would only do a 6-month lease or more. Then it seemed like anything we found that looked good turned out to be a scam.

Then on Sunday (my birthday, Happy Birthday to me!) we looked at two places. One was just south of the river Thames and the other one was way out in the south east. The first one, the owner picked us up and drove us there then took us home. He was a nice Irish guy and the place was great. It's a basement flat but there's lots of light with a private garden. We loved it.

The second one was hard to get to. The best way is by the National Rail Line but unfortunately we started going the long way of getting there then the trains weren't running because they were doing construction on the line (they're doing that a lot on all of the lines here) so we had to take the bus. But then we missed our stop so we had to get off, cross the street and take the bus back. We finally made it after traveling for an hour and a half. As we were walking up to the place from the bus stop I mentioned that we shouldn't let the horrid journey influence our opinion of the place itself. It is also very nice. The area doesn't feel like the city at all (probably because it isn't really in the city) and it too has a garden although it's more like a paved area with a shed but the gardens around it are lovely.

As we were returning home, we were trying to decide which one we wanted. Before we left India, Jason gave me a blessing and in it he said that I would know the place that would be right for us. I thought about that a lot as we were looking at the two places and I didn't really know. Then as we were on the bus I started thinking about the places and their neighborhoods and decided on the one closer to the city. That one really seemed like the right place for us. So that night we called the guy and said we wanted it and then emailed the girl about the other one and said no.

On Monday, we went to meet the guy to sign the lease and as we were looking at it, the rent was higher than we were expecting or could afford. Apparently we had misunderstood him on the phone when we asked how much it was. Plus, while we were able to talk him into the short lease, we would have had to pay for four months even though we were only going to be there for three. With the fourth month, we were only barely going to be able to afford it at the lower amount. Sadly, we had to walk away.

The walk back to where we are staying was so sad. While I was sad to loose the flat that seemed so perfect, mostly I was sad because I had apparently mis-read the promptings of the Spirit. While we were at church the day before (we went to church and although we arrived late and left early it was wonderful) I realized how I had drifted away from the Lord while we were in India. Sure we had church on our own and kept up with our scripture reading and prayers but even so, I had drifted.

So while we were thinking what to do next I carefully re-examined how I felt while I was in the two flats. While we were looking at the one that was too expensive, I remembered thinking it was very nice but was worried about the cost. Then in the second one, I remembered thinking it too was nice and I liked it but wasn't sure because the other one was so nice. It wasn't until we were on the bus that I had chosen. So with those thoughts and no other leads, we contacted the girl again and said we wanted it after all. She was really great about it and we moved ahead. So now we are set up to sign the lease and pay the deposite tomorrow and we can move in tomorrow at 5 (she did suggest waiting until Saturday but we said no).

Again I feel so happy that we have a more permanent place to be and am excited to move in and make it feel like home. Jason is a little apprehensive about the commute but I think it will be ok, he'll just get into a rhythm. Plus, I think we all need for Anna to have her own room again so we can all sleep better.

Hello London

We are here in London and have been for a few days. The flights went well. We were able to be more together about leaving this time and slept for a few hours before we had to get up and get ready for the airport. Because we were ready, we got there earlier and had time to do the things we needed to. Our luggage was still a little overweight but it was a reasonable amount this time and we just paid the fee. We were a little worried about our card not working again but it did and we were able to get on the plane without a hitch. One funny thing is all the people working at the airport remembered us from last time (I guess we are hard to forget). We even had the same immigration guy stamp our passports.

We flew Emirates and I have to say, if you have a chance, definitely fly them. The seats were comfy, the food was amazing, they had strollers in the connecting airport to use, both of our flights left and arrived early and we had good flights (of course it could just be that it was a new plane and an international flight, either way, good airline). Unfortunately, Anna was way too excited to sleep. She did manage to fall asleep during take off but only slept for about half an hour before she was awake and ready to explore. Then she didn't sleep until landing. At least she was interested and not cranky.

We had a two hour layover in Dubai. Our previous tickets were for a 10 hour layover in Dubai so we were going to leave the airport and explore. As it was, we just walked around the airport while we waited for our next flight. The airport was quite large and there were a lot of people there. They are doing some kind of construction on their Emirates terminal so a lot of the seating was sectioned off. That left a lot of people sleeping on the floor which was a bit annoying but we were able to find a couple of seats after a bit.

Then came the flight to London. Again Anna fell asleep during take off and only slept for half an hour. I was worried she would stay awake until landing again (which would have been horrible in a 7 hr. flight) but she did manage to get some sleep through out. At first it was only in short bits but when she woke up screaming, I gave her some motrin and she was able to sleep for a long time. With all of her wakefulness, I wasn't able to sleep much. At one point Jason did watch her while I slept but it was only for an hour or two. The problem was, when Anna was sleeping I wanted to watch a movie or a tv show. Sometimes I'm not good at letting some things go and switching mental gears.

We were sitting next to a nice couple from Australia and they were very nice and understanding. The airline also had baby food and gave us a little pack with a spoon, toy, some wipes and a bib. then they had a little hand puppet too. It was all very cute.

When we arrived into Heathrow, we had to go through immigration. We were a little nervous about this because of Jason's not having a visa. Even though we checked and rechecked, we knew he didn't need one but that just meant that our getting into the country was dependant on hte offical letting us in. We shouldn't have worried. There were only a couple of questions and then we got our stamps and were on our way.

We got our luggage without a problem, got some pounds out of an ATM, and moved on towards the tube. They have a service in the airport where you can leave luggage for a fee so we left our crib while we went to our lodgings. We are staying at a B&B just north of Hyde Park and were able to take the tube there. It's about 10 steps from the station. We had to do a few transfers but were in no hurry (which helped me be relaxed) and managed it just fine. By the end, Anna was getting cranky. We finally lost her binkie for good at the airport and had to pause between trains to feed here.

We have a room with a couch and an attached bathroom. The woman who owns the place is very nice and the breakfasts are lovely. I was able to go down the street and get a new binkie with a tether this time. They didn't have any Soothie brand ones so I got one that seemed like it wasn't too different. Anna liked it at first and thought it was interesting and novel. When it came time to go to sleep though, it was a different story. The new one was all well and good but it was time to bring back the familiar. Alas, it was not to be. She has adjusted to the new one and we all sleep better now.

Anna is still adjusting to the time change but after we got her crib back from the airport and set it up, she has been doing much better. I can't wait to get our own place and she can have her own room. I forget how hard it is to hear her scream as she is trying to go to sleep.

The second day we were here, we went and saw Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliment and Westminster Abbey before being productive. I'm still amazed we're here and think this place is great already. I'm ready to settle into a neighborhood and get into a routine that includes regular sightseeing. Now if only we could find a place to live...

Good Bye India

A really big statue that was just on the side of one of the main roads we used frequently.

Well we have arrived in London. Before I talk about that trip and things here, however I want to reminisce about India and some things I have noticed about the people after living there for 3 months. These aren't necessarily things I'll miss, just things I have noticed.

The people there are very nice. Those in Jason's office were great to us and people we met out and about were also. It didn't hurt that we had Anna whom people said looked like a doll and wanted her picture. They were sometimes lacking in tact, however.

Everyone will stop and ask for directions. Even if you get in a rickshaw and tell them where you want to go and they say they know where it is, they may still have to stop and ask for directions. Ironically, no one will admit they don't know how to get somewhere when asked. At one point the directions included going to the next town over and returning to the town they were in.

The men wear generally western style clothes. Women have more options. They will wear western clothes or sometimes saris or some times the tunic with loose pants and a scarf combo. As far as I could tell, it wasn't a generational thing, I saw women of all ages wearing all three options.

The women also wear brightly colored clothes. Fuscia is not uncommon. They also like to wear a lot of sequence and glittery beads. As far as I can tell, any day is a day for dressing up.

Sandals go with everything. Men will wear a full suit and a pair of sandals. This makes sense as people take their shoes off either just inside or outside your door.

Driving is crazy but somehow it works. They drive on the left like in Briton (ironically, it doesn't look strange to me anymore. Driving back in the States may be strange at first). There is also all manor of vehicles on the road: bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, cars, rickshaws, trucks, rickshaw-like trucks (three wheels). There may be lanes marked but they are more like guidelines. Even the directional lanes are just a general idea, it's not uncommon to see cars drive the wrong way down the one-way street.

Horns are used for every intersection as if to say, "I'm coming up on the intersection, don't hit me". They can also be used to tell people to get over so you can pass. In spite of all the horn honking, there doesn't seem to be any road rage as far as I can tell.

At night, brights are always used. I don't know how the drivers can take it but I had to look away whenever anyone passed us.

In Gujarat, ice cream was a big deal. I think there was even a big dairy company nearby. Ironically cheese is not big. In the store they mostly had processed cheese. There was some other imported stuff (white cheddar, Gouda, Camembert, brie, frozen mozzarella) but mostly it was all processed.

Grocery shopping was kind of hit and miss. If something was at the store one time, it wasn't guaranteed to be there the next. Things were also moved around a lot so if it was still there, it might not be in the same place.

Guards are everywhere. We had some at the entrance to our apartment building. They were at the grocery store and checked your receipt before leaving. The ones at the airport that you had to show your ticket to to be let it carried small loaded automatic weapons. At the police station, they had a sand bagged, mounted guns.

Public urination, spitting and defecation were totally no big deal. They wouldn't even go behind anything, just on the side of the road. Once, one the train, I was looking out at the station and saw someone just squatting. I can only assume it was the accepted bathroom place because while one guy was going, another was waiting to go and when he was done, a woman came up.

They have no problem being squeezed into tight spaces for long periods of time. I was amazed at how many people they would cram into a rickshaw. When we were driving to Udaipur, we passed a number of Jeeps with so many people in them, the back door was open and guys were standing on the bumper holding onto the roof. I don't know how far they were going but I saw several cars like that. On the same trip we also saw people sitting on top of a full bus.

Men are very touchy. They have no problems walking around holding hands or having their arms around each other.

Generally, the majority of the people you see out and about are men. That's not to say there are no women, but they are a very small minority. Groups of men walk around, go out to eat together and so forth.

Definitely an interesting place. While there were some things I didn't like, all in all I enjoyed my experience there and will miss it. There were a number of things we didn't get a chance to do, see or buy and I had to tell myself we would be back or else I would have been too disappointed.

Where in the world are Jason and Ellen?

If you guessed London, sadly you would be wrong. We are, in fact, still in India. Let me explain, no it is too much, let me sum up (Princess Bride). Well, actually I'll just tell the whole story.

So we got back from our trip on Thursday night but had left way too much to do on Friday. In trying to get it all done, we were not able to get any sleep before it was time to go to the airport for our 4:30 am flight. So we got to the airport a little later than we wanted and were being rushed through the check in process. After weighing our bags, they told us we were over weight and would have to pay for the extra. We said fine and Jason went to do that. Before too long he came back and said it would cost more than twice the price of our tickets!!! We tried to leave our crib but that didn't do enough. Now this is where the sleepiness comes in, we weren't thinking really fast but had to because they were boarding the plane. So we thought we would just bite the bullet and pay the money. While Jason went back over to do that (the paying place was not where the check in place was) the desk lady got me and Anna through immigration and security and on the little tram to take me to the plane all the while telling me not to worry, Jason was coming. I was watching anxiously for Jason when the lady got me off the tram and back through security.

When Jason and I got back together, he said that when he tried to run our card to pay for the charges, it wouldn't go through. He said they tried running smaller amounts and they wouldn't work either. Since we couldn't pay for the extra weight, we couldn't fly. So the plane took off without us and we, in a daze, sat down on the chairs to decide what to do next.

The airport staff were great at this point. They got Jason and talked to him about re-booking our flight. They said we didn't have to do it right away but told us how much it would cost (not much at all) and gave him a number to call. They took our passports back to immigration to get the stamps canceled. And they helped us figure out how to get back home (a bit of a challenge since our driver just dropped us off (you can't go in the airport without a ticket) and we had a LOT of luggage including a very large boxed up crib). What we ended up doing was changing money (we had gotten rid of all of our rupees) and getting a pre-paid taxi. The car that they had that was big enough was a 50's era car with a roof rack. So our suitcases fit in the trunk, our trunks went on the roof and the crib went on top of the trunks and was tied down. Everytime we took a hard turn or went over a rough patch in the road, the driver's friend (there were two guys, I don't know why) would poke his head out the window and make sure it was still there.

Fortunately, through all of this, Anna was great. The airport staff loved her, she was awake and happy and content to play with the straps of her diaper bag.

Once we got home, we hit another snag, we had no key. We had given it to the driver and had no way to get back in. Fortunately, Jason's boss has another key and he lives in another tower of the same complex. So Jason went up to his place, woke people up (it was about 5:30 at this time) and got us a key. We got in, put the crib back together and Anna and I crashed. I had been awake since 8 am the previous day and was so tired I slept through a parade that went down the street. Jason stayed up to talk to Jeremy who was leaving for the airport around 8 am about using his kitchen things (our kitchen was stripped, including the microwave and gas for the stove, when we went out of town). Anna woke up and wanted me around 8 so Jason and I swapped places and he went to sleep.

With my two hour nap, I was doing ok until Jason woke up and Grace came over. In her loving way, she started scolding about why we didn't cancel the tickets while we were at the airport. We said we were going to re-book but she didn't seem to think we could unless we had something signed from the airline. Well, you know how I feel about being "in trouble" so I said I was ready to sleep and went into the bedroom and broke down. The whole thing came out and I sobbed for what felt like forever. Once I finally calmed myself down, I still had a hard time turning my mind off to go to sleep. Anna had woken up and Jason was trying to call the airline to re-book (now that he was rested and could think clearly) so I stayed up a little longer to watch her so he could do that. While he was talking to them, he clarified our baggage requirements and got everything figured out.

So now we have tickets to leave on Monday morning at the same time. It's not exactly the same flight, this time we only have a 2 hour layover in Dubai instead of 10. So we won't be able to leave the airport but we will get into London in the middle of the day. We also had an extra day to rethink our packing. We took things that we weren't going to need and put them in one of our trunks to mail to my parents in Californina. Then we chose out the things we weren't going to need right away and put them in the other trunk to be sent to us in London and packed the rest into our suitcases. Although we don't know for sure (we don't have a bathroom scale) we think we are going to be ok with the weight, if not it won't be nearly as bad. With the extra day we even had time to go shopping and buy some pants and 3/4 and long sleeved shirts and get some sleep before getting up to do the whole thing again. Hopefully, next time you hear from me, we will be in London for reals this time.

Aurangabad Day 2

Next it was off to Ellora. We got a driver again (same car, different driver) for the day. It was nice having him for the day because we had to check out of our hotel before we left and were able to keep our bags in the car this time (if we wanted to have them at the hotel, they were going to charge us for another half a day). Plus, we could do other things. We didn’t know how much time we would want to spend there and our train wasn’t until 11:30 pm so we had a lot of time to kill.

Our driver was hilarious. He didn’t speak very much English but that didn’t stop him from talking. He told us he has five children, two boys and three girls, and taught Jason the Hindi words for right and left. It was tricky when we had to deviate from the prescribed route. At one point, we called Grace and asked her to tell him where we wanted him to take us. He laughed when Jason rubbed the car in sympathy after a bad bump in the road and at the end of the day, they were friends. It was funny to watch from the back seat.

Ellora is a lot closer (about 30 km) but the roads aren’t as good and the driver was more cautious so it took about an hour to get there. These caves are also a World Heritage Site and were carved from AD 600-1000. There are 34 caves spanning 2 km and divided into three different kinds: Buddhist, Hindu and Jain. These ones were never lost so the painting is almost entirely gone. There are a couple of places where you can see some color but mostly you see the carvings. These ones you can drive up to which was nice although that also means the people selling things were all over while at Ajanta, they were just where you park your car and catch the bus.

The largest and most impressive “cave” is one of the Hindu ones. It’s more like a temple that was carved out of the mountain top to bottom. It’s symbolically shaped like a chariot riding on the backs of elephants and is a representation of Lord Shiva’s home in the Himalayas. It’s huge and beautifully carved with carved panels behind columns along the outside wall. To make it, they had to remove 200,000 tons of rock and it’s twice the area of the Parthenon and 1.5 times as high! We were even able to climb the hill next to it so we could see the decorations on the top. Unfortunately, after this, our camera ran out of battery power. We did get some good pictures of this one though.

Next we went to see the Buddhist caves. They were a lot like the ones at Ajanta. We saw some more Hindu caves and then the Jain ones. We thought it was interesting that they would build so many caves with basically the same things in them. The Buddhist ones we could understand because one was a temple and the other ones were monasteries but the Hindu ones all seemed to be to the same gods and told the same stories. Not that they weren’t cool, just a little redundant. The Jain caves were more intricately carved but still similar.

After lunch and leaving our guide, we went back to a few more of the Hindu caves. One in particular was huge with entrances on three sides and a path going behind a waterfall. At this point, Anna was sleeping so we left her in the car with the driver while we explored. It felt strange not having her, like we were getting away with something. I was kind of glad she wasn’t there though because the stairs to the waterfall path were really steep and slippery from the rain (it rained several times that day) and I don’t think I would have felt really comfortable if she was strapped to my front. As it was, she had a good nap and I saw a beautiful waterfall and surrounding area. Win win.

At this point, it was still pretty early. We stopped off at a himroo factory (a kind of weaving that the area is well known for) and bought Grace a scarf as a thank-you for everything she has done for us. Then we visited a tomb where the last Moghal emperor is buried. We thought about seeing a hilltop fortress but our guide book said it would take 45 minutes to get to the top and it was getting a little on the late side and we were too tired to want to go. We did get a picture of it from the road on the way up to the Ellora caves though. We also stopped at a place referred to as a mini Taj Mahal. It too is a mausoleum for a man’s wife and is white with four towers, a dome in the middle and a mosque to one side. Again Anna was sleeping in the car (it was a day of cat naps) so we left her again to explore. It was quite lovely and it was nice to have the place practically to ourselves as we walked around and discussed the differences between it and the Taj Mahal (to which it is often compared). It was surprisingly chilly and started to rain as we were heading back to the car so we decided not to see the last sight the driver took us to which is a water wheel.

By now it was late and we were tired. We weren’t looking forward to spending the evening in the train station after dinner and were planning on taking as long as possible eating (which may have proved tricky because Anna is getting increasingly antsy in restaurants). Fortunately, we didn’t have to. When the driver called the hotel for assistance in understanding what restaurant we wanted to go to they said we could have a room for a couple of hours at no cost so we could relax before our train. We were so excited. We ate fast and went back to the hotel where Jason napped and I put Anna to sleep in her car seat while we waited for the train.

The final leg home was uneventful. Mostly waiting around to get on trains and then waiting around on trains. But safe and sound home in Ahmedabad again, at least for a day before it is off to London.

Aurangabad Day 1

Our train from Mumbai arrived at 4:30 am. This time we had to travel first class (bummer) and were able to get a compartment with only two beds so we were alone. It was wonderful. Although again I didn’t sleep well because this time I was worried about over sleeping and missing our stop (we weren’t at the end of the line this time and having our own compartment meant we didn’t have anyone to ask if it was right, the stations tend to be poorly labeled. Jason however thinks the train beds are the most comfortable he’s slept on in India. Go figure). Fortunately, the hotel let us check in early without an extra charge and we were able to get some sleep before going out.

There are two main reasons to go to Aurangabad: the Ellora and Ajanta caves. We decided to go to the Ajanta caves the first day (mostly because the Ellora caves are closed on Tuesdays). They are 130 km away and the road is so-so at best (it took around two hours to get there) but the countryside was pretty and we had hired an AC car through the travel agent in the hotel.

The Ajanta caves are a series of Buddhist caves that have been carved out of a mountain cliff along a river. There are 30 caves although some were not finished and others are inaccessible. They date from 200 BC to AD 650 but had been abandoned and lost until 1819 when an English man was tiger hunting and spotted a little bit of one through the jungle. These ones, although older than the Ellora caves, are in a bit of better shape because they had been lost. They are known for their wall paintings (which are beautiful) and have been named a World Heritage Site. There are two different types of caves: monasteries and temples. The monasteries are a big room with a statue of Buddha at the end and a bunch of rooms on each side for the monks to sleep in. The temples are mainly one room with a Buddha at the end (either in human form or as a stupa ) and carvings/paintings of his life.

When we got there we employed a guy to carry our diaper bag (which gets pretty heavy) and watch our shoes when we had to take them off (he did offer to carry Anna too but I said I was ok) and a guide. We have found we like having guides so we don’t just walk in look around briefly and walk out. The guide was also able to tell us the stories in the paintings (I have no idea how they get the story out of those paintings, the different parts of the story are all painted together) and various things about what makes each cave special. Later, our bag carrier said we got a good guide who is also writing a book. The colors were surprisingly bright and although we couldn’t use the camera’s flash, we still took plenty of pictures and will lighten them up in photoshop.

After going through most of the caves, our bag carrier took us down a path that goes along the river and to a waterfall. It was amazing with the cliffs on either side and the vegetation and the water. The song from the Planet Earth videos sprung in my head. Then we walked back along another path and ended up at the base of the mountain (you start out going up a bunch of stairs to get to where the caves are although you can hire two guys to carry you up in a chair). We got back just in time to catch the bus back to the parking lot (4 km away).

As we were getting on the bus, I noticed that Anna no longer had her binkie. Since the clip broke on the binkie tether, I just tuck it into the front part of the wrap but she has a tendency to pull it out and play with it and drop it when she is done. Usually I’m relatively careful with making sure we have it but not this time. I was worried because she could have dropped it anywhere. Jason went running back to look for it and I stayed on the bus and worried. As the bus was starting to pull out, he was running back. I had decided to get off if he wasn’t coming back when it left so was glad that I didn’t have to. Anna had dropped it at the base of the stairs. Our bag carrier had run back and found it for us. Shwew, disaster averted once again. Maybe we should get some back-ups and/or fix/replace the tether.

Mumbai

Editor's note: The pictures from this trip are still on our camera so I will post pictures later.

For our last week in India, we decided to travel. So Saturday night we took a train down to Mumbai. It was not a fun train experience. Our berths ran parallel to the train so we were right on the walk way and didn’t have any personal space. Fortunately it was late so we went right to sleep, or at least tried to. I don’t sleep well on trains because of all the stopping and starting, fear of missing our stop and sleeping with Anna. I decided it was the best way for her to sleep but it doesn’t do much for me.

We arrived at about 7 am and our hotel let us check in early without an extra charge. We decided to upgrade to the nicer room that was on its own floor. Someone in the restaurant said that it was a new room and we were only the second people to stay in it. It was nice and I especially liked the fact that I didn’t feel like Anna’s crying would bother anyone because we were removed from the rest of the hotel. I don’t know if this was actually the case but it helped me feel better.

That morning we went in search of the church in Mumbai. From the LDS website we had an address, name and number of the Branch President. Unfortunately, the address was in the middle of a market area where street names and numbers aren’t posted. We had the cab drop us off at the entrance of the area and went looking. We tried calling the Branch President several times but he never answered his phone. After walking and asking and walking some more, we finally found someone who seemed to know where we wanted to be and pointed us to a different address. We thought there might be a sign telling us when we were in the right place but when we got to that address, no sign. By this point we were hot and tired and had been walking around for close to 45 minutes so we decided to stop. I was a bit disappointed in not being able to go to church but reminded myself that we will be in London next week (weird!) and can go then when things are labeled and there will be a sign.

After resting, we decided to walk around an explore Mumbai. We took a cab to the Gateway of India. It was pretty crowded and they are doing renovations on it so it was shrouded in plastic in parts and there was scaffolding. Oh well. Then we just kind of walked around. Mumbai is different from where we have been in India so far in that it had a pretty strong British presence and you can really see that in the buildings. They look much more European but have a distinct India influence. It’s also a lot more green and lush and very pretty. While we were walking around (in the middle of a field in fact), it started to rain. We were able to get to some trees then a tent but we did get quite wet. Funnily enough, Anna loved it. She was laughing and kicking.

So between the two days we were there, we saw most everything there is to see in the southern parts of the city. We saw: the Gateway of India, the Victoria Terminus (train station), Mumbai University, the high court building (with various courts in session), St. Thomas’ Cathedral (the oldest English building standing in Mumbai), the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (from the outside, it’s members only) and we took a ferry around the bay. On the ferry we went past the main Indian naval base which is a naval base Jason studied for a project to analyze harbor developments so it was fun for him to see in person the base he had studied from google satellite maps. To add to the experience our ferry driver wasn’t paying attention and sailed us into the path of a naval destroyer entering the base. Needless to say we got out of the way and all took pictures of the ship and sailors. We didn’t get a chance to go into any of the museums (although we did see them from the outside) partly because we didn’t want to (Indian museums are not very well put together) and partly because the only one we would want to go into (the Prince of Wales Museum) wasn’t open on Monday and was freakishly expensive.

We had yummy food both days (including beef!) and pretty good weather. We arrived a few days into a big festival for the Hindu god Ganesh. He’s the one in the form of an elephant. There were statues of him in little shrines all over the place and at night they would turn on strings of lights and dance. Mostly we stayed out of their way. Our hotel was nice enough to hold onto our bags on Monday after we checked out but before we had to catch our train late that night to head out to Aurangabad. We were so glad we didn’t have to haul them around. As an added bonus, we were able to get a new battery for my watch and get the strap replaced for a mere 170 rupees (about $4). We are looking forward to spending half a day there when we go back on Thursday before heading back to Ahmedabad.

Update

It turns out Jason doesn't need a visa after all! He went to get it and they said that since he will only be there three months, we're off the hook. He called them twice to verify and is getting it in writing, just to make sure there are no problems once we get to London.

I am so happy. Not only because now we don't have to worry about getting it back in time but also because I was wary about traveling next week without it. On the train, they compare your passport with the name on the ticket and they always ask for it at hotels. Plus, we save the money it would have cost. It was less than our Indian visas but still a fair chunk of change plus with the exchange rate, we need all the rupees we can save.

Moving

I think I can speak for most people when I say that moving sucks. And the packing and unpacking isn't even the worst part in my mind. What's really annoying is all of the logistics and things to coordinate before going. Fortunately with our place here we don't have to worry about changing the utilities (which I seem to always forget until after we have left a place). Other things have more than made up for that hassle, most of them Jason has had to do.

Jason is working on his UK visa. As simple tourists and only being there for three months, Anna and I don't need visas for the UK but since Jason is studying, he does. Up until recently he wouldn't have needed one either since it's less than six months but they made a new visa category - Student Visitor - just for him. I helped him fill out the freakishly long application but left him to do the things like education since you were 11 and all of your finances including how much you think it will cost you to live here and where all that money is coming from. Then he had to assemble a slew of documents, most of which we don't have with us. Fortunately it doesn't say they have to be official documents, just verifiable so we have gotten a bit creative. He goes to the visa place today so we'll see if it works.

We leave in one week from Sat. so we have kind of put this off until the last moment but Jason was so busy with work that he really hasn't had a chance to do it sooner. Fortunately, they have a fairly quick turn around (a girl from Jason's office is also going to the UK to study and got hers back in 4 days). We have high hopes. And we have given ourselves a little window before school starts in case we need to push back our flight but we really don't want to do that.

The next annoying thing Jason had to do was go back to the police commissioner's office. He went when we first got here and they said to go back within ten days of leaving. He went yesterday. When he got there, they realized there was a form that he didn't have so they left to drive back to the office on the other side of town. They didn't want to drive all the way back (getting through town is less than fast or direct) so they called Bindu who had them stop at a store where they were and she faxed what they needed to them.

As with any move, there is always where you are moving to. We still don't have a place in London. We have gotten a lot of information from some people we know there and have been looking and looking. The problem is we have pretty specific needs. A lot of the listings and websites are about sharing a place with roommates but we just don't think people will want to share with us. And with Anna, we really do need two bedrooms. I thought about a one bedroom and looked into some but when I really thought about it, I don't think I would be happy with that arrangement. Then there is the time frame. Most places say a 6 month minimum. To top it all off, we would really rather not pay 1000 pounds a week (rents are listed by the week), especially with the exchange rate. We are working on a place that looks perfect and we have high hopes and just hope it hasn't been given to someone else. Hopefully we will know by the end of today.

With all of this, I have to remind myself that we are going somewhere pretty dang cool and that I should be excited. I am, I just don't realize it yet. I'm sure it will come when we are actually there and it has all worked out.

To make things more exciting (because they weren't enough already) we are going on a trip next week so there is everything that goes into planning that. We are taking the train to Mumbai for a couple of days (where we will be able to go to church, I'm so excited) then onto a town called Arungabad where we will see some really cool caves. We will be back on Thursday night so we have a day to pause, regroup, and sleep before we leave EARLY Saturday morning. I hope Anna can make it. I figure, since I'm messing with her schedule anyway, why not go whole hog then we can deal with the fallout when we get to London.

So yesterday I did laundry, today I'm doing all of the packing (though probably not Anna's crib, we'll hold off on that) and tomorrow we are going to try to do a little shopping. There are still a few more Christmas presents to buy and we would rather do that here with Grace to know the good deals and haggle for us than in Mumbai where we will have no such assistance. This vacation will have to be pretty low key to counteract the past few weeks.

Crazy Pigeons

I don't know what it is with the pigeons around here but they have been acting crazy lately. Outside the back door, they keep getting into fights. As far as I can tell, they're fighting over who gets to sit where (the spot they really like is in the tiny space between the window AC and the ledge). If it gets really bad, I'll go out there and try to break them up.

But the really crazy thing is they have started walking into the living room. I leave the doors open so we can get a breeze and I guess the pigeons are just used to me by now. It first happened on Tuesday. I looked up and he was walking along the window. I didn't want to scare him and have him try to fly through the glass so I waited for him to walk back to the open part. Once he got there, he walked out on his own. I was able to get a picture this time with our trusty web cam
Little did I know this was not going to be an isolated incident. They have been waltzing in every day since then. On Tuesday it got so bad I had to close the door. Once when I was in Anna's room for a while changing her diaper, I came out and one looked like it was getting ready to settle in for a good nap while a second one was about to come in.

My favorite by far was yesterday. Jason and I were in the second sitting room and I heard a noise. I came out to the living room and one pigeon had flown up and was sitting on the light while another one was walking around on the floor. Fortunately, they leave without problems when we shoo them but still. In spite of the frequency, it's still a little bit surreal seeing a pigeon in the house.

Between this and the monkey incident, I'm beginning to feel like I live in a menagerie. I guess the wildlife here is like the foliage in Maryland, if you don't regularly beat it back, it just takes over.

The big 1-0-0

Apparently it's a blog thing to make a list of 100 things about you on your 100th post. Well this is my 100th post so I thought I would go with the list. As I was thinking about it, I noticed that a number of them were kind of negative and self depreciating. So Jason is helping me think of things and has added some addendums to some of the numbers.

1. I love my baby girl.
2. I can NOT believe I have a baby but at the same time, it feels so natural for her to be around.
3. I love reading but hate it at the same time as it consumes my life and I feel like I can't move forward until I finish the book. Ironically, I'm then sad when I don't have a book to read.

4. Movies make me happy. I can watch a movie in the theater then go home and watch one at home because they are completely different experiences. Generally, I prefer comedies and mostly hate movies that make me cry. I also really like heist movies.
5. I also have a love/hate relationship with TV. If I let myself, I can waste obscene amounts of time watching almost anything from sitcoms to dramas to documentaries to reality TV shows. Generally, I work really hard to not even let myself start (the reason we don't and never will have cable).
6. I love British TV shows and movies.
7. I can pick up on accents relatively easily. At least, I think I can. After watching a movie or a lot of BBC, I find myself thinking in the accent.
8. I speak a little bit of French and the same thing happens when I watch a French movie, I think in French. Unfortunately, I don't remember much and my grammar is really bad so it's more like French words with English grammar.
9. Jason is one of my favorite people. He makes me laugh and I feel completely comfortable with him. I even laugh at his bad jokes and puns.
10. I love to sing but don't feel like I have a very good voice. For this reason while I will belt it out in the car or at home alone (or with Jason, poor man) I will only sing in a group when other people are around.
11. In the Meyers-Briggs personality test, I'm an ISFJ (the same as my mother) and in the color test, I'm a white. Jason is an ENFP so we are nearly opposites on the test.
12. In my mind, I'm very assertive but know that I will never actually say any of the things I think, I am too passive resistive. Naturally this quality drives me crazy in other people.
13. I love cooking and baking but don't treat baking with the kind of precision that people seem to think it needs.
14. I love food. Sometimes I think I could be the binge part of a bulemic if I let myself and have been known to eat things even after I stop enjoying it for no apparent reason.
15. My family are my favorite people. Not only do I love my family but I actually like them and think of a vacation as visiting them.
16. I see my sisters (and in-laws) as the center of all wisdom in the universe. I know that if I have a question about anything I can get it answered by asking one of them.
17. I'm an east coast girl at heart and think of California as a nice place to visit.
18. I'm a bit of a hair color snob. Blond hair can hardly be called blond unless it's as light as mine. Anything darker, I consider brown.
19. I'm a home body. I have no problem going days without leaving the house and usually prefer to spend my evenings at home.
20. I am a very solitary person and enjoy spending time alone or with one or two people. We jokingly say that with Jason gone all the time, I forget that I like having him around.
21. I hate doing dishes but hate having a dirty kitchen even more.
22. When my kitchen is dirty, I almost can't be productive in other areas of my life.
23. Flossing is a constant challenge to me. The whole do something consecutively for a number of days and it becomes a habit thing does not work for me and flossing.
24. I also hate shaving.
25. I want a subscription to People Magazine.
26. I like the read the Fashion Police on eonline.com.
27. I've taught Jason a bit about celebrity fashion so that he can make appropriate references to the Bjorn swan dress.
28. As much as I like fashion and cute clothes, my wardrobe is pretty basic. When I go shopping, I never buy the cute stuff because I know I won't wear it.
29. Same thing goes for accessories.
30. I love window shopping but rarely make spontaneous purchases. I'll think about something for a while before I finally commit.
31. I like to think that I'm not cheap, just poor but even when I had a little bit of money I was still cheap.
32. I have a really hard time spending money on myself but no problem letting Jason spend money on himself or buying things for Anna.
33. While I like to think of gifts to buy for people, I rarely actually buy them.
34. I like to know about people and their lives and how they are doing. However, I never feel like they know me so I don't feel like I can ask them directly and will ask mutual friends how someone is doing.
35. When talking to my family, I tend to dominate the conversation but when talking to friends, I am often the listener.
36. I don't like to get in trouble so in school I was the best student and even now I am big on rules and policies and procedures.
37. When I do do something wrong and am chastised for it, I feel it strongly and will carry the guilt around for a long time.
38. I used to run cross country and track in high school and while I wasn't the best, I was pretty good.
39. I miss running and often tell myself I am going to start up again.
40. While I don't think of myself as creative, I am fairly crafty. I have been known to sew, cross stitch, crochet and knit. My skills at any one of these is not bad as long as you don't look at it too closely.
41. For reasons I don't understand, I have a strong disdain for scrapbooking.
42. I have been able to enjoy every place I have lived and don't have much patience for people who spend the whole time they live somewhere talking it down and pining for somewhere else.
43. Before Anna was born and I worked in a hospital laboratory, I never thought of it as a career. To me it was just a job.
44. I know how to draw blood. Fortunately I have never had to use it outside of school because everytime I did it, once the needle was in, I would shake. Once you could see the blood move inside the vial after I was done.
45. I love blood but not when it's actively coming out of people. I find it fascinating and pretty in a way and enjoy playing with the clots.
46. I chose to work in the lab so I wouldn't have to deal with patients. I much prefer them to be merely a name and a number on a tube.
47. I don't like strong emotions. As a result, I often repress my emotions. Unfortunately, then I don't really know when I'm looking forward to something or just how much I care for people. Occasionally, some emotion will sneak out of my protective barrier and I'm surprised by how strongly I feel.
48. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I am very quiet in my faith because I feel so strongly about it but can't explain it rationally. When the church as a whole is challenged, I feel personally attacked.
49. I like reason and logic for making decisions.
50. At the same time, I will make decisions based on feelings and emotions but don't want to have to defend my choice to others.
51. I hate saying I don't do something because it's "against my religion". I think that makes me sound like some kind of blind follower rather than what I really am, someone who has received a personal witness that what their church teaches is true and that is why I follow.
52. I am very self-conscious.
53. I'm still waiting to feel like an adult.
54. I am a generally positive person and always look for the good in a situation while downplaying the bad.
55. I am always trying to give people the benefit of the doubt and think of a reasonable explanation for their actions.
56. It turns out, I'm pretty patient.
57. I rarely get sick and when I do, it's usually just a little congestion that goes away before too long.
58. I enjoyed being pregnant and was very glad strangers didn't touch my belly or give unsolicited advice.
59. I feel like I'm short and like to wear 3 inch heels. When I was pregnant, I had to buy shorter heels (I still didn't wear flats because I think they make my feet look big, not that they are).
60. My eyes are really sensitive to bright lights.
61. The sun and I are not friends. I burn relatively easily and have gotten good at putting on sunscreen so I haven't been burned in a long time.
62. I took ballroom dance in college and loved it. I don't know how good I was but tell myself I will do it again some day.
63. I took ceramics in high school and loved that too (naturally I didn't think I was that great). I especially enjoyed throwing on the wheel. Even if nothing came of it, it was cathartic.
64. I have good hair but don't like to style it. I don't own a curling iron and didn't own a blow dryer until after I was married. Even now, I rarely use it.
65. While I have had my hair very long, I think of myself as a short-hair person.
66. My hair doesn't get split ends.
67. I need mascara and used to think that the point of it was to make your eyelashes visible. For that reason, clear mascara was the stupidest thing in the world to me.
68. When I was younger, I used to think that diary cows that were mostly white needed to be milked and cows that were mostly black had just been milked. I have no idea where I got this from and believed it for a frightening amount of time.
69. I like playing with baby toys and reading kids' books.
70. I'm still working on mentally integrating Anna into my life.
71. I think of strange and quasi-plausible ways for my family members to die. Such as Anna throwing herself out of my arms while I am on the balcony and falling to her death. Though this may stem from her throwing her binkie out the window the other day.
72. I am no longer allowed to read murder mystery novels.
73. When I was in middle school, I only read Agatha Christie.

74. I would rather be cold than hot.
75. I love snow. Mostly looking at it through a window. I think it's so beautiful and peaceful.
76. I sweat a lot.
77. I like a lot of different kinds of music. I'm a big fan of show tunes but also like alternative, country, Irish punk, opera, classical, some punk, oldies, classic rock and pop (I'm ashamed to say). I do not like rap or R&B.
78 I'm working on better recognizing the promptings of the Spirit in my life and acting on those promptings. I think I'm getting better at it.
79. My nails are really strong and grow quickly. Unfortunately, I'm not good at shaping them so they don't always look that great. I don't like having nail polish on them but I love nail polish on my toes.
80. I have a really bad habit of repeating myself without realizing I have. I also will think I have something when in fact I only thought it.
81. I don't like wearing wet clothes.
82. I can't swim.
83. As I have lived with Jason, my design aesthetic has changed. It's much more sleek and modern than it used to be.
84. I have a pull to live in Europe, not just travel there, ever since I read the book A Year in Provence then again when I read Under the Tuscon Sun.
85. I love lists and crossing things off of them.
86. I tend to not do the things after I have written them down on my list.
87. I have a bit of a rebellious streak. When I see a wet paint sign, I have a strong urge to touch it. So far, I haven't actually touched any wet paint.
88. My eyesight is really bad and I love my contacts.
89. I am so bad at taking proper care of my contacts. I tend to wear them until they hurt rather than changing them as often as it recommended.
90. Silence drives me crazy. I have to have music playing in the background. While this has lessened since Anna was born (I do enjoy a bit of quiet now and then) it's still very there.
91. While I used to talk non-stop (my family joked that I didn't like air passing without words in it), I am much more appreciative of silence and get annoyed at unnecessary comments.
92. To paraphrase Men in Black a person is smart, people are morons. If I were ever a contestant on Millionaire, I wouldn't say the audience is smart.
93. I have a good memory and a special place in my brain for movie quotes and song lyrics.
94. My repertoire of commercial slogans and jingles is frightening.
95. I am a terrible procrastinator which gets me into trouble. I have every intention of getting around to working on that.
96. I hate making phone calls, even to people that I like talking to, and will put it off as long as it humanly possible. The only person I don't put off calling is Jason.
97. I love my galoshes. They make me feel invincible as I walk through puddles.
98. Plants die on me after I get tired of watering them.
99. I like to share things that I like with people I love.
100. I hate being tickled.

So that's me in a nutshell (how did I get in this nutshell? what kind of a nut has a shell this big? -Austin Powers). At first I wasn't sure I would make it all the way to 100 but now I'm thinking of more things that I could put in it. Oh well.