Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas and the day after
Namaste Everyone
Our time in Kolkata is fast coming to an end – we attended early morning Mass on Christmas day and unlike breakfasts at home on Christmas morning, we had our modest chai tea, banana and this time a sweet bun before heading off to our homes.
The patients in each of the homes were dressed in new clothes for the Christmas day, and as a special treat each received a small bag containing various food items of bhujia – (nuts & savoury bits), sweet cake & lollies).
In our home – Prem Dan – (a men & separate women’s section) we washed and cleaned and wiped down the mattresses as usual; only this time we made up beds with new floral linen. (What a treat! These were possibly donated) Such a small act but ever so pleasing for the patients.
The decorated day-rooms and nativity scenes in each home brought with it a sense of shared unity and happiness for the residents of these homes. Their smiling faces from such simple pleasures – and their modest and humble manner is a lesson many of us can learn from.
Working on Christmas day in the big picture of things makes it all worthwhile.
Returning to our hotel saw us all preparing for our much anticipated “Christmas Party” at the Fair Lawn Hotel just around the road in Sudder street.
There was much excitement as the girls were literally wrapped in their sari’s. we had two Indian ladies helping with this job – Amidst the metres of brilliantly coloured fabric and SAFETY PINS, a stunning group of girls in their magnificent saris was the end result.
Not to be outdone, the boys were also busy outfitting themselves in all manner of Indian attire. What a handsome group!
Our meeting on the hotel balcony to await ‘Father Christmas’ was an absolute picture – soooo breath-takingly colourful - truly a visual symphony!
It was like a Paparazzi fest – camera’s flashing no end.
Fathe r Christmas assisted by Mother Christmas gave everyone a secret Santa present – all sorts of presents were received and ripped open revealing; scarves, Indian trinkets, watches and other such pleasures.
THEN ‘THE PARTY’ – our colourful procession weaved our way from our hotel down the street and along the narrow lane then up another two streets to our destination – The Fair Lawn.
What a welcome sight – a dazzling array of coloured lights – glittering and flashing, a superb display of flowers meticulously arranged – Simply glitz and glam. What an atmosphere!
We were made to feel most welcome and were entertained with Christmas carols followed by a Magic show – After this we made our way into the dining room – What a sight! – A mass of streamers overhead and our tables littered with every kind of party toy! There were party hats, blow-out whistles, Christmas crackers, masks and noise making toys galore. If you are imagining this !!! well it’s all true – the temptation turned to fruition. We went crazy – blowing roll-out whistles, pulling crackers, rattling, shaking and full on party noise making with all the toys- Talk about ‘Noise Pollution!’ But – what fun. We sang our lungs out and enjoyed all the night had to offer – including being waited on by white-gloved waiters – a fantastic night.
We consumed the night completely and in the end made our way home happy with the night’s events.
Today we have had the day off – although some people did wake early and went on to work in some of the Mother Teresa homes. For the majority however it has been an R&R day.
Tomorrow we will resume our 5 am start and Wednesday will be our final work day in our designated homes.
A few more Haiku for you
Dinner last night
Whistles, crackers, noise
White-gloved waiters, turbaned heads
Christmas as Fair Lawn
Titagar Leprosy visit
Sardines in a can
Pushing, shoving, holding on
Train-ride to TitagarBernie
Stigma safeguards change
Skewed perception deters hope
Time and faith gives chance Mitch
Where touch is needed
Yet touch is so redundant
Touch deeply – one knows Mitch
Lepers lie twisted
And socially rejected
But so strong in faith Chris Vincent
We are all safe and well and have had you all in our thoughts during this festive season.
As usual our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bernie
You will soon be receiving another blog entry from another two students.
Our time in Kolkata is fast coming to an end – we attended early morning Mass on Christmas day and unlike breakfasts at home on Christmas morning, we had our modest chai tea, banana and this time a sweet bun before heading off to our homes.
The patients in each of the homes were dressed in new clothes for the Christmas day, and as a special treat each received a small bag containing various food items of bhujia – (nuts & savoury bits), sweet cake & lollies).
In our home – Prem Dan – (a men & separate women’s section) we washed and cleaned and wiped down the mattresses as usual; only this time we made up beds with new floral linen. (What a treat! These were possibly donated) Such a small act but ever so pleasing for the patients.
The decorated day-rooms and nativity scenes in each home brought with it a sense of shared unity and happiness for the residents of these homes. Their smiling faces from such simple pleasures – and their modest and humble manner is a lesson many of us can learn from.
Working on Christmas day in the big picture of things makes it all worthwhile.
Returning to our hotel saw us all preparing for our much anticipated “Christmas Party” at the Fair Lawn Hotel just around the road in Sudder street.
There was much excitement as the girls were literally wrapped in their sari’s. we had two Indian ladies helping with this job – Amidst the metres of brilliantly coloured fabric and SAFETY PINS, a stunning group of girls in their magnificent saris was the end result.
Not to be outdone, the boys were also busy outfitting themselves in all manner of Indian attire. What a handsome group!
Our meeting on the hotel balcony to await ‘Father Christmas’ was an absolute picture – soooo breath-takingly colourful - truly a visual symphony!
It was like a Paparazzi fest – camera’s flashing no end.
Fathe r Christmas assisted by Mother Christmas gave everyone a secret Santa present – all sorts of presents were received and ripped open revealing; scarves, Indian trinkets, watches and other such pleasures.
THEN ‘THE PARTY’ – our colourful procession weaved our way from our hotel down the street and along the narrow lane then up another two streets to our destination – The Fair Lawn.
What a welcome sight – a dazzling array of coloured lights – glittering and flashing, a superb display of flowers meticulously arranged – Simply glitz and glam. What an atmosphere!
We were made to feel most welcome and were entertained with Christmas carols followed by a Magic show – After this we made our way into the dining room – What a sight! – A mass of streamers overhead and our tables littered with every kind of party toy! There were party hats, blow-out whistles, Christmas crackers, masks and noise making toys galore. If you are imagining this !!! well it’s all true – the temptation turned to fruition. We went crazy – blowing roll-out whistles, pulling crackers, rattling, shaking and full on party noise making with all the toys- Talk about ‘Noise Pollution!’ But – what fun. We sang our lungs out and enjoyed all the night had to offer – including being waited on by white-gloved waiters – a fantastic night.
We consumed the night completely and in the end made our way home happy with the night’s events.
Today we have had the day off – although some people did wake early and went on to work in some of the Mother Teresa homes. For the majority however it has been an R&R day.
Tomorrow we will resume our 5 am start and Wednesday will be our final work day in our designated homes.
A few more Haiku for you
Dinner last night
Whistles, crackers, noise
White-gloved waiters, turbaned heads
Christmas as Fair Lawn
Titagar Leprosy visit
Sardines in a can
Pushing, shoving, holding on
Train-ride to TitagarBernie
Stigma safeguards change
Skewed perception deters hope
Time and faith gives chance Mitch
Where touch is needed
Yet touch is so redundant
Touch deeply – one knows Mitch
Lepers lie twisted
And socially rejected
But so strong in faith Chris Vincent
We are all safe and well and have had you all in our thoughts during this festive season.
As usual our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bernie
You will soon be receiving another blog entry from another two students.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Eve
Namaste from Calcutta
It’s that time of year again and despite the seemingly disinterested locals many of us look forward with excitement to Christmas 2011. We plan to dress in traditional Indian attire after a morning of volunteer work and dine at the Fairlawn Hotel.
The winter here is pleasant with low twenties as the average high. Thankfully this ensures that the neatly swept litter piles in the gutters maintain a low radius odour. The morning walk to the motherhouse also gives us opportunity to witness the gearing up of the Muslim community we stay near – raw carcasses hang from butchers, street sweepers fight a losing battle, taxis and rickshaws negotiate tight corners using horns rather than indicators and shopkeepers call for attention. In the morning the sun appears so dim and discoloured through the haze that it is mistaken for the moon.
Yet Calcutta is a far cleaner, industrialized and more modern city than Varanasi and what we saw of Delhi. There is much anticipation however for the supposedly picturesque Goa paired with the warmer temperatures promised. BBC weather informed us of the 35°C heat in Mumbai yesterday.
Our thoughts are with you as you again recover from more serious aftershocks – we have been assured all is well.
Shub Krismas
Merry Christmas
By Michael H and Kieran H
It’s that time of year again and despite the seemingly disinterested locals many of us look forward with excitement to Christmas 2011. We plan to dress in traditional Indian attire after a morning of volunteer work and dine at the Fairlawn Hotel.
The winter here is pleasant with low twenties as the average high. Thankfully this ensures that the neatly swept litter piles in the gutters maintain a low radius odour. The morning walk to the motherhouse also gives us opportunity to witness the gearing up of the Muslim community we stay near – raw carcasses hang from butchers, street sweepers fight a losing battle, taxis and rickshaws negotiate tight corners using horns rather than indicators and shopkeepers call for attention. In the morning the sun appears so dim and discoloured through the haze that it is mistaken for the moon.
Yet Calcutta is a far cleaner, industrialized and more modern city than Varanasi and what we saw of Delhi. There is much anticipation however for the supposedly picturesque Goa paired with the warmer temperatures promised. BBC weather informed us of the 35°C heat in Mumbai yesterday.
Our thoughts are with you as you again recover from more serious aftershocks – we have been assured all is well.
Shub Krismas
Merry Christmas
By Michael H and Kieran H
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Slice of Heaven
Namaste everyone,
We have been in Calcutta for a week now. It has been a crazy experience for everyone, there is so much to see and do in this city, we have been pushed out of our comfort zones and we are often fighting an invisible wall of physical and mental fatigue. The journey begins at 5 am every morning as the Muslim call to prayer is used as our alarm clocks; we walk 20 minutes through the Muslim quarters to the mother house where we have a mass, then a breakfast of chai tea, bananas and bread. This is slightly less than we are used to in New Zealand but still manages to sustain us for the 3 hours till chai break at the mother houses. There are mixed feelings for the humble chai tea, its super sweet like condensed milk and is always served piping hot.
Now everyone breaks into groups of five or six and we make our way to our centers. The age and ability both mental and physical of the patients differ immensely. All the homes have there unique experiences but they all share the same vision. Its inspiring to see the joy we can bring to the patients with the most simple of actions. Mostly we help with chores, and in the afternoons we play games with the kids. Recently everyone has started to get into the Christmas spirit, some decorations have been hung in the rooms, secret Santa presents brought.
Today was our first rest day, after a wee sleep in till 6.30; we headed down to the mother house and met with Joan who was to be our guide for the day and our journey to the leprosy clinic. Joan is a gem in Calcutta, Joan has been helping with the downtrodden of Indian society for over 15 years. Her knowledge of customs and experiences were invaluable for us taking a real Indian train journey to the clinic safely and even where to find the cheapest saris in New Market.
The Leprosy colony, Titagarh can only be descried as beautiful. When the brothers took it over in 1974 it was described as hell, but now it is described as heaven. It has about 500 residents and is run by nine brothers. They are almost entirely self sufficient. We were taken on a tour through the gardens down a well kept path; here they grow a host of fruit and vegetables. There is also a fish farm and livestock, which are the happiest and healthiest animals we have seen in India so far! The people who have been cured are encouraged to work and reunite with their families to help them to make the most of their lives. We were very lucky to have this opportunity; many people do not get to see inside this haven.
The afternoons are spent exploring the city, last night many of us went to see Mission Impossible in the movie theater, they still have a half time break over here, tickets are a measly 60 rupees ($1.50 NZD) and for that you get reclining seats!
After that we had dinner at our favorite restaurant, Blue Skies. This restaurant quickly became a favorite for its cheap, yummy meals and fabulous service. We have spent many of our rupees here and will likely spend many more over the next week!
Looking now into the crystal ball, the future looks is bright with Christmas just on the horizon and assurance that Father Christmas will be in Calcutta around 5 p.m. on Christmas evening. Looking now even further ahead we see we only have 1 week left in Calcutta before our marathon train journey to Mumbai and then Goa.
To all at home, we hope all is well and that everyone is in the Christmas spirit,
Much love from Calcutta,
Craig and Johannah
We have been in Calcutta for a week now. It has been a crazy experience for everyone, there is so much to see and do in this city, we have been pushed out of our comfort zones and we are often fighting an invisible wall of physical and mental fatigue. The journey begins at 5 am every morning as the Muslim call to prayer is used as our alarm clocks; we walk 20 minutes through the Muslim quarters to the mother house where we have a mass, then a breakfast of chai tea, bananas and bread. This is slightly less than we are used to in New Zealand but still manages to sustain us for the 3 hours till chai break at the mother houses. There are mixed feelings for the humble chai tea, its super sweet like condensed milk and is always served piping hot.
Now everyone breaks into groups of five or six and we make our way to our centers. The age and ability both mental and physical of the patients differ immensely. All the homes have there unique experiences but they all share the same vision. Its inspiring to see the joy we can bring to the patients with the most simple of actions. Mostly we help with chores, and in the afternoons we play games with the kids. Recently everyone has started to get into the Christmas spirit, some decorations have been hung in the rooms, secret Santa presents brought.
Today was our first rest day, after a wee sleep in till 6.30; we headed down to the mother house and met with Joan who was to be our guide for the day and our journey to the leprosy clinic. Joan is a gem in Calcutta, Joan has been helping with the downtrodden of Indian society for over 15 years. Her knowledge of customs and experiences were invaluable for us taking a real Indian train journey to the clinic safely and even where to find the cheapest saris in New Market.
The Leprosy colony, Titagarh can only be descried as beautiful. When the brothers took it over in 1974 it was described as hell, but now it is described as heaven. It has about 500 residents and is run by nine brothers. They are almost entirely self sufficient. We were taken on a tour through the gardens down a well kept path; here they grow a host of fruit and vegetables. There is also a fish farm and livestock, which are the happiest and healthiest animals we have seen in India so far! The people who have been cured are encouraged to work and reunite with their families to help them to make the most of their lives. We were very lucky to have this opportunity; many people do not get to see inside this haven.
The afternoons are spent exploring the city, last night many of us went to see Mission Impossible in the movie theater, they still have a half time break over here, tickets are a measly 60 rupees ($1.50 NZD) and for that you get reclining seats!
After that we had dinner at our favorite restaurant, Blue Skies. This restaurant quickly became a favorite for its cheap, yummy meals and fabulous service. We have spent many of our rupees here and will likely spend many more over the next week!
Looking now into the crystal ball, the future looks is bright with Christmas just on the horizon and assurance that Father Christmas will be in Calcutta around 5 p.m. on Christmas evening. Looking now even further ahead we see we only have 1 week left in Calcutta before our marathon train journey to Mumbai and then Goa.
To all at home, we hope all is well and that everyone is in the Christmas spirit,
Much love from Calcutta,
Craig and Johannah
Monday, December 19, 2011
Kolkata - some reflections of our travels
Namaste Everyone
I thought I would quickly get on the blog and post a few reflections from the students of some of their observances so far.
I'm sorry the blog hasn't been as active as it should be - each student or student pair has been responsible for entering their accounts as we journey through this intriguing country. It seems the Kolkata events have hit a bit of a stand-still due to the change of routine in our working day (ie: we rise at 5 am ad walk from our hotel to the mother Teresa House for Mass at 6 am. after this we go downstairs to a back room where all the volunteers meet for a modest breakfast of chai tea, a piece of bread and a small banana. After this we pray for a good day working at our various homes, we then sing a very cool departure song to the volunteers who are leaving and then the door is rolled up and out we pour onto the Kolkata streets to make our way to the Mother homes scattered around Kolkata. Some of us go by bus, others walk and some can catch the train. This is the usual procedure of our day - we work until 12.30pm and then everyone from whichever home they are in make their own way back to our hotel - this is usually by tuk tuk or bus and as you can imagine lots of arguing takes place where students and tuk tuk drivers can be seen waving their arms profusely all the while negotiating a price for the ride. 10 rupees is what we negotiate and so far my group have managed to secure this price - Marty has laughed at some of us and told us we are quibling over 15c in our currency! I have to say many of the students are not only becoming street saavy they are also good at grinding down prices.
Anyway I really need to get back on track - Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that captures emotions, thoughts and a general sense of what is observed - It is written in 3 lines of syllables (5,7,5 syllables)- the first line is 5 syllables the 2nd 7 syllables and the 3rd 5 syllables. I was impressed with some of the observances of a few students - these are some of the observances
New Delhi Observances
Dust, dogs loitering
Horns blarring, people, tuk tuks
New Delhi immersed
A pigeon cooing
Outside my bedroom window
Contrast in Delhi
Kolkata Observances
There is loss and love
Life is abundant, precious
Can we comprehend?
Connor Eatwell
Western as Christchurch
but still never quite like home
Kolkata is bliss
Graig Stanton
Eyes with stories stare
from bodies twisted and torn
We help where we can
Henri Nelis
Love, laughter, tears, sweat
the real journey begins now
Life long memories
Georgina Milne
Stares from blank faces
As visitors pass them by
Are we invading?
Henri Nelis
I hope you have enjoyed these.
Hopefully you will get the next blog entry soon from the next pair of students - I have to say they have been trying desperately hard to get their blog time achieved - just so busy with other things right now.
We are all working hard and consuming all our new experiences.
Take care
Bernie
I thought I would quickly get on the blog and post a few reflections from the students of some of their observances so far.
I'm sorry the blog hasn't been as active as it should be - each student or student pair has been responsible for entering their accounts as we journey through this intriguing country. It seems the Kolkata events have hit a bit of a stand-still due to the change of routine in our working day (ie: we rise at 5 am ad walk from our hotel to the mother Teresa House for Mass at 6 am. after this we go downstairs to a back room where all the volunteers meet for a modest breakfast of chai tea, a piece of bread and a small banana. After this we pray for a good day working at our various homes, we then sing a very cool departure song to the volunteers who are leaving and then the door is rolled up and out we pour onto the Kolkata streets to make our way to the Mother homes scattered around Kolkata. Some of us go by bus, others walk and some can catch the train. This is the usual procedure of our day - we work until 12.30pm and then everyone from whichever home they are in make their own way back to our hotel - this is usually by tuk tuk or bus and as you can imagine lots of arguing takes place where students and tuk tuk drivers can be seen waving their arms profusely all the while negotiating a price for the ride. 10 rupees is what we negotiate and so far my group have managed to secure this price - Marty has laughed at some of us and told us we are quibling over 15c in our currency! I have to say many of the students are not only becoming street saavy they are also good at grinding down prices.
Anyway I really need to get back on track - Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that captures emotions, thoughts and a general sense of what is observed - It is written in 3 lines of syllables (5,7,5 syllables)- the first line is 5 syllables the 2nd 7 syllables and the 3rd 5 syllables. I was impressed with some of the observances of a few students - these are some of the observances
New Delhi Observances
Dust, dogs loitering
Horns blarring, people, tuk tuks
New Delhi immersed
A pigeon cooing
Outside my bedroom window
Contrast in Delhi
Kolkata Observances
There is loss and love
Life is abundant, precious
Can we comprehend?
Connor Eatwell
Western as Christchurch
but still never quite like home
Kolkata is bliss
Graig Stanton
Eyes with stories stare
from bodies twisted and torn
We help where we can
Henri Nelis
Love, laughter, tears, sweat
the real journey begins now
Life long memories
Georgina Milne
Stares from blank faces
As visitors pass them by
Are we invading?
Henri Nelis
I hope you have enjoyed these.
Hopefully you will get the next blog entry soon from the next pair of students - I have to say they have been trying desperately hard to get their blog time achieved - just so busy with other things right now.
We are all working hard and consuming all our new experiences.
Take care
Bernie
Friday, December 16, 2011
16th December
Sorry for the late post, but here we go :)
Hello all, Tuesday this week was our last day at the Hotel Surya in Varanassi, meaning we had to leave the pool and room service behind. We then took part in the amazing race Indian style where the two person teams all took a rickshaw 8 km back to the Ganges river for another look as the weather was much clearer than the previous day. It was good to be able to see the river rather than just 5 metres around us like the previous visit. Here we experienced a few things like a body being cremated. There were a large number of cows down by the river. From there we rickshawed back to the hotel to collect our gear and mission to the train station in peak hour traffic. Big thanks to the hotel manager who got out and guided the bus through a busy intersection otherwise we would have been stuck for hours. Finally arriving at the train station we had a bit of a wait on our hands which was partially filled by playing cricket with a few of the people and a bit of street dancing. The 11 or so hour train ride was reasonably eventful free and we arrived in Calcutta safe and sound. We took taxis to our new home of two weeks, the Emirates hotel. It was good to get there and unpack. At the hotel we came across a group of Auckland boys who were doing the same trip except in a different order, it was good to have some communication with kids our age who could speak english. We exchanged tips and other bits and pieces we had all found out and learnt a few handy tricks. After this we walked down and registered for our charatible work and went for a visit to the mother house. The following day was a bit of a chill and rest day, we ended up down at the local park where some of us participated in sports with the locals. The kiwi football team came out on top with a 2 - 1 win over some local boys as did the kiwi cricket team winning there match. Jermaine was lucky enough to go behind the counter at the local Mc Donalds to inspect how clean and sanitary it was, turns out far better than our ones at home! Some people went to check out the markets around the corner. Coming to today we were all up nice and early to get ready for our first mass and day of work, we were at the mother house by quarter to 6 followed by our breakfast of 2 pieces of bread, a banana and some chai tea. Today was an interesting experience going to our allocated homes and helping out all the patients. It showed to us all really just how lucky we are to be healthy and able to live in a clean and healthy environment with loving families around us. I'm sure we are all looking forward to the up coming days of being able to go back to our centres and do our bit in helping out.
Cheers for your time:) blog from Millie and Tom.
Hello all, Tuesday this week was our last day at the Hotel Surya in Varanassi, meaning we had to leave the pool and room service behind. We then took part in the amazing race Indian style where the two person teams all took a rickshaw 8 km back to the Ganges river for another look as the weather was much clearer than the previous day. It was good to be able to see the river rather than just 5 metres around us like the previous visit. Here we experienced a few things like a body being cremated. There were a large number of cows down by the river. From there we rickshawed back to the hotel to collect our gear and mission to the train station in peak hour traffic. Big thanks to the hotel manager who got out and guided the bus through a busy intersection otherwise we would have been stuck for hours. Finally arriving at the train station we had a bit of a wait on our hands which was partially filled by playing cricket with a few of the people and a bit of street dancing. The 11 or so hour train ride was reasonably eventful free and we arrived in Calcutta safe and sound. We took taxis to our new home of two weeks, the Emirates hotel. It was good to get there and unpack. At the hotel we came across a group of Auckland boys who were doing the same trip except in a different order, it was good to have some communication with kids our age who could speak english. We exchanged tips and other bits and pieces we had all found out and learnt a few handy tricks. After this we walked down and registered for our charatible work and went for a visit to the mother house. The following day was a bit of a chill and rest day, we ended up down at the local park where some of us participated in sports with the locals. The kiwi football team came out on top with a 2 - 1 win over some local boys as did the kiwi cricket team winning there match. Jermaine was lucky enough to go behind the counter at the local Mc Donalds to inspect how clean and sanitary it was, turns out far better than our ones at home! Some people went to check out the markets around the corner. Coming to today we were all up nice and early to get ready for our first mass and day of work, we were at the mother house by quarter to 6 followed by our breakfast of 2 pieces of bread, a banana and some chai tea. Today was an interesting experience going to our allocated homes and helping out all the patients. It showed to us all really just how lucky we are to be healthy and able to live in a clean and healthy environment with loving families around us. I'm sure we are all looking forward to the up coming days of being able to go back to our centres and do our bit in helping out.
Cheers for your time:) blog from Millie and Tom.
Monday, December 12, 2011
A River-ting Day at the Ganges
Kia Ora blog buddies,
Our day began with a splash at the early hour of 5:30am. We all woke up and rushed around to get ready after a night of fairy bread and birthday celebrations for our two birthday candidates Hannah and Kieran. We took a short bus ride north until we hit the edge of the Ganges River. Our bus then magically transformed somewhat like this .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ts_77N-iM
Ok, maybe not quite like that. We were driven to some narrow windy roads and walked a good 10 minutes until we reached the stairs on which the Ganges river lay. We were thrown in the deep end and had to hop onto an old yet suprisingly spacious wooden row boat accompanied by the wise and knowledgable Mr Dupati. Although we could only see 5 metres around us, the fog gave the experience an almost mystical aura and gave a great opportunity for some self-reflection. We even got to view a Hindu cremation taking place at the famous Ganges cremation site. As the day went flowing by we also visited the second biggest Hindu temple in the world within the campus of the third largest university in India. Some students visited the silk factory in the afternoon to experience one of the last hand-woven silk factories in action. By the of the day, our thoughts and memories were saturated, and our energies run dry. Time for some much-needed R & R (rest and re-hydration).
Love from Eden Roberts and Jesse Bryan
P.S. Big shout outs to Deirdre and Marisa. Peace x0
Our day began with a splash at the early hour of 5:30am. We all woke up and rushed around to get ready after a night of fairy bread and birthday celebrations for our two birthday candidates Hannah and Kieran. We took a short bus ride north until we hit the edge of the Ganges River. Our bus then magically transformed somewhat like this .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ts_77N-iM
Ok, maybe not quite like that. We were driven to some narrow windy roads and walked a good 10 minutes until we reached the stairs on which the Ganges river lay. We were thrown in the deep end and had to hop onto an old yet suprisingly spacious wooden row boat accompanied by the wise and knowledgable Mr Dupati. Although we could only see 5 metres around us, the fog gave the experience an almost mystical aura and gave a great opportunity for some self-reflection. We even got to view a Hindu cremation taking place at the famous Ganges cremation site. As the day went flowing by we also visited the second biggest Hindu temple in the world within the campus of the third largest university in India. Some students visited the silk factory in the afternoon to experience one of the last hand-woven silk factories in action. By the of the day, our thoughts and memories were saturated, and our energies run dry. Time for some much-needed R & R (rest and re-hydration).
Love from Eden Roberts and Jesse Bryan
P.S. Big shout outs to Deirdre and Marisa. Peace x0
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Leaving Delhi
Namaste Everyone
A group of weary backpacked people trudged their way from the Namaster Hotel to the railway station to await the train to Agra.
We were sorry to leave our home of 4 days which we had come to like, despite the leaks and inconsistencies of some of our rooms.
Our train-ride to Agra enabled us to see another side of this amazing country; An Indian sunrise – a red sun evolving from a distant horizon was quite a spectacle. Looking out from our train window we passed many mud and straw huts, cow and mud pats being made and laid out to dry, fields of curry plants and people performing all sorts of ablutions – a sight for sore eyes.
Arriving in Agra brought about a whole new set of sights. People with all sorts of ailments were at us with out-reaching hands from the moment we left the train to make our way to the bus. The twisted and distorted figures of some of the people we have seen has imprinted strong images in our minds.
Our guide for the Taj Mahal herded us down the various metal isles like cattle – ladies in one isle, men in the other – AND then the ‘pat down’ prior to entering the Taj Mahal grounds. (These pat downs are becoming quite a frequent occurrence with various visits – we had a pat-down while in Delhi when visiting Connaught Place)
The Taj was truly breath-taking. Before you enter, there is an arch-way from where the Taj Mahal can be seen, and then when you walk through – there it is in its full glory. It really is a breath-taking image.
We were given a grand tour and before entering the actual Taj building we were given some cotton shoe covers to put on.
What an amazing piece of architecture – the inlay of various stones that make up the decorative features within this building is truly a work of intricate art.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years to complete and the history is sooooo rich. What an amazing time we had and of course we couldn’t leave without having a group photo taken on the famous ‘Lady Di’ bench seat situated in front of the Taj.
What an awesome experience and we couldn’t help but notice the cues lining up on our way out.
Lunch was at – wait for it – ‘The Only Restaurant’ in Agra (of course there are many to choose from) This was another great experience – we were treated to a great lunch and even better still an Indian puppet show. This was followed by a young turbaned Indian boy performing a head wobble dance – simply fantastic – this drew lots of fascinated looks.
The Red Fort after lunch was another splendid visit. Our guide went over a range of facts, but the that seemed to evoke the most attention the one about the King having 600 concubines! The boys were gob-smacked. You can imagine the comments.
On returning to the bus from this visit we had another onslaught of hawkers attacking us from all directions. Each with an array of various trinkets and souvenirs’. Some of the bartering actualized in chess sets and elephants being bought.
Before leaving Agra we visited a Marble factory where we were able to see first-hand the process of delicate inlay work where the smallest of pieces of various stones were being hand filed and carefully placed into marble. Painstakingly slow and arduous task reaping rather low returns.
Some of the students have purchased some beautiful pieces from here – so some of you no doubt will be receiving some lovely gifts made from expert hands.
The trip from Agra to the railway station could be described as a vertical nightmare as far as traffic goes. The yellow roofs of the tuk tuks were like bees to honey – and if you can imagine along with that, cows, rickshaws, people carrying various loads on their heads and dogs and buses all in one conglomeration all heading in the same direction – simply abysmal! An approximate 30 km journey to the train station took 2 hours.
On arrival at the train station we were met by a smattering of rats on the platform – darting this way and that and on the railway lines, stray dogs cleverly negotiating their destiny as speeding trains whizzed by.
After some waiting; our train with 3 tier bunks enabled this tired and weary bunch of travelers a much needed sleep. Crammed in the cubicles we managed to squash our padlocked backpacks under seats and in any other space available before our much needed rest.
Our arrival at Varanasi has been yet another tremendous experience. We were given an amazing welcome. Our packs were carried off the bus by the staff and on entering the reception at the Surya Hotel we were each greeted with a beautiful marigold lay and dubbed on the forehead with a red dot of oil. What a fab hotel – Everyone has a lovely room and there is a swimming pool on the complex – such a contrast from the Namasker Hotel and of course another slice of Indian hospitality.
So far our group are holding out well – there have only been 2 cases of mild Dehli belly. Over all we are doing exceptionally well and living this awesome experience day by day.
Eden will be blogging the Ganges and Varanasi experience.
Bernie
A group of weary backpacked people trudged their way from the Namaster Hotel to the railway station to await the train to Agra.
We were sorry to leave our home of 4 days which we had come to like, despite the leaks and inconsistencies of some of our rooms.
Our train-ride to Agra enabled us to see another side of this amazing country; An Indian sunrise – a red sun evolving from a distant horizon was quite a spectacle. Looking out from our train window we passed many mud and straw huts, cow and mud pats being made and laid out to dry, fields of curry plants and people performing all sorts of ablutions – a sight for sore eyes.
Arriving in Agra brought about a whole new set of sights. People with all sorts of ailments were at us with out-reaching hands from the moment we left the train to make our way to the bus. The twisted and distorted figures of some of the people we have seen has imprinted strong images in our minds.
Our guide for the Taj Mahal herded us down the various metal isles like cattle – ladies in one isle, men in the other – AND then the ‘pat down’ prior to entering the Taj Mahal grounds. (These pat downs are becoming quite a frequent occurrence with various visits – we had a pat-down while in Delhi when visiting Connaught Place)
The Taj was truly breath-taking. Before you enter, there is an arch-way from where the Taj Mahal can be seen, and then when you walk through – there it is in its full glory. It really is a breath-taking image.
We were given a grand tour and before entering the actual Taj building we were given some cotton shoe covers to put on.
What an amazing piece of architecture – the inlay of various stones that make up the decorative features within this building is truly a work of intricate art.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years to complete and the history is sooooo rich. What an amazing time we had and of course we couldn’t leave without having a group photo taken on the famous ‘Lady Di’ bench seat situated in front of the Taj.
What an awesome experience and we couldn’t help but notice the cues lining up on our way out.
Lunch was at – wait for it – ‘The Only Restaurant’ in Agra (of course there are many to choose from) This was another great experience – we were treated to a great lunch and even better still an Indian puppet show. This was followed by a young turbaned Indian boy performing a head wobble dance – simply fantastic – this drew lots of fascinated looks.
The Red Fort after lunch was another splendid visit. Our guide went over a range of facts, but the that seemed to evoke the most attention the one about the King having 600 concubines! The boys were gob-smacked. You can imagine the comments.
On returning to the bus from this visit we had another onslaught of hawkers attacking us from all directions. Each with an array of various trinkets and souvenirs’. Some of the bartering actualized in chess sets and elephants being bought.
Before leaving Agra we visited a Marble factory where we were able to see first-hand the process of delicate inlay work where the smallest of pieces of various stones were being hand filed and carefully placed into marble. Painstakingly slow and arduous task reaping rather low returns.
Some of the students have purchased some beautiful pieces from here – so some of you no doubt will be receiving some lovely gifts made from expert hands.
The trip from Agra to the railway station could be described as a vertical nightmare as far as traffic goes. The yellow roofs of the tuk tuks were like bees to honey – and if you can imagine along with that, cows, rickshaws, people carrying various loads on their heads and dogs and buses all in one conglomeration all heading in the same direction – simply abysmal! An approximate 30 km journey to the train station took 2 hours.
On arrival at the train station we were met by a smattering of rats on the platform – darting this way and that and on the railway lines, stray dogs cleverly negotiating their destiny as speeding trains whizzed by.
After some waiting; our train with 3 tier bunks enabled this tired and weary bunch of travelers a much needed sleep. Crammed in the cubicles we managed to squash our padlocked backpacks under seats and in any other space available before our much needed rest.
Our arrival at Varanasi has been yet another tremendous experience. We were given an amazing welcome. Our packs were carried off the bus by the staff and on entering the reception at the Surya Hotel we were each greeted with a beautiful marigold lay and dubbed on the forehead with a red dot of oil. What a fab hotel – Everyone has a lovely room and there is a swimming pool on the complex – such a contrast from the Namasker Hotel and of course another slice of Indian hospitality.
So far our group are holding out well – there have only been 2 cases of mild Dehli belly. Over all we are doing exceptionally well and living this awesome experience day by day.
Eden will be blogging the Ganges and Varanasi experience.
Bernie
Friday, December 9, 2011
Day 3 - exploring and getting street savvy
By today everyone was feeling buff and super street smart; we could haggle and hail a cab and get around, so we had breakfast and then hit the town. We started off at the underground market: a massive complex with its entrances dotted aroud the city and countless shops and vendors creating an endless maze. Of course, being very obviously from overseas, we were the prime targets for salespeople. Scary salespeople. We were led to shops on the other side of the complex as people competed for a juicy chunk of tourist rupees. Everyone went their own way, but the group I went with headed to the parlaiment buildings. We set up an amazing race type situation with tuk-tuks being the method of transportation, which resulted in our group offering extra rupees to beat the other team. (We lost anyway)
After taking photos of huuuge buildings, monkeys and getting stern looks from soldiers carrying rifles of every origin, we started to head out, at which point the last team arrived. Afterwards we hit the India Gate. Absolutely fantastic, however slightly marred by the vast multitudes of cunning salespeople. It could only be described as abuse. We retreated hurriedly, and headed back to the hotel. Walking is not recommended.
Words can't describe the noises, the smells, the little kids tugging on your sleeves, the salespeople who are so grateful for that 5 rupee note (around 13 cents), seeing buildings abandoned by people who could maintain it but reoccupied by others. A lot of people have described it as post-apocolyptic, but its one of the loveliest places I know. They have something we don't, perhaps because we have the rest, but that something is the gold that the rest of us end up looking for anyway. Deeeeep, but something thats on the surface in India. Last day in Delhi today, longest day tomorrow, wish us luck!
God bless
After taking photos of huuuge buildings, monkeys and getting stern looks from soldiers carrying rifles of every origin, we started to head out, at which point the last team arrived. Afterwards we hit the India Gate. Absolutely fantastic, however slightly marred by the vast multitudes of cunning salespeople. It could only be described as abuse. We retreated hurriedly, and headed back to the hotel. Walking is not recommended.
Words can't describe the noises, the smells, the little kids tugging on your sleeves, the salespeople who are so grateful for that 5 rupee note (around 13 cents), seeing buildings abandoned by people who could maintain it but reoccupied by others. A lot of people have described it as post-apocolyptic, but its one of the loveliest places I know. They have something we don't, perhaps because we have the rest, but that something is the gold that the rest of us end up looking for anyway. Deeeeep, but something thats on the surface in India. Last day in Delhi today, longest day tomorrow, wish us luck!
God bless
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
We have arrived!
Namaste Everyone
We are here and we are in full form. The 11 hour flight from Christchurch to Singapore and then the quick change-over for the 5 hour flight to New Delhi, is now, after a full day's excursion beginning to take its toll.
We woke to the sounds of dogs barking, tuktuks beeping and the general hussle and bussle of the Delhi lifestyle.
We walked into the main Bazaar bursting with busy street life and Marty took us to our first group breakfast. Strangely enough the most popular choice was the "American Breakfast" Most of us are being extremely careful not to be too adventurous - just in case!
After breakfast everyone experienced the tuktuk rides to St Colombus school where Brother Lenny Lobo, the principal was waiting for us. This is a Catholic boys college and we were taken to a classroom where a group of their senior boys talked of their education experiences while our boys listened with keen intent. Wow, the students at St Colombus' were most inspiring and they have an acute sense of the value of education. Very articulate and extremely focused. Our boys were given a tour around the school and then treated to lunch and a bottle of coke. Brother Lenny was most accommodating and kind. He orgainsed our taxis to our next destination.
The New Zealand High Commission was great. The staff were very welcoming and we were treated to a "high tea" of - wait for it... cucumber sandwiches and cake - What a splendid afternoon it was sitting in the safety and good company of the New Zealand High Commission ambassadors.The boys performed the haka twice today and both performances were superb. Both the students at St Colombus' and the NZ high Commission staff were impressed.
We have all purchased and replenished our water bottles and (made sure the seals were safe) and have not long returned from a fabulous dinner which we had in a restaurant on the roof-top not far from where we are staying.
Some of us have dared to take a risk and have eaten spicy food, including the odd chicken dish. We will wait and see what eventuates.
Tonight at dinner some of our boys were dressed in their new attire - colourful Indian pants and tops - many of the students wandered around the bazaar and markets before dinner and already they are gaining the art of bartering.
The reflection group sessions this evening revealed some interesting feedback which included some of the following comments: - "I can't get over the noise, its constant! I love this place, the tuktuks are sooooo cool, I really enjoyed visiting St Colombus school and the Sacred Heart church, I really like the atmosphere, The Indian people are so helpful, there are so many things to check up on, like the water bottle, the hand sanitizer, and the passport being on and inside your shirt". And this is only day one. By the look of a few of the faces tonight; jetlag looks like it has kicked in. Tomorrow we are off to Sewa Ashram - a rehabilitation compound for the very needy. We will leave after breakfast and this will be another interesting day.
Prue you are right - all senses have well and truly been activated and this is just the beginning. We are blessed with another superb group of students who have opened their minds and their hearts to their new immersion journey.
Please excuse the errors I am finding it difficult to concentrate - a combination of jetlag and lots of noise and activity in this internet room.
Will keep you posted.
Bernie
We are here and we are in full form. The 11 hour flight from Christchurch to Singapore and then the quick change-over for the 5 hour flight to New Delhi, is now, after a full day's excursion beginning to take its toll.
We woke to the sounds of dogs barking, tuktuks beeping and the general hussle and bussle of the Delhi lifestyle.
We walked into the main Bazaar bursting with busy street life and Marty took us to our first group breakfast. Strangely enough the most popular choice was the "American Breakfast" Most of us are being extremely careful not to be too adventurous - just in case!
After breakfast everyone experienced the tuktuk rides to St Colombus school where Brother Lenny Lobo, the principal was waiting for us. This is a Catholic boys college and we were taken to a classroom where a group of their senior boys talked of their education experiences while our boys listened with keen intent. Wow, the students at St Colombus' were most inspiring and they have an acute sense of the value of education. Very articulate and extremely focused. Our boys were given a tour around the school and then treated to lunch and a bottle of coke. Brother Lenny was most accommodating and kind. He orgainsed our taxis to our next destination.
The New Zealand High Commission was great. The staff were very welcoming and we were treated to a "high tea" of - wait for it... cucumber sandwiches and cake - What a splendid afternoon it was sitting in the safety and good company of the New Zealand High Commission ambassadors.The boys performed the haka twice today and both performances were superb. Both the students at St Colombus' and the NZ high Commission staff were impressed.
We have all purchased and replenished our water bottles and (made sure the seals were safe) and have not long returned from a fabulous dinner which we had in a restaurant on the roof-top not far from where we are staying.
Some of us have dared to take a risk and have eaten spicy food, including the odd chicken dish. We will wait and see what eventuates.
Tonight at dinner some of our boys were dressed in their new attire - colourful Indian pants and tops - many of the students wandered around the bazaar and markets before dinner and already they are gaining the art of bartering.
The reflection group sessions this evening revealed some interesting feedback which included some of the following comments: - "I can't get over the noise, its constant! I love this place, the tuktuks are sooooo cool, I really enjoyed visiting St Colombus school and the Sacred Heart church, I really like the atmosphere, The Indian people are so helpful, there are so many things to check up on, like the water bottle, the hand sanitizer, and the passport being on and inside your shirt". And this is only day one. By the look of a few of the faces tonight; jetlag looks like it has kicked in. Tomorrow we are off to Sewa Ashram - a rehabilitation compound for the very needy. We will leave after breakfast and this will be another interesting day.
Prue you are right - all senses have well and truly been activated and this is just the beginning. We are blessed with another superb group of students who have opened their minds and their hearts to their new immersion journey.
Please excuse the errors I am finding it difficult to concentrate - a combination of jetlag and lots of noise and activity in this internet room.
Will keep you posted.
Bernie
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