Ooty

When we arrived in Ooty it was misty, cool and very green. It was a beautiful change from hot, hot and polluted Bangalore. The cool air made you crave a hot cup of tea... so we headed out for a tea factory tour.

"Highest Elevation Tea Factory in South Asia"

TEA!!


Like a sample? Why SURE!

So tasty we bought some!

Tea grows on nearly every surface here

Beautiful fresh carrots

Ooty is also known for its chocolate

Mmmm, chocolate souvenir for Daddy!!

Waiting for our take-away dinner... murgh malai kabab and noodles with chicken and vegies. We took it home to our cabin where I had a bottle of wine waiting and housekeeping came and lit the fireplace in the sitting room. Lovely!!


In India we are used to seeing dogs, goats, and cows on their own, eating garbage, and negotiating traffic but horses are a rare sight - much less horses on their own but they were plentiful in Ooty.

Indus Day

Every Spring Indus students & teachers put on a big show for the parents called "Indus Day". It's quite a production and takes a lot of time away from class time to prepare but it's something the school takes a lot of pride in.
Annika was a non-speaking character in a play about musical notes and Auggie danced to a song - both did really well.

Annika getting ready to go!

We had to buy a floor-length gown for her role - perfect for our little princess.

We had to drop Auggie at his classroom first - some of the costumes were just amazing.

More of Auggie's friends excited about their upcoming performance.

Such a proud boy in such a crazy outfit - we had to pay Rps. 500/ for that set! We're sure to wear that again... not!

Another of Auggie's classmates

Older students and their amazing costumes


Principal's address to parents and guests

GO AUGGIE!!! That was HOT HOT HOT!

Annika on stage, her main role was being first on stage and waving to the crowd but we were not at the right vantage point to capture it on video. She was very nervous and did an awesome job.


Take a bow!

Happy Birthday Linda!!

كل سنة وانتي طيبة
(kol sana wenti tayeba)

Our Cherry Blossoms are blooming, just for you. :-)

Saree giveaway

I was invited by a Children's Association to come and hand out 100 free sarees to village women and the less fortunate. I was excited for the experience and wanted to share it with the children so they could see how the villagers would react to this act of kindness.


The kids and I gave out the first 10 sarees and the que of women waiting was very orderly and calm.




After the 10 were given we were asked to stand aside for our safety because things could get out of hand. I had just read about 60 women who had died in a temple stampede the week before so I felt their warning was appropriate and we stood aside.

There was no stampede and the event continued to be very orderly.


More sarees!!

Josephine happy with her new saree.

A few of Jenne's photos from the event:





See Dagan's great video of the event click here

Our daughter the entrepreneur

Annika always wants to sell something - her old toys, Xmas cards she made out of construction paper, cookies she baked, etc.
This morning I was in the kitchen and heard Annika and her friend Joy in the car port. I went outside to discover her new manicure shop. Well, I guess it's more of a nail polish applying shop. Rps. 10/!

Sign on the front door reads "Nail Polish Painting" with an arrow pointing toward the car port

Waiting for a customer

Well, I guess my own nails could use a second coat...

Urli

Haven't posted one of these in a while...

Taco Bell comes to India!

India just opened it's FIRST Taco Bell and gratefully... it's in BANGALORE!!
We're so excited to go try it.

Menu:
Tacos:
Crunchy Taco - potato
Crunchy Taco - chicken
Volcano Taco - potato
Volcano Taco - chicken
Burritos:
Grilled Stuft Burrito - fajita & paneer
Grilled Stuft Burrito - chicken
Grilled Stuft Burrito - tangy chicken
Potato & Paneer Burrito
Spicy Chicken Burrito
Bean Burrito

FAQ's
DO YOU HAVE A GOOD VEGETARIAN RANGE?
Absolutely! We’d do anything to delight you and this includes a WIDE vegetarian menu as well. In fact we have a vegetarian item in every product category as well as a range of veg combos that you will love!

DO YOU TAKE RESERVATIONS?
You are welcome, anytime. We don’t make reservations. We serve our food very fast and promise not to keep you waiting long even if we are busy.

IS THIS YOUR ONLY LOCATION?
Yes, Mantri Square mall Bangalore houses India’s FIRST Taco Bell store. We will however want to be wherever you want us to – so we’re planning on opening more locations soon. Our website will keep posted.

I BELIEVE YOU OFFER UNLIMITED PEPSI?
Firstly, stop believing things – come in here and check it out for yourself. Secondly, yes we do offer free refills on the entire Pepsi Range!!!

WHAT IS A TACO?
A great tasting product!! On a serious note, “Taco” is a product made out of corn or flour. We, at Taco Bell, are currently serving only corn tacos. We have a classic version – the CRUNCHY TACO and a spicy version – the VOLCANO TACO. These are filled with lettuce, delicious sauces & veg / non-veg fillings depending on whatever you like!

WHAT IS A TORTILLA?
It’s a tongue twister, apart from being a product which looks like our ‘chapatti’ and is made with flour. This is filled with unique combinations of Mexican inspired ingredients & then rolled / folded / grilled to make great tasting, craveable products.

A walk in the Village

Today I went into the village next to my community to speak with a woman who runs an organization called The Sri Sai Ram Children Welfare Association. She is having an event on Sunday and two opposing political organizations are trying to tie themselves to the event to get exposure for do-gooding so she has asked me to stand with her. Why me? 1) She wants someone non-political so it won't be tagged as a political event 2) she can't choose one political organization over the other because then she'll loose the support of the other AND when the election is over she'll probably never hear from the organization she did side with 3) foreigners, especially from the U.S., are high profile so she'll get a bigger bang for her buck (I'm not being paid, but you know what I mean) for having me there. She will hand out 100 free sarees to less fortunate members of the community and has asked me to help with that. Hell yes I'll help with that.
I decided to walk because being in the villages is always a treat.


Big pot hole filled with rocks in the street outside Ozone.

Darling schoolgirl on her way to school.

Election is coming - political flags

Rangoli on the sidewalk outside a house

Gutter filled with trash and human excrement

Cyber cafe? I wonder what speed they run at...



Peeking over a fence

Roadside temple

The woman in yellow is Varalakshmi, head of the Children Welfare Association. She is beautiful and the mother of SIX children! This is her 2-room + bath home and three of her children.

1 more little one sleeping on a mat on the floor.

After our meeting, Varalakshmi took me to meet her mother. She is stunning with her long gray hair, strong features and not a wrinkle on her face. I wanted to take a close up of just her but she couldn't understand why I wanted to take her photo in the first place so I just have this one.

On my walk back home I stopped to appreciate the beautiful purple blossoms on this tree, as I was framing a shot I noticed the goat cadavers hanging in the doorway behind the tree, so I had to include them.

Watch where you step!

On Whitefield Main I walked passed many very generic looking shops but as I passed one driveway I saw an interesting building in the background. I decided to investigate and was surprised to see "The General Stores Whitefield EST 1915" - too bad it's so hidden, it was beautiful.