Preschool field trip to India Post

What's better than a preschool field trip? Well....tons of things actually....but, thankfully, it doesn't take much to get a group of three year olds excited. So this expedition to the India Post branch near the school was a big hit.

The bicycles that carry our mail from the branch out into the community. After seeing these and the way the post was piled haphazardly onto the bikes, I understand why most things mailed to us never make it.

The mail sorting area. Yep, laundry baskets full of it.

The class even got to meet the postmaster. He may have been the thinnest man I have ever met.

Rebekah with her stamp. The three year olds had made Diwali cards earlier in the week. They got to put the stamps on them and post them. Thankfully, ours arrived a few days later. Rebekah would have been very disappointed if it hadn't made it.

Showing off the cards with stamps all ready to go into the mailbox. (Rachel was off school that day and got to tag along. She enjoyed being the big kid in the bunch.)

Into the post box go the hand made Diwali cards.

Diwali Celebration

Our wonderful neighbor, Vanessa, had a group of us over for a delicious Diwali dinner. She spent all day cooking for six couples and seventeen kids under the age of ten. This was our first Diwali in India. Many of our friends and neighbors were traveling due to offices and schools being closed for the holiday. We are very thankful to Vanessa for including us in their celebrations.

The children's table.

Zara, Versailles, and Rachel heading out to set off firecrackers.

Rebekah and Torrin ready for some sparklers and crackers.

Rachel and Versailles

Let the celebrations begin!!

Below is Rebekah's first experience with a sparkler. I was nervous, of course, but she loved it. Rachel on the other hand wouldn't go anywhere near them. Dan had to hold her during most of the fireworks. I guess the fire safety section at school really had an impact on her.

It's beginning to look a lot like Diwali....

The holiday season has arrived in India. Diwali is a five day festival for Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs also known as the Festival of Lights. Many aspects of Diwali remind me of Christmas in the US and Chinese New Year in China. Families travel from distances to be together, eat a big meal, and exchange gifts. People decorate their homes with lights. Shops have huge Diwali sales with sweets, gifts, decorations, cards, and clothing.

Rebekah and her diya she made in preschool. They are commonly filled with oil and a wick but we opted for the tea light instead.

Rachel with the Rangoli she made in Indian studies beside a large one on campus at the American Embassy School.

Following the theme of the Festival of Lights many homes are decorated for the holiday.

Looking up at our building with all the Diwali decorations.

elephant washing

One of my favorite parts of being in Corbett was our late morning and afternoon by the Kosi River. While eating breakfast after the early morning safari, one of the rangers walked up with a huge grin on his face. "M'am, girls, would you be interested in accompanying me to the river. We will be washing the elephants at eleven a.m. Maybe you could help us." Really, we can help? Of course, I said yes immediately. I was THRILLED. I think even more excited than the girls. We followed our guide to the beautiful riverside. (Unfortunately, this was the only day that Dan had to work while we were on holiday. We left him carrying his laptop around looking for a wireless connection.)

As we near the river, there they are, being led by their handlers through the water. It was an amazing sight to see. So big, so strong, but also so calm, and so peaceful.

They brought them right up to the shore where we could get up close and personal with the elephants. Two female elephants right in front of us. The handler said that the males can be aggressive at times so they only use females for work with people. Rebekah was very excited about touching the elephant. Rachel stood back and had no desire to get very close. They use flat rocks from the riverbed to scrub the mud and dead skin off the elephant. These huge ladies thoroughly seemed to enjoy the bath/massage treatment.

The handlers would have allowed us to get in and help wash the elephants. I tried and tried to talk the girls into it but had no takers. Below she is helping to rinse herself....just beautiful

The girls decided that it was more fun and interesting to play in the river. They used sand, rocks, and sticks to build. We ended up spending almost three hours watching the elephants, building in the sand, and just hanging by the Kosi.

After they finished washing the elephants, the men wrapped themselves in towels, stripped down, bathed themselves, and also washed their clothes in the river. That's one way to get all your chores done at the same time.

Corbett Trip, Early Morning Safari

On our first full day at Tiger Camp, we woke up much before the sun and headed out in an open jeep on our first safari. It was dark and cold but beautiful and peaceful. The multitude of stars seemed close enough to reach out and grab one. The blankets were warm and the adventure had begun. Dan and I were both grumbling when the alarm went off at 400 am. "Why is it necessary to be in the jeep at 430?" Grumble, grumble. We found out why.....there are limited entries into the tiger reserve each day. We had to stop at the ranger's office and register with our passports for admission at the park. When we arrived at the office, there were already ten jeeps waiting. It took about an hour to get everything stamped and double checked. By 530, the sun was starting to peek over the mountains and we were on our way.

The girls at first were cranky about being woken so early. They quickly rallied and starting being their normal, silly selves.

The sun was just coming up as we made our way through the first checkpoint at the tiger reserve. The cool clear air, blue skies, lack of pollution, being with my family....it was just an amazing morning.

Peacocks out for a morning stroll along the riverbanks.

Future safari guide Rebekah testing out the binoculars Gramcracker (my mom) gave her for Christmas. She loved being just like the real guide.

They even pose on safari :)

The closest we came to seeing an actual tiger was these paw prints or pug marks. They were fresh from the night before. As cool as it would be to see a tiger, I was in some ways glad to not come up close and personal with one. Rachel got a little nervous when she realized that a tiger had been walking on the same road as we were driving.

We were back at the hotel by 1000 am for a delicious breakfast and much needed nap.

Tiger Camp

We arrived at Tiger Camp safe and sound thanks to our wonderful driver Nemlal. I know you are probably tired of hearing me gush about him, but we are just so thankful to have found him. The girls love him, he is kind and gentle, and most importantly a safe, cautious driver. He is quickly starting to feel like one of the family. So, enough about Nemlal, back to the trip.....after a seven hour drive through small villages and cities, fields and farms, over bumps, and around ox, horse, and donkey carts we finally see the sign. Woo-hoo!! It's Tiger Camp!!

The wonderful, courteous staff led us to our own little cottage nestled among the trees. I was sold as soon as we turned the corner and were greeted by this relaxing front porch. Thankfully, the inside was just as nice and comfortable. The girls enjoyed sitting on the porch with their Barbies and a snack most afternoons.

After unpacking and being refreshed, our guide took us on a tour of the property. Again, I can't say enough nice things about him. He was with us throughout the stay at Tiger Camp and had amazing patience with the girls.

Following the path down to the Kosi River.

Such a beautiful sunset over the mountains and river. This is one of my favorite photos of Rachel from the trip. She was relaxed and watching some ponies being led to the river for an evening drink. We were able to capture her serenity at just watching the nature around us. This place is a bird watcher's paradise. Our guide is very knowledgeable on all the flying wildlife around Corbett. As beautiful and serene the river front is, we were specifically told not to go to the riverside after dark. We found out why when on our elephant safari later in the trip.

Along the path to the river, there was tons of elephant poop. Rebekah was jut obsessed with the size of it. She kept asking, "Is it real or pretend." Here she is comparing the size of one elephant patty to her foot. You should have seen how excited she was when we actually saw an elephant pooping. Oh....the little things that entertain the mind of three year old ;)

Corbett Trip

We finally made our first trip outside of the Delhi/Gurgaon area. Rachel had a week off school due to the Commonwealth Games being held in New Delhi so we headed north to Corbett Tiger Reserve. With our wonderful driver, Nemlal, at the wheel we loaded up our Toyota Innova with videos, snacks, and Barbies and headed out early the morning of October 13.

It was a seven hour drive through villages and small cities. The opportunity to see daily life outside of the capital city was amazing. Since we started out at an early hour, we saw the villages starting to wake up and come to life. Trucks were being loaded with goods for market, people were heading out to the fields, and shopkeepers were sweeping entry ways. Students loaded into their "school bus" for the drive to the nearest school.

About halfway through the seven hour drive we came upon this big, new McDonald's sitting along the highway in the middle of nowhere. It seemed strange but was a comforting site. It fit my westernized comfort zone so we made a pit stop for familiar food and a clean bathroom. I felt a little guilty making this stop. Here we are in India, starting on an adventure to the jungle and we stop at McDonald's?? I admit I enjoy my french fries as much at the girls do.

The area around Corbett is made up of many farms. Rice, beets, mango and litchi orchards, lentils, teak, and sugarcane make up the agrarian life in Uttarakhand.