Back to India

As this trip got closer and closer, I was wondering why I'm going back.  There was no doubt I wanted to connect with the grandsons, and was missing A&M, but the reality of the expense and the effort of the trip was hitting me.
After the 16plus hours of flying and a 12 hour layover in Delhi, we were picked up in Allahabad by the Streets.  What a joy to see them again!  As we entered the congested streets on the way to their home, my love for this place returned and the thrill to be here was back!  The chaotic, risky driving, the smell of burning trash, the fat cows standing in the pathway watching you go by, the colorful saris, stray dogs, whiffs of Indian spices cooking.  What a fascinating place to be!

A&M have moved so we enjoyed the tour of their new home before a supper and to bed.

Here's a happy girl with a syrupy sweet that A&M bought.

 This is in the living room.  This apartment is much bigger with 3 bedrooms plus a room for a study and 3 western toilets.  Versus Indian ones where you just squat! :-)  Lots of transom windows above the doors.

 These two best buddies reunited....

 Lots of cabinets!!

 Another living room shot....Don thinks the ceilings are 12 foot.

 Bedrooms have built-in wardrobes.  Morgan has more storage than she can fill right now.

 A large laundry room!  Yay....no more sharing the laundryroom and bath room.

Don and I slept well the first night....but it never felt like morning.  We drug ourselves out of bed and felt like it was the middle of the night.  Yesterday, we felt like a truck had hit us, but we still manged to visit a few friends of the Streets and help around the house and enjoy the boys!!

 The dining room with another built in cabinet and the new dining room table....

 Using an Indian broom to sweep the laundry room

 What do you bring Americans who live in India?  Reeses are not found here (CRIME!).  Snickers, yes, but Reeses, no.   Their favorite marinades, utility blade, plastic wire connectors.....and rat traps!!!  The rat traps here are the glue kind which catch the rat, but don't kill them.  Most Indians will take the rats they catch in their home and let them go elsewhere!!  But not Andrew (I knew he was a good choice for Morgan).....well....if you want to know what he did with the ones they found after they returned home....message me!

This is how Morgan buys plain yogurt from a street vendor.  Yes, she gets to keep the pot.