Our last day in Pune, Trina and I visited a school that meets in a slum area, Shining Light School. We enjoyed being in each classroom and teaching the older kids the Moose song (the school was only Preschool-3rd). But Trina especially enjoyed her time with the littlest ones.
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| Snack Time |
After we left the school, our day got a little crazy. Good thing we found some sustenance first with a healthy McDonald's lunch!
We originally had a driver planned to drive us from Pune to Goa. He backed out a couple of days before so we scrambled to get train tickets. When we arrived at the train station, our train was delayed for a few hours. So then the travel agent we were working with (glad we weren't navigating this on our own!) got us overnight bus tickets instead. We arrived early in the morning, found a taxi, and by mid-morning we were settled in our place and on Benaulim Beach in Goa.
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| The taxi driver tried to take the girls but we rescued them when we saw Faith's cry for help |
This may be one of the best beaches we've ever spent time on. Wide, white beaches. Perfect temperature ocean water and fun waves. And here, if you buy one meal, the restaurant sets you up for the day with sunbeds. Yesterday I asked the girls "How could this possibly get any better?" Without hesitation, Celia said "Fresh water. Free food. And fewer old, heavy European women in bikinis" Yup, always room for improvement :) It appears that we are at a prime destination for European retirees.
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| Props for virtual school! A little more scenic than the four walls of a classroom. Only the restaurants have wi-fi so we "have" to sit on the beach to get work done. |
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| Catching tons of tiny crabs and hermit crabs. (This Indian woman in the background came over right after this, all distraught: "Very dangerous. Bite and blood coming out!" Once we worked through that, she started having pictures taken of her and Trina and ended up kissing Trina on the cheek.) |
After days of being on the go (and some stinkin' cold weather!), this quiet time here has been a gift. We're staying in an apartment that's big enough for all of us, so it's nice to be together in one room but still have room to spread out.
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| Celia has the job of being our budget manager. She even has it all color coded! |
I'll have a McAloo Tikki please! :-) So glad you're enjoying some sunshine and warm weather. (Hope you had a People Magazine to go with that). In light of your stories of the Nepal trafficking, I hope Faith was just being funny in the taxi cab. We do want you all to return safe and sound!
ReplyDeleteHi, Dianna--Thanks for all your comments. I love seeing notes from home! Sorry about the taxi thing--bad joke! We did leave them alone in the backseat of the taxi for just a few minutes while we figured out if we were at the right place. Faith made sure I knew that wasn't smart and he could have driven off with them!
DeleteMy thoughts too Dianna, no joking around about the girls' safety!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, so no Big Mac to do the famous Big Mac Index....so what is the converted cost of a McD's meal?
And, looooooove the Celia is on the budget! Hope there is a Starbuck line item...at least for all the mugs you'll collect!
Love you guys....be safe!
All that is gold does not glitter,
ReplyDeleteNot all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
What an enduring treasure you're finding together as you get lost! Remember that the Wind continues to be at your back as you wander together.
Thanks for the quote, John. You often hear the second line, but not the rest. There's a lot to ponder on there and it's appropriate for our trip. Might have to add this as a tagline (except I'm struggling enough with the technical part of this blog :)!)
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