Just Another Week In Paradise

Indeed. Now, where do I begin. I want to explain different aspects of life in India and I also want to share the experiences we've been having with some photos we've taken. But I'm having trouble bringing it all together into a cohesive post. So bear with me because I'm new at this and also drunk tired.

First off, lemme tell you, switching the kids' schedules 12 hours ahead has taken most of the week and just about all the patience I can muster. We've spent a lot of time hanging out in the dark, eating crackers and mini chocolate bars with a lot of  "shhhing". Because Raja's Mom, Dad, Grandma and newborn niece are in the rooms right beside ours and his sister has just joined the fun too. In a highly populated country, they are used to sleeping with commotion around them so hallelujah for that.

Everything you didn't want to know about the bathrooms here:
We start out our days by switching on the water heater in the bathroom. Then we fill a big bucket with hot water.  It has a matching pitcher. This is how they bathe here. Just strip down naked as a jaybird and pour that water pitcher right on you. Lather, rinse, repeat. I find it quite refreshing. The kids hate it. The bathroom floor has a drain in the middle because they don't use toilet paper here. They wash themselves with soap and water every time they use the toilet- and in both bathrooms there is an option of using the Western-style toilet or the Eastern-style toilet. This system is quite hygienic, except the toilet seat is always wet with someone else's wash water. And then they put their clothes back on without drying off. Raja calls that "Indian air conditioning."

Now here is some of what has gone down here on the subcontinent:
We rode into town in an auto to do a bit of shopping. This is the main way we will travel if the distance isn't too far.

Here are some shots of us with our relatives here. This is Raja's Grandma with Vera.

Here is Raja's Dad with Maya.

Here are Raja's Mom and Grandma with our newborn niece (still unnamed). I'm not sure what the smoke from the incense is about. It might be hygiene or it might be superstition or a little of both.

Yesterday, we hired a vehicle/driver and drove out of town up to a Hindu temple on a mountain.

We had to remove our shoes and wash our feet before we could enter. Isn't Telugu writing pretty? Forging Raj's signature is a real bugger, though.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the actual temple. I'm not crazy about heights, folks.

A  Hindu priest accepted money from us and in return, pronounced a blessing on each of our names. Then we  each got a bindi made of some paste.

Raja made sure to bring smaller bills to give out to beggars because the day before, a woman and her malnourished toddler (I could tell by her molars though she looked like a little baby going by her size) had approached us in the city and we only had big bills on us. Raja warned me that if we gave some to her, she would call the whole band of beggars that she travels with and we would be swarmed. It wouldn't have been safe for my babies. So I had to force myself to ignore her and I still feel sick about it. I'm sure the kids were confused and maybe a bit scared by the experience, so hopefully this made up for it a bit.

I hope this post has been both informative and traumatizing to you. Because why should I go it alone, right?

Tomorrow will likely be a rant-style post, focusing on the mosquito issue and also what it feels like to be the star of  a freak show.

Good night. Or day. Whatever the crap it is over there.