Arrival in India: September 1st and 2nd

We arrived about 6PM and made it through customs and immigration by 7PM.  Our driver was waiting for us and we were off to the hotel.  B stated as we were getting into the car that he did not like India so far.  I said “You have only seen the airport. Who would like a city after going through customs?”  He replied “Good point.”

B slept in the car most of the way and N was looking around.  You could see the culture shock in his eyes.  We are staying in an India hotel which is very nice for what we are paying.  We have two adjoining rooms with a mini-fridge in each, a toaster, microwave and a few pots and pans.  Nothing extravagant but it will work.  It is also only costing about $90/night total with breakfast included.  It is also a lot closer to the boys’ school and Ken’s work than the western style hotels so that is a plus.  The cheapest we could find a western style hotel would have been all four in one room that is intended to have a max of 3 people. It would be extremely cramped, no kitchenette area and about 3 times the price.  Or a very nice apartment type place for about 4 times the cost.

We tried to get the boys to bed early but N was too wired.  He was thinking too much about everything.  He got upset about how different everything is here in India.  He said that in Europe it was not that different but here was so different he was overwhelmed. It took until after midnight for him to get to sleep and this was only after I let him wear my watch to bed so he would know the time (remember no clocks in the rooms).   B went through the same thing in the morning and Ken was overwhelmed by 10am.  Ken asked why I seemed to be fine and I told him someone had to hold it together or we would never make it through the week.

 We decided to head out and go to a Sunday brunch at one of the nicest hotels in town.  It was a huge splurge but it was worth it.  Here, N got a beef burger and lots of cheese and B got some fruit juice he was craving.  The boys got to see a more western part of town as we drove and saw some interesting sights.  We then went to a mall we were told had bowling but it was not completed yet.  Instead, we went to an arcade and did some shopping.  It was a very nice mall and felt more like home.  After this the boys were in a much better place and realized things were not as different as they seemed.  We would be able to find some places to go to feel more at home. 

We then went back to the hotel and ordered Dominos, ate and got ready for the first day of school (3 weeks late).  The kids did much better this evening and went straight to sleep.  I do need to tell you about ordering from Dominoes but that will be included in a post about the need for a cell phone.