Luxuries that I miss....

To have more than 1 toilet available at any given time for 6 people.

To be able to brush my teeth using tap water (not pre bought, bottled water).

 

Drinking tap water. 

Not worrying when ordering food, as to whether my salad vegetables have been washed with safe drinking water. 

Not hesitating to order ice or ice blended drinks. 

Having my own room to sleep in, far away from my children! 

Being able to choose a different outfit from my closet. 

Having the choice of shoes. 

Buying something without converting the currency. 

Deciding what to cook when friends are coming over on the weekend. 

Many, many more things, but these are the main ones on my mind today! 

Wonderful India

We are very lucky to be blessed with friends who want to share their world with us. 

 

India was a country we were concerned with visiting--we have talked to many people who have visited, and some have loved it, and others warned us not to go!  

 

We were most concerned with the health and sanitation standards, as we obviously didn't want everyone to be sick, as we still have a lot of travel left to do! 

 

Just two days before we arrived in New Delhi, Todd reached out to a friend, Sandeep, who is from the New Delhi area, just to ask for some advice, travel highlights, etc! Sandeep went above and beyond to show us the true India!  From Calgary, he arranged for us to spend a night with his wife's parents, the next with his parents, and a third night with his brother. All of our drivers were arranged, and we were treated to local cuisine and life! 

 
 

We have fallen in love with India, mostly due to the graciousness of the people. We were welcomed as family, even though we just met! What an amazing experience for all of us!  We are truly blessed to have been given this experience. Thank you so much to Sandeep and family!!! 

 

Independence

I can't believe how independent our boys have become.  They are confident in perusing a menu, asking questions about meals, and ordering for themselves (after figuring out how much their meal will cost in Canadian dollars!).

They are ok to go off and find their own meals at a food court and enter a 7-11 to buy treats.

It is amazing to see them not hesitate to ask questions about something, but in a polite way.  They are okay making deals at the local market, with money they've earned by offering mom and dad 10 minute foot massages (with payment in the local currency of course!).  It is interesting to see them weigh the balance of what they want, versus what money they have, versus what they want to carry for the next 6 months.

They are just confident kids!  We attended a cooking course yesterday, with Jacob and Josh cooking on their own, and Todd and I assisting Nathan and Noah.  I couldn't believe their skills.  They listened to instruction, followed it, were super safe using knives, open flame, and hot oil.  They stuck with it for 4 hours! I think that's pretty amazing for kids their age!

Flight #20

Flight number 20 landed us in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  It really feels like it has been more than twenty flights....

As we were landing, I realized I am never going to get over the panic I feel every time we land.  The last 10 minutes of any flight, I am holding on tight to the armrests, and I am in a clammy sweat.  One would think, that I would be used to the fact that we are hurtling towards the ground and will touch down ever so gently, but no....I'm not!!!

A few of our landings have been a little rougher than I would like, but overall, the flights and airplanes have been quite comfortable.

Tonight, we take flight number 21, back through Kuala Lumpur on our way to Phuket, Thailand.  Wish me luck!!!