It's been such a hectic couple of days that it's hard to know where to start. We have just spent our first night in Mumbai which was very exciting, but first let's rewind to the rest of our time in Pune.
Last time we blogged we had just arrived at Vidya Valley school and had been treated to a fantastic assembly complete with singing, dancing, speeches and the national anthem. The rest of the day was wonderful - we were given a tour of the school by a young boy called Oscar and we had a delicious thali lunch cooked by the school principal Nalini's sister, Marianne. It seems that the whole of her family are involved in making the school the brilliant place that it is.
On Saturday we visited a government (public) school in the morning that is being improved by a local charity. The school has been running for just one year and was set up to provide a good education for children who might otherwise not have access to one. Again, the welcome we were given was overwhelming and we were all so impressed with what we saw. The children and the teachers were clever, talented, friendly and, most noticeably, incredibly well-dressed (see photos). Not only did they put on a show of singing and dancng for us, they had also made us Diwali cards and bought us each a red rose. When you think how little the school had in terms of resources you couldn't fail to be impressed and moved.
Our guide for the day, Janell, then took us to a South Indian restaurant in the centre of Pune called Vaishali, which is really popular with locals. Here we ate dosas (lentil pancakes), wada (spicy potato patties), and idlis (rice cakes with tomato curry). It was delicious and luckily everyone was feeling very adventurous so we ended up having a really authentic meal. Our hosts were very impressed!
After that we took a trip to the cinema to get our first taste of Bollywood. The film we saw was Mujhse Fraandship Karoge. It has a classic, predictable, cheesy plot but we all really enjoyed it (apart from Ms Hogg who managed to sleep through the song and dance numbers). The film is about 4 hours long so we decided to leave halfway through (the films are so long they have an interval in the middle).
Next stop was Pune's main shopping street, MG road. The girls shopped like naturals and picked up some fantastically colourful scarves and kurtas which they are planning to wear at the orphanage today - we will post photos this evening. Finally we headed to the outskirts of Pune for a meal at a beautiful outdoor restaurant. Again the girls impressed their hosts with how much they enjoyed the local food - this time a combination of kebabs and curries.
On Sunday morning we boarded the bus back to Mumbai feeling a little tired but like we had got as much out of Pune as it is possible to in 3 days. It is a wonderful city, very laid-back and friendly and the people we met treated us so well. Mumbai will be a different proposition, but more on that later....
Last time we blogged we had just arrived at Vidya Valley school and had been treated to a fantastic assembly complete with singing, dancing, speeches and the national anthem. The rest of the day was wonderful - we were given a tour of the school by a young boy called Oscar and we had a delicious thali lunch cooked by the school principal Nalini's sister, Marianne. It seems that the whole of her family are involved in making the school the brilliant place that it is.
On Saturday we visited a government (public) school in the morning that is being improved by a local charity. The school has been running for just one year and was set up to provide a good education for children who might otherwise not have access to one. Again, the welcome we were given was overwhelming and we were all so impressed with what we saw. The children and the teachers were clever, talented, friendly and, most noticeably, incredibly well-dressed (see photos). Not only did they put on a show of singing and dancng for us, they had also made us Diwali cards and bought us each a red rose. When you think how little the school had in terms of resources you couldn't fail to be impressed and moved.
Our guide for the day, Janell, then took us to a South Indian restaurant in the centre of Pune called Vaishali, which is really popular with locals. Here we ate dosas (lentil pancakes), wada (spicy potato patties), and idlis (rice cakes with tomato curry). It was delicious and luckily everyone was feeling very adventurous so we ended up having a really authentic meal. Our hosts were very impressed!
After that we took a trip to the cinema to get our first taste of Bollywood. The film we saw was Mujhse Fraandship Karoge. It has a classic, predictable, cheesy plot but we all really enjoyed it (apart from Ms Hogg who managed to sleep through the song and dance numbers). The film is about 4 hours long so we decided to leave halfway through (the films are so long they have an interval in the middle).
Next stop was Pune's main shopping street, MG road. The girls shopped like naturals and picked up some fantastically colourful scarves and kurtas which they are planning to wear at the orphanage today - we will post photos this evening. Finally we headed to the outskirts of Pune for a meal at a beautiful outdoor restaurant. Again the girls impressed their hosts with how much they enjoyed the local food - this time a combination of kebabs and curries.
On Sunday morning we boarded the bus back to Mumbai feeling a little tired but like we had got as much out of Pune as it is possible to in 3 days. It is a wonderful city, very laid-back and friendly and the people we met treated us so well. Mumbai will be a different proposition, but more on that later....
It all sounds so amazing, the photos look great. It is lovely to see the girls so happy. I can't believe how quick it is going and yet you have done so much. These memories are going to stay with the girls for the rest of there lives. I am looking forward so much to hearing and seeing more about your trip.
ReplyDeleteRod just called me after reading the blog. I already have a Blogger account and the more technical side of establishing a new account via an iPad or similar means he's asked me to convey a message on here!
ReplyDeleteHe's been reading all the updates and he thinks it looks absolutely amazing and what a fantastic trip. He can see how much you are all enjoying the visit, and indeed it's clear how much your hosts are enjoying having you all there. He wishes he could have been there to share in the meal which sounds great [I second that, as a veggie it looks like the best thing ever, mmmmm!]. Come back safe and from Rod, me and everyone at the office we can't wait to hear even more!