Life in Delhi, July 2009

Namaste!
Feel quite proud of myself this afternoon; Just did some gardening! I am not a big fan of gardening but it's quite satisfying when you're done. The temperature is cooler today at 33 degrees but the humidity is 89%, so I thought I'd sit down, have a rest, and write to you!
Not a lot has been happening in Delhi. Trev, as usual, is working hard, though doesn't appear to be travelling so much. He has recruited a new engineer for Ricardo India and his replacement has been found and is starting in a month or so (don't get excited, we're not coming back yet!), so these should ease the workload for Trev.
The last time I wrote I was waiting for Durgha, a part-time cleaner. She arrived and did a good job, but we had a big argument when she left as she wanted more money...suprise, suprise! I was happy to pay a fair price but was not going to over-pay her and she left and never returned! So I'm back to cleaning my own floors again!
I was also suffering with minor delhi belly the last time I wrote and this continued for a few weeks or so. I was finally recommended a specialist doctor, who was brilliant. He sent me for tests for giarddia, which is quite a common illness/bug for expats who have been in hot/humid countries for a period of time. Fortunately, the tests were clear but he gave some antibiotics and now I'm fine. The (indian) Doctor did emphasize that this is the dirtiest country he has worked in! He said we must be vigilant at all times, particularly in the summer with the power cuts. He recommended I go back to sterilising fruit and vegetables. I had stopped doing this 18 months ago as I thought this would harden our immune systems, but the Doctor explained that no matter how strong your tummy is, some bugs/germs can be stronger!
Around the middle of April, the temperature really started to climb. Weather experts were predicting a hot summer, and they were right! All the classes I was teaching would now be taught inside with air conditioning. A walk around Lodhi gardens became a bit shorter and slower! The great news in summer is the abundance of mangoes and other yummy fruit! On the street, mangoes are sold for about 10p each.......delicious! The bad news in the summer is the amount of power-cuts we have. I am getting better, but still petrified when it goes dark suddenly! It's uncomfortable in the night and you cannot sleep when the power goes as it gets unbearably hot very quickly. Our driver, Arjun, lives on the roof in a concrete room, not that much bigger than a beach hut. I know he is more adapted than us, but I don't know how he copes in the heat.
At the beginning of May, Trev went back to the UK for a week so I amused myself that weekend by going to the gym, then having a foot fish spa! You put your feet in a big bowl of water with hundreds of baby carp inside. The carp nibble all the dry skin and leave your feet feeling clean and smooth! I am really ticklish and also hate my feet being touched, but my feet always feel dirty in Delhi because of the dust so it was lovely for them to feel so clean!
For the rest of May, everything seemed to break! Every week I was waiting for a plumber or electrician to turn up, and of course, they never arrive when they say they will! We are still down to one air conditioning unit in the lounge but think we will get this fixed when we come back in September as it will take a lot of work to fix it.....and a big mess!
On Saturday May 16th, it was election day in Delhi. People were warned to stay in their local areas as there may be trouble, but everywhere was quiet and peaceful. We were invited to the American embassy that evening for a mexican night! It was a 'dry' day in Delhi, and the American embassy was the only place serving alcohol so nearly every expat was there! Fortunately, I felt ok the next day as I was dancing more than drinking tequilla! Trev preferred the tequilla to the dance floor! However, on the Sunday I managed to persuade Trev to walk around the deer park. It's a huge green space in Delhi that we had not explored, and glad we did. There were around 100 deer in an enclosure with paths surrounding ;we walked for an hour before we realised we were tired and extremely dehydrated! We then collapsed in a cafe and had a yummy lunch of pizza and pepsi!
The following weekend, we drove to a mud fort in Kuchesar, which is 60km east of Delhi. The roads on the way were bad and the signs to the fort were worse! There were two signs to the fort; one was 2km past the turning and the other was in hindi! When we finally got onto the turning to do the last 7km to the fort, I counted 10 signs showing us the way to go!
We finally arrived and explored the 17th Century fort. It's a bit run-down but has character, and pretty views overlooking the surrounding areas. We had lunch then chilled by the pool and read our books all afternoon. They served tea in the courtyard at 5pm; very British! After this, we decided it was 'wine time'! After dinner in the courtyard, there was the most amazing storm and we sat and watched skies being lit pink and purple by intense and frequent lightening. The next day felt less humid from the storm and after a yummy breakfast, we drove back to Delhi.
The following weekend, we collected 6 suits from our tailor. To have a suit tailormade in India is roughly equivalent to hiring a lounge suit in the UK, so Trev thought it was a great idea for the wedding, and makes a nice pressie! I did the same for the bridesmaid dresses.
It has worked well, except for several minor (ish!) alterations!
On Thursday 4th June, I arranged for pest control to come to the apartment and spray it to prevent cockroaches breeding. I always do this before we go away. The pipes are so disgusting in our flat that insects breed quickly. The little guy turns up coughing and holding a gold fire extinguisher. He walks and coughs his way around the apartment spraying it with nasty smelling stuff!
On Friday 5th June, we flew to Heathrow, picked up a hire car and drove straight to Katy and Justin's house in Warickshire. Katy had prepared a yummy british tea of bread and cheese....thanks Katy C! The next day, our fabulous friends, Kat and Mr Bell were getting married. It was a wonderful day and the rain even stopped for the photos! After a yummy breakfast with Lottie, Mike and the rest of the scottish clan, we drove down to Sussex. Trev worked and I zoomed around sorting out preparations for our wedding....of course, I can't tell you what I did, it's a secret! However, if you're coming to the reception, save some room in your tummy for yummy cake!
As always, had a great time in Brighton, managed to catch up with most of our friends and family, have several barbecues and curries, and a few rounds of golf! When the sun is shining, Brighton is our favourite place!
We arrived back in Delhi to an extremely hot apartment. With the doors shut for a few weeks, all the heat had been trapped. After a week, the temperatures have come down and most days it is now less than forty degrees. Apparently, the monsoon is on it's way, which will be early for this year.
We have been wanting to see the Angels and Demons film for a long time and after looking at the cinema website, it was now showing in Delhi. It was not shown for a while as the Catholic section of the Delhi community disapproved of the film. Religious opinions are seen as very important within Indian communities; there are so many different religions within Delhi and the majority of the time, they live in harmony and listen and appreciate each other's views.
Films in Delhi are shown at random times. I guess in the heat you ar limited to what you can do and so they make films available all the time. Angels and Demons was only showing at 11am or 11.50pm! We went to the morning showing and loved it! We had a whole weekend of films as the next day we went back and saw The Hangover....a must-see if you haven't already!
This weekend, we're playing golf on Saturday and shall be enjoying a champagne brunch with Matt, Nigel and Suse on Sunday! If you come to visit us in Delhi, you must go to a brunch with us...they're so much fun, and you can never afford them in the UK!
Next week, I'm going to the orphanage as usual and volunteering in the Delhi network office a couple of mornings. A lot of my classes have been postponed until August as lots of expats escape the heat for the summer.
Happy Birthday to my daddy!
Miss you all,
Charlie and Trev xx

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