Life in Delhi, October 2009

Can you believe this blog is coming from Mr and Mrs Downes?! We still can't believe it!
Get yourself a cuppa, I've got lots to tell you!
On Sunday 2nd August, we played tennis with Suse and Nigel followed by a drunken brunch at the Claridges hotel! We've just joined the local sports centre. It's a great place with tennis, badminton, squash courts and a small pool. We try to go there as often as we can. And it's been a useful thing for Delhi as you are limited to what you can do in a busy city, particularly when it's hot.
The following Tuesday we spent a boring few hours at the Foreigners Registration Office. It's a grim, lifeless office but we had to renew our visas so was essential that we went. We employ a lawyer to help us. With a wad of cash, it often helps too!
The next Saturday, we walked up the pretty Raj path that leads to the government buildings and India gate. From here, we walked to Mr Mogha's and bought Trev some cufflinks for the wedding. From there, we walked to Khan market to chase the tailors for the wedding suits. We had bought most of them home and had two left to be made. Of those that we took back to the UK, two needed to be adjusted because the tailors had made mistakes!
On August 16th, we walked around Lodhi gardens in the rain! Monsoon had arrived! It was late this year. There are many in India who die of dehydration and heat exhaustion in the summer, and the farmers suffer with lack of crops to sell. The rain was definately needed.
August 20th was a great day as we celebrated Kusum's 15th Birthday in the orphanage. For reasons I don't know, Kusum is limited to sitting on a low platform that has wheels and her spine is not straight. Occassionally, they make her wear a brace to encourage her to sit straighter. Anne, one of my friends in Delhi, had just received bags of goodies from Tescos and I took these that afternoon; crayons, colour books, stickers, sweets etc. The kids had such a good time though Munar cried when I left!
The next day there was a massive storm. I was shopping in Honey Money Top (our local minature Tescos!) at the time and didn't want to leave as there was so much dust flying around. The guys in Honey Money gave me a can of iced tea and a crate to sit on while they peeled fruit and let me try it whilst watching the storm! Consequently, I spent many more rupees that day! That evening we had a great night of dancing with Katie, Guy, Matt and Morag. The Smoke House Grill is the first club we'd been to in Delhi...and loved it!
On Thursday August 27th, I was invited to lunch at the British High commission by some friends of one of the classes I teach. They gave me a mini hen day! We had some champagne and a yummy lunch followed by coffee and lots of pressie opening for me!
The week before we left for the UK, we had lunch with Katie then headed to a tiny shop tucked away in Sarojini Market. The guy sells branded polo t-shirts. Trev bought a few at about a 10th of the price and the man claims they are 'totally illegal from Bangladesh and America!'
On Wednesday 2nd September, we flew back to the UK. Unfortunately, that day Trev had the start of tummy troubles, which are still aggravating him a little. I had suffered with giaardia a few months ago and were hoping that it was not this but just simple delhi belly!
On Saturday 5th, we separated and Trev went on his stag night and I on my hen do! The boys went to Bournemouth for jet-biking and windsurfing followed by a curry, of course! The next bit gets a hazy and I can't really tell you what happened after that!
I met up with my friends at Emma's and we had some yummy nibbles before we headed to Brighton Marina for our boat trip. Dressed in deeley boppers, we sipped champagne on the boat before heading out to sea. The water was beautiful and calm in the marina. As soon as we left the marina, the waves were enormous and we got absolutley drenched! Fun was had by most! Though everyone was smiling when we landed! We headed to the nearest toilets in the pub and spent twenty minutes under the hand dryers trying to look and feel normal again! After a few glasses of wine, we were fine, and before dinner I was presented with a beautiful book full of photos and lovely captions from friends and family....and an L Plate, feather boa, and all the other tacky things that one would wear on a hen night! After dinner, we danced the night away and of course, had a few more drinkies!
The next few days, Trev and I zipped about finalising details for the wedding. Fortunately, my dad is now retired and was able to be taxi-driver/messenger/deliverer, etc! Our friends from Delhi, Nigel and Susanne had got married on the 5th September and we were unable to go so we drove up to their beautiful village, Ashford in the Water, for the night. It was a relaxed night and was great to see their wedding photos and hear all the news.
I said goodbye to Trev on the Friday and went down to Shoreham for my manicure. I arrived back and later that evening, the bridesmaids arrived and we drank champagne, saw the dresses and giggled! It was a perfect, relaxing night.
The following morning, mum woke me with a cup of tea as the hairdresser was arriving at 7.30am! Today was our wedding day! After nearly ten years of being together and a long engagement (as we had to wait for our lovely venue to be free!), the day had finally arrived! I was soooo excited! In Worthing, Trev was also excited but unfortunately had to go to the chemist to get drugs for his poor tummy!
The boys met at Lancing beach for a photo shoot. Inside my parent's house was like a military operation of showers, tea-making, breakfast, make-up and hair styling! The photographer then came to us at 11.15 and suprisingly, everyone was ready! We had some photos taken in the back garden before opening another bottle of champagne! Before we knew it, the car had arrived and transported my mum and the bridesmaids to the church. I did not want to be on time, but the driver got stuck at the railway crossing and I ended up being over twenty minutes late! The service was funny, but beautiful. As we left the church, everyone got on the bus we had hired to take them to Worthing Dome Cinema for the reception. Trev and I stopped half way on the beach and took some photos of the two of us....they're my favourite photos! The rest of the day was just wonderful, by 4pm there was not a cloud in the sky. The sausage and mash followed by our yummy belgian choccie cake was delicious and the dj did a fabulous job and even included my dad's favourite, Oops Upside Your Head (the rowing boat song!). Having been away for over two years, our main purpose (apart from the seriousness of marriage!), was to have a fun party with all the friends and family that we do not see very often....and I think we managed that!!
After breakfast the following morning, we were driven to the airport for our honeymoon to Lefkada in Greece. We should have been excited, but we were just utterly exhausted. Trev's tummy was still uncomfortable and he saw a doctor that evening who prescribed him drugs for giaardia.
The following day, we checked out the local area and hired a scooter. Our hotel had a nice pool with a Tree Bar at the end with friendly bar staff and generous measures! Unfortuately, the drugs Trev was given were very strong and he was unable to drink and eat much for the next few days. The condition did not stop us going out and having fun but it was a bit disappointing for Trev when I was sitting in restaurants with seabass and ouzo and he was sitting there with a bowl of soup and a diet coke! The hotel was located at the end of the town overlooking the beautiful harbour of Nidri.
We spent the next two weeks scootering around the island, visiting the beautiful beaches and sitting in cafes eating greek salads and drinking beer! We had taken our walking boots and did a few 10km walks. Lefkada is quite hilly and the walks were quite tough in places, but always rewarding with a beautiful view. Our favourite time was the day we hired a small motorboat called Charlie! We spent the whole day stopping at islands for a swim or a snooze....very relaxing and loads of fun! The last day we hired bicycles and cycled around Gigi, before being picked up for the transfer back home.
Trev was back to work on Monday and I took the trip to London for a new passport in my new name! I had to wait four hours for the passport and so I walked past Buckingham palace, through St James' park, up Oxford street and back again. My feet hurt but I had my passport! The following day, I was on the train again to Victoria. This time for a new visa! After waiting in the same plastic chair for over three hours, my application was taken and was told to come back in a few days. Fortunately, two days later it was ready and I took my last trip to Victoria to collect it. We were ready to go back to Delhi! That week we had some lovely evenings with friends and family before we drove to Essex for the weekend. On Saturday 3rd October was my mum in-law's (that sounds strange!) 60th Birthday! We had a fabulous night drinking and dancing to a live band. The next two days we relaxed and rested before we took the long trip back to India. It was nice to come back to our apartment and were lucky that no mice or cockroaches were waiting for us!
We're back to normal life here and Trev has just flown to Mumbai for the night. His tummy is still a bit uncomfortable but is slowly returning to normal. I went to the orphanage today and was pleased to see that Abilah's spine is much straighter after her operation a couple of months ago. I helped feeding and got covered in sticky sweets and biscuit crumbs! This weekend we're going to the British high commission to watch the football with Suse and Nigel. We're planning a trip soon to see the backwaters of Kerala.
Miss you all.
Love Charlie and Trev Downes! xxx

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