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So folks, I sit here writing to you again trying to recap the last 3 months of life in India. I have about 10 hours until our flight to Canada leaves, but I will try and keep this brief enough to hold your interest. Before delving into the months that have been, I guess the exciting news is our return home after a year away. We head to Ottawa tonight, will be there with the Ryans for 4 days and then are off to Toronto. I get only 2 weeks vacation this time, but Anj will be home for a full 6 weeks, so take advantage (please don't take her shopping too much, I have to eat). A year has come and gone so quickly that it doesn't feel quite like a year. It makes our year in Botswana feel like 3 years and our two years apart doing that whole Ottawa-Vienna thing feel like a decade. Given I am only 21, that doesn't make sense but it feels like that so there. It has been an amazing year, the first of many more in this life we have chosen, but the first year of the first post will always be
Rajasthani Women
So colourfully dressed the most memorable. Until of course we are too old to remember, then it will just be the haziest year.
Since I last wrote, we have had a few adventures around the globe and have been "enjoying" the 40-50 degree (celsius) temperatures in Delhi. It got to the point that when we wanted to have a shower, we had to turn on the cold water tap, jump under it to get the cooler water that were in the pipes of the house and do our business before scalding hot water (coming out of the cold tap) burned our bits. Luckily it has cooled down a bit, but the monsoons have started to arrive, meaning muggier weather that fogs your glasses in a second and renders you soaking in less time than it takes to make a chapati (see later).
Our first adventure was one of a kind. Having enjoyed our time in Kuala Lumpur in January, we decided to take another trip to the region and visit a place that was always top of my wish list; Thailand. Now, Anj had been there on posting with her family as a little one in the early 80's and though
Bry and Buddha
I like his way of thinking...and relaxing she has dropped the Vuarnet outfits and listens to slightly less Cure (Ok, more Cure) the trip was a bit of a throwback anyway. As it turns out, Anj's folks were stopping through Thailand for three days on the way back from their winter trip to Australia. The timing was perfect...only the Ryans had no idea we would be there. Anj and I had a few days in Bangkok before they arrived, and used it exploring the waterways, enjoying an all Thai Beatles cover band in Phat Phong night market and generally trying to avoid the hawkers of the ping pong shows. Ok, generally sounds like we may have avoided them, but didn't. Let me be clearer. Completely avoided the ping pong shows. Anj wanted to go, but I am too pro-women to even think about. Right babe?
Anyway, the day eventually came when the Ryan's arrived and we were there waiting in the lobby of their hotel and gave them the shock of their lives. Probably the best surprise pulled off since Operation Barbarossa (nerd - look it up). See the pictures attached to the blog for their reactions as my mere words won't properly describe it and
Roadkill Thai beach
Been waiting years for this one. I will meander back into military analogies as I do. Once the shock had passed, we enjoyed a few days together exploring the city, which had changed drastically since their last visit, stopping by their old apartment and eating good (and authentic) Thai food. It was nice to spend some unexpected time together in an amazing city like Bangkok. May be on the list for future postings. We'll see.
Once the goodbyes were said and the Ryans on their way to Canada, Anj and I made our way to Phuket to stay on the beach in a little town called Khaolak. Not much to say here except: enter 4 days of reading, sunning, eating seafood, snorkeling in clear waters and generally going around watchless. If you haven't had a trip in a while where you didn't need a watch, I highly suggest it. By the third day you can pretty much tell the time from the sun and I figured out how to get internet on a leaf.
From there it was a bit of a stretch in Delhi at work for the both of us. Anj has been busy with several NGOs and is busier than ever.
On the beach
Evening cocktails and seafood in Khaolak Me, I am still doing my job as well and loving it. But everyone has a job, so I won't go on more than that. The May-June period was filled with our birthdays and anniversary which meant lots of swanky dinners at nice restaurants in town and a stayover at our favourite hotel in the world, the Imperial, for a bit of a staycation. Twas luxury and nothing less than I deserve, though slightly more than Anj does. Other way around really. Anj's main birthday present was a trip back to Vienna for a week to visit her old friends. Does it count as a present if I used her airmiles to book it for her or, is it the thought that counts? (note, other presents were required). She had a great time catching up with friends who she spent the better part of two years with and was hosted by Lily and Alonso, who will be visiting us in October (bring Manner cookies and assorted sausages).
For the last two weeks we were hosting our first non-related visitor; Anj's friend from Vienna Rachelle, who like us is also living this life and was on her way back to
Who is that?!
Tom caught completely by surprise! canada. We had a great time touring the city and visited the main Sikh Gudhwara (temple) in Old Delhi where we were treated to a talk about the religion and a tour of the temple. We then spent a weekend in the amazing town of Jaipur in Rajasthan, touring 3 forts, many palaces and one (regrettably) amazing jewellery store. It was the first planned city of India, but has history dating back many centuries and is full of colour, people doing everything everywhere and stunning architecture.
Which leaves us here and now; not yet packed, a bit excited (as excited as I get, which is all internal) and looking forward to seeing many of you. Also looking forward to hotdogs from the street with saurkraut, Greek food from the Danforth, friend's babies (18 of them now, shouldn't we all be meeting up at Chuckie Cheese or something?), my nephew (note, this list is in no particular order as I am definitely looking forward to seeing my nephew above Greek food, though he may be in a tie with the hot dog. Love you Jesse) and of course family.
So, with that said, I will put down the computer,
Shocked
Barbara wasn't quite sure what was happening. fair enough. pack and say goodbye to India for a while and hello to the country we love above all others; Canada. Yes, I work for the government and no, I don't have to say that.
See some of you soon
Love Bry and Anj
(many more photos on next few pages!)
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