Say no to the Veg Cutlet

hello New Jersey!
Julia here. We are having a fabulous time here in India unfortunately it is still not up to our speed internet wise and even the best of place have the power go out on them, add some rain into the mix and the internet isn't even an option. So I just wanted to let you know that if you don't hear from us here on the blog its because we're unable to get reliable internet access but we will try and get the girls to email you when we can.

so a quick run down of the things we've seen and done since Wednesday:

-Our baggage arrived!! Slowly but surely starting on Wednesday our luggage came, a bit wet for some but nothing a wash and line dry doesn't fix.
-We went on the Pune Challenge-we had to flag down our own rickshaws! and find certain places in Pune. Great fun.
-We saw some tradition Maharashian (I don't thing that's spelled correctly, sorry, the state Pune is located) dancers. They were just amazing! Amy filmed some of it and hopefully we can put it into the blog, once we get home, for all to see.
-International night was a big hit (enough of our bags had come so we had plenty of things to show and share)
-Our saris came on Friday and we all learned how to tie them ( Mrs. P needed loads of help!) before we had a traditional feast and ended the evening with a play, The Giving of a Daughter. An amazing day, that also included mehendi (henna tattoos) and Rangoli, a tradition art practiced by the women of India, the beautiful designs are made of colored chalk and put outside of the front door for good luck.
-We also learned some yoga, which had a few of us bent father that we thought was possible, great for getting a rush of energy!
-Having watched a Bollywood movie (Dhoom 2) we then learned a Bollywood dance. Amazing, beautiful and if you want a work out this is it! We were all a bit sweaty when we were done but we were also laughing.
-We celebrated Maura's b-day at Sangam and on the train. The staff at Sangam baked her a cake and gave her flowers.
-30 hours on the train!!!! It was long and draining but we finally made it -back- to New Delhi.
-We saw lots of amazing sites in Delhi, beautiful buildings and the smallest street in Old Delhi.
-plus all of the wiring in Old Delhi is just -wow- if an electrician from home saw it they'd have a heart attack.
-Animals seen thus far: cows, oxen, water buffalo, goats, horses, mules, donkeys, pigs/boars, camel, elephant, parrots, monkeys, gazelles, chipmunk like creatures and of course lizards. In fact Mrs. P got a midnight call to exterminate a teeny tiny lizard from the girls room, her response "do I have to?"
- the Taj Mahal is more beautiful and detailed than words or pictures can express.
-in India we're the tourist attraction. With our very white skin and our matching clothing children laugh and families want their picture taken with us. We do stand out a bit.
-Today we had nonIndian food much to the delight to many of our stomachs.
-We're ending the day at a very lovely hotel and with a puppet show.

And now I'm off to bed we have an early start tomorrow.

PS the girls are enjoying the shopping very much, it never gets old! Look for really great souvenirs when they get home!