finally ha noi

so far so good

finally I find myself in a country again where they drive on the RIGHT side of the road...
after seven months!
they wear a helmet and fasten their seatbelt.
finally, after three flights and 24 hours!

Vietnam seems a lot more organised than India so far,
okay it still is toooo much hot but the traffic is not so crazy after India
and guess what
I am a millionaire here, everyone is,
that's quite nice =)

Staying in a Peace House with 30 other Volunteers instead of a host family can also be more fun I guess.

vietnam got me...

so far so good

hot, hotter, BOMBAY

one week in mumbai can pass by faster than you think
especially considering the fact that in mumbai or in india in general everything only starts at 10 - 11 am and the fact that it has 40 degrees EVERY DAY and you are sweating tooo much !
you need to take a lot of coffee breaks in between, too bad =)

so,
seen the temple,
seen the gateaway to india,
seen the indian sunrise and sunset,
see a cricket match in the stadium, 
seen a bollywood movie...

I think I am ready for Vietnam  !

Today is the last day in Mumbai and on Sunday I will arrive in Hanoi.

So I will miss the incredible food, except the rice, and the indian hysteria at a cricket match. Seeing the match in the stadium was really worth the 20 euro. Considering the fact that I don't know anything about cricket it was really amusing. They have cheerleaders dancing all the game everytime their team scores, but...they are not indian. all white girls, so I guess the indian women just simply do not wear so short skirts + tight tops =)
Friendly guys that buy you a samosa make the game also pass by faster. In total the match is four hours with a chai break....of course!

For today's sunrise it was dirndl time at the indian beachfront, picture coming.
May is the hottest month in India, just before the monsoon starts so no one is as crazy as I am to travel now, except Indians of course. So what happens, every second one asks you to take a picture him them. Nice one.

That's all what's happening so far.
And still not everyone knows that Austria is not Australia and that YES it is a different country, but I am trying my best to spread the word !
Meanwhile with my South African bracelet I still stay Capetonian sometimes!

xoxo from another planet

going north !

Bangalore ciao ciao....hello Bollywood!

After three weeks in Bangalore, working with the children 6 days per week I left them yesterday to fly to Mumbai and spend my holidays of one week here.
Saying goodbye to the children was very hard. I know that I HAVE TO come back to see them again.
Too many goodbyes in the last two months, but I guess travelling without saying goodbye is impossible.

My resume of the stay in Bangalore and the work with the children:
Bangalore is realy not worth to visit for soghtseeing. What I will remember is the traffic and okay you can go shopping...that's it.

But how can you make indian kids really happy?
KINDER surprise. Perfect combination of something sweet and a toy !
+
POLAROID pictures of them! Each has one of himself now, they were tooo happy

Lesson of indian english:
it is toooo much hot
I have tooo much pain
toooo much everything!

So why Mumbai?
Okay I admit it, maybe 30 % because of Shantaram and 70 % because I missed the sea toooo much.
Now I am living again next to it, directly. I really don't know how I can survive in Austria without sea, Neufeldersee will save me. So looking forward to it when I come back in August.
As I can tell so far Mumbai is quite hectic as well but there are some quiet roads next to where I stay. But maybe that is also just cause today is sunday.
And of course Mumbai is the Hollywood of India so I am looking forward to go to the cinema and watch a Bollywood movie here !

say "chiapati"

all of them

the youngest : Veebha

playing time with marta, the italian volunteer

picture taken by alok.

a very talented photographer !

watching mary poppins

so this is where they sleep, eat, watch movies, play, study, .. live.

sonu, 10 years, the oldest

-"come out of the sun sonu when you wash your clothes, there is shadow here."

"don't worry sister, summer always work in sun no. all the day on the field. no problem."

the pretty preethi

brother and sister

saurov

menika, the princess

pryanka, she loves to play memory

preethi and alok

- "that's a very beautiful dress preethi!"

+ "thank you sister but you are beautiful."

- "no you are preethi!"

+ "no sister cause your skin is white. very nice."

pooja

marta and josefin with the youngest ones

they love the camera

playing the clown, the little monkey

picture taken by alok

menika, she loves the dress

sweet love

saurov and veebha

giving her a bussi

vinay and pryanka

picture taken by pooja

so these are the children

sweet and innocent

most of them come form bihar

a region in the north of india, close to the border of nepal

 the police doesn't really operate there and arranged marriage with young girls are common as the sunrise

they are sisters, brothers and cousins

all still have their parents but they can't afford the education, food, clothes,...

I already love them toooo much !

one more week then I have to say goodbye to them.

colours ?

bangalore city market

Bangalore

first picture taken in india, yes it's a TATA

hello india

cows everywhere

actually indians don't say wedding, it's a marriage

in commercial street on my first day,

the place to go shopping

marta, the italian volunteer working in the same project

that's how you build a house

ananda, didn't know you opened a shop while you where here... amazing ! =)

working to build a metro in Bangalore, of course at night!

shiva temple

lovely ganesha

bangalore, india

may 2011