3) Staying in Bardoli - 20/07/11 - 31/07/11

The Drive to Bardoli
On the car drive to Bardoli (a village in Gujarat), we passed fields of rice, and bananas and several other fruits and vegetables. We left at 16:00 and arrived at the house at 21:00. We passed toll booths and drove across the Golden Bridge which was made by the British when they ruled India. My uncle said that it is called the Golden Bridge because it cost the same amount as it would have in gold! I needed to go to the toilet on the way, and everytime we passed a hotel (well not a hotel as we understand it in the UK, it is more like a service station), my uncle would keep going as he would say that I wouldn't be used to it. I really needed to go thereafter, so I went to this hotel that was Veg and Non-Veg, so it smelt really bad, and asked directions to the toilet. I did what I had to do, to realise it was the womens! Oh well I thought, and walked away. I always carried hand sanitiser gel in my trouser pocket so that was handy!

From Left to Right - Poonam, Sunnybhai, Me, Bhumi, Uncle, Arti and Aunt

This half of my holiday was to meet my dad's relatives. I've never had any experience of them and they have never had any experience of me so it was a great opportunity to get to know them. When we arrived to the city of Bardoli, we went to a little supermarket. It reminded me of the Indian shops in Leicester as they sold everything that we buy in the UK - Dettol, Hair and Shoulders shampoo, all the different hand sanitisers and Harpic for the toilet! I couldn't believe it! My uncle then bought a box of two litre bottles of water as it is filtered. The water they use at home isn't. He said that he would have prepared all of this in advance, but then my aunt would get suspicious. Haha.

We drove home, and as we got to the colony (like the area of this city), it was all familiar. He parked outside and told me not to get out. He called my aunt and she said she was coming outside. Outside, there is a swing where my great aunts were sat and my grandma. They started to question in Gujarati about what was all the comotion? I stepped out of the car that was similar to a Maruti Swift, and the three old ladies glared at me. I walked up to them, holding my hands together as a sign of respect and said "hello, do you recognise me?" and "do you know who I am?" I bowed down to my grandma and they looked puzzled. They didn't know who I was. My uncle was in the process of saying who I was - in the Indian method of saying your parents name, and my aunt came and shouted my name in surprise. The old ladies' eyes lit up and their faces wore a big smile. They shouted my name over and over again and hugged me with delight. My grandma took me to the neighbours to introduce me and then we sat on the swing. I talked to my great aunt who is around 92 years of age.

They couldn't believe it. They were all in shock. The two young girls - Bhumi and Aarti were both happy. Some of the neighbours even came over to say hello at around 23:00. We ate dinner and sat until late at night.

The First Day in Bardoli

I woke up at 7:00 in the morning as I was woken up by the hussle bussle of getting the two girls (one is ten years old and the other is seven), to tution for 8:00. My uncle had left for work by 6:00. So it was me, the two great aunts, my grandma and aunt. I woke up with a cold and flu feeling - probably from all the cold strawberry, fruit beer and mango soda's I drank in Ahmedabad. But it was worth it. One great aunt is called Aunt K, and her sister is called Aunt L. Aunt K offered me an Indian masala tea early in the morning and I refused. Later on in the morning, my aunt had made me an Indian masala tea and I accepted reluctantly. I don't really drink tea and coffee, but it was nice to drink as it was sweet. Aunt K, at 92 realised that I was drinking masala tea and interrogated me that I refused her tea. I answered by saying that I don't eat or drink anything too early in the morning. (thank God she bought it!)

The girls came back home at 11:00 and had science homework to complete by 12:00 before they left for school. I helped them with their homework and we rushed to get them ready for 12:00 when the rickshaw arrived (indian taxi). By 12:00, my grandma and Aunt L were having a siesta, and Aunt K was sat on the swing outside. Me and my aunt were sat in the bedroom looking at photos and we talked. At 15:00, we went to the local temple to give our respects - Jalaram Mandir and Govindji Mandir. We sat and talked. We used to talk about the issues that were surrounding the family. We left the temple to this little shop the size of a Bargain Booze - the one alley way like setting. This one lady was arguing outside the shop, it was quite amusing. We went to pick up an iron - the cord had tangled and split open. The shop keeper had just fitted a new cord in. We then walked back home. Aunt L told me that my dad had bought her the iron a good fifteen odd years ago, and it was still working!
The girls had arrived before 17:45 to then go back to tution at 18:00. I helped them with their homework whilst they were at their tution class. The children that go to the tution class were in the area so it is quite a small knit community.

My uncle came home at 20:00 from work and my aunt made a Gujarati speciality called Goro. It is made out of rice and lentils crushed. It can either be steamed or in a way stir fried with onions. They all started to fuss over me eating on a table, but I sat with them on the floor! It was nice. My aunt's sister came round to the house with her newley wedded husband to see me. She was so quiet and calm it was unbelieveable. After they left, my uncle, aunt, two girls and me went to the local ice-cream shop to eat ice-cream called Bharka Devi's.I went to India in 2007 to attend my uncle's wedding and we went to this ice-cream shop for ice-cream and it was just a freezer with a man standing behind it. In these few years they now have seating areas upstairs and downstairs with different coloured lighting and flat screen televisions! I was shocked. We sat upstairs and had an American Tutti-fruiti as that was what everyone else was having. It was quite pleasant. It had tutti-fruiti pieces and nuts. I then had a falloodo - a drink consisting of rose, vermicelli and ice-cream. We took a drive to Lake City, but it was closed and saw the reason why there were loads of mosquitos at night - they had Asia's biggest sugar factory. We then went home and sat for a bit before going to bed. My bed was the sofa in the front room!

The Second Day in Bardoli

I was so glad actually when I arrived to Bardoli that the family home had a proper English toilet! I woke up at 5:30 and my uncle was getting ready for work. My aunt told me to go to back to sleep. Thereafter, I woke up at 8:30, brushed my teeth and had an Indian masala tea - I could have got used to that every morning! I talked to my aunt and realised that I had a cold and had the flu. From 9:00 to 11:30 I got dressed, oh they also had hot water! As Charlie Sheen would say "Winning!" The girls came home from tution and I pushed them on the swing. Thereafter, Aunt K started to argue about our family issues, however, I replied in a strong and firm yet not harsh manner. I think she was shocked in the way that I replied to her.
From midday to 15:00, my grandma had her siesta, Aunt K sat on the swing and my aunt, Aunt L and me were in the bedroom talking. Aunt L brought up the family issues again and I once again argued in my dad's favour with example to how he was right, and she agreed.

From 15:00 to 17:00 me and my aunt went to get a Sanskrit textbook for one of the girls. We went to the Sardar Patel Museum for one rupee each. We went home and talked about the museum. We then started to talk about expenses and my grandma decided to bring up how expensive schools are in India - how they have to keep buying books and things and keep paying out, and getting little in result - a fair point. I used this and related it to our circumstances on how our family keep asking for money and don't give anything in return. She was sitting on the floor and shot straight up. I think she understood what I meant and didn't like it. However, I learnt in Ahmedabad not to be scared of anyone.

The Third Day in Bardoli

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning. Aunt L told me to go back to sleep. I woke up again at 8:30 and had a masala tea. I also warmed up Limca (Indian Sprite) and drank that, but it was flat. At 9:00 to 11:00 I got ready and tried to wash my clothes, but got told off in the process. At 12:00 we had Dhosa and Chapatti's with Potatoe and Aubergine Curry. From 12:00 till 16:00 I had another tea, but helped Bhumi draw cartoons for her homework. It took four hours to draw... really annoying, but it was rewarding. Today was a Saturday so the girls only went to school in the morning. We then took them to a shop to sort out their passport requirements. We then drank Narayan water (Coconut water). It was so fresh!

At 18:00 to 19:00 a few of the boys asked me to play cricket with them on the long road outside of the house. I agreed, and it was really good fun. In the evening, I spoke to mum and dad on the phone. We then went to my aunt's sister's house to visit.

Once again in the evening, my grandma tried to argue that the family circumstances that occurred were ok. Eventhough it was my parents that lost out. She was like an annoying wallnut that wouldn't open. The great aunts were so much easier to convince. 
The Fourth Day in Bardoli
I had a really bad night. I woke up every hour during the night because of mosquitoes and with me being unwell, I vomitted too. I went to the doctor's that morning, and was given some really strong drugs. We then picked up my aunt's sister and her husband (Sunnybhai and Poonamben) and we went to the Dharampur Shiva Temple. It was architecturally beautiful. After the temple we went to Damar. In Gujarat, the government banned alcohol and only allowed it in one place in Gujarat - Damar. Damar is the equivalent of a student's evening in the city centre - full of emotions. Not much difference to the UK really, I felt at home.

That evening at 21:00 we went to Hotel Supreme to eat Punjabi food. We had Manchurian, Paneer (Indian Cheese) with spinach and Paneer in a rich tomatoe gravy, Cumin rice and Daal Makhani. We also went to Sunnybhai's sister's house and arrived home at midnight.
The Fifth Day in Bardoli



From Left to Right - Vaishali, Aunt B, Uncle R and Vishal

We went to Surat today with my uncle, aunt, the girls, my grandma and me. We met loads of people and visited many relatives. My grandma came to visit her brother who had just had an operation on his leg. We went to an Indian Hospital where we had to pay to get in, but then found out he was discharged, so that was a waste. Went to visit him, but he wasn't that bothered. We finished off by visiting my aunt's maternal house and we had a full dinner there.

The Sixth Day in Bardoli

Me and Vaishali


I woke up today, and in the afternoon we had a cabbage curry. Aunt L did her speciality cucumbers - she quartered them and loaded it with salt and pressed them until the water left them. Then she pasted different powders on to make it tasty. We followed a tradition called Rakshabandhan - a tradition from the sister to the brother, fundamentally to maintain the strong relationship. The girls went to school and my uncle, aunt and me went to Navsari. 


We visited loads of relatives. We went to an ice-cream parlour that had been open since 1977. After visiting we were on our way home and we had a puncture. So, I loosened my bolts as my uncle jacked the car up. We replaced the tyre. We had broken down in a way, in front of a Hanuman temple. So my aunt went to offer her respects. We went thereafter. 

Me and Vishal

That evening after the visit to the car garage to sort out the car tyre, we went home and Sunnybhai came. We watched my older brother's wedding DVD...

The Seventh Day in Bardoli

Today was a brief day really. We didn't really do much instead of going visiting and we went to Navsari and Surat. Oh, we also went to the little village of Mandir where my dad was born. Their old house was one small alley. We went to Surat to a place called Mysore Cafe and had a Mysore Dhosa. Not an epic day.

From Left to Right - Tulsi, Purvi, Me, Uncle J, Harsh, Aunt R, Hetal 

The Eighth Day in Bardoli
We went to the girl's school to get their school certificates in preparation for their passports. We went to the photographer to get their photos taken too. We went to Navsari again to get me a Kurta Pyjama - an Indian suit. We also brought food for my dad. We also went to a few temples. 


The girls (Arti on left, Bhumi on right) getting ready for school

That evening we went to Billimora. We visited an elderly man, and went to the family's old house. I went inside also. I also visited the neighbours opposite - they were really nice. We went to my uncles house to visit them. We visited them for two hours. They now live in front of the rubbish tip... sad times.

The Nineth Day in Bardoli
Today we went to Surat again. On the way we visit a Sai Temple, and I spoke to mum and dad. We went visiting relatives and to a few other temples. We went to my aunt's maternal house again to visit her parents and also went to the local market.

My Grandma

The Tenth Day in Bardoli



Aunt L

I was ready by 7:00 this morning as I went with my uncle. He said that his new boss paid for English lessons and he attends these before work. He took me with him and I sat in the back. When the class started, the teacher told me to come to the front, and I spoke or lectured on English for an hour. I think my uncle was proud of me. Oh, I fed grass to the cows today.
 We went to the Andeshwar Shiva Temple also. On the way, we went to Navsari to by divas and I slept in the car. I spent the day with my uncle. It was quite good. We went to a sari shop with my aunt to buy one for my mum, and we went to Raymonds - similar to Burton or Next in India. That evening, my uncle, aunt, both girls and me went to the cinema to watch "Jindagi Na Miligi Dobara" - translated roughly as you won't live twice, so make the most of it. But it wasn't a great film. We had fresh mangoes that evening! Sunnybhai and Poonamben came today and we talked about the UK.


Aunt K (92years old) and my grandma lying down

Me, with the three most beautiful young ladies that I know!

The Eleventh Day in Bardoli - the last day

We woke up and we were all ready by 8:00 this morning. I packed my bags and we weighed them too.We left at 10:45 after meeting the neighbours.

On the way to the airport in Ahmedabad, we went to Dakor. Dakor has a famous temple of Lord Krishna called Ranchodrai. It was really busy as it was the first day of the Hindu month of Shiva - Shravan month. I think my uncle was quite happy that we could go. We went straight to K Uncle's house.

When we went to the airport, it took ages. Some idiot in front was holding up the queue. When it got to my turn, my bags were over weight. I went outside and my uncle and K uncle helped me take out the crap from my bag. I was then 1kg under the limit - thank God! They put me on a different flight and I arrived at Mumbai airport an hour later. I bought a pizza from Pizza Hut and it only costed £2. From there, I went straight to London Heathrow and arrived in the UK the day after in the morning and I went home with my parents.

This trip taught me a lot about myself. I realised that I was a wimp and that I lived in fear of others. Now, I have learnt that standing on my own two feet is more rewarding then looking after the feelings of others instead of mine. I am now more determined and head strong and look forward to going back!

2) Staying at K Uncle's - 11/07/11 - 20/07/11

First day at K Uncle's

After I woke up, I freshened up and we went to the Padmavati Maa's mandir. (Padmavati Maa is a goddess from the Jain religion). The mandir was so big! Architecturally, it was beautiful. Old classical Indian architecture is so beautiful. The building was so immaculate and clean for India. After going into the mandir we had lunch. K Uncle said that there is an option to have free food. However, he says that when we have money, we should use it to eat because otherwise we become indebted to the place where we ate it from. So, we used to eat for 25INR each. So in total we had a full dish with unlimited amounts of food for under under £1. Not bad!

We went back to his flat before midday for our afternoon siesta. I've never had a siesta but it was quite good. One, I got my sleep, but secondly we missed the afternoon sunlight that was really strong! In the evening, we tood an auto-rickshaw to the Idli and Dhosa Lari (Lari is an Indian word for outside stall), and I had Idli with the white chutney. After an hour, we went back to his flat to watch Hard Target and Riddick in Hindi. It wasn't that great because I thought that the quality of the Hindi was really bad, but secondly the quality of the film was really bad. But, it was funny. Then we went to sleep!

Second day at K Uncle's

I went to get ready, but realised that he only had cold water. So I asked how do I have a bucket bath in cold water? (Well, because it's really hard!) So he showed me that all I had to do was put it over my head really fast, and then put on all the soap etc, and that will release the energy needed to generate heat. Funny enough it did work!

Afterwards, I gave him his presents: I had bought him a Parker pen that was gold and silver. I also bought him a SEKONDA watch. I think he liked it... we then went outside to the Vodafone shop to buy a Vodafone SIM card so that I can ring people in India and could text my mum and dad in the UK. We then went to the Padmavati Maa's mandir again for darshan, and had lunch there too. Thereafter, we went back to Krishnanagar where he lives and started up his Bajaj scooter and went to his office to sort something out for his Astrology academy. We went back to his flat and then set off to the city centre in an auto rickshaw to the city centre in Ahmedabad. We went to collect the money that dad had sent via Western Union. We then ate Cholafali - which is like a deep fried thin pastry that is dunked into a spiced yoghurt sauce, Noodles and Paneer with Capsicum (Green peppers). We then went home to watch LXG - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Which again was in Hindi and was really crap, but to keep him happy I went along with it.

Third day at K Uncle's

We went to eat Khaman Dhokla - an Indian snack made from grarm flour. We then went to the theatre to watch Murder 2. An Indian thriller movie. It was a big experience to experience how crazy Indian's actually are at the sight of two actors kissing. Wolf calls and cheers and claps. Seriously, it felt like being in the cinema packed with kids for a tenth birthday party and they've been put in the wrong show and the opening scene consists of two actors kissing. Imagine the kids screaming, some enjoying it, some too scared to admit. Gosh - so weird! We ate Khichdi Kadhi that day which was bought from a shop not far from his flat. Flies all over the food as it was being cooked outside. So unhygenic. We watched a film called Luck which starred a Bollywood actor called Sanjay Dutt.

Fourth day at K Uncle's

We went to the Padmavati Maa Mandir again for darshan and then went for lunch. It had been four days since I arrived in India and I hadn't eaten a full meal. K Uncle told me off that day for not eating. He described the amount of food I had been eating was less then what a three year old child eats. Everytime we met someone he knew, he would make me feel as small as an ant by saying that 'he isn't eating, he eats less than a three year old.' In India hygiene is not on their priority list. Due to the heat and insects that have survived their, they are unable to control the limits of insects and therefore, associated with Indian religion of every life being sacred perhaps people have never tried to control their situation. Therefore, not eating is more safe then eating! haha. No wonder I lost over a stone when I came back to the UK!

His friend - Ashwinbhai had come as a surprise and had brought Bhajiya's and chutneys - a local delicacy that involves deep frying fenugreek or spinach in a gram flour batter with spices. I poured the bhajiyas onto a plate and all three of us sat at his dining table. We sat for ages as we ate and talked. Near the evening we watched two DVD's of Chanakya - he was the first real Indian Political Philosopher who helped Chandragupta Morya in fighting away Alexandrea the Great.

Fifth day at K Uncle's

We went to the Padmavati Maa Mandir. Today was Gurupoornima. Gurupoornima is a festival within Hindusim dedicated to the Guru - the teacher who guides his pupil through life and through the religion. When we went to the mandir, it was so full! There were loads of people compared to when we used to go the other days. K Uncle said that these people are farce. Supposedly in God's view, the people that only go to the mandir on certain days are known as acting in front of God. We seeked blessings, and walked to eat. Today they were serving really good food - puri, farfar, daal, rice, vegetable saags and deep fried banana bhajiyas. I ate loads that day - and even took seconds! We slept in the afternoon, and in the evening went to the market in the city centre. It was so busy for 19:00. I was thirsty so I bought a water bag. It was the size of my hand, and I have quite big hands. I had to open it with my teeth and drink the water out of the bag. We also went to the Bhadrakali Mandir that was opposite the gates of Ahmedabad.

We then went to eat. I had a Sadha Dhosa, while K Uncle had Idli Sambhar. We then had coconut and mango smoothies and then went home.

Sixth day at K Uncle's

This morning we went to the Kalika Mandir which was five minutes away from his flat. It was really beautiful. It had a scarlet coloured carpet which had worn out so much that it had gone grey. We walked around the corner to the place where they make Indian traditional food all day long. We bought breakfast from there that morning - chappati, potato curry, khaman and rice. We took it home to eat and then went to sleep. On the sixth day, I had another sadha dhosa, while he had Idli Sambhar. Sadha dhosa's were the only thing that I would eat because they hardly contained anything. I drank a fruit beer soda and strawberry soda too that day! They were so refreshing when it was really hot! I also bought the classic Ramayan for around £4 also. We watched two DVD's of the Ramayan that I bought in the evening.

Seventh day at K Uncle's

Once again we went to Padmavati Maa's mandir to seek blessings and to eat. From the mandir we went straight to the Ghajri Market. It was midday in Ahmedabad, and the sun was at its peak. Therefore it was over 30 degrees Celsius and consequently I started to get sun stroke and felt quite weak. The market land was as big as Wembley Stadium (including the area for parking), and stretched along a long road. Fundamentally the market was all the world's crap in one place. It was like the biggest car boot sale on Earth, full of crap, and people were actually buying it. The funniest thing was that K Uncle was showing me around the market and kept telling me to look at this, and look at that, and I couldn't be bothered. I actually became annoyed because I didn't want to see a market. I wanted to see the tourist attraction sites, even though I know that they are just tourist traps, but it is like going to Canada and not going to see the main tourist attractions for example.

We went back to Krishnanagar and I had a soda to cool me down. We went back to his flat and we went to sleep - even though it took me ages to get to sleep. We bought Khichdi and Kadhi that day like usual, we ate it at his flat. However, he pulled out this Indian block of cheese that he kept in the freezer. He started to grate it, and eat it but it smelt so bad. No, that is being polite, it smelt so bad that it made me vomit. He was confused how a child from the UK wouldn't eat cheese, but certain things from India that they try to imitate from the UK is not the same and probably will never be.

Eighth day at K Uncle's

I woke up angry today. I'm getting tired of having to go to the toilet by squatting on a hole in the floor. I was also angry because K Uncle still didn't understand that when it comes to hygiene and food India and the UK were on opposites sides of the pole. K Uncle was a celibate who had spent his life studying Hinduism and therefore was also religious. He had eight cupboards or wardrobes full of books that he had read. Therefore classing himself as a Philosopher because he has spent his life trying to find answers to questions that have troubled people within Hinduism. Truth in Hinduism is a subject that is very subjective and therefore is up for debate. So I was annoyed that even though he had studied so much within Hinduism - he had read and understood the scriptures etc but he couldn't understand me...

He was going to do a religious ceremony for some people and was short of some items for the ceremony. So we went to an industrial building where they make ceremonial items. He bought the items that he needed, and we went to a Dhosa stand just nearby. There must have been a million flies! Honestly, I spent a quarter of my time eating and three-quarters of it waving my hand to get rid of flies. We then went back to his flat and went to sleep.

Thereafter, we sorted out his bag for his ceremonial items, and sorted out old clothes for the ceremony. We then went to eat Chola Fari that evening. He then wanted to eat Idli, but I said that t was getting late and that there were chances of rain. But he didn't listen. Then the heavens opened - Indian style. It rained continuously for over three hours that evening. It wasn't like the rain in the UK which is feint, this rain was hard enough to hurt as it poured from the sky. The rain was so intense that it was up to my knee! He then stopped for Panneer and Capsicum, and then we went back to his flat - wet and tired. As we entered his flat, I noticed there was water on the floor. I told him, and he saw that he had a leak. This leak has completley completley covered his hall with water. We then had to use a 'Jaru' (an Indian style broom but it is only made out of thin sticks. These sticks are grouped together with a strong thread to sweep the floor). We each grabbed a Jaru and sweeped the water out of his hall. As we were sweeping, he kept mocking me about my eating habits. He always found time to mock me about how little I ate. Really, really infuriating.

Nineth day at K Uncle's

K Uncle runs an Astrology Academy in Ahmedabad. His sister is the Chief Minister of that Academy. She was going to visit us today however, she is strict on cleanliness. I had just woken up and he was making me walk outside in bare feet to wash his outside porch. I washed his porch, and then he told me to wipe all of his windows and doors. All of his windows and doors! He didn't even felt bad for saying it. I was knackered, not because I had to do the work, but because it had only woken up and that I had gone for a holiday and I was acting like a slave.

We bought breakfast again that day but today we bought khaman, daal vada, rotli, two saags and rice. Oh and chutneys too. We layed the table and the sister and an elderly lady came. We spent the day with them, and we went to the market because the sister had to buy some vegetables. We then went in the rickshaw to drop them off halfway. Again had a Sadha dhosa and Panner with Capsicum.

Tenth day at K Uncle's

Today was my last day at K Uncle's. Thank God! But today was also the day of the ceremony so we had to wake up at 5:30am. We got ready, but the rule was that we weren't allowed to eat - ceremony rules. So we went on his Bajaj scooter to a place which is designated for Hindu ceremonies. It took us half-an hour to set up. Then, a family that had paid K Uncle 5,000 INR to conduct the ceremony. We finished setting up for the ceremony, and it started at 7.30. It lasted until 14:00. After the ceremony had finished, we went back to the flat on the scooter. We changed and bought food and strawberry soda. We went to eat and a couple had come to meet K Uncle to ask  some astrological questions. In that time my uncle had come to pick me up.

Before we left, K Uncle talked to my uncle (my dad's youngest brother), and said that I was really forgetful and that I was basically quite dizzy. I tried to appeal my view, but was silenced like a little child. A little child who tried to talk in front of his elders. So I didn't say anything, and let him talk about me in front of me. We then took my suitcases to my uncle's car and we left.

This first half of my trip in India taught me how to control my anger. Before the trip, my anger was very impulsive - I used to get angry at every little thing that annoyed me. In daily interaction with K Uncle, I learned how to control my anger because he did irritate me on a few occasions in regards to me not eating properly in India. In addition, I learnt how I took three to four days to adapt to the new surroundings, people and behaviour. It took me a while, however, I soon learnt the ways of how people live in India. Yes, the Indian's aren't great at being trustworthy and they are great at making a couple of rupees by exploiting good people, but that is the fun and excitement of India. Yes the water is unclean, the roads are dirty and the people glare and stare at you as if you were God, however, in the midst of that I learnt how to live life to the fullest. We, in the UK are unable to enjoy life due to circumstances. As Satre rightfully said: 'the limitations of history and circumsances create our freedom', and therefore we should have more freedom than the people of India.

1) The flight to India - 11/07/11

My flight to India left early morning at around 7.00am. I went with my mum and dad in the car to London Heathrow. We arrived to Heathrow quite quickly becase the amount of traffic was low. I dragged my two bags to the scales that were provided at Heathrow and it weighed upto 36kg which was a relief because the limit given by Air India was 46kg.

I dragged my two bags and headed to wait in-line at the Air India post. I waited for five minutes when an attendee asked if there was anyone who was travelling alone. I raised my hand, and they allowed me to fast-track through the executive line! I smiled as I lifted both bags onto the belt. She asked me the usual questions about whether I packed my own bags etc, and I gave her my passport. I asked her how she was and she said she was fine; people don't usually talk to the people at the airports so I thought I would say hello at least. When my bags went through, I walked over to my parents and in the Indian tradition seeked their blessings before going through immigration.

I stood in-line through immigration and went through the board. I went through the security scanner and went through to duty-free. Mum told me to buy her make-up powder thing from MAC. It cost £16! What a rip-off for something that is the size of my HTC Desire HD. I bought it and walked round and round until I made my way to board. I did go to one of the fancy shops where a cap was over £15! I was never going to pay over £15 for a cap. haha. So I made my way to board and boarded on this Air India flight. For some reason, my seat was right at the back. It felt quite weird to be standing on an airoplane on my own without my parents. I sat next to two Indian guys who had come to the UK to study as students - and they were going back! I know, I couldn't believe it either! But they were really great. One guy was just going to Mumbai, he was Punjabi, but the other guy was going to Ahmedabad, so that meant I had a companian on my travels.

The plane lifted off an hour afterwards. I watched a couple of movies on the plane: Black Swan and The Tourist. (I have written reviews on these films, and will blog them later!) Then I just listened to the Indian Classical Raga radio that was functioned on my user computer. The food was really bad though. Seriously, aeroplane food is of really really bad quality. For the money that a person spends on a ticket to another country, you don't really get enough for it. The staff's expressions mimic cardboard, the food tastes like cardboard and the way the plane is driven by Indian pilot's is really bad. It is going to take a while for Air India as a company to progress among its peers.

So, the plane left London Heathrow for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. When we arrived and passed through all the security checks with the passenger on the plane, we went to KFC because he was hungry. He was a stocky guy, so he ordered a Vegi Burger. On arriving in Mumbai it felt weird that KFC's were available in India. A country that is renouwned for its worship of vegetarianism and religious scriptures, has come to such a time where companies like KFC are able to run. Wow... I'm from the UK and I think that is weird! haha



Electronic interface on Air India Plane



We waited at the airport in Mumbai for over two hours. We were then shuttled in a little coach like mini bus to the plane for Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The plane was long and thin. It wasn't as high tech' as the plane that brought us from the UK. The electronic interface that we used on the plane before was just a television with nothing but Indian programmes on. As we lifted off, it started to pour with rain. The pilot began to say that we are going through turbulence, please remain calm... CALM... CALM? How can we stay calm when the whole aeroplane is rocking from side to side due to wind and rain? But we did land, eventually. When I showed my passport to the passport person, he advised me to get an OCI visa. I then waited over half an hour for my bags to come round. I then grabbed my bags and put them on the belt for them to be checked. It was clear, grabbed my bags and an officer said give me the slip. I didn't have one. He demanded I paid him, but I was able to talk my way out of it and moved on. The alley way through the Ahmedabad airport was quite long, but very bright. As I walked outside, a man stood in front of me. He smiled, his teeth a bit crooked. One tooth to his right elongated from the top to the bottom of his teeth. He wore a cream shirt with grey trousers, with a pen in the front pocket. I'm describing him to be more smart than he actually was because remember, I had arrived in India and everyone in India looks slightly unprofessional because of the massess of dirt and dust that envelopes their land. He asked me my name and I agreed. It was K uncle. (K uncle is my dad's friend from India when he attended Swadhye - Hindu religious group).

I had a huge smile on my face. I shook his hand, and we walked to the rickshaw that was parked a few minutes away from the airport. The rickshaw driver lives below his flat, so he asked a favour. Oh, by the way it was passed 3 at night! So, it was quite dark. We pushed my bags in the rickshaw, and we forced ourselves in. (Did you know it cost 60INR to park at the airport. That is like under a pound to park your car... couldn't believe it) Then the rickshaw driver hit the accelerator and we sped off. It was quite a drive to Krishnanagar. When we reached, K uncle explained that the electrics had gone because of the rain. The rain had become so bad that it had leaked into the electric pipe, and the pipe sparked and the whole block's electrics had gone. We arrived, and his flat was on the first floor. So, in pitch black we dragged my bags up the stairs and walked to the end of the corridor on the left. He opened two locks on his door and we walked in. I was quite surprised. It was so clean, and spotless! As we entered, he rushed to light candles so that we could see where we were going. I sat down in the living room, and I fell asleep, and he went in his room to sleep.