Hello India!

We finally made it! We entered India at 12:40am so I think that's 1:10pm (day before, we are 12 1/2 hours ahead) Canadian time. The boys were tired, we were only on the plane from Singapore for 5 hours but it left at 7:00pm so they fell asleep right after the plane took off. The city we landed in is called Kochi, one of many small cities they have in the state of Kerala. I will get to more of that later.... Because we arrived in the evening the airport was quiet, Dan tells me it's a good thing because he's been there when busy and it's not pretty. Outside is Dan's Indian entourage - 5 happy, excited men. They all hugged Dan and the boys but I got the impression they didn't know what to make heads-or-tails out of me. So all, being very shy shook my hand. Now in India you have to understand they are very "touchy-feely" people so they all tried to pick up our boys and pinch their cheeks. Yeah, that went off well!! After the crying stopped, our luggage was put in a vehicle that looked like a Land Rover and we all went in a car just slightly bigger then a firefly, later I learned that was the local family car. We drive for about 15 minutes to our hotel and what an experience that was! It was so bumpy and curvy, and they don't wear seat belts! The car we took had no seat belts so that was really scary. We arrive at a hotel named "Elegance", and went up to our room. I'll be honest, after spending the day in Singapore and dealing with the boys we were tired, so we went straight to bed. The next day we met with a good friend of Dan's named Saneesh. He's 27 and lives with his parents and 1 younger sister, his older sister is married and has moved out. His English is pretty good and it's fun when he teaches us Mullullay - one of many Indian languages. He co-runs and small store that sells everything from buckets to diapers - pretty much an average dollar store in Canada. They boys really like him and so do I. The next day was an eye shocker! India really is a different world, and there are so many people. First off, it smells different - and no not all curry!! You can smell vegetables, animals, sweat, spices, and most unsatisfying - body odor!! Oh well it's all in the experience hey?!! The people are very nice and most are just shy to talk to you but after you initiate conversation they love to talk, just hope they speak some English so you can understand them. Everyone is always staring at us, I have become used to this now but at first it's very distracting. Like I've previously stated most have never seen "white people" before so it's a big deal when we get out of the car. Now with the boys everyone loves them, but I find Alex gets the most reactions because he is blond haired and blue eyed. They like to call him "golden hair" and they are continuously petting their heads! Another thing I as a mom have had to experience is that most women will pick up the boys and walk away and coo at them. It used to send me into a panic but I've learned to accept this is their way, but of course I won't let them go too far and it's up to the boys also. Here are some first photos of India, these are what the streets, shopping and vehicles look like. I will post more very soon - there's so much to share! Take care everyone!