Arrival in Delhi

Krishna, Raju, Vimal, R.K., Gopal

On July 17th we landed in Delhi. Our friend R.K. Verma picked us up at the airport with two cars! One for our luggage (smart man) and the helpers he brought along and one for us. It was so good to see R.K. again, and Raju! R.K. took us to our old friend Krishna Singh's home. Her son Raju had greeted us at the airport. It was so great to see everyone.

Shinu, Arushi (in blue) and the other children
R.K., Arushi, Shinu

On July 18th we went for a puja at Arjun's where R.K. and his family were also guests. It was the first time I have seen R.K.'s family in five years. His youngest chld is 5, so i'm not sure if I saw her as a baby then or not. We had wonderful (spicy) food and got to watch all the children.

Krishna, P.K., Naman, R.K.

Carolyn, Naman, Krishna

(it was dark up on the roof so we couldn't see what we were taking)

Mala and Arushi

On July 19th we had dinner at R.K.'s up on his roof, nice and cool. The food and chai were really good and the moon was full. R.K.'s wife Mala and the girls were there, as well as R.K.'s brother P.K. and his son Naman. They all live in the same house that R.K. built.

Carolyn suffering

In the meantime, the mosquitos hit me very badly to the point I developed an allergic reaction to them. My whole body was covered in red welts. Went to the doctor and got some allergy pills, as well as Calidryl lotion. Nothing helped much. We borrowed a mosquito net but it helped a little. Misery.

California Farewells

Dexter upside down wearing shoes my son, Mike, brought him from Paris when Dexter was newly born and wearing a t-shirt I bought him in Seattle when Gopal and I were dealing with Mike's death.

Carolyn, Todd, Joan

Suzie, Joan, Todd

On June 28th we celebrated my brother, Todd's, birthday with brunch at our house. Needless to say, it was emotional and wonderful and sad. My sister, Joan, stayed with me for the weekend, which I am so glad we did. Todd and I didn't get that kind of time, but our breakfast together did fill some of the gap. I gave Joan some stuff to store, and she took my plants. Thank you so much, Joan.

Youraraj Upreti family

On July 2nd we had dinner at Youraraj Upreti's house with his parents and other friends and family. The food was wonderful, and we had a really nice visit with our friends we love. The Upreti's have since moved to Miami, Florida, so Youraraj can go to graduate school in Physics. He'll be joining his cousin Krishna and his family, so they'll have an extended family there. We're thinking about you in your new home with great understanding.

On July 3rd, we went to Mani Nepali's home where all of our Nepali friends were gathered to honor us. They gave us a beautiful framed tribute and served us unlimited amounts of wonderful food and drink. Thank you Hema and Mani for your love and friendship. Thank you for that evening and the other evenings you have entertained us so generously.

Victoria in Suzie's kitchen

Suzie in her kitchen

Carolyn reading to Dexter

This is our first day with internet installed in our Delhi apartment. Sometimes

it works beautifully, and sometimes it doesn't. But the pictures are uploading much faster now. Yay!

On July 4th Ramon's mother and aunt came up from L.A. to say good bye and had us over to Suzie and Ramon's for lunch. The cooking was wonderful as usual and so was the company. Victoria always makes a special batch of egg rolls for Gopal and me because we're vegetarian. As I recall, we ate them gratefully on our last day in our Richmond house. Thanks Victoria and Nini!! As you've probably heard, I'm wearing those shirts you brought me. Perfect for India.

More Farewells

Joan, Carolyn, Victoria, Nini, Sharon

On July 3rd, we had a brunch at the house to honor Victorial and Nini's visit from L.A. The whole families got together for pancakes. It was really fun. We're blessed to have the Nasols as part of our extended family. Thanks for making the trip to see us. It was wonderful as usual, AND the shirts Victoria brought have been perfect for India. Thank you, thank you!

Ann, Nathan, Rick

We had a huge yard sale on July 5th. It was the most tiring day of my life. Gopal's too, I bet. My friend, Kim, came to help that day. What we would have done without her I have no idea. She worked at our sale all day long. She has sort of gift for that sort of thing. Did I get one picture of her helping? No! She's probably glad. Anyway, Kim, I miss you and will call you soon. Our friend and landlord, Rick, came with his wife, Ann, and their new son, Nathan. What a nice surprise! We hadn't seen Nathan yet. What a cutie!! Thank you all for taking the time to stop by. We'll be in touch.

Yamuna, Smriti, Muna, Carolyn

On July 7th, we had dinner at Yamuna and Bishnu's. It was even more special because Yamuna's mother, Muna, was there. We have a special friendship, and she has been living in Miami for a while now so I rarely see her. Bishnu and Yamuna are special friends of ours. It was so satisfying to spend time with them all including Dave and Smriti. Yamuna, you are in my heart always. I'll see you when I come back to visit.

Aimee, Kathy, Linda, Carolyn, Barbara

On July 8th, my meditation sangha had our farewell dinner together at Christopher's Nothing Special Cafe. Everyone was there except Sherry, who's in London, and Pien who has recently left the group. I love these women very much. What a wonderful group of women. It is hard for me to believe I will ever be able to find another group of such wise and warm people. I love you all and miss you very much.

On July 7th, Manohara took Gopal, me, Dinesh, and Ratna out for dinner at SaWaDee in Richmond. We got NO pictures! I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry about it. We had a really wonderful time with Manohara, a very special friend to me. She is my daughter. Manohara, that pink outfit you gave me is the only one that is perfectly suited to the weather here. Friends here fitted it for me, so it looks really good. I'll try to send you a picture. I love you and miss you.

Carolyn, Shruti, Mihir

Jasoda, Carolyn, Merina, Shashi, Shruti, Mihir, and friend

On July 10th, we had dinner at the Sitaula's. Ishwar, Durga, Vivek, and Jasoda were all there, as well as Shashi and Shruti, Merina and Mihir, and the Sitaula's woman friend whose name I never got. I remember her fondly and apologize to her for my memory lapse. I sat with Shruti and Mihir, which was wonderful and special because I love them very much. I actually love all these people deeply and miss them every day. Carolyn, Pandi

Saturday, July 11th, was my last yoga class with teacher, Pandi, whom I love. Stephanie and I would meet there and take a walk and talk through the neighborhood after class. Pandi's class is mindful, surprisingly effective since it's so gentle, and fun. Thank you Pandi for being you. Being in your class was a privilege. I miss you.

Farewell Party July 13th

Carolyn, Rahman, Muska, Gopal

Rahman brought his daughters to the party. Najiba was tending to company at their house so couldn't come with them. We sure missed seeing her before we left, but we were thrilled to see and hug the girls. Gopal was partcularly happy to see Muska.

Hema, Laxmi, Carolyn, Jasoda

Ishwar, Shyam

All of our Nepali friends came all through the day. Since we couldn't meet them all individually, we were really happy they all came. We are so grateful to Shyam and Dinesh for arranging this event. This was the biggest party we ever had at our house. After the party, we had one last bhajan at our house. We feel very blessed.

Dexter at the party

Suzie and Dexter came for the day. Ramon had to attend a funeral in L.A. We missed him very much.

Katie, Zoey, Joan, Luke

Joan and Scott brought Katie and Zoey. Luke and Dianna came and spent the day. We will miss their wedding in August and will be waiting for pictures. Todd and Sharon came and shared our day with us. We said goodbye to them at the party.

Mike Huhman and Nelson came. Mike took wonderful pictures at the party that we're going to post separately when we get our DSL connection at home (in a few days). Mike came the day we left, and helped us get the house cleaned up by taking loads to recycling centers and one to the dump. Thank you so much, Mike. What would we have done without you? We not only appreciate your hard work, but having you there was important to us.

We want to give a special thank you to Genny who stayed until we left for the airport. Her quiet presence helped soften those frantic moments. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Farewell at SFO

Erica, Carolyn, Shyam, a friend, Gopal, and Ishwar at SFO

After Suzie, Ramon, and Dexter dropped us off at the airport, Ishwar, Shyam, Tilak, Kaushel, and Erica were all waiting with four of our suitcases. Thank you Ishwar and Company!!

7-27-08 Moving into our new apartment

Although Krishna and I didn't haul anything up and down all those stairs, we were still pooped when all their furniture had made it upstairs. (Krishna had knee surgery a week ago, so she's not moving very fast.)

Our friend Krishna and her son Raju moved into our new apartment. Here's a picture of Raju and his friend Sushil (pictured on the left), who helped them pack up their old apartement, move the stuff up 3 floors, then helped them unpack and put things away!! We love him.

Our Apartment in Delhi

It is more than a week now since we arrived in Delhi. Because of our Friend RK Verma we were able to find a decent two bedroom apartment and we are moving in slowly. We have to buy almost all the things that we left behind in California. But fortunately we are sharing the house with another old friend Krishna and her son Raju. They will bring most of the house hold items that we may need. Since we still do not have access to internet yet, we will be slow in reporting. Here are some pictures of our apartment.

Carolyn and Raju at the entrance of the Delhi Apartment.

A view from the balcony

Living room

Carolyn's toilet

Gopal's toilet

Living room ceiling

Since we moved in, we have been "negotiating" with the landlord about water supply. Things have improved, but if our water supply doesn't become more consistent and dependable, we will need to move out. Will keep you posted. Living and learning.