Goa: Excursions from Agonda

Here at last is the final post about our most amazing wonderful time with Aaron, Isaac, and Annika in India. In the previous post, we shared Agonda Beach. Here we share separate slide shows for four special excursions we made from Agonda. So be warned, in an effort to document it all, this one's a "super post", with four slide shows and a video!

The first slide show shares our visit to Cola Beach. Cola is Agonda's neighbouring beach to the north. You cannot drive all the way, so Cola is even less developed than Agonda. For us, getting there was half the fun. We went as far as we could on a rented motorbike and scooter. Then we hiked down for breakfast and some fun on the beach. Then we followed a marvelous trail back up to the bikes.

Our next outing involved another scooter ride. This time to Palolem Beach, a little more than 10 km north of Agonda. Palolem is a much busier beach than Agonda, but it's still beautiful with ever so much to explore. With his eye always alert to the rocks, Aaron again found something to climb. The Palolem bonus was that we were there as the sun set over the Arabian Sea.

Our third outing involved an hour long car ride, but it was well worth the drive. We went inland to a spice farm. The instructive tour that showed us the ins and outs of growing cashew, cardamom, coconut and such was most interesting. The time with the elephants was even better. The children got to help bathe an elephant in the river. Then, much to their delight, the elephant gave Annika and Isaac a shower. There's a video here in addition to the slide show.

Finally, here's a slide show that shares another outing on scooters. This time we just went exploring, and meandered about 20 km up the coast. Our first stop was Cabo de Rama, an old fort that pre-dates even the Portugese period in Goa, and that began in 1510. Then we visited a little known smaller beach that is visited mostly by Goan families. So, here is our final slideshow for the totally memorable India visit by Aaron, Isaaac and Annika.

Goa Holiday on Agonda Beach

Goa was a fitting finale for our month with Aaron, Isaac and Annika. We spent 6 delightful days on Agonda Beach in South Goa. Agonda is quieter and less developed than most other Goa beaches have become. It's almost a throwback to the Goa we enjoyed when we first brought Aaron as a 10 month old baby, and again when he was about 7. Now, in January of 2015, we enjoyed another wonderfully relaxed respite in Goa--this time not just with Aaron, but with his two beautiful and adventurous children. Isaac and Annika made the most of their Agonda holiday.

We've decided to create two posts for our time in Goa. This one shares images only of our time at Agonda. The final post documenting the Aaron family visit will be about the memorable excursions we took from Agonda. 

Goa Holiday on Agonda Beach from paulhami

Train Ride to Goa

It's taking longer than anticipated to get our blog caught up. Our train ride to Goa also took MUCH longer than anticipated. We got up at 4 am in Hampi for the drive to Hospet so we could catch a train that was scheduled to leave at 6 am. The train eventually left at about 10, and it fell further behind schedule as the day progressed. We eventually arrived at Margao sometime after 6:30 pm.

It was a very long day, but again our grandchildren were terrific travelers with hardly any complaints all day long. Enjoy the slide show. I promise, we'll get our delightful time in Goa documented eventually...

Train Ride to Goa from paulhami

Hampi Visit

Our previous post shared some of the fun we had on the long day's train ride that took us to Hampi. This post focuses on the four days we spent in Hampi. We stayed in the delighteful "Mowgli Guest House" with it's thatch roofed cottages that looked out over newly transplanted rice fields. It was hot in Hampi, and Mowgli provided welcome respite from the mid-day sun. Isaac and Annika were intrigued by the countless industrious ants on the premises, as they went about their business.

As mentioned last time, Hampi is primarily about climbing for Aaron. Unfortunately, Aaron wasn't feeling well for most of our Hampi visit. Still, despite feeling lousy, he did get in some bouldering on Hampi's impressive granite. As a bonus, while in Hampi Aaron met up with three Vancouver Island friends and fellow climbers--Kelly, Christine and Scott. 

Grandparents and grandchildren crossed the Tungabhadra River by passenger ferry one morning to visit a temple and watch the temple elephant have her daily bath in the river. Visiting Hampi's extensive ruins will have to wait for another visit...

The slide show embedded below includes pictures from the unexpectedly long time we spent on the platform at the Hospet Railway Station. All our train trips in India with Aaron, Isaac and Annika became adventures, and the last one that took us to Goa was no exception. After getting up at 4:00 am to catch a 6:30 train, the departure was delayed until after 10 o'clock. Once again neither Isaac nor Annika complained, even though neither of them was feeling all that great.

We think there are some pretty good pictures in our Hampi slide show. We hope you enjoy them too.

Hampi Visit from paulhami

Traveling to Hampi

We called our last post "Delhi Stopover". Lynn and I are back in Delhi again, but we've traveled many miles since that stopover. This time, we are without Aaron, Isaac and Annika. Last night they boarded a Lufthansa flight here, and are now winging their way back to Vancouver Island.

We've been moving too fast to keep up with our blogging. So we'll try to put up a relatively quick series of posts over the next few days to finish documenting our most marvelous family adventure. This one shares our convoluted route from Delhi to Hampi. 

Hampi is a village in the South Indian state of Karanataka that is notable for ruins dating back many centuries. Hampi is sacred to Hindus for its numerous temples. Hampi is revered by rock climbers for its world class bouldering. Our son Aaron has known for years about climbing in Hampi, so he was keen for us to put it on our itinerary.

We left travel arrangements for Hampi a bit late, so reservastions on the most direct routes were not available. We enjoyed Air India's great service as we flew from Delhi to Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh. After overnighting in Tirupati, we caught a very slow all-day passenger train to Hospet, the railhead for Hampi. The slide show embedded here is mostly about our long and mostly enjoyable day traveling "2nd class sleeper" on the Hubli Passenger. 

Delhi Stopover

After leaving Agra, we spent two nights in Delhi, and took advantage of our time in India's capital to visit a couple of its many attractions. On our first afternoon, it was the National Railway Museum. The next day, we experienced the only rain we have seen since Aaron, Isaac and Annika arrived in India. Despite the rain, we spent some time on the soggy streets of Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk and visited the Red Fort. 

Another highlight of our Delhi time happened on a sidewalk where we were charmed along with some snakes. Immediately below is a video that shows Isaac and Annika's brave interactions with a couple of these scaly reptiles. Then there is a slideshow that includes time at the Railway Museum, the Red Fort and in the domestic section of Delhi Airport's impressive new Terminal 3 on our way out of town.

We are now in Goa after having spent time in Hampi. Hiopefully, there will be a Hampi post soon and one about our time in Goa after that.

Agra with Aaron, Annika and Isaac

Fog played a major roll in our visit to Agra with Aaron, Isaac and Annika. We got up very early in Delhi last Tuesday morning to catch the Taj Express, but that train was canceled because of the heavy Delhi fog. We managed to get seats in 2 separate coaches on a later train that took nearly six hours instead of the scheduled three. Lynn, Aaron and Isaac were in one coach, while Annika and I travelled in another. That's why the photos show only Annika.

The fog was still with us when we arrived in Agra, and that flavoured the pictures we took that afternoon--of the tomb of Etimad ud Doulah and then of the Taj from across the Jamuna River. It was also bitterly cold in Agra--only 2 degrees when we got up on Wednesdeay morning. Fortunately, the fog was no longer with us for our second day in Agra, with visits to Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj. This meant we got some pretty good pictures. It may not seem like it, but we've only included a few of our Agra pics in the slide show embedded below.

We all agree that our favourite Mughal visit was the Etimad ud Doulah tomb. We arrived there late in the day, and had the place almost to ourselves. Fatehpur Sikri is also truly amazing, but we didn't have time to do it justice. Fatehpur Sikri is the incredible city built by Akhbar that served as capital of the Mughal Empire for only 16 years. 

Having visited the Taj in an era when visitors were relatively few, we were almost overwhelmed this time by the crowds there! I remember visiting the Taj with grade some 11 classmates in 1967 when we were the only visitors inside the Taj. This time there were hundreds, and it felt like thousands.

The slide show embedded below shares our Agra adventure, and includes a few episodes not mentioned here. I hope it illustrates how wonderful Isaac and Annika are as travelers and tourists They have been absolutely fabulous all along the way. I'm posting this from Hampi, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, so our amazing grandchildren have had a great deal more opportunity to demonstrate their cheerfully adventurous spirit since Agra. Stay tuned for more of our fabulous family journey...

Agra from paulhami

Memorable Mussoorie Moments

We are now in Agra, where it feels very cold this morning. The  temperature here is 3, and our Accuweather app tells us it is way up at 4 in Mussoorie! It's supposed to be warmer down here on the plains!!! 

We left Mussoorie on Monday afternoon, and we hope there will be a post soon about our travels since then, This post shares images of some of the wonderful times that we enjoyed together in Mussoorie. There are also pictures on this slide show of a side trip we took last Saturday.

There is a little more commentary than usual on this slide show.

Riding an Elephant and Shooting Tigers in Corbett Park

Our time with Aaron, Isaac and Annika has been way too full and busy for us to keep up with blog posts! The highlight of the past week was without doubt our trip to Jim Corbett National Park. This involved a drive of about 300 km in each direction, but Corbett was well worth the drive. We also learned that Aaron seems to have been born to drive in India! He handles the crazy traffic "like an experienced Indian", and he drives so safely that he never causes his passengers to feel at risk.

We stayed overnight inside Corbett, at a the 1928 vintage Bijrani forest rest house. We were up early for our 7:30 ride through the jungle on "Asha", a 40 year old female elephant. Sharif Khan, our mahout and guide, made every effort to track down a tiger for us, but there was none to be found. The ride itself through unspoiled north Indian jungle was more than worthwhile.

Since it was Christmas Eve, we had intended to return to Mussoorie immediately after our elephant ride. We had been looking forward to Lynn's Christmas dinner on the 25th. Instead, we decided to postpone the dinner until the 26th and stay a little longer in Corbett. We are very glad we changed our plans, and lined up an afternoon "jeep safari" with a driver named Sajid. He told us the chances of seeing a tiger were good, and he did not disappoint.

We were privileged to come within about 50 feet of a gorgeous female tiger and two of her two-year-old cubs. As you can see in the slide show, the mother posed beautifully to be shot by our cameras! So, here's the slide show of our memorable Christmas Eve visit to Corbett Park.

Riding an Elephant and Shooting Tigers in Corbett Park from paulhami

Drive to Moriana Top

Mussoorie, where we are based, lies along the top of the first ridge of the Himalayas. 'Moriana Top' is the local name for the point at the top of the next ridge. where a road crosses and descends to the Ganges River. The spot affords a magnificent view of the Great Himalayan Range. 

We took a drive to Moriana Top with Aaron, Isaac and Annika on Saturday. It was a picture perfect day, and the views could not have been better. The video embedded immediately below shows the breathtaking panorama we enjoyed at our destination. Below the video is a slide show of a most memorable day together.

At Home at Pine Point & Walking in Landour

It was more than exciting to bring Aaron, Isaac and Annika home to our little Pine Point apartment. Our home is suddenly full of life. The small flat is definitely full, but there still seems to be plenty of room. Fortunately, the weather has been dry, and the children have been making creative use of our gravel front yard.

On our first morning together in Mussoorie, there was high cloud in the sky, but the air was unusually clear. That afforded exceptional views in all directions. So, we decided to spend the day walking the Landour hillside. Landour is forested part of part of Mussoorie where we live. It's also where Aaron spent his earliest years.

The slideshow below shares our Landour walk, as well as a little of our time at home. As you'll see, our resident Landour monkeys featured prominently in our first day together in Mussoorie.

Walking in Landour from paulhami

Aaron, Isaac and Annika Arrive in India

It's good to dream! This week, a long held dream has at last become reality. Lynn and I traveled from Mussoorie to Delhi on Monday to meet our son Aaron, along with our grandchildren Isaac and Annika. We first brought Aaron to India when he was 5 months old. Mussoorie was his home for most of his first 10 years. Now Aaron is back for a visit--for the first time since 1990!

The Lufthansa flight landed early, shortly before midnight on Tuesday. All 3 travelers were extremely tired after flying almost non-stop from Vancouver. After part of a night's sleep at Kabli Hotel, the three weary travelers did well and seemed to enjoy themselves as we took the Delhi Metro to Janpath and Connaught Place for some exploration and shopping. 

We were up by 5:30 on Thursday morning to catch the Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Railway Station to Dehradun. And now at long last, Aaron is back in Mussoorie... The slideshow here shares some of our time together in Delhi as well as on the Shatabdi Express. Stay tuned for posts about Aaron's re-discovery of Mussoorie and environs...

Aaron, Isaac and Annika Arrive in India from paulhami

Beach Time in Goa

We said good bye to Anjali and Nathan at the airport in Goa on Sunday afternoon. They have a few more days in India, but we won't see them again until we are back in Canada next April. While we were together, we made some memories that we shall always cherish!

Our time together in Goa was extra special. We stayed on Agonda Beach in south Goa. It takes a while to get to Agonda, but it's definitely worth the drive. Even in 2014, Agonda isn't overly developed or crowded. The sun shone on us, the water was warm, and our time together passed altogether too quickly!

Here's a slide show that shares a few of the highlights of our Beach Time in Goa.

Beach Time in Goa from paulhami

More Mussoorie Time with Anjali and Nathan

Anjali and Nathan are in Calcutta now, and our little Pine Point flat feels slightly bigger again. We are delighted that we can join 'Anj and Nath' on Tuesday in Goa for a few more days together--on the beach this time. 

But first... here are a few images to share more of the special memories we created together before the adventurers left us on Wednesday. 

Landour with Anjali and Nathan

Landour is the Mussoorie community where we are based. It remains remarkably unchanged since the 1960's when I was a boy here, as scenic and alluring as ever. This is where we spent our Thursday with Anjali and Nathan, and this is the subject of the slide show embedded below. 

We set out before breakfast for an early morning walk along the "Eyebrow" path, and made our way slowly to the "top of the hill", where we were blessed with crystal clear views of Bandarpunch and Swagarohini. We stopped at Char Dukhan for a breakfast of paranthas and chocolate pancakes! Then it was down for a look-in at Aotearoa, where our family lived from 1988 to 1990.

We were welcomed warmly at Landour Community Hospital and given a tour of the facilities. This is where Anjali was born on October 12 in 1983. In her present capacity as a delivery nurse in British Columbia, Anjali seemed impressed with what LCH has to offer. 

Eventually, we wound up at Woodstock School, where Anjali attended kindergarten and grade 1, and where Lynn and I worked from 1981 to 1990. In the alumni office, Anjali found a significant record of her time as a student. There is a wonderful large picture of her in the 1990 yearbook. Judy Crider facilitated a brief tour of the school, and we joined her for lunch in the staff dining room.

Here are a few images of our "Landour Day".

Anjali and Nathan are Here!

Lynn and I worked in Mussoorie from 1981 to 1990. Our son Aaron was 5 months old when we arrived, and our daughter Anjali was born here in 1983. Until this week, neither of our children had been back to India since 1990. Anjali and her husband Nathan landed in Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday morning this week. Aaron will be coming in mid-December, along with his children Isaac and Annika. 

So, it was way beyond special for us to meet Anjali and Nathan at the airport in Delhi! We spent all of Tuesday in Delhi, resting up and doing a little exploration of some Delhi shops, with the help of Delhi's wonderful Metro system. 

Early on Wednesday morning, we caught the Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Station to Dehradun. Then it was up to Mussoorie in the Bolero. Thursday was spent in a leisurely walk through Mussoorie's bazaars. Although Anjali was only 7 when she left India, and she's been gone for 24 years, many of her memories are remarkably clear.

Here's a slide show with some images of our first three days together in India. A second post and slide show will appear here soon.

Reunion in Mussoorie -- Chandrashila Trip

Our reunion officially ended in great style with our special dinner at Rokeby Manor last Saturday evening. For seventeen of us, the memory-making continued for another three days on our "Chandrashila Trip". This post includes a slide show for each of the three days.

The Chandrashila trip involved long days in two hired Force Travellers. On Sunday, we journeyed out Tehri Road as far as Chamba, where we headed up through wonderful pine forest to the city of New Tehri. Then it was on toward Srinagar and Rudraprayag, eventually arriving at the welcoming and beautifully situated Ukhimath Rest House above the Mandikini River. 

Our first day was highlighted by a flat tire on each of  our mini-buses. Changing and then repairing the tires afforded us extra opportunity to enjoy each others' company in a leisurely fashion. Gordon demonstrated vast experience and considerable skill in helping the drivers with the tires.

Prayers were answered, and our second day dawned clear and cold. We got away from the rest house before 6:30, and made our way to the Chandrashila trail head at Chopta, situated at an elevation of 2680 metres (8793'). From Chopta, we headed up toward the Tungnath Temple. The distance isn't great, but it's very steep. Over three and a half kilometres to Tungnath, the elevation gain is fully 1000 metres to 3680 metres (12,073')! It's another 320 metres above the temple to the Chandrashila summit.

Sixteen of us made it to Tungnath, and seven got to the top of Chandrashila, despite a couple of treacherous icy patches on the trail above the temple. The wonderful thing about the Chandrashila hike is that the magnificent views start right at the beginning of the trail. So, even though it began to cloud over by the time we got to Tungnath and the Chanderashila summit, we all enjoyed some truly memorable Himalayan vistas.

Our tired bodies enjoyed another night of warm hospitality at the Ukhimath Rest House. The staff there went out of their way to accommodate us. It was great to be able to spend another night together, and the beautiful setting of the rest house was icing on the cake.

On our final day together, we returned to Mussoorie via Dehradun to ensure that four of us would not miss our train to Delhi. The return trip went well, with no punctures. There was a memorable stop in Srinagar that involved some impressive top spinning. Again, Gordon demonstrated great skill! We had one final meal together at the President Hotel in Dehradun before farewelling those proceeding to Delhi by train.

So... that's it for blogging about our Reunion in Mussoorie. There will be further posts here, but not about the reunion. Next week our daughter Anjali and her husband Nathan will be arriving from Canada for a visit, and doubtless there will be posts about some of the things we do together. Lynn and I are tremendously excited about this visit!!!

One final note: In our post about Day 6 and our dinner at Rokeby, we shared that Mrs. Kapadia joined us. She indicated that she had a wonderful time, and we certainly enjoyed connecting again with this remarkable woman. Sadly, while we were away at Chandrashila, Mrs. Kapadia's sister from Canada passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. She died in her sleep at Fern Oaks while on an extended visit with her sister Saroj. Our thoughts and prayers are with Saroj and her family as they grieve their loss.

Reunion in Mussoorie - Day 6 and More

We're back safely from Chandrashila after a memorable and successful three-day excursion. It will take a few days to sort through the plethora of images and get a post up about that. So as promised, this post is about Day 6 of our reunion. There are a few other pictures here as well.

Saturday, our Day 6, was a "free day", with only one scheduled event. That was our Rokeby Manor dinner, kindly paid for by the Woodstock Alumni Office. We had a wonderful time, but not exactly as planned. We were to have eaten around a bonfire up at Rokeby's "Highands". 

As it turned out, we were treated to one of Mussoorie's impressive thunderstorms late Saturday afternoon. So we gathered in Rokeby's wonderfully warm lounge and enjoyed dinner in Rokeby's delightful 'Emily's Restaurant'. The food was amazing, and the company even better. A special highlight of our Rokeby evening was that we were joined by Saroj Kapadia, and by Dan and Anne Lind. 

The first slide show below shares pictures of the time we enjoyed at Rokeby. The second slide show shares pictures taken by Gordon at Premla's place in Delhi as well as some shots taken on the train between Delhi and Dehradun. Finally, there are pictures of two of our number who I think deserve special mention .for their major contributions.

Reunion Day 6 Slides Reload from paulhami

Reunion in Mussoorie - Day 5

Our fifth day was a day of adventure. Almost everyone made their way to Everest House on the far side of Mussoorie for a picnic lunch. A few of us walked all the way there and then back to Library Bazaar, for a total of 19 km. Some availed of taxi services for all or part of the way. Cloud impaired the views we could have enjoyed, but spirits did not seem at all dampened.

While at Everest House, Gordon and Jon engaged in a traditional chesnut fight with some seasoned chessies found along the way by Harald. A video of this epic event is embedded below today's slide show. After visiting Everest House, Will and Kate, along with Bette and Gordie, proceeded to hike up Benog Tibba. They were rewarded with a leopard sighting, but the cat was moving too quickly to be captured by a camera.

There were other side trips--to Happy Valley, the Tibetan School, and GEMS school, but we all wound up together at the Imperial Square in Library Bazaar for another delicious meal. Taxis brought us all safely "home" by about 9 pm, when many stayed up to watch a Dan Terry video.

This evening will mark the formal end of our reunion with yet another feast around a bon fire at the 'Highlands' above Rokeby. We are delighted that Mrs. Kapadia will be joining us! I'm sorry to say that the Rokeby event will not be blogged here until sometime next week. That's because 17 of us will be setting out at 7:30 tomorrow morning for our three-day Chandrashilla Peak adventure. We're hoping for clear skies and magnificent views.

Sometime after returning to Mussoorie next Tuesday evening, I'll try to put up a post about Chandrashilla. In addition to that, I hope to share some images from Rokeby, as well as a few pre-reunion images taken at Premla's place and on the train between Delhi and Dehradun.

Reunion in Mussoorie -- Day 4 (Diwali)

It's Friday morning in Mussooerie, and the fourth day of our reunion is in the books. Yesterday was Diwali, and it was a welcome "free day" for us. Classmates scattered in many directions--Flag Hill, Happy Valley, "the bazaar", and to places unknown. I don't have images to share from these jaunts.

There was one scheduled reunion event, and that was a special Divali dinner at the posh Jaypee Residency Manor in Barlowganj. Some hiked all the way there and back. Others combined hiking and motoring. However we got there, it was a memorable event in a magnificent setting.

My slide show for today features our time  at Jaypee, but Lynn has shared a few images of people relaxing at Ivy Bank and of her walk through the bazaar en route to Jaypee. I'm posting this in haste, so please forgive any lapses, errors or omissions. I have to get ready for our all day trek to Everest House, followed by dinner this evening at the Imperial Square in Library Bazaar.

Reunion in Mussoorie - Day 4 (Diwali) from paulhami