Since I last wrote, N and M have started soccer. They get up at 5:15a and get themselves ready and out the door. We are fortunate to have two other families to carpool with so our drivers do not have to do all the early mornings. They both seem to be enjoying it.
We went to Thailand. It was a nice break, but the weather was a damper some days. The day we arrived was beautiful. A wonderful breeze, and the hotel personnel meeting you with a necklace of flowers! Just like in the movies. One of the rooms was ready, so we freshened up before heading out to see the resort grounds. There is an absolutely breathtaking view of the sea from the resort. We inquired about excursions, and we booked two. The first was going to be a speedboat ride to a few different islands along with snorkeling. The other was an elephant ride in the rainforest. We did some shopping and relaxing a little at the pool.
For our speedboat ride we had good weather, but the water was choppy. When we finally made it to the lagoon, it was awesome. The water was so blue. The kids went swimming with Charles while I took pictures. We visited an island before heading to lunch. The island was nice, and N and I found some interesting sea shells. We went snorkeling. It was so cool. We saw a lot of Nemo fish, but the water was not clear because it was so choppy. The fish would just swim around you.
The day of the elephant excursion was rainy. We had to drive 2 hours from the resort to a National Park for our inflatable canoe ride. We bought rain jackets and left the cameras in the car. We saw some monkeys and a snake along the river. We also stopped and had a coffee break. After the canoe ride, we had an excellent Thai lunch. The weather cleared long enough for us to get a 45 minute ride into the rainforest on elephants. I also have a picture of the largest spider I have ever seen! The elephant ride was fun.
We did some shopping in town and relaxed by the pool. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe as well. We left Phuket and went to Bangkok for 3 days. It was good to be able to just come out of our hotel and walk the streets sightseeing. We found Starbucks all around. We ate at the Outback and the Hard Rock Cafe while we were in Bangkok. The weather was not that great either, but we really enjoyed the cooler temperatures.
Well, since I started writing this a week ago, our life has gotten crazier. I did not think that was possible, but Incredible India is not disappointing us with all the twists and turns it throws at us. Let me share our last couple weeks. Please you may want to get a beverage and sit back. This is going to be fun!
When we came home, our pool looked liked the inside of a fish tank that has been sitting on a windowsill in the sunshine. Green and full of algae! Yuck! We immediately called the pool guy, and we were informed that he is not coming out to service the pool because he has not been paid. I thought we had already straightened this out before we left for Thailand. Apparently the landlord wanted us to pay for the pool service, but we were never presented a bill or even informed that we would be responsible. There were also some other issues between the pool service and the landlord, so we told them they had to work that out amongst themselves. We decided to get another pool service, so the kids would be able to swim again. Then the drama started - old pool guy is mad because we have a new pool guy. Old pool guy is accusing new pool guy of stealing his chemicals which we found out were being stored on the property. We just want the pool cleaned! Three weeks and counting. The pool is still cloudy, but it is our understanding that we can use it.
Okay, now for the best twist of all! WE HAVE TO MOVE! We found out, by accident, that our landlord has decided to build some new houses on the property. Charles noticed some poles on the side of the house, and our caretaker said that the landlord is building new houses. What?!? We were not even notified by the landlord. Charles called the homeowners and we were informed that there would be disruption to our lives. We would not even know it was happening. Okay, I know that I am naive, but I have lived in this country long enough to know that is not accurate. There has been construction going on behind us, and they wake up at 6a on Saturday mornings with power tools. Little did we know there were real building tools!
Charles did the managerial thing and called the Ford Representative. Charles told him that we would not be able to live here if this continued. The main reason is the security. There is no physical wall between us and the area they are going to be building on, so our property would be essentially open to all the foot traffic. There is only one access onto the property except for a small gate. This poses another problem as well as the street is too narrow and all the trucks will be blocking the road. Charles also called the landlord again, and a meeting was set up to discuss options. Here we go again, but this time, we know better. They speak English well, and they are able to understand us clearly.
Well, Saturday came and we sat down for our meeting. We basically told them that we could not do this with construction. E is allergic to the dust, and the security is a concern. They told us that there would be no dust due to the large yellow tarp that has been put up all along the drive. They told us that there would be security at night. At the end, we could not agree. They were still going to build, and we are now moving!
Let me give you some background. Here in India, on construction sites, small huts go up to house the workers. This would mean many families living on the same property during the construction. Well, this brings India to our front yard, up front and visible. One of the main reasons for choosing this house was for the seclusion from our everyday life.
Construction has begun with the cutting down of the mango and coconut orchard. E is really upset, and N said, "Is Dad to going to take care of this?" We like our house and our pool, when it is clean. We also have to be concerned for Midnight. The workers have not been closing the gate and Midnight could get out. With the traffic and large number of street dogs, she could get hurt.
Well, that is Incredible India. Basically fend for yourself and hope you come out ahead. I get it, he (the landlord) needs to do what is right for him. I guess. What about consideration for others? Something that Charles and I have tried to instill in our children.
Okay, so we are moving. That is another long story in itself. I will share the moving story and the internet story next time.
