Dreaming of…..
Posted on April 30, 2016
water, a better future, school, food, toys…what do you think the less fortunate kids dream about? Do you think they wish for the same thing as your kids do?
Tips on what to do when having vistors
Posted on April 29, 2016
our last guests where actually our son and his lovely girlfriend and ever since, well, especially the last two days I have been homesick..I want to see our kids and their loved ones, I want to see how my mother is doing and I want to see our friends….so to put a smile on my face I decided to show you a medley from their visit…we did so many things in such short time and I enjoyed every minute of having them here…now I just can’t wait to see my whole family together
if anyone wants to know the exact spots just drop me a note and I’ll get back to you
can’t wait to see you all !
Handmade hopes
Posted on April 27, 2016
I paid a visit to a brick making factory in the outskirts of Gurgaon the other day and boy, was that a visit that left a hole in my heart….I met this 16 year “old” girl who told me her age after a lot of hesitation….you see, dear reader they have got to be 18 to work and get fully paid so I guess she was 18 to everybody else. She told me that they get 500 rupees for a 1000 handmade bricks !! so the family was working together to make as many bricks as possible in a day…
bricks bricks and more bricks drying in the scorching sun
the mould for the bricks
digging out the clay…water and sand….
16 years young and with no other hope than to make a 1000 bricks so they get their 500 rupees
it sure was nice to see that they got a little giggly when I took their pictures since this was a first for them…
the dad on the other hand didn’t want to smile at all because he was nervous that me being there would get them in trouble….
necessity is the mother of all inventions…if you don’t have the money to pay for electricity for your radio there’s always the sun….wish more of us would be innovative !
this visit into reality shook my world…I have never met so many children with eye infections and in bad shape in general, and I have never met a 16 year old that only had handmade hopes, even though thousands of them, that only meant food for the day.
Why traffic signs ?
Posted on April 26, 2016
our students are exposed to the traffic signs and will learn about rules in traffic
BUT
I must say that I’m very doubtful if this will have any impact on the chaos I see on the roads here ….everyone seems to be following their own rules.
Faces of India
Posted on April 21, 2016
driving through a village is always fun….please remember what I wrote about the swastika in an earlier blogpost….
lovely, happy and friendly women, as always
gorgeous old lady…
and a gorgeous young lady…
The most extravagant pool I have ever worked out in
Posted on April 19, 2016
I think this pool has got to be the most extravagant pool I have ever worked out in…for sure the pool at the highest altitude and with the most beautiful tiles ( in 1902 Lord Herbert Kitchener, a former commander-in-chief to India, purchased a “cottage” and named it Wildflower Hall, his personal retreat)…
I was surprised to find out how the altitude effected me because it sure did…I was so out of breath the first couple of minutes…I really had to slow down and just cruise in the beginning
the hotel had 2 pools, this indoor pool but also an outdoor eternity bubbel pool…it was so nice to relax outdoors after the hiking, with the views of the mountains and the nice fresh air surrounding you..this is truly a place I want to come back to.
An orchard and oak hike that smelled like
Posted on April 18, 2016
my childhood summers when running through the forest, down the path to the sea at my grandparents place…a summer forest filled with flowers and trees and wild strawberries….the smell of the pine….hmm, all of a sudden I so wished I could meet my grandmother just once again…incredible that a sensation can bring back memories like that !
this hike took us to the President of Indias helipad and summer residence through apple orchards and oak trees….
see the cleared area for the helipad
just had to zoom in …..
the sky was just incredibly blue
the Presidents summer residence entrance…
somehow life always finds a way
from the helipad we had a magnificent view…we actually saw the tip of our hotel..can you see? it’s to the left….this was the ridge we hiked on for almost five hours ….
I wish I could stand here forever…but I can’t and soon it’s back to reality. I do look forward to Leh Ladhak in Jammu Kashmir though…which is at about 6 000 meter!
Hiking for hours in the Himalayas
Posted on April 16, 2016
After 4 and a half hour of hiking in quite steep and difficult terrain we where slightly tired and our muscles where aching but our lungs where filled with fresh air ….we got to see a tiny himalayan owl, a white bellied musk deer, birds, monkeys and a lizzard besides from all of the flowers, trees and plants…awesome hike but challenging
almost like home but still very different…
Road trip to the Himalayas
Posted on April 15, 2016
we decided to drive to our resort in the Himalayas and what a beautiful road trip it turned out to be…it’s literally breathtaking ! the winding roads takes you higher and higher..
since our lovely maid is from Shimla we invited her and her family to come along so that they could visit her mother
Shimla
and there it was..our hotel..
wow !! I think we will be just fine
we just had to do a short hike the first day so we did the wild strawberry trail….and as soon as we sat foot on the trail we met a Himalayan Yak !
wild strawberry plants all over , yellow or white flowers and so many other flowers that we can find back home also
as soon as there was an opening among the trees this was the view…the mountains you see with snow are 6000 meters high !! truly amazing experience
Susanna Rosen Photography 