Day 4/5 - Welcome to my Life

So, here I was, waking up in my Sangam bed and headed down to breakfast when I realized, Mom was here too! It was so strange to wake up with Mom right down the hallway, but definitely a very cool feeling, and it felt just right!
After breakfast Mom, Mrs. Holmes, and I headed out in Pune! We started our adventure at Aga Kahn Palace. This is a huge mansion and area where Gandhi was held prisoner for a time with his wife and beloved secretary. We walked through the rooms where they have some details about Gandhi's life and even some personal items that he had on him during his stay (sandals, necklaces, etc). As we headed out back we found the area where the ashes of Gandhi's wife and secretary were placed since they both died during their stay at the palace. Before we left we turned around and realized Gandhi's ashes were there as well! It was strange because it's not something that is advertised too much, but it was such an honor to be able to pay respects to such a history altering and amazing individual.
After the palace we got into another rickshaw and headed to my work site. I wanted to share with Mom and Mrs. Holmes where I work everyday. The teachers and children were so excited to see the both of them. The kids had definitely washed up knowing there were visitors coming. The girls had their hair done all nice; I told Mom and Mrs. Holmes they should feel really special. We visited for a bit with the kids and they even sang a song I had taught them. After that we said our goodbyes and headed out on the town! I figured the best place to start was shopping!! We left for my favorite spot, MG Road. When we got there we grabbed some lunch first. We ate at a restaurant famous for their dosa's (pancake like food stuffed with anything, but traditionally potatoes). We ate a delicious meal for $4...for the four of us. (I don't know how I am ever going to come home to America after eating sooo well for less than a dollar) After refueling, we headed out! I brought Mrs. Holmes and Mom to some of my favorite spots, and they did a good job bargaining for the most part, haha. They got some great deals, and they looked like they were having fun while they were doing it! The best buy though had to be their punjabi suits! They both got beautiful suits for reasonable prices. After getting all shopped out we hopped in a rickshaw and I decided to stop at our tailors on the way home. Mom and Mrs. Holmes were leaving in exactly 24 hours, we I wanted to see if he could tailor their suits. AJ just laughed, "I'll be over to Sangam by 8 pm, ok?" (Sidenote: it was 3:30). The smiles on the girls faces made my whole day. In only a few hours they would be true Indian women! It was really cool knowing that AJ would be able to do that for them so quickly. When we got back to Sangam we had dinner and shortly after, I got the girls into the welcome ceremony. This had to be one of the highlights of the weekend for me...it was so nice to share such a special ceremony with the both of them. The whole time I was standing there I kept thinking, "wow, almost 2 months ago I was standing here thinking, if only Mom was here...this is so her, and she is a huge part of the reason I am here" (Dad, you're the other reason). It's something you just have to experience, and I think can only appreciate fully being a Scout. I was so happy Mom got to be there for this...sharing 15 years of Scouting with her, it all has led up to a moment like that. I think they both enjoyed the ceremony as well. We headed to bed after a short chat outside by the pool.

Our second day at Sangam began with breakfast then a rickshaw ride to the infamous Osho Meditation Resort. We were told that the morning tour was over, but we bought tickets for the 2:30 tour. We had the afternoon to spend out, so I thought what better than to...go shopping!!! Again!! haha, this was a little different though. We headed to Laxmi Road, and straight for bangle alley. Here, the girls were celebrities. The men were so excited to get them in their shops and squeeze some bangles on their hands. We spend a good chunk of time here, and I think Mrs. Holmes left a good chunk of her wrist there as well (from all the squeezing). The girls left with some good buys, and we kept walking. I thought it would be neat to see the markets. We peeked in the fish market and walked through the fruit/veggie market. Mrs. Holmes noticed that the carrots are red here, so she wanted to buy one. We did..we bought just one carrot..haha. Crazy foreigners. After the markets we walked around to Line Bazaar. This is just a realllly tinnny street with a LOT of shops and a LOT of people. It's really an experience in itself to walk in and around the people. I think after all that the girls were a bit tired, so we grabbed a rickshaw and headed back towards Osho. We ate a small lunch and walked to the Resort for our tour. We were instructed to first sit for a 30 minute video before our tour. I'm really not supposed to talk about it much, I'm not supposed to influence your decision on the Resort and its practicies...you'll all just have to come to Pune yourself to experience it. Even the tour was silent..but to just tell you a little something, the resort was gorgeous. I felt like I was in another world. It was a "we're not in Pune anymore toto" kind-of moment. There were these modern looking buildings, tons of greenery, and lots of running water in the forms of man-made streams and fountains. It's something like out of a sci-fi novel, "in the middle of the dusty roads of Pune lies a resort, a utopia some call it, where the people all dress the same, and the water runs freely through your body as you lie on the grounds taking in the fragrance of the flowers..." :::twilightzone theme playing in the backgroud::: :-)
We all enjoyed the experience in our own way though. We headed back to Sangam. When we got there Mom and Mrs. Holmes packed up their stuff and there was an early dinner waiting for them. After all that I headed out with them and loaded them into a rickshaw. It was really hard to say goodbye, but I held it together, for Mom at least. After she left though I realized how nice it was to have her here. It was so nice having someone here to see what my life is like, to know what I'm doing here, to LIVE it; at least part of it with me. It also made me miss home a lot too, especially Dad...and Dave, and Kev, and Kate..and the rest of the family. But, even though it made me miss all that stuff, it was so worth having Mom here. It may have been a few short days, but they are the most memorable days of my life where I saw things people will never see in their lifetime. And I got to share my Indian life!

So Mom, Mrs. Holmes...thanks for visiting! I had a wonderful time..and thanks for taking me along on your journies!