Travels in 2013

Ok so Aubrey has been napping for an hour and it seems like a golden opportunity to finally write a blogpost about our travels this year pre-baby.  I don’t think we’ll ever get to writing about it if I don’t do it now and if we don’t blog about it, it’s like it didn’t happen.  Like if a tree falls in the forest and no ones there to blog about it, did it really fall?  I rest my case!

Alrighty, this year we tried to get in as much travel as we could since we figured having a baby would make it waaaaaaaay more difficult, right Kate and Jason?  ;)

Anyhoo let’s get started because it’s only a matter of time before Aubrey wants to eat or something.

Trip #1: Varanasi:  We visited Varanasi with our friends Drew, Maki, and Maki’s mom and bro.  I was pretty scared to do this trip because it’s supposed to be really gross and there are all these people there just waiting to die because it’s the holiest Hindu city or something like that.  Yes, I DO teach Indian Studies!  

Anyway I thought there would be dead people all over the place and poop and stuff but it wasn’t that bad!  There were only dead people in the area where they burn bodies and I didn’t see much poop at all (except cow poop which doesn’t count because that crap is everywhere!).  I think it helped that it rained the whole time so maybe some stuff got washed away.  Regardless, I was happy with our experience.  Varanasi is kinda neat with maze-like walkways and markets.  It’s like Granada in Spain except way more people…..and cow poop…….and burning bodies……..and Indians……..ok it’s nothing like Granada.   Here are some pictures:

Wood used to burn bodies 

2. Goa: I had already been to Goa but this time we rented these “villas” and went with a big group.  It was fun stuff.  I don’t have anything interesting to say about Goa. T’was a fun time.  Pics:

3. Dharamsala: This is where the Dalai Lama lives up in the mountains.  We stayed in the same little hotel that Richard Gere goes to periodically.  I guess he’s Buddhist?  AND Arianna Huffington stayed there RIGHT before we got there!  Basically we walked around the town, saw nature and played games.  

The most exciting thing that happened was all of the flights back to Delhi got cancelled and we had to stay an extra night and then drive 8 hours back to Dehradun and then take a 30 min flight back to Delhi a day later.  It wasn’t great but we survived!  

And finally, we took a 2 week trip to Thailand for Christmas (since I was REALLY pregnant and we didn’t want to go too far).  We stayed in Phuket for a week and Bangkok for a week and saw a million movies (3) and went to the beach and hung out by the pool.  

OK that’s the summary of our travels before Aubrey took over our lives.

Oh yeah and my parents came to visit! Sorry Mom and Dad for not posting about this sooner!

We had a great time at the Taj and Musoorie and even here exploring in Delhi. It was great to have help while they were here. Aubrey was still figuring out the world and definitely over-stimulated a lot of the time and fussy but my parents were great about it. I guess when you've had twins, one baby crying doesn't faze you too much! Or they were too jet lagged to notice.  

Photos:

Yes, even dogs "enjoy" Holi!

Not sure what these guys are doing, but it's all in good Holi fun!

Purana Qila (oldest Mosque in Delhi) Also Aubrey was SUPER fussy here so we were only there for like 10 minutes.  Oh Aubrey!

Me trying to console Aubrey (and failing) 

A traumatic Old Delhi experience.  Sorry guys!  Please ask my parents about how they liked Old Delhi. :)

What?!  

Baby Taj

real Taj

Right after this I breastfed Aubrey under a blanket and a tour group of about 20 Indian women tried to touch her, or they wanted to see my boob.  Either way, it was awkward for all involved.  Or maybe just for me.

look in the glasses reflection

Aubrey Update: Since my last post things have gotten MUCH better with Aubrey.  Thanks so much for the words of wisdom to those who have been there!  

She sleeps through the night now (of course I’ve probably just jinxed it), and she eats about every 3 hours during the day, not every 15 minutes.  She can smile and coo at us and she loves kisses on the lips.  Hopefully that doesn’t mean she’ll be a 2 cent floosy later in life.  It’s friggin’ cute for now though!  She also likes to kick hanging toys, although she doesn’t really reach for them with her hands.  She’s gonna be our little soccer player!  Sorry, Isaac!  And I’m sure you’re very bored at this point so I’ll stop there.  We love her more and more each day!  Aaaaaand here are more pics:

Aggie ring is still a bit too small but Isaac is trying to indoctrinate anyway

Danni is tolerating Aubrey being here

Oh and I’m finally able to work out again!  It feels good to be back in the gym.  I start work in a week so I’m guessing there won’t be another blogpost for another 6 months.  :)