India 2009
Visiting Brother Gaston
Last night’s performances and dinner beat all of our expectations. The children of Udayan performed several songs and local dances and put on a display of yoga! It was very entertaining and truly displayed the talents of the children. It was then our turn!! The audience were very attentive and seemed to like our program of singing and dancing with a card trick thrown in. The YMCA in particular went down a treat! We then had to say our goodbyes to the children before we were whisked away for our rooftop dinner. The food was absolutely amazing and the surroundings made it a really special evening. It was a fantastic way to end our time at Udayan.
UDAYAN REVISITED!!
On Monday, we packed our bags and left the hustle and bustle of Kolkata for Udayan! After an hour on the coach we arrived. We were shown our rooms for the night and were given a quick tour of the new buildings which are fantastic.
Missionaries of Charity Motherhouse
This morning, we got up to go to a mass starting at 6am at the Motherhouse of Missionaries of Charity. We walked into the chapel and the nuns were singing which was a special start to the peaceful mass. After the mass, we were privileged enough to be shown Mother Teresa’s room by the Mother Superior.
Asha Bhavan Centre
Last night, as a treat we went to the Oberoi Hotel for a drink. It was really special and we had a really good night (even though we could only afford one drink). On the way back from the Hotel, we picked up our Salwars that we have had specially…
The Sunderban Islands – the pictures!
Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy the pictures!
The Sunderban Islands
We have spent the last two days exploring the Sunderban Islands. We had a two and a half hour coach journey followed by a two and a half hour boat journey to our Tiger Camp. We all enjoyed the boat journey, especially as we had some time to sit in the sun and relax. It was also nice to see some of rural India and get out of the cities. When we arrived, we were provided with lunch, and then shown to our “tentâ€, which was actually a lot more modern than traditional camping; there was a toilet and lights.
Sightseeing in Kolkata
Today we were lucky enough to have yet another informative and interesting tour guide who showed us the highlights of Kolkata. We first visited The Black Hole Memorial which was dedicated to the 123 British lives that were lost in the incident…
UDAYAN!!
This morning, we first travelled to Titagarh, a hospital and rehabilitation centre for people suffering from or affected by leprosy. We met one of the Brothers of the Missionaries of Charity who took us on a tour through the wards and the medical…
Arrival in Kolkata
This morning we woke up still on the train. It eventually pulled in to Kolkata train station at 10 past 12pm. As soon as we stepped out of Kolkata train station we were hit by the fact that it is so much hotter and busier. We caught taxis to the Fairlawn Hotel and were greeted by drinks and our rooms ready-made.