Finally in India

When we arrived in India, it did not seem like the way people described India. I liked India because the people there worshiped animals and there were crows and dragon flies and cows everywhere.

[The cow in which people whisper their wishes, being sure to cover the other ear so the wish does not go in one ear and out the other...Danielle whispered a wish into this cow's ear]



[Temple cat in Chennai]

We went to many popular temples and they were all masterpieces.


I am sorry that all the recent posts have not had a picture of Wolfie, but that was because we have not been doing the blog for a long time. In real life we are actually on the boat and sailing towards Singapore, but I want to talk about India right now.

There was one temple where there was a little niche that my friend (who was a student) got into the niche and sat there and started meditating. I asked him if it was cozy and he said yes, so I asked if I could go up into it. Ditto.



[With flower stall worker outside Chennai Temple]

[Danielle learning to make a palm leaf basket in Dakshinachitra Heritage Village, outside Chennai]

My mom led a three day trip to the Taj Mahal while me and Dad went to temples.




And then one more thing: This does NOT have to do with India, but, I AM GETTING A KITTEN when we get back.

Cake with Leah and Desmond Tutu

One night at the Union we sang "Happy Birthday" to Leah Tutu. And then one day at school, Leah Tutu and Desmond Tutu came into the room and gave us ice cream cake to thank us for singing her happy birthday.

[Leah and Desmond Tutu with children in the Kid's Program, and Ozzie & Megan, the Directors of the Tutoring Program and the Children's Enrichment Program.]

Mauritius

In Mauritius we saw some pretty cool yellow, red and almost pinkish birds.

And we went snorkeling. I saw starfish while we were snorkeling. And they were really small and black. We also saw a clump of seaweed with barnacles on it, that mom thought was a squid.

We also went to a tea factory and we went to a sugar museum and tasted different types of sugar.

The darkest one tasted terrible. It tasted like something gone rotten. I liked the one that was brownish and the most solid.

[Sugar Tasting]

I am keeping a tea leaf right now and it is already shriveled. In the tea factory, first they take the tea leaves and dry them for 24 hours.

Then they bring them over to a place where they grind them up. Then, they heat them up in a heater. Then they take out the veins by using static electricity.

Then they package them by hand and by machine, too.

Cape Town, South Africa

We went to South Africa. We had fun. We saw this coca-cola man, made out of coca-cola boxes.

The big thing to see is Table Mountain, and its tablecloth, which is really clouds sweeping over the edge.

I got some good books about cats called Warriors.

And we went to the aquarium in Cape Town and there was a tank that you could crawl underneath and you would practically be right underneath all the fish and they would be swimming around you. It was cut out and there were fish sitting on top of you. Just kidding! They were swimming on top of the glass on top of you.

I saw Seal Island. It was really just a bunch of rocks that had a million seals sitting on top, and swimming too.

I saw box jellyfish swimming outside the ship. Sorry, but I missed the picture of Wolfie in Cape Town.

We saw baboons and an ostrich farm.

And also we saw penguins. :)