India with Children

India with children! Primary aged children!!!

Way back in 1999 I brought Lisa and Kristofer aged 12 and 10 to India. They were already seasoned to the traditional package holiday in the sun and took India in their stride. As it was only a two week excursion, apart from the compulsory evening daily diary, their morning recitals of times tables and some basic cultural history as I whisked them from temple to temple, schooling was not an issue.

Taking Angharad (aged 8) and Cian (aged 11) out of their schools for 7 weeks, 5 of which are teaching weeks means that UK style schooling must be kept up if they are not to fall behind their class mates.

The cultural experience they will gain during this trip will be huge, an education in its own right, but if their school work suffers and they return at an educational disadvantage, then within the society we live in, I will have given with one hand and taken away with the other.

And so a schooling routine, as well as all the fun things, must be put in place if we are to survive the next 7 weeks together.

We arrived in Arambol late Tuesday afternoon after the usual 30 plus hours of travel and dropped the bags into two of Classic Huts beach shacks. By coincidence I am in the exact same hut occupied by myself last year and Peter has taken over the hut occupied, during that same trip, by Lisa and Katie! It has been over a year since I stayed here but not only was I remembered as I walked in through the gate, but two lines of shells strung delicately on threads of unwoven nylon thread from my last trip still hung from Hut No1. I feel at home already (shame the loo still wobbles!!)

Bags were semi unpacked, the children changed into suitable clothes, and we hit the beach just as the sun was setting over the ocean. Slightly up the beach, as they do every evening, Arambol's travelling residents had gathered on the sand to perform their unique sun set ritual. Drummers were out in force, dancers gyrated and twisted, the jugglers threw things, hool-a-hoops spun and yoga poses were struck as the sun dipped beneath the horizon and darkness spread her wings behind it.

I have fond, fond memories of Arambol, it was the first place I came to as a traveller rather than a holiday maker. It has changed so much since that first visit in 2002. the long stretches of sand between the occasional beach café have been filled with more cafés and entire encampments of beach huts are spread out beneath the coconut trees. Soft chill out trance music has been replaced by drum and bass blasted from huge speakers as different restaurants compete for a new type of clientèle. The hippys, who outnumber the locals, are now being replaced themselves by Russian tourists. Booze shops have sprung up to cater to this influx and the mood is slowly but definitely changing.

To Peter and the children, who never saw the old Arambol, it is still a place of wonder. The beach is huge, the tastes and smells different. The colours of the market stalls that line the road to the beach fills them with awe, the shopping potential of this place is unlimited!

What I call essential shopping was done the first evening. Everyone now has a shoulder bag of their own so I am not responsible for anybody’s possessions as we move around the place. Angharad has been given cool colourful clothes to replace her usual leggings and tight tops, Cian and Peter have had trousers hand made for them, as their unusual shapes mean that buying off the peg is not an option, mossy spray has been topped up, as has the coconut oil supply and a knife, spare adaptor and mossy coils have been added to our baggage .Personally, I need nothing but that will not stop me stocking up when we return here at the end of this trip as I have no idea of When or rather IF I shall ever return to Arambol's with its unique assortment of colours and styles.

Our plan is to stay here for a few days to allow the children's to acclimatise and then to either hike the 2 miles down the beach to Mandrem or continue the march down to Aswen where we will rest up for another few days.

Before we leave however the schooling, as well as a daily ritual needs to be put into action.

Our day starts at 7, (it is dark until 6.30) with morning Yoga and a march down the beach plus a swim, At 10.30, as the sun increases in strength, we retire to our rooms for showers and breakfast of fresh melon, oranges, or in Peter's case bread and tomatoes.

Schooling takes place in the Olive Garden (free Wifi and the best Thali in town!), diaries are written, reading books are read, maths problems are solved and eventually sewing, geography and mobile making will join these past-times. At the moment the children's reluctance to actually do any work means that 3 hours pass with only the bare minimum being done. It is not that the work is too much, it is simply that their mind space needs time to adjust. A milkshake bribe yesterday saw all the work completed in 20 minutes after they had huffed and puffed for an hour and a half!

Work is finished with a lunch time snack before siesta time sees them flat out on their beds with the overhead fan whirling away. 

By 4pm they are refreshed and the sun is cool enough for beach time play or other activities.

Sandcastle building has proved to be very popular with not only the children but with the evening strollers.

So far we have spent the evenings wandering the busy, but evening cool, streets gazing at the hand crafts, chatting to the makers and bakers and writing shopping lists in our heads. Weekend pocket-money has been put on hold until the end of the week to allow the shopping fever to cool before we let them loose with money of their own.

Dominoes has become the game of the night, with 5s and 3s taking us an age to play as we add, divide, check each others addition, argue over the points and eventually settle only to have it all repeated on the next go!

Our bed time reading is coming along well. The Hobbit is adored by the children and also by myself. It must be 11 years since I read it last and yet reading it aloud has given it a whole new dimension. Bilbo has just been sent ahead to see what the light amongst the trees is and we are all awaiting his findings to be read tonight!

A routine has been set, it will flow and change as we make our way across Goa. Soon we will begin our march down the beach, chanting tables as we go, discussing life as we wander. 

The Adventure has begun.

PS . I may not NEED anything but I just became the owner of a wonderful flying carpet … all will be revealed in the next Blog