Jan 19, 20, 21 (Kanpur)

(Post by Kristie)

Jan 19
As mentioned previously, we drove all day to get to Kanpur. It took a little longer because we opted for the highway (it's still really busy with people, carts, cows, camels, monkeys, motorcycles, buses, cars, you name it, but it's not as bumpy, which is nice in a car full of people and luggage!). Along the way we drove through several towns, but didn't stop to see any sights. We did stop once at a "truck stop" to get sodas -- those who want to spend some time resting are given wooden platforms. That's it. But it was clean and the people were nice, so we had a few sips of our drinks and then were on our way.

Kanpur is more of a metropolitan city, so it took some time to get through town to the home where we were welcomed. We saw a large street with lots of signs and activities - even a McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Then we went through a military area, and finally through some neighborhoods, one of which had a road that afforded us about two feet on either side of the vehicle before we would be scraping up against buildings. One fire at the side of the road had to be kicked to the side so we could pass. We thought we had seen it all, driving-wise. We were wrong.

After a quick visit at the past District Governor's house (and a quick round of Happy Birthday for his 7 year old grandson) we headed to our host home. The family has two flats in the same posh building and the hosts could not have been more welcoming or generous. Understanding our exhaustion, they set us up in our rooms and we were off for some peaceful sleep.

Jan 20
After a wonderful breakfast at the home where we're staying, we headed out to a shoe factory. Yes, my heart fluttered a bit when I heard this. (They only make men's shoes, but it was shoes all the same!) We were shown how the shoes were made from start to finish. I know I've said this before, but I will never look at shoes the same way again. It's a lot of manual labor and quality control processes. Absolutely fascinating. In the generous Indian spirit we've seen time and again, the owner offered a pair of shoes for each of us! So we're coming home well-heeled, so to speak.

Then we were off to a mall of sorts - our first on the trip. We had a nice lunch at an Indian restaurant there, then shopped for a while at the few stores (it was kind of a mini-mall). There was also a McDonalds there, so we went in to check out the menu. McVeggie seems to be the Big Mac of India. There were several similar items, and a few different ones. There was also a separate ice cream kiosk outside of the store, where they offered lots of different flavors of ice cream treats.

From there we went to a street fair/bazaar and shopped for a while. We all finally have the shopping thing down, so are feeling much more comfortable with how it all works! After this we were all tired so headed back to our host's home for a small break before our next Rotary Club meeting.

We headed out the meeting at a Rotarian's home. We arrived early, so he gave us a tour. The most striking thing we found was a disco dance floor with multi-colored lit panels straight out of 1972. I'm serious. There are 3 teenagers in the house, and I guess they like to dance. Again, you'll have to see the pictures. After the official part of the meeting was over, we were encouraged to dance, which was difficult to do considering the soundtrack we were listening to came from the WWE (a wrestling television program that's popular here as well as in the States). We came away unscathed, having only danced for a few minutes each. :)

Jan 21
Yesterday we had tea on the wonderful terrace of the host family's home. It's made from beautiful marble (all of the floors here are marble, but this is especially pretty) and is quite large. It was so nice to have a relaxing cup of tea and some nice conversation while being warmed by the sun.

We were then off to meet the Mayor of Kanpur, who is a newly elected official and just getting started in his 5 year term. It was a nice visit, and we heard about some of the initiatives he's working on.

Then we were off to see the Sisters of Charity house (the operation begun by Mother Theresa). Here we visited with residents and toured the home. The Rotary Club helps with some of their expenses, and provides whatever they need to keep the place running.

We then were whisked off to a press conference at the Kanpur Press Club, where we were asked several questions about our visit and opinions, and photographed quite a bit. It turns out, we made the news last night and were in the paper this morning! Must have been a slow news day.

From here we were taken to a lunch Rotary meeting and were treated with some excellent tabla playing by a young man, and traditional Indian dancing by two young women. And of course, we ate some more. At this point we had been fed 3 times already!

Next we were on to celebrate the 3rd birthday of our host's grandson Anant. It was fun to watch the little kids playing on swings and slides, and to see some traditions we don't have at home -- for example, the children are all given hats and then stand in front of an adult as he or she throws candy and confetti out into the crowd of them. They are exected to catch the sweets in their hats!

We also noticed at both birthday celebrations that the cutting of the cake is a much bigger deal than blowing out the candles. Anant's cake was an elaborate safari scene - it was a shame to cut into it!

After a quick check of email (and posting of the old news on the blog) we headed to another Rotary Club meeting at a really neat house with all sorts of collectibles from world travels. The people were generous and warm, as always, and the food was excellent. They had 4 black labs, and a little mini doberman, so I was able to get my dog fix without picking up a stray from the street, which I've been warned is not a good idea.

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I have to run now, but will try to update at least once more before we leave for home. If not, we'll see you all soon!