I left off on GSAM, Pt. 6 with some art photos, so here are some more (walls & ceilings near kitchen/laundry, just walls and an old pipe vent, and a free derange chicken)…

Veronica had her 12th birthday here last Thursday, here are some pix (Charlie and Anket with the piñata they made for her, lots of chocolate cake, and the piñata party)…

We took another trip into the jungle to celebrate on the day the kids took their last test of the school year. The bus ride home was a wild, fun, crazy moment in India with the kids screaming, the adults laughing, and the bus driver calmly barreling down a bumpy dirt road – likely by wild elephants & leopards. Yes, that’s me hanging out of the bus, and yes that’s elephant poop…

There are several interesting people here at GSAM, here are a few: Auntie Violet is almost 80 and takes care of one of the boys’ hostels, Auntie Josie (who was a child here) takes care of the cows in the dairy, and Palad is the cowherder (usually dressed very warmly and has a distinctively call to his cows)…

Some miscellany: John Marshall with our family before he left, the Tiki-truck (tikis are fried mashed potatoes with chickpeas and sauce – yum), dinner time pix of kids’ tables, the computer lab at the school and a plaque about Sam Saxena (a young man whose parents have honored his untimely death by donating to the school)…

 

The Saturday before Easter, Charlie got a chance to play soccer with the boys in a match at Banbasa Stadium (a big field on the outskirts of town), and I got to shake the all the players’ & coach’s hands and kick the ball in! (Much to his mother’s consternation he rode back on a motorcycle with three other guys and no helmuts!)…

The match ended in 0-0 tie, but we lost in overtime penalty kicks. Good times!

Here’s a pano of the some of the Mission’s wheat fields at sunset. Amir is standing on the path that leads to the river and the jungle…

Here are some pix of the GSAM staff, part of the film crew that took a lot of photos and video, and Charlie commandeering the electric tuktuk…

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the last supper with the film crew…

Uncle John Marshall saying goodbye (for now) to the Mission…

The dairy (list of cows, one w/bucket, milkmaids’ office), the laundry (Mary Lynn & Veronica hanging it out to dry), Charlie getting a haircut by Jackie…

Here are some more pix of the school, the students, Aanchal (volunteer teacher), etc…

Here are some kids helping me do some weeding at the school (Shevani, Seloni, & Dennis) and some trees that have grown around barbed wire…

Beautiful old bricks, old wood, a little rusty metal, a bit of glass, the methane machine, and Amir & Peter exchanging candy in their room (next to ours), etc…

 

 

One evening we drove into the jungle for a night picnic. Our crew and some sunset shots from the car…

Here are more pix from our jungle adventure. There was a wildfire burning, some camp cooking, and an elephant foot print…

Here are some videos from that adventure…

 

A walk down the road and one is in the jungle. Cross the river and go into the trees and you are deeper in the jungle. Here are some pix of the trees, the clouds, and the lantana…

 

Here are some pix of some bones, the river bed (not during the monsoon!), and coming back to GSAM…

 

Here are some pix of John Marshall doing his sunset selfies, around the farm, and Charlie being attached by a lizard…

 

Here are some videos from GSAM. The kids playing, work in the workshop, at the school, in the neighboring jungle, etc…

 

The Good Shepard Agricultural Mission (GSAM) has a long story (Check the link!). Here is part of it on the plaque that will go next to this John Deere tractor in the centre of the Mission. The family photo shows Rick & Maxine (the Strong’s daughter) and their three biological kids. Their son Clifton now runs the Mission with Rick’s help. Charlie & Veronica are helping stack some bricks, and Petey is the family dog (a boxer!). Check ’em out…

Here are some pix of the Maxton Strong School which is relatively new, has been recently added to, and for which there are more plans to expand. Also, here are some shots of the kids at the Mission…

Rick (né Warwick Shipway), Clifton’s Dad and Max Strong’s son-in-law, is an amazing handy man with many skills. He is a veritable MacGyver and is in constant motion fixing and building everything. Sunny was one of the kids in the orphanage, but has grown up and is now part of the staff.

 

Here are a few extra pix from the car when Rick drove us to a doctor’s office to get Charlie’s stitches removed (and take one of the kids for a check up).

 

Finally, here are few more pix of the farm, the workshop, and Amir…

After our tour of the Golden Triangle, Charlie’s appendectomy, Veronica’s sickness, and ML’s exhaustion, we finally took the train to Rudrapur (a dustier version of Barstow and Bakersfield put together) for one night before driving to the Good Shepard Agricultural Mission just outside the little town of Banbasa near the Nepal border. The Good Shepard Agricultural Mission (GSAM) is an orphanage started in 1948 by Rev. Maxton Strong and his wife Shirley. Their story is an epic saga which I’ll summarize eventually, but which can be read about on their website, and perhaps in a new book by John Marshall.

In fact, we are here because of John Marshall’s book “Wide Open World” which documents his family’s six month adventures at six different volunteer sites. The one that seemed to resonate the most for him and his family was GSAM, so we too volunteered last year for the month of March 2016. And much to our happy amazement John is here too, as he’s been for several months having adopted this place and become a part of the family.

These pix show the grounds, some of the kids, John Marshall, the school, the workshop, etc…

Here are more slideshows from the Golden Triangle. Again, all the music comes from the Bend it like Beckham soundtrack. Longest is about 6 minutes. Enjoy…

Agra

Jaipur

Delhi

Here are some slideshows I threw together from some of my pix. They’re roughly by city or state, and all the music comes from the Bend it like Beckham soundtrack. Longest is about 5 minutes, most much shorter. Enjoy…

Bengaluru

 

Kerala

 

Goa

 

Punjab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After spending a few extra days in Jaipur getting healthy, we finally moved on to Delhi (approx. 5 days later than scheduled). After another night at the Colonel’s Retreat in the Defence Colony, we took a pretty comprehensive one day tour of some of the main sites of Delhi with our guide, Rajesh (who is also fluent in Japanese!).

First, we went to Old Delhi after checking out the back side of the Red Fort. These pix also include some random shots from our car (including a slum and rare deer outside Jaipur from the day before)…

 

Here are some shots of the auto parts section of Old Delhi. I imagine it might be tough to get the right part if the guy who owns the shop isn’t there…?

 

A few more pix of Old Delhi and some of the large government buildings in New Delhi…

 

Our guide Rajesh did a wonderful job and advised us about much more than old buildings around town. He had several Sanskrit sayings and more than a little practical philosophy. Here he is at the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb, which inspired the Taj Mahal being built 80 years previously…

 

Finally, here is the fabulous Qutb Minar, the tallest brick minaret in the world and one of the most ancient sites in Delhi. Started in the 1100’s, Qutb Minar is the five storey victory tower, but the area also features the Iron Pillar of Delhi, an obelisk dating back to near 300 AD, which is 99.7% pure and consequently doesn’t rust. There are dozens of carved stone pillars and the ruins of what was a large complex of tombs, mosques, and monuments. A fascinating place! Here are some pix…

 

Study Questions:

1. Research the difference between Old and New Delhi, explain.
2. Research the design of Old Delhi and the influence of the British, drop some names.
3. Research Humayun’s Tomb, relate to the Taj Mahal and the Mughal Dynasty.
4. Research the Qutb Minar, discuss the various features.