The Teenage View of Day 12 of America!

Today, believe it or not, could have been the most enjoyable day of the holiday! Most days, in New York mainly, have consisted of walking, looking, walking, some more looking, eating then sleeping. However today was a lot more laid back which made it more pleasant.
The day started off with a luxurious lie-in! Which is teenage heaven, especially if: you have a room to yourself, a double bed, a TV with endless channels and an iPhone with internet capabilities. Waking up to freshly toasted bagels with cream cheese topped it off!However, my surprising good mood, along with everybody’s, soon evaporated as we started to interact! Within 30 odd minutes after lunch, we were called to have one of those “positive” family conversations about next year’s holiday. We were told we had to “engage” and come up with some productive suggestions. It wasn’t very successful, with Carla and I not having much to say, and Kim producing nothing but verbal dihorreah. Anyway, we all seemed to forget about it and, as a family, we decided to go to the bicycle hire.
Usually weather in Cape Cod is 30-35°C with a high percentage of humidity, this wouldn’t be good for a cycle so we were lucky that the weather was overcast and the temperature was mild. The cycle wasn’t tiring and was mostly flat... which also made it more tolerable. We cycled for 20km or thereabouts, which I thought was quite impressive considering I thought our American outings would consist of sitting in fast food restaurants or diners pigging out on the greasiest and fattiest foods anyone has ever set eyes upon. Cycling turned out to be good fun, and we stopped off for ice-cream where I had my first proper taste of root-beer, which was brilliant.
We came back and lazed around the hotel for a bit, and set out for “Wendy’s”, the old fashioned burger fast food outlet. Carla and I had been looking forward to going to Wendy’s since New York, so we were psyched... and it duly delivered the best hamburger of the holiday. After this, we drove off to a drive in cinema, only to find the films showing were abysmal, so we had to go next door to an indoor cinema to see the new movie “Julie & Julia”. This is where the most bizarre thing happened. Bear in mind, Julie & Julia is a light hearted film but certainly not a comedy, however at every possible opportunity the whole audience seemed to laugh at the most unfunny things. Every line Meryl Streep seemed to say, or every look she did was met with hysterics by the Americans. I found myself chuckling to myself at the utter stupidity and fakeness of their unaccounted for laughing! Despite this distraction, I managed to enjoy the film thoroughly.
I’m not totally sure why I enjoyed this day so much more than the others, it was certainly better than the gay village or the statue of liberty day! It was more of a non-touristy American day, no sightseeing or anything like that. A look at American life - Cape Cod style, not the exuberance and energy of New York, but a down to earth view of America. It was the first day I think we all properly enjoyed together!

Cape Cod day 3...

Ok i do not know what to title this but anyway.

Yesterday I had barbeque spare ribs at lunch it was delicious!!! Somehow I had a dream about spare ribs land it was really weird but anyway.

So today was average and very very hot (humid as dad would say, he always corrects us when we say hot) , we all went to this place to have a boat ride round Hyannis port and saw some HUGE houses blah blah, the worst thing was it was so hot and we were wearing summer clothes (I was the only one wearing white), and it started to rain nonstop, I got see-through for the second time this holiday. It was just great!

We had lunch at some spanky's restaurant I mean what kind of name is spanky? The chips were average, chicken tasting non-free range YUK! I love little chickens they deserve better. I also had pink lemonade which after a while tasted of nothing. The water tasted like chlorine i didn't have much of it, i guess spanky is a wee bit quite bad. Kim had found icarly on the TV so I am enjoying the hotel a lot. There is a swimming pool(inside and out), and 4 tennis courts. It has a lovely huge beach which is surprisingly crowded after the tide has risen. We are pretty much watching the TV all the time mostly family guy. Kim and I are sometimes in our room watching icarly and SpongeBob and fairly odd parents. Mum keeps dissing icarly and poking me. L. Well I am pleased about everything else though. We have a TV each plus a bigger one in the living room. The kitchen has more space than I thought. We also have a bathroom for each bedroom. Kiran gets a big king sized bed and so does mum and dad Kim and I get a single bed each. I kind of miss home but we'll be back soon and I like it here in America so i don't want it to go TTTOOOOO fast. This is the second time i have gone somewhere without my teddy!!!! First was Gartmore. It's not bad at all. Anyways i am looking forward to watching more TV, lying in my bed more, eating some yummy food more, and doing fun stuff more.

I got quite some clothes, 2 T-shirts, skinny jeans, jumper, black slim jeans, and a pair of converse shoes. I also got same I <3 NY T-shirts from New York. I have had a good time here. :P xo

USA by Kimmm.

Well so far, America's been quite great. Apart from the few problems about the journey to New York, (having to change flights, me and Carla's aeroplane television screens not working, and major traffic jams) we just survived. To be honest, the food in New York wasn't that great, and did not have as many fat people as I thought there would be, though the scenery was great and I have been taking many pictures. The streets were mobbed and the weather was hot so I was not very happy being hot and sticky with people standing in my way. We met a few amazing people through our journey, including Bruce who helped us transfer our flights, and Crazy Lou who informed us about bus tours and I tell you he was crazy. We were dragged around tourist attractions, though I agreed in the end they were all worth it except the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art – because the actual museum was nowhere as near as good as the shop with fun toys and inventions, whereas the museum only had paintings, some were just a red paint splat on a piece of A4 paper.

New England has been really hot, which has got us all tanned (except for dad who is still white). Again, the scenery is great. The drive to New England was extremely long and so we had nothing to do except sleep. We got an upgrade in the Ocean Resort because our Grand Corner Suite was occupied and so we are staying in a villa right next to a beach. All of us have just been sitting in watching iCarly (hip hip horay), Family Guy and Spongebob Squarepants on the television, so as you can imagine mum and dad are not amused with it and have been trying to get us out of the villa.

Anyways, I miss everyone and I'll be hoping to see you soon.

Day 1 -5

New York so far!

We have been here for 5 days and no blog entry! The big difference between travels here and India for us (apart from the obvious ones) is that that is a distinct lack of time. We start early, breakfast at our hotel restaurant "tick tock diner" at 8am as coming later means the bagels run out and they are the nicest items of our limited choice from our pre booked rip off "continental" breakfast. Then we head out on our various planned excursions in military fashion! We get back to the hotel about 5pm knackered and with sore feed from the days pounding of the amazing sites of this city. Often this is followed by fights over the computer with the losers (the adults)crashing out and falling asleep, then we realise we need to organise dinner but are too tired to go out to dinner so we get a carryout or eat at a local fast food place. The choice just around our hotel is unbelievable! Then the TV goes on with the very typical kid's choices of comedy programmes interspersed with masses of adverts (most of which are either advertising products on how to have a perfect look/life or fast food!).

So that's our excuse of not blogging!

The above intro make it sound not a very exciting holiday but believe you me this is a great, vibrant and exciting city. I am aware there is so much i want to show the kids and also other places i haven't visited before and am determined to do so even if it means having to endure the moaning!

Day 1 we arrived late due to the afore mentioned BA deal. Day 2 was a complete downpour so we got into a big queue to get into the American museum of Natural History. There was sooo much to see that for some of us (kids) it was overkill. The highlights were definitely the dinosaur gallery and the oceanarium with a life size model of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling. We then walked along Columbus Avenue past the weekly Sunday market and into Harrys Burito restaurant for lunch- which was great. Day 3 we payed for a 48 hour Grayline bus tour pass and started to get the city overview. Stopped off to do some shopping along Broadway near Little Italy. Had a not very impressive lunch and then more sightseeing downtown. Day 4 sightseeing uptown and more shopping. The night bus tour of Manhattan was impressive. Wished Kiran good luck for his Standard Grade results before bed-they got emailed to us between 8-9am Wednesday UK time, which is 3-4am Wednesday USA time! He got up at 4am to read them; seven 1's and a 2 in English (which he was very disappointed in!) Naturally we were very proud of him. Day 5 we splashed out on breakfast for Kiran-stacked blueberry pancakes with bacon with a ton of maple syrup also some French toast, bacon and maple syrup in addition to the usual choice of muffins, bagels, Danish pastry and toast. Next onto the fabulous Moma with a great collection of art and a very entertaining shop. Lunch at the cheap but very tasty and recommendable "Pam Real Thai Food", followed by a discounted Broadway show of the "39 Steps". We weren't aware that this was a parody of the famous Hitchcock film and initially cringed at the very unfunny jokes and the inappropriate audience laugher, thankfully once we got into the swing of it we all enjoyed it and were very amused, especially at the silly Scottish accents and mickey take of the Scots!

LONG LIVE BRUCE! LONG LIVE BRITISH AIRWAYS!

So this is our Hero Bruce!

Uneventful trip to Gatwick, good night's sleep in hotel, up, shout at Kiran (and Carla) for carrying large black grumpy cloud around. Kim escapes this round of verbal abuse as she prances round the room with her new white beret laughing about a wet fart!

Usual, dull, pre holiday boyle antics until we reach the bag drop queue and Bruce comes up to us tells us the flight is full and offers us £260 each compensation if we change to a Heathrow flight 3 hours later and in a short moment of monetary greed father and son bond to blast any prevailing clouds away! The only obstacle to this fiscal nirvana is the time obsessed Tina who points out that this does mean we lose 3 hours of holiday!!?? How could that brain of hers bring that thought to the verbal level and in a very rare moment of Boyle male dominance her doubts are calmed, the deal is done and we are off to Heathrow like 5 little kids giggling and arguing about how to spend our spoils!

THEN! At terminal 5 Kiran spots one of our fellow camera club anoraks who is part of our flights cabin crew. OK I have to be honest here that it takes a big effort to suppress my totally greedy thoughts of UPRGADE UTOPIA!! A flat bed with angora blanket, unlimited champagne, proper crockery, and perchance a hand or foot massage. BUT! It was not to be, despite our pals best intentions and efforts. Some complimentary champagne and other goodies did make for a good flight!

Here comes New York.

Mumbai and Home!

When in India "expect the unexpected" and Mumbai is no different.

Lots of traffic but shock horror it is all going in straight lines and obeying the traffic lights and no beeping horns. Loads of people but walking on real pavements and no time or inclination to stare AND NOT A COW TO BE SEEN!!!!!

The stories of boom time are true. Still masses of slum poverty but gilded with economic progress.

However this is still India - at the end of a couple of lazy days wandering around Mumbai's a street hawker taps me on the shoulder and tells me "you have very dirty ears sir!" excuse me? " I do very good clean job for you"!!!

Is there any where else in the world with an personal ear cleaning service?

This has been a fantastic holiday on lots of different levels but we are all glad to be going home.

It might be a few years but we will be back !

Pilgrimage into the Gujarat

So from Mt Abu it feels like our tourist trail ends and a mini family pilgrimage begins. Our entry into the Gujarat was not without frustration – the state border bureaucrats didn't know quite how to deal with the toll for an eleven seater minibus so after an hour of discussion and a multitude of phone calls from the 10 people in the tiny toll office an appropriate tax was decided and our details entered by hand with exquisite care into one of a small mountain of dusty red log books, several other triplicate forms are completed and the toll exchanged not without Ba trying to negotiate a discount for the delay!

After a great night's sleep in a "proper" hotel, you know TV, Wi-Fi, room service, the day begins with a laugh. I open the my hotel room door to the laundry man who freezes for a moment as he enters the room then gives me a smirk as he spots my illegal Indian rent boy languishing half asleep in bed - to try and innocently explain that this was actually my son and that my wife and other two children were next door was just too much to explain at 6.30am!

So as we headed towards Ba and Dada's villages, Bhadran and Dharmaj, my thoughts turned to how they must be feeling as their first and probably last opportunity to come to their childhood home with their grandchildren. How can the significance of agonizing decisions made by grandparents and great grandparents to seek a life far apart from family but with greater opportunity be impressed on our children? Is there any point? Or should I shut up for once and allow time and maturity to allow them to make their personal reflections rather than impress my sentiments upon them? Don't be daft I will lecture as always - it is a fathers job to expound his opinions on his children and a child's job to tell him what a "jake" he is!

Having visited Bhadran and Dharmaj before it was great to have the context of Ba and Dada's explanation of some of the finer detail. Funny for the kids to see the upstairs window Dada and his four brothers used to pee out of during the night, funny for us all to hear how much Ba hated India preferring her adopted Kenya and for them both to boast that unlike most arranged marriages they got to speak to each other for "more than half an hour" before they agreed to their wedding. The kids were a little bemused, moaning about having to visit elderly relatives (surprise surprise!) but held by their grandparent's enthusiasm.

After a long day we drove due west to Rajkot into an immense colour of evening sun - an appropriate end to a poignant day. That vivid colour was however a warning of the approach of another bustling city and as we hit the usual chaos of bodies and traffic it filled me with a little dread that having left the relative peace of a lush countryside we were going to end on an urban downer. Despite a mosquito infested sleep the warm welcome from Tina's "other Mum and Dad" and after a fantastic breakfast of "real" Indian food any negativity was soon lifted. We spent the day being taken around the city and how much more appealing an ordinary city can look through the eyes of the people who live there taking us to see real places away from the usual tourist ambushes. An hour spent walking around a local market turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire trip which I have to say in retrospect, but admittedly out of necessity, may have been a little too sanitised.

Bombay and, sadly, the final leg home.

OK so Kim who has been looking over my shoulder has just judged me as being a wanabee writer who just isn't quite making it – how the truth hurts!!!!!

Diarrhoea of the verbal variety.