Losgrays Adventures

Our last two days in Chennai

Posted on October 16, 2010 by Los Grays

After that exhausting day at Dizzee World- we spent the last two days in Chennai doing some sightseeing, shopping, packing, eating out & saying goodbye to all our new friends. We were all getting a little homesick but SO excited about our upcoming vacay to the Andaman Islands. Will post pics from that trip next!

: #11 is the best!! Words to live by!

: Such a typical Indian scene

: Hope noone runs into him!

: Parthasarathy temple

: Close up detail

: Even closer up

: We were in the car- not sure we’re gonna fit

: I personally LOVED the peacocks

: Another sanctuary

: They use this in parades

: Altar outside St. Mary’s Church

: LOVED all the fresh flowers!

: Shop at Pondy Bazaar

: Double trouble Mehendi

: Overhead view

: Letting it dry

: Finished

: Last pic w/Pugazendi fam

: Killing mosquitoes

: Staff at the restaurant we had breakfast at every morning

: So true!

: I scream, you scream…

: Yum.. looks tasty

: Three beautiful girls!

: Navin & his WONDERFUL family!

: Just a funny pic

: Edie & friend

: His internal temp must be high!

: Our driver Elango- he was awesome!

: We LOVE Danesh!

Posted in Food, Outings, Tourist | Tagged Food, friends, India, Sightseeing | Leave a comment

Dizzee World- July 28

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Los Grays

I don’t even know where to begin with this place except to say it was quite an experience…The name is obviously a take on another more famous park.. but with a little bit of truth thrown in- at least for me. We took along Nitu (thanks Sredevi for letting her miss school!! :0) and it was one of the few places we went that actually wasn’t crowded. Let the good times roll…

: Ready to go!

: Fashionista

: Headed to market

: We’re here!

: Notice how empty it is!

: Ferris wheel/Tea cups

: Spinning within the spinning

: It was a really small one

: Another dizzee maker

: They went on it like 10 times

: Edie gives it the enthusiastic thumbs up

: He is ready for his licence

: He was brave to ride with her

: Nitu had a BLAST

: He looks jaded

: Ready for the rollercoaster

: Now we’re on the train

: Would not see this at the OTHER theme park

: I just liked this composition

: Actually a pretty high-up balloon ride

: Feeding the birds

: A group of young school girls

: Ready for the waterpark

: Hittin’ the slides

: That face!

: At the top of the world/slide!

: View before the fall

: Nitu!

: Isaac caught her & helped her to the shallow part

: Three crazy kids

: Lunch time

: Feeling the love

: Just cute

: This was the mascot- I think?

: Edie- where’s your sari?

: Coolin’ off waterfall style

: It felt like a massage

: One last time down the slide

: Sufficiently worn out?

: Are you kidding me?

: At Pitstop- “American style” fast food…

: And they still had energy!

: Pizza!

: Pizza!

: The end

Posted in Outings, Swimming | Tagged friends, Kids, Swimming | Leave a comment

Birla Planetarium and Science & Technology Park

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Los Grays

The kids & I had a fun afternoon at the BP & SC. It looked like it was really cool when it opened (in 1988) but was in some pretty serious need of repair & updating. Even so, there were some really interesting things there & we enjoyed it…

: New shirt

: Handwashing

: Tire change

: I don’t know

: Contraption

: Good old fashioned rock on a string

: They LOVED this

: Edie got scared- it was rickety

: Big ole’ swings

: Swingers

: Cool, weight-shifting spinner

: Another blast from the past

: Heading into the planetarium

: Waitin for the show to begin

: Bridge to erehwon

: Neverending mirrors

: He is still talking about this info!!

: Taken for Papa

: Engine

: It stopped fast

: Self- spinner

: Human gerbil wheel

: Hanging out

: Cool roller slide

: Another cool slide

: Lookin’ tough

: Another plane he was fascinated with

: Get that energy out!

: Ginger, mint & lime cooler

: Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran

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We’re HOME!!!

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Los Grays

Too tired for a big post right now but here’s a photo from our amazing beach trip & will post more later…

On Havelock Island- AKA Paradise

Posted in Beach, Swimming, Travel | Tagged Beach, Paradise, Swimming, Travel | 2 Comments

Valakaappu (Baby shower) & beach

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Los Grays

On Sunday, we had another busy day that started with us being treated like visiting dignitaries at a Valakaappu- baby shower. From the minute we walked in, we were given gifts, adorned with finery & photographed. WE felt like the guests of honor! It was an amazing experience & the photos really don’t do it justice… Suffice it to say that we had a great time and it was one of the highlights of our trip! Thanks Navin + family!! We kept the fun going by heading to the beach- one of the widest in the world- and then over to Sredevi’s for another wonderful dinner. What an awesome weekend!!!

We’ve done lots of other fun things this week (science center & planetarium and a trip to MGM Dizee world) but I won’t have time to post about them because we are leaving tomorrow morning for our vacation (within a vacation) to the Andaman Islands. It’s so remote that there isn’t even internet service there! Then the day we get back (at 2 PM) we turn around & leave for home (at 2 AM) I know we are going to experience reverse cultural shock. I am so excited to come home & see everyone-but I also don’t want to leave. I guess all good things must come to an end… I will finish up the photoblog when I get home so keep checking back to see this past week in Chennai as well as photos from paradise!! (ANDAMAN ISLANDS – check it out- can’t wait!) Thanks for reading!!

: Navin scored major points with the kids

: Performing rituals on the parents to be

: Beautiful women all decked out

: With everyone (and some of our gifts..)

: The HUGE pile of gifts

: They were so happy!

: Edie & Co.

: Endless good food

: They loved playing there

: Some of the things used in the ceremony

: Navin & Vetri

: We felt like stars!!

: They are having a daughter too

: Here are all the gifts WE got!

: Checking out their amazing wedding albums

: Check out the adornments

: Beach bound

: Hanging out

: It’s pretty crowded there

: They don’t wear bathing suits

: Digging a hole to China?

: He had as much fun as them

: Happy times

: Nighttime on the beach

: He LOVED this!

: Delicious dinner

: We had such a great time with them!!!

: Fatherly love

: She wants a brother! lol

: We got in the bunny spirit

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Mahabalipuram

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Los Grays

On Sat we went here with Sridevi (who works with Naylor) & her family. MAHABALIPURAM will do a more thorough job than me of explaining what it is. But basically, it is a town with lots of historical sights- including the Seashore temple, Krishna’s butterball & lots of amazing carvings & large granite rocks. The kids (and us!) had such a blast- it is a super cool place & it was a wonderful day!! Afterward, we even went back to Senthil’s house for a really late (but yummy!) dinner (and more playing for the kids…)

: Instant friends! Nitu & Edie

: On the first of MANY big rocks

: Listening to the guide

: Kids-n-carvings

: Close up of carvings

: Cow-n-kids

: More from our guide

: She looks like she’s scolding him

: Cow family

: More carved rock

: Another temple + kids

: Three musketeers?

: Here they are again

: I am a rock

: Friends with flowers

: This was called the Five Rathas

: Kooky cave kids

: Elephant girls

: Naylor is so tall here

: Sharing a coconut

: Ready for the meat

: Sridevi & fam buying some mangos

: Shoreline Temple

: Another temple view

: Fun on the rocks

: Ganesha’s parents

: Carvings

: Naylor & Pugazendi

: Jumping down

: Two families

: Carved from one big rock

: IGG as deer

: Lunch break

: More elephant carvings

: Amazons?

: Close up of a cow getting milked

: Cows & giraffe

: Isaac & fan

: That’s a nice sari

: Isaac with more fans!

: Carved out of the side of a rock!!

: All that work!

: Krishna’s butterball

: Kids + ball

: It used to be round- erosion

: Kids + Mom

: Tarrot reading bird

: Girls & fertility carving

: Rock slide

: Nitu going down

: Getting caught before the water at the bottom

: Ice cream cools you down

: Crowd heading down from observation tower

: View from tower

: Panoramic view w/lighthouse

: Rock group

: Lighthouse family

: Deer warrior

: Naylor in another life?

: Climbing up

: A taste of his own medicine

: Panoramic w/lighthouse

: They LOVED climbing all those rocks

: Peep show

: Climbing down the side of the rock

: Jumping for joy

: Relaxing with some homemade apple wine

: The kids with wine

: Sinchil as little backpack

Posted in Outings, Tourist | Tagged friends, India, Kids, Sightseeing | Leave a comment

A few outings & such

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Los Grays

We spent Thursday & Friday seeing a movie (Sorcerer’s Apprentice- in english with english subtitles- the kids loved it!) doing a little shopping (I got to go out WITHOUT the kids with Surbi- we had so much fun!!) having dinner out, swimming & having lunch with Naylor & his team from work. We also terrorize- I mean- keep the hotel staff on it’s feet! Everyone is always so nice to the kids! (And us too, of course..)

: Dinner out with Dad

: Playing on the 11th floor

: Bonding at lunch

: With some of Naylor’s team

: New shirt

: At dinner at the Crown

: Surbhi- we NEEDED those drinks!

: Losgrays with the whole team

: We spend lots of time on the elevator

Posted in Food, Outings | Tagged Food, friends | Leave a comment

DakshinaChitra- South Indian cultural center

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Los Grays

DakshinaChitra was really cool!! (DAKSHINACHITRA- In case you want to check it out…) The theme there is the culture of South India- the people’s homes, handicrafts & lifestyles. The thing the kids really enjoyed was actually making the handicrafts. They made a shaker and a puppet out of palm leaves, ground rice the old fashioned way, made a pot on a pottery wheel & Edie got Mehndi on her hand. We also watched a glass blower (he made a necklace for Isaac) played on a rope bridge & got a cool bow & arrow made out of sticks. Definitely a fun AND educational day!

: The rope bridge was a challenge

: More rope bridge fun

: They could’ve stayed here all day

: Cool tree house

: Always with the bunny ears!

: Making the palm leaf shaker

: Cool weaving

: The finished product

: Bow & arrow practice

: Tapestry

: Cool Mehndi

: Happy customer

: Here’s the results

: Wall hanging

: Wood carving

: Ridiculous armour

: Statues

: Pretty cool yard art!

: Pottery wheel fun

: She could only use one hand

: Puppet room

: Silk loom

: India’s Cinderella chariot?

: He has been a glass blower for 25 years

: The “bubble within a bubble”

: Grinding rice

: She was so sweet with the kids

: Making puppets

: Amazing what you can do with a palm leaf!

: Very cool to watch

Posted in Museums, Outings | Tagged Culture, handicrafts | Leave a comment

Crocodile Farm

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Los Grays

After a day off from travel & shopping, the kids & I went to the Crocodile Bank (farm) just south of Chennai. It’s a pretty scenic trip through lots of little burroughs with the usual cows, goats, dogs, etc in the streets. It also runs right next to the coast so you can see palm trees & occasionally the water. The Croc farm itself was pretty cool- LOTS of crocs, of course. There were also a few snakes & turtles, but mostly many types of crocs….

: Croc heaven

: They live all over

: Don’t they look like they are smiling?

: Giant, moss covered turtle

: Isaac thought they looked dead

: Croc pile

: Feeding time!

: These crocs are not veg

: Python necklace

: They weren’t even scared

: He had the top of his snout missing

: He had sand in his mouth

: Cutie pie!

: Ball O’ ice cream

: Blue Bell should make this shape

: Someone who wanted her picture w/Edie

: Road scenes

: I guess you get off on the left side

: They cleaned up all the trash

: Women selling fish

: There are lots of ruins all over

Posted in Outings | Tagged Crocs | Leave a comment

Shopping weekend in Chennai

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Los Grays

We spent the weekend shopping ( fabric & boxes & bags- oh my!) and meeting up with friends & families. We got lots of goodies & had fun visiting people’s homes.