Bapatla diary 7

Monday, the day after the engagement party, was declared a holiday by Babu Uncle, so all the children got to relax and play and then, in the late afternoon, climb aboard huge lorries for a ride to the ocean.

Girls packed in one lorry...

boys in another.

Kathy, Coty and I rode in the car with Babu. I've had the "thrill" of riding in the back of a big lorry, although never with 100 screaming children, so I was happy to opt for the comfort of the car and Babu's stories along the way.

We arrived at the beach and had some time for a walk...

Sometimes, I have to pinch myself. Is this my life? Am I really here, walking along a deserted beach on the coast of India, looking out at a fishing boat, enjoying getting to know my son's future mother-in-law, feeling the surf of the Bay of Bengal lapping at my feet, watching these thousands of crazy little red crabs scurrying away in front of me?



After awhile, the lorries arrived, parked about a quarter of the mile away and deposited the children, who walked the rocky path to the beach. Imagine the sight! 200 children, some of whom had never seen the ocean, talking, laughing, ready to break into a run...

And remember this post. Sari and salwaar clad girls, arriving at the ocean...




And then, lots of jumping, laughing, diving, splashing, and general joy! Boys down the beach separate from the girls...

for good reason!

Then some of us joined Babu for a walk down the beach...

Babu Uncle and some of his girls...

The sky began to darken as we walked along the beach. By the time we returned to the lorries, the blackening clouds were beginning to spit.

And as we pulled out, kids in the lorries, old folks in the car, the sky let loose, buckets of rain poured down, lightning flashes streaked the sky, giant bullfrogs left their roadside ponds and lined up in the road (really!), boys spat on the roofs of passing cars and children screamed and laughed.

That beach outing is certainly a memory from the time in Bapatla that stands out. Jonathan has written about it here. Pictures of the "hair chopping" he describes and a more Bapatla memories to come...