Divali and the zoo

Ok I'm really tired so will keep this short...
Yesterday we had a delightfully lazy Divali -- slept in, tried the chef-recommended dosas for breakfast (had another today -- like a crispy crepe rolled perfectly with a pototo curry filling, warm and yummy). Kids are sticking with pancakes, waffles and bacon.
We spent half the day by the pool, Ava and I swam (chilly water but fun!), Joe and Claire played cards. Apparently that's a common Divali pastime so you can say we jumped right into celebrating...
Yesterday evening we attended a big Divali feast and enjoyed all kinds of specialties from throughout the country. Don't ask me their names, I just know I tried a wide array of dishes, and most memorable were a couple items commonly sold on the street in Mumbai (sp). Stir-fried noodles with scallions, spices and tomatoes.
We went home with a box of special Divali desserts; rest assured I'm working my way through it.

We fell asleep to fabulous fireworks displays all around us!

The Zoo
Today, October 29, our driver took us to the Delhi Zoo. Thankfully we beat the crowd; I think many people had today off for the holiday so took the family to the zoo, too.
We all enjoyed the animals -- a wide array in nice settings, most in view even though it was warm. I had to laugh, though, I think we attracted as much or more attention than the animals. No doubt some of these folks haven't seen many foreigners, a contrast to many of the people we've encountered here in Gurgaon, where there are so many international companies. At the hotel alone the last few days we've encountered French, Germans, Australians, Japanese...

And at the local mall no one seemed to look twice at us tromping through.
I digress -- about the zoo...my favorite were the hippos -- I really did think they were big bumps of mud until one of them finally came up for air or a break or whatever it is hippos do. Ava preferred the alligators, who were dragging their tails in the water, either to cool off or as bait (Claire's suggestion).

Claire was most fond of the white tigers, which were truly magnificent.

We did learn to assert ourselves rather clearly while at the zoo -- someone tried to cut in line once, someone pushed Claire out of the way later and a woman tried to cut in front of me twice in the bathroom line. Given Claire really had to go, and that it was our turn and that I really had no plans to spend any more time in that bathroom than we needed to, I told her "no" once nicely, and the second time I cut her off at the pass (after she tried to push in front of me).

This evening our driver took us through the parliament and India gate area for the views at night -- incredibly pituresque with the boulevards and buildings lit. We took a stroll around the area, then picked Joe up from work and are now collapsing after a very full day!