Arriving in Delhi

We arrived at Delhi airport at 6.20 a.m on Sunday 13th June and were met by an entourage of people. Very kindly, Penri's company had arranged for a car to collect us and the people who came to meet us were really kind and helpful. Also, luckily there were 3 cars as we had so much stuff with us. We had to put all our cases into one big car (we had 6 large suitcases, 1 small suitcase, 2 hand luggage and a pushchair), we went in another car and then a few of the people who had met us went in the third car. It didn't take too long to get to the apartment; it's probably about 15/20 minutes drive from the airport. By the time we got here I was so relieved and happy to have finished our journey and ready to start the next chapter of our lives.

Our journey was actually pretty good. On the flight to Delhi we were able to get four seats next to each other so Dylan was able to lay down and sleep in the two middle seats which helped loads. Also, Kingfisher Airlines who we flew with, were really efficient and it was really as pleasant as it could be. The flight was very comfortable and the food was actually pretty decent. I also managed to get some sleep, which is nice.

Arriving at Delhi airport and travelling in the car brought back so many memories of our life in Chennai. It is so similar – the driving, the little shops, the auto rickshaws and taxis, the noise, the smells … I could go on and on, however once you are in the apartment because it is so nice, you could be anywhere in the world.

Our apartment is lovely! The only thing I don't like about it is it's on the 7th floor, but I knew that before we got here. Seeing the balconies and the drop down from the windows just turns my stomach! I can't get too close to the edge because it makes me queasy so I just admire the nice views of the city from a distance. When we got in from the airport, we had a good look around and then I showered and dressed both children so that they could feel refreshed and have a little nap. As it turned out Dylan didn't sleep at all; he just spent the entire time running between the rooms naming what all the different rooms were. He learnt which room was his bedroom very quickly and kept saying 'DJ bedroom' and climbing into the big double bed! I think he is quite happy to have a double bed to himself! Plus, he has his own en suite bathroom. Quite nice for a two year old lol.

Our apartment has three bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and there's a living room, dining room, kitchen and then a servants quarters with its own bathroom (which we are going to use as storage). There are three balconies; all of which are going to be locked at all times!! Can't risk the little man getting out there without supervision. One of the balconies is off our bedroom and overlooks the swimming pool, the second and main one is off Abi's bedroom and also off the living room; this one overlooks the city. Then the third balcony is a small one and leads to the servants quarters. They all have half walls around them and then a rail above but I can't bear the thought of getting close to the edge so I don't see myself going out there at all. The swimming pool looks very inviting and I'm looking forward to getting settled and taking the children outside swimming.

Our compound also has a children's playground, tennis courts, squash courts, a gymnasium and a community centre (not sure what is there yet; will have to have a walk over there over the next few days). I also just found out that there is a little supermarket on the compound. It's about 2 minutes walk from the apartment … how convenient is that?! I was so happy to see that even though the shop itself is tiny, they have everything you could need – drinks and snacks, cereal, milk, bread, toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, toilet rolls, soap and Pampers! Brilliant! On the walk back from the shop I noticed a little stall next to one of the apartment blocks. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables and I found out, the stall is there every day from 7 a.m till 7 p.m. I ended up buying a few bits and then only had to walk 100 metres to our house! Some things (such as fruit and vegetables) are very cheap. I bought – two tomatoes, two lemons, a handful of green beans, two onions, two carrots and a small cauliflower and it cost me 50 pence! It put a smile on my face :) We have noticed that some food products are more expensive than the UK, but it's mostly imported stuff like Marmite, American juice drinks and squash and jams and things like that. I suppose they're more luxury items here. A lot of things are priced very similar to UK, such as Pampers, cheddar cheese, milk etc.

Anyway, going back to what I was saying before I went off on a tangent ... when we got to the apartment (from the airport), one of the guys had bought us some bread, butter, biscuits, cans of diet coke and bottles of drinking water, plus some cleaning products and toiletries. It was really sweet. Really lovely and we were so grateful, especially to be able to have a drink each as soon as we got in. All the people left our apartment at 3 p.m and then Penri had a quick nap (as did the children) and I started unpacking all our cases and putting stuff away. At 5 p.m a couple of guys came back and took Penri to get some shopping. I gave him a list of a few items of food and drinks that I needed but the main reason for him going out was to buy a fridge, a washing machine and some bedding for us. By 10 p.m we were all absolutely shattered and got into bed to go to sleep.