mom and batul

Mom and Batul arrived in Bombay yesterday from Karachi.  They're doing well; just tired because their last few days have been quite hectic.  They plan to be in India for 10 days, and then they'll take Dadi back to Karachi with them.  Dadi and I were very happy to see them; it alleviated some of our homesickness.  Dadi especially misses home now... she is anxious to get back.  She's also excited about being in Karachi for a few days.  (And health-wise, she's doing great).  

Today, Mom had a marathon day of visiting family/ family friends in Bombay.  And much of the time that we weren't visiting people, she was on the phone, making arrangements to visit people :)

 
Tomorrow night, Mom and Batul are going to Shahada (about an 8 hour road trip from Bombay).  They'll be there for a week.  Many of Mom's cousins live around there, and she hasn't seen most of them for a couple of decades or more.  She was really close to them while growing up, so she's very excited to meet everyone.  I'm hoping that Tristan and I will be able to join them in Shahada for a day or two... but our plans are not yet settled.

During the day tomorrow, Batul and I are going to do some sightseeing (a Jain temple, perhaps, or the hanging gardens).  And in the afternoon, I'll take her to the Dharavi slums with me.

Here's Batul at Masi Khata's window...

 

... and one of the people we saw on the street below the window.  He is using a pedal-powered knife sharpener.