The Winner Is...Jamnagar, India
We FINALLY found out where we are going for the first 5-6 weeks of our traveling assignment- a refinery near Jamnagar, India. It is in the north west part of India, in the state of Gujarat. Austin reports there the first part of April, so we may have to leave March 30th or 31st in order to get there in time.
Most likely we will be flying from Chicago to Newark, to London, to Mumbai, to Jamnagar. This whole process will most likely take 2-3 days. Landon better get comfy on the airplane! It is nicknamed Oil City of India. The refinery has a guesthouse, gym, cinema, mart and other amenities that Landon and I will be enjoying while Austin works his butt off at the refinery. Average temperature in April- 95 degrees. Oddly, that sounds REALLY good right now as Chicago's average temperature has been about 30-35 for the last little while. Break out the shorts!
Jamnagar is near the coast and there is a Marine National Park off the coast on one of the islands, where according to wikipedia we can see dolphins, porpoises, turtles, tropical fish and coral. I hope we make it out there to visit sometime. Other interesting things I want to at least stop by are temples to various hindi deities, a bird sanctuary, an old solarium (it rotates so that people with skin diseases can have full sunlight all day long, just staying in one spot. It is the only intact solarium in the world, although it is no longer used for treatment). The one downside to this assignment is that the nearest congregation of the LDS church is 11 hours drive away in Mumbai. We are still working out the details of what we will do for that.
In the meantime, we are in CA right now basking in the sun and enjoying time with my family before we take off. I also have been having lots of fun packing our stuff we want accessible in the storage unit in clear plastic bins with clear labeling so that I will hopefully be able to find things when we come to sort out clothing. We will still be moving into an extended stay in Chicago next weekend, so Lando and I will have about a week without me working, but still here to prepare ourselves for what is to come. Lots of shopping will ensue, because we don't have enough pairs of shorts to survive the hot summer.
Most likely we will be flying from Chicago to Newark, to London, to Mumbai, to Jamnagar. This whole process will most likely take 2-3 days. Landon better get comfy on the airplane! It is nicknamed Oil City of India. The refinery has a guesthouse, gym, cinema, mart and other amenities that Landon and I will be enjoying while Austin works his butt off at the refinery. Average temperature in April- 95 degrees. Oddly, that sounds REALLY good right now as Chicago's average temperature has been about 30-35 for the last little while. Break out the shorts!
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| Jamnagar and surrounding areas with a sideways map of India |
Jamnagar is near the coast and there is a Marine National Park off the coast on one of the islands, where according to wikipedia we can see dolphins, porpoises, turtles, tropical fish and coral. I hope we make it out there to visit sometime. Other interesting things I want to at least stop by are temples to various hindi deities, a bird sanctuary, an old solarium (it rotates so that people with skin diseases can have full sunlight all day long, just staying in one spot. It is the only intact solarium in the world, although it is no longer used for treatment). The one downside to this assignment is that the nearest congregation of the LDS church is 11 hours drive away in Mumbai. We are still working out the details of what we will do for that.
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| Solarium... can't wait to see it in person |
In the meantime, we are in CA right now basking in the sun and enjoying time with my family before we take off. I also have been having lots of fun packing our stuff we want accessible in the storage unit in clear plastic bins with clear labeling so that I will hopefully be able to find things when we come to sort out clothing. We will still be moving into an extended stay in Chicago next weekend, so Lando and I will have about a week without me working, but still here to prepare ourselves for what is to come. Lots of shopping will ensue, because we don't have enough pairs of shorts to survive the hot summer.
WHOA! This is so exciting! I remember the packing and storing of things, it made life interesting. Also, I know for church here they have a virtual branch for members who live too far away to attend church. Krystin Anderson- now Moffet did that while they were in China, I believe. Maybe they have something similar there.
ReplyDeleteI totally second Robin's comment...holy adventure! I think I'd freak out over trying to plan and prepare. Props to you AND Robin for living abroad with kids. Then again, it'll be a lot of fun and cultural experience! Really excited for you, overall. :) So curious about a virtual branch. Never heard of such a thing. but cool. Good luck!! and keep posts and updates coming as you can! What a time!
ReplyDeleteIn two of my wards we did virtual primary for kids that were to sick to go. It was really cool experience. You guys are in for some amazing adventures. Travel safe, have fun and take lots of pictures.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! We are leaving tomorrow and it is exciting. I contacted some church members there, and unfortunately there is no virtual branch in India. So we will be flying solo!
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