[S02E11] Next week we head off on our classic Golden Triangle, where we’ll get to see the Taj Mahal and all those wonderful cities in Rajasthan. Before we do that, we head down to the backwaters of the south Cochin and rewards the youngsters for their sailing skills. We also get to meet a group of teenagers busily revising for an important exam.
Certificate Day For The Kids Read Post »
As our blog moves into the Blue City of Jodhpur, we thought we’d post up our Pic Of The Day: a little bad boy, his home-girl and his wheels, taken in one of the back-streets of this amazing city. Kids, eh? Same the world over. [Click to see the full image]
A few weeks ago I received an invite to attend the Kerala Watersports Sailing Organisation Certificate Awards. I’d already met Captain Jolly Thomas who is the man responsible for teaching young children how to sail their little, second-hand Optimist dinghies. In a country that has no real sailing heritage and with next to no funds Jolly has achieved the near-impossible by creating a small but successful sailing club for children. Set up as a charitable organisation the least I could do was attend the ceremony and maybe invite a couple of other western sailors to join me. Terry of ‘Roam II’ and Brian and Maureen of ‘Suryana’ came along to give their support.
Kids Of Kerala Are Certified! Read Post »
Christmas is a’ coming and the nuns are out in force. Yep, you can tell it’s the festive season here in Cochin because the ladies in grey habits are running amok in the Christmas decoration shops. Clearly believing they have the blessing of The Lord Jesus Christ these little old ladies barge their way through the masses, desperate to purchase the most gaudy of decorations. There’s definitely some perverse pecking order going on in this predominantly Catholic part of India. Using their elbows as weapons these sinister old birds have complete disregard for the poor local children unfortunate enough to walk into their paths.
A Festive Message From The Esper Gang Read Post »
The second of our two-part podcast is here. This is the primary school project we’ve been working on with Nance Lake of Wybunbury Delves Primary School in Cheshire. The children are reading Kensuke’s Kingdom and wanted to learn about life at sea so they send us recordings of them asking us questions. This week we discuss the weather, getting lost and what the worst thing that’s ever happened to us.
Primary School Question Time Part 2 Read Post »
This week’s podcast is a special project put together for primary school children. It started when Nancy Lake emailed us asking if we could answer some questions for her class at Wybunbury Delves Primary School. As their teacher Nancy is reading them ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by Michael Morpurgo, a story of a boy who becomes ship-wrecked. To help put the story in context we have answered some of the children’s questions about what it is like to live at sea. We hope that you and your children (should you have any!) enjoy this week’s feature.
Primary School Question Time – Part 1 Read Post »
A colour printer for £20 that fits into your pocket and doesn’t require any ink? No, I didn’t believe it either but I have stumbled upon a palm-sized printer made by Polaroid that puts the fun back into digital photography. This product has been around for a couple of years now but the price has dropped so much it seems silly not to buy one. In this quick summary I take a look at the pros and the cons of this fun Christmas gadget. To give the review more gravitas we’ve introduced a new rating system and there’s also a quick video clip too!
Polaroid Pogo Printer: £20 & No Ink Required? Read Post »
Got kids? Facebook this week has been awash with proud parents posting up pics of their kids in their new school uniform, compete with descriptions of teary eyes… and that’s just the adults. Liz and I have got into the new term spirit too: followtheboat is involved in a school project which might be of interest to any parent out there with young children. Some educational audio and visual treats coming soon. Also we might just be contravening some international act with our surreptitious recording of the Royal Navy trading secrets with us in Oman. That’s our exclusive podcast that comes out today. Oh and Liz got shortlisted for another writing comp but we said we wouldn’t bore you with those announcements any more 😉 Anyway, it’s all in the link below.
Back To School Round-Up: Kids Projects & Trading Secrets Read Post »
Welcome to the second poorest country in the world: Eritrea. Could have fooled me though. It is as rich in culture, nature and people as any country I have visited and I’d go as far to say that it is quite possibly the most beautiful country I have ever visited. My first afternoon was spent meeting the local children who had no problems striking a pose for the camera! Check out these cheekie chappies…
The Kids Of Massawa, Eritrea Read Post »
Wandering the dusty market in Massawa, Eritrea, I turned a corner and bumped into this group of kids. Their parents all worked in the market and were more than happy to allow their kids to pose for me. Judging by these shots I don’t think I was the first to photograph them because they knew how to work the camera!
Massawan Market Kids Read Post »
Upon my return the bearded man-woman had taken it upon herself to keep my towel warm by spreading her fat self across my sun-lounge. When I indicated that she was in my space she grunted but didn’t move. OK, so she could keep the sun-lounge but I wanted my towel back.
Bearded Ladies & Screaming Brats Read Post »
