We're Coming Home - Namaste

We were a little concerned -- OK, maybe a lot -- that due to the low fog that is prevalent in Northern India in December, our flight home would be delayed or maybe even cancelled. But this didn't happen. Our 1:00 am wake-up call came around much too soon, but we'd packed (in my case, crammed) the night before and were pretty much ready to roll out of bed and go. Our taxi was very prompt and we were at the airport before we knew it. Indira Gandhi Airport is very modern and a pleasant place to spend some time, not at all chaotic. We had enough rupees to pay our airport exit fee, but no one could verify that we needed to pay it, including the folks at the Emirates check-in counter, so we ended up exchanging our remaining rupees for US dollars. The Singapore dollars, they told us, would have to wait until we reached SFO.Both flights on Emirates were great. We've posted some photos of the sunrise on our way to Dubai. However, we saw little of Dubai except for the airport. It would have been nice to have taken an overnight stop there, but we were ready to come home. After 20+ hours in the air, we

arrived at SFO at 2:00 pm on December 26, the same day as we left. It's taken us a wee bit of time to get back to normal...and we're not quite back yet.To quote Erma Bombeck: when you look like your passport picture, it’s time to come home. In my case, I was well past this point as you probably noticed from the photos. But we made it, and we're so grateful for everyone and everything who made this possible. This was a trip full of contrasts and commonalities -- weather, people, culture, religion, food, transportation, comfort, accommodations, activities and much more. Here's a summary of what we covered: Five countries: Indonesia (if you count both Java and Bali), Singapore, Nepal, India; 39 days, 22 hotels, nine flights -- we circled the globeAn overnight train (been there, done that, make big note for next time), one half-day train, a car ferry, taxis, buses, minivans, tut-tuts (auto rickshaws), bicycle rickshaws, two metro systems, a camel cart ride, one elephant ride, and a ride on the back of a motorbike -- and of course, walking and hiking. Countless stairs and close calls with oncoming vehicles and in crossing streets. I didn't count the miles/kilometers - a pedometer would have been a good idea. Maybe next time!

Christmas in Delhi

Christmas Day in Delhi. Christmas is celebrated as a festival here, albeit low-key, though we were driven by a Catholic church today with a big crowd attending mass. Many restaurants have special menus. We start off with our usual breakfast at Hotel Perfect, though we don't have as much time as usual since we need to pack up one last time for our journey to the airport hotel, where we'll catch a few hours sleep prior to our 1:30 am taxi to the airport. So what to do on our last day? Turns out the National Museum is open, and all we have to do is arrange for our transport there. We thought we'd take the Metro, but as we check out we ask the hotel manager and he suggests taking a tuk-tuk there. So we leave our bags at the hotel for pickup later, and walk the two blocks down to the Karol Bagh Metro where a line of auti rickshaws is waiting. There's the usual negotiation; the first driver refuses Hoyt's offer, and another driver agrees to take us there. It ends up being a very picturesque drive on a surprisingly not-too-busy morning. We arrive at the museum and learn that several of the exhibits are closed for renovation. We decide to take the tour anyway and were treated to one of the best collection of miniature Indian paintings we've seen, plus sacred relics of the Buddha (with devotees pictured), Indian textiles and weaponry. But one of the biggest surprises was in the museum cafeteria: we end up catching an early dinner there, featuring an excellent vegetarian buffet, Tandoori paneer and cold coffee with ice cream. One of the best meals of our trip! Our return tuk-tuk ride didn't go so smoothly, at least at first. Since our trip to the museum cost 80 INR, we assumed we could get the same deal on the return trip. Silly us, what were we thinking? First driver quoted us 200 INR. Then the next drive said he'd take us for 80 INR if we stopped at his shop "just to look." Then a taxi driver offered to take us to the nearby Metro station for "our price" which ended costing 50 INR. Turns out there WAS a Metro station within walking distance, but the taxi driver made it sound like it was so far away. But that's just how it is, you have to negotiate everything and not believe everything you hear! After returning to Hotel Perfect for our bags, it's now about 6:00 pm and time to call the taxi to the airport hotel. The driver reaches the airport hotel area fairly quickly, but it's another matter finding the Hotel Aerostar, which is located in the corner of an out-of-the-way street. We're glad to have had dinner early so we can check in, take a shower and get to bed as soon as possible. But first, we need to make sure we have enough rupees left for the airport exit tax, about 1,400 rupees each. Good news, we won't have to visit the ATM. Plus, we still have some Singaporean dollars we need to convert.

New Friends in Delhi

It's December 24 and we are meeting our neighbor Pampa's sister Papiya and her family who live in Delhi. Papiya has been quite diligent in communicating with us during our entire trip, and we're looking forward to our visit very much. After breakfast at the hotel, Papiya calls us to make plans for the day. We've already researched the location of their flat and realize that although they live about 25K from our hotel, it's very close to two Metro stations on the blue line, across the river. No sweat - we're veterans of the Delhi Metro by now. Papiya and her husband Sumit agree to meet us at the station. In an attempt to help them recognize us, Hoyt tells them to look out for his orange windbreaker, but since we're traveling far away from the tourist areas into a residential section, it wasn't difficult for them to spot us. After we meet up, they escort us to a waiting tuk-tuk and we're on our way to their flat in no time. When we arrive, we're greeted by Papiya's parents (who we know already from their stay in Campbell with Pampa and Arup), and Papiya's three year old son, who was initially shy but ended up becoming fast friends with us. We spent a delightful afternoon discussing India, politics, books and what to do in our remaining time in Delhi. In addition, As it turns out, Papiya and Sumit relocated to Delhi four months ago, so they are learning about the area as well. One of the highlights of our visit was a home-cooked Bengali style lunch, which was absolutely delicious. On the return trip back to the Metro, we got our first taste of a Delhi public bus ride, with Papiya and Sumit as our escorts and a very happy three-year old who's experiencing his first bus ride in Delhi. After bidding farewell to our new friends, we board the blue line train for the return trip to Karol Bagh and get ready for our last day in India. An added note: We would have included a photo of the Delhi Metro here, but you're not allowed to photograph inside the station or inside the cars. Security is very tight; you go through metal detectors and a pat-down, with separate lines for men and women (which meant I waited for Hoyt a lot, as there are many more men on the Metro than women).

Delhi Sights

We spent the day touring Delhi -- Humayan's Tomb (precursor to the Taj Mahal), the Red Fort and a drive-by of India Gate were the highlights. Thought we could reach most sites by the Metro alone, but quickly discovered we'd need at least a tuk-tuk to get across town. This was especially true after we found ourselves having to cross a particularly busy street where traffic is constant. Yikes!!

To Delhi

We leave Jaipur on the 6 am train to Delhi for a 3-4 hour ride. The train leaves right on time and is pretty much on schedule until we reach the stop just before Delhi. The train is delayed by fog so we are an hour late. Not bad when you consider it took 20 hours to travel from Varanasi to Agra. We arrive at the station and our ever-resourceful guide Singh has hired a porter to transport our big bags so we don't have to lug them over the bridge. Thank goodness! We walk through the station and to a minibus ready to take us to our hotel in Delhi, the “Hotel Perfect.” It’s in the middle of a jammed packed street where hardly any parking is available. Delhi is unbelievably crowded with a population of at least 17 million, and is India’s second largest city as well as the nation’s capital. After settling in, we join Singh for an orientation tour of the city. We will take the city’s Metro to our destination in old Delhi. The metro is three years old, very efficient, state of the art and even ISO 14001 certified for environmental compliance. It was first conceived in 1969 and construction began in 1998. It's hard to imagine the gridlock that would exist - not to mention the pollution - if the metro had not been built here. We found it pretty easy to use, with stops called out on each train, but most trains are jammed-packed - but no worries if you don't make your train, the next one will come along in 2-4 minutes. Before you can board, you go through security with separate lines for men and women and metal detectors. Each train has a separate coach for women only, and the police sternly warn the men who violate this rule. We transfer from the blue to the yellow line, then exit the station and catch bicycle rickshaws to take our orientation tour, stopping to take photos at Delhi’s Red Fort and a short tour at Delhi’s big mosque. Then we visit the old market area, with extremely narrow passage ways and all kinds of tasty treats and beautiful clothing. We then take the metro on our own to Connaught Square which is a fairly modern shopping area with all kinds of upscale shops. We stop for coffee, then decide we want to find the India Gate which Hoyt remembered from his 1974 trip. Instead we are diverted by a "friend" (who said he recognized us from the hotel; his brother worked there, right....)to a “no hassle” shopping emporium where we end up buying a marble box, miniature painting and three long shirts for me (on my list to buy). Even though we realize the diversion resulted in a commission for our friend the tuk-tuk driver, we're happy with our purchases - and guess what, the proprietors

were more than willing to bargain. After what we hope is the last shopping event of our trip, we return to the metro stop by our hotel, which is only about two minutes away from where we're staying. However, we exited the station on the wrong side of the street and were disoriented in the dark, so it took about 45 minutes instead! We reached our hotel at 7:25, just five minutes before the start of our farewell dinner. Singh took us to a wonderful continental and Indian restaurant a couple of blocks away where we toasted the culmination of our trip and shared contact information.

Tordi Gath and Jaipur in the state of Rajastan

We have a long bus and jeep drive today as we are going to visit a village in a remote part of the state of Rajastan. We take a bus for about four hours, then transfer to jeeps for the remaining three hour journey to Tordi. We were on the Agra-Jaipur highway for the majority of the time, which is two lanes in each direction and relatively smooth. Then, the roads changes to the usually bumpy and potholed ones we’ve become accustomed to. The terrain changes also, to high desert and palm trees, with some mountains. When we reach the village, we drive into a “heritage site” which is actually a former palace under the maharaja system with the owners being direct descendants. We took a camel cart ride to the dunes to see the sunset which was quite enjoyable and featured chai at the top! Then we were treated to a home-cooked meal by the owners, featuring many local delicious dishes including warm rice pudding. A roaring campfire and conversation rounded out the evening. A nice respite from dodging honking horns. We visit the village tomorrow. Tordi Gath part two The others woke at 5:30 am to take a sunrise hike to the fort high above the village. Hoyt and I opted to sleep in and take in essentially the same view from the hotel’s rooftop perch, giving us a panoramic view of the village. Smart move. We have breakfast at 8:30 followed by a village tour. About 3000 live in the village, where we saw various craftspeople at work including potters, cobblers and toolmakers. We enjoyed having our pictures taken with the local schoolchildren, who giggled when they saw their images in our cameras. There’s no printed directory for the shops; what they do instead is write their cell phone numbers on the walls of their business in charcoal. We return to the hotel and bask in the sunshine, returning to our rooftop perch where we could have easily spent the day. Two of our tourmates decide to get henna tattoos on their hands, and we are treated to a cooking demonstration by the landlady who fixed a tasty dish with curds, lentils and spices which we would have for lunch along with various other homemade treats. After lunch, we leave via jeep for Jaipur on the same bumpy road we took coming in. In about three hours we reach Jaipur, one of the first master planned cities in India and the location of one of the most impressive royal castles we’ve seen, with extensive inlaid marble and walls that seem to rival the Great Wall of China. At our hotel, we’re greeted with a flower garland and a mango lassi. The hotel is a former castle and it’s quite a journey just to reach our room, up and down various staircases and through beautiful courtyards. We try venturing out after dark for shopping and dinner, but it’s extremely chaotic so we decide to go back to the hotel, only to

find that their restaurant isn’t open for dinner, so we consult our guidebook for suggestions. We decide to take a tuk-tuk to a vegetarian restaurant and are on the way out the door when our guide Singh appears. We share our plans and he tells us about a restaurant just down the street featuring folk dancing, so off we go. The food is delicious so we’re quite happy.

Overnight Sleeper Train to Agra and the Taj

We have a leisurely morning on the day of our night train to Agra. Breakfast at 9:30, then back to our room to shower and get ready to check out by 12 noon. I always like to watch the local TV to get a flavor of local life and I find the Indian equivalent of the Food Network, “Food Food.” Although the dialogue is in Hindi, there are English subtitles, so I’m able to follow along with the recipes, which include a stuffed paratha and rice with curry leaves. There’s another personality, Amal’s Food Secrets, and Turban Tamal who reminded me of Emeril. We check out and I opt to hang around the hotel awhile while Hoyt explores the shopping area around our hotel and buys a miniature painting, which he’s told is going to be much cheaper than in Delhi and more authentic. I’m happy reading two daily papers and having lunch in the courtyard of the hotel. I enjoyed my chai but my falafel – well, let’s say I’ve had better. Hoyt also returns with a smoked chicken sandwich from a restaurant called “Brownie” which he says is just around the corner from our hotel. He convinces me that we should buy a second sandwich for the overnight train trip. Food is sold on board, but we’re told it’s of questionable quality so it’s best to bring your own aboard. Immediately after stepping out of the hotel we are bombarded with tut-tut and rickshaw drivers offering us a ride for 5 rupees, which is cheap. We opt to walk to the Brownie restaurant, which is more than “just around the corner” but Hoyt sees the rickshaw driver he used earlier in the day who’s agreed to take us back for 5 rupees. We need the ride because we’re due back at the hotel by 4 for our pre-train meeting. In addition to the sandwich we opt for two chicken parathas, which are delicious. Once back at the hotel, we learn our train is late. No surprise! A large group of New Zealand school boys headed by train to Delhi is back at the hotel because their train has been cancelled, so they will have another night in Varanasi. We learn that our train is going to be about three hours late, so we cool our heels at the hotel. Finally at 6:30 we leave for the station. The station has no waiting room and the pre-board platform is essentially a concrete and dirt floor. Hoyt sits down on a concrete pillar and notices a rat scurrying by. I figure that as long as there are no vermin on board the train, we’re good. At about 8 pm our train finally arrives and we settle in to our compartment. Six to a compartment, three berths, and Hoyt and I get the bottom one (a concession to our age, no doubt, which I gratefully accept). There are police escorts on board and we are advised to not accept any food from strangers (because it may have hallucinogens in them that could make us unable to protect our valuables) and to lock our bags, which we do. People get on and off the train all night. We actually get some sleep but it’s off and on. Right now it’s 9:20 am and I’m taking the opportunity to write this while we have about 2.5 hours to go until Agra. ……Update: it’s now 9:40 and we’ve had a bit of excitement on the train. Our tour mates, a couple from Munich and London (long distance relationship) lose their passports down the toilet of the train. Alan went to the toilet to clear some crumbs from his rucksack and didn’t realize that the couple’s passports were in the bag – so down they went on the tracks. Alan yelled “stop this train” and the emergency cord was pulled. We weren’t going all that fast, so the train stopped right away and both Alan and Renate jumped out the door, closely followed by Singh 1 and Singh 2 and about 25 other Indian men. It took about 20 minutes, but Alan finally found both passports on the tracks. The train was abuzz with “passport” on everyone’s lips! Glad this had a happy ending. Meanwhile, the estimated arrival time in Agra kept getting pushed out again and again. Fog was the problem, plus having to wait for other express trains to pass. Finally we reach the train station just before Agra at about 12:30, meaning that Agra was about 40 minutes away. We reach the train station, quickly get ourselves and our bags onto the platform and to the vans waiting to take us to the hotel. We grab a quick lunch at McDonald’s next to the hotel (veggie burger and McChicken sandwich) and return by 2:45 for the trip to the Taj Mahal. We had

until about 5:30 to spend at the Taj and it was spectacular, though crowded with many people. Unforgettable…