tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60620457627236345572024-02-07T10:46:05.005+05:30our paper trailSteph and Pete travel IndiaShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-6110434014636877232008-12-16T11:49:00.002+05:302008-12-16T11:55:51.600+05:30Namaste India<br>Namaste.<br /><br />Today, we board a plane. One that flies through the air across the world and brings us back to our loved ones. It's exciting to be returning home and, at the same time, saddening to be leaving "<a href="http://www.incredibleindia.org/">Incredible !ndia</a>". <br /><br />We have 6 hours to kill before hopping on a taxi to the airport, which should be a joyous 4 hour event (so we have been informed). <br /><br />I'm lost for words at the moment, but you should rest easily knowing that we had McDonald's for lunch a couple of days ago. Chicken Maharaja Mac anyone? McAloo Tikka burger?<br /><br />See you soon.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-64485225424629360032008-12-14T19:04:00.004+05:302008-12-14T19:14:13.929+05:30Tick Tock<br>The same streets of Delhi that made our heads spin 4 months ago are now like old pals to us. It's incredible, really, how much tougher, sharper, wiser we are to all of India's surprises. We've been going over lately the things we'll miss about India - and the things we definitely won't. Both are long lists, but this is an unquestionably amazing country.<br /><br />Just a couple more days of shopping, eating, exploring, being here till we hop on a plane, and then one more till we can kiss Canadian soil (or ice). We'll have so much to tell you when we get home.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-56889622838198757142008-12-12T12:22:00.002+05:302008-12-12T12:31:01.959+05:30Choo choo<br>Ho ho ho! Today we hop on the Howrah-New Delhi Express (Train 2323) at 6:45pm and arrive in Delhi tomorrow at 5:15pm (if all goes as planned, which is unlikely). As you can imagine, we're bursting at the seams with excitement about spending 22 hours on a train. Hopefully it isn't <span style="font-style:italic;">too</span> bad. <br /><br />Kolkata has been an interesting place. We've eaten some tasty food and visited the Victoria Memorial, but it seems that the thing that stands out most in my memory is the man laying on the street with his diseased arm, gaping open at the elbow, in our faces. It was frightening and stomach-churning, but the worst part was that nobody was doing anything about it. That and we had no idea what to do about it. It was terrible. <br /><br />Moving on, we're planning on visiting the botanical gardens today, as well as Dalhousie square and some sort of black hole memorial. Hopefully today is a bit brighter than yesterday was.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-98041032880940652008-12-10T14:00:00.003+05:302008-12-10T14:17:00.554+05:30Kolkata Konundrum<br>After witnessing a man getting knocked out by a cold, hard fisted Indian, we hopped on a rickshaw from Bodhgaya to Gaya Junction where we would catch our train at 11:15pm. That is, if it wasn't running on Indian Railways. We arrived around 10pm on an exciting rickshaw drag race we had against other rowdy Canadians. Unfortunately, all that excitement was lost rapidly as we realized we would have to wait around until 3:15am before our train would show up. Well, at least it -did- show up. Apparently there was a collision between two trains, but we saw nothing of it in the morning newspaper. If it did actually happen, I sure hope everyone is all right.<br /><br />Anyway, we arrived in Kolkata at 11 where we proceeded to ferry and taxi over to Sudder St, where most budget hotels are. We were accompanied by a full-fledged Italian man named Andreas who recommended a great pizzeria that we will be joining him for dinner at tonight. Boy am I excited. <br /><br />Anyway, back to Sudder St. As we began looking for a hotel, we were confronted by an Indian man seeking commission by leading us to hotels. Now this is nothing out of the ordinary, except this man was furious. Almost dangerous. We said he wanted to go alone, and he started to yell and make a big scene. He even went so far as to tell Andreas that he should leave India immediately before muttering something about Israelis and pointing his hand in the shape of a gun at Andreas' head. It was startling to say the least.<br /><br />As we began to walk-- and he followed us because he would get commission so long as he entered with us-- a man informed us that the commission-hungry Indian had lost more than a few marbles due to extensive use of cocaine and 'smack'. Well that did little to comfort us, since he was hot on our trail and didn't seem to be giving up. Luckily, we spotted a grocery store (it's always exciting to see one) and we entered, hoping he would be gone by the time we left. Sure enough, he was.<br /><br />Whew!<br /><br />So we're here now and we've enjoyed a delicious breakfast. It's strange to think that next Wednesday we will be walking upon Canadian soil-- well I suppose snow would be a better word, wouldn't it? <br /><br />We hope all is well in the motherland and we'll see you all soon. Maybe too soon ;>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-9362371135549002862008-12-07T14:12:00.005+05:302008-12-07T14:29:04.086+05:30Buddha Baby<br>We arrived safely in Bodhgaya at 5am this morning. Our train from Varanasi was 4 hours late, so we didn't have to pay for a guest house last night! This dusty village is crawling with monks and around every corner there is a unique and immaculate Buddhist temple and some Tibetan refugees selling colourful goods on the road. <br /><br />We plan to spend 2 nights here before heading to Kolkata. We are very excited to be finishing our trip soon and returning home to you!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-152068584222193592008-12-06T11:04:00.004+05:302008-12-06T11:16:43.856+05:30To Bodhgaya!<br>First of all, I'd like to make sure that you didn't get the impression that Varanasi is a boring place. It's far from that. In fact, just wandering the streets is quite an entertaining and draining adventure. Every 3 steps there's somebody shouting at you to buy their wares, whether it be silk shawls -- "cheap and best" -- or opium, hash, lsd, and just about any other drug you can think of. <br /><br />It's tiresome at times, but it's not too bad. The old town, where we have stayed, has been quite a labyrinthe to navigate through, but we've managed somehow. It's always fun to step out of the hotel on to those winding 5-foot wide streets.<br /><br />Besides all the hassle from the shopkeepers, there's always the chance you'll see a dead body being carried towards the burning ghats (which are 50m from our hotel). Either that, or you see one laying on the ground waiting to be discovered by something besides flies. We stood and watched flames erupt from eye sockets for a while one evening, which was interesting to say the least. Burnings take place 24/7 around here. It's fascinating.<br /><br />What else can I say? We've enjoyed some really great non-Indian dishes here. I just need a break sometimes, okay? No problem. <br /><br />Anyway, we're beginning our journey to Bodhgaya tonight via train. We have a ticket to Gaya with an ETA of 1:20am, so we'll hopefully be able to find a hotel to sleep in before heading to Bodhgaya tomorrow morning (it's about 15km away). We ran into one of the people we did our 10-day Buddhist meditation retreat with, and she'll be joining us for the journey. She's an Israeli girl named Chen. She's cool and we all have a great time together, so it should be fun.<br /><br />Bodhgaya sounds like a very interesting place. It has a population of around 30,000 people (much less than the 2 or 3 million in Varanasi) and was the place where the Buddha became enlightened. Due to its auspiciousness, dozens of countries from around the world that have Buddhist followers have built monasteries in the city, which should provide an interesting variety of architecture. We're excited!<br /><br /><strong>Special Notice</strong><br />Happy 2nd Birthday, Beckett!!!Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-66546588320562931592008-12-03T12:29:00.002+05:302008-12-03T12:35:53.996+05:30Day 100<br>Hello everyone!<br /><br />Believe it or not, we have been rejuvenated in the crazy city of Varanasi. Mostly thanks to over-eating and over-sleeping, I suppose, but nonetheless we're back on our feet and ready to tackle the final 2 weeks of our journey.<br /><br />There's not really much to do in Varanasi besides wander the narrow streets like rats. We're planning on taking a boat ride down the ganges at sunset and another at sunrise, as well as visiting the nearby town of Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first teaching on the Way. <br /><br />We've had some pretty good food here including a salami sandwich made with real Italian salami. Ooh baby. We tend to frequent bakeries and I always have room for more Parle-G cookies (similar to my old love of Raja-G, I just can't get enough of these cheap glucose cookies). <br /><br />We really haven't done much since getting here besides wander around and eat. It's no big deal. We're planning on heading out to Bodhgaya on December 6 and to arrive in Kolkata on the 9th or 10th. <br /><br />Time's a tickin'!Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-44004663922666615682008-12-01T18:02:00.002+05:302008-12-01T18:20:35.137+05:30Tiresome Travels Take Their Toll<br>Hello everyone,<br /><br />I'm feeling exhausted from all our travels, so this will be short. Things have been pretty ... overcrowded lately. It has been insane, but we've made it through it and we've finally got a clean -- albeit spartan -- room to sleep in.<br /><br />We have enjoyed a chilling morning safari through Bandhavgarh National Park, which is teeming with serenity. We saw a tiger, but rode no elephants. <br /><br />We've travelled like Indians. We've searched for hotels in the wee hours of the morning. <br /><br />It's time for a rest. I've updated the Google Maps itinerary with our actual route and current location. We are planning on taking the 22 hour long train ride back from Kolkata to Delhi on the evening of December 12, but our schedule up until then is flexible.<br /><br />Good nightPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-61689944125712954242008-11-28T10:42:00.003+05:302008-11-28T10:46:23.025+05:30Movin on and lettin you know<br>We're getting on a bus to Jabalpur within the hour. Trying to see if it's possible for us to ride elephants and track tigers at the Bandhavgarh Reserve.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-68859354911427066442008-11-27T13:27:00.004+05:302008-11-27T14:09:14.762+05:30We are OK<br>Hey guys,<br /><br />After spending a sleepless night on a bus, we arrived in Nagpur to be presented with a newspaper describing the brutal terrorist damage done in Mumbai. Don't worry, we're outta there. And it's fortunate too because many of the areas hit were places our dusty sandals had treaded. I hope everyone who was injured recovers quickly.<br /><br />We've been up to lots since our last post, mostly cave exploration. Our last day in Mumbai we took a boat out to Elephanta Island and explored the caves and temples there. Then after a long train ride to Aurangabad and a 24 hour rest period, we checked out the Ajanta and the Ellora caves over the next two days. (world heritage sights) They are maginficent. While at Ellora there are Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples, they are all Buddhist at Ajanta. The temples and shrines there date back to about 2nd century BC are carved right out of the rock that makes up the mountain. We had a special treat that day: we met a group of Buddhist monks and nuns who were accompanying Lama Zopa Rinpoche in visiting/praying/blessing the temples. We'd heard so much about him during our stay at Tushita in Dharmashala; we'd even seen a video about his pilgrimage to Tibet. If the Dalai Lama has a posse, I think it's safe to say that Rinpoche is in it. (<a href="http://www.fpmt.org/teachers/zopa/gallery/?f=His%20Holiness%20the%20Dalai%20Lama%20and%20Rinpoche">*</a>) He was very friendly and they welcomed us to tag along with them. They even shared their snacks with us!<br /><br />Although we missed the attacks in Mumbai, we did get attacked by a fleet of bed bugs in Aurangabad. They are nasty little critters and we hope we haven't brough any with us.<br /><br />What's next? Getting some fresh fruit, rest and trying to find a way to Varanassi.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-33089260317595154632008-11-21T15:53:00.003+05:302008-11-21T16:16:35.487+05:30Livin' Like Bollers<br>Hello, hello, good morning, good evening, good afternoon, how are you?<br /><br />We've escaped the bustling city of Ahmedabad to take refuge in the Western sanctuary of Mumbai. This place is expensive. Apparently the average wage here is three times the typical amount earned in the rest of India, and the typical prices around here confirm it. <br /><br />However, when we're not so concerned with our budget, we're likely to be found enjoying delicious pastries and fresh Italian Lavazza coffee in a swanky café around town. We spent the start of the day doing just that. <br /><br />After arriving from a sleeper train at 8 am or so, we checked into an overpriced "budget" hotel then wandered the streets. They have quite the western feel to them. It's been a while since we've been surrounded by tall buildings, traffic (with no autorickshaws in sight), high-end fashion stores and stylish restaurants. It's kind of nice.<br /><br />So we've gone to a couple of art galleries and watched the movie Quantum of Solace (with tasty popcorn!). Perhaps tomorrow we'll take a cruise to Elephanta Island and do whatever there is to do around there. We're not quite prepared to be in this big city, since we haven't thoroughly read the sights and activities that are available to us, but we'll get there. We're just coasting along looking for the next place to eat when our stomach demands it, which is great fun.<br /><br />Speaking of which, that time has come again. Lunch! A late lunch, at 4pm, but a lunch nonetheless. We're being harassed much less here than in Ahmedabad and Diu, which is a real treat. In a couple of days we'll be heading out of here though, towards Aurangabad on a train, which should prove to be completely different than this blooming metropolis. Calmer, to say the least.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-84803705432458942952008-11-18T20:55:00.005+05:302008-11-18T21:53:31.395+05:30Off the Island<br>After spending the whole day on two buses and a train, we've arrived in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's capitol. We've got a cheap but adequately neat room at Hotel Gulmarg (where apparently call-girls are available). We just had a lovely meal at The Green House, a garden terrace restaurant. Everything seemed to have at least a little mint, coconut or coriander in it. We finished things off with fresh hand-churned ice cream. Yumm.<br /><br /><center>***</center><br />When we first arrived in Diu, something very strange seemed to be going on. We walked down the main drag ... in silence. All the shops were closed; the place was deserted. Diu used to be occupied by the Portugese, and although they aren't around anymore, the Indians adopted their habit of taking an afternoon siesta. So from 1 - 4 everyday everyone goes home for lunch and a nap. <br /><br />Something else you should know about Diu is that it is the only place in the province where drinking (alcohol) is legal. This means that many Gujarati tourists come to enjoy the beaches and get drunk. We encountered many men with poor English, insistent on getting a photo of us. Although this is not unique to Diu, something about our bright white flesh glimmering in the Arabian Sea caused them to sit on the shore, watch and wait for us for great lengths of time. Speaking of glimmering in the sea, the sea food in Diu was super fresh and delicious. Tuna, shark fish, pomfret, prawns, king fish, calamari ... scrumptious. (We hear that a lot of Europe's seafood is imported from Veraval, a fishing town a couple hours from Diu.)<br /><br />In contrast to the men of Diu, which are enough to give my dad the creeps, the women of Diu were some of the most wonderful yet. (I have had such amazing experiences with Indian women. Quite often they just involve a smile.) In Diu I feel I made friends with two women. One was this lady who sold fruit in the market. There was something special about her; she had a kind smile that knew everything and saw the humour in life. I speak no Gujarati, and the only English words she knows are "thank youuuuu", but we were always happy to see each other and somehow we managed to do business together. She always slipped something extra in my bag. My other friend worked at a restaurant called La Dolce Vita that Pete and I liked to eat at. She and her husband had a little white puppy called Jacky that loved to play. The woman was slim, young and pretty, and had little English, but her warmth and giggles told me that she liked me. On our last day in Diu, the day I finally got a sari, we went to dine there and to say goodbye. The young woman was very pleased to see me in traditional dress and she thoroughly fixed up my amateur attempt at the complicated folds and tucks that make a sari beautiful.<br /><br />Pete dubbed Diu "a quirky paradise". I think that fits perfectly.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-51627205127355210002008-11-17T13:45:00.004+05:302008-11-18T20:55:41.212+05:30Goodbye Diu<br>Good afternoon!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I am feeling better!</span><br /><br />Hooray!<br /><br />Yes, the fantastic news is true. I feel better. Now I just need to continue eating like a regular human being again to help regain all that weight I lost over the past month! No problem with all the cookies and other snacks available at cheap prices :D. Don't worry, we also munch on fresh fruit and nuts as well. Steph particularly loves guavas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BLxJmLQJiec/SSErbxYc3zI/AAAAAAAAAAs/1pN3RhAIxdM/s1600-h/pep.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 217px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_BLxJmLQJiec/SSErbxYc3zI/AAAAAAAAAAs/1pN3RhAIxdM/s320/pep.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269540795112546098" /></a>Yesterday we had the wonderful experience of renting a Scooty! We buzzed around town on it tearing up the roads at 30km/h. It was really quite an enjoyable experience :-) We've got some photos of us riding and posing, but I don't have the camera with me to upload them. <br /><br />Anyway, we're gearing up to get the heck out of this quirky paradise. We're heading to the big city Ahmedabad tomorrow, if we can get tickets, which shouldn't be a problem.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-60700413799630165392008-11-13T15:56:00.004+05:302008-11-15T11:34:00.081+05:30Welcome to Diu<br>Hello.<br /><br />I am writing you from the comfort of a lime green internet cafe in Diu. Yep-- that's right, we're still here. And TODAY I will finally update the itinerary.<br /><br />I know what you're all wondering... <span style="font-weight:bold;">how is Stephanie feeling?</span><br /><br />Well, I'd love to let you know, but right now she is enjoying a peaceful bike ride along the shores of the Arabian sea, so we'll get back to you on that. Maybe.<br /><br />After taking the medication, I managed to experience an hour or so of comfort, which was so incredibly enjoyable. The diarrhea stopped, but the internal pain didn't. I took four doses and waited two days after taking them before throwing in the towel-- again -- and going to buy some more meds from an Indian chemist (aka pharmacist). <br /><br />Well, that was yesterday and I've been experiencing bouts of youthful exuberance between periods of mild discomfort. Boy oh boy, when that first bout came yesterday, it was as if I had been wearing sunglasses for 10 years and somebody took them off and let me see the vibrant world as it is. No longer was I chained by lethargy and pain. I had freedom! <br /><br />Naturally, I ran outside and bought chocolate bars and cookies for Stephanie and I to celebrate over another grand evening of watching old movies (in English) on TV. The enjoyment was only temporary and I was soon arrested by low energy and uncomfortable feelings, but I did manage to eat a few slices of potato, carrots and cucumber for dinner. <br /><br />Anyway, today has been better than yesterday. We managed a fairly enjoyable day at the beach after my breakfast of champions -- two plain slices of toast and one with honey. Life is just fabulous. ;><br /><br />I guess it would be better if it weren't for the kill-me-now smells that we are surrounded with in the city. Things like garbage, pollution (cars, burning plastic), rotting food (including fish). There's also this one mysterious smell that makes me want to die. It makes me feel like my lungs are filling up with plastic and it has an absolutely terrible aroma. <br /><br />WELCOME TO DIU!<br /><br />At least the beach is nice, as well as the air in this internet cafe on the main floor of our hotel. <br /><br />Our next stops are supposed to be Ahmedabad, Mumbai, then the Ajanta caves and Ellora. I'm not too excited about seeing the first two places, as they're big cities, but we may be able to catch a viewing of Quantum of Solace in Mumbai, the home of Bollywood. The Ajanta caves and Ellora are both designated as World Heritage sites, so hopefully they're all right. <br /><br />So long as the air has some oxygen left in it, we'll be okay. A big milestone is coming up soon-- we're 75% through our trip as of November 19. Cool, <span style="font-weight:bold;">eh?</span>Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-24478605679384895702008-11-08T11:58:00.003+05:302008-11-08T12:09:12.589+05:30DIARRHEA (part 1)<br>Greetings everyone!<br /><br />It has become apparent that I am suffering from a lovely case of Traveller's Diarrhea (TD). At first, Stephanie and I both thought it only qualified as full frontal TD if there was blood in your stool, but this is not the case. Only in really bad cases is blood found in the diarrhea. <br /><br />Anyway, I've been suffering from it on and off for the past month and it's gotten really bad in the past few days, so today-- after researching the symptoms again-- I've decided to stop being such a "tough guy" and start taking the meds to help fix myself. After writing this post, I will be taking my first dosage of Ciprofloxacin. <br /><br />It's rather unfortunate, since we're currently staying on the ex-Portuguese island Diu, where we spent the day yesterday on the shores of the salty Arabian sea. Soaking up the sun can really take a lot out of you, especially when you're unhealthy! It'll be great when I'm feeling better and we can both truly enjoy our surroundings.<br /><br />The food here hasn't been that great, although we have found one real gem of a restaurant called O'Coquiero Music Garden. They've served the best pasta and the best salads we've had in India so far, and the drinks aren't bad either. While we wouldn't recommend their breaded calamari, we're still open to trying the other fresh fish dishes.<br /><br />I hope you guys are enjoying good health back home. Maybe you could send some positive energy to Steph to help her deal with the side-effects of my illness. <br /><br />OmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmPeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-59295120646330414892008-11-06T11:12:00.009+05:302008-11-06T12:19:41.822+05:30FOOD (part 2)<br>We've arrived in Diu after a long long trip. I think we were in motion for 17 hours straight on various buses and rickshaws. The sleeper bus turned out to be quite nauseating and neither of us got much sleep. Now we've got a small room close to the water right near the fruit and vegetable market. This morning we went and bought some guavas, bananas, nuts, roses, cookies and this crazy fruit that resembles a puffy artichoke and can be pulled apart easily. It tastes kind of like lychee.<br /><br />We've eaten some pretty delicious stuff here in India. We've visited some ritzy restaurants where meals are expensive - but still a fraction of what it would cost in Canada. But I think some of the best meals we've had have been quite simple: sharing a couple of dishes like mattar paneer (peas and cheese) and dum aloo (stuffed potatoes) and a plate of naan bread. Yum! Fresh lime sodas are always a safe bet for drink, but fresh juice and lassis are fun too when the place seems clean. Yesterday, after checking in, I drank the water from a young green coconut Pete got off the street. Subtle flavour, quite nice. Palm trees are all over the place here and actually the vegetation growing in this province(Gujarat) seems much more lush; more cactai, more flowering trees.<br /><br />Here are some food photos from the last month or so:<br /> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3NY2asu0Wj1IkNpbGBp0-Sm0uf8iKob5JUPNa2pR-uNXJqX8nwLKyv8rf4d6SpmCsHjmXrz28pM5zGK0Boq5DM6s8wxf5mktkTDCBllKKHoDmB7pusTCoak2K2g8ZcvdnUcRou7GnXv4/s1600-h/IMG_0099.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3NY2asu0Wj1IkNpbGBp0-Sm0uf8iKob5JUPNa2pR-uNXJqX8nwLKyv8rf4d6SpmCsHjmXrz28pM5zGK0Boq5DM6s8wxf5mktkTDCBllKKHoDmB7pusTCoak2K2g8ZcvdnUcRou7GnXv4/s320/IMG_0099.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265417693140348418" /></a><i><center>vegetable dosa at the Indian Coffee House, Shimla</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7SCGLiB_Zu8UE33IvMhM_bvwf9TCkdbtAHDVtwd3a23aKE8ypaOZ7av94pEPAN7xJJQKdbYE7lJZYacDDbHsHHMtrFWP3cIuMZFdf8c0LgSmNL5jOgdQoMXiVa3pe5h86Hr-xdT5ulki/s1600-h/IMG_0143.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7SCGLiB_Zu8UE33IvMhM_bvwf9TCkdbtAHDVtwd3a23aKE8ypaOZ7av94pEPAN7xJJQKdbYE7lJZYacDDbHsHHMtrFWP3cIuMZFdf8c0LgSmNL5jOgdQoMXiVa3pe5h86Hr-xdT5ulki/s320/IMG_0143.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265418325411014610" /></a><i><center>baked trout in Minali - so so good</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0a_ugX8hN7O9gANML6O5QmRFUPODKN74FCjp0di-0uQq5MPOxNhDUT9-L_8I6SDstOMSrr3lRLy3dJMrw6p6yOj_6Wz4T2DkXtY7YiVz4QWVzFH1BStRyEmZ6ponI9Ozx2KWzRfcmgJK/s1600-h/IMG_0326.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0a_ugX8hN7O9gANML6O5QmRFUPODKN74FCjp0di-0uQq5MPOxNhDUT9-L_8I6SDstOMSrr3lRLy3dJMrw6p6yOj_6Wz4T2DkXtY7YiVz4QWVzFH1BStRyEmZ6ponI9Ozx2KWzRfcmgJK/s320/IMG_0326.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265418897047175186" /></a><i><center>fancy dessert at the Crystal Restaurant, Amritsar</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgSDzr0VjJA1gDPjTyVDvX73XB5EvbCosfSBPmdtSOwtcX9ti4AhdZoL3Y4HwsjxAiVLKcdHw_wgBfPABhtDeS0MOb3JvmsjKBuHD0eZ5qsLWytgUERWypj8CgRi2cvK7cHgPlQpP_x-n/s1600-h/IMG_0334.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgSDzr0VjJA1gDPjTyVDvX73XB5EvbCosfSBPmdtSOwtcX9ti4AhdZoL3Y4HwsjxAiVLKcdHw_wgBfPABhtDeS0MOb3JvmsjKBuHD0eZ5qsLWytgUERWypj8CgRi2cvK7cHgPlQpP_x-n/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265419615083535346" /></a><i><center>after dessert we went to a well known hole in the wall for amritsari fish: white fish with garlic, lemon, ginger, chilli ... deep fried - amazing</i></center><br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vuNUR0g936ExFye_UtbhmGwVfpa7L2HqfT5k3tKx5eQsY71P1jT4LLj0CFYlOYMhpzWMou5tT7PB45NU9SGdBbjuCnxwrtsOBHl5V7DTQ7FxO8KQAHZnUAGFBJ30sB0tSfbWSQHnqxOv/s1600-h/IMG_0344.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7vuNUR0g936ExFye_UtbhmGwVfpa7L2HqfT5k3tKx5eQsY71P1jT4LLj0CFYlOYMhpzWMou5tT7PB45NU9SGdBbjuCnxwrtsOBHl5V7DTQ7FxO8KQAHZnUAGFBJ30sB0tSfbWSQHnqxOv/s320/IMG_0344.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265420888245461042" /></a><i><center>Ronald chillin' in New Delhi (we haven't eaten here - yet)</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqzxFdFcfYc_gBy5tWeMulR_b2t8LKwzB-ltbpswfyBSlMXFx7y8QW_u7t8Yr_-Pl3n4DrSx3Mj31d0W5SLKaBEyLTjRtVzKOW7z97-TR-h1zs1re1UPu5G24V6sQ8LTFkTwEZ57yUomz/s1600-h/IMG_0449.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqzxFdFcfYc_gBy5tWeMulR_b2t8LKwzB-ltbpswfyBSlMXFx7y8QW_u7t8Yr_-Pl3n4DrSx3Mj31d0W5SLKaBEyLTjRtVzKOW7z97-TR-h1zs1re1UPu5G24V6sQ8LTFkTwEZ57yUomz/s320/IMG_0449.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265421652691709506" /></a><i><center>super duper sweets shop at LMB, Jaipur</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZMvVUCkToHrQUXA62GB0GdGE9LR6eKz0touTtAnNsJSBtKyyOuesqGT84_ecUAHkA_FLhS0ZcVN99rm8_CXO-NtOs5w7GC0nagNzUyk2q8X3IJhsNub8LQi5ryfGphJ6BQJ19bS_CYtG/s1600-h/IMG_0474.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUZMvVUCkToHrQUXA62GB0GdGE9LR6eKz0touTtAnNsJSBtKyyOuesqGT84_ecUAHkA_FLhS0ZcVN99rm8_CXO-NtOs5w7GC0nagNzUyk2q8X3IJhsNub8LQi5ryfGphJ6BQJ19bS_CYtG/s320/IMG_0474.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265422300958553778" /></a><i><center>while I had a lager beer, Pete had a large bear</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyT6gqO8hVsmpj5C9uVpCKY0C7nW5K1bJE2L7xdDBXi9MU028I4_QVkGnonHP3lbGRKuEnXNt1JFKhLcX27M29sS1htqUGyCFezr_aSPs_W8w_PzzWkAdYIAmeHT_q6DJjcnC-eRTdK32p/s1600-h/IMG_0529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyT6gqO8hVsmpj5C9uVpCKY0C7nW5K1bJE2L7xdDBXi9MU028I4_QVkGnonHP3lbGRKuEnXNt1JFKhLcX27M29sS1htqUGyCFezr_aSPs_W8w_PzzWkAdYIAmeHT_q6DJjcnC-eRTdK32p/s320/IMG_0529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265422915558949570" /></a><i><center>really nice and spicy fish meal in Udaipur</i></center>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-39261159160383275182008-11-04T11:39:00.005+05:302008-11-04T12:34:31.286+05:30I go bananas<br>After a rather lazy week in Udaipur, we're heading towards (the beaches of) Diu tonight. We'll take a sleeper bus to Rajkot, arrive tomorrow morning, grab breakfast, then take another ~7 hr bus to Diu.<br /><br />It's tough to get a good breakfast in this place. We've waited away many mornings this week for cold toast and uncooked eggs. We did, however, find a great juice stand called Pap's that serves a fantastically fresh pomegranate/pineapple/ginger juice for Rs 40 (i.e. one dollar). I go bananas for it, plus it's good for the cold I caught. And Udaipur is speckled with rooftop restaurants with great views of the city and lake - which make long waits and mediocre food much more enjoyable. <br /><br />The cows and bulls that fill the streets are feisty, and a few have hustled us a little. I did, however, meet a very nice young bull this morning and spent 5 minutes rubbing his neck, ears and nose. <br /><br />There isn't a lot to do around here, so we've spent a lot of time hanging out in a cafe playing cards. We did, however, experience an evening of traditional Rajasthani dance the other night which totally blew me away. Women with exquisite balance dancing and spinning with pots of fire on their heads, a shimmering peacock dance, a puppet show, and the finale: a woman stacking metal pots on her head and doing tricks. She got up to 9. Six pots were stacked on her noggin when a man came out and poured broken glass on the ground. She then stomped and danced upon it. Hahahaa, how crazy is that?! The best Rs 60 I ever spent.<br /><br /><br />Here are a few pictures from Udaipur:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg66_O09KDe5Gi9blE8Y_7zLitDJ6ThV8TC1GNtr0mwVWJUYArTXwlB7hpOvXuZE1hQcMubMAHssztAFVrFfTK0nsAHdx_u8iP38uIzhr_BVoe1eDnk0yIXMkp8xNXwuHLI_usVO5cWMqQ/s1600-h/IMG_0570.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg66_O09KDe5Gi9blE8Y_7zLitDJ6ThV8TC1GNtr0mwVWJUYArTXwlB7hpOvXuZE1hQcMubMAHssztAFVrFfTK0nsAHdx_u8iP38uIzhr_BVoe1eDnk0yIXMkp8xNXwuHLI_usVO5cWMqQ/s320/IMG_0570.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264681414817071346" /></a><i><center>the world's largest turban!</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjienrPUOQgyIfB5j2iIeTZoW5yPgTqZ-QVnDzUeO-A2mJ9XzLGVIp-eknzak4DxTlVk55l1QpRP91HsrzIzYZf7wdSMvefgcbAkWxyj4E3biK5QKLJU1qqhPrCs46sQ40ZAuGZfJcOsSuT/s1600-h/IMG_0541.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjienrPUOQgyIfB5j2iIeTZoW5yPgTqZ-QVnDzUeO-A2mJ9XzLGVIp-eknzak4DxTlVk55l1QpRP91HsrzIzYZf7wdSMvefgcbAkWxyj4E3biK5QKLJU1qqhPrCs46sQ40ZAuGZfJcOsSuT/s320/IMG_0541.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264681211184117522" /></a><i><center>new friend</i></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YImn0Nzxe5iGcZLqxXk5HTd1fbpNCPkiJG1Aqu0SQaC4-Njn4Bv7z6e2V_kTN3wG5uJt280NBEgEIEH9XTm1_0a2QM6hAtHi6YdMtNKJ4ZQYo5JmsQZjrg5jSqm7D9h3NKlhpg7jvR0i/s1600-h/IMG_0501.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YImn0Nzxe5iGcZLqxXk5HTd1fbpNCPkiJG1Aqu0SQaC4-Njn4Bv7z6e2V_kTN3wG5uJt280NBEgEIEH9XTm1_0a2QM6hAtHi6YdMtNKJ4ZQYo5JmsQZjrg5jSqm7D9h3NKlhpg7jvR0i/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264680839631477458" /></a><i><center>floating palaces from fancy rooftop</i></center><br /><br>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-88894702482360348902008-10-31T13:22:00.004+05:302008-10-31T13:28:21.031+05:30Octopussy<br>Greetings everyone! <br /><br />If you're interested in seeing what life is like in Udaipur, and being entertained at the same time, go rent the James Bond movie Octopussy (Roger Moore). A few of the magnificent palaces around here are shown and the city life is pretty accurate, except there is more dirt, garbage, and traffic.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-32462877050320283752008-10-29T12:37:00.008+05:302008-10-29T13:05:55.890+05:30The Taj Mahal<br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f52xzZtCrL4aSnlIheFEnQSqv4AagGpWcJyDpUuNNsNha35KMKyoF7s5V83S2WoAbM8c69Jap5r5Optow7z4iL-_GtCWH2n8CwQS2WXnVPfdhOir_30VlFiBLvuodP5UXKo4DiV1tq7C/s1600-h/IMG_0389.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f52xzZtCrL4aSnlIheFEnQSqv4AagGpWcJyDpUuNNsNha35KMKyoF7s5V83S2WoAbM8c69Jap5r5Optow7z4iL-_GtCWH2n8CwQS2WXnVPfdhOir_30VlFiBLvuodP5UXKo4DiV1tq7C/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262475339208472930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WMmVlr53ZAgn0U2iPZ-HhJ-WjAoMnFwG3Wiycki-5waEqn0j-kqtxrtCm3wilaRLmGYiZqQBtInupojAyI7m1HZ1cQXLSRnaKMzHZmdDF2QGc-ZZw8f9oqxsD3lypSKQjqgCzCtHPCRV/s1600-h/IMG_0422.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jk1Xx40Ob5HZb4libLo51gk4XdPxft_XT70wOGUtDLklfPa_W4thL6Jy1-iGCRK21iaVOrX0Gw3Ab1z8y7Y7NsM06t0OvVRt3gEafo-1MIbQLB_BOVFMRygj1Pz_kfi5ypAZkWiOXnr8/s320/IMG_0388.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262472729171881090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiw6tpudJY-o9497D4kbjnDC60Qg-mJcDQ4KlScnjt9w7nMx6jCZbDoSRpZxk_rBilJoqjftETXEWFwUs5ZfV9WhLpcevpMw2vJKe0_w3wTfdAa9-3L3UDT7uWrfFeW-zo5NBHKubwyah/s1600-h/IMG_0414.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiw6tpudJY-o9497D4kbjnDC60Qg-mJcDQ4KlScnjt9w7nMx6jCZbDoSRpZxk_rBilJoqjftETXEWFwUs5ZfV9WhLpcevpMw2vJKe0_w3wTfdAa9-3L3UDT7uWrfFeW-zo5NBHKubwyah/s320/IMG_0414.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262472011094484962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM3KMEAuRP0q3DWcMu82IfO2VoAg_rKacyVvw2piooWo1W4Av92RtEWNVyIyC75EKqo_zQ3sAlKFqHWeVSAY0PdKchky4dDFbbSJ_FWOaA3zEJKHPZzDHefFbRHzwPw0wXUzznti18D8z/s1600-h/IMG_0404.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyM3KMEAuRP0q3DWcMu82IfO2VoAg_rKacyVvw2piooWo1W4Av92RtEWNVyIyC75EKqo_zQ3sAlKFqHWeVSAY0PdKchky4dDFbbSJ_FWOaA3zEJKHPZzDHefFbRHzwPw0wXUzznti18D8z/s320/IMG_0404.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262471499521214450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMzDqpW__VYx_Hpmq3JMxINHtzUrF1yLuEv2M4nuGd631v4GlnGJ5NmRgxPUbCjCJQR4hQ2vMHLWuzXSe_TptmRGn3jlyu-cEA5bSFn0GnLeYcVMpmuHfe8OZrE6xsygvAdLMu1fHJ8i3/s1600-h/IMG_0436.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMzDqpW__VYx_Hpmq3JMxINHtzUrF1yLuEv2M4nuGd631v4GlnGJ5NmRgxPUbCjCJQR4hQ2vMHLWuzXSe_TptmRGn3jlyu-cEA5bSFn0GnLeYcVMpmuHfe8OZrE6xsygvAdLMu1fHJ8i3/s320/IMG_0436.JPG" ></a>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-48605939634410987102008-10-28T14:01:00.004+05:302008-10-28T14:33:38.302+05:30The Sleeper Train and the Case of the Lost Wallet<br>Hello everyone! We have successfully survived an overnight sleeper train from Jaipur to beautiful Udaipur and are staying in the lovely Hotel Hanuman Ghat. We're planning on relaxing here for several days before hitting the road again. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Case of the Lost Wallet</span><br />Being the wise man that I am, I neglected to remove my wallet from my pants pocket before going to sleep on the train. I was on the upper of three two-foot wide berths, and Stephanie was on the middle one. I rolled around quite a bit during the night, trying to maximize my comfort the best that I could (no matter how futile it seemed to be).<br /><br />On the fifth time that I woke up, I had the realization that my wallet may have fallen out of my pocket, so I searched my pants, but it was not there. I searched my kurta, but it was not there either. Ohhhhh boy. I looked around and noticed that the man that was sleeping on one of the lower berths on the other side of the cart was no longer there. Did he take my wallet and book it? Ohhhh boy.<br /><br />I searched my pockets again. I searched my kurta again. No wallet. It's okay I thought, just relax, perhaps I put it in my bag, but I really not no hope that it was there. And it wasn't. Ohhhh boy. So, I checked my pockets again. I scoured my kurta again. No wallet.<br /><br />I grabbed my flashlight, hopped down to the floor and looked around, and luckily enough, there it was. EUREKA! I grabbed my now dusty beast and stuffed it carefully in my bag, zipped it up and climbed back to my bed where I thought about how lucky I was before falling back asleep.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, today is the big day for Diwali, so make sure you celebrate with plenty of lights and maybe some fireworks.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-91977036577160512432008-10-26T21:28:00.009+05:302008-10-26T22:08:40.976+05:30Happy Diwali<br>Today is the first day of the 5 day Diwali festival. We are in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, it is night time and the city is glowing brightly with tiny butter lanterns, firecrackers and gaudy, blinking light displays. We enjoyed the view very much from the 14th floor of the Om Hotel, in the revolving restaurant!<br /><br />We've been traveling quite intensely the last few days, have covered a lot of distance. It hasn't always been pleasant. After spending 2 nights at the Golden Temple in Amritsar (which is an amazing place that swept me off my feet that I'd like to talk about for a minute just here inside these brackets ... All are welcome; it is a sanctuary! Waves of people sit in lines on the floor, their plates filled with dahl, rice, vegetables and chapati bread [which is made by machine apparently, and is actually not very good but it doesn't matter much because it is a gift]. That's right, free food - and accomodation. They feed ~40,000 people a day. It doesn't matter who you are; if you are hungry, you are fed. The temple itself is lovely, and we waited in a long, sweaty line the first day to see inside, but enjoyed much more walking around barefoot [before entering one must remove ones shoes, wash ones feet and cover ones head] on the white marble around the temple at night. I felt so peaceful during those walks.) Where was I? Yes, after spening 2 nights at the Golden Temple, we got on a sweet 5am luxury train to Delhi, had lunch and then took a bicycle rickshaw to the bustand where we learned no bus from there went to Agra, so we got on one of those crazy Indian city buses you read about for a half hour ride to another bus stand where we hopped on another one of those buses you read about for a 6 hour ride to Agra. After crashing, we woke early EARLY to go to the Taj Mahal for sunrise. It was spectacular, and we joined in with everyone else in photo fever. (We were more goofy than the rest though.) After breakfast we got a supposedly delux bus for a ride to our current location, Jaipur, which took way too long because of all the stops made to pick up and drop off bags of some sticky sugar liquid that dripped on us and our stuff. <br /><br />Tomorrow night we plan to head to Udaipur on a sleeper train. We've heard it's very nice there and I'm hoping it's somewhere we'll want to spend some more time. The worst thing about many of the places we've passed through lately has been the air quality. I feel like in the last week I've shaved some chunk of time off my life just from inhaling so much air thick with exhaust and garbage burning. The garbage burns are brutal - on every corner around here. Gahyuck! Please take a deep breath in and, if you're lucky enough, enjoy your relatively pure dose of oxygen.<br /><br />P.S. There are lots of camels in this province!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-63439237915930134862008-10-22T18:57:00.003+05:302008-10-22T19:05:20.085+05:30Fifty Percent!!<br>Believe it or not, we've made it 50% through our trip! Day 57. It feels good.<br /><br />We left Dharamsala for Amritsar yesterday afternoon. The start of the ride was incredibly beautiful. Driving through Kangra we got to see the Himalayas in all their glory. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get any photos, so you'll just have to trust us that it was amazing.<br /><br />The bus took us to Pathankot where we decided we'd get a train to Amritsar for.... EIGHTEEN RUPEES!!! We couldn't even believe the cost for this supposed 3 hour train ride over 107km, but when we finally got on it ended up being fairly comfortable. Perhaps our definition of comfort has decreased since arriving in India. The train wobbled when it finally got going, but spent half the trip sitting around waiting for other trains to pass the single track that was available to us.<br /><br />So we're here now. Amritsar, home of Golden Temple. This place is equivalent to the Vatican for Sikhs. It's a wondrous site. We're staying overnight for a crazy slumber party with the Indians in one of the many dormitories they have available for free (by donation).Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-74979848517237564122008-10-20T13:02:00.000+05:302008-10-20T13:07:46.562+05:30Wig hats!<br><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsV9pNoweKFJosyWfYC_lyI2Z5aZEmyy_D8553KJvM0uuUaOGq0c7AhFAEuHjuW2F9i5ozMemob9yDWrDWdvBOBcyEwpFiiRdZd0qgseC0BhFT5uNVRwXCKgdrxVsEfNtUaQ2B1fmn_mF/s1600-h/IMG_0266.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsV9pNoweKFJosyWfYC_lyI2Z5aZEmyy_D8553KJvM0uuUaOGq0c7AhFAEuHjuW2F9i5ozMemob9yDWrDWdvBOBcyEwpFiiRdZd0qgseC0BhFT5uNVRwXCKgdrxVsEfNtUaQ2B1fmn_mF/s320/IMG_0266.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259136567036947458" /></a><center><i>on our way to enlightenment</i></center>Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-6273791364143951182008-10-19T14:15:00.003+05:302008-10-19T14:33:47.685+05:30Meditating with Monkeys<br>We're out! We're out! Yes, the rumours are true. We have made it through our 10-day retreat in silence, learning about Tibetan Buddhism. Now, the time has come for me to share nothing other than our encounters with the lovely monkeys of Dharamsala. <br /><br />The monkeys around Tushita are very clever and rather sneaky little guys. We were warned that if we were eating any of our meals away from the dining hall and some monkeys approached, it was best to just hand your food over to them, since they would take it anyway. Since we had heard similar warnings in the past, I wasn't too concerned about it. I mean... they're just a few monkeys, right?<br /><br />Well, it turns out we lived very intimately with these creatures and I will share three encounters with you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Cookie Thief</span><br />From 2-3pm everyday we were allowed to speak in small groups of six to ten people. These were our assigned discussion groups. After a few days, one of the members of my group thought it would be nice to bring a package of cookies for us to enjoy while we discussed different points of Tibetan Buddhism. What a lovely gesture, I thought, and apparently so did the rest of my group, as the next day three people brought packages of cookies! <br /><br />Three packages!!! A FEAST! Oh boy oh boy, so we quickly devoured the first package and opened the second. Discussions took our attention away from the cookies and towards each others' hearts. It was really the most lovely part of the day. <br /><br />Anyway, back to the monkeys. So, as were were listening to one of our group members speak, a monkey slowly crept up and crawled silently between two of us. Before we had time to even acknowledge that a monkey was sitting in the middle of our circle, it snatched the package of cookies at incredible speed and ran away to consume them in a nearby tree. <br /><br />We laughed heartily as did all the neighbouring groups. Oh, you little monkeys.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Apple Snatch</span><br />Often we had the opportunity to eat apples as part of our lunch. We grabbed as many as we liked from a bucket where they had been sliced in half. Being an apple lover, I grabbed a half, put it in my salad bowl, and head outside to eat on the porch of the dining hall. <br /><br />Practicing mindful eating meditation, I sat very quietly and observed every bite I took, taking special care to put down my fork between bites. While I sat there, surely as serene as Shakyamuni Buddha himself, a monkey saw the perfect opportunity for his lunch. He jumped down from a tree ran across a nearby roof, fell to the railing, scurried across the table, and SNATCH! He reached into my salad bowl and looted my apple! <br /><br />Everyone laughed and the monkey returned to a tree just above where I was sitting and sat there eating the apple right in front of me. Oh, you sneaky little bugger.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Revolution</span><br />One evening while we all sat in the gompa, we heard incessant monkey cries from outside. This was not altogether unusual, but this time there was quite a bit more than what we typically heard. So, Stephanie and I took a peek out one of the windows where we saw around ten monkeys just hanging around out front of the gompa. They just sat around in what Stephanie saw as a planning moment of the revolution when monkeys will take over. It lasted for 20 minutes and was really quite interesting to watch.<br /><br />Around fifteen of us were just standing watching the monkeys in confused amazement. Oh, you crafty little buggers. <br /><br /><br />Anyway, hope you enjoyed this post. I've been at this computer for far too long now, so I'll see you later :-)Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10518997480195906156noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6062045762723634557.post-1362866218230800322008-10-18T16:27:00.004+05:302008-10-20T13:11:55.157+05:30Om Mani Padme Hum<br>Yesterday we emerged from Tushita after ten days of intense learning and contemplation. I feel saturated and tired, inspired and happy. Along with the mystical aspects of Buddhism, there is so much powerful, logical goodness. What I saw as the heart of the Buddha's teachings simply felt like a summary of my upbringing.<br /><br />Last night everyone who did the course, about 50 of us, met for dinner. It was really neat getting to speak to people for the first time after feeling like I already knew them through the silent experiences we shared. <br /><br />For the next few days Pete and I are gonna hang around here. The mountains are beautiful and never seem to escape our sight, the place is colourful and compact (I keep running into people I know which is a great feeling being so far from home) and the Tibetan momos (dumplings) are delicious. Dharamshala is a place with a predominantly Tibetan population: this is where the Dalai Lama came for refuge and has called his home for the last 49 years. It is only since I've been here that I've really gained an awareness of the tragedy happening in Tibet. We visited the Tibet Museum this afternoon where there is an exhibition called "A Long Look Homeward". Eleven Tibetan refugees shared their recollections of the Chinese violence and oppression against their people, their fear that Tibet's history and culture will be erased, stories of their escape and their hopes for the future. It's very upsetting. I am very interested in talking to some Chinese people about the issue.<br /><br />After that we went to the temple out front of His Holiness' abode. We went at a good time; we got to see a whole bunch of Buddhist monks debating. They pace back and forth and are extremely animated, one monk lunging at his opponent and smacking his hands together in front of his face, shouting something so profound, I suppose.<br /><br />"Om mani padme hum": a Tibetan Buddhist mantra that generates compassion. Of all the mantras I've been introduced to, this is my favourite. (Mantras are a big deal on this side of the planet.) I will sing it for you when I'm home. I hope you're all well. Peace and love!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02033217939561858210noreply@blogger.com3