Well it sure was nice to get back to the sea in Mumbai. With the sea breeze and ban on auto rickshaws in the city, the air was much much cleaner. Nearly everyone still had a head cold but we made it out to about half the planned activities. Mumbai is a city of contrasts. We were staying at a nice hotel near the ocean. A block one way and fancy stores while a block the other and in the colorful but very , very poor neighborhoods. However being warmer and farther south, the colorful clothes ( saris, etc) really sparked [View Full Entry]

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Ahmedabad Well after an average length drive down a dull 4 lane toll freeway we arrived at Ahmedabad. Unfortuantely I came down with the cold on the way and the city air was as bad or worse than Delhi. Out came the N95 anti-viral surgical mask I brought from home which really helped with the breathing! Missed touring both mosques and the large stepped well. No pictures at all worth sharing. Glad to fly on to Mumbai. [View Full Entry]

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Udaipur The city with the white floating palace in Lake Pichola. Boat tour around the lake and palaces. Actually the shore side City Palace is really more impressive than the lake. Nice back streets and shopping but always hard to get the guide to deviate from the monuments to the everyday culture of the streets which is often a lot more interesting. Good photo ops. Better air. Maybe things have improved for good as we move south. Happy Birthday to me. [View Full Entry]

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Jaipur The Amber Fort (bagging another monument) is pretty impressive largely because of the many elephants carrying tourists up. However because of some controversy over how the elephants are treated and the long line-up ( the north is where all the tourists are!!) we elected to jeep up and walk down with the unloaded elephants. Great fun. But the the fort was so over run with tourist crowds that it was difficult to take many good photos. THe City Palace was interesting but not overwhelming. The walk down main street with its' pink facades and local vendors was more fun. And [View Full Entry]

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Agra The drive to Agra showed what became a reality - the highways in the north are bigger and therefore less interesting from the point of local sight seeing. Also all the color of the saris etc was missing. Much more drab scenery overall. However Agra being smaller than Delhi at least had breathable air. And the Agra Fort put the Delhi Red Fort to shame as it is still mostly intact inside and out. Wonderful with a great distance view of the Taj. Then up before dawn the next day to catch the Taj at sunrise. No real beautiful colors [View Full Entry]

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Delhi Well after a quick direct flight from Poovar to Delhi ( we elected to absorb the cost of the two part flight with plane changes in Bangalore booked but our Vancouver agent for the more convenient flight ), welcome to the north. Much colder. Walking the streets much less comfortable as we found out when I escorted Chindi out to find an ATM and the local travel agent. I had to puff up my chest and look fierce. And the air pollution! Chindi and I were invited to a lovely lovely dinner at the home of the owner of the [View Full Entry]

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Poovar After a short drive to Poovar, we settled into a lovely old style beach resort. Besides the lovely cabin like rooms there were outside private showers, and all the amenities of a great beach resort. Kim, Noni, and Susuan got hustled by some beach boys but a little young for them. Chindi gave us a saree donning demonstration. Then we had a another cooking demonstration with the leaf wrapped masala fish being the favorite. Then off to Delhi. [View Full Entry]

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Alleppey Next day we were off to Allepey - houseboat country. On the way we stopped to watch Chinese style fishing from a beach and to do a little more shopping in an area that is literally called “Jew Town”. Arrived at the houseboats by noon and immediate departure for 24 hour cruise. Beautiful scenes and cool while cruising but at night very hot and humid despite fans and mosquito nets. Chindi, Nathan, and one of the boat cooks competed to put on dinner from this small kitchen. [View Full Entry]

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Cochin We stopped over in Cochin on the way to Alleppey. We attended a very traditional form of stylized dance called Kathakali which was interesting. However it was even more interesting watching Kim and the other woman shop for silks and sarees. Talk about service - at least 3 or 4 lovely young women helping each shopper with smiles and laughs etc. Might even make a shopper out of me! [View Full Entry]

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Periyar Hi from Periyar, a hill station in the western ghats. We stopped at a spice plantation for a guide tour. Very interesting as India produces most of the worlds spices and Kerala can grow almost all of them. Then a visit to the Periyar Tiger Reserve where I saw almost everything except a tiger (which is not unusual as they are largely nocturnal). Then, after a night at the Elephant Court hotel, more roadside scenes on the way to Cochin. Rice and tea cultivation is a big industry in this part of Kerala. So far Kim is not enjoying the [View Full Entry]

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