Some pictures: [View Full Entry]

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This morning we finally slept in for a bit, which may mean we're winning the battle against jet lag. We made our way up to the rooftop restaurant at about 10 for pancakes (we can't figure out what Indians have for breakfast) and masala chai, which I'm slowly getting addicted to. So sweet and delicious! We met our guide for the day, Bilal, who showed us the major sights of the city. We had a tuk tuk driver Gopi who wound through the narrow streets. Really, you'd be lost in one minute here without a guide! We started at Junangarh Fort, [View Full Entry]

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(Dah! Can't upload pictures this time.) Came northwest from Jaipur yesterday to the Shekawati region - famous for the many 'Havelis' - merchant houses of old with paintings on all sides. Most in fairly bad repair, but many with interesting scenes of various Hindu gods, Maharajas and even stuffy-looking English on some. One efficient small boy with a 10-word english vocabulary guided us through some alleys to some of the more difficult to find Havelis and instructed us what to pay the caretakers. Stayed overnight in one of the restored Havelis in the smaller town of Mandawa, we chatted w [View Full Entry]

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Here we are in India! Quite a culture shock - we don't know anything - but we're managing and getting wiser by the day. Our hotel reservation was cancelled with an apology in Delhi, forcing us to replan and leave immediately for Jaipur! Travel by road is harrowing but has a strange flow involving heavy use fo the horn and intimidation. It's quite dry and rocky in this region with scrub vegetation. After a good night's rest we feel more like ourselves today. Some pictures of the Amer fort and other sights attached, the fort is just huge. [View Full Entry]

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2 and half weeks to go, which hardly seems possible. And, even though we're still in disbelief, there's a ton of practical stuff that needs to be taken care of. Moving/parking/storage/insurance/visas are all demanding our attention, and work, well, work isn't over until it's over, and that's at least five days away. We've sewn our flags onto our backpacks, realized the value of thimbles (who knew?), and reviewed our packing and shopping lists. Our arms are sore from yet another round of shots, and there's still one more to go until we're invincible! I've contacted a couple of hotels in De [View Full Entry]

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Wow. The trip that we've talked about for ages is now right on top of us. And still, neither of us can believe it! I thought I'd have moved past the denial stage by now, but maybe it is beginning to sink in after all. We're planning to take 6 months and travel through India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. October 28th is our departure date - first stop, Delhi. Hopefully we don't die of shock. We're gradually crossing to-do items off our list and the mound of gear in the living room is steadily growing larger... [View Full Entry]

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