Yesterday away at 8.30am to go to Jaipur. On way called at Fatehpur Sikri to see the Mogul Palace. this was very interesting with a good guide but spoilt by persistant sellers of jewellery and crafts. On the journey we passed a varied farmland, from wheat farmers and single cow farms to brick works and stone cutters. The sandstone carvings of all sizes lined up alongside the road were a marvel. As we entered Jaipur I have never seen such depravation with people living in absolute squalour and poverty. It makes the heart blead. Today we had a guide again, who [View Full Entry]

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Today we were away at 5.45am to see the sunrise over the Taj Mahal. This was well worth the effort and we saw all the different colours and all the views before it got too busy and too hot. It was already about 40 degrees and rose to 43. The Sikandra was the next palce to visit with our very knowledgable tour guide. Back at Holiday Inn Hotel for early afternoon and a swim in the pool before a light lunch. The evening was spent touring the streets to see the poor people and see how India lives. Had a ride [View Full Entry]

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We are now starting our tourist part of the trip and we had a tour guide, who took us to see the Red Fort, which is just up river Yamuna from the Taj Mahal, where the early mogul emperors lived in the 16th century. The afternoon was spent watching the ancient art of carving and the inlaying of white marble with gemstones, as seen at the Taj Mahal. this is now only done by three families descended from the original artisans, who came from Iran. Of course we bought some samples of this craft and other typical Indian crafts. Later in [View Full Entry]

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I was still not feeling too well and the rest or the group went out into the town to knock on doors and find any children who had not been caught in yesterday's Polio Push. Later in the morning they went to a local school to witness the opening of a new toilet block provided by the local Rotary Clubs of Lucknow. This was a very modern, effective toilet block provided at a cost equivalent to £200 sterling. A snip at that price and something that we could perhaps think about sponsoring in the future. Yesterday there were 2725 vaccination booths [View Full Entry]

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Sunday 28th April 2008 I woke up feeling extremely queasy but managed to go out with the group to begin the immunisation programme. When we arrived at our medical station it was mahem. There were, what seemed to be, hundreds of children, all swarming around like locusts waiting for their gifts. It was quite a job to control them all. The children receiving the polio drops were mainly babes in arms and toddlers, apparently the strain of polio in this area only affects very young children. The older children aged 5 to 10 years, had come along as observers and to [View Full Entry]

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Saturday 26th April Time:- 11:35pm We spent the day learning about the job we are to undertake tomorrow and touring two local hospitals. We have been informed that there will be plenty of work for us to do. This evening we stayed in the hotel for our evening meal. It was a buffet style meal made up of various curries.We were able to find some that were not too hot! At 9:30pm, Geoff and I decided to go outside and take a few photos before turning in. When we got outside we spotted a wedding procession and saw the wedding party [View Full Entry]

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Friday 25th April The temperature today-41 deg C. We spent the morning walking around the town near our hotel, watching people cooking at the side of the road, repairing tuck-tucks and participating in all kinds of roadside businesses, all perfect photo opportunities! We met a man from the Hindustani Times, a local newspaper. He took us into the centre of town to Connaught Place. We visited the tourist Information Centre. Yesterday Geoff and I ordered a blue, cotton made to measure shirt each for £18 each, today we collected them and very nice they are too. At [View Full Entry]

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Thursday 24th April 2008. Thursday evening, 10.15pm. (India is about 4 and a half hours ahead of England) Temperature 30+deg. Our aeroplane landed in Delhi, India, at 3.30am. We travelled by taxi to our hotel and arrived at 4.30am. Unfortunately our room was not available and so we had to push a few chairs together in the lounge to snatch a few hours sleep. We ate breakfast then set off in a tuck-tuck to tour the city. We toured the city from 11.30am until 5.30pm, a total of 6 hours, and the driver only charged us 500 rupees, which is about [View Full Entry]

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We have now been back almost a week and we have heard that Bob is making progress and now has limited mobility of his right arm and has been walking a little with some assistance. He has a male nurse in attendance at all times so we hope he is getting good care. [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday 26th February At last a rest day. This morning we had a very interesting visit to a spice garden, followed by a ride on a huge elephant. Just six of us volunteered for a ride, (it was too good an opportunity to miss!) three to an elephant, it was quite an experience. The rest of the day was spent resting and dozing- a very steady day. Wednesday 27th February Rode 45 miles today in countryside that resembled the alps-very hilly. We are now in Kottayam, near the coast, just south of Cochin.We rode through the town in the van, certainly [View Full Entry]

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