Geo: 22.1561, 88.2204After peace in the mountains, we returned to Kolkata to arrange a trip to the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest - a forest that survives in saline conditions. The Sunderbans extends between India and Bangladesh. We went to see the flora and possibly see one of the many tigers that live in the mangroves. We boarded a bus with 30 other happy people and headed for a 3-hour bus ride and a 3-hour boat ride into the heart of the mangrove forest. To get to that point, a foreigner needs to obtain a permit to get in to this protected area. In going to the West Bengal tourism office, we got to experience bureauacracy at its best. We were sent to 5 different people and then told to go "up stairs" to see ... read more

Geo: 28.5713, 75.4743After our impromptu detour through the Moslem village in the Shekhawati desert, we continued our semi-planned itinerary and took the train to the "Blue City" of Jodhpur, so named because the color signified the residence of a Brahmin - a high ranking class in India's caste system. Founded in 1459 by Rao Jodha, Jodhpur grew rich by its proximity to the Silk Road where opium, dates, silk, etc. were taken by camel train westward from Central Asia to the Middle East and Europe. Our own journey ended at the Saji Sanwri guesthouse - a 250 year-old haveli which was buried in the a labyrinth of twisty one-camel-wide streets. Four stories tall with a rooftop garden that has a fabulous view of the the magnificent fort of Mehrangarh, one could feel the history of the ... read more

Geo: 19.048, 73.0828On January 4th, 2006, we boarded our first of many Indian Railway trains. As we rushed on, heaved our bulky bags under the seat and chained them so they wouldn't walk off during the night, we thought, are we getting too old to do this? We were in the 3-AC compartment. That means, 3-tier, air-conditioned or 6 people to one compartment where the seats transform into 3 bunks on each side of the compartment for bedtime. That doesn't count the two other beds along the long side of the train. Our train left at 7pm and around an hour later, the "bed roll attendant," as noted on his uniform, came through to issue us our clean sheets, blanket, towel and pillows for the night. We settled in and met our neighbors - all businessmen ... read more

Geo: 19.048, 73.201In the five weeks since we last wrote about our work at AVNI, much has transpired. As we related, Justin's project was to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on people over 49 years-old - both those that are HIV-positive themselves, but also those that are caregivers, "the affected," for infected family members. As we said, currently, all prevention and treatment efforts in India are currently aimed at younger age groups. So exploring this impact in India has not been done before. Before designing the questionnaires needed to survey the "affected" and "infected", I (Justin) had to learn quite a bit about the subtlies of the epidemic amongst the elderly in India. After talking with leaders of HIV/AIDS relief organizations, he learned that there are quite a number of stigmas and barriers faced by Indian ... read more

Geo: 19.048, 73.0828While traveling, it is always interesting for us to note what Western influences have crept into a country. In Taipei it is the 7-11s on every street corner; Starbucks has staked a claim in Thailand; and of course, McDonalds and fast food is everywhere. It is not too surprising that western influence can also be found in India.I'm embarrassed to admit it, but yes, I had to watch Indian Idol. It was all the advertising! For those of you who have watched American Idol, this is the same show, but with Bollywood tunes being belted out. Of course it was in Hindi, but I got the gist of who made it to the next round and who didn't. Advertising for Indian Idol is all over town on the billboards, magazines and newspapers. It seems ... read more