anamericanindelhi

Despite my ever present fear of dying in an airplane crash, I made it to Nairobi without a snag. I pretty much slept the entire way from Amsterdam...which was a bad idea because now my schedule is all screwed up and I have a touch of jet lag. Besides that, though, I'm very surprised with what I've seen so far. This is my first time in Africa and my boss was prepping me before I left. I kind of expected chaos when I got off the plane, like it was in India. It's not like that at all here. Even in Nairobi there is sense of calm in the air. In fact, several notable differnces exist in my first impression of Kenya versus India.... There is no fowl odor in the air, there is not a ... read more

It's been a while since I last wroteand much has happened. Here's a quick run-down: After Rath Yatra festival in Puri I met with a small NGO there and then travelled to Bhubaneswar for another meeting. I really liked Orissa, the country side is really beautiful--tropical jungle, rice paddies, and green fields and hills. Bhubaneswar, on the other hand, is the armpit of India. It's really dirty and overcrowded, the hottest place I have been, super conservative, and everything shuts down at 11:00 at night. There are bars to hang out in, but they are all in seedy alleys or underground with blacked out windows, dim lighting and full of smoke. It just feels like your doing something wrong by being there! I scooted out of that town ASAP. Before I left though I went to ... read more

The powers that be somehow have a way of making you eat your own words. In my last blog I asserted that I had become somewhat savvy on traveling via the Indian Railway system......uh huh. Not two hours after posting that blog, all of a sudden, my trip took a major wrong turn....literally. So it's like this: I purchase a confirmed ticket in Chennai headed for Bhubaneswar in the north (which the computerized ticket clearly states). I board the train at 11:30 pm on Tues. Everything is cool for the whole night and next morning and then, right after writing the last blog, a guy comes up to me saying that he is confirmed or the same seat. We go to the train manager to sort it out (who is not very helpful) and after arguing ... read more

So, earlier today I was in Big Bazaar (the Indian version of Walmart), listening to the entire Bryan Adams Gold Collection over the loud speaker when I realized that I have not written a blog in a while. Why was I in Big Bazaar you ask? Well...my freagin brand new digital camera I bought (specifically for this trip) just quit working out of the blue a week ago!! Minorly irritating. I took it somewhere and they said it would have to be sent back the factory. SOOO....that is why this blog has no pictures. Pune--the New India After BombayI took a short train to Pune (poo na) a couple hundred kilometers to the SE. The landscape changed dramatically to really lush green rolling hills, waterfalls, mist, palm trees...it was like a tropical jungle land or something. ... read more

Ahmedabad I arrived in Ahmedabad at the beginning of last week. It was really only for business and there is not much to do in this extremely conservative state (completely dry as well). Travellers tend to avoid Gujurat...not much to see and very hot in the summer. The people there are very religious; there is a large Muslim and Hindu presence of course, but Jainism is most represented in this state. True Jains believe in elements of Hindu and Buddhist faiths, are staunch vegetarians, and also do not eat any vegetables that come out of the ground (sometimes I wonder what they actually are allowed to eat). To be totally honest, I was bored to tears in Ahmedabad and don't see any reason to come back in the future. On the flip side, I am really ... read more

My last few days in Jaipur I saw some amazing forts and palaces, Including the Amber Fort, Jaighar, and the City Palace, home to the Maharaja of Jaipur. The ancient walls and forts are the highlight of Jaipur....the city is loud and chaotic and extremely touristy (even though I was one of the only ones). Prices are inflated and the city has lost much of its alleged charm. The best part about Jaipur was Jantar Mantar--an observatory built by the same guy that built Jantar Mantar in New Delhi (see previous blog). This one however is much bigger and contains all kinds of strange and incredible devices used to chart the stars or tell accurate time....it's really amazing, like something out of Myst (for those who know what that means Parrish). After a few days in ... read more