cclouise

Well my plan for the blog has been a bit thwarted. I had hoped to blog nightly on the train via wi-fi and Anna's laptop. Alas, the internet for the last 7 days was not working. But as I have been told several times, the 2 keys to travel in India are Patience and a Sense of Humor. Keeping this uppermost in my mind has made this a most beautiful and exciting trip. We rode a luxury train called the Golden Chariot for the past week. It works like a cruise ship on land. We sleep and eat on the train and have various excursions during the day. Because of the Mumbai incidents they received a number of cancellations so there were only 12 passengers on the train which has 19 cars including 2 dining cars, ... read more

Just got an email from Anna, my soon to be travel companion. It appears that her luggage has taken an unscheduled layover in the U.K.. She is stranded in Hyderabad, India sans suitcase. My philosophy is that the more difficult the beginning of a trip becomes, the more profound the travel will end up being. So lets say this looks to be an auspicious start!... read more

Visa Trouble First challenge in my effort to get to India. I check the status of my Visa online (sent in 2 1/2 weeks previous) and see that my Visa is on hold with no reason stated. After several emails back and forth, I am told they did not receive a payment with the application. Funny, because I took my passport and application to the post office, bought a money order at the counter put everything in the registered envelope and handed it all back to the clerk. The package was signed for at the Travisa organization, but they claim it arrived with no money order. Hmmm! So I can't cancel the other m.o. until after 60 days, which is well after I am to leave for Bangalore. My only option is to go and ... read more