http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/jam/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from jam en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:35:12 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:35:12 +0000 After the last post about some of the difficulties of living in Lucknow I'm glad to share my experience this summer volunteering for Hum Safar an NGO based in Lucknow but works throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh. 'Hum Safar' means 'Our Journey' and in 2003 began providing legal advocacy and medical advice to victims of domestic violence free of charge. Another important part of their work http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Lucknow/blog-313078.html Finally I can say that I have seen the Taj Mahal.....but not without going through some tough situations. I guess one can say that this is the way these things happen in India so I should have been more prepared I had booked my train reservations separately from my friends so I was traveling alone although they were on the same train. We were to depart around midnight and before this I was l http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-310513.html Our school's midterm break arrived and a group of us decided to go to the Himalayan hill station of Ranikhet in Uttaranchal state. To get there we took a seven hour train and then it was a two hour drive up the mountain which was basically a 60 km series of switchbacks. Our trains going to and returning from were both overnight sleeper style. However while sleeping on the train going to Ran http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttarakhand/blog-302112.html Last Thursday after class our school organized a trip to explore two of Lucknowrsquos most famous structuresmdashthe Bara Imambarah and the Chota Imambarah. First though our group was driven to the house of a descendant of one of the Nawabs of Awadh Mr. Abdullah for tea and a short lecture about his family and the old Nawabi culture of Lucknow. lsquoNawabrsquo is a courtly and adminis http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Lucknow/blog-294812.html Hello everyone. Things are starting to get settled here in Lucknow. I apologize for the lateness of this message I had no idea it would take this long to set into any sort of regular routine. But anyway what should I sayhellipI promise the rest of my posts will not be as long as thisThe journey to arrive first in Delhi then in Lucknow was long 30 hours total spent sitting on planes within http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Lucknow/blog-288789.html While for about four months now I have often complained about India for example the noise the smells or stepping in cow dung on my way to the bus everydaynow that I'm leaving I know I am going to miss being here. The last couple of weeks I have tried to see as much of Hyderabad as I could and I toured Golconda Fort the Birla Mandir Temple the numerous palaces of the Old City attended my http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-57231.html The southeastern coastal state of Kerala is known for its tropical landscape and laidback atmosphere so when the opportunity came to spend a week there with my friend Emma I didnrsquot hesitate to join her. Our itinerary was seven days long traveling by train we would reach the village of our friend Mini in time for the Keralan New Year Veeshu. After spending a few days in the village w http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Kerala/blog-53939.html The landscape of South India especially the Deccan plateau is rife with ancient large rock formations that are dated to be millions of years old. Driving around Hyderabad it is surprising how many of these large clusters of brickred freestanding rocks stand some almost teetering amidst their neighboring buildings and hills. Interestingly enough there is a nonprofit organization in Hyde http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-50091.html Recently I went with some friends to Hyderabadrsquos Zoo called lsquoNehru Zoo Parkrdquo. The Zoo is the closest wellknown landmark to where I stay in Hyderabadmdashoften we just tell the auto rickshaw driver to take us to lsquoZoo Parkrsquo when they havenrsquot heard of our faraway part of town. My trip to the Zoo was another exercise in comparing India to home because going http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-48329.html Last weekend I traveled with a group of HMI staff and students to the medieval Islamic city of Bidar. Bidar is located about 150 km east of Hyderabad in the neighboring state of Karnataka and was the capital of two Deccan Muslim dynasties the Bahmanis and the Barid Shahis from about 1400 to the 1600rsquos. Bidar is famous for its fort and for the many tombs in the city that house many of th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Karnataka/blog-45445.html I guess it was inevitable but the controversy over those Danish cartoons was the reason for large riots last Friday in the Old City of Hyderabad a predominantly Muslim Sunni and Shirsquoa area. I found out when I was told not to go into the city for three days for fear that the sight of a Westerner would make rioters even angrier. While the police knew that there would be some activity http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-42130.html The commemorations of Muharram and the Karbala battle reach a peak during the 9th and 10th days of Muharram. Spending these days with my Shirsquoi guide Maliheh and her family have been truly extraordinary. On the 9th of Muharram we first went to a ladiesrsquo majlis in the morning and we spent the afternoon paying a visit to some of Hyderabadrsquos most important ashurkhanas. These i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-40502.html Hi EveryoneRight now in Hyderabad it is Muharram and I have been busy going to mourning ceremonies majalis and touring the many houses where these ceremonies occur called ashurkhanas. An ashurkhana can be as simple as a closet in someonersquos house or a large structure similar in size to a mosque. Besides a gathering place an important function of the ashurkhana is to house the alams http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-39900.html Hello FriendsWell I think that after a first week of wondering if I could stand it here for six months I think I may be able too after all. Irsquove made an effort to get out and do as much as I can and thankfully Irsquom at an institution that has the same philosophy for its students.Yesterday I joined the group of social workers here at HMI for a conference on their lsquoCity Dayrsqu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-37167.html Today I accompanied a group of German Protestant ministers here at HMI for a conference to Hyderabadrsquos lsquoOld Cityrsquo where HMI operates a health clinic and elementary school. This was my first chance to see the city and so I jumped at the chance to be chauffeured as part of a tour instead of trying to navigate the bus system.The school is called the Aman Shanti School and is p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-36455.html Hi EveryoneWell I have arrived in Hyderabad and am slowly getting comfortable with life here. I have taken some pictures of my school my dormitory and the surrounding areas that I've posted here. So far the worst thing that has happened is that the mosquitoes are eating me alive. I have to go and get some repellent. Yesterday marked the beginning of regularity here at HMI. My Persian t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Andhra-Pradesh/Hyderabad/blog-36064.html