Blogs from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 76

10 January 2006 We had a problem with the internet connection last night, so here's the rest of what I had intended to send. We're happily installed in Goa now and a further missive will follow a.s.a.p. Create your own travel map Tuesday 3 January Today was another day of discovery. First, our driver took us to the block of apartments where Lajpal shares a room with cousin Ravindra. Small but comfortable, ideal for both of them to spend their time studying (which they both seem to do most of the time). My first discovery was that the young man I knew as Lajpal or Goldy was actually known by everyone else as ... read more

It has been a very full week. Apologies for the lack of communication - which is due to a combination of a packed schedule, cyber cafes in the wrong place or at the wrong time, and power cuts resulting in them being there but not in operation. I’m writing this from the office of the manager at our hotel in Goa on Monday 9 January. What follows is therefore an update on what we’ve been doing during the past week (or at least as far as I can get by the time he goes home in an hour or so). Sorry, no pictures, yet. So where do I start? How about here? Where else would you find a roundabout in the centre of a city of over six million people at the intersection of four major ... read more

I'm all prepared - itinerary, air tickets, rail tickets, car rental, hotel reservations, visa, jabs, money... All that's left is to recharge the camcorder batteries, pack, and get to Heathrow in time for check-in on New Year's Day. Pat will drop me off en route to her own holiday with her parents in South Wales. Let's hope it doesn't snow! Meanwhile, Christmas is almost upon us and I'm still in sunless Hertfordshire. Our son Richard, daughter-in-law Gina and beautiful grandaughter Teagan have already arrived from mid-Wales, and daughter Karen arrives tomorrow from Essex. The fridges are crammed with enough food for several armies. The tree is surrounded by presents. And we'll soon be surrounded by our family, as it should be at this festive time. I'm pleased to be spending Christmas at home, unlike many of ... read more

India occupies only 2.4 percent of the world’s land area, yet it supports around 16 percent of the global population. With over a billion people*, its average population density is higher than any other nation of comparable size - andit continues to add the equivalent of Australia’s total population every year! It should come as little surprise then that this overpopulation leads to severe economic hardship and, in turn, to diseases which we fortunate Westerners seldom, if ever, encounter. So, I’ve been careful to be prepared for disease. Like most NHS doctors’ surgeries, ours dispenses free inoculations against the most virulent of the nasties to which the people of India are routinely exposed. Jabs against diphtheria and tetanus in my left arm and typhoid in the right meant sleeping on my back for a couple of ... read more

During our ’97 tour of Rajasthan, we visited the fabulous Jain temples at Ranakpur. After lunch at a nearby hotel, while photographing a colourful bird in the hotel’s garden, I found someone looking over my shoulder. It was a boy - aged nearly 14, named Lajpal, he told me in halting English. I took his photo, he wrote down his address. On our return to the UK, I sent him his photograph. Six months later, it came back - address unknown. So, I sent the photo to the hotel manager, asking if he knew this boy. It turned out to be his nephew. A brief thank you letter from Lajpal followed and, in subsequent exchanges of correspondence, his command of English and my understanding of his background continued to improve. I was as intrigued to learn ... read more