Blogs from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 74

We decided to have a day out and Nilesh our taxi driver arrived at 10.00 a.m. and off we set. Our first port of call was Old Goa, the former capital and we visited 2 large christian churches. The Portugese influence was very obvious and we took the opportunity to visit the attached museum. We then took in a couple of Hindu Temples and I was commandeered by an Indian gentlemen wearing only an orange loincloth and he gave us a guided tour.. As is usual we were bombarded with people trying to sell us all manner of things, but we managed to escape with our purses intact.. We then drove to a cashew nut factory passingsmall shops on every cornere and some beautiful jungle type scenery. The factory employed about 70 girls earning oabout 60 ... read more

PS: I forgot to tell you that "Hotel California" is playing overhead. Before that was "Summer of 69." It is fun to be able to sing along, and look across at the Indian guy in the turban at the computer across from me and see him singing along too!... read more

I finally have figured out how to get some of this writing to the blog (using SD memory card and internet cafe...). Probably read the India parts first, as they are much more interesting than the earlier stuff about London (as India is a bit more different than London, to put it mildly). Part 6 Dec 25 Flying to London It is the least merry of Christmases, even on the one year that Hanukkah falls on the same day. Yesterday we learned the devastating news of the death of one of my best friends and this now darkens our days and nights and makes our travel feel frivolous and all too self centered. (At the same time, I count this time with the kids as all the more precious and maybe the best use of ... read more

Ok...another one in quick succession...not going to write much as I'm boooored of bloging (but it's still raining in Kerala so not much else to do - I can hear you all sobbing for us). So..Jodhpur...another fanastic town and a great set of things to see. It's different again to Jaipur etc., largely due to the smaller number of tourists not on the Dehli/Agra/Jaipur route. Anyway, we pitched up at the hotel and got ourselves into the luxury tents...check out the pictures. Bit of a laugh...but the last laugh went to the mozzies. Anyway, up early and off to the Mehrangarh Fort. What a stupendous place...talk about towering over the city. Another Indian suprise...they had a fantastic MPEG audioguide, brilliant stuff all the way round with tales of the Maharajas and so on. A walk around ... read more

Hi Again, Whew...I'm relieved the technology is still working. On New Year's Day, we awoke to a wonderful breakfast, including a traditional dish for new year's day made with almonds, wheat and thick butter...oh my god was it ever decadent and wonderful! I'm really enjoying the food here...and everyone on our team in too. Maggie says she's ready for pizza already tho...the food is pretty similar every day at every meal...after four weeks, I think we're going to be ready for a change, but I'm still loving it and there are new delictable discoveries at each meal, along with what I can already tell are the staples. Ok...onto the Taj Mahal. It is breathtaking and amazing! I can't wait to share the photos, but they don't do it justice. I feel so honored to be here, ... read more