Blogs from Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 344

First morning in Jaipur and the hotel we found happens to be very nice and clean. My stomach seems to have settled and I devoured eggs and toast for breakfast on our balcony. The weather is really nice when the sun is out so for the most part we're wearing summer clothes but after sun-down, the temperature drops fairly significantly. So while I'm wearing a tee-shirt and linen pants during the day, at night (to bed), I'm wearing socks, my linen pants under my cargos, an undershirt, t-shirt, long-sleeve tee and my fleece along with the provided wool blanket. As you might guessed, there is no heat in buildings. And since they are made mostly from marble to retain cold (for the harsh summer), it ends up being exceptionally cold. We spent the day in the ... read more

Although I’ve already written two entries on Udaipur, there were additional items I had wanted to share. Any entry written from India was necessarily shorter, because we had limited time on the internet. We arrived in Udaipur on January 3rd and stayed through the 5th. The city is delightful, everything that it was advertised to be, a paradise for travelers. The well-worn tourist trail can feel so good to the travellers’ feet. The so-called White city really does gleam, reflected in two man-made lakes. Every other storefront has a rooftop restaurant, with three or four flights of narrow stairways leading up to a glorious view over the city. Our first hotel, the Raj Palace, was a bit disgusting and rundown. The lights did not work and there were stains on the walls. I had originally asked ... read more

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

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

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