Without question, the highlight of the visit to Delhi for me was the dinner that my roommate Anita F. (from Nebraska) and I had in the home of a highly educated and very hospitable couple named Vikas and Shikha S. Vikas is a Delhi-educated stock broker and lawyer in his 30s, who speaks impeccable British-accented English. His wife Shikha is a dynamic young woman who also speaks flawless English and is highly educated (with a degree in mathematics). Anita and I met Vikas and Shikha when several Indian Friendship Force couples joined our group for cocktails and dinner at our hotel. Vikas told us that he holds a seat on the Indian stock exchange with his brother. Shikha, who was wearing a beautiful orange sari and diamond jewelry, explained that she is now staying home ... read more

Today I met and enjoyed a wonderful hour and a half lunch at the Trio Restaurant near Dupont Circle with an old "India hand" Pat W., thanks to an introduction from my friend Kassie L. Pat is a witty, straight-talking, irreverent, short-haired, heavy smoking, 60-year-old woman from Texas who reminds me of Molly Ivins. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in India, lived there 8 years and became a Hindu, and is now involved with an international company that specializes in the export of Indian agricultural products. She also speaks three of India's more than 1,000 languages. What luck to get to meet her! Pat said that once we get on the Air India flight, we will feel like we’re already in India. And, it's going to be a long flight, so we'll have plenty ... read more

Welcome to my India and Nepal travel blog!!! This is my first try at blogging. I wanted to share my travel experiences with my friends and family, so I thought this would be fun to try! On March 21, 2007, about a dozen of us are going on a "cultural exchange" to India and Nepal organized by Friendship Force International, a nonprofit organization founded by Jimmy Carter and others to foster relationships among people in different countries. That day we all meet up at JFK Airport in New York to fly to New Delhi via London's Heathrow airport. My stepfather Hal and his wife Susan are going to be on the trip, and I'm excited to be going on a trip with them. I'm really not quite sure what to expect in India. I've always been ... read more