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Published: March 17th 2009
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Gandhiji Reincarnated
I can't tell you how many times Tom was told he looks like Mahatma Gandhi. We finally caught the old man with our friend Kalle Bhai. OK, I’ve neglected this blog, and have resolved to catch you up on our travels. Tom’s taken some amazing photos, so we’ll try to bring you up to date.
1 March. At this time of year, much of Rajasthan looks like Arizona: sand, rocks, cactus, and scrawny trees. The monsoon is still a few months away, the lakes are low, and the rivers are mostly rock. While Tom lounged at the swimming pool, I went out on a safari, looking for tigers in Ranthambore National Park. We did not see tigers, but did see sloth bears and some species of deer that are found only here in India. I also saw my first John Deere tractor.
2 March. I remembered our wedding anniversary while riding in a jeep from a train journey ending in Bsasi to our luxury campground near Bijaipur. This was REALLY a luxury place: we had a full bath inside the tent, and Kulpreet (our Intrepid trip leader) put about 20 roses inside to mark our anniversary. We asked Kulpreet questions in the jeep about whether it’s possible to convert to Hinduism or Sikhism. (No to Hinduism, yes to Sikhism.) The next day, we went to
Dinner in Udaipur
We overlooked this beautiful city, where the James Bond movie, "Octopussy", was filmed. the city of Bijaipur (about 200 people) and stayed in the Bijaipur Castle in a room with a bed that’s up 4 marble steps. This time, we were able to talk to the local “king”, who still lives in the castle. He’s proud that he provides employment for the villagers and that he has had electricity and water installed in village homes over the past 20 years. One thing we noticed: in the village, the women work and the men sit in town drinking tea.
5 March. We arrived yesterday in Udaipur, definitely the most beautiful city yet, with the palaces of yet another king. He still lives in part of one. His ancestors built this huge city palace, another one in the middle of the lake, and a third at the top of a nearby hill: the monsoon palace. Want to know what these look like? Go and rent the old James Bond movie, “Octopussy”, made here.
8 March. We traveled to the holy Hindu city of Pushkar, which contains the only temple of Brahma in India. It’s full of blue houses, a holy lake, and “ghats”, which are steps that go down to the lake where
Bijaipur Evening
Bijaipur Castle is a fairytale place, with an owner who actually seems to care about the people in the surrounding village. people go to bathe. No alcohol, meat, eggs, or fish are allowed in Pushkar. We stayed in another palace (this has got to be about the last one …) and I took my first camel ride. It lasted about 2.5 hours and was much more comfortable than I expected it to be. Next day, we took the overnight train back to Delhi to meet the group for the second half of our “Spirit of India” trip. Tom had great fun talking to the Indians in our train car: an Air Force officer and the parents of another officer. As usual, Bush and Obama were topics of conversation.
9 March. We have only one other person on this leg of the trip: Gill (a woman) from Ottawa, Canada. Our trip leader is Javed, a Muslim, which is great because we’ve had a Hindu, then a Sikh, and now a Muslim as trip leaders in this VERY religious country. We’re heading for two days in the small town of Chanderi - read the blog entry on celebrating Holi for more on Chanderi.
13 March. We’re staying in tents (so-called) at a resort in the city of Orccha that make the
Dentist in Bundi
Right on the street ... tents we used earlier seem like hard-core camping. These tents are about 15 by 20 feet, including full bath, AIR CONDITIONING (!), TV, refrigerator - amazing. We left our new friend Kalle Bhai after a three-hour jeep trip over dirt road shortcuts, including a 30 minute stop at a train crossing. They group the trains and just keep the gate closed until they’re all gone. We had another palace tour today - this one had a basement to house the bodyguards of the residents and guests and three mounting blocks for the wealthy: one for horses, a higher one for camels and the highest one for elephants.
17 March. It's Saint Patrick's Day. Do you supposed we'll find green beer? This week, we went to the town of Khajuraho, home of a complex of Hindu temples covered with sculpture, a few of which are erotic, showing everything from "regular" sex to men with horses and women with dogs. Carvings are well-preserved and apparently horrified the British when they first found them. Next day, we went to Panna National Park and stayed at a lodge on the Ken River. We had beautiful cabins, and the lodge has a riverfront restaurant
Orccha Musician
AFter Tom offered cash, he consented to play music and have his photo taken. and very friendly dogs. We met an Englishwoman who's been helping the nearby village by selling prints of her tiger paintings -- with her profits, whe's funded (by herself) a school for the children. Again, we went off in a jeep looking for tigers. No joy, though two females have just been releasted in the park. India has a huge problem with poaching of tigers for sale of parts, right down to the bones, to China for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Yesterday, we were in Chitrakoot, a traditional Hindu holy city famous in India because the god Ram once lived here. We arrived a couple of hours ago in Allahabad, and will go out to visit later this afternoon.
OK - now I’m all caught up, and tomorrow we’re going to the holiest of Hindu cities, Varanasi (also called Benares). More soon!
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anonymous
non-member comment
There is no baptism in Hinduism. If you live and believe you are a hindu, you are a hindu. It is as simple as that. No rules. Yet still if anyone wishes to have some symbolic ritual, then there are priests who would do that. Again, there are no rules. It is more of a culture than a religion.