the 'purs..

Hello from Rajhastan!
After a couple days in Jaipur we went to Udaipur, and we're now in Johdpur. The elephant ride at the Amber Fort was fun, but a bit of a drag; as we arrived early in the morning to find a huge queue of Europeans and Asians waiting to ride. It moved quickly, but only because there were well over a hundred elephants delivering people to the top (the Fort) and then themselves and rider back down to the bottom (parking lot) for more- This is supposed to be the re-enactment of Maharaja's arriving centuries ago. Oh yeah- I asked and thankfully each elephant may only do the trek up and down 3 times, however they dont regulate the walk to and from work.

Half the group opted to do this- and were treated to quite the sight/ sensation. So many pachyderms moving up and down a narrow passage made for a Elephantine version of slip'n'slide. stink'n'slip. It was stinky if anything, certainly hayfilled and brown. I think they are used it. They are sure-footed beasts, if anything. I couldnt help but feel remorse for the cross-eyed kid trying to swoop underneath and scrape the skree.

From there, Udaipur was a nice relaxing stop. Known as the Lake City (they are all pump fed- as the lack of monsoons have provided no water for the last 5 years), we saw the lakes, and palaces and the vintage car collection of the current Maharaja. As old as the 1920s they all still run and he takes them out on occasion as well.

We've had a couple of long bumpy drives the past couple days. Today we drove past a school and stopped to hand out pens. Surprisingly, the kids were quite happy. I had a feeling they were going to throw them at our bus and scream for chocolate.
Now were in the Bal Salmond retreat in Jodhpur- its a former palace and were staying in the converted horse stables. We're having a bbq tonight and I can barely contain my excitement. Braaaaaay....

Tomorrow we drive to Osian for a night at a tented camp- then we fly back to Delhi for a couple days before returning home next week. Time flies.
see you soon.
Jay

Taj, Peacock, Mahal

hiii..

so.. things are moving along swiftly. The Orchha stop was a little bit lacklustre- that and Khajuraho are pretty much 'one temple towns' between Varanasi and Agra (which doesnt have an airport) and have grown because they break up the terrible driving. We've done a few segments by flight, a couple days driving in our bus, and a train ride... Agra was a pretty ugly town, but the Taj Mahal made up for it. My picture doesnt seem to want to load- so I'll do it later. We spent a good chunk of the day there and it really is all that you'd expect. Absolutely crazy and huge. It was interesting to learn that Shah Jahan was planning to build another black marble version, where he wife was initially buried- but instead his son (the new ruler) put him in a prison (basically across the road at the red fort) where he lived for 7 years before dying there. Interesting.

From Agra we drove to Bharatpur, which was kind of an interesting hotel stop, in the former mansion home of a Maharaja, Crawling with peacocks. There is a huge bird sanctuary in a National park there, and I saw the Indian version of Canadian geese- that sound and look almost identical, except they have the opposite coloring. We also saw a variety of owls, cranes and whatnot. Its also mating season and we saw some antelope, and jackals gettin it on. (not together)

We have been in the 'pink city', Jaipur for two days- but it looks more salmon to me. elephant ride tomorrow morning up to Amber fort.. so I've gotta go sharpen my spurs.
just kidding!
I'm outta time.
J

Quick update..

Hey everyone!
Well I'm about 10 days into my Indian journey and so far the trip has worked quite well. I have a small diverse group and they are learning to put up with each other. I also have an Indian counterpart who is really informative, and has taught us a lot about everything.
Delhi is a huge town- lots of tree lined streets, fenced in properties and traffic. On the second day I was walking in to Connaught Place, which is near the hotel, and I was struck by the monkey shit scam. (Thanks for the warning Huss).. Basically when you walk into the underpass that goes under the busy streets some one throws shit (dog? human?) onto your shoe at the command of a shoe shiner.. who then conveniently points it out and offers to clean your show. Faced with this guy I defiantly kept my monkey shit until I could take a minute to wipe it off myself. (garbage is widely available)..
We did tours of many sites around town- did some great walking through old Delhi.. then flew to Varanasi where the Ganges and our guide, Ajit, live. He took great care of us and even added several stops to the tour. The traffic flow is incredible and its hard to describe- but basically imagine water flowing, now imagine the water is rickshaws, cars, pedestrians, ox carts, cows, bikes, beggars, hockers, motorcycles and cars.. no lights, no signals, no accidents. Its amazing. Hilights over several days included two Ganges cruises to see the Funeral pyre cremation area, the Arti ritual and the morning cleansing. The second evening, Ajit arranged for us to go to a musicians house and watch a trio play Classical Indian music, and then two dancers came out and did three movements. Their kid (who is 3) is going to be a great dancer- she seems to anticipate every move.
Then after visiting Sarnath (first spot where Buddha preached), we hopped a flight and are now in Khajuraho. We saw the temples today and this afternoon we're driving to Orchha. I can't wait to see what the rest stop is like, because we've had a buit of a bathroom bubble so far.
Hope you guys are all well. The weather is 25ish.. very nice, but a little chilly at night.

I'll add more soon. hugs,
Jay

India '08

YO,

I'm leaving for India on Friday, starting my first stint as a tour leader for my employers: Trailfinders. It's my first time traveling to Asia, first time leading a tour, first time flying 16 hours and first time amongst a billion people and free roaming and revered bovines. So I may have some observations to share.

I will be spending 4 weeks traveling through Northern India, with a group of 6. We'll be visiting Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Varanasi, as well as desert camps, deserted towns, dessert shops and more. I understand internet access is a bit of a challenge in some areas- so we'll see how succesful I am with this; but I hope to keep up with some words and pictures (if possible), and assure everyone that I'm alive and well.
I leave Friday morning on Air France via Paris. I'll try and touch base from Delhi on Sunday.

luv,
J