Sunday
February 4, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
In 1897, Mark Twain wrote:
"The sole country under the sun that is Endowed with imperishable interest for alien prince And alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, Wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, The one land all men desire to see, and having Seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of The rest of the globe combined."
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11 February 2007
Dear Family and Friends, |
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Please click the photo for
more images of New Delhi Part I.
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India has been interesting. I have to be honest that I don't much like it so far, but I'm trying to wait until the end of my trip to make any judgments. Varanasi is way better than Delhi which I hated and was a nightmare! Hopefully it will just get better.
Yes. I agree. It is easy to "hate" New Delhi. Just as any other frenetic city of 14 million souls, it can be a "nightmare." (Yes,14 million. That's all of New York City and all of the City's suburbs combined. Plus two million more.)
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New Delhi Each morning my driver Suresh and I agree on an itinerary. |
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Please click the photo for more images of New Delhi Part 2.
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Suresh negotiates his way through the traffic to a stop at Lakshmi Naravan, an unusual Hindu temple . . . unusual for its tones of yellow and red- brown. Another stop at Rajghat, a beautiful park with a simple square platform of black marble that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948. A host of schoolchildren smile and wave to me.
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The Golden Triangle - First Leg 13 February 2007 Dear Geometric-philes, |
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Please click the photo for more images of Delhi to Agra. |
The most popular itinerary for first time visitors to India is The Golden Triangle: Delhi south to Agra, Agra west to Jaipur, and Jaipur northeast to Delhi. On a map of the Indian Subcontinent, this area is barely more than a thumb print or two. Nevertheless, the sights are splendid all along the route.
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Agra 14 February 2007 Dear Loved Ones... and Lovers, |
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Please click the photo for more images of Agra. |
A very, very belated Happy Valentine's Day.
One of my friends in the USA reported that she received chocolate strawberries AND dark chocolate covered blackberries from her husband. What a guy! What love!
But life is not always a bowl of cherries. Or strawberries.
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Agra February 16, 2007 Dear Family and Friends, |
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Please click the photo for more images of Agra to Fatehpur Sikri . |
Agra is not just The Taj.
The Taj, as magnificent as it is, is not Agra.
Agra is also Agra -- and there's more to see.
"The Agra Fort was built by Emperor Akbar between 1565 and 1573. (Remember Akbar's Tomb?) Its imposing red sandstone ramparts form a crescent along the river bank encompassing an enormous complex of courtly buildings ranging in style from the early eclecticism of Akbar to the sublime elegance of Shah Jahan."
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Bharatpur, Rajasthan
17 February 2007 |
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Please click the photo for more images of Bharatpur, Deeg. |
One chilly, shivering evening last week at the open-air rooftop restaurant of my hotel, the Hotel Sri Nanak Continental (don't let the name fool you), smack in the middle of the incessantly beeping - beeping - honking - honking - beeping - honking - beeping - beeping - beeping and barking! automotive parts supply shop district of New Delhi, I met Penny and John, travelers from England who were pleased to sell me their guidebook Special Places To Stay - India.
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Nawalgarh
20 February 2007 |
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Please click the photo for
more images of Nawalgarh. |
"Jan, why India?" "Why now?" Perhaps you are asking these questions. The obvious answers are: "India is close to Thailand." And, "There's no time like the present." True. Very true.
The real truth is that my friends in Mumbai, Paawan and Sushma, invited me to an auspicious family celebration.
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Jaipur, Rajasthan Dear Family and Friends, |
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Please click the photo for more images of Jaipur. |
Noise and dust pierce the senses. Construction cranes pierce the sky. Jaipur is crowded. Jaipur is "developing."
My gracious hosts at the Govind Niwas Guest House, Admiral and Mrs. Madhvendra Singh recall earlier days when in the evening they would relax on their veranda or in the spacious garden in front of their home.
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Amber Dear Family and Friends, |
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Please click the photo for more images of Jaipur. |
It just keeps getting better!
"The magnificent delicate-pink, fort palace of Amber (pronounced Amer), a beautiful, ethereal example of Rajput architecture, rises from a rocky mountainside about 11km north of Jaipur." [*]
