उदैपुर - Udaipur, Venice of the East

We arrived in Udaipur by Jet Airways plane. The drive into the old city through crowded streets afforded us views of brightly colored shops, murals, and painted vehicles. We caught glimpses of a couple of camels and multitudes of holy cows. I saw a wild boar trace the side of the highway. Feral dogs roamed lazily. The city was unrecognizable to my memory of it from 30 years ago. That is until we first viewed Lake Pichola. The view of the Lake Palace is from our hotel - the Mewar Haveli.

Tour of Delhi

So many writers have fielded their first impressions when arriving in India. Usually these are filled with a rhetoric that is more of an assault than the actuality of the physical and sensory stimuli found here. The positive aspect of this is that it begins to prepare us for the onslaught that we are inevitably heading into. As such, our experience of the atmosphere in the bustling old city of Delhi was not nearly as disruptive to our senses as advertised. Sure there were all the usual beggars, cripples, poverty, smells and sounds that we expected. But also, and more impressive, there is a kindness, incisiveness, eagerness to please, and generosity of heart. We are struck by the aromas of spices and sandalwood, by the subtlety of intricate carvings and delicate miniature paintings, history reflected in reverence to ancient Mughal emperors and to more recent saints. All religions seem to be honored as we hear the calls to prayer echoing from turrets and minarets around the city, and bells and chanting from the Hindu temples. We learn of the nobility of the Sikh people and the veneration of the Jains for all living things. I met a retired schoolteacher who told me that he had written a book in English about spirituality. When I asked him what he is doing now that he has retired he said, “Nothing really…I meditate most of the time.”
Our wonderful driver Kuldeep took us around the city. We visited the magnificent Humayun’s Tomb, and the Craft Museum. We took a bicycle rickshaw ride through Old Delhi to the immense Jama Masjid and the Red Fort. We ate at an Indian fast food restaurant which served a wonderful Maharaja Thali. At sunset we promenaded with locals around the war memorial arch at India Gate.

At Humayun's Tomb

This is us at Humayun's Tomb on our first day out exploring Delhi. This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

डेल्ही Delhi - A Safe Arrival

We arrived safely in Delhi. We were picked up at about 2:30am at the airport and taken to our first port of stay, the Delhi Bed and Breakfast. Located in a safe, gated community, the B&B is self-described as “a shock-absorber” for fledgling arrivals in one of the busiest cities in the world. The half-hour drive offered some first impressions of the city in the middle of the night. There was a delicate mist cloaking the scenes as we passed colorful trucks loaded up with unbalanced bounty. There seemed to be road construction occurring for the full length of the drive. Vehicles found intricate pathways to pass each other, paying no attention to the road markings or traffic signals. We saw a pack of local wild dogs cross the highway in front of us; the last of them limping, tail wagging, chasing after his canine friends on a mission. Soon a larger shape emerged from the mist in front of us – an elephant roaming the side of the highway playfully twirling a large branch in its trunk, being directed by a man with a much smaller stick. We were met at the door of the B&B at 3am by our gracious host Parvez. When we remarked that it was late he told us that he was happy to greet us in welcome to his house. He noted that he likes to look at people when they first arrive in Delhi tired and vigilant, and compared this to how often people look relaxed and peaceful when they return after having been in India for some time.

A Blinking Of The Eye

It’s 1am. It is also 7am in London and half-past noon in India. We are in the midst of that fugue state, the netherworld of sleep-deprived limbo. I had remarked to Cindy earlier that this is the longest ongoing flight that I have experienced. Somewhere between my malaria pill-induced vivid dreams and my longing for arrival, I remembered a time 30 years ago when Jonathan and I had left the ashram of Sri Rajneesh in Pune in disgust. We had been disillusioned by the shameless maraudings of the Swami’s disciples. Any uncertainty about leaving was put to rest when eating one evening at one of the restaurants frequented by the “RajNeeshis” when the sound was turned off during my favorite song - Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.” It was the last straw and Jonathan and I immediately booked our train tickets to head south to our dream destination of Kovalum Beach in Kerala. The train journey lasted 36 hours traveling third class; this was followed by several further connections. Five days later we alighted from our last bus in Kovalum, removed our shoes and ran down to the beach at twilight. As we dipped our toes in the cool water it seemed in that moment that there had been no journey. Only a moment had passed between our initial step and our final arriving in the cradle of the fulfillment of our desire.

Warming Our Hearts

Our travels begin tomorrow. It’s almost time to start packing. Just kidding…plenty of time yet.
It is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit here. We’ve had about 10 inches of snow this last week. It should be about 80 in Delhi. I like the warming trend.

We are very excited of course. But there is another set of emotions that is filling us as we get ready to depart. Another warming trend in fact. We both agree that we feel a ‘warming in our hearts.’ This has been generated by the great responses that we have had to this blog, and by the wonderful send-offs and well-wishes that people have given us. It is in the way people have stopped, looked into our eyes and wished us a safe and adventurous trip. It is in how people say that they will be excited to follow along with us on this site to see what we are doing each day. It is in the sense of community that we all too often take for granted. You are all our friends. Stay in touch!

भारत - Getting To Know Bharat (India)

The map above shows our route in India. We will fly from Delhi to Udaipur. We will then follow the green line to Bundi, Pushkar and Jaipur. The aqua line represents a possible route for the second half of our trip much of which is yet to be determined.

This trip has been several months (perhaps years) in the planning. Some of the resources that we found useful in solidifying trip details may also be interesting for you to take a look at if you want to find out more about India, Rajasthan, and trip planning in general. One invaluable web link that we have used to gather previous tourists’ reviews of places, hotels and services is TripAdvisor. A great overview of India can be found at the Incredible India website. Rajasthan information is well represented at the aptly named Rajasthan Info. India Mike has wonderful forums from travelers covering many related subjects. Lonely Planet guide books are well known in their hard copy formats but the website is also a reliable online resource.