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Greetings from joshimath. We entered civilization yesterday and after a much needed shower I feel mostly human. Later!
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I am in my last stay in Delhi. The rest of the group will be in tonight. Fiona, the leader is next door. Really its a room divider more than anything. I am next to the kitchen but like I could be in the middle. Quite interesting! This also means there will likely be no communication until I return to Delhi on November 1. Or it will be limited at best.

I think I will repack now and then find lunch. Ciao or in Hindi: namaste.

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Electricity

We take it for granted that the electricity will work when we want how we want. Power was interrupted yesterday and many times since checking into my new hotel. How do I know I am spoiled? I look up at the interruption whilst everyone else just keeps working like nothing. So be happy you have power when you want it.
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Agra 10/15/08

Yesterday was a day spent in whole in Jaipur. The morning started with me once again entertaining the restaurant boys because I was the first guest in the hotel to be up and about. 0600 is sleeping I tell them, and I waited until 0615 to come down for breakfast! Again, they pointed me to a local treat and showed me how to eat it. Note to self: if it's red it's hot, if it's green it's not.

At 0800 guide #2 and Sanjay picked me up to take me to the Amber (Amer) Fort. Yes, one location has two names. We get to the drop off point and it is just loaded with touts. Luckily I know how to put on my sunglasses and saunter like a Maharani that I am really supposed to be... So that I can wait in line in the hot sun to get on an elephant to go up a hill... guide #2 drops me at the end of the line and takes off to chit chat with his other guide buddies. I'm standing there looking around when I realize the chaps in front of me sound like me. Voila, I was temporarily adopted by a clan of four from Arizona! It made the line go so much faster listening to their exploits all over the world. The patriarch, Louis, retired two years ago and he and his wife Bonnie are living all their dreams. Well, Louis is anyway. Bonnie had both knees replaced recently and was dependent upon a wheelchair, but she was definitely being a good sport. The two boys, Reed and Ryan, were of an age that they could join their father on many of the voyages, from the Antarctic to India. And I believe they were moving to Africa after Bollywood...

Anyway, guide #2 loads me onto a baby elephant with a crazy mahout to go up the hillside. Baby elephant felt a need to blast all oncoming elephants (and me and the mahout) with water. A lot of water. I don't know where the hell she was getting the water. Anyway, the mahout was singing to the elephant so I made him teach me the words. So about halfway up the mahout and stupid ferengi (that's me) were singing. Apparently that was unheard of because people stopped trying to sell me things from the ground, or maybe it was my singing. Hmmmm....

Once in the fort we walked around and tried to stay either in the shade or on the ramparts. It was quite hot, I'd say it was 90 or more before 10. Very interesting history and amazing art. The fort seems to have been in some decline, but is now being restored. My guide let me wander and nothing appeared to be off limits. I was able to chat with some of the restorers working on wall painting before security got a hold of me and sent me in a different direction. Which included stairs. Speaking of stairs, they have beautiful buildings and crappy stairs. I'm sure the stairways led to many broken bones. The risers were too much even for me on some of them, followed by one that looks like a stair but isn't.

After the fort we went to a museum that housed many of the artifacts that had been removed from the palaces and forts. They aren't quite in display format as yet, but you can tell they are working on it.

Then I spent a leisurely evening at the hotel. The Trident Hotel in Jaipur is the bomb! Because the one in Agra is not so much... but I get ahead.

I went shopping for some pashtoosh and found many. The shopkeeper and I looked like we had opened every box and had displayed every scarf he had available. While not really, it was quite close. After my shopping foray came getting courier service to send them all home since I need to travel light. Three hours later and finally I think everything is on its way.

Dinner had dancing girls around the pool. Someone asked for Jeannie (he shall remain nameless) but he'll have to settle for pictures of dancing girls instead. And a boy that breathed fire.

Today Sanjay and I drove from Jaipur to Agra. En route we picked up guide #3 Tyrone. We collected him at Fatehpur Sikri. This is a palace/fort that was abandoned by the mughal ruler for either a water problem or because the sufi priest kicked him out. It is all carved out of sandstone and all though a little downtrodden is an obvious work of art. The archaeology institute of India is trying to restore it, but how will they get what was looted by the British back?

The three of us then traveled to Agra. I'm sure the Taj Mahal will be worth it, but so far I'm not dazzled. It is raining and the full moon I was looking forward to looks to be a hidden gem and not worth leaving the hotel.

So until later... I'm going to sit by the pool and read.

Greetings from Jaipur, India 10/13/08

Today I flew from Udaipur to Jaipur. After about 10 hours of sleeping like the dead last night I finally felt like a new woman ready to take on the world. Which was a darn good thing. Raj and driver picked me up from the hotel at 6, when it was still dark and whisked me away to the airport. This time I knew what to expect and was able to navigate things much better. It also helped that the airport folks in Udaipur were much more friendly than the ones in Delhi.

At Jaipur I was collected at the airport by ? and Sanjay. Now the fellows in Udaipur were younger than me and all business. I could tell right off this was going to be better because Vikram and Sanjay (the driver is Sanjay, whom I spent the time looking at the back of his head) were a laugh a minute to the hotel. As I was checking in guide #2 appeared, he was early by 2 hours and we all had a great laugh at everyone's expense!

So my guide and Sanjay collected me from the hotel and took me back through the busy streets of Jaipur to the City Palace and Hawa Mahal (palace of wind, and not the wind Ray thinks of...). BUT next door is a huge astrology/astronomy place. It is noon and my guide, patient nice man that he is, walked through this huge place with amazingly accurate sun dials for over an hour. On his plus side we kept moving from one spot of shade to another. On the bad, he looked fresh as a daisy, I looked like a daisy that had been trampled by a herd of camels. Bastard!

The City Palace was all it was cracked up to be... but then we went to the bazaar. Again, my guide is a saint. Helping me to cross traffic that is coming from the wrong way qualifies him for beatification... We went to a temple to Shiva that was closed, but the Sadu's let us go up on the roof. We spent close to 30 minutes on the roof top watching traffic move through the center of town. It was like watching a river of people and animals perfectly choreographed. I took many pictures but unless you were to see and hear it you wouldn't get the full feeling of it.

Then--- shopping!!!! I got to see bangles, jewelry, stamped cloths and other crafts being made by hand. I have saffron, a camel hair rug, two pashmir shawls, and not so much money left in my accounts. So if anyone from Deaconess is keeping up with me --- I will still need to work when I get back.

Now I hear there is happy hour and so I'm going to see if I can get a mighty fine Gin and Tonic to cap what was a very lovely day in Jaipur India. K:)

udaipur

I have arrive safely. I think security finally let me board the plane because I was obviously too stupid to be much of a risk. How was I supposed to know I go to the curtain in the corner rather than through the arch thing? FYI women do the security check in a booth. I'm sure I will look smarter tomorrow!

Scooters: mine is really for two or more! And kwyji's dirt bike fits three comfortably. Who knew?
Also, they drive on the left here. Unless they don't. I kept checking the seat belt just in case.

And yes, cows have been sited.

Well I need to get going. There are palaces waiting for me.
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Delhi

Apparently I can email with the berry from Delhi. I arrived safely and am waiting for the plane to udaipur. Dogs rule the night and lines on the road are guides not rules! Namaste
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Delhi

Apparently I can email with the berry from Delhi. I arrived safely and am waiting for the plane to udaipur. Dogs rule the night and lines on the road are guides not rules! Namaste
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Delhi

Apparently I can email with the berry from Delhi. I arrived safely and am waiting for the plane to udaipur. Dogs rule the night and lines on the road are guides not rules! Namaste
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

New jersey

I have made it to Newark. I get to be here about 4 hours before going to Delhi. I keep seeing kiosks for international phone cards. I might pick up one. But first I'm going to have one last peppermint white mocha at starbucks. It'll be grande to last for the next 24 days!
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Seattle

Well my gear at least made it to Seattle. I saw the big bag come off the conveyor but wasn't quick enough to take its picture.
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Mt Rainier 9/19/2008

This will be my last post before starting the tour of India tomorrow morning. A couple of weekends ago I took all my gear to Mt Rainier for a long weekend with a little altitude. As you can tell from the pictures there was a little visibility issue on Saturday. I stayed in the Paradise Inn, something I could recommend to anyone. It's a little expensive but worth the experience. The first pictures where I could see the mountain were taken Friday evening when I arrived. The Saturday pictures were taken from the Lakes trail below the Paradise Inn.

Stevens Lake on Labor Day

Tiki!

 

Isn't she just the cutest thieving varmint you ever saw?

Hall Mountain 7/20/2008

Hall Mountain 7202008

Here's a couple of pictures from Hall Mountain. John, Elaine, and I camped at a Sullivan Lake campground and then did this little walk in the woods on a fine Sunday morning. Other than leaving my trekking poles behind it was an enjoyable trip.

Mt Hood, 7/1/2008

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Mt hood from the parking lot at timberline lodge on July 1.


I have additions to this. I went to Timberline Lodge and then hiked as far up Hidden Lake Trail as I could until the snow got too deep. The rhododendron were beautiful and here are the pictures that were taken with my camera rather than my blackberry:

St Joe River 6/28/2008

 
 
 
 


I know, I'm running a little late. Here's the pictures from when we tried to go to Cedar Lake. Again. Yet another time Kwyjibo and I got skunked.