Monday, March 20th, Rathambore National Park, India

Greetings!

Not far from our hotel is Dhonk, "a social enterprise that is weaving a fabric of change - a change in creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the tigers neighbors by upskilling them in traditional arts and crafts.  All this by designing an ecosystem aimed at conserving the wildlife and coexisting with nature.  Based out of India's tiger capital - Rathambore - Dhonk ensures that the tiger is an active stakeholder and an integral part of the Dhonk DNA."

We chose our tour company, Overseas Adventure Travels, for a variety of reasons.  One of which is that they support the communities we travel to.  In this area, Kutapura is a primary school in which 100 local children are given free education, uniforms, and a meal.

And some of the retired teachers got to spend time with the students.  Janet reported that she thinks they grasped the geography lesson from the map she drew and the story she told from her childhood school.  Mike reported that they tried to teach him to count in Hindi.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Monday, March 20th, Rathambore National Park, India 

Sunday, March 19th, Rathambore National Park, India

 

Greetings!

The morning sun looks like a sunset around here, primarily because India's air quality is so poor.  But it rained yesterday, and it's much cleaner than usual.  We started early on our way to Rathambore National Park.  We'll spend two nights there in a twenty-year old hotel designed to look like something out of the English colonial times.

Along the way, some of our travelers decided to do some wheat gathering in solidarity with a group of women scythe-cutting on the other side of a fenceline.  Soon, we gathered a crowd, and it turned into a photoshoot, with everyone having a lot of fun taking pictures of each other.  A few minutes later, we admired local wheat truckers' packing acumen, as we came across a roadside scale, and saw the enormous sacks of wheat being delivered from the area.

Several hours later, we arrived at Nahargarth Rathambore, an ivory royal palace which serves as the guest entry point for safaris into the nearby vast national forest.  When asked at the beginning of this tour what travelers wanted most out of the experience, almost all nominated "seeing a tiger".  The anticipation is great today, as we dig out our binoculars, sun tan, mosquito repellent, and prepare our buns for a rugged ride over dusty forest hills in search of one of the 85 tigers claiming these 515 square miles in the Rathambore National Forest.

Climbing aboard local 12-passenger open-air safari vehicles, we traversed the designated zone (A), and came up short for about two hours.  Plenty of deer and peacocks, but little else.  Our guide provided all the history and background information on everything we did see,  and our driver did a magnificent job of barely missing trees, fording ponds, and making it up and down muddy roads.

Finally, we spotted and followed (it was hard to tell who was following whom) a well-known female tiger as she slowly walked (very regally) through the territory.  Eleven safari groups jockeyed around each other vying for the best views, as hundreds of cameras captured thousands of photos.  Over the space of about thirty minutes, we were treated to a very special site.  One all of us will remember the rest of our lives. 

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, March 19th, Rathambore National Park, India.

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To see all of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, March 19th, Rathambore National Park.

Saturday, March 18th, Jaipur, India

Greetings!

Today, we drove to Jaipur's Amber Fort - Palace.  One of the largest forts in Rajasthan, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a 16th century structure built on four levels out of pink and yellow sandstone and white marble.  In addition to the "mirror palace", the royal residence contains many courtyards which recently provide newlyweds with magnificent backdrops for wedding photos.

The Royals maintained chambers in the complex which featured convex mirrors that warmed the environment, and hanging sprayed latices that allowed wind to cool the inner environment.

On the way back from the royal palace and fort, we saw our second industrial paper-making company.  Salim's Paper, established in 1964. Far larger than the one we saw in Bhutan, it also produced lots of boxes,  and a greater selection of paper greeting cards.

For dinner, we were taken by tuk-tuks to homes throughout the City to spend the evening with families who had agreed to host us.  The young family which hosted us was from the warrior caste, lived in a multi-story apartment with their twin children and parents.  We thoroughly enjoyed sharing stories of our lives and a great meal.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Saturday, March 18th, Jaipur, India. 

Friday, March 17th, Jaipur, India

Greetings!

Today was a traveling day, all day drive from Delhi to Jaipur.  Our expanded group of fifteen is riding in a very spacious and comfortable bus.  But getting up at 6am,  bags out at 7am, and on the road at 7:30am is tough.  Where we ended up at the end of the day (The Trident Hotel) is gorgeous, and the Jaipur Bazaar was well worth the visit.

It's hard to describe the colors, the sounds, the feeling of the pulsating community so engaged in living so deeply.  For centuries, these caverns of trade have been the source of India's economic vibrancy.  Moving through the crowd was a joy that you didn't want to stop. 

After checking into the hotel, and resting a bit, we headed out again for more of the city.  

And then the bus broke down.  Two and a half hours later, including a very scary dash across a rush hour highway, a replacement bus took us back to dinner at a local excellent restaurant to celebrate a very memorable St. Patrick's Day.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Friday, March 17th, Jaipur, India.

Thursday, March 16th, Delhi, India

 

Greetings!

No visit to Delhi would be complete without a visit to the site of Gandhi's cremation.  A black marble slab covered with flowers and an eternal flame in an enclosed field on the west bank of the Yamuna River.  We were struck by the varied religious pilgrims who were at the site.  

A signature element of a trip with Overseas Adventure Travels is a visit with a local family.  Girish had asked us yesterday to think of.questions w could ask a Muslim family within a Hindu-majority country.  Our group came prepared, and the young couple who invited us into their living room did not hesitate to share with us every answer we requested. We were treated to the intimacies of their family lives, their feelings about religious and social relationships, their struggles to operate a restaurant during the Covid-era, and their hopes and fears for their children and country.

Girish arranged for us to take rickshaws across town to a historic Mughal restaurant (Karim's) where we had yet another opportunity to share and excellent, well-prepared meal in the back alleys of New Delhi.  Even the most reluctant in our group were beginning to reach beyond their comfort zone to savor the tasty herbs, spices, and servings.

The last stop on our mid-day travels was the Nila Gumbad, Humayun's Tomb (Blue Dome).  A World Heritage site, the mausoleum complex contains several other structures of Mughal architectural splendor.  As the sun set, the warm air and building colors provided a relaxing environment on weary muscles.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Thursday, March 16th, Delhi, India.

Wednesday, March 15th, Delhi, India

 

Greetings!

Today, we visited the Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple.   Our guide, Girish, explained the history of Sikhs in India, and prepared us for participating in the lunch presentation in the facility adjacent to the temple.  One of the many -isms, Sikhism is a monotheistic faith that originated in the Punjab region of India in the late 15th century, and is currently practiced by tens of millions of people around the world.

Arriving, becoming barefoot, and donning scarves, we entered the large kitchen and dining room provided by the temple.  Between 30,000 and 60,000 residents are fed each day by the volunteers, who also provide the food.  

To those sitting on the floor of a great auditorium,  500-600 in each 15-minute session, we were allowed to join the many servers who passed out trays, spoons, and ladled soup, bread, and side dishes.  Skills, experience, and confidence weren't the valued prerequisites.  Only a caring heart, and a willingness to pitch in where needed.

Afterward, we toured the kitchen and got to see the production, sterilization, and storage of all that went into the operation.  Sooner than could be believed, the next shift of participants entered the hall, and the feeding began again.

The temple itself sits next door, and photos of the grounds only are possible.  The same sharing and generosity which permeated the dining hall spilled into the temple.  We found everyone genuinely open and interested in our presence.  

We returned to our hotel for lunch, and then set out for the nearby Lodhi Garden.  The Lodhi Dynasty, a confederacy of Afgan and Turkish chiefs in the mid-15th century, maintained control over India until losing it to the Mughals a century later.  The Lodi Gardens contains tombs to several in the Dynasty, in addition to the tomb of at least one of their successor Mughal leaders.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Wednesday, March 15th, Delhi, India.

Tuesday, March 14th, Delhi, India

 

Greetings!

We flew from Paro, Bhutan to Delhi, India this morning after breakfast and a heartfelt goodbye to Tandi, our guide.  We landed at the Delhi International Airport at about 2pm, and experienced a swift entry through customs and baggage.  OAT was waiting with a large, air-conditioned bus to drive us through heavy traffic to the Hotel Metropolitan.  Waiting for us with room keys and welcome was our new guide, Girish.  We'll relax in our room for a couple of hours, and meet up at 6pm for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood.

We met up with Girish this evening, and took that walk.  The photos and more for this blog are currently awaiting morning when I can buy more access to the Internet to upload the photos. More travelers will be joining us at the hotel during the night, and we'll officially start this leg of the tour tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned, and the there should be more travel blog to add to this soon.

Our evening walk included a stop at a neighborhood temple to Kali, a sweet shop run by the Hare Krishna International, and the National Center for stored biometric data (eye identification and ID cards). 

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Tuesday, March 14th, Delhi, India.