Archive for 2008
Warmth on the Frozen Ladakh Plateau
Posted on 04.05.08 | 5 Comments
After the high intensity action and sleepless nights in Delhi, Tina and I both took a breath of fresh air when we arrived in Ladakh. The air-born pollution in Delhi is as suffocating as opening your window in Beijing, and the calm mountain air was exactly what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, we hadn’t anticipated poisoning ourselves.
Taj Mahal
Posted on 03.16.08 | 2 Comments
By Adam Tait
Tina and I made a quick exit after Sonu & Tashu’s wedding ceremony in Delhi, as we were hoping to make it to Agra to witness the Taj Mahal over night.
Avlok’s father had helped us secure a car and driver for the long drive, which we had been told would take about three hours. The agreed price was 2200 rupees ($55 USD) for the car, driver and gas, and remaining in Agra overnight. When it was time to pay, we were charged 3300 rupees ($83 USD), because the driver had switched on the air-conditioning, despite us having never asked. We had packed all our things and loaded them into the car that morning, and were now prepared to leave directly from the wedding.
An Indian Wedding
Posted on 03.14.08 | 3 Comments
Jewelery worn by the bride on her wedding day. March, 2008. New Delhi, India.By Adam Tait
Nearly midway through our stay in India, Tina and I had the good fortune to attend a reputably magnificent Indian wedding in the capitol, New Delhi. I have a good friend from school, Avlok Kohli, who heard we were headed to India and insisted that we attend his cousin’s wedding.
Both Tina and I are so deeply grateful that we did because it offered us a view of India that was both amazing and completely unlike anything we had seen so far, or expected to see.
For a traveller there are two completely different views of India; from the outside looking in and from the inside looking out. The extended family is the atomic institution upon which India is built, and once accepted as a family member, the world instantly lights up.
India Hates Me
Posted on 03.02.08 | 5 Comments
View into the old city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.By Adam Tait
These words are coming in the heat of passion, backed by fear for my life. Not more than a moment ago, a bee the size of a hummingbird flew in through one of the eight windows in our hotel room that does not have a screen. Both Tina and I scurried madly around the room, until I finally found an object I deemed large enough to kill the bee in a single whack. As I returned from the bathroom with a plastic pail (normally for use as a manual biday), the bee had paused on the ceiling to do an upside-down hip-hop style belly flop.
The power had just come back on, after the daily power outage, and we suspected that the bee might been drawn by the light. Tina jumped up from her spot cowering in the corner to flick off all the light switches. She exclaimed “I can’t take this anymore. I’m going outside!”, just as the bee circled the room once more. The bee landed on one of the two windows that does have a screen, and I grab the guestbook filled with names of French and British people, preparing to the trap the pest in my biday bucket. As luck would have it, the window screen was not sealed and the bee slowly waddled out. I quickly slammed the shutters behind him.
The Majesty of Udaipur
Posted on 02.29.08 | 2 Comments
Women washing clothing and bathing at Gangaur Ghat in Udaipur, Rajasthan.Tina and I have just concluded our week in Udaipur, the first city in our tour of India’s Rajasthan state. I certainly enjoyed our visit. Though, I’m not sure I can say the same for Tina, who has been caught nose deep in Harry Potter books six and seven. Luckily, I do get regular updates of which characters are killed in fictional magic battles, amidst the bright red sunsets over the fairy-tale lake.
Tina immersed in Harry Potter over lunch at Mewar Hevali. Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Alleppey (Alappuzha) Traveling Tips
Posted on 02.23.08 | 9 Comments
Malayalam Resort viewed from lake, showing day bed in yellow. Alleppey, Kerala.By Tina Su
Alleppey (Alappuzha) is one of those fantastic towns where days can drift by while relaxing with a good book and watching happy village life flow by in front of you. This sensation is in great contrast to northern India. Here, the pace is slower and people are always smiling.
Most travelers miss the gem by rushing through Alleppey and jumping straight into an overnight houseboat. We recommend that you stay in a guesthouse along the backwaters for at least one or two nights (we stayed for 6 nights). Take this opportunity to kick back and relax in one of the most chilled out places in India. We used this time to study the houseboats and decide on the type of houseboat we wanted.
A Week of Soothing Warmth: Alleppey
Posted on 02.19.08 | 1 Comment
Villager’s means of transportation: canoes. Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.Alleppey is the place of tropical dreams. Forests of palm trees. Huge networks of interconnecting backwater rivers surrounded by massive rice paddy plantations and tiny villages. Bright misty sunny days marked by brightly colored sunrises and sunsets.
The villages that line the 200 meter wide rivers seem to blend together as you pass by them. Only a narrow one-man path and a single line of palm trees separates the rivers from the hundred acre wide paddies.
Travel Tips for India
Posted on 02.16.08 | 13 Comments
Sunrise at 6:20am, Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.By Tina Su
Awoken by the sound of roosters and black birds, I crawled out of the mosquito net to meditate and to catch the sunrise in one of the most beautiful places in the world: Alleppy in Kerala, India. I am now sitting on the front porch of the simple palm tree hut where we’re staying. I can see in front of me: serene alleyways of calm rivers, rows and rows of palm trees, birds flying in schools into the horizon and hues of pinks and blues and yellows out in the sky. Occasionally, groups of two or three men will pass gracefully along the calming river in a traditional Indian gondola on their way to the morning market.
I am in love. Not just because it’s valentine’s day and we’re supposed to feel so, but because I have witnessed a slice of heaven here in South India.
Namaste from India!
Posted on 02.12.08 | 6 Comments
Adam relieved at finally arriving (Express 66, Room 205)A week has passed since we left Seattle, on our way to Delhi. Our two flights were quite long, and slightly delayed, but we landed safely. Our first few days in Delhi were entirely spent getting settled and adjusted.
The Big Day
Posted on 02.04.08 | 13 Comments
Tina’s things all in ziplock bags, ready to be packed.The day we leave for India has finally arrived. It feels so ominous, but we’re glad we finally get to leave.
We’ve passed being heavily stressed, then quietly nervous, and finally excited. The last week has been lived entirely in anticipation of this day. From trips in and out of our doctor’s offices, to strategically packing the apartment, to planning, to shopping, there have been few moments we haven’t been thinking about this trip. The last three days have been the busiest, as we packed the apartment, move to a friend’s house, and helped our subletter move in. We’ve packed, and packed, and double checked all our bags. It feels great to be fully prepared, and have a few spare moments to sit in relaxed anticipation of our first trek; to the airport.
