The Himalayas and India, February-March 2007

The Rare and Radiant Doctor Rash

2007-04-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Once upon a Himalaya, Doctor Rash went to staya,
To bring health and healing to many a needy Indian child, woman and groom.
While she toiled, in her treating, suddenly she dreamed of eating,
As in somewhere with some heating, heating of the dining room,
'Tis unbearable', she muttered, dreaming of that dining room,
'I need warmth and more legroom.'

Ah distinctly I recall, she was barely there at all,
When I heard her in a call, state that curry would be her doom.
Eagerly I tried to calm her, putting forth a nuanced demur,
To suggest that she might well prefer - to stick to basics and consume,
All those bland and boring dishes that we generally assume,
Will keep us from a freezing bathroom.

And the rugged, shear, demanding conditions on that Himalayan landing,
Thrilled her - filled her with fantastic moments that began to bloom,
So that now, she thinks with wonder of those weeks she spent down under,
On that cold, wet, rough, harsh tundr, and each frigid uninviting room,
Where she kept the Himalayans from their fate that seems to loom,
Of almost certain hygienic doom.

I had intended to go further with that poem but it's time consuming and I don't think I'm going to make it as a poet anyway. In case you don't recognize its origin you can check it out here or here (thank you Edgar).

I am certainly not in a position to adequately summarize what Karin experienced in the Himalayas. Parts were wonderful. Parts were difficult. It's all a rich tapestry, you know. Overall she did find it to be rewarding. It is also something that she wanted to do for a long time - and she dropped everything to do it. So major kudos for that.

If any of you plan on being in San Diego over the next few weeks do let us know. We are going to be having people over at some point for a personal Himalayas and India Show & Tell event. No Indian food will be served.

Final Himalayas And India Post Expected Soon

2007-04-02T05:56:00.000-07:00

This has been a very interesting ride for us. The Himalayas and India were fascinating. And writing about it in this forum has been rewarding in many ways. We intend to maintain all of the posts online indefinitely.

We are expecting to receive the balance of the Himalayas pictures shortly. When we do, we plan on the following:

1. A concluding post.

2. Uploading many of our pictures to a host-site so that you will be able to see much more of what we witnessed.

3. Hosting an evening that will include a slide show and personal harrowing accounts of what we experienced and how we managed to survive (intentionally over-dramatized to stimulate interest).

4. To begin planning our next adventure!

(Also, I was just looking at Google Analytics and we have our first readers from Dniprodzerzhyns’k. Welcome Dniprodzerzhyns’kians! What? You've never heard of Dniprodzerzhyns’k? Pathetic.)

Karin Finds A Good Spot To Read At The Taj Mahal

2007-03-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Indian Lavatorputer Room, Police Roadblock, Automobile Repair (Using A Roof)

2007-03-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

I wish to introduce to you the office that I created for myself, out of necessity, at Amanbagh (patent pending). I have yet to name it but leading contenders are: The Indian Lavatorputer Room, the Post-Curry-CPU-o-Potty, and the Internet-Where-and-When-I-Need-It Facility. The pictured office has the following benefits: 1. Extreme multitasking, 2. Instant relief from Mahatma's Revenge while blogging, 3. No need to leave the office for any reason ever again.

And now a story that I previously neglected to include: During the drive from Jaipur to Alwar (the one during which Karin was horribly ill), we had been following a Jeepish car that had about 14 people inside and at least eight others on the roof. I had been marveling at how this mob of people was managing to stay on that tiny vehicle on a highway when we suddenly came upon a police checkpoint. The police waived the overloaded car over to the side of the road. I found myself pitying the poor driver who was obviously about to receive the fine of his life (or, more likely, pay a small bribe). The Jeep driver pulled over to the side of the road and, much to my surprise, beckoned for more people to get onto the roof. Apparently there was a bus stop next to the police roadblock and the police were just helping to get people where they wanted go - regardless of how insanely dangerous the mode of travel.

And one last story: While being driven in an Ambassador through Agra, our driver announced that he was having engine trouble. He pulled over and popped the hood. He and the guide messed around under the hood for a minute and then walked over to a stall at the side of the road. The driver then climbed up on a small platform and started ripping things off a makeshift roof that he found. He was, of course, fixing his engine. In India nothing goes to waste. Even a crumbling roof can be used to fix a car engine, for example. The picture below that of our driver creating car parts out of a roof is of the "engine" of his car. Do you see an engine there? To me it looks like someone made off with his engine and left the battery, some cooling hoses, and a water-bottle. But that, ladies and gentlemen, constitutes the entire propulsion system of this fine automobile.

D E L H I ( f i n a l e m e n t )

2007-03-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Delhi became our hub in the north. Karin had flown into Delhi and had returned to Delhi following her stint in the Himalayas. I had flown to Delhi from Mumbai to meet her there. Our itinerary together ended up being Delhi - Agra - Delhi - Varanasi - Delhi - Jaipur - Alwar - Delhi. That looks like a lot of Delhi but a good portion of the Delhi time was spent either traveling or relaxing. I now present to you Jaime and Karin's Daring Delhi Diary:

On February 28, we had arranged for a “half-day tour” of Delhi through the Oberoi Hotel. They had told us that we would have a guide and driver for 4 hours. We met the guide and began our trip to Old Delhi to see the Red Fort. Forts are a big draw in India. These are enormous structures that housed small cities. They were built to protect against the constantly-marauding armies that traveled through the region in the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th centuries. They were constructed to the specifications of an emperor who would preside over the population that lived within. The Red Fort was built by the Moghuls in the 1600's. When it was originally erected, many of the structures were inlaid with gold and precious jewels. After centuries of plunder, every last bobble has been torn from every wall, floor, ceiling, and adornment. Many of the original buildings are still standing although the British Army took it over for decades and built unsightly barracks and other buildings within.

We also visited the largest mosque in India and various Ghandi (Mahatma and Indira) and Nehru memorials (there have been a lot of assassinations in India). The tour was going very well…. Then, after almost 2 hours, the guide announced that they were done. We politely reminded him that we had arranged for a 4 hour tour of Delhi. He informed us that 4 hours was based upon the time it takes when there is normal traffic in Delhi. Because it was Sunday there was no traffic at all. Our position was that we had arranged for the tour on a Sunday to avoid sitting in traffic for 2 hours. But he was adamant – and even refused our offer to pay him extra to show us the rest of Delhi. Apparently he had to be somewhere. After protesting briefly we decided to go our own way and to take it up with the hotel later on.

We had him let us off at The Imperial, a nice, centrally-located hotel. After a quick perusal of the hotel we made our way to an enormous Sikh Temple called Gurdwara Bangla Sahib. Five minutes later, we were among thousands of Sikhs. We were directed to an office where we were told to remove our shoes and to don bright orange headdresses . We then were directed to the main temple area. There was an enormous throng of people walking barefoot on wet marble. This was not pleasant for me. While interesting to see the wild rainbow of colorful turbans making its way around the compound, I could not stop thinking that I was now sharing fungal intimacies with 10,000+ people, many of whom may possibly live in less than ideal hygienic environments.

Once we were done appreciating those local customs, we made our way back to The Oberoi and complained about our guide and driver. Two minutes later, after apologies from the hotel staff, we were set up with another guide and driver for the rest of the day. We had a leisurely lunch and headed out. This time our guide was interested in showing us as much as possible until we had enough. Unfortunately we did not head out with him until almost 4:00 PM and most sites close at 5:30 PM. We rushed to the Lotus Temple, a Bahai place of worship, whose design symbolizes nine religions. The temple itself is quite nice to look at but the operation that brings thousands of people through the structure each day is really impressive.

From the temple we made our way to the Parliament Houses and the home of the President. The buildings are enormous and impressive and are overrun by monkeys. There were at least a dozen monkeys milling about when we got there. Apparently the powers that be have decided to co-exist with what are generally regarded as nuisances (the monkeys) rather than do anything drastic to be rid of them.

One amusing Delhi episode: Karin had two enormous bags from the Himalayas trip that we did not want to lug around India. We asked at the Oberoi if they would hold them for us and deliver them to us at the airport when we were leaving. The concierge suggested we use a service by the airport and gave us the details.

Thus, on our way to Varanasi, we packed the extra bags and took them to the Delhi airport. Upon arrival at the airport we went directly to the baggage check. It was in a small building to the side of a parking lot with zero security. I walked into a decrepit room with about 10 bags on shelves and no one at the wide-open door. I couldn't believe the Oberoi had suggested this. I thought to myself: A. Is someone really going to take our dirty laundry? B. If someone does take our dirty laundry, it will probably be put to very good use, and C. I am not lugging these two enormous bags around India for the next week. And so I paid the 22 Rupees (fifty cents) per bag, took the laughable receipt, tipped the guy who had shown me what to do (lest he decide to help himself to his own tip), and wished for the best.

Upon our return to pick up the bags 6 days later, almost everything was intact. In fact, we fared significantly better than I had expected. In case you are considering leaving any fine jewelry or electronics at the Delhi bag-check, I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest you find something more secure.

Fascinating Varanasi, Awful Restaurant Experience, "Dead Body Burning", No People's Court

2007-03-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

I loved the Holy City of Varanasi. Had I been a back-packer with plenty of time I would certainly have stayed there to take in the multitude of cultures, traditions, and it's unbelievably diverse population. Varanasi is extremely important to Hindus, Buddhists, and Jainists (whose priests go naked or wear masks to avoid inhaling organisms of any kind). One million Hindus make pilgrimage to Varanasi each year. And thousands come to die in Varanasi. The River Ganges is at the center of it all.

After arriving in Varanasi on February 28, 2007, we made our way to the site of Buddha’s first sermon in Sarnath. That Buddha first taught in the area is part of the reason that it is so revered. We witnessed Buddhists from all over the world chanting in diverse languages – often right next to each other, drowning each other out. Holy Buddhist sites are tranquil. While many religions preach peace, love and friendship, many also find ways to justify aggressive war, intolerance and, on occasion, violence. I don't pretend to be an expert in theology but there do appear to be some basic differences among major religions when it comes to how quick they are to resort to aggression and war. And for my next trick, I shall cut this thought off before it gets too controversial.

Following the visit to Saranath we made our way to the Holy Ganges River. Our guide and row-boat captain was an 18 year old Varanasian by the name of Babu – a good looking and very good-natured guy. Babu rowed us up the Ganges, pointing out the various Ghats that line the waterfront for miles. It’s an amazing sight – temple after temple high above the river, each with steps leading all the way down into the water. The steps are steep and continue deep into the water so that the water remains accessible regardless of tides, monsoons, etc.

That first evening we rowed up to the area where bodies of the dead are brought down to the water, wrapped in brightly colored materials. We witnessed the bodies being dipped into the Holy Ganges prior to their burning. Once the bodies are purified in the water, they are burned on pyres that rage by the Ganges. It is an unbelievable site to see the bodies being brought down in front of the families of the deceased (photography is forbidden so my pics are from afar). As with everything in India, nothing goes to waste. For example, we saw dogs gnawing on something in the smoldering remnants of older pyres - and I don't think they were rubber chew-toys. Our guide was narrating in his broken, yet charming, English: "Dead body burning take 3 hours."

After watching this incredible scene for a while we rowed back down to the Ghats and witnessed an Aarti, which is also performed along the Ganges. An Aarti is a Hindu fire ritual signifying devotion to god. In this particular Aarti, 7 men did their fire-ceremony in unison on stages about 40 feet above the Ganges.

It was a fascinating evening and was topped off with a walk back to our car through one of the busiest and most colorful markets I have ever seen. This is a market that deserves serious attention but we took it in quickly as our guide rushed us to the waiting car.

Back at the hotel (Taj Ganges), we decided to try the Indian restaurant. We ordered the Thali - a group of dishes that enables one to taste 6 or 7 of the specialties of the region. Much to our surprise, it was terrible. After tasting each of the dishes and figuring out that we didn't like a single one, I approached the maître d' and told him that the food was inedible. He apologized profusely and disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later the chef came over to our table. He also apologized and then asked what was wrong. Talk about unpleasant confrontations! "Well you are a terrible chef. I can't believe Taj hired you. You should find another profession." That's what went through my mind. Out of my mouth came a whisper in Karin's ear: "U-n-c-o-m-f-o-r-t-a-b-l-e."

We retired early that evening as we were scheduled to be up at 5:00 AM so that we could make it to the Ganges for sunrise and the morning bathing and meditation that takes place every day. And make it, we did. We were back on the Ganges with Babu early the next morning. As we rowed by each of the Ghats, we witnessed people bathing, dunking, praying, meditating, washing, shmoozing, and drinking (Ganges water). Yes, drinking the water from the Holy (and very polluted) Ganges is a Hindu and Buddhist Mitzvah.

After about an hour on the water, the sky darkened and we found ourselves in a serious downpour. Babu handed us an umbrella but he was getting soaked. He rowed to the shore and we found some shelter by a building. When the pelting rain slowed down, we got back on the boat but the sky was continuing to darken and we knew that rain was inevitable. We started to make our way back to the starting point. It was drizzling by the time we got there and so we decided to head back to the hotel. Suddenly the skies opened up and and we were in a torrential downpour. We ran through the market, took brief shelter by some shops, and then ran some more. We made it to the car, bid Babu adieu, and headed back to Taj. And that was the end of a short but fascinating stay in Varanasi.

The drive to the airport was also interesting. As always, we were weaving in and out of traffic at high speed. Suddenly, our driver hit a motorbike. Our driver was pissed. He stopped the car and waived over the motorbike driver, who immediately pulled over. Our driver yelled at him angrily, raised his hand, and then struck the motorbike driver in the face. The motorbike driver seemed to accept the scolding. He lowered his head, uttered a few words, and then returned to his motorbike. Our driver got back into the car and said “no problem”. Rather bizarre.

And if I may take just one moment to complain... I really disliked our hotel in Varanasi. We stayed at the Taj Ganges . Terribly run. As I already mentioned, the food was abominable. And they had major wifi issues. I had their tech guy working on it for almost 3 hours the first evening but he never got it working.... which is part of the reason I am posting so late. The building itself is run-down and located far from the Ganges. If I ever go back to Varanasi I would probably stay near the Ghats anyway but I would never go near the Taj Ganges. Thanks for letting me vent.

And now for some Non-India News: Unfortunately, I will not be appearing on The People's Court. I did try to follow up with them but, due to an unforseeable turn of events, I am no longer able to participate. This is rather unfortunate because A. They were going to fly us to New York, B. I really wanted to see how they run the show, and C. I could have played a Plaintiff on The People's Court! I will be posting the story of what has happened with that lawsuit, and with The People's Court, as soon as the case is resolved.

Happy Birthday Dr. Rash!

2007-03-09T02:09:00.000-08:00

From Intrepid Himalayan Explorer and Physician-to-Those-Not-Born-In-The-Right-Place-At-The-Right-Time, to San Diego Birthday Girl, Karin has come a long way over the past 6 weeks.

I am taking this opportunity to wish Karin a Very Happy Birthday. The plan for Karin's birthday is for her to work very hard all day. Then, when she is completely exhausted from a combination of seeing dozens of patients and dealing with whatever else is going on at work, plus severe jet lag, and lingering remnants of her India-borne illness, she will come home and she, HM, Dave and I will possibly go out for a non-Indian dinner. If that ends up being too ambitious a plan, we will have a quiet non-Indian dinner and she will go to sleep.

And by the way, I do realize that this photo of Karin with the Taj Mahal growing out of her head (or of Karin wearing a Taj Mahal hat) is not "properly" composed. It's kind of an inside joke (not anymore) stemming from an art class Karin took years ago. She was studying John Baldessari who, as a rejection of conventional photographic methodology, would purposely place his subjects with various background objects sticking out of their heads, etc. I call this one Taj Mahrash.

Amanbagh II, Holi and Kurta Pajama, The People's Court, Whale Watching

2007-03-08T01:19:00.000-08:00

Now that Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is appearing in the nude in Equus, exactly who will divert their attention to a blog about our travels and travails? The answer is everyone (now that I have mentioned the Naked Harry Potter)!

It's 4:00 PM in Delhi right now and I am feeling alert and energetic. Unfortunately I am not in that time zone. I am in San Diego, where it is the middle of the night. I don't know if I will be able to sleep anymore tonight. If not, I apologize in advance to my clients who may experience a somewhat lethargic interview later this morning.

And this just in: I received a letter from The People's Court upon my arrival in San Diego. They want to know if I might be interested in taking my Small Claims Case against our horrible movers to Judge Marilyn Milian. She films in New York... so perhaps we'll make a trip out of it (that would definitely be blogworthy!).

Now back to India: As mentioned in the post below, we continued our celebration of Holi on Day 2 of our stay at Amanbagh. Day 2 of Holi involves getting dressed up in Kurta Pajama and then covering everyone you can in color from head to toe. I snapped a few pics at the beginning of the fray and then a few at the end but I couldn't risk drenching the camera. Therefore the most intense part of the color war was not recorded.

Following the frenzied color exchange we all returned to Amanbagh to get cleaned up, relax, and have lunch. I had Indian food and Karin did not. In fact, I had Indian food for every meal from that time until we landed in Chicago (we were on a 15 hour American Airlines flight from Delhi to Chicago). We are both still enduring stomach issues.

Have I mentioned that travel in India is tough? Well, it is. I have traveled in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and all over Europe and North America, and I have never before felt like the traveling itself was difficult. While I thoroughly enjoyed India, found it at times fascinating, at times stunning, and at times enriching, it was, at times, difficult. There is a steep learning curve to travel in India and I think it took me almost a week on the ground and in the trenches to get up to speed. That being said, I definitely will return - especially now that I have learned the ropes (and I have Eric's credit card number).

We are scheduled to go whale-watching with my flying club (Flying Eagles) in a week. That trip involves flying private planes down to Mulege in Baja California, Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez. On Day 2 of the trip all of us fly from the Sea of Cortez side to the Pacific side and land at Laguna San Ignacio, a gray whale sanctuary. I have not done the trip before but I have seen the pictures of fellow Eagles kissing whales as they come out to greet their human guests. Looks incredible. After the whale watching the group (22 planes scheduled) flies back to Mulege for the night.

Hey, Rash just joined me in the kitchen (3:22 AM)! By the way, it's Rash's birthday tomorrow. We're babysitting but HM says we should go out for dinner. And not to Chuck E. Cheese (phew!).

Harry did offer to order Indian food for us after our arrival in San Diego. The offer alone set back Karin's recovery by a week.

Wonderful A M A N B A G H and the Celebration Of Holi

2007-03-04T04:39:00.006-08:00

It is hard to imagine a more stark contrast between life inside Amanbagh and life everywhere else we have been on this trip. It is difficult to believe that what we saw yesterday exists in the same country as what we are witnessing today.

As RJ, a Delhi-based Equity-Fund Manager that we met here, said to me earlier (and I paraphrase), "If you spend 6 weeks in India riding the trains, witnessing the stark contrasts in this country, you cannot help but become a philosopher." To give you some idea of what I am speaking of, the tiny village we visited today has no electricity. Now take the image you have of that village, and imagine the opposite... That's where we are today.

Our trip to Amanbagh:

When Karin woke up on March 3, she was not well. We both attribute that to the highly-recommended, yet unfortunate, lunch we had on top of the city wall in Jaipur. We had arranged to be picked up at 10:30 AM to be taken to Amanbagh. But Karin was not feeling up to it. When the driver arrived, I asked if he would wait. I returned to the room and asked Karin if I should tell the driver that she would not be able to go at all that day. She was hesitant at first, but I spelled out just how therapeutic Aman would be and she agreed to go.

We made our way down to the waiting car. As you can see in the first picture of this post, she fashioned a cocoon for herself in the car in an effort to endure the 2 hour ride. Getting out of Jaipur was particularly unpleasant as traffic was a mess. Once we were on the highway the drive was fine - but Karin was not. She had us stop a couple of times on the way to get some fresh air (euphemism).

While Karin may not have seen much more than the inside of her green scarf, the drive was very interesting. We passed through a number of villages and shared the road with many different modes of transportation. Ubiquitous were cars and trucks with many people on the roof. When the roof is full they they hang outside the vehicles. We saw cars built for 6 with more than 20 people hanging on - tearing down the highway! Those ovepacked vehicles share the road with, among other things, enormous trucks, tiny tuk tuks, and camels. Of course cows and other animals often wander into the middle of the road as well. This was the first time I've ever felt like driving myself would be unpleasant.

The roads in India are chaotic and obstacles are ubiquitous and dynamic. People drive so aggressively that any tiny mistake is a guaranteed accident. And, in fact, our vehicles in Delhi and Varanasi did touch other vehicles more than once (in Varanasi our driver got out of the car and slapped the driver of a motorbike that he had hit).

Eventually, we turned off the major roads and onto unpaved and little-used roads. We drove through beautiful, barren landscapes dotted with tiny rural villages. The contrast from the loud, dangerous frenzy of urban India to the quiet rural landscape was wonderful.

Arrival at Amanbagh

Driving onto the Aman property is striking. From a distinctly harsh and rugged countryside with nothing more than tiny remote villages populating the miles around it, we entered a beautiful, manicured oasis. We drove up to what resembles a modern palace and were greeted by the waiting staff, who gave us refreshing towels, introduced themselves to us, and then took Karin to the room so that she could sleep.

Walking through this serene and immaculate setting after the constant bombardment of our senses over the past 2 weeks was fantastic.

Karin went straight to sleep and slept until late afternoon. I explored the property and did some reading. Pure relaxation.

We happen to be here for the celebration called Holi (also known as the Festival of Colours). Here is part of Wikipedia's description of Holi:

"On the first day, a bonfire is lit at night to signify burning Holika. On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people go around until afternoon throwing colored powder and water at each other. A special drink called thandai is prepared, sometimes containing bhang. People invite each other to their houses for feasts and celebrations later in the evening. "

On our first evening here, the hotel brought us to a neighboring village to celebrate Holi with the villagers. They built a huge bonfire in a field in the village. We were then given long poles with vegetation tied to the the end of each. We and the villagers stuck our poles into the raging bonfire - a ritual that is used to encourage a good harvest. Once the poles were burnt, the men of the village danced around the fire while the women made a circle of their own and a few young girls danced in the middle.

Following that Holi celebration (which would continue the next day), we returned to Amanbagh for dinner. Amanbagh has a Western Menu and an Indian menu. As much as we adore Indian food, and as much as we want to eat Indian food, we are both hesitant to do so at this point as our stomachs have been sending regular SOS pleas to us for the past few days.

So, at each meal, we go through serious soul searching: Do we dare test our biological and digestive prowess again? Or do we order the club sandwich? Do we take that precarious step into the culinary abyss at another attempt at gastronomic nirvana? Or do we have toast instead?

Karin has not risked eating Indian food in days. I, on the other hand, have had it almost every meal. And I have the digestive issues to prove it.

Following dinner we made our way to our haveli (what they call each of the living spaces here) and went to sleep.

I awoke early the next morning and went on a trek to a nearby former tiger-hunting area of the Maharajahs. Built into the rock was a seat where the Maharaja could sit with his rifle. He would then have dozens or more villagers form an enormous semi-circle around the animals in the wild. The villagers would bang drums and make noise to scare the animals closer and closer to the Maharajah's seat. They would close in the semi-circle so that the Maharahs would be able to effortlessly kill the prey of their choice. I think our guide said the practice was called Hakata. It was so effective a hunting technique that tigers are now extinct in the area.

During the hike through the serene and stunning countryside, we came upon monkeys, parrots, camels, parakeets, peacocks, and a host of other creatures (luckily for them the Maharajahs' egos were connected primarily to tigers and other big game). Once at the "throne", the guides brought out ginger chai and almond cookies and we sat on rocks enjoying what was once the Maharajahs' personal playground.

On the way back, we passed through a few villages and saw small structures that are used as lookout towers. The pic below is of a villager on guard for wild animals (no tigers to worry about mind you).

Present on the hike were two attorneys from Sao Paolo and an equity investment manager (and his lab) who spent the last 7 years in Hong Kong and who has recently moved to Delhi. I learned all about how the court system works in Brazil and something about Asian equity management. It was on this walk that I was also told about another part of the celebration of Holi - that being the drinking of bhang. While I could not get a definitive answer about what the drink is, it sounded to me like the "special lassi" that I had read about while researching our trip. What I was told is that everyone drinks it, but only around the time of Holi. I made a note-to-self to ask about it back at the hotel.

Following the trek, we all had to get ready for the big Holi celebration we were going to attend in another nearby village. Holi is also known as the Festival of Colors because on day 2 of the celebration everyone gets dressed in Kurta Pajamas and then sprays everyone around them with bright colors and water. And that's exactly what we did. We headed into the village in our pristine white kurta pajamas and had a huge color and water fight with the villagers. I think the villagers won but they have had centuries of practice. Karin had a particularly intense color exchange with one little girl and ended up much more colorful than the little girl.

Once we were sufficiently ensconced in color, everyone gathered in a circle, bongos were brought out, and the dancing began... men only, mind you. Seems like the men and women dance separately, much like in the more devout reaches of our own culture.

The dancing lasted a little while and then the guests (us) were brought before the Village Elders. The Elders had remained outside the fray and had no color on them. I was handed some color and was instructed to put color on the Elders. I walked from Elder to Elder and placed color on each of their faces. What qualifies me to do such a thing? Excellent question. Maybe the Village Elders like the blog?

Following the crazed Holi color-fight and celebration, we returned to Aman and went for lunch. Western or Indian? Indian or Western. True to form, I went Indian and Karin went Western. The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool and in the library reading. Very enjoyable.

I should describe the pool and the library. The pool is magnificent. It is built out of turquoise marble and is enormous, beautiful, and surrounded by pink modified-Moghul architecture. The library is also a pleasure as it contains a fabulous collection of dozens of superb coffee-table books about Indian life, Indian art, Indian religion, Indian geography, Indian history, the Maharajas, and much more. It is a tremendous place to learn more about what we have been experiencing over the past weeks and what has transpired over the last few thousand years to evolve into modern India.

At 7:00 PM, Karin and I departed on a night-trek to a temple with our guide for Aarti, a fire ceremony performed twice daily, and at the end of holidays (such as Holi). We entered the temple and two men began an interactive drumming with each other. Each of them held a circular medal cymbal in one hand and a hammer in the other. They faced each other and would each raise one hand in unison. The one would strike the cymbal the other was holding and then they would alternate. The result was a deep trance-like rhythmic sound that filled the small marble structure.

Behind the two percussionists, an older bearded man appeared (we were later told he is a local religious leader and is 130 years old). He lifted a plate of candles and began waiving them around and chanting in a little worship room that we could partially see through a marble screen. He finished the ritual in that room and then came into ours. Once he had emerged, we could see that he had a school-bell in his other hand. As he waived the candles with one hand, he would ring the bell with the other. He went up to each of the gods that was represented in the room and waived his candles and rang his bell. Once he was done with the main temple room he went into another temple room. And then to a small worship area outside. And then to another across the street. And then to a different room across the street. Each time he would chant, waive his candles, and ring his bell, and all the while, the cymbal players continued with their own beat. Karin, for much of the ceremony, sat cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed, in mediation.

Following the end of the ceremony, we walked back to the Aman and once again faced the Western vs. Indian Menu dilemma. True to form, Karin went Western (gnocchi) and I went Indian (amazing Rajasthani lamb dish).

This morning Karin is again not feeling 100%. She canceled her morning yoga and is taking it easy. I, on the other hand, am feeling strong and healthy.

We are leaving on a flight that departs from Delhi after midnight tonight. Our trip home will involve another 2 hour drive - this time to the Jaipur airport. Hopefully Karin is feeling better by the time we leave, late this afternoon. We will then be flying Jaipur-Delhi-Chicago-San Diego. Total flying time is a bit over 20 hours.

There is much more about this trip that I have yet to post. I expect to be able to catch up a bit between flights, though it will probably not be possible to post any pictures until we are back in San Diego.

Amanbaugh is highly recommended.

Jaipur, The Pink City: Last Frenetic Stop Before Amanbagh

2007-03-02T16:52:00.000-08:00

We have arrived in Rajasthan. It's 6:15 AM on March 3, 2007. Yesterday we took an early morning flight from Delhi. Unfortunately there had been dense fog in the morning and when it cleared there was a backlog of airplanes trying to get clearances. We ended up waiting over 2 hours to get a clearance (to contact ground!) and our 30 minute flight ended up taking 3.5 hours. It's always something it seems.

After about an hour of waiting with the door closed, ready to taxi, the woman sitting next to Karin (I was by the window and she was in the middle seat), called a flight attendant over and sternly told her that she wanted to get off the plane because her meeting in Jaipur was going to be over by the time she got there. The FA was gracious and tried to calm her down but Karin's neighbor began getting really irate. The FA said she would work on it. From that point on, every time an FA came by, our neighbor would give her an earful. Finally, the pilot made an announcement over the PA and said that although he was sympathetic, it would be impossible to let people off because that would activate a bunch of security issues which would delay us significantly and might mean losing our place in the queue to get clearance (it had taken 2 hours to get from 35th to 2nd). The woman was incensed. She called over an FA and said that she would not allow the plane to take off if she was not permitted to exit immediately. The FA said they were working on it and eventually told her that security would be by to escort her off. Fifteen minutes later, the FA came by and whispered to our neighbor that she could leave. The woman was escorted off the plane and the door was closed. The pilot then came over the PA (in a thick Australian accent): Ladies and Gentlemen, We apologize for this delay. The passenger was allowed to deplane and we managed to keep our place in the queue. We will be taxiing in 2 minutes. Just so you know, that passenger did not advantage herself in any way. She was taken away by security and will be held until the plane lands in Jaipur and is cleared. It will be up to them how to handle her after that.

About 35 minutes later we were landing in Jaipur (note that driving or taking the train to Jaipur takes 5 to 6 hours on a clear day). Once in Jaipur we grabbed a cab (through the "government prepaid office") and headed to the Sheraton Rajputana. The hotel itself is nothing to blog home about but it was really hard to get anything so last-minute in Jaipur.

We had decided to do a walking tour of the old city that is laid out in Lonely Planet Rajasthan. I had a train ticket that I had to cancel and the concierge told us that the train station was just behind the hotel - "walking distance".

Karin, I apologize for that walk. While it only took 4 or 5 minutes, it was disgusting. When people, cows, dogs, monkeys, and goats use roads as lavatories, they require regular street cleaning. As street cleaning has apparently not yet come to Jaipur, pedestrian activity is to be avoided.

We arrived at the train station, and while there was not a word of English on any of the signs, a couple of people in line immediately offered to help me navigate and I quickly ended up in the correct line with the correct form and accurate instructions as to how to proceed. People here are are constantly offering assistance (not just the touts).

Once the ticket was canceled we grabbed a cab and headed to the New Gate of the Old City. We had lunch at Ganesh Restaurant, which was recommended by Lonely Planet. Tons of tourists use the Lonely Planet guide so the place was full of non-Indians - even though it did not even have an English menu. It was actually an open-air concept on top of the old city wall itself. Food was tasty but neither of us reacted well to it. I think that is going to be our last adventurous meal of the trip... particularly since we are soon heading to Amanbagh.

Following a tasty lunch, we headed into the bazaars of the Old City. There are hundreds and hundreds of tiny shops - most with someone outside trying to pull people inside. Karin was tiring of being constantly approached by shopkeepers and others trying to sell us silk and silver and saris and... sweets (had to find something that started with "s"). But I was getting into it. I was haggling over prices and kidding with them. It's fun to see how fast the prices plummet when walking away from a shop. The further into Jaipur we got, the fewer tourists we saw, and the less we were approached. I don't think Karin enjoyed that walk as much as I did.

As you might expect, cows are all over Jaipur... but so are monkeys. It's quite something to be surprised by a dozen monkeys that show up out of nowhere and sit down to take in the view.

The walking tour ended at what I am guessing is the only McDonald's in Jaipur. We checked out the menu (click on the pic to see Paneer Wrap and more) and used it as an emergency bathroom stop. We then crossed the street to negotiate for a ride back to the hotel. Our choices were a taxi-van or a tuk tuk type open motorized 3-wheeled vehicle. Since we had paid 50 Rupees for a taxi (Ambassador) coming to the Old City, we balked at the 150 Rupees that the taxi driver quoted us. He immediately went to 100 Rupees. We told him we would pay the 50 Rupees (~$1.15) that we had paid to get there. He balked at that. After a serious standoff he was at 80. We then turned to the tuk tuk driver who was offering to take us for 50 then 40. Karin took over this negotiation. She was really standing her ground. Eventually the tuk tuk went to 35 rupees ("lower than Indian price") and Karin had squeezed the taxi driver down to 60 Rupees. We agreed to the 60 and took the taxi. The tuk tuk driver, who had been negotiating hard to get our business shook my hand warmly and smiled after we told him we'd be taking the taxi instead. I think he had enjoyed the 3-way bargaining session.

As soon as we were back at the hotel, Karin hit the bed. I, on the other hand, hit the internet. For the third time since I arrived, we failed to muster enough of an appetite to actually have a real dinner.

Overall I really enjoyed Jaipur. The haggling was fun and I like interacting with the shopkeepers and Jaipurians, and especially with the cute kids that are always interested in talking to us. I could do without the begging and the touting and the horrendous smells (I'm gagging just mentioning them) but that is part of the cost of visiting these places and one learns how to minimize that exposure after a while.

Here is the blog plan: Since I neglected to post for a number of days, I have a backlog waiting to be added. I'm going to post about all that from Amanbagh over the next 3 days. This is going to be a welcome respite following the hectic pace at which our senses have been confronted over the past week and a bit.

The pictures posted here are of some of the shops we walked by, lunch in the Old City of Jaipur, the Jaipur McDonald's, and a busy Old City roundabout replete with vehicles speeding in every direction and cows.

Thoughts About Travel In India

2007-03-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the delay in posting. We do not always have internet access and often when we do, we do not have time to sit and create a post. I have been writing on the planes but some of it needs editing. For now, here are some thoughts about travel in India:

It is now 12:00 PM on February 28^th. We are on a Spice Jet 737 at 35,000 feet heading for the Holy City of Varanasi. Spice Jet is one of the many new airlines in India. This one is rather similar to Southwest in that it uses only one type of plane to minimize training and maintenance costs, has no first class section, is quite inexpensive, and is ticketless.

Travel in India is at a watershed. The introduction of multiple low-cost competitors to Air India, coupled with the availability of online booking for air and train travel and the presence of very low-cost cellular service are about to transform this country into an easy country to navigate – the operative point being that it is “about to” transform travel… It’s not quite there yet. Right now there are many growing pains: the websites are often not working properly – both for train and air booking, and the airlines do not accept foreign-issued credit cards, making it extremely difficult for us to book flights. I ended up having to use an agent for some tickets and for others Eric graciously let us use his India-issued credit card (let me know if you are booking India travel and I'll pass on the number).

Rail travel is ubiquitous and inexpensive (16,000,000 passengers per DAY!) but there are many delays, its website needs considerable rethinking, and their booking system only works properly about 50% of the time.

Travel by road is a mess. Traffic is awful, conditions are poor, and road rules are either non-existent or largely ignored. Add to all of the above that there is corruption at every turn and you can see that there is room for improvement.

But it is changing incredibly quickly right now. I think in 5 to 7 years traveling here will be considerably easier and more efficient. That is the primary reason that we have cut Jaisalmer out of our itinerary. Air travel through Rajasthan will be ubiquitous soon enough and there will be no reason to endure 15-hour train rides. We’ll come back in 5 years to test that theory on Rajasthan.

I see two primary ways to travel in India while still avoiding the constant touting and tenacious begging: Probably the best way to do it is by knowing people who live here. If you travel with locals you will see a side of India that is wonderful while avoiding the pitfalls that otherwise cannot be completely controlled (true anywhere really but more so here). If that is not a possibility, joining a tour group that has a good reputation and decent itineraries would also work. These companies arrange all travel, take care of pick-ups and drop-offs that avoid the touts, and are ready with contingencies when things (inevitably) do not go as planned. I know National Geographic sponsors travel here but there are probably dozens of decent companies that do so.

The alternative is to be aware that your taxi windows will often be knocked on when you are stopped in traffic, you will be approached and sometimes followed through train stations (not in a menacing way – but it’s annoying), and someone will often be trying to sell you some product or service that you have no interest in. It is very inexpensive to do it this way but it does cost in other ways.

I will be posting about Delhi, Varanasi and Jaipur shortly. We've seen some amazing things. And some other things too. Our flight to Jaipur is boarding.

Taj Mahal And Complete Itinerary Change

2007-02-27T01:41:00.000-08:00

I am sitting by the pool watching hundreds of Kites hovering effortlessly above Delhi, searching for prey. They are magnificent raptors and fill the entire Delhi sky. I also saw them hovering in Mumbai but they are ubiquitous here. They must be floating on thermals because they hover for hours and never flap their wings.

Yesterday (now 2 days ago) we went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. The Taj makes it onto most wonder-of-the-world lists, although it is not an official one of the Canonical 7.

Let's start with what was wonderful about the trip to Agra. The Taj is stunning. The stark white marble structure is breathtaking. Walking onto the grounds and from a rather dismal town of Agra and being confronted by this heavenly structure is quite an ethereal experience.

The trip to Agra was also very pleasant. I had booked an express train (Shatabdi Express) that left at 6:00 AM. The train was very comfortable. The breakfast they served was quite good, and we left and arrived on time.

Also nice was visiting the Baby Taj. This is also a mausoleum. It's not nearly as grand as the Taj but it also does not attract crowds the way the Taj does. I think there were about 4 people there with us - as opposed to thousands at the Taj Majal.

But not everything was smooth sailing. My research had yielded the following: 1. Go with the "government pre-paid" taxis and drivers by making the arrangements at the government office in Agra. 2. Since the only express train back to Delhi is at 8:30 PM, do your Agra sightseeing and then get on whatever train is leaving for Delhi when you are done (there are about 10 over the course of the day). 3. Do not bother staying in Agra as there is not much to see beyond the Taj.

And this is how it actually worked out: We were accosted by touts as soon as we were off the train in Agra - on the platform. One guy latched on to us and even though I said "no" 10 times, he followed us to the government office. I spoke to the government "official" who sold me the official ticket for the official day-tour and gave me the official paper to give to the official driver. He then pointed to the tout that had accosted us on the platform. This did not please me. Obviously the touts and the officials work together now.

We went to the tout's car and told him what we wanted to see. He was nice enough and agreed to start with the Taj Majal and then to go from there. From the beginning we felt some resistance to just doing things the way we wanted them done. He had an idea of an itinerary and while he would agree to what we wanted he did so begrudgingly. As the day progressed, our itineraries diverged. He became quite adamant that we visit some "government shops" which we would love. We had told him no a number of times. Once we made it clear that we had no interest he started begging us to go because he gets paid by the shops and that just a few minutes of our time would make a huge difference in his life. In the end we did agree to go to one of the shops both because he was getting something out of it and to alleviate some of the tension that had built up in our taxi.

After visiting the Taj, the Fort, and Baby Taj, we were ready to get out of Agra. While the sites were nice, the constant harassment by touts made everything leading up to each site unpleasant. We were constantly saying no. And they do not accept no. Apparently they have learned that "no" really means "maybe" and they milk that maybe-disguised-as-a-no as far as humanly possible.

There is much more that I could write about the day and maybe I will later - but we are leaving soon for Varanasi and I have to wrap up this post so we can get going. I'm going to skip to the trip back.

We got to the train station and bought a ticket that could be used on any train (and upgraded according to availability and bribability). Unfortunately every train was significantly delayed - up to a few hours for some of them. We made our way to platform 2 where a 3:30 train was leaving at 4:40. Platform 2 must not see a lot of caucasians because we both became aware that we were being stared at. Eventually we moved to another part of the platform where there were fewer people. While we waited we were approached by shoe-shine people. Once again the word "no" was quite ineffective as one guy went so far as to start applying some cream even after my 5th adamant "no".

Once on the train we settled into a berth. When the conductor came by he told us it would be another 320 for us to sit in the 2AC class. I paid him and he wrote out a complicated receipt. As he was wrapping up, the guy that we had been chatting with across from us, told the conductor that he had made a mistake and had undercharged us. They went through the complicated fare-book together and came up with a way to demand another 200 Rupees from us. I thanked our neighbor profusely for his dedication to setting things in India straight. Must be the fist time in history that anyone ever paid the official upgrade rate on a train.

Upon arrival in Delhi we had another unpleasant tout experience - no time to tell - but it was enough to convince us to change the rest of our itinerary in India. We will now fly to Varanasi. Then we will train only to Jaipur. We are cutting out Jaisalmer altogether. Since air service is going to soon be ubiquitous in this country there is no reason to endure the long rides that are so vulnerable to delay, touting, and other unpleasantness.

The only problem with our sudden late-date change is that this is really really high season and hotels are astonishingly scarce. We have manged reservations but they're not ideal.

I'm out of time. Email us and let us know what is happening with you all. Will write when we have more time.

xoxo

The Reunion, Italian Dinner, Debate, Farewell

2007-02-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

We're together! Amazing as it may seem, all of our planning actually worked out and we ended up in Delhi at the same place at the same time. When I pulled up at The Oberoi I grabbed my bags and started for the entrance - through the 30 or so guests and staff cajoling for cars. I hadn't seen Karin and Anjum standing outside but luckily Anjum spotted me and called out my name just before I disappeared into the abyss. Here's the scene:

I heard my name and turned to see Karin smiling in the distance. Our eyes met, and suddenly everyone went silent, stopped moving, and turned their attentions intently on us. Then some classic Bollywood tune started playing. All the men gathered behind me and all the women gathered behind Karin... and started dancing. Oh how they danced! Time slowed down and we started running into each other's arms. Karin's hair was blowing in the wind, her sarong falling particularly beautifully in the moonlight... and I looked dashing in my Armani suit and white tie. As the dancers became more and more frenzied, we ran faster and faster into each other's arms, culminating in an incredible passion-induced embrace that seemed to last only a moment but in fact went on well into the next number. I wish you could all have been there (can never hurt to have more back-up dancers, you know).

Well, it was great to see Karin - and Anjum. They were outside because Anjum was just about to leave. And leave she did. After three and a half weeks together, Anjum and Karin bid each other adieu and Anjum drove off, leaving Karin with me! We made our way into the hotel chatting about what her trip had been like.

We then went upstairs and [PORTION EDITED OUT IN THE NAME OF DECENCY BY THE INDIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNET DIGNITY AND BLOGWORTHINESS]. Harry came back from the spa soon thereafter and by 10:00 PM we were having dinner in the ITALIAN restaurant here. Karin and Harry are apparently done with Indian food for a long long time (that's what Karin thinks). Dinner was delish. Inspired by a particularly good pasta dish, Harry will be learning Italian next year and we intend to parlare solamente in italiano thereafter.

We discussed their impressions of the trip, of India, of capital punishment, and of legalization of drugs. Harry is going to send out an email eventually but here is a brief summary of what they (primarily Harry) expressed to me (correct me if I'm wrong) in the form of debate and dialogue:

1. The ratio of lack-of-comfort to difference-they-were-making was too high. While they were willing to endure being cold and wet, without toilets and plumbing and general rudimentary conveniences, they would have preferred to make those sacrifices somewhere even more remote, helping people who had even less access to health care. You just can't satisfy these people when it comes to helping people in need.

2. Harry had his fill of India.

3. Harry supports a basic libertarian view of how governments should be approaching legislation in general.

After an enjoyable meal and at around midnight, we gathered Harry's things and accompanied him to the lobby for his farewell scene (fewer dancers but still good energy). He then left for the airport for his 2:30 AM flight (international flights arrive and leave at crazy times in India - usually in the middle of the night).

By the time he left I had been totally exhausted for hours... following my 2 hour sleep the previous night (if you call 6AM to 8AM "night") and no nap! We got back to the room and I passed out. I think Karin was using the internet at the time. I slept for almost 6 hours! I think I have finally acclimatized.

It's 9:30 AM now. We will have breakfast and then will explore Delhi. We are scheduled to do a day trip to Agra tomorrow and then to leave for Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan the next day. Karin and I have not had a chance yet to finalize our itinerary but will do so by tonight.

Tea with Tibetan Monk, Bus Ride From Hell, Delhi Haven

2007-02-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

It's 3:15 pm in Delhi. We arrived early this morning. Recap:

Yesterday morning A and I awoke at 5:40am to catch morning prayers at the Namgyal monastery near the Dalai Lama's palace. Before entering the temple we removed our shoes and placed them on the racks. The sign above the racks said, "make sure that your shoes are not stolen by someone."

We watched rows of monks chanting in the low-pitched gutteral tones interspersed with bells ringing. It was very spiritual once my stiff body got accustomed to sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor for an hour. It's amazing what six straight nights of camping does to your flexibility. I did manage to meditate for a few minutes at the end. It was surreal.

After that we strolled on the footpath around the complex. We got a bit lost and walked back (we were walking in the wrong direction, or as is written on the signs, "circumambulate this way"). [Oh, and on the roads in Himachal there were speeding signs with interesting wording like, "If married, divorce speed"]

Yesterday's highlight was having tea with our monk friend Gelek. After a yummy Tibetan lunch on the patio of Chonar House, A and I decided to check out the monastery office to see if he was there. Luckily he was, and he invited us to sit for tea. It was awesome (both the tea and the experience).

The rest of the day was spent wandering around Mcloud Ganj. It was a beautiful sunny day so we basked in the sun. It was great to feel some warmth at last.

Ok, onto the bus ride. We were due to get on a 12-hr overnight bus to Delhi leaving at 6pm. Our luggage was strapped on top of the bus, and we crammed inside. The bus was not chartered for us alone, and we were asked to leave the first 10 seats empty. Which we did. But once the 10 additional passengers got on, their tickets showed seats 11+12 (where A and I were sitting). Even though there was room to shuffle them around to fit, they refused, and after much debate, A and I decided to just suck it up and sit with strangers one row ahead. It was not really a big deal until Anjum realized that the woman next to her would need the window wide open for the entire trip (due to motion sickness). It was quite cold by then. So we offered her a dramamine, and by chance the lady accepted (what a relief!) She was asleep 10 minutes later and Anjum reached across and closed the window. Where else would someone accept an unknown drug from a total stranger?

Ok, so we thought we were set! But then the roads were windy and within one hour five of our team had vomited in make-shift barf bags (including one in the row behind us). The windows were opened. We were cold again. After three hours the roads were less twisty. But we were not in the clear, because our inconsiderate passengers had reclined their seats back to their fullest, leaving about one inch of leg room. I'm not usually one to complain about that sort of thing, but the seat was touching my knees! Me! I took another dramamine to put myself in a coma. It worked until my freaking tiny bladder woke me up to go. Picture this: six American (and Canadian) women lined up on the Indian roadside squatting as oncoming traffic passes by.

The only reprieve from all this was my neighbor Tenzin, who turned out to be a really nice Tibetan guy on his way back home to Delhi. He escaped Tibet nine years ago with his brother on a six week trek across the Himalayas with a group of 40 people. They ran out of food, shoes worn through, but still managed to reach Nepal with the entire group in good health and without frostbite! He was somewhat clausterphobic so I offered him some dramamine. That drug is a life-saver.

We finally reached Delhi at around 6:30am and at Harry's insistance headed straight to the lovely Hotel my mother had reserved for us. That was a great move. The first thing I did was go to the lobby restroom to wash my hands and face and dry them with a perfectly white, soft, face towel. Bliss...

A's friend Ritika later picked us up for some brief shopping for gifts, followed by a hearty (non-Indian! non veggie!) meal of pizza and pasta with fries on the side. Yum!

Jaime will be here in a few hours. We will have dinner with Harry and send him off to the airport at midnight. Then Jaime and I we will begin our Rajastan holiday. Yay!

The medical expedition is over. It was a great experience that has had a profound impact on me. I do not necessarily feel transformed, but I certainly have a greater appreciation of my luxuries back home; namely, clean, potable, heated water, and accessible quality healthcare. Obviously I have a lot more to say, but will leave that for individual conversations with all of you.

:)
Karin

Mumbai Continued: Parsi Food, Chai Tea & Bread and Butter. Art Galleries.

2007-02-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's 5:30 AM. Eric was just telling me about his experience as a fellow Wall Street Journal journalist in the region when Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered. They had collaborated on stories and he had been staying in Daniel's guest house. I definitely have to read A Mighty Heart, Mariane Pearl's account of the tragedy.

This morning was not particularly productive as my friends here slept through most of it while I wandered his apartment in a daze, cursing Hypnos (god of sleep) for his sadistic decision to torment me so.

We ended up going for lunch at Britania, a great Parsi restaurant, and walking around Kala Ghoda, Mumbai's premier art district. We visited a few galleries and then went into Yazdani Bakery for chai tea and bread with butter. Eric and Zainab also took me through Watson's Hotel, which was built in England in the 1860's. It opened in Mumbai as an exclusive whites-only hotel, which eventually inspired the founding of the incredible TAJ group of hotels by Jamsetji Tata. Watson's was the swankiest hotel in Mumbai for much of the early 20th century but eventually lost favor and was finally sold in 1960. The hotel was closed and tiny offices were haphazardly built within. Eric describes it as a great example of how lease law in India can turn magnificent buildings into blights as landlords cannot evict tenants or raise rents and so have no incentive to conduct even minimal maintenance. The building is a shambles - and is largely occupied by lawyers (see pic from lobby), which attests to its utter failure to remain a productive and decent component of modern society.

Land use issues are a common and seemingly ubiquitous theme in urban India. Not only do landlords get stuck with tenants paying almost no rent, but squatters will move into almost any building that is not guarded 24/7. Because squatters are numerous and vote (as opposed to the wealthy who tend to vote much less), politicians make unrealistic promises to them to get elected. The result is a protected class of people who are keeping large portions of cities from being properly developed as politicians and squatters perpetuate a symbiotic, but ultimately very destructive, democratically entrenched downward spiral into decay and blight.

Following our walk in Kala Ghoda we returned to Eric's place for a desperately needed nap (I had slept 2 hours the night before and was exhausted). Eric woke me at 10:00 PM so that we might continue our intensive tour of Mumbai's nightlife. We ended up at Dome on the roof of the Intercontinental Hotel - modern hotel and a beautiful view from the roof. When that closed, we headed to Henry Tham's. And when that closed we headed home.

It is now 10:00 AM on Feb 24. I'll be seeing Karin today! Once again I slept from just before 6:00 AM until around 8:00 AM and was painfully unable to sleep anymore.

This afternoon I will be heading to Delhi on Kingfisher Airlines. My source tells me that Vijay Mallya, the Chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, is the Indian version of Richard Branson. Apparently he runs a very good airline.

This evening Karin and I will be able to answer the question posed in the very first post on this website. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to that mystery and to our upcoming Rajasthan adventure.

Mumbai: From Bollywood To Child Labor; The Heat, The Smells, The Slums, The Party

2007-02-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

What a confusing title! But Mumbai (Bombay) is, in many ways, a juxtaposition of diverging socio-economic, environmental, and class distinctions.

Eric lives on the 28th floor of a fine building in a very nice part of town (Colaba). His 300+ degree view of the city and ocean is spectacular. From the apartment it's possible to watch the daily catch coming in, people enjoying themselves in a beautiful manicured park, a shanty-town surrounded by upscale condominiums, and the daily buzz of a vibrant city.

Yesterday morning Eric took me to the docks where the fish come in and are cleaned by a small army of workers. As we entered the area we were told that photographs were not permitted. In fact, we were repeatedly told that as we walked through even though we had no camera visible. There were hundreds of people - mostly female - kneeling on the concrete cleaning fish, shrimp, and squid. Of the fish workers, a good portion of them were young children (probably why pictures are not permitted).

The smell was absolutely disgusting - thousands of pounds of fish coming through daily, much of their carcases discarded and rotting on the hot pavement (high yesterday was 94), and every few blocks a corner that served as a makeshift lavatory (based on the abominable smells that were confronting us). I did not get any pictures but that's one image that will stick (and I mean stick) with me for a long time.

That walk did not last long but we were both exhausted from it and returned to his place to relax. Eventually we headed out for lunch (or breakfast depending how you define these things). We ended up at Rajdhani in the Crawford Market for unlimited gujrati thali - as in a set menu, an army of staff that kept the plates full of vegetarian Indian food, and quickly being ushered out as soon as we were done. Very efficient. And quite delicious. Cost of that feast was in the $3 range.

We then walked through the Crawford Market. People were asleep everywhere - on the ground, in baskets, on tables. You name it, and it's a bed in India.

We returned home and napped. I woke up just in time to go out for dinner. Our friend Fabio arrived from Pune. I only ever knew Fabio with a buzz-cut but now he's sporting long flowing locks. He resigned from Merrill Lynch a couple of years ago and has started a consulting firm here. Was good fun to see him.

We headed out at about 9 PM for dinner at a rooftop Indian restaurant (not vegetarian this time). Gorgeous place. Food delish. And apparently the sheesha was good too - though that's not something I enjoy. We mostly talked about our days at SAIS and what life is like in India.

Following din din, Eric's friend Zainab joined us and we headed to Olive - a popular hangout for Bollywood types. Lots of beautiful people. Eric knew everyone.

One of the first people we met there was Asad Shan - Veejay on B4U. He does exist, as evidenced by the 54,100 returns that Google gave me. This from Wired Magazine:

Asad Shan was working as an investment banker in London when he decided to jump ship and start a new career in modeling and acting. After a stint at the New York Film Academy, and some success on the runway in England, he moved to Mumbai, hired an agent, and is busy trying to make a name for himself.

Apparently there are a lot of people moving here to take advantage of the booming Bollywood entertainment industry. Check out this BBC article where Asad is also featured. We also met Vibhav Krishna, Mumbai Entertainment Lawyer to the Bollywood Stars.

We hung out at Olive until about 1AM and then headed to the J.W. Marriott to a place called Enigma. Fabio had a 6:30 AM flight to Goa and our plan was to stay out most of the night and then to take him to the airport.

Enigma was loud and jumping and good fun (thanks to my earplugs). We were there when it closed at 3:00 AM and then grabbed a bite in the Marriott's restaurant. Fabio from Rimini ordered... pizza! And enjoyed it!

We drove Fabio to the airport and were back at Eric's place by 5:30 AM. And then the unthinkable happened... I got on the computer and Eric's connection died! Waking him up to reconnect did cross my mind but I caught myself and headed to my bedroom. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was... sunrise. Eric can run up walls.

This morning I woke up at 8:30 AM. I was completely and utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. Thankfully Eric came out to briefly check his email shortly thereafter and I again have internet access. And by 9:00 our Agra train tickets arrived at the front door.

Tomorrow I shall fly to Delhi to be reunited with Karin! Tomorrow evening dinner with the trio. Then Karin and I shall then begin the rest of our adventure together in India.

The Dalai Lama won' t give us an interview. What a shaft!

2007-02-22T05:08:00.000-08:00

It's 6:40 pm in Dharamsala. We are having a great day.

Awoke at 7:00am, showered (!), and eventually headed out. Despite having enough hot water, I still felt the need to take a bucket bath instead of shower.

We decided to head to the Dalai Lama's temple complex, but got delayed due to many interesting Tibetan shops on the way. When we finally arrived, we were clueless as to what to see because neither Anjum or I had a book explaining the site. So I stopped some Monks until I found an English-speaking one and asked him if there were any guides available. He hesitated, and then started explaining the whole complex to us. He was very sweet. His name is Gelek, he is 20 yrs old, and has been living in the monastery here for 10 years. He is originally from Bhutan. So he pointed us in the right direction, and recommended we walk on a footpath around the complex. He would have liked to take us, but he was wearing a western-style shirt under his robe, and said he would get in trouble (turns out he had just been visiting a cousin- hence the western dress). He asked us to stop by the administrative office later to say hello (we did go by later in the day but the office was closed).

We visited the temple, the bookstore, and the Tibet museum (and souvenir shop, of course). The museum was especially interesting (and disturbing) as it recounted the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and subsequent persecution of its people. The temple complex was full of monks, tourists, and locals meditating, praying, and soaking in the spiritual atmosphere. We had a sense of well-being.

We tried to say hello to the Dalai Lama, but alas he is on a meditation retreat and is in seclusion for 10 days. Anjum tried sweet-talking the Indian guard by telling him she was from Uttar Pradesh (Indian state), but he didn't cave.

So we consoled ourselves by having lunch at an awesome Tibet restaurant (Snow Lion) accompanied by the best tea we have had yet (not butter tea-gross!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent strolling around Mcloud Ganj and doing some more shopping.

Ok, gotta go, we are late for dinner.
Oh, I spoke to Jaime this morning- we meet up on the 24th in Delhi!

Namaste!
Karin

Karin And I Are In The Same Country. Tout Story.

2007-02-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Landed in Mumbai at 1 AM (technically Feb 22). Eric's driver, Ram, picked me up at the airport and took me to Colaba, where Eric lives. Arrived here about 2 AM. Total travel time door to door (Del Mar-Colaba) is in the vicinity of 32 hours.

Tourists are constantly complaining about so-called "touts" in India. These are the locals - usually taxi drivers - that constantly and tenaciously accost foreigners to try to get hired. They are particularly aggressive around train stations and airports where tourists report having really awful and unrelenting experiences with them.

So... Eric had told me that his driver would be waiting with a sign outside the terminal. I collected my bags and headed out - around 1:30 AM. There were dozens of people out there - mostly taxi drivers. And at least 25 signs being held up with individuals' names. I went through each one carefully but my name was nowhere to be found. I waited a few minutes and then decided that I had to call Eric to see if anyone was actually at the airport to meet me. I returned to the terminal and went up to a taxi guy and asked how I make a local call. He pointed to a phone and said "You have to call from that blue phone. You have to put one Rupee in for it to work." I had no rupees. And to get one Rupee (about 2.2 cents) was going to be a big pain in the butt. So I just kind of stared at him for a moment with a confused and forlorn look on my face (which is exactly what I was feeling). After about 10 seconds he reached into his pocket and gave me a Rupee. My very first act in India was out-touting a tout! Or, as Eric puts it, I landed in India and immediately started begging.

I thanked him profusely, made the call, found Ram, and was driven to Eric's apartment. We chatted for an hour and now it's bedtime. It's great to be here. Total sleep over the past 35 hours is approximately 2 hours.

Above is a pic from the plane after leaving London Heathrow.

Hello from McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala)

2007-02-21T02:31:00.000-08:00

Just arrived in Dharamsala. It's cold and wet. Again. But we had 2 dry days in a row previously. So the 1st thing we did on arrival: Anjum soaked clothes for laundry, Harry checked himself into the nicer Hotel next door. A + I were debating if we should join him, but I thought that as acting lead I should suck it up and stay with the group. The 'Hotel' is the same as the others- 40 yr old carpet and bedding, unheated, one small space heater. Small water heater. But it is a luxury after 6 nights of camping.

Can't say much yet about Dharamsala except that we have spotted some white people and monks. There are many small Tibetan shops that we plan to visit. Don't know if the Dalai Lama is in town, but we will find out about visiting his complex.

We are not actually in Dharamsala. We are in Mcleod Ganj which is the smaller, nicer, tourist spot where the Dalai Lama lives (upper Dharamsala).

As for the last few days, we had 2 busy clinic days. yesterday we saw 211 patients. Our busiest yet. Overall, we did not see as many patients as expected. Only about 1500 total. So many dermatologic and eye complaints. Also a lot of osteoarthritis and general wear and tear from the difficult lifestyle. Occasionally we come upon someone with a rare disorder that we vaguely remember reading about in med school. I am keeping a list of things to look up upon my return.

Our last camp site (outside of Chowari) was lovely. But due to rain we were bummed out for much of the 6 night stay there. Also, everyone was sick (by everyone I mean ~75% of the team). And we revolved some people in and out of a local guest house- basically room with a toilet, heater, and shower- so they can have their diarrhea without having to trek to the bathroom tents (hole in the ground that became disgusting after prolonged use). Harry was there for 2 nights. Anjum stuck it out in the tent. It is unclear what the illness was, but most people are treating themselves for Typhoid. We will probably all de-worm ourselves as a precaution. And will throw in some scabies treatment to boot.

I am dependent on hand sanitizer, baby wipes, and pepto bismol. So far it has worked for me. Except that my hands have lost several layers of skin and perpetually taste like chemicals. I immediately washed them with soap and water on arrival- what a luxury.

When we get back to our room A+I plan to shower. We have do do that very quickly so as not to use up all the hot water in the heater. The second showerer gets the shaft. I have not taken a proper shower since I don't know when. But I have become very efficient at the bucket-bath.

So we have 2 nights here, and on the 23rd take an overnight bus to Delhi. No more clinic. Just free time. We plan to explore and relax. We have internet and phone access, so feel free to write!

Love to you all.

Karin

On My Way to Mumbai II

2007-02-21T00:42:00.000-08:00

Now at London Heathrow. LHR is just not a pleasant airport. After finally getting to my departure terminal I was told that I could only bring one of my two bags that I had been carrying from San Diego through security. They told me to stuff one into the other. That would have been impossible so I stepped aside and sort of bound them together with their straps and that was acceptable.

The flight from JFK was pleasant. First, I watched My Bollywood Bride, for obvious reasons. The opening scene was of a Californian dude arriving in Mumbai and being accosted by touts (the people that are constantly trying to get foreigners to hire them). That's going to be me in 9 hours! TheCalifornia dude was going to India to meet a girl - just I am! The parallels end there, however. He is going to seek out an Indian woman that he had met in Santa Monica. They had some kind of relationship and then she suddenly left. Upon his arrival in Mumbai he discovers that she's a huge Bollywood starlette! You'll have to rent it to see what happens.

After My Bollywood Bride I read. First I read The Economist which was largely about how it is likely that George Bush will launch an attack on Iran for various reasons. They believe the clincher is that he doesn't have to answer to anyone now (can't be re-elected) and will be concerned about his legacy (which is looking rather dismal right now).

Following The Economist I read the February edition of Wired. Very interesting article in there that basically tears apart Terry Semel's management of Yahoo! The author's position is that Semel has no clue about the tech side of things and Google is, technically speaking, everything that Yahoo! is not. Semel's a great marketer and deal seeker/maker (though he did blow a chance to buy Google early on) but Google is engineering-first and in the tech world you can't catch up by relying on marketing.

And finally, I did the Tuesday New York Times crossword. Did any of you try Feb 20's NYT crossword? That's a Wednesday if I ever saw one! Unless you happen to be very knowledgeable about Sidney Poitier's career, I suppose.

And this is a cool picture (at least it is for IFR pilots): It shows our route of flight coming into LHR. We had been asked to enter a holding pattern and soon thereafter we were released and told to fly the approach. You can see the pilot's teardrop entry into the pattern and then, just after entering the 4th leg, she does a 270 degree turn to the right to enter the approach. At least that's my theory.

On My Way to Mumbai

2007-02-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

Mail & newspaper on hold. House secure. Plants watered. Everything turned off. Online accounts in vacation mode. Everything packed. Work files under control. Actually, one of my clients called me at home yesterday. I really dislike that. But in this case it was for a good cause - a demand letter I had written seems to have worked even though I had put it in the outbox after hours on Friday. I called my office and left word to stop the letter if it hasn't gone out.

I'm at the airport awaiting my flight: SAN-JFK-LHR-BOM. The first two flights are on AA and the last flight is on BA. While I do enjoy flying, this is going to be one long trip.

Update: At JFK now. Uneventful flight. They showed The Prestige. This airport is way overheated. Maybe they forgot to turn down the heat now that the one week of actual winter weather has passed. I'm in a t-shirt and I'm warm. The Jet Blue terminal is still surrounded by television crews. Probably leftover from the fiasco last week.

Picture is from the plane as we taxied to our gate at JFK.

Beautiful, Productive Day In The Himalayas. Karin In Charge. Singing. Dancing. I'm Leaving Tomorrow.

2007-02-18T22:28:00.000-08:00

I just received a call from Dr. Rash. Today was a gorgeous day in the Himalayas. The team saw over 150 patients and there were many interesting cases. Lots of scabies and rashes. A fair number of years-old untreated spinal fractures. And they are seeing more of the heart-breaking mental-retardation cases where there is little that can be done.

Only 6 people out of the entire team has avoided sickness. Of our Intrepid Trio, only Karin has stayed consistently strong. I have had Karin on a steady diet of hearty Indian fare for the past decade and I attribute her resilience to my own resolute commitment to banghan bharta, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, and raita.

The other physician on the trip decided that, since the sickness was of unknown origin, they should treat for typhoid (a la Dr. House for those of you familiar). So everyone was put on antibiotics. Karin's thought that more of a wait and see approach might be better - as in wait and see who slips into a coma and then treat.

Karin also described an incredible hike they took from a high mountain pass. They all got our of their Jeeps at 10,000 feet and had a wild no-holds-barred snowball-fight with the drivers. They then hiked up an additional 1500 feet and arrived at a peak that was absolutely spectacular. Incredibly memorable experience.

The lead of the trip has now departed. I think that means that Karin is now in charge. She's so modest about these things that it's hard to be sure but I did the math and according to my calculations when #1 goes home, the assistant to #1 becomes #1. So, I haven't completed the proof yet but I'm pretty sure she's numero uno.

The other night they had a serious rain storm. Everyone retired to their tents for the night. Some time later, Prem the Sherpa unexpectedly came around to make sure everyone was dry. Prem, on the other hand, was going from tent to tent in a torrential rainfall without any rain-gear whatsoever. He was sopping wet. That, in the eyes of our Explorers, made him even cuter than before (he's Karin's height).

Evening activity has improved markedly since Harry reported on the (possibly) rabid dogs that they would name, play with, and run from. The staff have been getting together with everyone and playing music, singing and dancing. Apparently their Indian hosts are talented musicians and it makes for wonderful entertainment. Inevitably the staff asks the Medical Team to sing something they know from their culture. Karin reports that the group then sheepishly tries to figure out something they all know and ultimately are stuck singing childhood camp songs such as "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore". They all feel quite pathetic when it's their turn but they swallow their pride and do their part to expose the gathered Sherpas, cooks and other Indian staff to quality North American culture. I'm going to suggest that they move on to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Hava Nagila tonight if they feel up to it.

Meanwhile, back in San Diego (where it's storming today), I am doing some last-minute planning and packing. I had sent this website out to some beautiful hotels in India to see if they might consider discounting our stay to become part of this noble, yet entertaining, effort. Aman has graciously offered to do just that and I'm waiting to hear from a couple of others.

And here is the message you will be confronted with if you try to log into the website for booking trains in India today:

We are currently facing problem with the credit card payment gateways at the moment. Your booking may or may not materialize due to the same.

Quick Emasculating Call From Karin

2007-02-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

Karin called me this morning at 5:20 AM. Yes, I was in a deep sleep. Yes, it's Sunday. Yes, I was up in the middle of the night. No, it was not an emergency. Yes, I was ecstatic to hear from her.

My head was in a cloud, though, so she opted to call me back 2 hours later. Her purpose: to tell me to bring socks and feminine-hygiene products to India for her. The weather there was bad so everyone was packed into the kitchen-tent and I could barely make out what she was saying. I was, however, able to hear the entire group erupt into hysterical laughter when she chose a crowded kitchen-tent on a desolate mountain-side in the rugged and unforgiving Himalaya-sierra to instruct me to bring panty-liners to India. Yes, I felt emasculated. But I've recovered - as evidenced by my ability to write about it here.

I didn't get much more information because she was speaking on Harry's cell phone and roaming is about 10,000 Rupees per Himalayan minute. So all I can really tell you is that she's running low on... um... socks.

(OK, maybe I'm still recovering)

Obstacle Of The Day: Airlines In India No Longer Accepting Foreign-Issued Credit Cards

2007-02-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to book my flight from Mumbai to Delhi for the past week. There are many airlines and many flights that are available. Unfortunately, due to a "widespread fraud" that the airlines encountered a month or two ago, they do not accept foreign-issued credit cards. Period. That leaves only going to a travel agent to book the flight. That would seem to be perfectly acceptable but travel agents double or even triple the fare when it comes to domestic Indian travel. Of course no one just comes out and tells you all of this. It's all discovered piecemeal by actually going to each website and going through the booking and registration process and then, after the very last step, when you click PURCHASE, it brings up some seemingly-benign message like "Input Correct Phone Number." In case it's not obvious to you, that is code for "we don't accept foreign credit cards." If it wasn't obvious to you, you might spend, say, an hour or so trying to figure out what the phone number should look like before you brace yourself and make the call to India to see what the problem is.

I finally did find an Indian agency that does not double the fare and is willing to accept my credit card if I will fax them a "Letter of Dispatch" and a photocopy of my credit card. I chatted with a helpful representative and she told me to fax the document ASAP and she would take care of it. Then I tried faxing. But it failed to go through... I think it took 11 attempts before it finally worked. And now the agency is unable to locate the fax.

I did find a great resource for researching travel planning in India: IndiaMike.com. It contains forums by people who are passionate about travel in the region and who are intimately familiar with the vagaries of Indian travel planning. Here are some of the forums I've been perusing:

Knowing the Indian Train - contains everything about classes, food, vendors, reservations, cancellations, etc.

Booking Indian Rail Tickets from abroad - self explanatory

Train Information - still more information about trains in India

Scams and Annoyances

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DSL Dead. Work Done. Leaving In 3 Days.

2007-02-16T23:42:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post this morning but my DSL inexplicably died. I did everything I could think of to avoid calling AT&T and going through their infuriating tech scripts but in the end I had to give in and spend a few hours dealing with that. It ended up being a "problem with the line" which they have now fixed but which ate 4 hours out of my finite life. In a just world I would be compensated for that, n'est-ce pas?

Work was a grind as I scrambled to get every file I have open (~20) in shape to withstand 2.5 weeks without my attention. I was at the office past 9:00 PM twice this week (a lot for my office) and tonight I only got out earlier because I had a wedding in Laguna Beach to attend. I didn't make it to the ceremony but caught some of the reception.

No luck yet on getting an earlier flight to Mumbai.