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Trip: The World (Part II)

There are [389] stories from my trip: The World (Part II)


Jaipur and Amber Fort

INDIA | Friday, 14 Feb 2014 | Views [526]

We sometimes forget – what with all the namaste -ing and karma- questing – that the maharajas of days gone by were warriors by trade.  When they weren’t financing temples they were busy fending off encroaching Mughals and fighting ... Read more >


Photos: Faces of India

INDIA | Friday, 14 Feb 2014 | Photo Gallery


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Delwara Jain Temples

INDIA | Tuesday, 11 Feb 2014 | Views [535]

If marble could sing its melody would be the delicate beauty of the Delwara Jain temples.  And its words would be of the thousands of artisans and laborers and the decades of their lives they devoted to carving the pillars, walls and ceilings of ... Read more >


Romantic Udaipur

INDIA | Friday, 7 Feb 2014 | Views [1706]

Salzburg has The Sound of Music , Udaipur has Octopussy ; shows nightly at restaurants throughout town.  Udaipur has been called the Venice of the East and the most romantic city in Rajasthan.  But a poor monsoon can leave Lake Pichola looking ... Read more >


The Road to Udaipur

INDIA | Thursday, 6 Feb 2014 | Views [493]

Today wasn’t a good one for tuk-tuks, those rickety, smelly three-wheeled taxis of India.  It took two to get to our early morning bus.  The first driver did the usual “Yes, yes,” when I showed him the address then turned ... Read more >


Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

INDIA | Wednesday, 5 Feb 2014 | Views [1574]

Ahmedabad won’t appear on many “Top 10” lists; our first order of business was to arrange for onward bus tickets to Udaipur.  You might wonder what we were doing in this dirty, noisy, polluted place.  The answer is the Nalsarovar ... Read more >


Serenity in a Mosque

INDIA | Sunday, 2 Feb 2014 | Views [1907]

Strangely enough, thousands come each year to meditation centers and yoga resorts amid the chaos and turmoil of India to seek spiritual relief from the chaos and turmoil of their daily lives.  Today we found solitude and serenity, not ... Read more >


Photos: Gujarat and Rajasthan

INDIA | Saturday, 1 Feb 2014 | Photo Gallery


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The Caves of Ajanta and Ellora

INDIA | Friday, 31 Jan 2014 | Views [940]

Aurangabad is an overnight bus ride from Hospet followed by a short flight from Bombay.  And once inside the terminal, one is trapped.  You cannot leave.  Oh, well.  In any event, it would be a long way to travel for a noisy, dirty, ... Read more >


Apropos of Nothing

INDIA | Thursday, 30 Jan 2014 | Views [469]

CNN reported yesterday about 700 passengers who became ill on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Explorer of the Seas; tainted food, I imagine.   Although the cruise line offered the passengers a 50% rebate on the cruise, half-price on a future ... Read more >


Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami

INDIA | Wednesday, 29 Jan 2014 | Views [2018]

Our plans to spend a few days exploring the temples and caves around Badami were dashed.  There were no rooms to be had in either of the decent hotels. Plan “B,” as is sometimes the case, turned out to be the better option.  We ... Read more >


Hampi

INDIA | Tuesday, 28 Jan 2014 | Views [787]

We fared a bit better on the overnight bus from Goa to Hampi thanks to a massive dose of Bonnine.  The archeological site of Hampi contains more than 2000 Hindu temples from the 14 th to 16 th Centuries spread over 20 square kilometers, much too ... Read more >


Of Birds and Birders

INDIA | Friday, 24 Jan 2014 | Views [504]

Rolly-polly Roy with his potbelly looks a bit like Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu diety with the “hang-loose” attitude.  He went out of his way to make our stay at Hospedaria Abrigo de Botelho in Panaji a memorable one, even going ... Read more >


Old Folks in Old Goa

INDIA | Tuesday, 21 Jan 2014 | Views [1817]

Some days India feels like Indonesia or Thailand.  At other times it’s more like Africa.  We have watched the “dabbawallahs” deliver lunches in Mumbai and peeked into the High Court with its towers of yellowing legal documents, ... Read more >


Touring Mumbai

INDIA | Saturday, 18 Jan 2014 | Views [520]

Everything about India is new to us; the history, people, geography, even the food.  So we are taking it slow, starting with a walking tour of Mumbai.  Honestly, it isn’t as intimidating as is sounds.  Look to the right for oncoming ... Read more >


First Impressions

INDIA | Saturday, 18 Jan 2014 | Views [528]

The city formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai has been described as frenetic, gritty, glamorous – in short, a beautiful mess.  And Mumbai is our introduction to “incredible India.”   We have heard that you can’t consider ... Read more >


Photos: Southwestern India

INDIA | Friday, 17 Jan 2014 | Photo Gallery

Mumbai and Goa
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The Romantic Rhine Beckons

GERMANY | Monday, 13 Jan 2014 | Views [702]

The Romantic Rhine with its castles, vineyards and medieval villages beckons.  But January isn’t the best time to visit.  The river cruises have ceased until spring, many hotels are closed for the season and the weather is dreary. ... Read more >


Dresden and Meissen

GERMANY | Thursday, 9 Jan 2014 | Views [706]

The Zwinger Palace, built by Augustus II, the Strong, was just one of the casualties of the carpet bombing of Dresden towards the end of World War II.  Referred to as "Florence on the Elbe," Dresden was probably more of a cultural center than a ... Read more >


Gropius, Goethe and Schiller, Pride of Weimar

GERMANY | Sunday, 5 Jan 2014 | Views [1378]

Walter Gropius is to 20 th Century architecture what Sartre, Joyce and Picasso are to philosophy, literature and painting respectively.  Each found inspiration in the disillusionment that followed the First World War.  And it is fitting that ... Read more >


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Easter Island, 2012

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