November 2010
Headed Hone
We are currently sitting in the Delhi airport and will start our journey home in about an hour. (BTW, Francisca reports that Lay’s “Magic Masala” potato chips aren’t nearly as good as she’d dreamed they would be.) All the voluminous vacation posts are now over. Thanks for enduring them!
WatchMore of the champagne brunch overlooking The Taj Mahal.
WatchOur room with a view.
WatchFrancisca got a henna hand tattoo.
WatchGearing up for elephant polo. I scored my team’s first goal. It’s a lot harder than it looks. The elephants were all very sweet and gentle.
WatchThe outdoor barbecue in Bikaner was spectacular.
WatchThe famous Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok is fascinating. The rats here are considered holy. They are protected and fed sweetened milk and human food. Eating something the rats have touched is thought to bring luck. The rich food has given many of the rats diabetes. So, there are only 1,500 rats now down from 15,000. Which is kind of OK by me. I don’t need it to be like a scene from an Indiana...
WatchClock Tower Market in Jodhpur is a loud, chaotic, fascinating place.
WatchPottery and chatty Italians in Jodhpur.
WatchFrancisca got participatory at Laxmi Vilas Palace.
WatchHigh tea at Laxmi Vilas Palace.
WatchAmerica’s cultural influence spreads far and wide—even to today’s lunch buffet at The Taj.
WatchPeople like to feed the birds at the Gateway of India in Mumbai.
WatchThe Hanging Gardens in Mumbai exist to cover a massive water tank that was once open-air. The water tank needed to be covered because of a fascinating Parsi death ritual.
The Parsi put their fresh corpses in open-air towers so buzzards can eat them. It’s considered a Parsi’s final act of charity. This resulted in buzzards accidentally dropping decomposing body parts into the water...
WatchSadly, we did visit the pet area of Crawford Market. Seeing so many animals in wire-floor cages often placed in direct sunlight with no food or water was just awful. I hope they all find owners soon.
WatchWe aren’t usually morning people. But, the silver lining in our jet lag is this lovely Mumbai sunrise from our hotel room window.
The Taj
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was built in 1903. Almost any famous political, royal, or entertainment figure you can name has stayed here, including John and Yoko. The Obamas were here last week. We just passed the Crown Prince of Lichtenstein in the hall. It’s that kind of place.
The Taj was bombed by terrorists in 2008 as part of the Mumbai bombings. So, security is tighter than you would...
