NICE Monkeys!

We went to Galta temple (aka Monkey temple) yesterday in Jaipur. It was like a scene out of Indiana Jones. There were monkeys everywhere (20,000 they say) and they were all friendly. You buy food for them and they walk right up to you and eat - Devi even had one eat straight from her hand. Of course, that was nothing compared to when the snake handler wrapped a live cobra around her neck! While Galta is run down, the views and the age of this place were awe inspiring. We went around one corner and I swear it had to be a movie set - nothing can look that incredible. And, oh yeah - there were orange robed priests roaming the temples and steps - incredibly picturesque.

Buying Sarees

We took cycle rickshaws into old Delhi to see the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (largest mosque and the crowded markets - Chandni Chowk). We had the drivers take us to a saree place - what a hoot! The alleys got so narrow, the drivers had to get off and walk us the rest of the way. We went thru some crooked walkways, up some stairs and into a tiny loft (the ceiling was only 5feet, 3 inches, so I couldn't even stand up) and it was filled, wall to wall, floor to cieling with the most beautiful saree material. We sat on the floor and the owner proceeded to unfurl yard after yard after yard of gorgeous material. Devi and I each picked our favorite, they took our measurements and the outfits were delivered to our hotel that night!!! Wait til you see.

Bukhara - "OH MY GOD!!"

We actually got to eat at Bukhara (#1 Asian restaurant in the world, #23 overall best restaurant in the world) on New Years. We ordered Jumbo Tandoori Shrimp, Dal (spiced lentils cooked for several days), Mutton and Chicken Murgh. Ajit took the first bite of shrimp then went into a trance and said "Oh my god!". We are not exaggerating when we say it was, hands down, the best meal we have EVER had. It was truly amazing.

In Jaipur

Just thought we'd post a short entry to let you know that we've made
it to Jaipur after an amazing time at the Neemrana Fort-Palace! We
don't have the best Internet access here, so updates will be sporadic,
but we'll try to post now and then. I'm not sure we'll be able to post
anymore pictures for the rest of the trip, so you might just have to
wait until we get home!

Lots of stuff

Be sure to check multiple pages; we've posted lots of material. Also, we finally updated the story behind The Agony & The Ecstasy - read the update (in that order). I promise, we didn't make any of it up and there will be more incredible details when we tell it to you in person. Those 2 items happened on Christmas day and so far have to be the most amazing day we've spent here.

Tristan's Pic: Delhi Traffic Sign

If you think you've experienced crazy driving try going to Delhi. There is no end to the commotion. Dogs will run across the street at random times, people will cut you off , and you see 5 people run a red light every 10 minutes. And on top of that everyone is honking their horns constantly. Driving in Delhi is something else, but after a while you kind of get used to it.

Devi's Pics - Aarti/Fire Ceremony on the Ganges

Technically, Tristan took this picture but as it was taken on my camera we're just going to pretend it's mine anyway. This was taken in Haridwar on the Ganges at dusk. All of us ended up partaking in a fire ceremony or Aarti as they call it. They made us say some prayers in Hindi (which we couldn't understand but was cool anyway), bless each other with the holy water from the river and Tristan even had to wash our feet. After this shot was taken mom and dad gave our gift of flowers and fire to the river and we watched it float down the Ganges with all of the other glowing offerings. It was truly an amazing experience.

Devi's Pics - Mehindi/Henna

This is my hand after our first day in India. Both my mom and myself got mehindi (or henna) on our hands while we were in Dilli Haat. It was amazing how fast they were able to cover our hands. We sat down and not more than five minutes later they were done! It's pretty faded by now but I plan on getting it done again before we leave so all y'all in the U.S. can see it. I can't wait to get back to show everyone all of our pics, tell our stories and show off my beautiful hands!

Yeah, we're eating pretty well, thanks!

Mom (Grandma Devi) would be proud of all of us, since we've eaten everything that has been put in front of us without any complaints. A list of what we've eaten so far:

• Masala Dosa
• Chicken Tikka
• Chicken Tikka Masala (of course)
• Fish Curry
• Idli Sambar
• Puri Bhaji
• Gulab Jamun
• Samosa
• Ladoo
• Daal
• Saag
• Mulai Paneer
• Masala Cheese Sandiwiches
• Tomato, Cucumber, and cream cheese sandwiches
• Masala Omelets
• Aloo Paratha
• Jalebi
• Lemon Rice
• Lamb Biryani
• Shredded Lamb in Garlic Sauce (Chinese)
• Naan
• Chapati
• Apple Pie
• Kheer
• Chocolate Souffle
• Rajasthani Food
• Masala Chai
• Lay's Brand Masala flavored Potato Chips
  
• About 100 other things I can't remember

And we haven't even been to Bukhara yet!

As promised, Dixie on an elephant

Marcia - here is the picture that you wanted. The elephants are limited to 4 persons, so Dixie chose to sit on the other elephant so that she could take pictures of us. Dixie shared her elephant with an adventurous woman who used to live in Fraser, CO and who is traveling in India all by herself for 4 months. Also on the elephant were a couple from California who were on their pre-honeymoon. The groom-to-be lost his glasses when a tree branch knocked them off of his face as the elephants were moving through the forest. Once the safari was over and we were back inside the compound, the bride-to-be offered the mahout (the guy who drives the elephant) 1000 Rupees (roughly $25) if he could find the glasses. So, the mahout left the compound (which is inside an electrified fence to keep the tigers out) on foot, and walked into the forest. He came back half an hour later with the glasses.

Corbett - wild elephants

We came across a herd of about 15 wild elephants. They wouldn't let us get too close even on our own elephants. It was late evening, the sun was a big red ball on the horizon, fog was setting in the valleys, hundreds of swallows were darting in the air catching insects and there we sat on safari watching wild elephants!!!! I could have died and gone to heaven!

Corbett elephant safari

Only 4 to an elephant, so I shot this from MY elephant. The ride was incredibly smooth, but it was really hard to take pictures as they never stood still and I was at the front of my elephant so I had to twist around to take any sort of picture. The safari was 2 hours - we saw lots of great scenery and some wild life. Our guide was very grumpy.

Corbett - Rhesus

These monkeys are all over the place in Corbett. They sure don't like it when you look them in the eye or come towards them. We saw one lady tell her kid to give the monkey a banana and the thing started running toward the boy, holding out his arms, hissing and screeching - scarey. Anil forgot to close the door to our room and one of the little devils went in after him! I told Devi to "shoo" the thing away, but when she came toward it, the monkey stood on his hind legs, hissed at her and started to come toward her - DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING! SO MUCH FOR MOTHERLY PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS ON MY PART!

Haridwar - Our first rickshaw ride

Our hotel in Haridwar was absolutely wonderful. An old mansion that has been restored - marble floors, indoor courtyard, and the service and food were absolutely outstanding. The place is called Haveli Hari Ganga and the verandas hang over the Ganges river. The hotel itself is tucked away in a tiny alley in the middle of a terrific market place, but it's so small you can't get a car there - you have to park the car somewhere else and then they take you and your luggage the rest of the way by rickshaw thru the market place. We made friends with Pradeep who worked there - he took us on a 5 hour jeep ride thru Rajaji National Forest and then helped us get cable car tickets to the top of the hill to visit a temple - incredibly nice fellow.

Lunch in Corbett Tiger Reserve

Lunch was quite good here even though the rooms were freezing- no heat.

Haridwar- after the ceremony

This is what we looked like after the Hindu priest was done with us.

The Ecstasy (Haridwar- Candle ceremony)

What an amazing way to end our Christmas! More to come

     Despite the fact that "the gods" tried everything in their power to keep us from getting to Haridwar, we finally arrived (several hours late). Part of the package for staying at Haveli Hari Ganga was that they will escort you down to the Aarti ceremony. I figured I'd sit in the middle of the crowd and take great photos of all these glittering candles. Turns out, the package deal includes being part of the ceremony! We got our own Hindu priest for 30 minutes, recited all sorts of Hindi phrases, used water from the Ganges to wash each others feet and then put our arms on a priest as he held a huge flame and we all chanted the same phrase over and over. Then we put our boat of flowers and candles into the river and watched it float away with all the other glowing candles.

     There was all sorts of music and chanting and singing and ringing of bells and other people with priests and people floating candles down the river .... It was an incredible experience - we felt so totally and completely immersed in India and the culture ... we weren't just tourists watching, we were part of it. Soooooooo cool! 

     And then the priest asked us for money (pressured us for even more)! Yes, this was truly India - "Happy to Kris mass!!!".