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Welcome to the blog!

Hi!

Thanks for coming. So, if you want to hear all about our travels - go to the very first post to start from the beginning. It's under 2008 - on the right of the screen. The blog shows the most recent info first, so you kind of have to go to the end to start at the beginning.

Otherwise, feel free to jump to a journal entry or straight to the photos. No rules here, I guess!

Enjoy!

Sarah

Back Home

Hello,

We're long overdue.....but we made it home safely on Wed., January 21. To catch you up.....

We had a couple days in Mumbai before leaving India. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and were met by Gerry's mother's cousin Yvette. After a visit with Yvette's parents and son we moved on to our hotel and dinner. The journey was through heavy Mumbai traffic, increased greatly to the movement of the visiting Prime Minister. With the security threats, road closures and extra sweeps to secure the area meant a lot of waiting on the road. We finally made it to the hotel, had some dinner and sent Gerry's parents off to the aiport for their very late night flight home to Los Angeles.

Sunday in Mumbai - the annual Mumbai marathon, and the route began and ended very close to our hotel, with the route on our hotel's street. So, we couldn't go anywhere, except on foot. So we wandered a bit, found the University of Mumbai and a lot of closed shops on Sunday morning. After the marathon ended and roads cleared we went on a guided half-day tour. We saw a Jain temple, a house where Ghandi lived for several years and a nice museum about his life and endeavors, the Dhobi Ghat where laundry has been done for many years, city gardens and the India Gate and Taj Mahal hotel. We also drove by a world heritage train station. Many of these places will be familiar to anyone who watched media coverage of the terrorism attacks in November. As we drove, our tour guide Ida would point out a footbridge used by the terrorists or the neighborhood in which the Jewish community center that was attacked was located. A bit eerie, but understandable.

Sunday night we were able to meet with Gerry's father's sister Aunty Alzira, her daughter Loretta and husband Edgar and their two children. We had a nice dinner all together and visited a bit. Monday, we were met by cousin Lynette (Alzira's other daughter) and enjoyed a breakfast together before riding to the airport. From Mumbai to London, on British Airways, and they still served Indian food on the plane.

In London, we made our way to a cousin's flat - Camilla and her boyfriend Giles were gracious hosts. They had done 6 months of traveling in and around India about a year ago, so we swapped stories over dinner. We had a full day in London and spent it (staying as warm as possible) wandering about SoHo, Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and along the Thames River. We met up with two families for dinner, great to meet more extended family.

The next day, back to Heathrow and an American Airlines (no Indian food) flight home to Los Angeles. Since then, laundry, getting back to a normal sleep schedule, washing Sarah's shoes (it's quite a thought to consider all the things you step through on India's streets), dreaming of Goa's beaches and back to work.

And so it ends - and we have the memories, photos and purchases to remind us of an amazing adventure. We finally went to see Slumdog Millionaire. Perhaps a bit more intense to see after just being there amidst India's masses, but absolutely worth seeing. Oh, and I'm reading The White Tiger - and interesting book set in Delhi that gives an inside look at the life of the servant class up against the privelege and corruption amongst (some of) the wealthy.

So thanks for keeping track of us, for supporting us along the way and for welcoming us home. If you missed anything along the way, you can find it all here on this blog. Along with a few photos.....

If you or anyone you know is interested in making your own adventure in India, please let us know! If nothing else, we can recommend our tour company and a really great driver!

Madame Moon Sarah & Sir Gerry

India - Chapter 4

January 16, 2009

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since our last email......this week we have spent in Goa with Gerry's parents. At the time of our last email, we were set to move on to the lake city Udaipur.....we got there....but it wasn't easy. Here's a short synopsis of what occurred after we last wrote:

In Jaisalmer (desert/camel town), our flight was cancelled due to fog/poor visibility (apparently a chronic problem this time of year in the northern areas, news to us). So, 10 hours by car to Udaipur, arriving at 1:30 a.m. (The drive deserves more attention at another time-and Gerry will write it better!.....let's just say we don't recommend driving at night in India - everyone drives with their brights on so you can't really see anything when passing trucks or other cars. We didn't have our loveable driver Raj, the airline hired a car for us because of the flight cancellation, so we had a new driver and car.) Checked in to a very nice heritage (old and refurbished) hotel, slept for 2-3 hours and got up before dawn to go to the airport for our morning flights to Goa. So, missed seeing Udaipur in the daylight and weren't able to enjoy a very nice hotel. In Udaipur, visibility still a problem, so sat in the airport for 8 hours awaiting some way out. Thought about ditching the airport and stay another night in Udaipur so we could see it, but they kept saying the visibility would improve any moment. Finally got a flight to Mumbai (chances of visibility better, farther south) but missed the last connecting flight to Goa. So overnight in a Mumbai hotel near the airport and a 5 a.m. flight to Goa.

So, we finally made it to Goa, one day late (Monday morning instead of Sunday afternoon). We missed a big lunch prepared for us at the relatives' house (they roasted a piglet and everything), but everyone was just happy we finally made it. Goa is beautiful - tropical, touristy, and very local all at the same time. We have met various relatives and they have enjoyed meeting us (really, just me (Sarah), they have been eager to see the wife!). We have eaten a lot of great food here - traditional Goan dishes that Gerry can't get enough of and the others enjoy fresh seafood. We stayed in a couple different areas- one the capital city of this small state and one area a popular tourist beach area. There are mostly other tourists from Europe - and Russia specifically. Their tourist numbers are quite low, as with the rest of India. We went to a big weekly flea market in Anjuna - quite a sight to see all the people there along with all the merchandise for sale. The weekly market is kind of a gathering place for all the tourists in Goa that week, so we saw it all - modern day hippies, backpackers, a man dressed like a pirate, pink hair and fishnets, and us tame American tourists. So because of our delay, we decided to stay in Goa one day more. We were supposed to fly to Mumbai on Friday evening, but we were able to make changes to stay one more day.

Today, (and shortly) we fly to Mumbai/Bombay. Gerry's parents have a late night flight out from there, and we stay on in Mumbai until Monday morning. We will meet more relatives in Mumbai and we have arranged for a tour on Sunday. Then Monday we fly to London, 2 nights there with a cousin, and Wednesday we fly home. So our time is quickly coming to an end. It's been great to see so many different parts of India - and meeting the relatives here this week has been really nice. For me, it's great to see what Gerry and his family have talked about for so long.

So I'm off - quick breakfast and then we try to fit us, all our luggage (read: we've done a fair amount of shopping!) and the other hotel guests in the airport shuttle. Gerry went to see about getting a massage this morning....he has considered doing so each day, so I think he was able to grab it on his last chance here.

We should be able to write again, but if we don't, know that all is well!

Thanks for reading....

Sarah (and Gerry sends his best of course!)

Link to trip photos - Album #2

Ok, second batch of photos. The first album ended in the middle of Jaisalmer...so the rest start off this album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahmrodrigues/IndiaPhotosAlbum2?authkey=FVjpTeAJtGc&feat=directlink

This album takes you from the Thar Desert to the beaches of Goa....and on to London. Enjoy!

India - Chapter 3

January 9, 2009

Hello again!

The time has passed quickly since our last email, and there is a lot to catch up on! We have been in India over a week now, and 2 more weeks until we must return home.

Last time we wrote, we were headed to Jaipur, so I'll start there. Jaipur is home to the Amber Fort - and you ride an elephant up into the fort - just like the maharajas did. We had a nice ride (although not very comfy we must admit) and toured the fort. There is a room covered inside and out with glittering mirrors, one of the queens' bedrooms. Jaipur is called the Pink City - because of the color of sandstone used to build the original city and also because when England's Prince Albert came to visit, they painted the cities along the main roads a similar salmon/pink color. The builder of Jaipur was also an astrologer and astronomer, so we visited his Observatory and saw the various tools, like the world's largest sun dial, accurate to 2 seconds. Did a bit of shopping there - Sarah had found a nice shop where the salespersons really just let you look around, instead of following you and unfolding everything your eyes look at (that's how most of the shops work).

Then on to Jodhpur - the Blue City. Many of the houses are painted blue - only the highest class were allowed to do so, so it marked their homes and whatever they use is also supposed to keep the bugs from invading the structure. So it's a pretty city - with a nice fort. One of the highlights of this stop on the itinerary was staying at a Taj brand hotel. (The Taj hotel in Mumbai was one that was attacked during the Thanksgiving week incidents.) The service was excellent, food and setting very nice. It would be like the Ritz Carlton or other 5-star brand hotels. So that was a nice treat. We walked around the market area in this city as well. As the days go on and we continue to move to more remote cities, there are less tourists (which sometimes means that they very much appreciate our visit, as their tourist numbers are down between 40-75% depending on the area and who you ask) and less crowds. It's great to walk through the local markets, taking a look at the spreads of fruits, vegetables, spices, grains (rice and even pasta) and everything else that you need to buy, when you don't have a Ralphs, Costco or Target around the corner. The market areas and many stores are open until 10pm or later, so it's very lively in the evenings. We foreigners eat dinner around 7:30, but Indians don't typically have dinner until 9 or 10 pm.

From the Blue City, to the Gold City of Jaisalmer. No, houses aren't painted gold, but the sandstone used has rich golden tone. This is the 'living fort' city - 5,000 people still live in the fort area. The other forts have been more like going to a monument or historical area. Pay a fee, walk through looking at palaces, various rooms, open areas, etc. In Jaisalmer, people live in houses, there are many shops and life goes on inside the fort. So it's a bit unique, compared to our other stops. This is a popular city for backpackers, it's the most remote we will get. Oh, and with each stop, the number of livestock in the streets have increased too - cows and such make their way through narrow streets in the fort city just like the rest of us. So for me, that means mostly walking with my head down, looking to avoid any and all landmines! But the animals and people leave each other alone (for the most part), so it's only a point of interest for us visitors.

There are only 75,000 people living in Jaisalmer, and things are centered around the fort. It's lit at night and there are many rooftop restaurants with lovely views of the fort. Sunsets are a big deal here, our driver took us to a view point the first night. And last night.....we saw the sunset on camel-back! We drove about 30 minutes from the city into the desert to meet our camels (Bablu and Raju). We walked for about 45 minutes and got down for a rest in the middle of the Sam Desert dunes. It was pretty picturesque, just like the internet advertises. So we rested a bit and took several pictures. The down side - because this is a very popular tourist activity, there are many people (mostly young people) who come out to the desert to offer us riders snacks and drinks - some also offer to dance and sing for you. So while you are looking at windswept, rippled sand dunes, you are also looking at Fosters beer cans, chip bag wrappers and a host of other litter. It's terribly unfortunate, and there would be no way to control it. So many people here rely on tourists for income, so they must be entrepreneurial about it. And we don't want them putting giant trash cans there in the sand dunes I suppose....so it's a dilemma. But it was unfortunate to see.......and at the same time, was certainly a great experience.

Today, we fly to our final stop on our northern India tour - Udaipur, the Lake City. This is a place where the palace was built in the middle of an artificial lake (most cities have a lake, to collect the monsoon rain water to provide water for the city throughout the year). The palace is now a Taj brand hotel (we aren't staying there), but it's supposed to be a very picturesque and romantic city. We were supposed to fly at 11:20 this morning, but unfortunately the airline changed the flight time, so we leave at 2:30pm instead. This significantly shortens our tour time in Udaipur this afternoon, but there is only one flight out of this city each day, so not much we can do. We fly from a military airport - no other commercial flights here. Since we'll be gone by the time you read this....safe to say that this stop is the closest to Pakistan we will come. It's a large Army base area, and also Air Force base nearby. So, it's easy to feel or imagine some tension here, but it hasn't hampered our activity at all. There is no real action in this area of the border, just precautions getting into place. Tomorrow, we fly from Udaipur down to Goa, where all is safe, relaxed and a very different India. The folks who live up here say that Goa is Indian Europe - it is a very different place that the culturally-rich and history-preserving Rajasthan fort cities. Gerry's parents are eagerly awaiting our arrival in Goa, and it will be nice to see a different area here.

We hope you are all doing well - Go Chargers on Sunday! We here the Padres were purchased and also said goodbye to Trevor Hoffman.....we're a bit out of touch, but it seems only right to go on like this when our hosts and hostesses here are giving us such an amazing experience. We have to say goodbye to our fun driver Danhraj today - he has been a real treat for us and has taken great care of us. We made him join us for dinner last night and will be sad to move on without him. It's been great to be able to connect with him and exchange about the ways of life, work and family in our respective homes.

Until Goa......

Sarah & Gerry

Link to trip photos - Album #1

So, came home with nearly 1,000 photos. But for 3 weeks, not too bad?! I've been trying to pare the quantity down a bit......it's worked, a little.

If you have a few moments, take a look. Here is the link to the first album on Picasa - 500 photos max per album. I'll post the link to the second album....when we get there.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahmrodrigues/IndiaPhotos?authkey=7JWCLbVIkaM&feat=directlinkrodrigues/IndiaPhotos?authkey=7JWCLbVIkaM&feat=directlink

There are a few videos in there, too - trying to get a sense of the activity and a glimpse of continuous observation. Here's a teaser or two...

Admittedly, there are too many. But anyone who has been on a trip of any sort with me may not be surprised...

Enjoy - thanks for looking!