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).
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.
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
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