-- Travelogue from a recent (Jan\Feb 2011) trip to India --

The following Travelogue is a series of emails sent home to family and friends, describing our recent trip to India.


Day One - Toronto/Abu Dhabi/Delhi


Well, we are sitting in the Costa Coffee Cafe at Indira Ghandi
International Airport in Delhi, India!

We left London on Saturday afternoon and had a fairly quick drive to
Toronto. We stopped at Montana's for hamburgers, probably the last ones
we will have until we get home. Then it was off to Park and Fly and then
to Terminal One.

We wanted to get there early, because when we tried to check in on line
on Friday, the seats that we had picked months ago were not available,
and it was very important that we get them (B777-ER 10 abreast, so that
is 3-4-3, but the back 5 rows have dueces, and we wanted one of those).

Very nice manager at the airport helps us out and we got our seats.
Stopped for a Starbucks and the next thing we know we are boarding.

Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi departs at 9:50pm Toronto time and was great.
Personal video in each seat, free cocktails and wine dinner and lite
lunch. We slept most of the way though - that was the plan.

Our stopover in Abu Dhabi was a blur it happened so quick. Not a lot to
see, we were in the old terminal, it was dark, and we were ready to
board the flight to Delhi in under an hour. Tailwind made for a very
quick flight - we skipped the dinner and slept the whole way. We landed
just before 3:00am, feeling pretty good. Were through customs with our
luggage in tow by about 3:45. It is now Monday morning, 4:40am in Delhi.
It's about 9 degrees outside, and we are hanging out at the airport for
a few hours. Our hotel is not ready until noon, and we don't want to
leave here till daybreak. Then we can stow our gear at the hotel and
wander arount Pharaganj and the Main Bazzar until check in.


Day One Part Two

Long day. We hung out at the airport till daybreak, which was about
6:30. Found a cab and made our way to our Hotel, the Ginger, near the
New Delhi Railway station. Very hectic area. Got to the hotel, and it
was too early to check in. The "left luggage" area looked a bit dodgey,
so we schleped everyting off through the station, across the tracks to
Parhaganj, the backpackers area. Wandered around for a bit. This is our
first taste of India. There are cars, motorbikes, ox-carts and people
everywhere. You have to watch where you go as the streets are broken,
and there is quite a bit of poop. Cows all over the place. Vendors
hawking hotels, rickshaw rides, incense.

Found a little hole in the wall (literally) for breakfast and had pretty
good eggs potatoes and pork (well, it was advertised as pork). Very
tasty. Made our way back to the hotel, but it was still only 10:30 -
check in not till one. Sat in the cafeteria to wait, wondering what the
room will be like (the hotel itself is in a dusty area that looks like a
war zone). Finally at one, after an incredibaly beaurocratic check-in,
we made it to our room. It is small but very clean, with fresh sheets
and a hot shower. We'll take it!

By now we are a bit bagged, so we go for a two hour nap. After the nap
and a shower it is off to the Metro for our first ride. We are heading
to Connaught Place, the central hub of New Delhi. We are looking for a
restaurant we saw in the LP Guidebook. We wanted Veg Thali, which is an
Indian set meal with about 8-10 different little portions, but it was
not served till 7pm. We decided to split a dosa platter, a large crepe
served with an assortment of fresh chutneys, and then come back in an
hour for the Thali, after wandering around Connaught Place for a bit. It
was well worth the wait. We are both really happy that it appears the
food will not dissapoint.

Going to hit the hay early tonight - up early tomorrow to explore
greater Delhi.


Good Morning from New Delhi

It is day 3 of our adventure, and we are just sitting down in Parhganj
for some breakfast. Today is our last day in Delhi, we depart by train
for Jaipur this afternoon.

We slept great our first night, with little jet lag. Tip one, however,
is don't get a hotel near the train station. The trains go ALL NIGHT.
But if you are as tired as we are, it does not matter. The hotel is also
on the "wrong side of the tracks" so to speak. Every day we have to go
through the massive station to get to the Parhaganj side where all the
shops and restaurants are, but we are getting quite good at it.

As prepared as we were for touts, dishonest taxi-whalla's and general
hassel, no one seems to be bothering with us. I quess we look like
seasoned travellers!

One thing we were not prepared for though was the pollution. It is
choking here. It is hard to believe that people live their lives here
breathing this air. It is like smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. We
are hoping for a bit of a reprieve in Jaipur.

Yesterday we went to the Red Fort. It is a massive complex built in the
1600's by Shah Jahan, the founder of Delhi. We also spent some time in
Old Delhi, which is quite a site. It is almost impossible to walk down
the streets they are so congested. Stopped at a street vendor and had
some of the best Samosa's ever for a light snack. We were so tired by
the time we finished up at the fort that we took our first
cycle-rickshaw ride to the metro station. It was a hair raising event.

Dinner tonight was Thali and ice cold Kingfisher beer at a roof top
restaurant in the main Bazar, then early to bed. It was a long day.

You may also have heard that there was an earthquake in Pakistan. We
have no more news on how bad it was, but it woke us during the night. It
was the strongest tremor either of us have ever felt. The whole room
shook. It was kind of funny at the time, each of us woke at exactly the
same time and asked the other "are you shaking the bed". It was a full
minute before we realized what was happening. You could hear people in
the hallway chattering afterward, but it was over very quickly.

Well, breakfast has arrived. We will try to find some internet to send
this before we head off this afternoon for Jaipur.

Let us know how things are back in Canada. We would love to hear from you.

On the train to Jaipur

As we write this email, we are on the train to Jaipur! This morning
after breakfast we hung out in Parhganj for a bit, then it was time to
check out of the Ginger. We got all packed and headed out to find a taxi
to take us to Delhi Junction Railway Station, where our train, the Garib
Nawaj Express, was to depart. The taxi at the hotel wanted 500 rupees,
which was way too much. The second driver wanted 350 to start, but came
down to 300 as we walked away, but that price was still, as we knew it
should only be about 200 rupees. Finally at the New Delhi Station, we
found Samir, who agreed to the trip for 200 rupees.

Another hair raising trip into Old Delhi! It is a wonder that traffic
ever even moves in this city, but it has a certain grace to it that
really is a wonder to watch. At only just before noon, we arrive, early,
as usual.

The station is a beehive of activity. There are trains arriving and
departing to and from all parts of India every few minutes. Some only
stop for a minute before they depart again, but no one seems to be in a
hurry. The trains seem to run on time.

We are getting a few looks. There are not many foreigners here, nor have
we seen a lot in general, which has been a surprise. Curtis gets the
most stares, as he is tall and blond - not a common sight here.

There are food and chai whalla's everywhere. Everyone seems to be
selling something. There is a barber shop, and even a man that goes
around with a little feathered stick, offering to clean your ears. We
politely declined, as apparently he has only the one stick!


Finally, after a light lunch of veg thali that cost only 50 cents for
dhal, rice, cauliflower curry, riata and naan, our train arrived. We
located our coach, 1B, and found our names on the "chart" which lists
the names and berths of all reserved passengers. We are in 44 lower and
45 middle of a 6 berth compartment. There is only one other passenger
with us, a young man that appears to be a student. He has slept most of
the trip.

The train is amazing. A chai walla comes regularly offering tea. At each
station, vendors sell samosas, bhajis and other snacks through the
windows. We while away the time reading, looking out the window, playing
cards and of course, writing. It is now about 5:15. We will be in Jaipur
at 7:05 where we will spend a few days before heading off again to
Jaisilmer. As soon as we find some wifi, this will be on it's way to you.


Good Morning from Jaipur - The Pink City

Hey all,

Today is our second day in The Pink City. We arrived yesterday by train
from Delhi, our first successful train ride. We hope that the rest go
smoothly.

It was dark when we arrived, and we had to haggle a bit to get an
auto-rickshaw to bring us here. They really try to hustle you. It should
cost about 30 rupee, but they started off at 250. We just laughed loudly
and kept saying 30, 30 only, until one of them decided he wanted a fare.

The hotel was close, but we never would have made it on foot. The
traffic here is NOTHING compared to Delhi. There are traffic signals,
but they almost all appeared to be stuck on amber. Rickshaws go the wrong
way through traffic, and the honking of horns is constant.

Our home here is the Atithi Guesthouse, and we could not have picked
better. Our room is on the pricey side for here, at 30 bucks a night,
but it is on the ground floor, so no schlepping of bags up stairs, and
it has a great bathroom. There is a beautiful terrace where we are
sitting having breakfast. Everyone here is very friendly and they are
constantly cleaning.

Yesterday we walked ALL DAY. We saw the Hawal Mahal (Palace of Wind) the
Bazaar's, the Water Palace and most impressive, the Jantur Mantur, or
Observatory of Shah Jaihan, the founder of the city. The instruments
here that he used to measure and view the solar system cover city
blocks, and it is fascinating that the level of knowledge of our solar
system was so advanced. The biggest monument here is a sun dial that can
measure time accurately to within 2 seconds!

We also braved "street food" today for lunch. One of the highlights of
backpacking is the street scene, and it is hard not to be tempted by the
sights and aroma of the food that is available at food stalls
everywhere. It is not for the faint of heart, but there is a logical
rule of thumb - if the stall is busy, and doing a good turnover, then it
is **probably** ok. We stopped at a place that had veg samosas and onion
bajji. I don't think a lot of tourists stop here, and the guys at the
stall were having a good time with us, offering samples and having their
picture taken. Upshot is, cost for lunch for 2 today - 30 cents.

Speaking of food (again) the food here is fabulous. Last night we
splurged on beer, lamb rogan josh, paneer korma and stuffed roti. All
fantastic.

Today after breakfast we are catching a bus out of town to the Amber
Fort, then the Tiger fort and perhaps the Monkey Temple. This will
probably be our last email from Jaipur, next stop Jaisalmer.


Jaipur to Jaisalmer

Where to begin. It has been a very busy 2 days since we took a moment to
write about the Journey, so we will start with our last day in Jaipur.
We began the morning with breakfast on the terrace again, then we were
off to find bus number 5, which reliable sources had told us would cover
the 12 km journey out of town to the Amber Fort. Amber Fort (pronounced
Amer) was the ancestral home of the Maharajhas of the area around
Jaipur, and the birthplace of Jai Singh the First, the founder of
Jaipur. Nothing we had anticipated would prepare us for the first sight
of this huge bastion, which rises sharply out of the hills just north of
town. Both of us felt like we were living in the Indiana Jones movie,
Temple of Doom! The fort is huge, and contains royal palaces, cisterns,
temples, parade grounds, audience areas and a whole area devoted to
administration of the Maharahahs Princely State.

We enjoyed several hours tramping around the passages, rooms, tunnels
and battlements of the fortress before heading back to town for a quick
bite at the same stall from yesterday. The guys there were so happy to
see us again that we got free bajjis's! Then we were off to the Tiger
fort, a much less impressive and poorly maintained fort overlooking the
city, but with an exhausting climb that was made up for by the view. A
brief stop at the Albert Hall Museum, and it was closing in on 6pm - we
had to be out of our room by 8pm and we needed to have dinner (Pizza
Hut) and a shower first. Our train did not leave till midnignt, so we
hung out in the dining room and watched "The Social Network" and met
some other folks who were travelling on the same train. The train was
late arriving, but we were onboard by 1am, Car A1 - Berth 37 and 38. The
ticket examiner came and brought clean sheets, some dubious looking
pillows and a rather sketchy looking blanket. We made up our berths, got
out our pillowcases and sarongs from home and settled in. Slept pretty
good, although Curtis woke at 5am as usual and only dozed from there.
Breakfast was water, ritz crackers and a bag of chips. There was little
in the way of platform food at our next two stops, so that had to do.

Arriving in Jaisalmer brings to mind the line from "Priscilla, Queen of
the Desert - Oh, Felicia. Where the f**k are we!" Ummmm.... the desert.
There are few trees, and it is so dry. The station is awash with touts
wanting to take us to "good hotel". We were not able to contact our
Guesthouse before we boarded the train, so we don't even know if he is
still in business. We decide to go outside and try to phone, and the
minute we step out of the station see a man with a sign with our name on
it. Hurray! Sidestepping 50 touts, we get in a jeep where we ride to the
fort, then into an autorickshaw into the fort, then a walk down winding
narrow lanes to Desert Boys Guesthouse. The Haveli, or apartment home is
right in the Golden Fort and was built in 1166 (yes, 1166) with twisting
halls, stairs and ramparts. As we write this we are sitting on a balcony
of one of the bastions overlooking the town below. Our room is all
polished sandstone walls and floors, with huge wooden doors, shuttered
windows and decorated in Rajput style.

We are spending several days here, this will be our more relaxed stop,
however we are going on an overnight camel safari to sleep in the desert
under the stars on Monday!

Thats all for now. It is time to go to do some more exploring, send this
email, phone home and get dinner.


Back from the Desert

Today is our final full day here in Jaisalmer. Day before yesterday we
had a relaxing day sitting out on one of the fort balconies reading and
just generally taking a bit of a break. It was nice to have a chance to
relax, it has been so go go go since we arrived in India.

The fort is really enchanting. It is great to just stroll around. You
can get lost, but only for so long. Lots of weddings going on here, we
have been told that it is wedding season, and we even got caught up in
one coming home from dinner the other night, and were dancing in the
street with the wedding party.

Yesterday just after noon we started off on our trip into the desert on
a camel trek. Travelling with us was a couple from Birmingham, and their
friend from Australia. We all crammed into a rather tiny jeep with no
doors and headed outside of town for about a two hour ride into the Thar
Desert. Everyone here always apologizes and says that "the desert here
not like Sahara". Well, for someone who has not seen much desert, it is
like saying "Lake Huron, oh not as big as Lake Superior". Stopping along
the way at two villages, one for the Warrior Caste and one for the
"Untouchable" Caste (yes, they still call them Untouchables here) we got
to take lots of pictures and go right into their homes. It really is a
humbling experience when you see how little they have. Aside from some
solar lights, their way of life has not changed in hundreds of years.

Finally we reach the point where we mount our camels, then it is another
hour ride to our camp, where we join a couple from South Africa, who
have been on a two day trek. We are really away from it all now! Our
camel drivers unload the camels (the blankets that are piled high on
each camel under the saddle will become our beds) and make supper over
an open fire, while we are off to explore the dunes. Dinner is an
authentic desert meal of curry veg, rice, dal and freshly made chapita
bread (made from scratch and cooked over the fire). We sit in a circle
and eat desert style, with our hands. Then the camel drivers sing some
traditional folk songs before it is time to hit the hay. There are cots
and tents, but everyone opts to seep out on the dunes, under the stars.
Once we are settled, it is quite warm. The stars and moon are so bright
it seems like twilight all night, but soon the sun is up and we are
ready for some breakfast and chai tea. Then back on the camels and back
to town, where as you can imagine, we are exhausted.

But what an amazing time it was.

Tomorrow we are off on the train to Jodhpur, and will write again then.


Jodhpur, the Blue City


This morning we are in Jodhpur, having arrived last night after what
seemed a very short 6 hour train ride from Jaisalmer. An autorickshaw
was waiting at the station to meet us and we proceeded on the wildest
ride we have had yet. The streets here are VERY narrow, and the rickshaw
driver careened madly through traffic, past pedestrians, cows,
motorcycles - he would give an inch to no one. As the alleyways got more
and more narrow, we would have to stop from time to time to coax a cow
out of the way, or back into a corner so another larger rickshaw could
pass (might makes right here). Finally we stop at a large gate. The
driver says "here, here" and we get out. Once we figure how to open the
gate, we enter into a small and quiet courtyard, with stairs leading up.

We meet the owner, Alp, and are shown our room, which is all the way at
the top of the Haveli (which means "enclosed space"). The room is large,
with a nice bath and hot water on demand. There are windows everywhere
and a beautiful view of the fort.

After a quick cold beer and a grilled cheese sandwich (ummmmmmmm!) we
settle in for the night. It's now morning and we are sitting on the
terrace having coffee before we head out for the day to explore.

Jodhpur - the Frustrating city

Jodhpur is a labyrinth. Our Haveli is in the old quarter at the base of
the fort, and it is impossible to know where you are going. More on that
later.

This morning we walked up to the fort, Mehrangarh. It has stood on this
site since the first Rajput rulers of Jodhpur founded this city in the
1400's and is one of the largest in India.

The fort is situated 122m above the city, which sprawls out blue below
it as far as you can see, with steep hills all around. First stop is the
royal gardens, beautifully restored and filled with tropical plants
including bananas. Then it is on to the interior and palace itself, for
which we take an audio tour. The tour is amazing and informative, and we
spend several hours here. Then it is off to MV Spices in the Sardur
Market. MV is recommended in Lonely Planet, as well as by several
travellers who we have met along the way. We meet the owner, a young 26
year old woman who has taken the shop over from her father and turned it
into a Jodhpur destination. We sit and smell all kinds of wonderful
Indian spices, and leave with a whole knapsack full to bring home, as
well as some Chai seasoning (chai wallas and chai tea are EVERYWHERE in
India, and Chai Tea is an institution). It is also something we have
become quite fond of in our time here.

Back to Sardur for some market wandering and samosas and we decide to
find a bank machine. About here is where it all falls apart. We get
totally lost. Our map is useless, as none of the locals can read it, we
can see no landmarks (everything is so low) and the streets are choked
with dust and exhaust - the air pollution in all of India, by the way,
is unimaginable. Finally we find a bank machine, and it actually works.
We decide that it is time to cave in and hire an auto rickshaw to take
us back to our hotel. We don't know what is a fair amount, but we know
we are further away than we were when we arrived at the train station,
so we decided on 80 rupee. The first driver wanted 200, so we laughed
and walked away. The second agreed to 80, but it was soon clear he did
not know where he was going. Finally he stopped and asked at a busy
corner. An lady in her 60's appeared and had a rapid fire discussion
with the driver in Hindi. Then, turning to us and fishing her glasses
out of her purse she said in perfect British english "How may I help you?"

We told her, she told the driver and we thanked her in the usual Hindi
way "Namaste" with palms together. She said that she was a Hindi history
teacher and that (and this is what makes India such a pleasure) it was
"her duty - Namaste". WOW! Try getting that response when you ask for
directions back home.

We are just now finishing a very light supper, a bit of tummy upset has
found us so we want to take it easy, so tonight we will watch a movie on
the netbook in the room and relax.



Bump in the Road to Agra

Well, we were doing fine until the other day when we hit Jodhpur. We had
a great day at the fort, it was really something to see. But then a
little bit of Delhi Belly caught us (well, Rob more specifically) and
the next day was spent stuck in the room. It was a rough day, as we had
confirmed train tickets that night for Agra and the Taj Mahal, which we
did not want to miss.

Thanks to valiant efforts by Curtis, we made it to the train and
actually had a pretty good trip here. The problem is, that this was to
be a "whistle stop" (in in the morning, out at night, no room booked).
The plan was to check the luggage and spend the day. Problem was, we
were both just too tired and decided that we needed a place to crash,
and at the very least have a toilet. Pickings are slim here, and the
choices were pretty grotty. Actually, if you look up grotty in the
dictionary, it will probably say "gross, disgusting and dirty, but not
as bad as the Shanti Hotel in Agra". Some pictures attached, since a
picture is worth a thousand words. But they also say "any port in a
storm" and surprisingly the room has been a welcome place to get off the
street, away from the hubbub, and rest up.

Oh, and of course there's the Taj. Pictures of that are here too, and I
think you will agree one thing more than makes up for the other.

Tonight we leave for our last stop, Varanasi, on the 9:20 Marwar
Express. We will be there for 3 days before returning to Delhi, where we
fly home. Hopefully the 3 days there will give us a chance to settle a
bit, see the sights and recover from the last few challenging days.

From Agra to Varanasi


Ok, get a coffee and settle in. This may be a long one.

We have had a bit of a rough go of it since Agra. While we did manage to
see the Taj Mahal, and while it was a once in a lifetime experience, we
have both been sick, which has us completely exhausted. Agra itself was
not a good experience - so far India has been dirty, as we expected, but
not as bad as we had thought. Agra however was not so pleasant. From the
open sewers in the streets to the never ending hassle of the touts, we
were glad to get on the train and away.

Even after a good nights sleep, though, we were still pretty beat when
we arrived. We called our hotel from the station and they sent someone
to pick us up. The auto rickshaw can only get part way to the Ghats,
though, so we had to walk through the narrow winding streets about a
kilometer with our bags in tow. Varanasi is the oldest continually
inhabited city in the world, so you can imagine what the streets are
like. Narrow, cobblestone, with twists and turns everywhere.

Finally we arrive at Schindha Ghat (Ghat is Hindi for "steps" and refers
to the steps that lead down to the Ganges for bathing and worship). Our
room is a welcome respite from our day trippers paradise in Agra - clean
sheets, hot shower and even a fridge. We have a balcony that looks out
on the river and can see people bathing and performing their daily rites
below. Speaking of bathing, the Ganges here is the most polluted river
in the world - some statistics - the water has 1.5 MILLION fecal
chloroform count per 100 ml of water!!!!! Safe bathing water is
considered less than 500! Yet every minute of every day, we see people
swimming, bathing, doing their dishes, using the toilet. It is a truly
stunning sight.

Varanasi is also the beating heart of the Hindu universe. To die here is
to achieve maksha, the breaking of the cycle of birth and death. Within
site of our hotel is Manakirnika Ghat, or the Burning Ghat. Here, all
day and all night, dead bodies arrive by hand carried procession through
the streets to be handed over to the doms, a cast of untouchables who
cremate the dead. You can sit and watch as the bodies are bathed one
final time in the river before being wrapped in cotton and set ablaze on
huge funeral pyres. It takes about 200 kilos of wood to burn a body, and
there is wood everywhere. Men with scales carefully weigh and collect
the fee for each corpse, with different woods being more or less
expensive. Sandlewood, we are told, costs the most.

Later in the evening we head down to Dasaswamedh Ghat to see the Ganga
Aarti, a ceremony with incense, song and fire that is held every night
to honour the "Mother River". Afterward we hire a boatman to row us back
to Schindia Ghat, where our hotel is. From the boat we have an excellent
nighttime view of the burning ghats and take a moment to light candles
surrounded by marigold flowers and set them afloat on the river.

Back at our hotel for dinner we meet up with a couple and their friend
from Australia. All in their 60's this is their 5th time to India. We
swap stories and eat, and suddenly realize that we both have our
appetites and energy back - finally!

Tomorrow will be our last day here - at 7:20 pm tomorrow we will depart
on the Shiv Gang Express for Delhi, where we began our journey. We have
a few sights left to see there, and hope fully some SHOPPING.


The Final Leg

Today we arrived back in Delhi bright and early on the Shiv Gange
Express. Our last train ride was fast and comfortable. We both slept
well and it is bittersweet to realize that this is our last ride on the
India Rails. India has the largest rail network in the world and we have
found our experience on board to be efficient and economical. We have
travelled an amazing distance since our arrival, and it has cost next to
nothing.

It is nice when we arrive at frantically hectic New Delhi Station to
know exactly where we are going and before long we are back at the
Ginger Hotel. Our room is not ready for a few hours so we check our
luggage and head back over to Parhaganj for some breakfast. Since we no
longer have to shlep everything we own across the sub-continent, we have
the opportunity to do a bit more shopping, and then it is time to check
in. Later we go back to Connaught Circus for a bit of sightseeing, and
some mundane tasks including confirming our flight home. Lunch was
incredible, because we found a Subway, and we were so craving a
sandwich. Dinner was at Sarhavan Bhavan, the restaurant we ate at our
first night here (they have a location in Mississauga, we must check it
out) and the day was over.

Today was a bit busier. We started out with breakfast at the German
Bakery. We had a nice table on the Main Bazaar, the sun was shining, and
just as our breakfast was served a crap load (crap being the operative
word)of brown water cascaded over the roof all over our food - and it
looked sooooo good! The restaurant owner was mortified and immediately
remade our meals, which we ate inside. It was so tasty that we are going
back there tomorrow, but I think we will sit inside

Spent the afternoon on the metro travelling to Humayuns Tomb, a huge
Mogul Tomb that was the precursor to the Taj Mahal, and quite a
surprise. It was quite a sight. Then we went to the outskirts of the
city to see the Lotus Temple, the main house of worship for the
worldwide Bahai Faith. The temple is a stunning work of architecture,
surrounded by reflecting pools. Inside it is all naturally lit with
filtered light that enters from all angles no matter where the sun is in
the sky.

Back to the city we once again had to face the crazy jam packed metro.
You have to see it to believe it! They have women only cars at the front
of each train that are not too crowded, but the men are crushed like
sardines in the back. Basically, when the train arrives at the station
you have to literally force your way into the train. If you don't cram
yourself in you will get left behind. It also makes it difficult to get
out - if you are too far back in the car when your station arrives, you
may not get out. The local folks have a good laugh with us ever time we
ride. They comment about how "this is the problem with the population of
India" or want to know "is it like this on your Metro at home". It's not!

For dinner we ate at a place called Tao, an up scale Asian Restaurant. A
bit of a treat, it was the most expensive meal we have had since we
arrived at 40 bucks including two BIG beers. The food was Chinese and it
was delicious - a welcome change from Indian and we really enjoyed it.

Well, it is time to wrap this one up. Tomorrow we have most of the day.
We booked our hotel room for the night, but have to leave for the
airport at about 1:00 am for our flight at 4:30 Saturday morning. That
will, with any luck, put us back in London around 7:00pm Saturday
evening. We would love to spend another week or two here, but it is time
to come home.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Nice travelogue! Just a couple of things ... it's Gandhi (though it could be a typo), and you might want to rephrase the "... mount our camels ..." bit :-)

Arindam