The Lowlands Await



In less than 2 weeks, the first stop will be:
Pepe's house! 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Indian Weddings Are a LOT! (day 1 - Mehendi)

Image
And the wedding festivities begin! Day 1, 1st event: Mehendi Monday, January 15th We woke up Monday morning ready to stop being tourists and morph into wedding guests. Mary and I said goodbye to our trusty driver Pradeep, whose last lift involved transfering us across Jaipur to the wedding hotel. We counted and recounted our 500-rupee bills (about 5 dollars) to make sure our tip was appropriate for so many days of safe (and relatively beep-less) driving on the insanity of Indian roads.  We joined family members and friends of the bride and groom, Emily and Sarral, at Grand Uniara hotel. Attacking wrinkles on our first outfits, we caught up with our sister Kathy, mother of the bride, and prepared for mehendi  (or mehndi ), the first of 5+ wedding events planned over two days. The hotel decorations were quite colorful. At about quarter to one, we heard the drums start up, calling us to the event and stirring up excitement. This sort of throne was set up for the bride and groo
Read more

Old Delhi - Where Things Get Lively

Image
January 9, 2024 Waking up Day 3, I felt like I was finally on India time. Mary needed a bit more caffeine, then we met our affable driver Purdeep and the inscrutable Sanjit, our Delhi guide, in the courtyard. Time to find out what Old Delhi could show us. First stop: Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mohandas Gandhi at the site of his funeral pyre. Sanjit filled us in on Gandhi's life and career promoting non-violence in fighting for justice and self-determination. If you - like me - have wondered which is his correct first name, Gandhi was often called Mahatma, meaning "Great Soul." He was assassinated in 1948 by Hindu nationalists angry about Indias' partition into Hindu and Muslim states when independence from Britain was gained in 1947.  Posing awkwardly  Mary enjoyed this one, especially for her granddaughters. Next stop: Jama Maskid (mosque) We've definitely been treated to a diverse sampling of religious si
Read more

Old Delhi - Part Two: Spices!

Image
By late morning Day 3, we had survived the bicycle rickshaw ride, mostly through the alleys of colorful wedding shops, and then followed Sanjit on foot for a closer look at the spice market.  Spice Market First we passed the flower market, where sacks of bright marigold tops sat around waiting to be strung into garlands to decorate statues and images. Weaving our way past shops selling colorful decorations, or around a pile of almond sacks from California, or just in front of a horn-blaring motorbike (they all beep constantly), Sanjit led us into the wholesale spice market. Making any progress along the crowded narrow lane between stalls requires confidence, some aggression, but also courtesy (make way for the guy with 3 heavy cases on his head) and patience (Cart jam! How can we get through?) Rock salt Sanjit led us up a narrow passage to the 2nd floor stalls and terraces crowded with sacks of goods
Read more