I was delighted to hear that my nephew and some of his fellow grad students in Syracuse were following my blog posts while I was in India and those posts that followed upon my return. It was especially great to hear since several of his colleagues are from India. Last week, I had a brief phone . . .
A small child, maybe 18 months old, dirty, dressed in rags, squatting in the gutter, drinking the dirty water. The image is seared in my brain. I saw it at the beginning my trip, maybe in Mumbai, and it's impossible to shake. The children in India broke my heart. My first-world eyes saw no . . .
One of the most beautiful features of historical India is the archway and we saw it in many different renditions, all of them graceful and romantic. and also Each one evoked a long ago time when maharajahs really ruled.... and had palaces so exotic and luxurious that they still stand the . . .
It's rare that I take a vacation that pushes me so clearly past the boundaries of my comfort level. That's because vacations are supposed to be "fun" and for me, that means some lines are just not meant to be crossed. Vacation is cosmetics and nice clothes. Strolling pretty boulevards. Seeing the . . .
Our stomachs weren't used to the bacteria in the water, so a basic routine was to be sure that we only drank from unopened bottles of brand name water, such as Himalaya or Aquifina. Even the water served at nice hotels was served in unopened bottles. Vendors sit all day selling their wares: . . .
No country does bling as well as India. Sparkling sequins, vibrant colors and shiny gold went well with the feminine moves of these beautiful dancers. This was a day or two into our trip. Little did I know we were being eased into India. Still, what a gorgeous performance. They moved so quickly . . .
If only the bones of a person should touch the water of the Ganges that personal shall dwell, honored, in heaven.~verse from the Mahabharata Cremation was unusual and even taboo in the Western world not too long ago, as if we carried our physical bodies along with our souls into the next world. . . .
Or: A Rickshaw ride through the chaos that is Old Delhi It’s not just a tourist thing. Locals travel this way. I’ve seen them, saris and all. Or sarees, which is another spelling I've seen. You’d think it would take a huge amount of muscle to bicycle a rickshaw with one or two (or more) . . .
I wrote this in the Panna National Forest in India I awakened to birdsong this morning in the middle of the jungle in India and when I opened the long drapes covering the huge picture window, all I could see was dense, lush forest. Tall candles flanking the small electric fire burned all night as . . .
Varanasi is a sacred place to Hindus—and the Ganges River is especially revered-- like a "mother." Hindus worship four mothers: their natural mothers, Mother Cow, Mother India and Mother Ganges. As a further mark of esteem, Hindus call the river Ganga-ji—the ji suffix is an honorific, denoting . . .
