We’re on our way home. Our particular flight from Delhi began at 5 am and takes us over Pakistan, the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and over Iran’s Tehran and Tabriz en route to Istanbul and home. Others took long non-stop flights directly to the US and five guests extended their journey to spend two days at a superb tiger reserve in central India. As we write we can see the rugged hills and snow-
capped mountains of Turkey’s Kurdish region.
India’s national tourism office uses the slogan, “Incredible India”. While India is, indeed, incredible, we also find it nearly indescribable. Let us tell you about a recent day.
We left early this morning to visit Jaipur’s Amber Fort. There were a few gentle grumbles wondering why we were leaving so early and, after all, we had already seen two forts. We tried to reassure the troops that we had not lost our minds. When we approached the site and saw the 
magnificent fortress situated high astride the ridge of the mountain, the interest began to grow. At the entrance to the road leading up to the fort, we saw a long line of elephants waiting to take us up the mountain. This was getting interesting. While we waited to board our elephants, a local Rajastani man tied turbans on many of us. Properly equipped with regional headgear, we boarded the elephants and set off on our climb up the mountain. Touristy but fun.
And the fort? Stunning. Though abandoned to the elements hundreds of years ago, exposed to summer’s fiery heat, the seasonal monsoon rains and winter’s cold temperatures it remains an incredible structure. We walked through elegant courtyards, stunning rooms with walls inlaid with semi-precious stones, a hall of mirrors and tranquil gardens. We could only imagine the wealth of the Maharaja and the exqusite artistry and craftsmanship of the time.
Next we deviated somewhat from our itinerary to visit a small village. After some conversation with the elders, the villagers welcomed us in. Soon shy women clad in beautiful saris began to appear in the doorways, many of them with babies in their arms. Though this was a farm village, one young man (we thought he was about fourteen) told us in good English how he was enrolled in his first year of college studying engineering. When I inquired whether he would be able to find a job, he said that the demand for IT engineers was high. We peered into the homes, took our pictures, asked questions (and answered a few). Before we left the village, we walked to a nearby community school. With great pride the teachers proudly showed us their simple but tidy classrooms and we watched the kids play a game something like dodgeball. Before we left, the teachers assembled the kids to sing India’s national anthem for us. We loved the experience and so did the kids.
After a busy morning it was time for lunch. And what a lunch… We had planned a “Royal Welcome” at a beautiful hotel, once a residence owned by the Maharaja of Jaipur. When we approached the hotel a band played music the maharaja’s armies might have used a couple of centuries ago. A huge elephant, two camels, two horses and a curious monkey flanked the entrance to welcome us.
As the doors to the hotel opened, a pretty woman put a red bindi mark on our foreheads. As each couple entered the compound, a deep voiced man announced each traveler as we walked on a pathway specially lined for our arrival with thousands of rose and marigold petals. During an extensive lunch, a traditional Indian band played for a performance of Rajastanhi dance. (The lunch was delicious.) Before we returned to our hotel, we plunged into the crowds of the market to visit a spice merchant and to watch the preparations for India’s biggest festival of the year, Diwali, which begins November 5. A marvelous day.
We haven’t mentioned our visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal and two other World Heritage sights, the abandoned city of Fatepur Sikhri and our final two days in one of India’s most beautiful cities, Udaipur. Each of those visits deserves an individual postcard but we’ll let our returning travelers tell their tales. Meanwhile our minds are bursting with sights and experiences; it will take time to put everything in perspective. We could see that this huge country of is on the verge of a new greatness as its robust economy and rapid growth challenges China’s success. We’ll long remember the smiles of the attractive people, the women’s beautiful saris (the younger generation of women seem, increasingly, to prefer jeans), the grand temples and palaces, our evening and morning on the Ganges and the indescribable service in some of the world’s best hotels. A visit to India can be challenging and tiring and the flights are long. Yet, it’s the journey of a lifetime.
We can’t wait to go back to see more.
Wish you could have been with us,
Paul and Christine
Tuesday morning, Varanasi, India
sidewalks.
During the next two days we visited the handsome government buildings built by the British in the early 1900s, a magnificent structure (Humayans’s tomb) many call the precursor of the Taj Mahal and took off our shoes to visit the largest mosque in India. We boarded rickshaws to drive through the 
narrow lanes of Old Delhi while noisy commerce and tooting horns surrounded us. However the highlight of our stay in Delhi was our visit one evening to an Indian family. Our bus took us through Delhi’s dark neighborhoods to a newish 5-story building. We walked up four flights and rang the doorbell. There we met our charming hostess, Mrs. Prabeen Singh, along with her pretty daughter who recently began her practice as a child psychologist. During the next 45 minutes a series of fascinating local people arrived. Among them was the head of the Wall Street Journal in India, a Sikh gentlemen who publishes a prestigious journal on Indian affairs, a well-known physicist, an affable woman (who would host the King of Bhutan the following day at her accommodations at a noted tiger reserve), a woman who headed the department of comparative religions at a Delhi university, a coin expert and several others.
about 30 km from Palma. We enjoyed the old clanking train and the marvelous scenery along the way.
Today the ship’s chef arranged a festive buffet in the ship’s galley; it was fun to look behind the scenes and to select from Indian curries to barbecued ribs and everything in between.
top and we popped them in our mouth, rind and all! Fantastico.
The participants in our Autumn in the Mediterranean Signature Journey arrived in Rome last Thursday, weary but anxious to experience an insider’s look at Umbria. Later in the afternoon we reached our accommodations located high in the hills of the Umbrian countryside, Villa Hotel Monte di Solare, an elegant and welcoming hideaway not far from the region’s capital, Perugia. (With its fine restaurant, spacious rooms, pampering spa and even a restored, consecrated chapel, we think this villa hotel is worth a special journey. The staff works hard to accommodate their guests’ wishes; for example, on the day we departed, the hotel had arranged for a few guests to go hunting for Umbria’s prized white truffles with a local expert. Umm.)
For lunch we stopped for an impressive tasting of the region’s best wines and olive oils in the little village of Spello. The proprietor of the enoteca, a real showman, led us through two white wines, four impressive red wines and two extra virgin olive oils as we dined on pastas and a superb Mediterranean salad with tuna. The salad was dressed with a 25-year old balsamic vinegar that had taken on a delightful sweetness characteristic of aged balsamico. Though the wines were marvelous with foods to match, our favorite item was a simple bruschetta, peasant bread coated with a superb olive oil and topped with chopped ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. So simple; so good. The experience made it challenging to go into Perugia that evening for dinner. (But, we rallied and had a fantastic time because you can’t have enough good Italian fare).
India is a remarkable country of contrasts. At first glance upon arrival in Delhi, the noise, sheer number of people and the traffic are completely overwhelming. Yes, there are homeless and beggars on the streets in some areas and its one region where your accommodations and restaurants are an important choice. But this country of over one billion people is also a training ground for some of the best doctors, high tech development, spiritually devoted and well-educated people in the world.
On another day we had arranged a visit into the home of a family. From outward appearances this home was modest. Yet upon entering, it was clear that this family was extremely well educated, boasting a doctor, dress designer and politician in the family. It was a most interesting evening.
