Bicycles and Headed to India
January 14, 2009 · Print This Article
First, India. Today is a day we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. At 6:05 PM local time we leave Bangkok for Delhi, India. Everyone is really excited and daunted at the same time. So many travelers speak with such love for their visit to India with one breath and then the assault the country makes on all of their senses in the next one. Our stay will be only 21 days, hardly enough to do justice, but hopefully enough to get to know at least one part of the country. We decided to concentrate our travels in Rajasthan. Maybe, just maybe we will be fortunate enough to return some day and explore others.
Prasad, my friend Abhi from RTI and Leslie/Ken from Durham Friends Meeting have all been really helpful in getting us all setup. Thanks so much! In the end we hired a driver to help us navigate the country, which will mark the first time during our travels that we aren’t completely in control and in charge of our day to day transportation needs. We also hope to reunite with the Masske family (with 4 kids! traveling around the world) from Canada who we serendipitously met in a restaurant in Arequipa, Peru. We’ve kept up with each other through our respective blogs and e-mails. They arrived in India on the 12th and it would be great fun to see them again. Here is our basic itinerary.
15-Jan Delhi
16-Jan Delhi
17-Jan Agra
18-Jan Agra
19-Jan Ranthambhore National Park
20-Jan Ranthambhore National Park
21-Jan Jaipur
22-Jan Jaipur
23-Jan Pushkar
24-Jan Udaipur
25-Jan Udaipur
26-Jan Ranakpur
27-Jan Jodhpur
28-Jan Jodhpur
29-Jan Khuri Village
30-Jan Jaisalmer
31-Jan Bikaner
1-Feb Bikaner
2-Feb Mandawa
3-Feb Delhi
Now, on to bicycles. I really miss my bikes as do the kids. We’ve ridden a few times (Japan and Laos), but not nearly enough. As a weak replacement for riding we have been fascinated to observe the common and creative use of bicycles. From hard core cyclists on adventures beyond our wildest dreams (think 10,000 km from Turkey to Vietnam through Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) to everyday people using them for transport (grandmothers, parents with babies, hauling wood, etc.) Here are a few of my favorite pictures along the way.
I love the bike collection. How about a series of your favorite collections.
Food
Drinks
transportation
toilets
faces
?
?
Your family ROCKS the world!!
Remember, this is your life, no dress rehearsal…you are living a dream.
Simply beautiful.
Thanks
Blake
Hey Blake,
You and Jenny are two of our best cheerleaders. Thanks for the ongoing encouragement.
We landed in New Delhi late last night and spent the day visiting a few of the highlights of the city - The Red Fort, Indira Ghandi’s house, etc. Wow, this place is intense. The air is thick with smog/smoke at this time of year, making it seem like the sun is going down at times and the breathing for our asthma prone family members challenging. The streets are jammed with vehicles of all sorts, far more than Phnom Penh. The poverty, with children of all ages on the streets, is quite sad and striking. Our first walk down the street to the largest mosque in India (name?) was tough for the kids, grasping our hands harder than anywhere before.
Then we experienced some of the beauty and wonder of India’s past and oh the food we had at lunch. Our visit to India will be a high point during our trip, but tough going along the way.
More later, HI to everyone in your family from all of us!
John
i love these bike pics. MORE, please.
r