an e-mail to Asher from Milbry

For Asher -- dont bring much with you.. what you can get there is amazing. in Udaipur visit the painting schools. it is easy to walk in and watch the boys painting. you can get very cheaply lovely pictures of elephants and camels and such.

painting by a boy in udaipur

watch as much bollywood as you can. in the hotel rooms that is about all that is on. at first you wont like it at all. but give yourself time. it is really quite wonderful

Eat everything. Food is wonderful there. Be very careful though of water and ice-- dont drink anything with ice in it ( may not be from pure water) and drink only bottled drinks. NOTHING out of the tap or shower.

ride an elephant in jaipur, sail on the lake in udaipur

lots of monkeys everywhere- these in faktepur sikri

not as many snake charmers as there use to be



but these are in agra..

take your camera- design

and color are amazing in India.

you will have a fabulous time.
I want to hear about it when you get back....

trail in tiger park where the tigers came as soon as we left...

a lot to cover -

adapters and outlets

230-240V 50Hz

PONDICHERRY

If you can, do go Pondicherry, a well-preserved French colonial town and home of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which also has the best "hotel" (Ashram hostel) there--on the water, with emerald lawns fronting the ocean. Good breakfast too. You need to reserve well in advance. If there are Ashram related events, it can be hard to get a room. Nicer location than any other hotel there. Meditation rooms on various floors.

From Madras/Chennai to Pondicherry and on down there are magical places to see and stay, including Mahabalipuram and its shore temples. You can stay at several old-fashioned "resorts" just a twenty-minute walk along the beach from the shore temples. The one I stayed at had two-storey houses on the water, with palm trees and a pool. It's been a while since I was there, so it may have changed. But it was a peaceful if slightly dilapidated oasis. Wonderful to swim there too, but be sure you have someone watching. Big surf. The Indian women I encountered on the beaches didn't swim. But they gathered at the water's edge and ran in and out with the tidal water like colorful sandpipers.

aha remembered

In Agra be SURE to cross river (Jumna?) and walk through little Dalit village to view Taj from across the river and a band of mustard fields...................it's an utterly stunning perspective, somehow presenting the building in a more naturalized , humanist frame without detracting one jot from its etherial quality. (Also has the advantage that its not quite the same (stunning) bang on view that we always see in photos so hence wakes up the eye a bit.....)You can find this route in Brit guide books not in U.S ones.....I learned about it the hard way.......we got to the Taj on a Monday or Tuesday, of course the one day in the week it is shut. So everyone (chiefly you know who) beat up on poor Hope as if was all my fault so I found this alternative through pure fright...

ideas

Lisa ---

I think Jaipur is giant snooze-----id spend nights there BUT be sure to spend the days or at least one day driving to see the painted haveli towns 80 miles away in desert called Shekhawati or similar. knopf's rajasthan guide book (its just rajasthan and vastly superior to all others) has a lot on these towns which are half way tween Jpur and Delhi...the most exciting painting Ive ever seen.

I had another idea but Ive forgotten it.

Execellent blog. Wish I could join you two!!