Adam and Tina

Women washing clothing and bathing at Gangaur Ghat in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Tina and I have just concluded our week in Udaipur, the first city in our tour of India’s Rajasthan state. I certainly enjoyed our visit. Though, I’m not sure I can say the same for Tina, who has been caught nose deep in Harry Potter books six and seven. Luckily, I do get regular updates of which characters are killed in fictional magic battles, amidst the bright red sunsets over the fairy-tale lake.

Tina immersed in Harry Potter over lunch at Mewar Hevali. Udaipur, Rajasthan.

(more…)

Malayalam Resort viewed from lake, showing day bed in yellow. Alleppey, Kerala.

Alleppey (Alappuzha) is one of those fantastic towns where days can drift by while relaxing with a good book and watching happy village life flow by in front of you. This sensation is in great contrast to northern India. Here, the pace is slower and people are always smiling.

Most travelers miss the gem by rushing through Alleppey and jumping straight into an overnight houseboat. We recommend that you stay in a guesthouse along the backwaters for at least one or two nights (we stayed for 6 nights). Take this opportunity to kick back and relax in one of the most chilled out places in India. We used this time to study the houseboats and decide on the type of houseboat we wanted.

(more…)

Villager’s means of transportation: canoes. Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.

Alleppey is the place of tropical dreams. Forests of palm trees. Huge networks of interconnecting backwater rivers surrounded by massive rice paddy plantations and tiny villages. Bright misty sunny days marked by brightly colored sunrises and sunsets.

The villages that line the 200 meter wide rivers seem to blend together as you pass by them. Only a narrow one-man path and a single line of palm trees separates the rivers from the hundred acre wide paddies.

(more…)

Sunrise at 6:20am, Feb 14, 2008. Alleppy, Kerala.

Awoken by the sound of roosters and black birds, I crawled out of the mosquito net to meditate and to catch the sunrise in one of the most beautiful places in the world: Alleppy in Kerala, India. I am now sitting on the front porch of the simple palm tree hut where we’re staying. I can see in front of me: serene alleyways of calm rivers, rows and rows of palm trees, birds flying in schools into the horizon and hues of pinks and blues and yellows out in the sky. Occasionally, groups of two or three men will pass gracefully along the calming river in a traditional Indian gondola on their way to the morning market.

(more…)

Adam relieved at finally arriving (Express 66, Room 205)

A week has passed since we left Seattle, on our way to Delhi. Our two flights were quite long, and slightly delayed, but we landed safely. Our first few days in Delhi were entirely spent getting settled and adjusted.
(more…)

Tina’s things all in ziplock bags, ready to be packed.

The day we leave for India has finally arrived. It feels so ominous, but we’re glad we finally get to leave.

(more…)