Hey there from Taipei, Taiwan, the Republic of China. It hardly seems possible, but we have been here just about a week, and we can’t figure out where the time has gone. Our original flight was delayed by about 45 minutes, and when we landed our impatient friends from Austria, Fred & Maxi, caught a taxi and went to the hotel. As it turned out, we arrived at the hotel as they were checking in. It was really great to see them as we had spent 21 years 
of meeting each other yearly some place in the world and spending time together. We missed last year, and even though we talk all the time on Skype, even when they are in Fiji, we still had a lot of catching up to do. Fred and I have a lot of fun together, as the two wives refer to us as kindergarten kids. Still it is a hoot. Explored this city of over 20 million first by their elevated train system, which is really great, clean and inexpensive, about the only thing in Taipei that is, inexpensive that is. It surprised us, as everything is very expensive and climbing. Meals cost dearly, and even the food carts in the various markets are very expensive. First thing on our agenda after we rode the elevated from one end to the other to get our bearings, was the 101 Tower, which up until about four months ago was the tallest building in the world. It is now surpassed by the new tower in Dubai, but is very dominant on the skyline. It is an oddly designed building, and we all thought it not very impressive or majestic.
Not nearly as beautiful as the Empire State building or as eye catching as a few other biggies we have seen. Its observation deck is only on the 92nd floor, so that alone is 10 floors lower than the Sears Tower. From there we tried to find the Computer market, but instead stumbled upon the Jade Market. Let me tell you, we have never seen a market with the kind of price tags they had there, quite beautiful things, but very steep. The Jade shops we went to in Thailand and Vietnam were much much cheaper. After a good look, and believe it or not, neither of the women even saw anything they liked, and we made our way to the computer street, with its center being the Computer market, which is a five story building entirely devoted to electronics. Fred and Maxi had a task to do, as they were looking for an electronic book reader, but in that entire building they did not have a single one. Again, we were very disappointed with the prices, as most things were actually cheaper back home. I know for a fact, that just using a SD card as an example, I bought a 16 GB one before we left for around $28 on EBay, and there they were asking over $80. I found the same for Cameras, DVD devices and other things. The only thing I did find that was quite interesting, were some laptop models that we did not have in the States. Left there, and found ourselves a local market, with all sorts of goodies. Some new fruits for us, which we of course tasted and even bought some for the hotel room, some candies we had never seen, and very yummy looking what looked like Bratwurst being cooked on a very large grill. 
As Fred and I were very hungry, we both bought one, and were surprised to find them more like a sausage with a candy flavor, which just did not go down well in our minds. Sausages are sausages, and just think what you would do if you were given a candy cane with spicy mustard on it. Just does not compute. Seems they like everything sweet. Even the fresh squeezed juices they were making, they put heaps of sugar into. After sampling a bunch of stuff including some very weird looking hard boiled eggs that had a black yolk, we found a place to enjoy a coffee and just relaxed for a while. We decided on trying the Hotel restaurant for dinner, as Fred said they had an inexpensive Buffet with a discount for more than two people. We gave it a try but as he has done so many times in the past, he got his English a little wrong, and instead of a discount there actually was an extra charge for the 3rd and 4th persons. Tried to figure it out with the Cashier but due to a limited amount of Mandarin on our part, and almost no English on hers, after ten minutes of getting nowhere, I just said the hell with it. It seems although the Hotel had a very good rating, it had a number of things going against it. First off it was out in the damn boondocks, and a 10 kilometer drive to the city center. They were not prepared or just didn’t give a damn in regards to having ample food items for either their breakfast of dinner buffets. The Breakfast buffet was constantly out of everything and you had to find someone to get more of whatever it was that you needed, and that was always fun as it turned into a few minutes of making gestures, a lot of finger pointing and other antics used when dealing with folks who no speaky English. One morning they had no cups for coffee, no bread for toast, or no fruit in the fruit bowl. Lastly, every time we would leave our room (which was nice) we would notice an unmistakably foul smell, somewhat similar to a bathroom after I had used the facilities. It seemed they had a problem with that, and although the room was fine and free from any odor, it was in the hallways and lobby. Oh well it wasn’t going to kill us.
We all decided that the 7 days we booked were way too many to spend in Taipei, but we made the most of it. Went to the Zoo on the next to last day and while I sat and took pictures of the people, they all walked through the zoo. They also had a tremendous Gondola ride that was part of the transit system. Thinking it was like most Gondola rides we got our tickets and waited for our cable car. Normal queues are well over two hours, but we walked right in. Everywhere we went the tourist traffic was way down. Much to our surprise this gondola went for over 7 miles, up and down the small mountains and every time we thought the end would be right over the next hill, it just kept on going. We then had a snack in McDonalds, as Fred proved to be a problem as far as eating went. That evening went to a very nice buffet restaurant right near the Gondola ride we saw. Great assortment of western foods, lots of fruits and salads and a huge array of deserts. As we were in Taiwan we outvoted Fred the next evening and found a very typical Taiwanese Restaurant serving very local type food. Well, I must say it was fun watching Fred, as luck would have it they had something on the menu that sort of resembled a schnitzel and he was quite happy with that. Left everything else, but completely finished that. We all ordered other local dishes which we thought we would enjoy, but to our palates, our Chinese back home was more to what we preferred. 
Everything was very mushy and even the shrimp tempura was somewhat strange looking. Sort of tasted like tempura, but not what we were used to. Next day we went to the water front, which is very popular with the locals. Lots of games for the kids, a lot of little shops and dozens and dozens of booths selling dried squid, fresh octopus, a vast assortment of snails in all sizes and colors and even raw crabs, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, all ready to be cut up and cooked and served right there. We opted for Dunkin Donuts on the way in AND on the way out. So we kept busy and saw many of the sights Taipei had to offer. Most of all, I guess the most fun came from simply being together again. It was really great to see them and spend time together.
Left on the next day and flew to Mumbai on Indian Airways. Little did we know what was ahead? We arrived at our hotel in Mumbai very late at night, and were in a little bit of shock after the long 1 hour drive from the airport. We passed hundreds and hundreds of people sleeping on the sidewalks, and even though it was dark, could see the unmistakable filth and garbage everywhere. Arrived at our hotel and went to register. Had no chance of getting any Indian money (rupees) so we were not prepared to give any tips. Little did we know how many tips we would need over the coming days. It seems the Indian people expect a tip for just about everything, and unless you are very quick, your luggage will be on someone’s head, your bags will be in their arms and doors will be opened for you, and every one of them will more or less demand a tip, regardless of whether you wanted it done or not. At any rate we arrived at our room on the 4th floor, after a ride in a decrepit elevator that hesitated then lurched and jumped, hesitated again then made some strange noises and finally arrived on our floor. We saw a blaze of light coming from a room down the hall, and because Indians for some unknown reason love fluorescent lights, we figured that was ours. The room had every one of them on, with four guys all standing there. At first it looked like something out of a “Midnight Express” movie, and they had busted us, but there they were, three porters and a security guard all standing there staring at us in the way only Indians can, and asking for a tip. Oh yeah, they are not the least bit embarrassed to come right out and ask for it, or are they shy about telling you gave them too little. We tried to explain that we had no money to give them, but they persisted with that stare, and after a short while it got me spooked, and I literally escorted them out of the room. Next day came much too quickly, and we went down to what they called a breakfast. It turned out to be little more than Instant coffee and some white bread, but no toaster to be found. Met our guide 
at the designated time and headed to our first stop, the house of the late Mahatma Gandhi, the revered leader of when the Indians struggle to be free of English control or the Raj. Here the trip nearly came to a sudden and unplanned end. Vally wanted to see the upper floors of the house, and since it was horribly hot outside, it was determined that I would go with the driver and wait in the A/C car while they finished the upper floors. Well as I have a habit of looking at where I am walking, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the driver did a left, so I raised my head to see where he went and at that moment stepped in one of the multitude of potholes that are everywhere. Well, ass over teakettle I went, with my face having an unpleasant run in with a beautiful marble wall. The wall won! 
My glasses were broken, my camera was saved by
me holding it against my body, but the lens hit the ground and the impact tore off the UV filter and the sun shield which were both broken. I must admit that as spooky as the Indian people can be, they are a very caring people, and before I was on my feet, there were more than a dozen people around me, two brought me big chunks of ice from somewhere, and two others had first aid kits while the others got me to a wall to sit on. With all that happening, Vally comes out of the Gandhi house, sees a big commotion and wonders what it is all about. Then she sees me sitting on the wall with blood running down my face and my legs, as I also torn up both knees. It opened up the scar wound from the last knee replacement and all in all, I was a mess. BUT, I didn’t let something as trivial as that deter us from our appointed rounds, and we continued on our tour, after a brief rest, and much cleaning up. My face sort of looked like a bad mug shot of someone who lost the fight big time, and my knees hurt like crazy. When I fell I also landed on my left wrist which had gotten very swollen and caused me a lot of problems for the rest of the trip. We finally left and went to see the sights, of which I must admit I really didn’t want to miss.
We went to what is called “The City Laundry” 
where hundreds of families that have been doing it for generations, (remember it is a Caste system and if your father and grandfather worked in the laundry, that too was your fate)They were doing the cities laundry. Thousands and thousands of bags of laundry
are brought there and washed by hand and stone pounding, no modern machines here, all the same way it has been done for years. And believe it or not, they say almost NOTHING is ever lost. Next day we took a boat ride to 
Elephant Island, where they have a temple at the top of a zillion steps, and it is very popular with the locals. No, I didn’t climb them, but Vally did and saw the hundreds of Monkeys that hang out there while I sat in a small café and did some serious people watching. That evening we ate at the Café Leopold, which gained some notoriety as it was where the gunmen who staged the terrorist attack in Mumbai a year ago, shot a bunch of tourists. We actually sat at the table behind where 4 tourists were killed. The thought of that gave it an Eerie and chilling feeling that definitely called for a pitcher of draft beer. I guess between the heat and my hurting I didn’t feel like eating very much, so we had the leftovers put in a doggie bag and Vally was determined to give the food to one of the gazillion beggars that are everywhere. We found it amusing that throughout the trip there would be so many young girls that approach you with babies (the sympathy prop) and motion the need to eat in hopes of money, while at the same time wearing very nice gold earrings and necklaces. Again the Caste system enters into the picture, as these beggars are all from a caste group that marries within itself, and produces offspring where their job in life will also be begging.
The next day we skipped breakfast, or what they thought was breakfast and headed straight to the airport to catch our flight to Varanasi, probably the holiest city in India and home of the Ganges River. We instead found a nice donut place at the airport and had what turned out to be very very good donuts with some good Cappuccino coffee to wash them down. Got the plane and had a uneventful flight up to Varanasi. Checked into our Hotel, and rested up until we were to meet our guide for the evening’s adventure. At just about sunset, we went down to the lobby and met Mr. Singh who was to lead us over to the religious doings on the famed steps of the Ganges River. When we got there it was a madhouse of people, cows, oxen, donkeys, camels, rickshaws, scooters, and heaven only knows what else. Mr. Singh had the driver park at a spot he knew, took us by the hand and led us toward the famed river on foot, as due to the crowds you couldn’t approach by car. After a fairly long walk, which seemed much longer with all the “obstacles” in the streets, we approached the steps down to the Ganges. It was like the Discovery Channel had come to life. 
There in front of us was a street wide series of maybe 100 steps or so, and leading down to the water where they ended up being about a quarter of a mile wide. Throngs and I mean throngs of people all headed in the same direction. Down by the river we learned we would be taking a small poled boat to better see the ceremonies that would take place at the center of these vast steps. There were people doing all sorts of things as they waited for the ceremony to begin. 
They were dipping themselves in the river, they were brushing their teeth with river water and spitting on the steps , (no Phillips SoniCares here, just a certain type of tree twig they use for dental hygiene,
that I had noticed them being sold up on the
street but had no idea of what they were), the animals were also walking about, which added to the utter confusion of the whole thing. When we got out in the boat, the man poled us out to a good position and we awaited the entrance of the five priests that would perform the special blessing of the waters, on five platforms erected on the steps. There were just as many boats as people, and everything sort of became a moving blur. There were Boats with tourists, boats with locals, boats with little souvenir shops, and larger group boats. You saw “things” float by in the river produced by both humans and animals, and then you looked at the people dipping their heads under water, and you asked yourself “is this really happening?” 
The priests finally came and with much drumming and chanting, did their thing. Mr. Singh explained most of it, and then suggested we leave a little early as it got kind of hectic if we waited until the end. Couldn’t have agreed with him more and we poled our way back over to the steps where we embarked from. On the way up the steps, a young woman was giving out little samples of something, and as it turned out, she was spooning Ganges river water into the faithful’s hands to take a drink. It was sort of a brownish white color, and not to be offensive, I accidently spilled it as it was in my hand. At the top of the steps one of us suggested we take a rickshaw, as my knees were really hurting. It was a hoot to see the fellows who pedaled the things, take a look at me and then take a look at Mr. Singh who was a little man, and sort did the “I don’t want him, you take him” routine. Finally they agreed to take turns pedaling me and Vally and the other rickshaw with Mr. Singh in it. Got back to the Hotel and honestly don’t even remember what or where we had dinner, but I did hear is a semi shocked state, that we would meet at 5 AM for the next visit to the river at sunrise. 
Here folks is another first, I have always been a Sunset fan as many of you know, that comes at a much saner time of the day in my opinion, but I took a big gulp and agreed on meeting at that hour. Had a good sleep and stumbled down to the lobby to meet our Mr. Singh. Headed for the river, and found it to be much less crowded than the night before, as this time of day is more for the fervent followers and those who wish to bath in the sunrise light of day in the holy waters of the Ganges. Another boat, another ride, and I might add a beautiful bunch of sunrise photos to prove I did actually do this. Even more boats out there in the AM, as lots of small local boats go out and more souvenir boats are there to capture the early morning sales. We went down river just a bit, and there were the many cremation altars they use constantly to send their departed loved ones on their spiritual journey. They go 24 hours a day, and Mr. Singh could not remember a day that they were not in use. On a normal day, more than 2 dozen bodies will be cremated, while there are days where hundreds are burned. The smell must be unimaginable. 
That day was not particularly busy as just a few were being burned. The man poled us into a series of steps down from where we started and we were told we were going to take a walk through the old section of town that has pretty much stayed unchanged for hundreds of years. The little alley
ways are bustling with activity even at this hour of the morning, and we befriended a young boy that was headed to school and he walked with us for quite some time. Went back to the hotel and had a nice breakfast, and then rested for a bit before heading out again in the afternoon. Went to a couple of factories that the area is famous for, one being silk and the other being in laid marble. We caught our second late train that evening for the ride to Agra. Lousy train ride, noisy, very crowded, and to label it dirty would be an injustice. It far exceeded that. We arrived late at our hotel, which was becoming the norm and ate dinner and went to bed. Met our new guide, a young and very energetic guy named Ali in the morning and he would be our teacher for this portion of the trip. Without me knowing and after seeing how I was walking, he got Vally to the side and asked if I would put up a stink if he arranged for a wheel chair at the Taj Mahal. I guess I would have squawked if I had known, but as it turned out, it was by far for the best. There was a lot of walking to do, as you had to park far away from the Taj itself and then of course there were always steps. The funny part came afterward, when the young boy that was doing the pushing came to the end of the day, Vally asked Ali what we should give him. After Ali had told Vally that 250 to 300 Rupees would be very good, Vally suggested 500 since he was supposedly an orphan and he had done a good job. Vally passed that on to me, and when we were finished and starting to catch the small shuttles that took us back to our car, we gave him the money and he actually complained and said it should be a thousand. Vally and I got separated, as they put me on one shuttle and her on another, and the young kid found me and proceeded to tell me that he had talked to my wife, and she said for me to give him another 500 rupee. Well being married for 43 years, one gets to know their spouse fairly well, and this definitely was not a message from the woman I married. So I told him he had gotten what he was going to get and then all of a sudden this man pipes up that we are cheating his son (remember he was supposed to be an orphan) and should pay him another 1000 rupee. I wished them well and told the driver to get the shuttle moving, we were done there. Now to the Taj itself. 
It is truly a wonder of the world, and something that is beyond description or photographic duplicity. 
It has a special magical sense about it that draws forth a few deep exhales as one first views it. The perfection of it is truly amazing.
I was totally amazed at how few Western tourists were there, as it was packed with people from all parts of India. There are no artificial lights on the grounds, and remains dark at night. Once the Taj closes at the designated hour of 8 PM, the guards in force, usher everyone out with no exceptions for one more picture, I am waiting for someone else, etc., there simply are no acceptable excuses. As I mention somewhere in this little piece, it truly is as the commercial says “Incredible India” and the grounds of the Taj Mahal are immaculate. 
However there is that one little problem of getting there and after you get there you must leave, and that again enter the India that is a pig sty. We also found that the legendary Indian snake charmers are still plying their trade, but mainly by the major tourist sites and shrines. Just before we left, I watched a special on the Animal Planet Network, and it was all you ever wanted to know and then some about Cobras and King Cobras of India. Seems they are truly a deadly poisonous snake, and one bite can technically kill an elephant, however they are an extremely shy and non-aggressive snake, and only seriously dangerous to other snakes which are their main food source. 
They are very drawn to movement and that is why the flute player/snake charmer will roll the flute back and forth while he is playing, the music itself has absolutely no meaning, as the Cobra is basically deaf, but the flutes movement fascinate it. I guess we came across the little buggers three or four times along the way. We also found a stunning old palace/fortress in Agra 
that is almost as beautiful as the Taj. In a way it is unfortunate that it is located in Agra, as if the Taj wasn’t there or if it were located in some other part of India, it too would be right up there with the wonders of India.
We left that afternoon on a fairly good drive through the country side and headed to the city of Jaipur which is known as the Pink City and is one of the largest cities in the state of Rajasthan located in the Thar Dessert. It became known as the Pink City when the entire city and all its structures were painted pink, in honor of a visit by the Prince of Whales in the 1800’s. On the way we stopped at a magnificent old fortress 
complex that took almost 150 years to build and because of the shortage of water it was abandoned soon after its completion. The entrance was reached by riding royal elephants,
as the maharajahs did in days of yore,
and entered the gates atop one of these Asian beasts.
Here also, the guide was concerned as to the amount of people that would be in queue to ride the elephants, but the queue was only us as we arrived and again lucked out due to the lack of tourist traffic.
We then headed further east to the city of Jodhpur known as the Blue City.
Jodhpur as everywhere in 
India it seems has a glorious palace/fortress that overlooks the city. The fort is known as Mehrangarh Fort and offers an absolutely breath taking view of the city. It got its name from the fact that all the house and buildings around the fort are of the color blue, which was the favorite color of the founding maharajah,
who felt the color blue was lucky.
I APOLOGIZE FOR USING CAPITALS, BUT WITH MY LEFT WRIST STILL VERY PAINFUL FROM THE FALL IN MUMBAI, IT IS MUCH EASIER. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SEND A FOLLOWUP EMAIL FOR THE LAST 5 DAYS, BUT IN A LAND THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MUCH OF OUR TECH SUPPORT, THEIR INTERNET QUITE SIMPLY STINKS. ANOTHER FACTOR BEING BY THE TIME WE REACH ANYWHERE, IT HAS BEEN GENERALLY VERY LATE AND I AM SIMPLY TOO TIRED TO WRITE OR TRY TO MAKE AN INTERNET CONNECTION. TODAY WE HAVE A LITTLE BREAK AND I AM TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHAT SEEMS TO BE A DECENT CONNECTION. IT HAS BEEN HECTIC AND VERY TIRING. IT HAS BEEN AN EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST. MY KNEES HAVE NOT HELPED MUCH, AS I MUST GO SLOW WITH THE MANY STEPS ALWAYS INVOLVED. THE CUTS FROM THE FALL ARE HEALING BUT SLOWLY. DURING THIS TRIP WE HAVE NOT HAD MUCH LUCK WITH INDIAN TRAINS, AND THAT HAS GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THEIR ARCHAIC RAIL SYSTEM VERY INTIMATELY. THE FIRST TRAIN FROM VARANASI TO AGRA WAS A LITTLE OVER FIVE HOURS LATE BUT BECAUSE WE HAD A SMALL PRIVATE COMPARTMENT IT WAS NOT TOO BAD. AS WE WERE GOING TO SLEEP VALLY WENT TO TAKE A SIP OF WATER AND A CUTE LITTLE MOUSE RAN ACROSS THE FLOOR. THE SECOND TRAIN FROM JAIPUR TO JODHPUR WAS OVER TWO HOURS LATE AND CHILLING OUT AT THE RR STATION IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE. THEIR STANDARDS ARE SO DIFFERENT FROM OURS IT IS LIKE BEING IN A VERY BAD DREAM AT TIMES. AT THE STATION WHEN ONE WANTS TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, THE MEN SIMPLY STAND BY THE PLATFORM EDGE AND PEE AWAY.. WE HAD THOUGHT WE HAD ANOTHER COMPARTMENT ON THAT TRAIN BUT DID NOT, AND ENDED UP SITTING IN SEATS THAT WERE TOTALLY FILTHY VERY CROWDED AND VERY NOISY. WHEN WE GOT OFF MOM WAS BEHIND ME AND ASKED WHAT I GOT ON MY SHORTS, UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS FROM THE LEATHERETTE SEAT AND ALMOST RESEMBLED DRIED POOP. VALLY SOAKED THEM FOR ALMOST FIVE HOURS BUT SO FAR THEY ARE STILL DISCOLORED. THE FOOD HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE UNTIL LAST NIGHT WHERE WE STAYED IN A GREAT HOTEL THAT IS STILL HOME TO A MAHARAJAH AND HIS FAMILY. THOSE FELLOWS KNEW HOW TO LIVE. QUITE ELEGANT AND VERY POSH. WE COULD HAVE EASILY STAYED HERE A COUPLE OF DAYS, AS IT WAS EXTREMELY RELAXING. EVEN HAD PROPER TEA GARDENS WITH TEA AND
SCONES SERVED DAILY IN THE AFTERNOON.I HAD ROAST LAMB FOR DINN
ER WHICH WAS VERY VERY GOOD. WENT ON A JEEP SAFARI BEFORE DINNER, AS THE COUNTRY SIDE IS THE INDIAN DESSERT AND IF 108 WAS NOT BAD ENOUGH IT WAS 10 DEGREES HOTTER HERE, YUP YOU GOT IT RIGHT, 118. DROVE THROUGH A BARREN WASTELAND WITH VERY LITTLE LIFE, OTHER THAN SOME ANTELOPES THEY CALL BLUE COWS, WHICH IS ALMOST LIKE A LARGE AFRICAN ELAND. 
VISITED TWO VILLAGES, ONE WAS A VISHNEE VILLAGE, COMPLETELY SELF SUFFIECIENT WITH NO ELECTRIC, WATER, FACILITIES OR SUCH, THEY ARE COMPLETELY VEGETARIAN AND ONLY USE COWS AND BUFFALO FOR MILK AND CHEESE. 
MUD HUTS AND A WATER STORAGE WELL THAT LOOKED SIMILAR TO OUR SEPTIC TANK, YET THE KIDS LOOKED HEALTHY AND THE LITTLE 5 MONTH OLD BABY WAS THE HIT OF THE PARTY. THEN WE WENT TO A BRAHMAN VILLAGE WHERE LIFE IS A LITTLE EASIER, SOME ELECTRIC, SOME WATER AND EVEN A FEW SATELLITE DISHES ON THE TOP OF THE MUD HUTS. WE THEN PARTOOK IN AN OPIUM RITUAL WHERE WE ALL HAD TO TAKE THREE SLURPS OF 
AN OPIUM LIQUID FROM THE HEAD MANS HAND. 
THEN WE TOPPED THAT OFF WITH A TOTALLY NATURAL LITTLE CIGAR/CIGARETTE, MADE WITH PLAIN TOBACCO LEAVES. QUITE GOOD ACTUALLY AND ACTUALLY GOT ME A TAD DIZZY AFTER NOT HAVING A SMOKE IN OVER 14 YEARS.
THE MONUMENTS, FORTRESSES AND PALACES OF BYGONE DAYS , SOME DATING BACK 2300 YEARS ARE UTTERLY BREATHTAKING IT IS AMAZING WHAT THEY COULD BUILD WITH UNLIMITED MANPOWER AND WEALTH. I HAVE MANY PICTURES OF THESE FANTASTIC PLACES BUT ONE CAN ONLY TRULY APPRECIATE THE WHOLE SCOPE OF IT BY ACTUALLY SEEING IT,HEARING IT AND SMELLING IT. IT MOST ASSUREDLY IS A FILTHY COUNTRY, AND IT SEEMS THAT THE PEOPLE JUST TAKE NO PRIDE IN THEIR ONCE BEAUTIFUL CITIES. BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS FROM THE OLD BRITISH PERIOD HAVE JUST BEEN LEFT TO FALL APART, AND OF COURSE THE GARBAGE EVERYWHERE.. MIX THAT WITH THE MYSTERIOUS SMELL THAT IS INDIA, AND THE COWS ROAMING THE STREETS AND WALKWAYS THEY ARE TEEMING WITH RICKSHAWS, HORSE CARTS, CAMEL CARTS, FRUIT VENDORS, ???? VENDORS, AND ALL SORTS OF MOTORIZED VEHICLES,, AND A TRAFFIC PATTERN THAT ISNT. AS WE WERE WEAVING IN AND OUT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, I HEARD THE DRIVER SORT OF MUMBLE “ONE WAY”, AND WE LEARNED LATER THE STREET WE WERE ON WAS ONE WAY, BUT I GUESS THOSE OTHER DRIVERS DIDN’T AGREE TO THAT. IN ALL THE YEARS WE HAVE TRAVELED WE REALIZED WE HAVE NEVER EVER GONE ON A NON STOP, DIFFERENT HOTEL EVERY NIGHT TYPE OF TRIP. IT IS VERY HARD, BUT TO SEE ALL THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS TO OFFER, YOU MUST. TONIGHT WE ARE OFF ON A VILLAGE TOUR TO THIS LITTLE TOWN THAT IS KNOWN FOR SILVER. THE MEMORY OF THE TAJ MAHAL IS SO VIVID IN MY MIND. AFTER MYSTERIOUSLY LOVING THIS PLACE SINCE I FIRST SAW IT AS A LITTLE BOY IN A COPY OF LIFE MAGAZINE, AND HAVING MY MOTHER READ ME THE STORY WITH IT, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ENAMORED WITH IT. NOW THAT CHILDHOOD DREAM HAS BECOME REALITY AND THE MANY HARDSHIPS OF THIS TRIP BECOME ALL WORTH IT. FOR A MAN TO LOVE A WOMAN SO MUCH AND DEVOTE SO MUCH IN TIME AND ENERGY TO BUILD THIS TOTALLY MAGNIFICENT TOMB FOR HIS YOUNG WIFE THAT DIED MUCH TOO YOUNG, IS JUST MIND BOGGLING. NO PICTURE I HAVE EVER SEEN CAN CAPTURE ITS BEAUTY AS SEEN IN PERSON AND I WILL HAVE THAT LOCKED AWAY IN MY MIND FOREVER. IT IS TRULY DESERVING OF BEING ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD.
Well, I guess possibly some of you were wondering where the heck the next installment of our trip memoirs was, but to tell the truth, things just went a little slower this trip. Had a few chances in Turkey to finish it off, but felt that the trip was still in progress so why not wait a few more days until the trip got nearer its completion. Oh well, so much for excuses, just never got around to it
So, let’s see ……… where did I leave you last time??? We finished up our tour of India in a couple of more cities in Rajasthan and then headed for the big city of New Delhi. The cities of Udaipur and Narlai were great, so into the real lives of these people. It always amazes me as we hear about the “poor” people of our country and some of the other western countries, but the truth of the matter is, most of us have no idea of what real genuine poverty is. Where it is so poor, a Mother doesn’t know where or when her child will have something to eat, or clean water to drink. So many of these people have absolutely NOTHING with – no handouts or help from government entitlement programs, and are still at peace with themselves and others. After many discussions with the guides and later with the owner of the tour company, I guess the answer lies in the fact that these people are extremely religious, and they believe strongly in their religious teachings. One of their strongest beliefs is what I feel and believe is why they don’t bemoan the fact that we have and they don’t. It can be summed up in one word…….. Destiny. They firmly believe that whatever their situation is this time around, things are all planned, and that things will hopefully be better the next time around. It was odd to see children playing with whatever they could improvise 
an old bicycle wheels and a stick make a great toy. No computers, no TV, no videos, no PlayStations, no cell phones, no nothing. Yet, the children we spent time with in this one village, as we took an extended walk in and around the entire village, they were all happy, not a sour face on any of them. They laughed and giggled just like kids everywhere, but never once had to worry about their batteries running out, they
didn’t have any. 
It is a sad fact however, that the government of India has never allowed
the adoption of their countless orphaned and abandoned children. There is also no foreseeable hope in my mind that things will ever improve for any of them, the poorer the families, it seems the larger they are. It is estimated that in ten years, they will pass China as the most populated country on earth. I remember growing up near New York City, and was always in awe at the nearly 10 million people that resided there. Those figures are for the many smaller large cities in India, with the main cities closing in on 25 to 30 million people.
We were in amazement at the “road” crews we encountered while driving from city to city. In this intense heat, hovering around 118 to 120 degrees, you would come upon this group of brightly Sari clad women, wielding pick axes and shovels, 
while the men relaxed with tea in nearby tents. The bricks would be hauled on their heads, and the cement would be mixed with the water they carried from the nearby river. All the while, while the men relaxed with tea in nearby tents. Not exactly what we are used to seeing, but again they seem to accept this, and I feel that Women’s Rights groups will take quite a while to organize.
We took our final train ride from Udaipur to New Delhi, and it was a fitting finale. It was a nightmare. As I said earlier we had little luck with the timing of our trains, as the first one was over 5 hours late, the second one almost three and now we sat at the rail station in Udaipur and learned again, it would be a wait of undetermined length. At least it was daylight, and the throngs of people had not started to make their “beds” on the cooler cement platforms. So it was another lengthy people watching event, with the men peeing off the platforms, people brushing their teeth at the water faucets, arguments over seating on the few benches provided and of the course the smell that is only found at Indian RR stations. As we waited we struck up or I guess I should say a man from a monastery in the mountains struck up a conversation with us, and our guide acted as translator. He was a very proper fellow, with a fabulous smile and pretty 
much all his belongings in a small plastic zip lock baggy. Train finally came, and one thing the Indian people are and take great pride in, being first in any queue I do believe they would push their own in front of the approaching train as it would open a space at the edge of the platform for quicker boarding. We at least had reserved seats in a compartment, so we did not have to fight the mobs. Being a sleeping compartment, one of the main benefits is the fact that it has a wall separating you from the throngs. To say it was clean by Indian standards is a stretch, but it did have that wall i spoke of, and we kept reminding ourselves that this was first class. The porter finally came in and left us our bundle of bedding, along with a towel of which we are still trying to figure out “why the towel”? as there is no water for bathing. My window had a bullet hole in it, so that sort of put a damper on my taking pictures of any scenic wonders. There are many songs that depict the wonders and romance of riding trains, and the magic of listening to the rhythm of the rails, however the rhythm of the Indian Railway is more like the percussion section, and the gentle swaying you find on European Railroads is more like a ride on the bumper cars at an amusement park. The toilet facilities were an absolute nightmare. I have experienced some really BAD WC’s in my life, but this one had little or no competition. It was an absolute “—hole” and that is not a play on words. Vally spent the first four hours in total dread of having to use the facilities, but as fate would have it, we had both gotten a mild touch of India’s Rajah’s Revenge, and the trip to this dung heap would prove inevitable. To make matters worse, there was a small compartment across from the “facility” that would serve as the YMCA bunkhouse for four swarthy looking Indians during the night, with their sweaty bodies all tangled up, and in direct view of said facility. The time finally came, and poor Vally braved it, as the only alternative was not really an alternative at all. The night ended and the sun made its way into the morning sky, and India awakened. As we approached New Delhi, I will not go into minute detail, but i can tell you that Indian people have no problem 
with irregularity, and they do not use Charmin toilet tissue. This did put our social standards to the test as it posed a serious question for us, what would we do when the next time came to shake hands with a local? Soon after this I had recurring nightmares about that head man in the village we visited and had the opium ceremony, and involved the slurping of opium from his hands. Along the approach to New Delhi station, I stopped counting bare asses as the numbers passed 100, and believe me, at 6 AM, it is not a pretty sight or the normal way to start your day.
Had a very nice hotel in Delhi, and got there in time for a lovely breakfast, or at least a very filling one, and took a short rest before heading out and doing the sights of Delhi. New Delhi was the same as Mumbai (or as it used to be known as Bombay), and most other big cities of 30+ million, just a mass of humanity and accompanied by filth. Drove by all the landmarks, the old British buildings that serve as their government center, the famed Gate of India, 
saw the organized “CHOP SHOP” section, where all the parts of stripped autos are sold openly, the chicken slaughter houses, with blood covered stone floors underneath hundreds of cages, and took a rickshaw ride through the old section of endless shops. About the only saving grace about Delhi, is that in the city center there are NO cows to avoid, still zillions of scooters, carts, tiny little tuktuk taxi’s, trucks, occasional camel carts, mobs of people but no Cows. Finished off the day with an at home dinner with the owner of the tour company. Lots and lots of friendly talk, some good Efes Beer, comfortable chairs but the same old baby food type Indian food. 
I guess it is a taste you have to acquire, but in my mind I simply don’t have enough time left on this planet to even come close to acquiring it. Took a 2:00 AM drive to the airport for our 4:30 flight that would deliver us out of India. To sum it up, it was a grand and memorable experience, one that comes along once in a lifetime, a keen insight into the cultures and history of an ancient land, but no repeats … been there, done that, and once was plenty.
One of the fun parts of our trips is always the “firsts” we encounter, and on this trip we would fly on 3 airlines we had never flown on before. ANA which was our Carrier to Tokyo was good, very modern, the food good the flight attendants warm and friendly, the second Air India was a little less tidy than others, the food was a little surprise box with some very mushy stuff inside and a Indian chocolate bar. Their version of the TSA guys were almost asleep as we came through and put our bags on the X-ray belts, and you could almost hear the little bells go off in their heads as they saw an opportunity to have some fun with these tourists. It always bothers me that each and every airport seems to have their own lists of do’s and don’ts concerning inspection. India proved no exception as they had great fun taking apart my electronics carryon bag. I guess they were somewhat disappointed when all they kept finding were lighters that I had collected over the years from various places and had in my bag for many years, in various pockets. To my surprise they found 8, which I had forgotten about and they promptly chastised me for trying to take aboard and confiscated them. I did however find some satisfaction of my own in the fact that they missed 4 more in the same bag. The third Airline was Air Turkey which held a few surprises for us. First off their scanner was not turned on and didn’t utter a peep as my metal knee walked through. At this point let me ask, how many of you pay close attention to the safety demonstration the flight attendants give prior to take off?? Well Air Turkey has solved that problem, they just don’t bother to give any … no directions on the oxygen masks, life vests in case of a forced water landing, exits on the aircraft, nothing. Close the door, taxi and take off, that was about it. Oh well, guess we can’t complain as we took off and landed in one piece and they did what they were supposed to do, got us to Istanbul.
Arrived in Istanbul and was met by the people I had arranged our transfer with. The greeter was very helpful with a brief rundown on what we should not miss, and how to get around. He also gave us a complimentary Lonely Planet book on Istanbul, which I think Vally read cover to cover. Got to the hotel and was very pleased. It was located just a couple of short blocks down the hill from the main drag and the street-train trolley. The hotel was very worthy of its 4 star rating, and a real bargain at the prepaid early payment rate I had come across. It had everything and the staff was incredible – very friendly and very helpful. The room was big and comfortable, and had all one needed for a very pleasant 4 day stay. The breakfast buffet was one of the best we ever encountered, with plenty of everything, with many things we were not used to seeing at buffets. They actually had a full plate of fresh honeycomb each day for those wanting some very fresh sweet starts to the day. We relaxed for a while and got ready for our first exploratory trek into the city. After spending a number of years in my earlier life as a buyer of leather goods, the feel and smell of leather has always held a special place in my heart, and I was blown away by what we would pass each time we headed up to catch the trolley. Dozens of shops, with hundreds of leather handbags and belts, and each shop different and each one offering their own take on style. Ours was the handbag street, while one over was shoes and so on and so on. It was great fun, some really outlandish designs, some very unique. Also located at the top of our street was one of the 11 gates that allowed you entry into the Grand Bazaar, the oldest and largest bazaar on the continent. 
Thousands of small shops that carried huge amounts of tourist oriented goods, wool and silk Turkish carpets, leather coats etc. At one point this bazaar took great pride in its layout, as everything had a specific section, such as all leather coats would be here, ceramic goods would be there, inlaid goods and jewelry over there, the bazaar even had a map printed to guide you through the streets of merchandise. This has stopped as various shops have moved, new ones have come in and now it is an endless maze and mishmash of stuff, some great and fun stuff but still just more STUFF! It always amazes us as here you have maybe a hundred or so shops selling the exact same lines of merchandise, with basically nothing to make one more unique than the other. It is a unique experience to walk through this bazaar, as the colors alone are great. The vast assortments of colored glass light fixtures, and all turned on, is definitely eye catching. We were to find out however, that one must be careful, as I guess the rent has increased over the years and forced these vendors to raise their prices, as we found the exact same items much cheaper at other store groupings around the city, which we found much more fun to shop. There were a large group of shops near the Blue Mosque and Spice Bazaar etc. where we found a few things. Did our fair share of shopping as we kept finding some little unique things that we would look at each other and almost simultaneously say how cute that would look on Logan or Isabella. The one great footnote about the Bazaar and other Turkish shops was the break from the excessive high pressure sellers that you experience in India. Yeah, they try hard to sell you, but you can have fun with them and they can eventually figure out you just ain’t gonna buy, unlike their Indian counterparts. Even though we had originally said we were not buying a bunch of stuff on this trip, we did have to buy a small duffle bag to put the “extras” in for the flight home. Spent a number of hours in the bazaar but actually had more fun shopping other places. The endless amount of carpet shops is enough to boggle your mind. Granted, these are high quality carpets, but how many can they possibly sell? They honestly expect every tourist to buy a carpet and have it shipped home, and the prices run into the tens of thousands of dollars. We actually met one owner by chance on the street and I guess we looked lost, and he asked if he could be of assistance. He showed us where to buy the essentials for the room (bottled water, beer and coke) and then showed us an out of the way restaurant that was really very good. We got to talking and of course he wanted us to visit his shop, as they all do, so we told him we would stop by the next day. He promised no pressure as we explained that we do not need a carpet and that Florida does not lend itself to leather coats (his other store) We went back to the Grand Bazaar and met him and had a tour of his store, saw simply beautiful carpets and enjoyed some freshly made Turkish coffee and also some tea. In his shop alone there were 4 floors of inventory that was valued at around $4 million dollars. The other great shopping attractions in the City were the hundreds of shops selling Turkish Sweets or as they call them Turkish Delights, which is a powdered sugar covered chewy candy in a myriad of flavors and of course Baklava in
all its honey dripping sweetness. A favorite of the locals was a Baklava type pretzel, generally sold from carts in front of the candy shops. We had one, and found the first bite good, but then way too sweet for our tastes. Chocolate Baklava seemed to be the hot item, and was being sold in most of the shops. While regular Baklava was way too sweet for us, the chocolate version was actually very good. We stopped for a Cappuccino one afternoon,
and the lady gave us a plate of 4 pieces of them. Pistachio seems to be their favorite filling, and used in abundance in all their candies and their pastries. Other than that we spent a lot of time exploring. We tried to enjoy the local foods, which included a lot of lamb, chicken and great salads. Rode the second oldest subway in the world, it is actually a funicular railway and it is preceded only by the tube in London. Found the trolley to be fantastic, as it was cheap, very clean, ran often and got you close to all the places of interest. On the Saturday after our arrival, we took an all day tour, which was both a bus ride through the old city, a visit to the Oldest Spice Bazaar
in Europe and a 3 hour boat ride on the Bosphorus River, which separates the continents of Asia and Europe (a little geography lesson for all you out there) . Some great old buildings, beautiful mansions and lush summer homes, a million jelly fish 
in the river and all in all just a wonderful day to be on a boat ride. So now it is late Saturday, and when we go back to the hotel, Vally goes up to the room and I head for the Old English Pub, to enjoy a couple of wonderful ice cold Efes Draft beers and watch the semifinals for the European Cup in soccer on a huge flat screen TV in the bar. Between periods, they break to news, and they start talking about air space being closed throughout Europe, due to the eruption of some unpronounceable volcano in Iceland. With that I take a couple of final gulps of my beer and head up to Vally with the good news. The next day we find out that the hotel is chuck full of folks that are now looking at extended unplanned stays. The young lady that was in charge of customer relations was outstanding. She spent the next few days calming down dozens of hotel guests, trying to soothe much frayed nerves and finding solutions for their problems. She was quite literally earning her pay in the heat of battle, and going far and beyond the call of duty. We tried not to bother her too much, but she even called our room on the following Tuesday when she didn’t hear from us, and was worried that we had other problems. We found out on Sunday night that our Lufthansa Flight was cancelled along with all the rest, and started looking for possible solutions. We briefly toyed with the idea of taking a 10 hour bus ride to Sophia Bulgaria and then spend the night and then connect to a 20 hour bus ride to Munich. We opted for the comfort of our very nice hotel room, and decided to wait it out right where we were. So we spent the next 4 additional days exploring some more, and talking to all the folks in Germany on that wonderful computer program of Skype, and letting them all know what was happening. In a way it was good, as we took the time to visit the
Hagia Sophia Museum which at one time was a Basilica and then a Mosque. Its name comes from the Greek words “Holy Wisdom” and is about 2000 years old and absolutely marvelous. We did the Blue Mosque
which is a must but not nearly as impressive as the Sophia, and walked the streets of the old city, and even found a Catholic Church to visit and say a few prayers. We skipped the Museum Topkapi as most everyone told us it is just a huge old palace with tons of Harem cells and portions converted to a museum that happens to hold the most famous and most valuable dagger in the world. Actually got the movie “Topkapi” that was made in 1964 with Peter Ustinov and Maximillian Schell when we got home, it was about the attempted theft of that dagger. Thought we could check it out for accuracy after just being there. Other than that, it is always crowded and there are lots of steps that my knees just didn’t feel up to. As we had done in Taipei we rode the city transit systems from end to end, as it is cheap and a comfortable way to see more of the city than any tour will take you on. We finally found out that the ash cloud was leaving and airspace was finally opening up, and that Lufthansa had hopes of getting us on a plane out on Friday. Although it was a huge inconvenience for many and an unbudgeted expense for most, it all worked out great for us. We actually saw more of the city than we would have, and got a chance to actually take it really easy for a few days. Found some great restaurants, bought some more Stuff, and left knowing we had truly seen the very very interesting (not beautiful) and ancient city of Istanbul (not Constantinople as the song goes)
Departure day finally came, and after a good breakfast, finished our packing and got a leisurely transfer to the airport. Had a nice flight to Munich and was met by Vally’s brother Gerhard, who had just visited us in the States this past summer. It was great to see Irene, Gerhard’s wife as I hadn’t seen her for a few years, and she is such a great and fun person to be around. Headed for what I call Schloss Schelz, as their house in Grafenau is truly a unique and very large multi leveled residence. We had some wonderful meals, as one will never go hungry with Irene around, and a huge plate of fresh “spargle”
which is a delicious variety of white asparagus. It was heavenly! And my Schwaga Gerd, had a number of nicely chilled Budweiser (the great kind from the Czech Republic, which has been brewing it for a little over 900 years) beers ready for consumption. Spent a day with their Daughter Andrea and her family, and then went to visit their house in a neighboring town about 30 minutes away. Their daughter Rebecca is the wonderful young lady that came with Gerhard to visit us last year. This time I got to meet her two brothers, Danny and Rafael. What a fantastic family. Talk about time going by way too quickly, it was hard to believe looking at my niece Andrea, and realizing she is all grown up with three children of her own, a wonderful husband who is a Doctor at the main Hospital in Passau, and a killer Poodle with a mental problem, you have to ask yourself where the heck has the time gone. She and Michael have done an amazing job of raising these kids, as they are all full of the devil, yet well behaved, enjoy and do very well in school, and are a joy to have around. Finished off our visit with a dinner out at a little guesthouse called the “SchmugglerHof” on a little farm, with all freshly made items and it was fantastic. Took the long train ride (just a tad more comfortable than the Indian Railroad) from Bavaria through Frankfurt and up the Rhine River to my wife’s sister’s house in Leverkusen, which is just a short hop from Koln (Cologne). Saw all the majestic old Castles along the Rhine,
and had a simply wonderful time with Gerlinde as we always do. She came with us when we left and headed south to Vally’s brothers Ernst and his wife Irmgard’s house in Oesthofen, and arrived for his birthday party. There also, time played some tricks as Ernst and Irmgard’s son Florian, who did some scuba diving with me in our pool one summer a long time ago when we owned the Motel in Vermont when he was around 12 or so, now is married and has a wonderful set of twins that keep him very busy. Vally and I had the chance to spend the day with Marie Simai, who was a grade school/high school classmate of Vally’s back in Karlshafen. Had a lot of fun talking about stuff Vally had completely forgotten about, and I never knew. Visited her Brother and wife who lived nearby and as usual had the ritual German coffee and low calorie CAKES in the afternoon. Had a leisurely day visit to the very old and historic city of Worms, with it wonderful Cathedral, and slowly got the last few pieces of chocolates that Vally always brings home. The visit was cut short due to our friendly volcano in Iceland, but it still gave us the chance to have a wonderful visit with family. Had a nice flight home, and got picked up at the airport by our son Scott. As it turned out, we waited around for the arrival of his wife Stacey’s plane who was delivering her and our Logan home from a business/personal visit to Michigan where Stacy’s mother lives. Had a ball with little Logan, as she is developing so quickly and repeating every word she hears, and is such a joy to watch grow. It felt strange, as we were just getting home, and they were packing to leave for Germany on that Sunday. Stacy had a few lectures to give in Garmisch and they decided to make a family trip and show off their prize offspring to the family in Germany. So I as finish this, they are there enjoying all the things we just left. Hear tell, that Logan was a perfect traveler on the flight over, which in a way doesn’t surprise us at all. Don’t know exactly where this fits in, but I always love when we are exploring these out of the way places, and they try their hardest to get the attention of potential customers, by putting up signs in English, or should I say their version of English. I don’t know but I just found this one sign so funny, I giggled for quite some time. It was unbelievably hot, and everyone was thirsty, so what better thing to have then a ………………………….. 
