May 17, 2014 Bus to Shimla - Sad Post!

The bus to Shimla was more than I bargained for.  I am not sure what happened to the luxury bus I booked, but I was put on another one which was running about an hour late. So I slept a bit and at 4 a.m. I am awakened by a man repeating his wife's name; he could not wake her up. After a bit of a ruckus, I inquired if she was breathing or had a pulse as she was not responding.  He shook his head 'no' and the woman across from me begged me to try to help. I had him stretch her out on the floor and the two of us administered CPR; I pumped her chest and he did mouth to mouth. She did not make it.  The bus driver got him a taxi at the next town and they took her to the hospital. She was in her early thirties and their 2 yr. old daughter was with them. Neither one were crying. I don't think the little girl knew what was happening.

May 14, 2014 Pushkar to Jaipur



Sunset last night brought with it a fierce storm with not only strong winds, but hail. Rain blew in around the windows on both sides of my room, it blew under and around the door, and soon the windowsill and floor was flooded. I pulled both towels out of the bath, shoved one under the door, and laid the other on the floor below the windows. The door banged and rattled, and there was no going to sleep. After about an hour, it subsided and I wrung out the door towel and replaced it as the water continued to flood in.

This morning is cool and sunny with the pilgrims headed to the sacred waters. There are more today as the holiday is winding down to its final days. The buses are packed so I opted for a private car to the next town over, Ajmer, where I catch the train to Jaipur, a 2 hour ride.

By the time I left, there were hundfeds of pilgrims here. They come each month on the full moon!

May 12, 2014 Pushkar

After a sweltering day yesterday, today broke with a cool breeze; chilly even. The monkeys have taken their perchs on the railings and edges of the hotel rooftop, grooming, stretching, babies nursing, while others try to get their mothers to pay attention to them. Now they nap in the early morning sun, except for the acrobatic babies.

The town clusters around Pushkar lake with the main street lined with shops, restaurants, and hotels. My hotel faces the lake and I have a lovely view. There's even a small temple on the rooftop, right outside my window.

As the epics say, Brahma dropped a lotus on the earth and Pushkar floated to the surface. It's a holy town with one of the worlds few Brahma temples. Fifty two bathing ghats surround the small sacred lake and you are allowed to wander on them if you remove your shoes and do not take photos.

May 5, 2014 New Delhi

View from The Vivek Rooftop

I arrived yesterday in a country that seemingly never changes. Pahar Ganj, the backpacker area of Delhi, is definitely the same as it was a year ago, dusty, crowded, and containing anything you may have have forgotten to bring. 

I have a love/hate relationship with Pahar Ganj. On the one hand I love the familiarity, the hustle bustle of the area, the golden eagle with its distinctive cry perched across from the rooftop restaurant, the smell of curry in the streets, the vendors selling fruit, the women in saris shopping, the cows meandering down the street. On the other hand, the rickshaws will run over you if you are not careful, the dust swirls in the air settling in your hair, on your clothes; add in the crowds of people, and it is an assault on the senses.

I'm still getting used to the time change and will stay 3 days to rest and recuperate; my body clock is upside down. Then it's off to Jaipur and my favorite dentist to replace the crown I broke before I left the states...fun times!