After what seems like an eternity of thought and prepration the time has finally arrived.  This is a blog of our 2012 trip to India.


While Mom (Pushpa) and Dad (Sam) visit India almostly annually, Ajeet, Alok and Nina have not been since 1996.  As for the inlaws myself, Bianca and Gordon as well as the grandchildren, Jaya (5 years), Savitri (3years) and Jay (2 years) this will be our introduction.






We begin our adventure in Delhi.  The guide books describes it as “crowded, aggravating, polluted, and hetic” but hey nobody’s perfect.  To be honest I dont even know what to expect.  My excitment and anxiety is multiplying daily.






After a couple days in Delhi we take a quick flight to Udapiur, in southern Rajasthan where, yes James Bond fans we have a night at Lake Palace Hotel.






From there we head east to Jaipur.  The old pink city, yoga and an elephant sarfari are all on our to do list.   We continue east to Ramthambore National Park.  The park is 1334 sq km of wild jungle scrub hemmed in by rocky ridges.  It is the best place to spot wild tigers, and Savitri will not be leaving until she does!




There is great documentary about a tiger "Broken Tail" who was born in Ranthambhore National Park.  


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/broken-tail-a-tigers-last-journey/full-episode/6384/


Now just when you think it cant get any better we head to Arga.  The Taj Mahal, possibly the most beautiful building in the world.




My mission here is twofold, enjoy and appreciate the moment yet avoid the breaking of any sacred statues, flaunt my ingorance in any number of ways nor misunderstand a major tradition. It will be a difficult day.


Finally we get to the purpose of our trip.  Meeting our family!  
Mom's hometown Varanasi, a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges.  It is regarded as a holy city by Hindus and Buddhists.  It is one of the oldest cities in the world.  Varanasi is described as one of the most blindingly colourful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth.  I’ll be ready for it!




We are eager to meet and reconnect with our family.


Our last stop is Dad’s hometown of Gorkaphur.  We will be visiting the University founded by Ajeet's Grandfather and an elementary school built in his honor.


We bring our time in India to a close with a couple of days in Delhi.


I can't even imagine what the next month holds for us, but I am sure I will never forget it.  Join in on our travels whenever you can!


Shannon
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8 comments:

  1. venables writesJanuary 28, 2012 at 2:15 AM

    You old world travel\ler, you. Good to see you're still out and about.

    Did you get my last note?

    Grant

    http://grantjvenables.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Dube/Barrett TeamJanuary 31, 2012 at 8:55 PM

      Grant, its so great to hear from you. Reading your thoughts makes me miss hanging out with you and swapping stories in BKK. I will always be traveling, just this time with a little more than a backpack until the kids are older. Thailand is always on the agenda for us-next time better coordination is a must. Good luck with getting published.
      Cheers,
      Ajeet

      Delete
  2. Vandana PandeyJanuary 30, 2012 at 10:38 PM

    Hello and welcome to all the Dube's and Barrets who embark on the tour to this country of ours.
    Yes, this country is very different from yours( in fact this is the understatement of the year!), and I am sure you are going to encounter a lot of inconveniences and irritants here as you go along, but I hope that you will be able to see beyond them and appreciate the uniqueness too that it offers.
    I hope to see you all towards the end of your trip in Gorakhpur,and I am keen to know whether I will find you all exasperated, tired of, or happy with all that you have experienced till then.
    All the best to the adventurous travelers, be safe and take care :)
    Love, Vidya

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  3. LindsayFebruary 1, 2012 at 5:55 PM

    All Doherty Kindergarten thought of you all today. Happy 100th Day Jaya! The children all have many questions already and are very curious about your adventures. We will write back soon and post some questions. David I said, "I miss Jaya" and Augustine said, "I hope Jaya has fun." We do miss you all already and please have so much fun! Love, Mrs. Pietro

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  4. Moser MemoirsFebruary 2, 2012 at 9:54 AM

    Hi Dube Family... Riley cannot wait to follow your journey in India. We hope you had safe travels so far. Tell Jaya that Riley misses her and we are excited to see what adventures you have. From, Mrs. Moser (Mitzie)

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  5. LindsayFebruary 8, 2012 at 6:37 AM

    Savi's PreK class: " We like all the pictures. Have you seen a tiger yet?"

    Jaya's Kdg class: "We hope you are having a good time. We miss you a lot. Our whole class loves you. Thank you for the pictures. Is it very hot? We hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day!"

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  6. charlieFebruary 9, 2012 at 8:19 AM

    glad u are having a great time! miss u kisses to the girls!

    ReplyDelete
  7. charlieFebruary 9, 2012 at 8:20 AM

    ps the post is from charlie, sheryl and jamie xo

    ReplyDelete

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