Cosmic India

“India has always had a strange way with her conquerors. In defeat, she beckons them in, then slowly seduces, assimilates and transforms them.” 
― William Dalrymple, White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth-Century India

India….Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambhore (Tiger Reserve), Agra, Khajuraho and Varanasi

Bhutan…..Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdue, Gangtey, Paro

We have just returned from a grueling 23 day trip to India and the Kingdom of Bhutan.  Our return flight(s) took us from Paro (Bhutan) to Delhi  Bangkok, Beijing, Los Angeles and finally after 49 hours home to Phoenix.  Now we are digging ourselves out, trying to catch up on business at home. 

This was NOT a vacation, it was an education, a test of endurance, a sensory overload!  What an astounding diversity of religions, languages, and cultures we found brimming in India. The history, art and mythology was off the charts. Trying to understand the many elements of Hinduism was overwhelming. The food was savory,  however the first meal I had back in the states was a whopper!! We were very careful to drink only bottled water and eat cooked food at the hotels and dodged the infamous “Delhi Belly” intestinal infection. 

  Traveling in India is chaotic and intense…..by bus, train, taxi, rickshaw, “ tuktuk" or airplane, it does not matter, it is an adventure!

The horrible  pollution gave us both respiratory issues. Gerry is still recovering. The poverty was disturbing. The dense population was mind boggling. There are 1.3 billion people living in half the land mass of the United States.

 However....It also was exciting, enchanting, enlightening and memorable, worth every bit of discomfort, stress and terror on the roads. 

The history of India is truly incredible . We visited the home of Ghandi and retraced his final footsteps to the location he was assassinated, at the Birla House (now Gandhi Smriti) in New Delhi.  What a remarkable human being that had a tremendous impact on India and continues to generate positive vibrations throughout the planet.

There is a huge contrast between India and Bhutan.  We spent the last week in Bhutan, and it was relaxing! Bhutan is so calm and peaceful. Therefore I will do a separate trip report on that Kingdom and just cover India in this report. 

One of the reasons we chose to travel to India was to try to see Bengal Tigers in their natural environment.  We had our eyes wide open to the possibility of disappointment.  After all, several years back we had traveled all the way to Borneo to see Orangutans and were shut out. They were too deep in the jungle at that time of season, where the food was plentiful. 

So, we optimistically went to Ranthambhore (Tiger Reserve) optimistic, with our eyes wide open. We went on 2 safaris (morning and afternoon) and saw a lot of cool animals but NOT a tiger. But……at one location our guide stopped and we could hear 2 mating tigers roar in the tall grass not more than 50 feet away. We waited and waited but time was not on our side and the sun set without them coming out.  It was frustrating but also very cool!

Of course a highlight of the trip was visiting one of the seven man-made wonders of the world…”THE” Taj Mahal at Agra.  It is the most beautiful structure that we have ever seen. The Red Fort at Agra is almost as impressive and a World Heritage Site.

There is such a contrast between Old and New Delhi  We walked through the bustling streets in the old quarter,  and visited Humayan’s Tomb an elaborate complex of tombs constructed in the 16th century and was a key influence for the Taj Mahal. 

In Jaipur we went to the Amber Fort and of course had to take an elephant ride to the top of this strategically positioned fort built in 1592. Jaipur was carefully planned on a grid system and we visited the impressive City Palace at its center.

We took a train to Khajuraho famous for its temples and to Orchha a medieval city. 

Our last stop before flying back to Delhi was Varanasi  See photos and description of key sites along the Holy Ganges River below. The pictures tell a better story.                        

       We received quite an amazing educational experience on Hinduism in India, particularly on a boat in Varanasi... funerals/cremations on the banks of the sacred Ganges River 

The dead body is bathed with Ganga water, perfumed, wrapped in a white cloth
(red for women) and carried to the cremation site - (a pile of wooden logs)on a wooden stretcher like structure to the accompaniment of the chanting 
"Ram Nam Satya Hai" (Rama is truth) 
The nearest relation, normally the eldest son lights the funeral pyre. Whoever lights is considered the legal heir. Verdic verses are chanted during the cremation by the priest and the next day the ashes are collected and taken to Hardiwar, the headwaters of the Ganges and immersed in the holy water there.
A mourning period of 12 days is observed during which time the sitting room is cleared of furniture and relatives and visitors have to sit on the floor..a condolence visit.

Every year certain days are set aside during which the family members must remember their dead ancestors and relatives and say prayers for the peace of their souls. This is called shraaadh.                        

 We did a boat trip down at the Ganges Holy River while in India. This is the house the Beatles stayed at in February of 1968. Here they attended an advanced Transcendental Meditation (TM) training session at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Surely, you must remember the widespread media attention, their visit received and it was one of the band's most productive periods. Led by George Harrison this visit changed Western attitudes about Indian spirituality and encouraged the study of Transcendental Meditation.

The boys brought wives and girlfriends and others that attended
included musicians Donovan, Mike Love of the Beach Boys, and flautist Paul Horn. While there, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Harrison wrote many songs and Ringo Starr finished writing his first. Eighteen of those songs were recorded for The Beatles ("the White Album"), two songs appeared on the Abbey Road album, and others were used for various solo projects.

To the East NYC and Africa

"Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul, and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all."

Nelson Mandela

We always spend some time in New York when traveling east.  This time we took a “walk on the wild side” to Harlem and the next day attended “Something Beautiful” the Carol King story a smash broadway hit. We loved the music and she had a great story to tell. We shamelessly have become foodies and enjoyed Italian food at Eataly, a reasonably new block long complex of small restaurants.

This African trip was visually astonishing, culturally rich and  educationally sobering. The 22 hours of dreadful flight time home was worth every minute of misery. 

We saw many sides of life, including a visit to Soweto and spending a sad day at the former residence of Nobel Peace prize winner  Nelson Mandella, and the Hector Peterson memorial for the victims of civil unrest of the 70s. We also visited the Apartheid Museum and had an in depth historical look at the system of extreme racial segregation from 1948 until 1994. 

We took the time to visit a local children’s home that provides shelter for abandoned babies, many of them HIV positive. It was heartbreaking!

We met Martha…one of the saints that provides care for these underprivileged kids. 

Our time in Africa included 4 days in Cape-town, where we visited the historic Malay quarter, Table Mountain… a striking landmark recently announced as one of the world’s new Seven Wonders of nature.  We dined at some really fine restaurants and shopped at the Cape Town Waterfront and enjoyed an excursion to beautiful Stellenosch located in the heart of the Cape Wine-lands.

From here we flew to Johannesburg and drove to Hazyview located just a few miles fro Kruger National Park where we went of a safari and viewed many animals. From here we went to Blyde River Canyon for some hiking  and then on to our lodge in the Karongwe Private Game Preserve. We did three safaris here and a “bush walk” Our guides carried rifles. 

We had many nice sightings….that included the “Big Five” …  elephants, cape buffalos, leopards  lions and the extremely endangered white rhinos.

For dinner, one evening, I feasted on crocodile, warthog, kudu, and worms. Delicious!! Gerry loved the warthog. (for no good reason)

Back to “Jo-Berg” where we stayed in an elegant 5 star hotel for three days and shopped till we dropped at the incredible Nelson Mandella Plaza.

Next… we flew to Victoria Falls  and checked into a fabulous safari lodge, where we stayed for four days and visited the falls on the Zimbabwe and Zambezi sides. We had great views from our room of a watering hole on a plateau of Zambezi National Park. The animals would come down for water at dusk and in the evening.

We crossed the border without much delay into Botswana and did a land and water safari. In Chobe National Park we must have seen over 200 elephants. There are 50,000 elephants in Chobe and the rangers “shoot to kill” all poachers. 

We flew back to Jo-burg for our torturous flights back home. The atmosphere in the airport was tense, there was a high level of security and the police would check and recheck passports, and carry ons. They continuously searched through trash cans. 

We arrived in New York at 6 A.M. and In Phoenix early afternoon Thanksgiving day, in time for Thanksgiving dinner….. Chinese take-out - Perfect!! 

Cape Solitude Epic Adventure

"The desert takes our dreams away from us, and they don't always return.... Those who don't return become a part of the clouds, a part of the animals that hide in the ravines and of the water that comes from the earth. They become part of everything … They become the Soul of the World.”

This epic trip started Thursday afternoon. We drove to Cameron and stayed at the Cameron Trading Post. The seasoned canyoneers stay here. The rooms are fabulous, and reasonably priced and the Navajo Tacos in the elegant restaurant are the best!!!

We were up earlier than necessary the next morning for breakfast and to get a Navajo permit because our phones did not register the correct time zone. Navajo time.

To the Canyon……..

UNFREQUENTED CAPE SOLITUDE GRAND CANYON…3000+ feet below is the confluence with the Little Colorado River and Colorado River.

Twenty six miles (one way) of white knuckled, bone jarring, nasty Navajo backroads and 7 miles (one way) of desert backpacking on this route to get this view. You could avoid the backroad travel and start at Desert View and walk 15 miles,(30 Round Trip) but there is no water on this route so we chose to get a Navajo permit and take our chances with the rocky, muddy backroads and cut the hiking distance in half.

If you break down on these remote Navajo back roads you are pretty much screwed as most Navajos have abandoned their ranching. It is essential that you carry extra food and water in your vehicle,  as well as assuring  that it has good tires and spare and is in excellent operating condition.

Dingo’s Tahoe was our vehicle of choice.

During the 1990s you could expect to see a few Navajos involved in herding cattle, sheep and horses. Now, perhaps you might see just a few head of cattle. 

The younger generation Navajos are not interested in this demanding life and instead have taken jobs in Flagstaff, Tuba City or perhaps Kayenta. 

I miss seeing them and talking with them.

Finally! Perfect cool weather. This trip has been on my radar for 15 years! I have been below the rim at the confluence, having hiked down the Tanner and Beemer Trails and there on a couple river trips but I always wanted to see it from above.

Dingo, Larry the Mountain Man and I attempted to mountain bike to Cape Solitude several years ago but the sandy washes and heat slowed us down (no shade at all) and we ran out of daylight and had to turn back with 5 miles to go. Other trip plans have been cancelled by snow and logistics.

This trip was particularly fun as our eyes feasted on magnificent wildlife views on the road and trail.  First, we spotted a nice healthy herd of wild horses and a very large zone-tailed hawk.

Hiking to Solitude we saw a large herd of elk and several big eared jack rabbits. Crow woman was circling above us.  At night, the coyotes yipped and 1000 stars covered the sky. Bats nose dived our camp. On the way out, we came across a herd of pronghorn antelopes. We were entertained by a tarantula came out from under a rock during our break.

The drive out was arduous. Dingo did a stellar job of negotiating the back road. We celebrated with a cajun dinner at Satchmos in Flagstaff-Excellent!

Our return was delayed about an hour due to an accident on 17 but we still arrived at my house around 9 P.M…..early enough to clean and put away gear.

This was a fabulous little adventure. Thanks to Dingo for driving and Dingo and Mark for the time we shared.

The incurably popular …..Men Behaving Badly

Dingo….for his right wing nut obsession with Hillary. We could actually feel his sexual fantasy with her!!!

All…….  for the dialogue always reverting back to bikinis, Playboy and SI Swim suit models.

Dingo…. for more ranting about Hillary during our camp cocktail time. At least he brought the whiskey and made manhattans!!

Dingo…. for bringing girly man craft beer.  ELG brought Bud light!!

Dingo…. for thinking that he forgot the topo map and then finding it in his pack after the trip was over!!

Dingo…. for forgetting his camera!! Hey the whole idea was to get some photos of the confluence!!

Lobo……for one particularly nasty SBD in the car…Hey!! Whatcha expect after a Navajo Taco filled with red beans???

Dingo…. for probing into the sex life of EL Lobo

Train to Chicago and Cleveland

“It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago” 

― Dan C. Quayle

The ELG and Gerry all come to look for America Tour.

This was a stateside vacation that is the stuff that dreams are made of.  We took a train from Flagstaff to Chicago in a first class sleeper car. 

The countryside was gorgeous and we really enjoyed the dining car. The trip took 36 hours and made several stops in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Ohio.

We both had been to Chicago many times on business but really never had the opportunity to get “a taste of Chicago.”  We made the most out of our five days, staying in a lovely Boutique Hotel -The Willows in Wrigleyville. 

We had incredible seats for a game at the legendary 100 year old Wrigley Field and could practically reach out and touch the Cardinals manager, Mike Matheny in the dugout. 

The Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest museum in the country and and houses a treasure trove from around the world. The collection of impressionist and post impressionist paintings is second only to those in France. The Public art downtown is extraordinary, particularly in Millennium Park. 

There are over 200 theaters in Chicago and we caught a great comedy, a Broadway hit….Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Goodman Theatre. The play was hilarious!

We took an Architecture Cruise on the river and felt Chicago’s steely power while looking up, while cloud-poking towers glided by. Excellent!! We had drinks at the top of the 100 story Hancock Building-too cool!

At the White Sox game we got ripped off by a scalper that used a bait and switch scam and stupid us ended up with $7 dollar tickets that we paid $60 for. The seats were at the very top of the stadium, Gerry’s nose started to bleed,  however ELG saved the day and we ended up sitting in some really good seats and enjoyed the game. 

The eats were global and out of this world. Of course we had to have Chicago Pizza and enjoyed an evening with Chicago friends Susan and Jim.

Souvenirs at Hard Rock, and then on to Cleveland.

Cleveland was a really pleasant surprise. The city is under stated. The last time I was there was in the early 70s and the Cuyahoga River was on fire. Cleveland has been totally cleaned up and is really a great destination. The people were so warm and friendly and so very proud of their city. The Indians, Browns and Cavaliers regularly sell out.

We stayed at a historic B & B called the Brownstone Inn. It was beautiful and nicely located. The Innkeeper Robin, provided us with an ongoing interesting overview of Cleveland’s history. 

I have been waiting since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986 to go. The experience was beyond description. It is so well done. We stayed for almost six hours and I had tears in my eyes for half the time.

This is a treasure, not to be missed in your lifetime.

We caught an Indians game that had one dollar hot dogs and two dollar beers. Awesome!!

Other activities included a really interesting river cruise on the Cuyahoga River, dining in outside cafes, hitting the Hard Rock, and spending more quality time at the exquisite Cleveland Museum of Art.