No Worries - We Are Far Away From Mumbai

We appreciate everyone's concern but I wanted to reassure everyone that we are okay. We are safely in our hotel in Delhi where security is significantly tighter than it was previously. We have been in touch with the US Embassy and are following their advice scrupulously.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our hearts are with you.

Where Are We Now

In Udaipur staying at the Maharajah's polo facility and tomorrow we we return to Delhi via the overnight train.

20ish Questions after 20ish Days - Nicholas

We have been traveling for about twenty days and I though it would be interesting to get the kids take on our trip. So here is Nicholas’ answers to my questions.

1) How has your trip to India been?
So far, good. But I’m still angry with my parents for having it be two months. One month would have been more convenient.
2) What do you like best?
I’ve liked the fact that I’ve been to so many places and it’s a great life experience for me.
3) What has been the worst thing?
TV. Since India is a big market unlike Israel where the shows had English voices. Here they replace the actors’ voices with Hindi voices (dubbing), which is very annoying. Luckily, I have been able to find a channel called Star Movies which has non-dubbed American movies but it has British subtitles which is weird.
4) What is your favorite new Indian food?
My favorite new food would probably be chicken tikka that is a kind of grilled chicken that tastes really good.
5) What have you learned?
I have learned about Hindu culture and what Hindi, the national language looks like. It looks like a straight line with squiggly lines hanging down.
6) What is your favorite city?
My favorite cities are New Delhi and Agra. New Delhi partially because we stay at a luxurious five star hotel called The Imperial and Agra because that is where we saw the Taj Mahal which was really sweet.
7) What has been your favorite activity?
Four words: Riding On A Camel. It is so incredibly fun to ride camels. On the way back from the sand dunes, my guy made the camel run fast which was great.
8) What is your favorite hotel?
The Imperial. It is posh, luxurious and the pool plays music underwater plus I can get a cheeseburger, which is hard to find, as cows are sacred. It has really comfy beds, smells sweet and the breakfast is delicious.
9) What have you missed about home?
I can answer that Question in 2 words: “Practically Everything” (Mr. Palmer if you are reading this you will notice that my journal entry on this subject begins exactly the same way). First of all I miss staying in one place because it is annoying to have a six hour car ride every day. I also miss all of my friends and home. And there is nobody my age to talk to.
10) Have you been keeping up on homework?
No Comment
11) What did we bring that was been really good?
My ipod (an early Chanukah present)
12) What did we forget or not bring that you would like?
I don’t know
13) What would you change about our trip?
I’d make it only one month as two months seems like an extremely long time.
14) What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to seeing really interesting things and have new experiences.
15) What activity do you want to do?
I want to ride elephants again which I have already done but it’s fun.
16) How would you describe India?
I’d describe it as incredible, interesting and just plain old amazing. At first, I thought it was really uncivilized but then I realized that they have had a culture and a civilization for a really long time.
17) What has been a surprise about India?
I’m surprised that there are so many things here to see and do that can last for a two month vacation.
18) What do you think is happening in New York City?
Nothing special. In school, I hope that people are having a good time. I also think several new books have come out, so I’ll have lots of reading to do when I get back.
19) How has it been traveling with your parents?
It has been interesting; we’ve gotten to spend a lot of quality time together. It’s been enjoyable.
20) Would you recommend this trip?
I’d recommend coming to India but I wouldn’t recommend coming for two months.
21) Can you tell me one funny story?
One time my dad got us a bushel of bananas and I went to spit out a bad piece and just spewed all over the car.

20ish Questions after 20ish Days - Nora

1) How has your trip to India been?
Good
2) What do you like best?
I like going to the Golden Temple. I also like going to this hotel called The Imperial that has a hot tub and plays music underwater.
3) What has been the worst thing?
Missing everything and literally everything.
4) What is your favorite new Indian food?
Sweet Lassis
5) What have you learned?
I’ve learned that most Hindus have goods for everything and that cows are holy because Lord Vishnu rides on one.
6) What is your favorite city?
Delhi because it is most like home.
7) What has been your favorite activity?
Swimming in the pools.
8) What is your favorite hotel?
The Imperial
9) What have you missed about home?
Everything literally everything
10) Have you been keeping up on home work?
Yes. I’ve been keeping up on my homework but I’m a little behind on my Jewish studies. (PS If you are reading this Ms. Kaufman. Am I supposed to do the whole packet?
11) What did we bring that has been particularly good?
The computer.
12) What did we forget or not bring that you would like?
I wish we had brought more candy and Nick’s two DSs.
13) What would you change about our trip?
That we would be staying in India for only one month.
14) What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to the overnight safari and coming back home
15) What activity do you want to do?
I don’t know
16) How would you describe India?
Modern. Every city has something special. One city is famous for its carvings that are magnificent.
17) What has been a surprise about India?
That India has many gods and that cows are sacred so there are nod hamburgers or cheeseburgers.
18) What do you think is happening in New York City?
I think that in my classroom they are working on graphs and that nothing special is happening in New York.
19) How has it been traveling with your parents?
It has been OK and smooth
20) What would you say to your friends and family?
I miss you very, very very, very very, very, very very, very very, very, very very, very very, very, very very, very very much.
21) Would you recommend this trip?
I’d recommend it for a couple of friends but go for less than two months.
22) Do you have a funny story?
When me, my mom, Nick and our tour guide were walking around we saw a real snake charmer and Nick went “AAAAAHooooooohCOOL”

Quote of the Day

Lisa: If your Uncle Steve was here he would be in deer heaven
Nicholas: No, If Uncle Steve was here they would be in deer heaven.

Nora's Newest Post

Dear Readers,
Today I am going to Udaipur. We’ve been in Mt. Abu. In Mt. Abu, we climbed 1,000 steps. We also got to see the sun set where I ate roasted peanuts. Me and Nick and my dad went exploring. We found an internet café!
Nora

Where in the World

After a tricky drive up the mountain with monkeys sitting on the guardrails, we are in Mt. Abu.

The Omelette Shop in Jodphur

Jodphur has been our favorite town in Rajastan so far. It has an amazing fort high on a hill over looking the blue painted roofs of the old city. Plus there is a fantastic market winding through the alleys around the clocktower. We bought a few cashmere scarves and a bunch of bracelets made of glass or tree gum that seem to be a town specialty. We also found a pizza place that was the closest to an American style pizza joint yet.

But tonight’s dinner was the capper. The best omelette that I have ever had! Yes, better than any omelette that I’ve ever made with organic eggs and artisanal cheese, better than any omelette that I’ve ordered in a New York restaurant and better than any omelette that I’ve eaten in Paris. We happened through a small archway near the clocktower and were intrigued by a small, wiry man overlooking a four-burner propane stove with hundreds of eggs stacked around him. To call it The Omelette Shop as he does is a little generous as it doesn’t have a single wall, table, chair or counter and a cow is as likely to wander by as a customer. It does have a few ancient cast iron pans that are generously seasoned by 34 years of butter and a stack of books with comments from satisfied customers. We ordered two plain cheese omelettes for the kids while Lisa and I ordered a masala cheese omelette in addition to a spanish omelette with potatoes. Served sandwich style, they were beyond delicious browned to salty, crispy perfection with the right mix of cheese-laden richness and spice. Paired with a Limca, they made an incredibly satisfying dinner. Plus four omelettes and three sodas totaled a whopping $2.71.

Lisa adds: Nora actually ate her dinner for the first time since we got here. That’s how good it was.

In Search of The Best Lassi in India

There seems to be two national cold drinks of India: 1) fresh lime soda and 2) lassis. I can’t say enough good things about fresh lime sodas. Made of just freshly squeezed lime juice and seltzer with a little sugar, they are immensely superior to the ubiquitous American lemonade. The lime seems more refreshing than lemon and it isn’t as sickly sweet. When I return home, I will make it a personal mission to start the trend from lemonade to lime soda. However since as far as I can tell, the quality of lime soda is uniform across the subcontinent there isn’t much for me to do on the lime soda front now except for order and enjoy.

In comparison, the quality and composition of lassis can vary substantially. First of all for those of you who aren’t familiar with Indian cuisine, a lassi is a chilled yogurt drink. In America, it is served sweet and almost always mango flavored. In India, it comes salted or sweet and either unflavored or flavored with anything from banana to mango to saffron. In addition the consistency can vary from milk-thin to so thick and creamy that it can be eaten with a spoon.

So with a smorgasbord of lassis spread out in front of me, I’ve found my mission: to find the best lassi in India. So far there are two strong contenders:

1) Lassiwalla in Jaipur. Their lassis have an unbelievably subtle and sophisticated taste. A purist shop that only sells two varieties: sweet and salted. No fruit flavors at all. They lose a little something in taste because it is served in a disposable clay (i.e. baked mud) cone but it does give it an air of rural authenticity.

2) Om Juice Corner in Jodphur. A huge variety of flavors including saffron and Makhaniya, a local specialty. So rich and sweet with only the mildest of yogurt tang that it was the first lassi that Nicholas enjoyed. The perfect 4 pm treat.

More reports as I visit other cities and our Delhi based guide swears that the lassi shops in Old Delhi’s Chandi Chowk stand head and shoulders above these two shops.

Lisa adds: Oh dear, another Markus mission. I think his time would be better spent finding momos for me (momos are Tibetan dumplings and they are sublime but are not to be found here in the desert).

Some photos from our camel trek into the desert to watch the sunset

I don't have a whole lot to say but I thought some photos would be good.

Quote of the Day

On the road to Jodphur

Mr. S: Tell me, David. Have you ever been to the Lido in Paris?

David: Yes. My father took us the last time we went to Paris. He had fond memories of going as a young man.

Nicholas: What’s the Lido?

Lisa: It’s a kind of high-class girlie show that the French were famous for. For it’s time it was quite risqué. It’s for tourists now.

Nicholas: But, I still don’t get it. What’s so special about it.

Lisa: Well there are pretty women dressed up in fancy costumes. But, um, they don’t have any tops on.

Nicholas: (spitting out his Sprite) What?!?!?!?! Pop-Pop took you to see a show with topless women?

David: Yup.

Nicholas: I wanna go to France!

Where in the World

In a dumpy hotel in Jodphur as there was a booking mixup. Luckily free wifi and tomorrow we'll be moving on up. Spent the night roaming the bazaar.

Where in the World

Having spent yesterday night in Bikaner, we have moved on to the desert town of Jaisalmer for a couple of nights.

American Night In Jaipur

So after a busy day of riding an elephant, visiting a fort, touring a palace and a little bit of shopping; we only had enough energy to go out for a movie. Plus Lisa and I were in desperate need for some western entertainment. The kids might be able to watch Madeline or Ben 10 in Hindi, but that doesn’t cut it for us. We set off to see Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie. We get there just in time to see the opening of the movie and to realize that it was dubbed in Hindi. Luckily the language barrier wasn’t overwhelming as it was pretty clear what is going on and there was more than enough action to keep the kids interested. Plus the kids couldn’t understand the age inappropriate language as Agent 007 bedded beautiful babes in fancy hotels around the world. Having seen movies in probably a dozen different countries, I love seeing the cultural differences in how we go to the movies. So while popcorn was available, samosas were clearly the snack of choice. Also there was a random break in the middle of the movie for an intermission when I could go out and get the kids a little more popcorn for 40c per box.

After seeing the movie, we didn’t have time for a full dinner so we headed to the home of fast food worldwide, McDonalds. The kids had been intrigued as we’ve gone past various fast food options and we thought this was the perfect chance to sample the Indian take on McDs. The first major difference is lack of hamburgers. The Indian prohibition on beef is maintained even by the ultimate American hamburger joint. So the kids elected to get a McChicken sandwich while Lisa went for the Paneer wrap, a fusion dish of fried Indian cheese wrapped in a tortilla with spicy chutney. In spite of the Indian provenance of the ingredients, it tasted just like every other McDonald’s sandwich. It was delicious and could easily translate to America although with a new name. As we expected, the fries were excellent even though the ketchup was a weak reflection of Heinz albeit a little spicier. The softserve ice cream was similarly excellent so we all left with a little bit of our homesickness cured.

The Poverty

One of the most overwhelming things about India is the extreme poverty that one sees everywhere. We never take a ride without seeing crippled beggars or mothers with babies asking for coins amidst the traffic at a stop light. Along the railroad tracks there are large shanty towns and on the sidewalks there are families living in the dirt. We walk down the street and are regularly accosted. The economic inequality of our privileged family traveling through India was particularly brought home last night when we were taking a tuk-tuk ride home from the movies at 9 pm. There was a girl just about Nora’s age was running through traffic, covered in dirt, begging. The kids--Nicholas in particular--are affected by seeing all this but seem to be handling it reasonably well. I know that we are not supposed to give money to the beggars but periodically my conscience breaks and we will give a few rupees. Even our guide confessed to having a hard time with it, especially when he sees the very young or the very old. Ultimately I find it difficult to know the best thing to do. There is no comparison between the charities that I am involved with in New York and the overwhelming and inescapable poverty here. So while I won’t stop giving to my temple or the other organizations at home, I will need to find a charity which helps support and educate children here.

Quote of the Day1

David to Lisa "Why do you call that Dickensian?"
Nicholas "Hey, who is Dickensy?"

On The Road

I’ve driven a car through Rome, circumnavigated Bali in a jeep and taken taxis in Jakarta (not to mention my regular driving in New York City) but none of those measure up to the experience of driving through India. It is a rare combination of crowded, noisy and chaotic with any number of different vehicles careening through narrow streets while using their horns as a sort of reverse sonar navigation systems. First let me list the kinds of vehicles regularly seen on our drives on what passes for a highway in India (Not including the unusual sights like an elephant, a turned over truck, a sleeping calf or a herd of cows): bicycles; bicycle rickshaws; motorcycles carrying up to five people; autorickshaws (tiny little three wheeled motor scooters commonly called tuk-tuks); carts being pulled by any one of the following: cows, horses, donkeys or even camels; tractors pulling oversized trailers, buses that randomly pull over to discharge passengers; cars; vans; and large Tata trucks hand decorated so much so that they resemble a Mexican fiesta on acid. All of these vehicles traveling at very different speeds and not always going in the proper direction share what a two-lane road that better resembles the street that I grew up on rather than what I think of as a highway. So everyone is constantly passing slower vehicles by veering into oncoming traffic while maintaining a steady flow of horn honks. In fact honking your horn is such an essential element of Indian driving that trucks and taxis regularly have “Blow Horn” or “Horn Please” painted on their backsides so that forgetful motorists won’t neglect to lay on their horns as they pass headlong into an oncoming traffic. It’s also worth noting that this is all done in a variety of terrains flat, curving or in last night’s case, going up a steep, winding, narrow road through the foothills of the Himalayas. Needless to say I am very glad that we’ve hired a car and driver to chauffer us through our visit.

Lisa adds:  As the family navigator, this is a mixed blessing.  We had epic fights in each of those countries due to driving-related stress, but seeing David's head explode trying to drive here would totally be worth it.   

Lisa's Really Long Post About Her Sick Day In Amritsar

Just when I was feeling pretty smug about my adjustment to the food and allowing myself to think about venturing on to street food, I came down with a pretty bad case of traveler’s tummy. David was feeling pretty punk too but he managed to make a full day of it with the kids. I spent the day in fetal position with nothing but occasional cold sweats and mad dashes to the bathroom to break up the monotony.

Well, not quite. Our perfectly serviceable hotel faced the main road leading to the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. Throughout the weekend, the street below was filled with throngs of pilgrims going to and fro on the left side of the street and cars, trucks, rickshaws and motorbikes racing down the right side. Motor vehicles in India tend to have some variation on the words, “Please Honk” painted on the back, a request filled with great alacrity by Indian drivers. Pressing the gas? Press the horn! Hitting your breaks? Hit the horn! The need for this is obvious. With so many cars, people, stray dogs and cows jostling for space in the road, drivers need to alert others to their position frequently. Still, they seem to go at it with an obscene gusto.

The noise coming from the street for the entire 48 hours of the weekend was an unrelenting cacophony of dogs, chants, horse hooves, horns, bicycle bells, drums and firecrackers. Sounds horrible, doesn’t it? At first, I thought I would go mad, but spending 24 hours trapped in my room in a semi-conscious state changed my point of view. It turns out there is an infinite variety of horn sounds and tempos, and yet, this being India, by virtue of sheer numbers, there is repetition. My favorite horn plays what sounds like a few bars of a Punjab folk song. Then there are the buzzer-like horns of the motorbikes, the sharp, staccato of the taxi horns, and the klaxon, bone-rattling bus horns. In the early morning, there’s a dogfight with some poor cur yelping piteously while another dog persists in a snarling, rough barking attack. The scrape of metal on pavement, as the garbage collector scoops up refuse with a pan and dumps it into the back of the horse drawn carriage. Soon the pilgrims start up the road; some are beating drums, some are crowded on flat bed trucks pulled by a red Marinda tractor, many are walking barefoot (bless them). Vendors open the metal gates on their stores; call to one another across the street; hawk their wares to passersby. As I fall in and out of sleep, the street below becomes a part of my dream world. I dream about my friends Maxine, Vinnie and Fernanda making an unreal dance to this music. It’s a ruthless, unruly symphony, pulsating through every corner of my room and my consciousness.

At 4pm, I hear firecrackers and intense drumming. This sounds worth getting out of bed for. Down in the street, a crowd of young Sikhs dressed in white with bright orange turbans and sashes are standing in a circle around two men who are executing a frightful and graceful dance with foils set to the ceremonial drum that another man plays. They leap at each other, clashing swords, until one gets tapped out by a man clenching a knife between his teeth who takes up the battle dance, whirling and kicking and never dropping the knife. Along comes an older man with a spear who wears a long, blue, flared coat and a red turban. He dismisses the young fighters and the group marches on. They are followed by a tractor, decorated with flowers and tinsel, that is blaring loud music and pulling a covered wagon in which sits someone very important. I regret that I couldn’t see him.

Upon their founding, Sikhs were persecuted mightily and persistently. They decided that Sikh men should be warriors, and that they should look intimidating. This is why, traditionally, they don’t cut their beards or their hair and they are always armed with a ceremonial dagger. Anyone who has seen a crowd of Sikh men in full dress cannot deny that they do look fearsome. At the temple the day before, I wondered why Sikh men were so much taller than their fellow countrymen. They aren’t necessarily, but the turban draws the eyes up and makes them look taller. Add to that the long, fitted coat, the full beard and moustache, ceremonial sashes and not-so-ceremonial weaponry and they become the epitome of fierce.

The noise continues on through the night with very little abating. At 4am we hear firecrackers, intense drumming and loud music. This sounds worth getting out of bed for. And, there, down on the street is another version of the previous afternoon’s parade. About a hundred people, including a flatbed truck full of women and young children, are joyously en route to the temple. Our unseen important man is at the head of the parade in his covered wagon. I marvel at the sheer dedication I am witnessing, at the perpetual cycle of human endeavor, at the relentless pursuit of commerce, at the longing for communion with divinity, and I know this noise is just never going to end and that I don’t want it to.

And then it does.

On Monday, this street is positively sleepy. The party has moved elsewhere. I pack us up and close the door on the now quiet room.

The India - Pakistan Border Crossing

This evening we headed out to the one border crossing between Pakistan and India where every night there is an elaborate ceremony of Indian (and on the other side Pakistani) pride. It is political theater of the highest order. Starting with a man who leads the crowd in cheers along with music blaring at ear splitting levels with the sole purpose of being louder than the music blaring on the Pakistan side. In Bollywood movie fashion, there is a random dance number with the women crowding the street dancing to a seemingly patriotic hymn. My lack of knowledge of Hindi requires me to make certain leaps of logic--the crowd could be shouting “death to the Jews” for all I know. Eventually the soldiers come out in outlandish uniforms complete with headdresses, spats and multicolored belts. Led by a man who has the ability to hold a note for minutes, the soldiers have an elaborately choreographed routine replete with impossibly high kicks, fast marching and synchronized flag lowering. The crowd eats it up, screaming wildly the whole time, and it is thoroughly entertaining for the non-Indian spectators.

Here is What Judaism Needs

So a short 7 hour train ride from Delhi through rural India deposited us at Amritsar where we have come to see the Golden Temple, the holiest sight for the Sikh religion. And the Golden Temple doesn’t disappoint. It is an impressive three-story temple covered in gold leaf, surrounded by a lake with thousands of pilgrims coming every day to see their holy book. As a Jew, I have to say that we could use a holy site like this. The western wall may be laden with history but it isn’t really much to look at. If we could just build a similarly impressive edifice then we will be all set for someone to knock it down.

Our First Day in New Delhi

It’s tough for me to consider yesterday’s lounging around our posh hotel to be much of an Indian experience although it was a pretty swell way of spending a day of jet lag. So today marks our first true day in India. Our tour guide, Sandeep, picked us up around 9:30 and we went to the Red Fort, a Mughal fort and palace that was built by Shah Jahan, the same Maharajah who built the Taj Mahal. Many of the Indian tourists were fascinated by the kids and probably half a dozen groups stopped to ask if they could take a photo of them with Nick and Nora. We also took a rickshaw ride through the Chowdri Chawk, the market area of Old Delhi. We wound through impossibly narrow streets lined with various types of stores including shops for brides, booksellers and wholesale sewing supplies. In addition to the shops there were the range of food sellers, vegetable stands and an open-air urinal.

The Really-Not-So-Bad Plane Ride (Nick's First Post)

The plane company was Virgin Atlantic, not so surprising (we take it almost every time we leave the country). The surprising thing was that there were TV’s infront of the seats. There was a very wide variety of movies and television shows. I watched the following media things: Wall-e, Get smart, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Space Chimps, Kung Fu Panda, The Simpsons (TV), and Sponge Bob (also TV). That is a lot of media things. But in the end I got really jet lagged. At least our five star hotel for New Delhi (pronounced Deli) had comfy beds.

Lisa adds: You are so totally spoiled.

Nora's Second Post

Dear Friends,

Today I am going on the plane ride.  It’s so exciting!  I had to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to get to the airport on time.  Tomorrow morning I will be in India!  There are all kinds of movies on the plane like Wall*E, Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Dark Knight.  And all of the movies are free.

Yes We Can

The flight from London to Delhi was interminable not just because of its length but also because we couldn’t get any news about the election.  As a card-carrying New York liberal and a Deputy Field Organizer for the Obama campaign, I am extremely invested in the outcome and not being able to watch the results role in was excruciating.  However with about 45 minutes to go in our flight, a headline came over saying the Obama had won and we danced a little in-seat jig.  Another American came back to make sure that I knew the outcome.  Somehow wearing an Obama 2008 T-shirt clued everyone to my allegiance.  What was fascinating was the enthusiasm of the Brits and Indians over Obama’s election.  Once we got to the hotel, I could go on-line to check out the election results in more detail including getting the really good news that Hamilton County shifted from Republican to Democratic.  So I felt like my four weeks of work for the campaign had some positive impact.  

Travel

So we have finally made it to Delhi after about 24 hours of travel that culminated in me trying to sleep on the floor of the plane.  We left home around 5:30 am and by 5:45 am the first punch was thrown between our children.  Somehow hours and hours of being cooped up didn’t make anyone’s mood any better. 

Lisa adds:  Yeah it was pretty hideous.

Nora's First Blog Post

I miss all my friends at school and my friends from sleep away camp.

I just got back from Florida.

Tomorrow at eight o'clock a.m., I will fly to London and then from London I will fly to India. It's an overnight flight.

I am excited to see the Taj Mahal in India.

Hopefully I am not that behind in school work when I come back.