India by Train

We are now in Pune, a small city near the mountains Southeast of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Tomorrow we will be visiting Jo's United World College so Freeman can see where Jo finished up her studies before Middlebury.

So far, our travels have taken us from Delhi through Agra, Jaipur, and Mumbai. wWe landed in Delhi after our flight from Nairobi and saw some of the cultural sights including the Red Fort, Gandhi's Memorial, and the India Gate. We were ushered around a Sikh temple on a holy day and got a small introduction to that religion from an outgoing sikh at the temple. The food was extraordinary and a welcome return to vegetarianism for Free after tasty meat, meat, and more meat in East Africa.

In Agra we spent a day visiting old temples and seeing the "Baby Taj Mahal" (an earlier mausoleum in a similar though less grand architectural style) on the first day. Then in the late morning on the second day we went to see the big daddy Taj Mahal. It is epic. It's the size of an enormous graveyard and it holds two people. The mausoleum itself defies description. We also got a chance to visit a modern palace at the Oberoi Hotel there in Agra. We had a chance to have a few drinks there and walk the opulent grounds.

In Jaipur we toured more old forts and saw the sunset from a hilltop fort overlooking the pink city. That night we even got a chance to watch a fun Bollywood movie in a huge local cinema. Suffice it to say that Freeman's uncle Chris would have gone nuts and Free's dad would have loved it. Everyone was talking to the actors and screaming at the characters to do or not do different things. It was much more like a rowdy live theater scene than what Americans or Europeans are used to in a cinema. We loved it. Freeman's "hardy guffaws" fit right in, indeed he felt meek in comparison to the outbursts all around us.

Then we took the overnight sleeper train from Jaipur to Mumbai for 19 hours. It's a bit like falling asleep in a massage chair set to "shake". We were in Mumbai long enough to buy a copy of Dan Brown's newest book and catch our train to Pune. This was probably the first real stereotypical Indian train adventure for Free. Much of the trip was along a high ridge between two mountain ranges with breathtaking views. Add in ample and worthy beggars interrupted by snack vendors and chaiwallas galore along with a few pushy gentlemen trying to find their seats and you've got a good time. Did we mention the sweat or the staring?

The staring is worth a moment. We often joke that the horns on our forehead are coming in quite nicely, as we attract ample staring wherever we go. By 'staring' we don't mean prolonged glances, mind you. By staring, we mean walking close enough to really get a good look and then investigating every visual aspect of your person, then moving on to regard you at a distance. Luckily we have always felt safe and honored in a way, it's just a new thing to enjoy.

We're off to do some more walking around and see Pune a bit. We miss our friends and family and wish each of you all the best. Stay in touch.

Cheers!