Sign up for a free recipe e-book →

On the Move

A collection of my travel and photography blogs

Postscript from Vancouver: replies and thoughts

Published by

nancywcaldwell

on

Postscript from Vancouver: replies and thoughts

I arrived home following 36 hours of traveling surprisingly free of jet lag.  So far…

After unpacking and making a dent in my pile of dirty laundry, I walked with my shopping cart – yes, at home I am a little old lady with a shopping cart! – six blocks to Safeway for groceries.  Not once did a driver honk her horn, not once did a cow wander onto the street, not once did a shopkeeper call out for me to come and see his wares.  How  bland my neighbourhood now seems.

I thank you all for your comments as I travelled through India.  You asked a few questions that I didn’t answer at the time, so here goes.

This magician entertained us for some time outside the Hotel Regaalis in Mysore. Here he is playing an instrument that sounded much like a violin.
This magician entertained us for some time outside the Hotel Regaalis in Mysore. Here he is playing an instrument that sounded much like a violin.

Jim: what were the most useful and least useful things I took with me, and what do I wish I had brought along?  Most useful was my technology – my two cameras and my iPad.  My second camera is a point-and-shoot that I expected to use when there wasn’t time to set up my more complicated first camera.  What I hadn’t expected, though, was how useful the video function was.  How can you capture the traffic snarls and crazy movement of an elephant ride with a still camera?  I haven’t taken videos before, but now I won’t travel anywhere exotic without that capability.  Least useful was the nifty little laundry and hand wash sheets.  Hotels offered relatively cheap and very prompt laundry services, and it was easier to use hand sanitizer when I was worried about how clean were my hands.  What I wish I brought with me was my pillow! It would have been no problem to bring a larger suitcase since I had to check my carry-on once I was in India in any case.  We stayed at very nice hotels and resorts but the pillows were not always up to the standard of my scrunchilicious down pillow from home.

The grounds around Sikandra were large. The structure in this picture is just the gate to the compound that holds the mausoleum itself. Most monuments we visited were set in large, well maintained grounds.
The grounds around Sikandra were large. The structure in this picture is just the gate to the compound that holds the mausoleum itself. Most monuments we visited were set in large, well maintained grounds.

Frances: will I create a PowerPoint presentation of my trip to India?  Don’t tempt me!  There’s nothing I would rather do than corner interested folks and bore them for hours with details and photos of my trip.  But yes, I can put a little slideshow together and have a gathering for folks who are interested.  I trust you will come!

Tracey: what was the favourite part of my trip?  I have two favourite parts and one of them has three sub-parts, so I am re-defining “favourite” here.  Under my favourite sights and sounds are the Abaneri stepwell, the festival in Palakkad and the relaxing day on the Kerala houseboat.  These all took me by surprise which is why, I think, they rank so high on my list of many wonderful things Indian.  I suspect these favourites may change as I look at my photos and further process the whole trip.  Under my favourite anything-else is the group of wonderful people I travelled with.  Being able to share experiences with others added new perspectives to everything we saw and did.  I grew seriously fond of my new friends and will miss them all!

These boys were diving for mussels - at least that's what appears to be in their dish - and happy played and posed for our cameras. We were on the houseboats when we encountered them.
These boys were diving for mussels – at least that’s what appears to be in their dish – and happy played and posed for our cameras. We were on the houseboats when we encountered them.

I went to India expecting some level of danger – someone might try to steal my camera, or someone might try to fool me into who-knows-what, or bugs or exotic food might make me sick.  What I encountered were Indians who were happy to have me in their country, who were willing to help out in any kind of difficult situation, who were for the most part gracious and generous.  The food was superb and it was a cinch to avoid raw, unpeeled fruits and veggies that might have caused problems.  Bugs?  Not a problem!  We encountered a few mosquitoes in the south but that was all.

I also expected India to be full of people.  After all, we hear so much about her burgeoning population.  In cities people do seem to live in very close quarters, but I was surprised at the huge open spaces – parks and grounds around monuments – in even heavily populated cities like Delhi.

I encourage you to visit India if you have even the slightest inclination to do so.  Be sure to go with someone who is knowledgeable about the country, who can interpret what you see and hear and put it into context.  A good guide like Shagzil adds layers to an experience that will already be rich and rewarding.

Thanks for traveling with me!

Cheers,
Nancy

Leave a Reply

I arrived home following 36 hours of traveling surprisingly free of jet lag.  So far…

After unpacking and making a dent in my pile of dirty laundry, I walked with my shopping cart – yes, at home I am a little old lady with a shopping cart! – six blocks to Safeway for groceries.  Not once did a driver honk her horn, not once did a cow wander onto the street, not once did a shopkeeper call out for me to come and see his wares.  How  bland my neighbourhood now seems.

I thank you all for your comments as I travelled through India.  You asked a few questions that I didn’t answer at the time, so here goes.

This magician entertained us for some time outside the Hotel Regaalis in Mysore. Here he is playing an instrument that sounded much like a violin.
This magician entertained us for some time outside the Hotel Regaalis in Mysore. Here he is playing an instrument that sounded much like a violin.

Jim: what were the most useful and least useful things I took with me, and what do I wish I had brought along?  Most useful was my technology – my two cameras and my iPad.  My second camera is a point-and-shoot that I expected to use when there wasn’t time to set up my more complicated first camera.  What I hadn’t expected, though, was how useful the video function was.  How can you capture the traffic snarls and crazy movement of an elephant ride with a still camera?  I haven’t taken videos before, but now I won’t travel anywhere exotic without that capability.  Least useful was the nifty little laundry and hand wash sheets.  Hotels offered relatively cheap and very prompt laundry services, and it was easier to use hand sanitizer when I was worried about how clean were my hands.  What I wish I brought with me was my pillow! It would have been no problem to bring a larger suitcase since I had to check my carry-on once I was in India in any case.  We stayed at very nice hotels and resorts but the pillows were not always up to the standard of my scrunchilicious down pillow from home.

The grounds around Sikandra were large. The structure in this picture is just the gate to the compound that holds the mausoleum itself. Most monuments we visited were set in large, well maintained grounds.
The grounds around Sikandra were large. The structure in this picture is just the gate to the compound that holds the mausoleum itself. Most monuments we visited were set in large, well maintained grounds.

Frances: will I create a PowerPoint presentation of my trip to India?  Don’t tempt me!  There’s nothing I would rather do than corner interested folks and bore them for hours with details and photos of my trip.  But yes, I can put a little slideshow together and have a gathering for folks who are interested.  I trust you will come!

Tracey: what was the favourite part of my trip?  I have two favourite parts and one of them has three sub-parts, so I am re-defining “favourite” here.  Under my favourite sights and sounds are the Abaneri stepwell, the festival in Palakkad and the relaxing day on the Kerala houseboat.  These all took me by surprise which is why, I think, they rank so high on my list of many wonderful things Indian.  I suspect these favourites may change as I look at my photos and further process the whole trip.  Under my favourite anything-else is the group of wonderful people I travelled with.  Being able to share experiences with others added new perspectives to everything we saw and did.  I grew seriously fond of my new friends and will miss them all!

These boys were diving for mussels - at least that's what appears to be in their dish - and happy played and posed for our cameras. We were on the houseboats when we encountered them.
These boys were diving for mussels – at least that’s what appears to be in their dish – and happy played and posed for our cameras. We were on the houseboats when we encountered them.

I went to India expecting some level of danger – someone might try to steal my camera, or someone might try to fool me into who-knows-what, or bugs or exotic food might make me sick.  What I encountered were Indians who were happy to have me in their country, who were willing to help out in any kind of difficult situation, who were for the most part gracious and generous.  The food was superb and it was a cinch to avoid raw, unpeeled fruits and veggies that might have caused problems.  Bugs?  Not a problem!  We encountered a few mosquitoes in the south but that was all.

I also expected India to be full of people.  After all, we hear so much about her burgeoning population.  In cities people do seem to live in very close quarters, but I was surprised at the huge open spaces – parks and grounds around monuments – in even heavily populated cities like Delhi.

I encourage you to visit India if you have even the slightest inclination to do so.  Be sure to go with someone who is knowledgeable about the country, who can interpret what you see and hear and put it into context.  A good guide like Shagzil adds layers to an experience that will already be rich and rewarding.

Thanks for traveling with me!

Cheers,
Nancy