Bangkok
January 29, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
This past Saturday, my friend Noi and I visited one of the most unusual museums I have ever seen.
Just outside Bangkok, The Erawan Museum is located in an unlikely place - an industrial area of factories and busy towns and road construction.
January 29, 2007
Bangkok
Hello,
I have had a very positive reaction to my letter and photos from the Erawan Museum. So I thought it would be a good idea to send out a few more photos.
The four pillars of the musem are decorated with religious scenes from the major religions. I have sent a few Biblical scenes.
New Delhi
India
February 12, 2007
Each morning my driver Suresh and I agree on an itinerary.
Suresh negotiates his way through the traffic to a stop at Lakshmi Naravan, an unusual Hindu temple . . . unusual for its tones of yellow and red- brown. Another stop at Rajghat, a beautiful park with a simple square platform of black marble that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948. A host of schoolchildren smile and wave to me.
Bharatpur, Rajasthan
India
February 17, 2007
Dear Friends and Fellow Bird Watchers,
One chilly, shivering evening last week at the open-air rooftop restaurant of my hotel, the Hotel Sri Nanak Continental (don't let the name fool you), smack in the middle of the incessantly beeping - beeping - honking - honking - beeping - honking - beeping - beeping - beeping and barking! automotive parts supply shop district of New Delhi, I met Penny and John, travelers from England who were pleased to sell me their guidebook Special Places To Stay - India.
My next destination is Bharatpur, just west of Agra. My first "special" choice, The Laxmi Vilas Palace, is fully booked. So here I am at The Bagh.
The guidebook reports:
Nawalgarh
Shekhawati region
Rajasthan
India
February 20, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
"Jan, why India?" "Why now?" Perhaps you are asking these questions. The obvious answers are: "India is close to Thailand." And, "There's no time like the present." True. Very true.
The real truth is that my friends in Mumbai, Paawan and Sushma, invited me to an auspicious family celebration.
Jaipur, Rajasthan
India
February 23, 2007
Dear Family and Friends,
Noise and dust pierce the senses. Construction cranes pierce the sky. Jaipur is crowded. Jaipur is "developing."
My gracious hosts at the Govind Niwas Guest House, Admiral and Mrs. Madhvendra Singh recall earlier days when in the evening they would relax on their veranda or in the spacious garden in front of their home
Now, the avenue is just too busy. My friends are resigned to the inevitable yet they continue to enjoy the beauty of their city.
How many travelers have I met who focus only on Jaipur, dusty and "developing?" Like my hosts, I seek out Jaipur, pink and attractive and "developed."
