Home Again

We are safely back in the United States.  Twenty four days, over
33,000 miles and several trips across the Equator have
passed at incredible speed.  Deb and I are both extremely satisfied
with this trip.  Other than the lack of sleep at times, I have
no criticisms.  Until you have been to all these places in such
a short period, it is difficult if not impossible to fathom the
logistics of moving this group around the world and making sure
they are having a positive experience.  I am sure there are other
outfitters that do this kind of trip but none could be any better
than TCS/Starquest.

For everyone who has read my babblings, thank you for traveling
along with us.  This is my first blog and I thank HEG, III, for
helping me establish it.  It has served a dual purpose as I look at
the blog as my diary of the trip.  We look forward to hearing all
your comments about the trip.

Finally, we consider ourselves fortunate to have made this trip.
It has reinforced our notion that most peoples share common desires
and goals which may come packaged somewhat differently.  And it has
reminded us that even before our nation was settled, there were
advanced cultures around the globe. And the most valuable lesson
that any American can learn from travel is that our way of doing
anything is not necessarily superior to the ways that it is done
elsewhere.

Flight Crew

Part of our flight crew posing just before we landed in Florida.  The lady in the middle was the chief pilot for the trek.

Final report from Marrekech

Marrekech has long been discovered by the rich and famous. 
Churchill spent much time here before and after WW II.  It
became a glitzy destination starting in the 1960s and except
for brief periods of political unrest, has remained a destination
of choice.  Part of its allure is its close proximity to Europe.
At the airport, you see rows of European planes.  And you would
certainly not have a hotel like the La Mamounia unless well
heeled travelers were frequenting the place.

Now for the geography.  It would probably be just another
North African city except for the nearby Atlas Mountain range.
The mountains are visible from the entire city and provide
adequate water to what would otherwise be an arid region.  The
early settlers were able to bring water from the mountains via
underground aquaducts.  This water combined with fertile soil to
create a very desirable place to live.

I must give the local government great credit for retaining
the charm of the Berbian and Arabic cultures in the Medina (old
city) and at the same time creating the modern conveniences that
make this a desirable place to visit.  Merrekech is a city of
distinct sections.  There is a "French" section that was built
during the French colonization of the country.  There is also a
"new town" that includes the new hotels, restuarants, and villas.
There have to be strict architectural controls because there are no
high rises and all the buildings are a uniform reddish color.
Foreign investment is high and our guide suggested that real estate
prices have sharply escalated.

The primary language in Morocco is of course Arabic.  But
French is also universally taught in the schools.  This was
only the second place in the world that I have been able to
use my smattering of French.  One of our guides said that
English was becoming more important to learn.

Yesterday, we witnessed a spectacle that has to be common.
There are scooters or motorcycles everywhere.  As we were
walking across the square  headed for the souk, two motorcycles
collided at a high speed not more than fifteen feet from us.
One of the drivers appeared to have head and chest injuries.
Of course, there is no helmet law.  Here I was observing the
aftermath of the collision along with an ER doctor from CA.
And neither one of us had a license to practice in that
jurisdiction.

Morocco is a monarchy. The king was in residence in Merrekech
while we were there.  Flags were flying throughout the city to
announce his presence.  And we went by his palace and saw guards
in colorful uniforms.

I believe that our 757 has the range to make a non-stop
flight to Orlando.  But we are making a 'technical stop" in the
Azores because the Merreckech airport is not TSA approved.
That means that we will have to disembark in the Azores
complete with our baggage and go through security.  Then, we
will be allowed to land in Orlando. At the beginning of this
trip, I was not sure whether there were strict security rules
for charter flights.  I have seen no difference in our procedures
versus the procedures for regular commercial flights.  There is
one difference in foreign security screening.  You rarely have
to take off your shoes when you go through security.

Our flight to the Azores is almost three hours.  Then we have a
seven hour flight to Orlando.  And there is a five time zone change
from Marrekech (Greenwich Mean Time) to Orlando.  That means we
will be ready for bed when we arrive in Orlando.  We are spending
the night there and will take the flight to RDU on Monday morning
at seven.

As for the 757, it is headed to Seattle where it will start another
around the world trip.  The current crew will fly back to England
and a new crew will be in Orlando to take the plane to Seattle.  The
one exception is the chef who is doing back to back around the world
trips.

Images from Morocco V

 Doormen at La Mamounia.

 Alley in the souk.

 Deb shopping in the souk.

Olive vendor.  Morocco is a large producer of olives.

First Report from Marrakech

We are now in a city which I have wanted to visit for many years,  My image of it was the ultimate exotic north African city.  And it has not disappointed.

I first became of aware of the city when Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young did the song Marrekech Express in the late 60s.  I had no idea where Marrekech was but the whole thing sounded exotic to me.  During this trip,
I googled the song and found out that it was written by Graham Nash while he was still with the Hollies.  They recorded the song but never released it.  He wrote the song after taking a train trip to Marrekech circa 1963.

I have raved about some of the places where we have stayed on this trip but La Mamounia is absolutely the best. It was built in the 1920s and opened again eighteen months ago after a five year restoration.  The restoration took that long because it was difficult to find the needed craftsmen.  But it is magnificent with dark woods and beautiful tile work.  I have posted a couple of photographs but it is very difficult to depict this place and its beautiful gardens.  I encourage everyone to check out the website for this place and see professional photographs.

This morning, we took a guided tour of the medina or the walled old city.  We first walked through twisting alleys where various craftsmen were producing their wares.  The most frequent craftsmen were producing leather and metal items.  Their handiwork is quite handsome and you wish that you have room to buy and take it home.  We also visited a  former school and royal palace.  We finally walked to  an open square where you can let your imagination roam.  There were snake charmers playing their instruments with the snake swaying to and fro.   You should have seen Deb move when one of the snake charmers came toward her with a snake in hand. There were monkey handlers with monkeys who were doing acrobatic feats.  There were fortune tellers, tooth pullers, letter writers, and other useful people.  We did not take pictures because these people expect to be paid when their picture is taken.

We are going to the souk(market) and I think Deb has an eye on some spices she cannot buy at home.  More on that later.

I have had only one disappointment on this trip.  I knew that Churchill brought Roosevelt here in 1943 after the Malta Conference.  Roosevelt stayed in a leased home known as Villa Taylor.  It was owned by an American family named Taylor and was  leased by one of the government during the war.  There was a tower in the villa and there is a famous picture of Roosevelt and Churchill looking at the Atlas Mountains in the distance.  Of course, Roosevelt had to be carried up the steps to the tower.  When Ms. Taylor learned that a Democrat had stayed in her home, she promptly sold it.  I wanted to visit Villa Taylor but learned this morning that it is a private residence and you can not get anywhere near it.

Images from Morocco IV

 Leather shoes in the market.  The Berbers wear the rounded shoes and the Arabs prefer the pointed ones.

 Dried fruit for sale in the market.

Sunning the rugs in the medina or old part of the city.

Images from Morocco III

 The minaret at The Koutoubia Mosque, largest mosque in Marrakech.  Winston Churchill did only one painting during WW II and it showed this mosque.

At the ruins of a former mosque next to The Koutoubia Mosque.  They discovered that the former mosque did not point toward Mecca and they tore it down to build a new one.

Images from Morocco II

 Tile wall at Medrassa Ben Youssef, a former school.

 Tile floor at The Bahia Palace, a former royal palace.

Deb at Medrassa Ben Youssef.

Images from Morocco

 Our room at La Mamounia in Marrekech.  Note the tile inlay in the the wainscoating and floor.

The garden as seen from our balcony

Final images from Jordan

 Local license plate.

 Terminal at King Hussein airport.

Deb boarding the plane for the flight to Marrakech.

General Observations

Allow me to step away from the descriptions of the places we
are visiting to talk about the nature of the trip.
We had some concerns about visiting so many places in such a
short time.  Obviously, you are not going to do an exhaustive
visit anywhere.

But the trip as formatted had a special appeal to me.  Before
this trip, I had never been away from the office for more than
two weeks.  I saw it as an opportunity to see the maximum amount
in the shortest period possible.  That is important when you
have clients who expect you to push their cases.  The second
aspect of the trip was the lack of hassle.  I go on vacation
to enjoy myself.  I do not want to fret over travel arrangements,
language barriers, and local customs which I did not anticipate.
On this trip, I did not have to worry about any of these.  You
show up when your schedule says to show up and you put your bags
outside your room when you are told to do so.  Otherwise, you
are guided through the wonders of the world.  There is no way that
I could have ever done the research to know where to visit, the best
hotels, and the best local guides.  Of course, there is a price for
such convenience but it has been worth every cent.

The trip can be compared to standing in the water at the ocean.
Each day a new wave hits you.  One morning, you are observing big
game in Tanzania and the next morning, you are standing in front of
the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. You never know what to expect because
these are new places for us.

It has been physically demanding as we have not always slept as much
as might be desired.  But the excitement of a new stimulating
environment every day compensates for any sleep deprivation.
The trip is sponsored by National Geographic which publicizes the
trip and provides some lecturers.  But it is really run by TCS/
Starquest out of Seatle.  They contract with Thomson Airways, a large
charter plane outfit out of the UK to provide the 757 and flight crew.
But the expedition staff of three persons on the plane and ground
is paid by TCS/Starquest.  These people have done many of these trips
and know exactly what to expect.  They also have advance people at each
location a day or two in advance to make sure the accomodations, customs,
and local guides are ready for us.  We talked last night to the
advance man in Jordan.  He flew in from London for this assignment.  He
candidly admitted "gratuities" are sometimes expected by local officals
for the preferential treatment that we received on this trip. I expressed
some amazement that TCS/Starquest was able to make the change from Egypt
to Jordan on such quick notice.  For example, seventy eight people plus
staff added to a busy hotel two weeks before a arrival could present
some problems.  The advance man explained that TCS/Starquest is such a
presence in the travel industry that a hotel will go out of its way to
accomodate a request.

In sum, the trip has more than met our expectations and has whetted our
appetite for more international travel.  It has also taught us what we
should do if we decide to venture out on our own.

A specific comment about Jordan.  One of our readers pointed out that the
Treasury appeared prominently in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,  Thanks.

Images from a Jordanian dinner II

 Dancers and singers from dinner tonight.

Another view of the dancers and singers.

Deb joins in the dancing.

Images from a Jordanian dinner

 Deb at the dinner tonight.

 Deb with two other lawyers who were at our table tonight.

Deb clapping to the music.

Second Report from Petra, Jordan

Today, we visited the Siq which is almost in front of our hotel.  In short, it is a canyon which was carved by moving water through soft limestone over thousands or even millions of years.  In some spots, the vertical walls rise 500 feet or more.  The stone is various shades of brown, red, and black.  The natural formation would be quite an attraction by itself.

But the real deal here is the carving that was done by the bedouin people who lived around here from  500 BC til around 50 AD.  The Siq was generally not a residential area but contained tombs and ceremonial spots for such things as weddings.  It should be emphasized that they built nothing in the conventional sense but instead carved some times simple and sometimes elaborate facades on the sandstone.  And they also carved rooms behind the facades.  The most well known and photgraphed tomb is one called the Treasury.  It was for one of their revered kings.  At the end of the Siq, there is a more open area where the Romans built elaborate buildings in the traditional sense with stones.  Many of these building are in ruins but you can get an idea of the original grandeur.   It is about 2.5 miles to the end. At the end, there is a climb of 1200 plus steps to a very high vantage point.  Of course, the boss said we had to make that climb.  Then the only way out is to retrace your steps to the entrance another 2.5 miles.  So you can see that we had sufficient exercise today.   Of course, we did not have to walk.  There were plenty of locals who would have transported us by camel, donkey, horse or a cart pulled by a horse.  All this makes for an interesting spectacle in the Siq.

I did not take any pictures as I lost my camera going through airport security yesterday.  But I have remedied that situation as I just went out and purchased another camera.  The visit to the camera shop was interesting.  When we walked in, the proprietor was on his knees on a rug behind the counter doing his prayers.  We just waited for him to finish. Thankfully, I had downloaded all my photos to the laptop.  But if anyone has a hankering to see what we saw today, just google "Petra" & "Treasury".

Some may  be interested in knowing that John McCain and Joe Leiberman are staying at our hotel.  We saw Joe at dinner last night.  Then I saw him at the breakfast buffet this morning,  He was wearing a Stratford, CT
fire/rescue t-shirt (shirt tail out) and red gym shorts.  I went back to the table and told Deb never to call me a slob again.

We go to dinner and entertainment tonight outside the hotel.  I really like the Middle Eastern food so far.  The zuchinni and egg plant are cooked very well and I like the dried fruits.  I will post some pictures of the activities tonight.

Tomorrow, we leave for our final destination- Marrekech, Morocco.  It is almost a seven hour flight.

First Report from Petra, Jordan

We are staying at the Movenpick Resort in Petra, Jordan.  We actually flew into  Aquaba which is Jordan's only outlet to the sea.  It is fittingly on the Gulf of Aquaba which in turn empities into the Red Sea.  The airport runway was huge but the facility was otherwise rather small.  We then took a bus north  for two hours to the town of Petra.  The attraction here are ruins of an an ancient ciy which were recently discovered.  We will learn more today about them but they are listed as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.  We have seen two others on that list during this trip, the Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu.  We have also seen Angkor Wat and Easter Island which almost made the list.

My first impression of Jordan is that it is an arid place.  I have not seen a blade of green grass in the whole country yet.  I have not seen the entire country but I have not seen any land yet that would make me want to fight a war to preserve.

For you local Beaufort County types, it competes with the US to be the second largest exporter of phosphate.  The US produces more but it also consumes much of the production.

More impressions tonight.

my first shower in Tanzania on the Serengheti plain, 2-21-11

We went on our first safari after we arrived at the Killamanjaro Airport on 2-21.  When we got to camp, we had to hustle to get our showers in time for the campfire at 7 PM.  We had to tell an employee what time we wanted our showers and the shower man would bring five gallons of water and pour it into a bucket in back of the tent.  He'd stand behind the tent to see when we needed more water for the second shower.  I jumped into the shower, took a quick one, and jumped out, yelling, "What time is it?"  The shower man answered, "It is 7 o'clock".  I responded, "I'm sorry for yelling, but I was yelling at my husband."  The shower man answered, "I will be your husband number two."   I responded that we were ready for the second shower, and he poured more water into the bucket.  Think about having a man about two feet from where you're taking a shower, separated from you only by a plastic partition.  Our wake-up call in the morning would be the sound of the water being poured into the tub by the shower man.  When he heard us moving around, he'd say, "Jambo", which in Swahili  means "good morning", and we'd respond, thanking him for the water and telling him when we were ready for the second shower.   I will never forget this trip to the Serengheti.  Later I'll tell you about our Land Cruiser getting stuck in the mud on the afternoon of 2-22 such that we had to get out of the vehicle (scary!)  and hitch back to camp on another unstuck vehicle.

Images from Africa III

 Female lion with cub.

Two cheetah cubs

Images from Africa II

 The rear of our tent showing the elaborate water system.

Images from Africa

 Deb waiting to board the plane that will take us to the outback.

Our guide Babu and his Land Crusier. Notice our "bad" safari hats.

The front of our tent.

Out of Africa

Africa was the highlight of the trip so far for both me and
Deb.

We arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport and almost immediately took
off for our camp in a twelve passenger plane.  One goes to
Tanzania to look at game.  We had three choices.  Two involved
staying in a lodge and the other one meant we stayed in tents.
Deb decided that we were going to stay in the Hoopoe Mobile
Tented Camp.

 After an hour long flight, we landed at a gravel
strip.  Our guides and their Land Crusiers were waiting for us.
The camp is actually less than a mile from the airport.  Our
guide, Babo, took us on a detour.  Within one hour, we had
seen zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, elephants, lions, gazelles,
and impalas.  And I am probably leaving out some.  The one
moment that I will remember from this trip is Deb's "Oh my God"
reaction when she first saw two lions sprawled out.

We were in the Serrengheti Plain, the region where millions
of wildebeests and zebra  can be found during their annual
north-south migration following the pattern of rainfall.  It
is peak season for the animals and their predators to be in the
plains.

Deb made the right call about staying in the tents.  Forget
about pup tents and all your experiences with tents.  I will
post some photographs of the tents but  I would estimate them
to be about 12' x 30"' with canvas floor and rugs.  There were
two beds with mosquito netting in the front compartment along
with a table and chairs.  There was also a front covered area
with another table and chair.  The back compartment of the tent
was the bathroom with the sink out front.  The toilet was on
the right and the shower was on the left.

The delivery of the water to the bathroom was the interesting
part.  At the rear of the tent, there was a pole with two plastic
pouches suspended on ropes.  The pouches could be raised or
lowered by a pulley system.  One pouch supplied the sink and the
other the shower.  You told the management when you  wanted to
take a shower and the workers would be there at the rear of the
tent with two five gallon buckets of hot water.  They would call
into the tent when your shower water had been hoisted into the
proper position.  You would get into the shower and turn a lever.
The gravity feed water would then come ouy of a regular shower
head.  The trick was of course to finish your shower before the
five gallons ran out.  But you could actually get a good shower
if you did not malinger. When Deb finished her shower, we would
call out to the man who was still waiting at the back of the  tent
"shower number two" and he would refill the bucket.  A rather
communal way of doing things but you sure did feel better after
you finished the shower.

We ate three meals a day in the dining tent.  We are talking about
tables with table clothes, china, and stainless steel cutlery.
The food was good and included many fresh items that had to been
brought in on the airplanes.

It was probably sixty degrees at night and we had no trouble
sleeping.  I can assure you that I did not wander out of the tent
at night to find out if any of the animals has decided to check
out our camp.

On the second day at the camp, We were out in the plain from 
seven am til eleven am.  The highlight of the morning was being
in the midst of thousands of wildebeest and zebra who were moving
in their migration.  There were animals in every direction.  We
also saw their predators, primarily the lions and chetahs, sometimes
with their kill.  I will post numerous photos of what we saw.
The wildebeest and the zebras would not let us get real close.  But
many of the other animals could care less about a nearby vehicle.
You could drive with in ten feet of the lounging lion and you might
get a raised head.  Lions sleep for up to twenty hours per day.  The
female lion does all the hunting.  Then she gives way to the male
to dine on the prey.  She then eats and shares it with any cubs.
I think these lions may be on to something.

We also saw cheetahs and their cubs.  Of course, the cheetah is the
fastest land animal.

It is interesting to figure out the pecking order on
the plain.  Elephants have no natural enemies other than
man.  Lions have no predators.  And I can not think of a
predator for the giraffes either.  Otherwise, everything
else is subject to being someone's lunch.

It is funny how Hollywood has shaped our perception of
African animals.  Everyone knows the the lion is the "king
of the Jungle".  Well, there may some lions in a jungle
but we saw them on an open savannah.  They are able to spot
their prey at a long distance and then stalk it.  We were
definitely not in a jungle  and we saw the majority of the
large African animals.

Now for some African out-back humor.  Why do you not play cards
in Africa?  Because there are so many cheetahs around.  Also,
what do you do when an elephant charges?  You get your credit
card out.

We are currently on a four hour plus flight to Jordan.  We will
have a two hour drive from the airport to Petra, Jordan.  This
is our alternative to Egypt.  We regret missing Egypt but it is
probably wise not to venture there right now.  This will also be
the first internet connection since India.  So  I  will be
downloading all the text and photos that I have been amassing.

Images from Agra, India V

 Lady carrying water buffalo dung- a valuable commidity.

Lady doing the ironing.  Note that the iron is hot because hot coals are inside the metal contraption.

Images from Agra, India IV

 The welcoming committee in the village.  Note the marigold leis that they had made.

 Kids who likde to have their picture taken.

Village scene.

India

It is difficult to describe India as it is a very complex nation. 
So the following may seem somewhat disjointed.

We arrived in Agra at a military airport.  There are two million
military types in the country and the military accounts for 20%
of the national budget. I think the basis for this can be
summarized in one word -- Pakistan.  The military has no problem
attracting enlisted men but it is difficult to recruit officers.
Apparently, the private sector is more attractive.

When we left the military base, we were discharged onto the most
congested streets that one can imagine.  It was Saturday night and
people, animals, and vehicles were everywhere.  It looked like
total chaos to me.  Our bus driver had to manuever his large
vehicle through that sea of humanity, animal, and machine.

I was totally unimpressed with the infrastructure in Agra.  The
streets and highways were particularly abysmal.  Just image a
city of 2.5 million in the United States that has no overpasses
or controlled access highways.  Well, that is exactly what you
have in Agra.  i did not see gridlock but it was a slow go most
of the time.  The contrast would be the great highways that we
saw in Chengdu, China.

Everyone has heard about the sacred cows of India.  Well, it did
not take us too long to see one standing in the middle of the road.
They just wander around the city anywhere they wish.  They can
not be killed.  Hindus do not eat beef.  But there are other sacred
animals - water buffalo, donkeys, and monkeys.  I have already
posted a photo of the monkeys roaming the grounds at the Taj
Mahal. The monkeys can be quite aggresive and are generally
avoided by the locals.  We heard two local animal jokes.  The
residents put bars on their windows to keep the monkeys out.  The
local joke is that "We live behind bars and the monkeys roam free."
Also, there are no zoos in India.  You can see all the animals right
on the street.

It is the wedding season in India and there were many wedding parties
apparent on the streets.  The local custom is that the groom must be
arrive on a white horse and we saw numrous ones waiting for their
mounts.  The ones who have never ridden a horse before can be quite
nervous.  I suggested to our guide that the grooms had another reason
to be nervous as well.

We were deposited at our wonderful hotel, the Oberoi Amarvilas.  This
is a walled compound in the midst of a sea of chaos.  It almost
seems like a sanctuary.  I have posted two photos of this
hotel and they give you the flavor of its opulence.  I am sure that
there is a website for this place if someone has a hankering to see
more.  And did I say that the interior of the lobby has a rotunda that
reminds me of the US Capitol. Each room has a view of the Taj Mahal.
It was named by Travel & Lesiure magazine as the number two hotel in
Asia and number five in the world.  I have no quarrel with that
ranking.

We visited the Taj Mahal at sunrise on the following morning.  As you
can see from the posted photos, it was rather hazy that morning.  We
all have post card images of the Taj Mahal in our minds but that is
not the day to day reality.  It is every bit as beautiful as it is
reputed to be.  But like so many of the places we have visited, it
is crawling with humanity. That was especially the situation when
we returned after breakfast.

The Taj Mahal took twenty two years and twenty thousand workmen to
build.  It was built around 1630.  Just think about what was happening
in the US around that time.  We were lucky to have log cabins.
Anyway it was built by the grand pooh bah of the country to honor
his "favorite" wife who died while giving birth to their fourteenth
child.  Both he and his wife are in the crypt at the center of the
building.  The Taj Mahal is contructed of local white granite.  The
more subtle beauty of the place is the inlay that is shown in one of
the posted photographs.  More about the inlay later.

In the afternoon, we visited the village of Kachhpura, a largely
agricultural village just outside Agra.  Despite their extreme poverty,
the villagers seemed to be happy and definitety friendly people.
There was a welcoming party of young ladies who placed marigold leis
around our necks and appied the red dot to the forehead.  We
observed some of the international aid efforts to provide indoor
plumbings and clean water.  The kids were the friendliest.  They had seen
tourists before as they wanted us to take their picture and then
show them the image.  I will post a photo of these engaging children.

The great majority of marriages in India are arranged by the
families, sometimes when the children are quite young.  We
talked to one of our guides about this process. He said arranged
marraiges were more likely to work than "love" marriages because
the arranged  couples have the support of the families.
The caste system was also explained to us.  I think there are four
levels and movement or marriage between the castes is not allowed.
It makes no difference how successful you are or how much money
you make.  I told the guide just how unAmerican the caste system
is.

There are McDonalds in India.  But no Big Macs since the Hindus
do not eat beef.  They sell some kind of veggie burger and lots
of chicken.

Even though the Indians do not eat beef, they milk the cows and
water buffalo.  Also, the dung is greatly prized as a fuel.  I
will post a photo of a lady in the village carrying a load of dung.

I was talking about the beautiful inlay on the Taj Mahal.  The inlay
actually consists of putting jewels into the marble to form patterns
or designs. All is done by hand. In about three months, we will have
proof in our house of the quality of their workmanship.  Deb went off
shopping and came back with news that we had purchased a 48" x 24"
green marble table with inlay.  Since I had purchased the carved
moai on Easter Island, I had to keep my mouth shut,  Actually, I saw
the table later in the day and it is quite beautiful.

As I am writing this post, we are back on our 757 for the eight hour
flight between Agra and Tanzania.  We are staying in a tent tonight
and will be watching wild life on the Serengeti Plain for the next
two days.  I understand there is no internet in our camp.  So this
will probably be posted when we get to Jordan.

Of course, we were orignally scheduled to visit Egypt instead of
Jordan.  But in light of current events in the Arab countries, I do
not disagree with the changed itenerary.  We can always return to see the
Sphinx and the pyramids.

Images from Agra, India III

 The inlay  used throughout the Taj Mahal

 Crowded pedestrian street on the way to the Taj Mahal.

Sacred monkeys at the Taj Mahal.

Images from Agra, India II

 

Now you really know what is holding up that dome.

 Just after sunrise.

One of the two mosques that flank the Taj Mahal.

Images from Agra, India

 Deb at the inner door of our hotel.

 The hotel pool as seen from our room balcony.

The Taj Mahal as seen from our room

Final report from China & Tibet

Allow me a few more observations about Tibet and China.

We flew from Lhasua back to Chengdu to pick up our charter flight to India. 
As discussed earlier, Chengdu is a modern commercial city of 11,000,000.
The most interesting aspect of the  city was that the highway signs
were written in both Chinese and English.  Also, all announcements in the
airport and on the airplane were in both languages,  Is it possible that
the Chinese are on to something here?  Can you image the furor if the NCDOT
started putting up signs in both languages?  "They are spending my tax
money to put up signs in the that 'furrin' language."  Apparently selling to
the billion plus in China is not that important.

That is probably all I am going to say positive about the Chinese.  Yes, they
were smart enough to unleash capitalism on their country and it is an
unqualified success,  Chairman Mao would probably turn over in his mausoleum
if he saw the way of business in China today.

But make no mistake about it, this is still a repressive society with controls
on religion, political activity, and the expression of thought in general.
And it shows itself very clearly in Tibet.  Tibet was an independent country
for thousands of years.  In 1951, China invaded and annexed it as a part of
China.  There have been numerous uprisings by the native people but each had
been brutally repressed by the Chinese.  The most recent uprisings were
in March, 2008.  You may remember that there were numerous protests in the
United States as the Olympic torch worked its way toward Bejing.  I did not
really understand the full implications of the protests at the time,  but I do
now.  Tibet is an occupied country and its label as the Tibetan Autonomous Zone
is a classic communist lie.  The most important thing the local authorities are
likely to decide is what time the schools are going to start.

When we went to visit any of the venues around town, we always had a Tibetan
guide who spoke English.  I have already talked about one who evaded my question
about why the number of monks at a certain monastery had decreased from 5000 to
500.  In truth and fact, the monks are the source of many peaceful protests.
The Chinese have forced a large percentage of the monks in the country to go on
to other callings.

One such guide  was a little more forthcoming.  This is how the conversation went:
Tourist: What is that building over there?
Guide: It is a prison.
Tourist: Do you have a lot of crime in Tibet?
Guide: No, we do not have crime.
Tourist: Then, why do you need prisons?
Guide: For reeducation.

There is also evidence that the China is attempting to use Tibet for its economic
advantage.  Many ethnic Chinese workers are now employed in Tibet.  We saw evidence
of that at our hotel. Most of the workers were Chinese. Tibetans held
the most menial jobs.

Allow me to stay on my soap box a little longer.  Those of you who know me well know
how passionate I am about societies giving their people a chance to speak their minds.
I believe in this so strongly that I avoid countries like Venezuela and that
despot Chavez even though one of my favorite vacation spots is in that country. 
I will not buy Citgo gas because the gas is produced by the Chavez government. 
You can imagine my discomfort when I find myself in China indirectly
 supporting a repressive governmeent.  I suppose the argument can be made that a
government is more likely to change its ways if it is engaged with other countries
and governments.  Hopefully, that will happen with China and Tibet.  I remember that
the head of China visited the White House for a state dinner recently.  The President
supposedly talked to him about Tibet.  Enough of that.

Someone asked me about the commercial flights on Air China.  They were really not that
different than domestic flights in the US.  The only peculiar thing that I heard about
was the breakfast on the flight from Chengdu to Lhasa.  Since I had eaten just before
the flight, I declined.  But someone else in our flight took the food.  It included a
boiled egg in which the embryo had been allowed to develop before the egg was boiled. That
is one Chinese custom we will not adopt in the Gaskins household.
Just about the entire group tired of Chinese food after three days.  You can stand
noodles and sauteed vegetables for just so long.  A cheese burger and fries start to look
appetizing to me by the third day.

I am writing this post during the flight from Chengdu to Agra, India.  We were delayed
getting out of the airport because Chinesse customs insisted on rummaging through our
luggage.  I hope they had a delightful time inspecting my dirty laundry.  Then, there
was runway congestion.  The result was that we were over an hour late getting into the
air.  Our flight is five and one half hours.  Agra is two and one half time zones later
 than Chengdu.  I am not sure how one comes up with half a time zone but I am told that
is the deal. That is really the toughest part of this trip as you land and adopt the local time. 
But your body is still on the time of your place of origin. And we arose at 4:15 this
morning as our luggage had to be in the lobby at 5:30.  I should not complain as I
am glad to be here.

Deb and I have concluded that every American should be required to spend at least a week
living in a third World country.  It would create an appreciation for the tremendous
advantages that we have in our country.  We complain about matters that are of no real
consequence.  If we were faced to earning our next meal, the petty complaining would soon
end.  But I promised to get off my soap box, didn't I?

The big draw in India will be the Taj Mahal. I will write more tomorrow with photos.          

Images from Tibet II

                               front of our hotel

                              local license plate

                             Monks on the square in front of the temple

                            Deb in front of the temple

                              Nomadic people

                             Worshipers prostrating themselves before the temple

                             Bright colors in a temple courtyard

                               Potala Palace

                                              Man with the prayer wheel

                                  Monks getting ready to debate

                          Yak for sale in the Muslim market

                           Burning yak butter at the nunnery

                                       Dried fruit at the Muslim market