Tiger Safari and other India Memories

I'm back for one post, anyway. This happens a lot. I go away on holiday and my routine of posting gets interrupted and I find it very challenging to get back in the groove. It didn't help this time that 48 hours after I returned I got a nasty flu bug. At first I thought it was something I caught in India, but it turns out it is going around here in Beijing at the moment. In fact, my husband is on day #3 of his turn with the bug.

Today I will share a couple of photos and some India memories that I've had written for more than a week now.

In this photo below, see if you can see the tiger in the distance. It was my 'proof we saw a tiger' photo.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: our family joke - 50% of the world's mangos come from India (true fact but we brought it up over and over again during the entire trip).

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the taste of magos, especially smoothies & shakes of that flavor, will forever be the taste of India to me

I WANT TO REMEMBER: sharing the excitement of seeing a tiger in the wild with my young sons - nobody was too cool, or too hungry, or too tired, or too young to appreciate the gift of the moment

I WANT TO REMEMBER: our visits to several Indian sweet shops - they were usually air conditioned and offered a refreshing place to rest and try out some of the local food that was of interest to the whole family. We all ended up with our favorites.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden warming up to the locals on the street unlike he does in China.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden making friends on a train with an Indian boy his age.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: an amazing vacation that included the perfect balance of adventure and luxury, excitement and relaxation.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: my real ayurvedic massage in the hotel spa

I WANT TO REMEMBER: croquet with the family on the lawn by the pool

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the family at the haveli where we stayed in Jodhpur - their kindness & hospitality

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the warmth of the people, the country overwhelmed with poverty & filth yet teeming with life (human & animal), culture, color, hospitality & spirit

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the soda cart vendor who sold us 2 7-ups outside the Red Fort - he gave us a fair price and then helped us locate our driver without expecting anything in return

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the service and warmth of the staff at our hotel in Rathambore

I WANT TO REMEMBER: swimming with the kids in the cool pools at both hotels.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: complimentary mango sorbet at the pool as well as the instant trays of ice cold water, sunscreen and spray bottles

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the man who picked us up at the Agra train station right after Reece warned me that this was not a vacation. We were being watched closely with curiosity (not many foreign families hang out at train stations, I imagine). He handed us cold, wet cloths to wipe our brows, ice cold bottled water and took care of our bags. He whisked us off to the Oberoi in Agra with its amazing view of the Taj Mahal complete with live Indian music playing below, an amazing terrace that over looks the palatial grounds with the Taj Mahal in the background, complementary fresh lime juice (also a taste of India) and a golf cart a 100 meters from the entrance to the Taj.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the protest we encountered that blocked our road to Rathambore. The melee that ensued on the road and how brilliantly our driver handled the situation. He turned our car around in the middle of the road and got us out of there ASAP. We found an alternate road that hadn't been blocked yet and drove through back roads until we were out of the state where the protest was held and safely in Rajasthan. Our safety was not in jeopardy but our road to our next destination was!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how calm and collected we were in that situation. All of our travel in developing nations and living abroad in foreign lands has prepared us to be calm and not scared.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how good it felt to feel confident in a land that intimidated me 14 years ago.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: such special times with the kids, sharing with them the magic we experienced 14 years ago before they came into our lives.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the lessons my kids learned by seeing how kids have it in other parts of the world. Now when I tell them they are being ungrateful for complaining about soggy bread in their eggs benedict, they take me seriously and shape up even if it takes a few minutes.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the families and other local tourists who stopped us and asked to take photos with us - kids and parents alike.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Nicholas still likes it because it makes him feel a little like a celebrity

I WANT TO REMEMBER: thouroughly enjoying the luxury of two of our hotels

I WANT TO REMEMBER: enjoying the two days & three nights of our trip when we were roughing it - two nights in a clean but minimal backpackers haveli and an overnight train (A/C class with private cabin). I felt like I was really visiting India.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: walking the streets, interacting with the people, purchasing things, photographing the sights

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how my blisters that were getting infected miraculously cleared up when we arrived at the luxury hotel after two days in the backpackers haveli!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Paul basically interviewed every waiter, waitress, hotel staff, naturalist guide, driver and haveli owner we encountered and ended up knowing more about them than their own families by the time we moved on

I WANT TO REMEMBER: I accidentally drank water from the man selling me 2 SD cards for my cameras - his bottle was the same color as the one I just threw away and was sitting right at my elbow - oops! I live dangerously.

 I WANT TO REMEMBER: buying a mango on the street and tasting its delicious refreshment in the desert heat of Jodhpur (around 117 degrees F)!

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the kids fascination with the ancient observatory in Jodhpur. They wanted to go back to take the audio tour at a cooler time during the day.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: Braden pasting his face up to the window to watch the three musicians playing traditional instruments during our meal. They were so good-natured about it and interacted with him and me as I was trying to take photos. His shyness was hardly noticeable in India.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: how Nicholas loved the special bears and hats the hotel staff left for them on our day of departure

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the fancy dessert plates the staff left for the kids in their rooms with their names written in chocolate - Reece gobbled his down before I could get in there to take photos

I WANT TO REMEMBER: the curious little people in the train station there were fascinated with the foreign family.

I WANT TO REMEMBER: my favorite time is days spent doing 'things' with my family.

 

Two quotes I saw on Steve McCurry's blog that really speak to me:

"The traveler sees what he sees.
The tourist sees what he has come to see."     
- G. K. Chesterton

"The World is a book,  and those who do not travel
read only a page." 
- St. Augustine

 

Other things I've seen on the web lately worth noting.

Here is a blog post by my blog friend Linda who wrote this article in response to a question I asked her. Thanks, Linda! It includes information on British beach huts I never knew I didn't know!

http://linda-lindasphotoblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/beach-huts.html

 

A freebie! Digi poloaroid frames are all the rage and you can get a whole set for free here:

Free digi Polaroid frames

http://www.fuzzimo.com/free-hi-res-blank-polaroid-frames/#comment-8221

 

Some great journaling prompts from Ali Edwards

http://aliedwards.com/2011/05/13-everyday-life-journaling-prompts.html

 

A little late on this one, but an important blog post by Shimelle. This topic is close to my heart as you see poor children without education in developing nations when you travel and I feel so helpless of how I can help. The group she highlights seems to be a great way to do something productive.

http://www.shimelle.com/paper/1067/five-ideas-for-scrapbooking-with-girl-power/

Comments

[Rebekah]

Wow, I spotted the tiger after looking and looking! Neat! Enjoy the summer travels and vacation! These moments are to be savored!

[Linda]

What an interesting post! Lovely to hear all about your time in India, and so glad you've recovered from your flu. My DH had a vacation motorcycling in the Himalayas a few years ago. Thanks so much for linking my beach hut post!! But, d'oh I can't find the tiger!!

[VernellC]

Great list of things to remember from your trip and love the photos.