Our Travel Blog

Goodbye India

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

After a tour of the Amber Fort in Jaipur yesterday, I am ready to say goodbye to India. This is a very popular tourist attraction with 130 elephants ferrying visitors to the fort.
I travelled 260 km from the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur to Delhi on Friday, and spent the afternoon with PDG Manjit Sawhney before catching my flight to Newark tonight.
Did you know cow patties sold for fuel are priced at 10 Rupees per kilogram? With that I am signing off(:-)

Time to reflect

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

I finished my tour in Agra including the Red Fort above, and drove four hours west to Jaipur yesterday. This is a city of 2.6 million people located 260 km SW of Delhi. It is the capital of Rajasthan, and sits nestled in the hills at 430 meters elevation. The air is noticeably cooler here. I am guessing the people are probably some of the most colorful in India based on my hotel doorman below who has the most amazing facial hair and clothing.
The Times of India reported yesterday that an 18 month old boy in Malegaon was diagnosed with type P1 polio virus. (We were originally scheduled to stay in Malegaon, but our hosts changed the itinerary.) The saddest part of the article was the estimate that 1000 children were not immunized in Malegaon during the NID last month because their parents are suspicious of the vaccine. Rotary still has work to do to change the mindset here.
I observed an interesting way for toll collectors to supplement their income on the drive to Jaipur. My driver paid the toll, and received a bar of chocolate with his change. He returned the chocolate, and received the correct change.
Another practice I observed on four lane divided highways is that vehicles of every description chose to travel against the flow of traffic in the wrong lane next to the median. The good news is that speeds are generally slow enough for traffic to maneuver to avoid collisons. I remember our night drive from Amravati to Nagpur when Erin asked if we were in the right lane. I told her I thought so, and now realize that we were encountering similar head on traffic. It is best to avoid night travel.
I am thinking about my mother age 88. She will attend the funeral of her second husband in Nebraska today. He died Saturday. My son Jimmy will escort her. I appreciate that he offered to do this.

Taj Mahal

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

I left Delhi Tuesday at 6 a.m. to avoid the morning traffic, and drove four hours SSE to Agra. This city of 1.7 million people was the capital of the Mughal empire from 1526 to 1720, and was ruled by six generations. Both the Taj Mahal and the nearby Red Fort of Agra are located on the bank of the Yamuna River. Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal from 1631 to 1653 in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal who died in childbirth with their 14th child. This magnificent monument is known as the ‘Epitome of Love.’ Words cannot describe its beauty.
I saw a photo in the Times of India last week when U. S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited the Taj Mahal. My guide saw this photo op, and suggested I sit at the same place.
Then I moved to the shade, and sat contemplating the immense love expressed by such phenomenal beauty.

A picture is worth 1000 words

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

District Governor Elect Ann Lee Hussey and her husband Michael met the GSE Team Members above when they arrived in Portland on Sunday morning. She reported that they looked tired, but devoured the donuts and orange juice she brought to welcome them home.
Jim took a rickshaw ride through Old Delhi on Monday. This is an experiential activity that cannot be adequately described. The closest I can get is bicycling through the ‘Old Port.’ The rickshaw quickly took me away from the traffic noise and wound its way through very narrow lanes filled with every conceivable shop. I had a pleasant lunch after my city tour with Past District Governor Manjit Sawhney. He told me that Delhi has 124 Rotary Clubs. Manjit is the Rotary liaison to the World Health Organization for polio eradication.

National Immunization Day

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 13:30:00 -0500

Matt sent me an email from his iPhone at 5:12 p.m. Sunday (India Time or 6:42 a.m. Eastern Time) saying that the GSE Team arrived in Newark with no issues. Elizabeth’s mother Sally also sent me an email after the group arrived safely in Portland. Thank you both for letting me know. Technology certainly helps the traveler.
I used my cell phone several times yesterday to speak with family members after learning that my mother’s second husband passed away in Nebraska at age 84 on Saturday morning. I can’t be there to support my mother, but stayed in touch with the family, and am comfortable that they will help each other.
I had a most enjoyable experience Sunday morning working with Rod & Christine Turnbull from District 5080 on a National Immunization Day near the Mother and Child Health Center in Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi. Our small work space was as tight as a phone booth. We developed a system where I took the child and held them with their head back and cradled in my arm so Chris could place two drops of bivalent polio vaccine into their mouth, and Rod marked the nail on their left pinkie with a black magic marker. We immunized 300 children in 2 hours. I am so impressed with the way India has organized these NID’s every month of the year. The child in my arms above did not appreciate that I took him from his mother for this photo op outside our booth.
District 5080 includes parts of the state of Washington and British Columbia, Canada. Rod and Chris are from Windermere, B.C., and belong to the Rotary Club of Invermere which has members from both countries.