Almost Heaven

We ran at 12,000 ft elevation!







Cherry season at lower altitude.

Back-tracking to Pakistan

I really wanted to write about my five day experience in Pakistan in April, but time did not permit. I went as part of a Fulbright meeting to provide orientation for 200-300 Pakistani graduate students and faculty who are U.S.-bound as scholars for the coming year. Since there are no American academics in Pakistan at present, the Fulbright organization brought in many of us from India and Nepal. Overall my interactions with the Pakistani scholars were positive--they are thrilled at the opportunities that await them outside of the constraints of Pakistan's academic milieu. A few graduate students, both male and a few female, had some very "indoctrinated" views of America's imperialist political agenda, our behavior "just like the terrorists" in Afghanistan and Iraq, and quite distressingly, some of the young men were convinced that the 9/11 attacks were self-inflicted by the American government as an excuse to launch an new world order. Those were long and heated discusssions!

The living atmosphere in Islamabad was tense and high-security. We travelled only by State Department vehicle with appointed drivers. We couldn't step outside the home in which we were housed. Everything was on high alert. Islamabad itself had wide streets with amazingly free-flowing traffic, something I hadn't seen anywhere in India. There were large private homes, too. Make that enormous private homes. The house next to ours housed a man, his four wives, and 43 children! Apparently government officials, centered in Islamabad, make a fine living at government expense. That type of spacious private housing I also never saw in India.

The photos below show sculptures at the new National Art Museum of women in burqas; it's uncertain whether the sculptures will be allowed to stay on exhibit. Next, a colorful market in Islamabad--all the men in "Muslim" attire, quite different from the diversity of attire in India. Then, the wildly colorful trucks of Pakistan, surely the descendents of the gypsy wagon! Finally, some Fulbright friends.

Four Heavenly Weeks in the Himalayas

It has been six weeks since I posted to the blog! For 10 days I was writing an article and finishing my duties at JNU. For 5 days I was travelling to Pakistan and back. Then for four heavenly weeks, we travelled in the state of Himachal Pradesh, the location of India's Himalayas.

I will write about Pakistan separately--it was a trip full of insights, challenges, and pleasures.

But for now, my mind is on the natural beauty of the Himalaya region. At times we would wake up in the morning, look out the window, and have to think hard to remember if we were in the Smokies, the Rockies, Norway, or the Badlands! Himachal is covered with beautiful evergreen forests, snow-covered peaks over 14,000 feet, bleak, rocky, barren river valleys, a the most winding roads you can imagine.

We travelled only every third of fourth day out of our 27 days on the trip. Our favorite stops were in Kalpa, a lovely village looking up at snowy Kinner Kailash; Tabo, site of a 1000 year old Buddhist temple complex and delicious Tibetan bread; Keh Monastery, reached by hiking down a sheer rock face; Gushaini, on the roaring Tirthan River, and Taragarh Palace, a secluded heritage palace-turned-hotel. As you can tell, almost everything on the trip was "our favorite."

We took a short white-water rafting trip and where one really big wave pushed both Adelaide and Owen into the icy river waters. We ate handfuls of cherries straight off the tree; we built a fire in the fireplace and ate dinner nestled next to it. We found glow-worms luminescing in the dark; we saw at leat 15 species of beautiful Himalayan birds including the Paradise flycatcher, Indian hornbill, red minivet, green bee eater, and more. I'll have to let the pictures do the talking now.

Our Final Two Weeks in Delhi (Sob!)

We will move out of our luxurious Delhi apartment with our friendly staff of 6 or so houseboys on May 1. The extremely high heat will keep us from being too nostalgic about leaving, but we will miss this very happy life we've begun to lead here. Then we'll have four weeks of travel in the Himalayas--cool weather, few people, majestic mountains. We definitely won't be in Delhi anymore!
Because of the time crunch to get everything done, here are a few photos that I haven't posted yet. There's no story line to these photos, though each was a memorable moment.

Two Weeks with Family and Friends

We've had a wonderful two weeks with the Thomas family and Liz Hardy. Bill Thomas returned to Amman after one week, leaving Leslie, Gray, and Natalie to explore more of India...and explore they did! Leslie boldly made plans to travel to Goa, a beach area south of Bombay. They flew there, went to a resort, played in the sand and surf, ate seafood, and visited a spice plantation. We were so happy to see them return last evening, delivered to us by the ever-reliable Mr. Singh. I have been paid the highest possible compliment by Natalie and Gray: they've begun calling me Aunt Fran! Gray has shown incredibly polished manners and helpfulness around the house, and Natalie is always sweet and sunny.

Liz and our family travelled to Jaipur while Leslie and crew were in Goa. We stopped at the Neemrana Fort Palace en route at the suggestion of one of Liz's friends. What a wonderful tip! It is a 15th century fort that was converted to a five star hotel during the 1990s. We decided after stopping there for a tour and drink that we would return on the way home from Jaipur. We did so, and it turned out to be one of the most pleasant, luxurious, relaxing, and interesting days of Liz's visit.

In Jaipur, Liz fell victim to Delhi Belly and had to miss the tour of the City Palace and Amber Fort. Our family went on the day-long tour with a most excellent private tour guide, Sandeep. I have his business card and will HIGHLY recommend him to any visiting this jewel among India's cities. The Amber Fort boasts the most beautiful mirrored chamber that I've ever seen. As striking and dramatic as the fort is today, it's impossible to imagine how sumptuous it must've been when every floor was lined with vast Oriental rugs, the walls were painted with frescoes and decorated with tiles, and candlelight and music filled the air.

Touring the City Palace was like stepping into the Raj era and glimpsing how the Maharajas of Jaipur had lived. There were Oriental rugs measuring 50 feet by 20 feet, thrones, red velvet and gold sedan chairs, two famous silver urns--five feet tall--which once carried Ganges water to London for a Maharaja to drink, and more luxuries than one can describe! We have purchased A Princess Remembers at the suggestion of our guide and have begun reading this memoir of a Maharani born in 1919.

Our return trip to the Neemrana Fort including an impromptu walking tour of Neemrana village with two young shopkeepers as our guides. Apparently the number of tourists is low this time of year, so they were willing to walk for 45 minutes with us--giving very interesting commentary--in order to oblige us to visit their shops. After making our purchases, one shopkeeper told us we were his first customers in 3 days!

Now we're all back together in Delhi and looking forward to a wonderful buffet lunch this afternoon. Both Liz and Leslie & Co. will depart Monday morning, so our exciting two weeks with guests is coming to an end.