Meet me at the Khaas Bagh…The wonder of Indian culture continues…

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An impressive fireworks display was orchestrated for the Maharajas Express passengers. We were honored and breathless.

I don’t know where to begin. We are amid so many great sites and venues, as we continue our journey on the luxurious Maharajas Express, it’s challenging to narrow it down sufficiently to prepare one complete story at a time. Thus, I have no choice but to break it down into segments.

A full bar was set up in this antique car.

Today’s segment is from last evening’s extraordinary dinner and cultural show at the Hanwant Mahal, also known as the Khaas Bagh. I know I’ve heard the line, “Meet me at the Khaas Bagh” in a movie, but after looking online, I’m having trouble pinning it down. If any of our readers recognize this line from a movie, please write and let us know. 

An exquisite and highly skilled puppet show was presented during the cocktail hour. Many sumptuous appetizers were served during this period.
Jodhpur, still in the state of Rajasthan, is a vast city amass with culture and historical presence. Yesterday, we visited its historical masterpiece, the Mehrangarh Fort, a well-preserved museum and fort. 
Many antique cars were presented at the venue, both a restaurant and part of the Umaid Palace in Jodhpur, India.

We have taken hundreds of photos, but with the often poor WiFi signal, we’ll have to wait until we’re off the train and able to receive a better signal at various hotels in our upcoming 55-night tour, commencing on Sunday in Delhi.

Stunning view of the elegant outdoor restaurant, Marwan Mahal (or Khaas Bagh), located in the famous Umaid Palace, had a delicious array of Indian foods which was not quite as good as Chef John’s aboard the train.

Plus, we’ll have new photos of those upcoming sites we’ll visit during our tour. All we can do is keep posting while highlighting the events we find to be most appealing to our senses.

Upon entry to the venue, we were offered a ceremonial Hindu dot on the forehead and a string of beads.

And yes, our senses are on overload; the sights, the sounds, the smell, and of course, the food is over the top. Our diligent and charming Chef John (John Stone, an Indian with a westernized name) is attentive beyond all expectations. We couldn’t be more pleased with his exemplary food and over-the-top service.

Another antique car.

And last night’s meal off the train, although excellent and beautifully presented, was a little sketchy for me when there was no way I could determine what I could and couldn’t eat. As a result, I only took a few bites of the varied offerings. Tom was able to find a few items that suited his palate.

A bright orange antique car is on display behind glass.

Shortly before dinner was served at the beautifully appointed tables and chairs, the fireworks display commenced. We all oohed and ahhed over the well-orchestrated display. We were thrilled our new phones could capture good photos of the collection, as shown above.

Upon returning to the train by approximately 9:00 pm, it was evident that most of the passengers were as weary as me. My Fitbit read at almost 11,000 steps, one of the more significant days for me in a long time.
We’d never been able to capture quality fireworks photos until now with our new Google World phones.

Although neither of us slept through the night, we ended up with a good night’s rest, both feeling chipper and prepared for today’s upcoming activities, commencing after lunch which seems to include lots of walking on uneven surfaces.

Today will hopefully prove to be another exciting day. No doubt, we’ll be back tomorrow with more. Tonight includes an unusual dining experience we can’t wait to share in tomorrow’s post; dunes, camels, and more.

Thanks to all of our readers for your patience during our quiet time in the US for 82-nights. We are excited to make all of that up to you during these next several months.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, February 5, 2019:

One year ago, preoccupied with my medical issues, we posted photos from the previous year while in Antarctica, as indicated here: Icebergs are exciting and unusual.  This iceberg was massive, many stories high. For more, please click here.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride…A leopard in the palace…

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The locals are doing their laundry in Lake Pichola, but no laundry soap is allowed. Nor are fishing and private boats permitted on the lake.

It would be possible to upload 20 posts with the information and photos available after yesterday’s fantastic tour in Udaipur, India. We visited places, rode in wild congested traffic in fast, expertly driven tuk-tuks (two motorized passenger rickshaws) to get Shiv Niwas Palace to dine in a fabulous nearby restaurant with exceptional food and service.

A structure on the grounds of Shiv Niwas Palace also known as the City Palace.

But before going further, we must provide an overview of what transpired yesterday to explain a change in the arranged itinerary (through the Maharajas Express train).

Tom listened to our tour guide and provided headsets with the five-star Taj Lake Palace in the background.

After a lovely breakfast on the train by 10:00 am, we wandered to our company-owned, assigned bus #2, of two, that follows the route of the train always to be available for passenger tours to various arranged venues from the several train stations where we stop along the route from Mumbai to Delhi.

The Maharajas Express provided us with many gifts, including scarves and hats.

In air-conditioned comfort in the luxury buses, the ride to the first venue of the day in Udaipur was pleasant and uneventful. We pulled into the guarded gates of the City Palace, also known as Shiv Niwas Palace. We headed to a veranda overlooking the famous artificial (1362) Lake Pichola for photo-taking and detailed storytelling by our guide.

Side view of the City Palace as our boat wafted past.

We’re posting several of those photos today with more following as time allows. About 40 minutes later, the 70 train passengers boarded a flat bottomed boat wearing mandatory life jackets for what proved to be about an hour-long boat tour of Lake Pichola.

Descendants of royalty still live in the Shiv Niwas Palace 

When the first segment of the boat ride ended, our guide explained the much-anticipated lunch venue in the City Palace would have to be moved to another restaurant. The reason?

The palace began being built in 1559 and is always under construction and renovation yet today.

A leopard had entered the palace overnight and had been seen in an area close to the original restaurant in an area that had been cordoned off to protect visitors as well as the leopard.

In recent times, the lake was bone dry during periods of little rain, as shown by watermarks.

Rangers had been called with hopes of tranquilizing and relocating the leopard back to the nearby mountain from whence it had come. Unfortunately, we never had an opportunity to see the leopard, nor did we hear if they had been safely relocated.

A shrine was built between the walls of the palace.

Subsequently, very last minute, the lunch venue was changed to another restaurant on the opposite side of the palace, which was way too far to walk, nor would buses be able to maneuver in the congested, traffic-laden area.

Lake Pichola was man-made in 1362.

After the boat ride, we all meandered to a nearby street within the confines of the palace to be driven by tuk-tuks for what ultimately proved to be an adventurous, heart-pounding 20-minute ride through the worst traffic one can imagine.

As is tradition, a bride and groom have photos taken before their wedding.

My favorite ride as a kid was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, most like long gone from the park but memorable for those of us who remember this ride. Nonetheless, it was the wild ride of our lives. We both giggled over the excitement of it all, which reminded me of my childhood living in California and visiting Disneyland quite often.

Another stunning palace overlooking the lake.

The sights, the sounds, and the smells as we whipped through the city streets were a senses overload. The cows wandering through the streets, the smile on the faces of the adorable children as they waved to us, the shops, the street food, the endless array of motorbikes, the tiny tuk-tuk type trucks, and the people, all was a part of this glorious experience.

Jag Mandir Palace.

Tom couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as our driver rapidly darted in and out of traffic and tight spaces, unlike any ride we’ve ever experienced. We felt like little kids having the time of our lives.

We spotted a few green parrots on the grounds of Jag Mandir.

The lunch as the fantastic restaurant was an indescribable buffet of Indian foods like none other with many items I could eat. The head chef walked me through the buffet line, pointing to the safe things for my way of eating. Once back at our table of eight, I was in pure heaven eating the spicy and flavorful foods.

The tuk-tuks were lined up and ready to take us to the opposite side of the palace, which required a 20-minute wild ride through narrow streets and outrageous traffic.

On the other hand, Tom only had a few bites, claiming he was saving room for another great dinner on the train. But I knew him better. He politely tasted a few items, but these spicy items were not his “cup of tea.”

A cow and her calf were scavaging for food on the city street.

And, later on, we did have a fabulous dinner with Chef John Stone, preparing yet another memorable meal for me, often stopping at our table, hands pressed together in a gracious Hindu bow, seeking the knowledge that I was pleased.  I was.

Colorful shops lined the streets, many offering a variety of textiles and Pashmina scarves.

Tom even ate lamb last night, the first time I’d ever seen him do so, finishing every last bite. This morning I only had a bowl of plain yogurt since I was still full from yesterday’s eating frenzy.

Busy streets on which we scooted through traffic.

Tomorrow’s post will share some historical facts about the palaces and the fort we visited. There isn’t enough time to go through all of that today since soon lunch will be served, after which we’re heading out on another extensive tour which will include “dinner on the town.”

We were awaiting the name of the restaurant where we dined on delicious Indian food. We’ll add it later.

Need I say? Yep, we’re enjoying every moment of this marvelous adventure, and, undoubtedly, we’re loving India. We’ll be back with more…

Be well

Photo from one year ago today, February 4, 2019:

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A hippo and a cattle egret have symbiosis in their relationship. For more photos, please click here.

Humm…Post or nap…Guess what I chose?…

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Both of us were excited to be on our way to the palace and Lake Pichola in Udaipur.

Udaipur, also spelled Udaypur, is a city in southern Rajasthan state, located in northwestern India was one of the fascinating cities we were anxious to explore after doing some research on the country many months ago.

Today, the Maharajas Express train made its way to the Udaipur train station. We disembarked to make our way to one of two comfortable air-conditioned buses owned by the train company to be transported to Lake Pichola, where a fantastic day of sightseeing and dining ensued.
 
We returned to the train close to 4:00 pm, and I was faced with a difficulty, either rush through the hundreds of photos we’d taken to get somewhat of a post uploaded before the 6:00 pm happy hour or take a much-needed nap.
 
Sorry folks. I chose the nap. It’s now 5:40 pm, and we must get dressed for the evening of lively conversations, food, and wine with some of the beautiful people we’ve met in the past 30 hours.
 
Tomorrow after breakfast will be a  perfect time to put everything we’ve discovered, sort through the photos, and share the wonders we experienced on this rich and fulfilling day. 
 
Please check back for some gorgeous surprises.  Need I say, we adore India, just like we thought.
 
Have a lovely day/evening. We’ll see you soon!

We’re on the Maharajas Express train speeding through the countryside of India…

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One of the two dining cars.

Note: We had many more photos we’d intended to post today, but the WiFi signal is too weak to upload more today. We’ll save all of our photos and upload them later when hopefully, the connection improves.

The magic of our non-stop global travels that sustains us through all the challenges, that never cease to amaze us as we traverse the world.

Here we are, today, on February 2, 2020, the whimsical day when reversing the date is 2020,02,02, and we’re traversing the countryside in India on a fast-moving luxury train.

An interesting vegetarian dish was served at lunch.

Comparable to the Orient Express, the Maharajas Express has every imaginable amenity and is known throughout the world as one of the finest coach experiences available to the most discriminating travelers.

Pinch me. Is this real? How many times have I said this in this past seven years of world travel? More than I can count. But this experience, along with others, leaves us breathless, grateful, and in awe.

Our cabin isn’t much larger than the queen-sized bed, but we’re excellent, especially having our en suite bathroom.

There are approximately 70 passengers on board with a crew close to 100, with each cabin assigned a butler who’s available 24 hours a day to fulfill each passenger’s every need and whim. Nothing is spared. Service is impeccable. Design is tasteful and commensurate with Indian culture and customs. 

And India…the country where so many warned us about the water, food, pollution, and crime rate…we see beyond all of this. We embrace its culture, people, and colorful existence entrenched in the Hindu beliefs of peacefulness, calm, and harmony.

We saved these two chairs at our table for a lovely couple from Scotland we’d met earlier in the day. The four of us had a delightful lunch together.

The sacred cows, the exquisite temples, the powerful beliefs of its people leave us hungering for knowledge and experience, which surely over these next two months, we’ll capture every day in photos, stories, and rich experiences we can’t wait to share with all of you.

Leave your preconceived notions at the door and enter this magical world with us as we scour the country, hungry to learn, anxious to grow, and eager to embrace this heart-pounding adventure, like none other in our recent past.

As we’re situated in our tiny cabin with en suite bathroom, with a surprisingly decent Wi-Fi signal, while jiggling from the harmonic role of the cars meandering over the tracks, I’m practically lulled to sleep by the sensations.

Locals on a passing train.

Having worked on the railroad for over 42 years, Tom only knows this sensation too well, hardly giving it a thought. For me, the novice, I’m enraptured by it all. But the opportunity to share this adventure is indescribable and undoubtedly awe-inspiring.

After a fabulous lunch in one of the two dining cars, with a visit from the head chef, John Stone, an Indian man of excellent knowledge of food and catering, we’re confident he will compose meals for me befitting my strict dietary guidelines. 

As we passed a local train…

He didn’t waste a moment appearing at our table with a sincere goal to provide attention and enthusiastic support in preparing delicious and suitable meals for me. We were both impressed as my first meal proved to be exactly as prescribed. I’m content and at ease.

Over these next six nights and seven days, we’ll continue to post, as long as WiFi remains consistent enough to do so, sharing every last detail of this particular time in our world travels.

Please check back. There’s so much more to come.

Photo from one year ago today, February 2, 2019:

Many refer to impalas as “McDonald’s “due to the big “M” on their backside and…how they provide ample meals for the big cats. For more photos, please click here.

Arrival in India…Long travel day…We survived with flying colors!…New month…New life…

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Typical scene on a busy street in Mumbai.

It’s nice. The hotel, the service, the views of the Arabian Sea, and the smell of fresh flowers everywhere are breathtaking. As most of our long-term readers are well aware, this isn’t how we usually travel.

We often live among the locals, frequenting their shops, cooking with their local ingredients, and dining in their favorite restaurants while living in pretty remote locations. 
An endless array of shops littered the sidewalks.

Although we will visit many remote locations while in India, we anticipate seeing life in this unique and highly cultural country. 

However, we’ll exist in relative comfort and luxury both while on the upcoming train, the Maharajahs Express, which we’ll board tomorrow, and the subsequent hotels and restaurants where we’ll stay and dine in the next two months, all four and five stars.

Despite living finely during our travels in India, doing so won’t necessarily provide us with the perspective we strive to attain. Instead, we’ll be observers rather than the usual participants. 
In many countries, these little vehicles for hire referred to as tuk-tuks, are known as rickshaws here in India.

We can live with this since the path we’ve chosen will be safer and more convenient during this leg of our worldwide journey, blissfully continuing after somewhat of a hiatus as I recovered from cardiac bypass surgery.

The 33-hour travel day was an actual test of my newly found endurance. I managed well, sleeping a little on the two-night flights while we both entertained ourselves well during the over eight-hour layover in London Heathrow Airport.
Rickshaws are ready and waiting for weary passengers.

During the second flight from London to Mumbai, I sat next to a lovely woman born in India, now living in London. She was on her way to visit friends and family. Daisy’s intellect and usual dry British-influenced sense of humor made the last flight more tolerable.

We flew on British Airways on both flights. The first was on a newer plane with many fine amenities, although we’d booked economy class. The second flight was on an older plane with an outdated video screen, no USB pugs-in for digital equipment and poorly tasting food. But, at least we were fed a few times during our over 20 hours of flight time.
This red car, which delivered the bride, was decorated with fresh flowers.

Yes, we were exhausted, but we both made a point of doing everything we could to keep our blood flowing; walking about the cabin every few hours, wearing compression stockings, drinking plenty of fluids, and sleeping whenever possible amid the crying babies and toddlers. 

As meticulously planned by our travel agent Rajiv, a rep and a driver were awaiting us at the massive and beautiful Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport exit holding up a sign with our names on it, 

Yesterday afternoon, the hotel was prepping for a wedding held last night. We were able to watch the festivities from our hotel room window. It was a gorgeous and colorful Indian wedding, a sight to behold.

Immigration went smoothly. Tom had to have his fingerprints taken while I did not. The officer explained, “Visitors of your advance age do not have to leave their fingerprints.” Oh.

The drive from the airport to the hotel was not nearly as hectic as we’d anticipated. It certainly wasn’t any busier than Hanoi, Vietnam, Bangkok, Thailand, or Denpasar, Bali. There were many close calls, honking, and motorbikes darting in and out of traffic, but this was normal for us to see, and we weren’t taken aback or shocked by this, as some travelers may have been.

During the wedding ceremony…

Last night, in an attempt to avert jet lag, we didn’t eat dinner. To us, it was night, and neither of us was hungry. Instead, we went to bed early (after a short afternoon nap and shower). Although we both awoke several times during the night, overall, we both slept well. This morning we were refreshed and ready to continue.

The included breakfast in the hotel was delicious with many Indian favorites, some of which I tried when the chef explained what I could and couldn’t eat. They had the best-tasting spiciest chicken I’d ever had, along with chicken sausages and streaky bacon. Tom had two eggs Benedict (minus the sauce) and bacon. He was content.

We zoomed in for a better view of the wedding nuptials.

Now, as we wait for our room to be cleaned, we’re sitting in the lounge in the lobby. Once our room is cleaned, we’ll go through all of our stuff to decide how we can lighten our load sufficiently to comply with weight restrictions for the four upcoming domestic flights ahead of us during the 55-night private tour,

Tomorrow at 8:00 am, we’ll be transported from our hotel to a luxury hotel palace where the group of passengers for the upcoming Maharajas Express will meet for an introduction as to what’s ahead for our week-long train journey.

Most likely, tomorrow, I will upload a short post with some photos of the train and our cabin and begin the wonders of sharing the many wonders we’ll experience along the way.

Please check back. We can’t wait to share all of this with our readers/friends.

Happy day!

Photo from one year ago today, February 1, 2019:

This gentle little soul is “Little’s Friend.” He stops by each day without Little to see what’s going on. He’s easy to spot with his extra tiny tusks, much smaller than Little’s from which he derived his name. For more photos, please click here.

We’ve arrived in Mumbai…33 hours from airport to airport…

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View from our hotel room in Mumbai, overlooking the Arabian Sea.

We arrived at our hotel, Sun-n-Sand, overlooking Juhu Beach on the Arabian Sea, and we couldn’t be more pleased. But, more on our trip tomorrow when we’re coherent enough to write a post.

A few-hour nap, a nice dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, followed by a good night’s sleep, and we’ll be good to go.

See you soon with the “rest of the story.”

Sweet dreams.

We’re at London Heathrow Airport after 10 hour red eye…Wow! Time zone difference from Phoenix to Mumbai is outrageous!!!…

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Four years ago, in 2016, we spent three months in New Plymouth, New Zealand, living on an alpaca farm. In the early evening, a group of the babies got together to play, running through the paddock, making us laugh over their playful antics. For more photos, please click here.

If shopping is your thing, Heathrow Airport would be heavenly for the shopping/spending enthusiast. Fortunately, that’s not us. We breezed by the designer shops without giving any thought of looking around, even if it may help us kill a portion of the eight-hour layover in between flights.

Now, while sitting in a restaurant called Wetherspoon, we’re reminded of modern technology. No servers attend to our table other than to deliver food and drinks. Instead, we place our food and beverage orders on an app on our phones which requires a download and registration, placing our orders in the online cart, and paying using a credit card or other payment app.

There were no special orders features to specify. I didn’t want croutons on my salad and the dressing on the side. Instead, I flagged down a server, instructing her to our order specifications. Tom ordered eggs, Benedict, without the sauce, and yet both of our orders arrived 10 minutes later without our specifications.

We set both orders back to be redone. Once we leave here, I’ll remove the app. I doubt we’ll attend a restaurant like this while we’re in England in a little over three months.

Perhaps, we’re foolish and old-fashioned to prefer a live server, taking our orders when in what appears to be a mid-range establishment. If it were a fast-food spot, we’d get it. But this is the first time we’ve encountered this scenario in all of our years of world travel.

I suppose this will be the wave of the future. No humans, only machines. However, on the British Airways flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Heathrow, we experienced exceptional service. 

The plane wasn’t entire, and I wandered about looking for three empty seats in a row for the possibility of laying down to get some sleep during the 10-hour overnight flight.

A kindly male flight attendant said, “No worries. I’ll arrange this for you.”

Moments later, he found me and escorted me to an empty row of three seats. He’d swapped out my existing aisle seat for a man sitting in a middle seat, enabling me to have an entire row to myself. Tom was left several rows behind me as opposed to us being across the aisle from me.

The three seats didn’t allow for comfortable sleeping with the seat belts jabbing in my side and back, but after grabbing some of the plane’s little pillows to cover them, I was able to get comfortable enough to sleep for about three hours. 

Tom said he’d slept a total of 40 minutes, not enough to ease the nagging discomforts of lack of sleep more prevalent at this age than ever before in our lives. He’s exhausted, and I’m not far behind him. The three hours of fitful sleep left me weary, especially now, and I am nodding off from time to time.\

We’d accidentally left our converters to be used with our adapters in the checked bags, and now, when the battery dies on my laptop, I’ll be out of luck. The clock is ticking down as I type fast and furiously. 

Had I known how well Tom’s old laptop would work once I reformatted it, I’d have ordered a new battery. Too late now. His new Chromebook should last all day, as he sits there busying himself to divert his attention from being so tired.

But, this is temporary. In another four hours or so, we’ll be boarding the final leg of this long journey and be able to rest a little better than sitting on a hard chair in a restaurant. 

In another 15 hours, we’ll arrive in Mumbai, and surely the excitement of being in this crazy busy city will get our adrenaline flowing. Upon arrival, we will
immediately attempt to adapt to the time zone by eating and sleeping at times consistent with our location. We’ve found doing so helps us to avoid jet lag.See this:
“Phoenix is behind Mumbai by 12 hours 30 minutes.”

This is halfway around the world. This will be the most significant time zone difference we’ll have experienced in over seven years. We’ll keep you updated as to how this goes.

As my battery dwindles, I need to wrap this up. Hopefully, we have time to check for typos. We’ll likely miss a few in our sorry states of being.

We’ll be back in 24 hours or so with more, at which point we’ll be settled in our hotel and have had a bit of rest.


Photo from one year ago today, January 30, 2019:

The littlest one followed the adults as they were on their way out of the Crocodile River next to Marloth Park. Take care, dear readers. For more, please click here.

Final expenses for 82 days in the USA!…We’re off for India today!…

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At lunch, that day, two years ago, one of the chefs on our Antarctica cruise, on Ponant Le’Boreal, was preparing a beef and vegetable stir-fry outdoors. We all partook of the delicious offering but decided to dine indoors. It was a little too cold to eat outside for our liking. For more photos, please click here.

Last night, we played our final round of buck euchre with Gene and Eugene. As always, it was pretty enjoyable. Tom and I speculated over how fun it would be to find players in our future travels.

However, that’s highly unlikely. That particular card game is popular in the Midwest and is seldom played in other parts of the world. When we return to the US in about two years, we’ll play cards again with his family.

Tom’s sisters and brothers-in-law only spend their winters in Apache Junction, Arizona, and Minnesota’s balance of the year. Most likely, next time we visit Minnesota, it won’t be during the cold winter months, and we’ll see his family and our kids and grandchildren in Minnesota, once again.

This morning, as I sit here preparing today’s post, I’m feeling at ease. Most of our packing is complete, and all I have left to do is restock my 28-day pill case and empty the food in the refrigerator. 

We’re bringing all the remaining non-perishables and perishables over to the sisters to see if they can use anything. If not, their friend Margie (another Margie) will bring everything to the local Food Shelf where she volunteers. 

We’ve weighed all of our bags except for the supplies bag, which is always questionable in meeting the weight restrictions, in this case, 50 pounds (23 kg) per bag.

Assuming we won’t have easy access to a pharmacy for toiletries, I’ve had to pack enough to last for three months; two months in India and 29-days on the following cruise from Mumbai to London. Once we arrive in the UK, and then Europe, we’ll easily find the products we use.

Last night’s six hours of sleep was filled with crazy dreams and frequent periods of wakefulness. Tom experienced the same. But this morning, upon awakening, I felt fine and ready to tackle the remaining tasks for the day.

Our new friend, Jodi, kindly volunteered to take us to the airport. This is so appreciated, especially since we must leave during rush hour at 5:30 pm. With the traffic, we should arrive by 6:15 pm with our first flight departing at 8:40 PM.

We’ll fly all night for 10 hours, and as mentioned, we’ll spend 8 of the daytime hours at busy Heathrow Airport. We’ll attempt to find a place to plug in our equipment and busy ourselves online.

Here are our combined final expenses for our 82 days in the USA, beginning on November 8, 2019 and ending today:

Final Expenses USA  US Dollar 
Vacation Home  AZ   $ 3,626.00
Gifts & Misc.   $    325.00
Airfare    $    872.00
Rental Car  $    996.78
Groceries  $ 4,100.32
Dining Out   $ 2,082.00
Supplies & Pharmacy   $ 1,674.05
Total Cost (82 days)   $13,675.83
Average Daily Cost (82 days)   $    166.78

We did not include the cost of new digital equipment and clothing, but we did have the cost of supplies we purchased for the next three months.

Also, we paid no rent while staying with friends Karen and Rich for three weeks in Minnesota, nor did we pay rent during the 11 nights we spent with son Richard in Nevada. Of course, we hosted several dinners out in sincere thanks for their hospitality.

Here in Arizona, we paid the rent as mentioned above from 12/09/2019 to 1/31/2020. The property manager gave us a discount to compensate for our early departure, today on January 29th.

Most likely, we’ll upload a post tomorrow during our 8-hour layover, providing we have access to wifi and a place to plug in our equipment. If not, sit tight. As soon as we get settled in the hotel in a few days, we’ll prepare a new post.

Thanks for all the warm wishes from many of our loyal readers/friends. We so appreciate your kindness and words of encouragement.

We’ll be back at you soon! Take care and be well!

Photos from one year ago today, January 29, 2019:

We could only guess why this particular lioness hadn’t been hunting and eating. For more photos, please click here.

Laundry and football day…

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Saturnalia, a Sculptural group by Italian artist Ernesto Biondi at the botanical garden Buenos Aires in 2018. For more photos, please click here.

This morning while it was still dark, Tom bolted out of bed at 6:30, gathered up most of the laundry, and headed to the laundry room. With many RV patrons here, most without laundry facilities in their units, lately, we’ve had a hard time finding available washers and dryers.

I got up shortly after he left, stripped the bed, and gathered more dirty items, and between the two of us, we had it all done by 9:00 am. We made breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausages upon returning, re-making the bed, and putting everything away. 

With the Viking game not starting until 2:30 pm, we may not have dinner until close to 7:00 pm when we get back to our place from watching the game with Eugene at Colleen and Gene’s house. It appears the sisters will be getting together with neighbors in Margie’s home to play the popular Dominos game, Mexican Train. I prefer to watch the game with the boys since I am very interested in what transpires today.

Yesterday, I spent considerable time reorganizing my suitcase and the supplies bag, including new items we’d recently purchased. I decided against shipping any warm clothing to be stored in our large mailbox at the mailing service. 

I’d purchased all the warm clothing I’ve been wearing at excellent prices at TJ Maxx (average $12.99 per item), and it’s not worth incurring additional baggage fees when flying or bearing the cost of shipping the items back and forth. 

I can always purchase additional items along the way, which won’t be too difficult once we arrive in Europe in the spring. Also, it might be fun to buy a few cotton items while in India.

Today, Tom was reading the suggestions made by the Maharajas Express train as to what clothing we’ll need for the six-day journey. The weather is very cool in the mornings and evenings this time of year, and they suggest warm items for these periods.

It’s hard to believe we’ll be on our way to India in only 18 days. We still have a lot to do to be ready to leave. But, overall, my packing is almost complete, barring the addition of some of the warm clothing I’ve been wearing lately and a few more items I need to purchase. The same goes for Tom.

We’ve been in the US for over two months. We’ve accomplished our objectives and spent quality time with family (and some of our friends), our primary aim in returning to the US. We may not return for another two years, hoping to stay in close touch with those we love while we’re traveling.

Are we excited about heading out on the next leg of our journey? Of course, we are, very much so. And although there may be a little trepidation due to the events of the past year, we’re emotionally and physically ready to continue. 

Let’s face it, regardless of how we live our lives. There are always challenges. This nomadic life is no different. Although it may seem ideal always to be traveling with a sense of abandonment and freedom, there are always responsibilities, tasks, and unexpected events that may impede the quality of our experiences from time to time.

Nonetheless, we are in awe of the world around us and perpetually grateful to be able to live this life, with its ups and downs, with its peculiar nuances, all combined with our passion and commitment to continue to live “outside the box.”

Happy day to all!

Photo from two years ago on this date: (We hadn’t posted one year ago today due to illness):

Cactus garden at a botanical garden in Buenos Aires. For more photos, please click here.

The cost of our upcoming 55 day private tour in India…

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A dazzle of zebras in an open field, from one year ago post. For more, please click here.
Yesterday, we paid the balance of India’s upcoming 55-night private tour, which begins in Delhi immediately after the six-night tour on the Maharajas Express. This luxury train travels from Mumbai to Dehli.

Of course, the cost of this tour is daunting, along with the cost of the train excursion. We thought long and hard deciding if these decisions made sense considering our budget.

But, one thing we knew for sure. We had 55 days to spend in India until the cruise from Mumbai to London on April 3, 2020. There was no way it made sense to attempt to book this extended period when we knew nothing about the country.

Having a professional, highly experienced company making arrangements for all the hotel reservations, flights, and tour guides, made all the sense in the world. 

We specified what we wanted to see and do. The tour was arranged, including all those requests, such a staying in the beautiful lake town of Udaipur and embarking on a few tiger safaris in different national parks. 

We realize the possibility of actually seeing a tiger is relatively slim when there are only 3000 tigers in the entire country. But, we were willing to take that chance. Perhaps safari luck will prevail. Besides, there is other wildlife we’ll see in the national parks such as:

“Indian safaris are anything but tame. Elephants, rhinos, reptiles, bears, and wild dogs roam the lush rainforests, while snow leopards make lonely footprints in the Himalayan snow. Of course, the holy grail of any safari is in seeing the big cats, and in India, that means the elusive wild tiger.”

No doubt, we’ll be posting many photos along the way, not only of wildlife but also the sites we tour; the culture; the architecture; historic and significant buildings; exquisite scenery; local food, and of course, its people.

The magnitude of this tour is daunting. We never imagined being on a private tour for so many days and nights, staying in many hotels, flying on many flights to get from place to place. We’ll undoubtedly be busy and hopefully treasuring every moment.
 
Subsequently, the cost of the 55-nights tour is as follows:
US Dollars $9,765 Per Person US Dollars $19,530
Total US Dollars $19,530
Amount Paid US Dollars $9,765
Balance due 10 January 2020 US Dollars $9,765 (we paid this balance yesterday)The average daily cost is $355.09, $121.75 more per day than what we usually spend to travel each month, not including cruises. Keep in mind; this also included being picked up at the Mumbai Airport when we arrived, a hotel two nights before the train, and transportation.
Most dinners, cocktails, and tips are not included. Breakfasts are included at all of the hotels. We don’t know what the cost of dinners will be and the tips will be paid based on performance.

In all, these expenses could result in an additional $4,000 to $5,000 for the entire period, which we’ll pay as we go. We have already paid in full for the train and will only incur additional tips and drinks.

We realize this is expensive, but, in essence, it’s no more costly than a typical cruise and, in many cases, less. It’s all relative. After the trials of this past year, we decided to take advantage of as many opportunities that appeal to us that we can afford. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yes, we’ve said this before, the “once in a lifetime” thing. But, then again, our entire lives are a “once in a lifetime experience.” We are grateful, more than words can express, and humbled by the world and its people, places, and wildlife.

In a mere 20 days, the journey continues. Stay with us as you have during this quiet time. The adventure is soon to begin again.

May your day be purposeful and fulfilling!

Photo from one year ago today, January 9, 2019:

A hippo on a bit of island in the Crocodile River. For more photos, please click here.