2003-07 Port of Blog in Progress

Our original blog was at MSN Groups, which is no longer alive.  We archived that blog before its demise, and over time are moving it here.  We also have thousands of photos that we would like (someday) to share again.  Unfortunately for the blog, we are off on our next adventure, spending our time in the present instead of the past.  But we do have good intentions!

When complete it will include the following:

2002-01 Japan
2002-02 Thailand
2002-04 China
2002-06 Europe
2002-08 Tanzania
2002-10 India
2002-11 Nepal
2003-01 India
2003-04 Bali
2003-05 Australia
2003-07 Home

Bali, Indonesia

We arrived in the south of Bali, spent a few days at Kuta Beach (famous for a great beach and sunset, but very developed), and then headed north. First we spent a week in Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, listening to the Gamelan orchestras, watching the Balinese dancing, and taking Batik classes. Then we went to the beach in Amed for snorkeling and swimming. Rod took four dives in some of the best scuba sites on the planet, and otherwise we spent ten days swimming, snorkeling, eating, talking, reading, and relaxing. Ah, such a tough life... On the way back out, we spent a few more days in Ubud and then flew out of Kuta to Australia.


Bali

Bali has been synonymous with Tropical Paradise for half a century, particularly exploding in the last couple of decades. The palm trees, easy living, perfect climate, white sand beaches, volcanic jungles, and deep spiritualism of the people all contribute to the allure. Bali, one small Hindu Island in the middle of the Muslim archipelago of Indonesia, is a unique treasure.

A quick geography lesson: Indonesia, located south of Asia and north of Australia, is a country about the same size and population as the USA, except that nearly all of it is underwater. With a population of about 200 million it ranks #4 in the world, just behind the USA (240 million?), and the archipelago stretches from east to west about the same distance as does the USA. Think of taking the most populous counties in the USA and flooding all of the rest, and you have Indonesia.

Muslim Indonesia

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country on the planet. A few isolated islands are Hindu (Bali) or Christian (e.g. parts of Sulawesi), but the country is over 95% Muslim.

On Java and Sumatra, fundamentalist Islamic fervor is so far actively and successfully deterred by smart actions by the government, e.g. by telling both sides of the story on the Occupation of Iraq (as it is called in most of the Islamic world), as well as fairly heavy-handed approaches in dealing with radicals (the military has quite a free hand here, and controls much of the government, rather than the other way around). Fundamentalists (mostly funded by Saudis) are trying to radicalize Muslims in Indonesia, including calls to fight America. But by and large such calls have been ineffective. Indonesians also are currently engaged in a debate about moral censorship --a rather sensuous dancer has probably garnered as many headlines as the Occupation of Iraq, and it appears that Indonesians are more worried by government censorship rather than indecency. Recently, the government has cracked down hard on extremist groups (which it previously denied existed), and seems to be doing a good job finding that delicate balance of not polarizing the population while still neutralizing the extremists.

Unfortunately, however, all is not calm in paradise. Last year 38 Islamic militants from Java set off two bombs in Bali, killing over 200 people. The natural outcome of violence is fear, intolerance and hatred, and we encountered strong anti-Muslim feelings in Bali. Some people directly say they think all Muslims are violent terrorists and should be kept off Bali. Others complain about specific things, such as the supposed destruction of the Indonesian economy since the Muslims save their money to spend on trips to Mecca rather than spending it within Indonesia (indeed Saudi Arabia has had to limit Indonesia to 800,000 pilgrims a year). The tension between the Muslims and the minorities is just barely below the surface. On the other hand, it is probably not much different than it has been since Indonesia was founded in 1948 (or even before then, under British colonial rule). Few Balinese expect another bombing, and currently extremists are more focused on fighting Jakarta for control of remote autonomous regions of Indonesia.

Tourism

Currently, tourism is seriously down. Independent travelers are off by about half, and the large groups (meetings, incentive trips, conventions, expositions) are down by over two thirds. Bali has suffered a long string of bad luck as part of Indonesian: the 1997 Asian financial crash (making travel cheap but business scary), 1998 El Nino killed off many coral reefs (rains reduced the salinity and corals died), forest fires blackened several other Indonesian islands and skies throughout the area, 1999 civil unrest and civil war in East Timor attracted world headlines, the 2000 global economic downturn slowed tourism, and then Sep 11th and the October 2002 terrorist bombing in Bali hit hard. Just recently, the SARS scare has dealt the hardest blow to travel to Asia (even though no cases have been reported in Bali). Most governments (including Australia, UK and USA) still warn travelers to avoid Indonesia due to terrorist concerns. Despite all that, the Balinese remain positive. People are taking advantage of the lull to reinvest, to renovate, and to get ready for the recovery as best they can. However, no one will speculate on when it will come, and many are near their financial limit. The government guesses it may take three years for the recovery.

Us

We can see ourselves beginning to reach the end of the trip. Initially in Japan, we would zip around and see many sites. That soon changed into spending time getting to know an area and the people more deeply. That continued as we also dedicated more time to our own spiritual growth. Now we see that we are not pushing quite as deeply to get know the locals, or for example trying to speak the language. We also are selecting a few tourist sites to see, and bypassing others.

Some slowing down is of course positive, but we are also beginning to be a bit lazier. Maybe the travel is catching up with us, maybe we need time to process everything we have learned and the ways we have changed and grown. Time in India in particular is both invigorating and exhausting. We look forward to a month in Bali to recharge the batteries.

We have remained fairly healthy. In India we have had a few "digestive days", but not really that many. We have lost weight, Rod probably a bit too much (down to 132 pounds, 60 kilograms) but still feels great. We have done little exercise (we don't dare swim here!), so lack of conditioning is contributing to the weight drop, but mostly it is due to a diet high in carbohydrate, low in fat or alcohol, and without meat. We are feeling good, but Rod in particular will likely put a few pounds back on in Bali and Australia. That happened naturally when we went from China to Europe --the diets in western areas are much richer and the pounds seem to just come back on their own.

Fran continues to nurse soreness. Her frozen shoulder has improved some over the past year, but remains an annoyance. To join it, she has been nursing a sore knee from another fall a couple of months ago. Both are very slow in healing, and likely she has some arthritis setting in. Ah, if only to be young again!

Ubud

Ubud is the cultural center of Bali, both for locals and for tourists. We choose a home stay with a gamelan performer and teacher. It is a nice quiet place, but there is little actual interaction. Later, we came through Ubud again and stayed in a different home stay. This time we found a host who has worked as a guide for tourists for thirty years, and is full of knowledge and stories of Bali.

Staying in a family compound gave us the chance to experience traditional Balinese life. From architecture, to religion, to language, to food...we felt immersed in the culture. And we felt totally welcomed into the warm heart of Bali life.

The center of Bali life is the family compound. Generations live together in a rectangular walled compound erected according to strict traditional guidelines. Each compound has a temple area with straw roofed pagodas, open walled ceremonial buildings (bale) and special seats for the gods to sit in when they visit. The compounds also have beautiful ornamental gardens and separate buildings for the kitchen and sleeping areas. In each home where we stayed, they had build separate bungalows in the back for guests. They were both beautiful and peaceful places.

Religious practices shape the flow of the day. The families we stayed with practice Bali Hinduism, a mixture of Hindu, Buddhist and animist beliefs. Daily offerings to the gods are necessary, to please them and to help the people wash away their negative actions. One wise person told us that as long as religion is strong within the family compound, no terrorism can take root in the soil of Bali.

Days started early. At sunrise the sound of sweeping mixed with the crow of roosters. The whole compound would be swept in preparation for the day. Later the woman of the house would pass by, placing offerings to the gods in the temple and in special parts of the compound. She would be wearing traditional clothing (a sarong, lace shirt and sash) as it is very important to wear one's best clothes when making offerings.

We would see her approach our bungalow with her tray of small, intricately woven palm leaf baskets filled with flowers and rice. On it were also the incense sticks and flasks of holy water. At each special location she would place the basket gently in place, wave incense over it, dip a flower bud in the water and ceremoniously sprinkle it over the basket. She would quietly chant a mantra then insert the incense in the basket, leaving it to purify the location. This ritual was repeated in numerous locations throughout the compound.

Later in the day we would see her weaving more ceremonial baskets for use in the family compound and at the temple. There are many ceremonial days in the Bali calendar and the women spend a considerable amount of time preparing food and offerings for temple ceremonies. For example, in early May our host and her mother were already preparing the multi-colored rice cakes that would be used in a temple ceremony in June!

In the streets of Bali you can see the effects of the modern developed world. Local men and women ride newer motorcycles amongst the throngs of 4 wheel drive vehicles carrying tourists to their destinations. Internet cafes are everywhere. Japanese, Mexican and Italian restaurants are numerous. But tradition reigns in the family compound.

Traditional foods and ways of cooking still exist. We saw rice is steamed in a palm basket over a wood fire. It is pounded into ceremonial cakes with a banana leaf covered stick in a stone mortar. Many desserts and fish dishes are steamed in banana leaves over the fire.

Tradition also determines the family living arrangements. When a couple marries, they live with his family. As the family grows, they erect more buildings. The family will stay together in one compound for generations, the younger caring for their elders.

Temple Ceremony and Barong Dance

In Ubud, one evening we were just people-watching and Fran noticed that many locals were headed the same direction, in temple dress (men wearing a sarong, a sash around the waist, and a headband, women wearing their finest clothing). We wondered what was going on, so we followed them some distance to the edge of town and found a huge traffic jam at a temple. It turns out tonight was a very large ceremony, not for show for tourists but a religious ceremony for locals. We found it would be okay to join if we were properly attired, so after a little costuming courtesy of our home stay host, we joined the ceremony.

Balinese dances are performed for religious ceremonies. These same ones are replicated for tourists, complete with costume, gamelan, and choreography. However, the authentic dances at the temple were qualitatively different. We were able to see a Barong dance at the temple ceremony and were quite taken by the whole experience. (See http://www.inm-asiaguides.com/Bali/ebarong.htm or http://www.bluesaccess.com/Barong.html for pictures and a detailed description)

When an evil spirit was to enter the dance ring to do ritual combat with the good guys, it was not just dance. Rod watched as the dancers put themselves into trance-like states. They approached the Barong, touched the hair and the spirits entered the dancers, taking over their actions. Priests were on hand to help when things get out of control and to help the dancers come back out of trance. The closest analog for Christianity would be people speaking in tongues. Fran was sitting in the area near the Kris battle. She strongly felt the presence of a powerful force in the circle between the dancers and Rangda. At points the whole ring was full of dancers possessed by spirits, and it become sincerely dangerous. Evil spirits can turn magic against the dancers, forcing them to turn their knives into their own chests. The good spirits dueled with magic to rescue the dancers and fight off evil. The intensity we felt, of being in the midst of all this spiritual energy, is impossible to communicate. Some dancers had scars on their bare chests where the ritual knives have inflicted wounds previously, as the spirits fight. To the Balinese this is neither dance nor performance; this is a serious dual between good and evil, and critical to keep evil spirits in balance to ensure future peace, or prosperity, or happiness.

Cultural performances

Many other nights we attended performances scheduled for tourists. One night we were able to listen to a bamboo gamelan, consisting entirely of instruments made of bamboo, ranging from a flute to a huge xylophone-like instrument containing bamboo with more than a six inch (15 cm) diameter. For several nights we enjoyed different gamelans and dance performances, each acting out specific stories from Hindu epics.

Batik

Batik is a traditional method for dying fabric for sarongs. Fran has loved sewing with batik, the color and design of the fabric have been a particular favorite for a long time. In Ubud, she met a watercolor artist who expanded his artistic talent towards creating hand painted batik. He was offering classes, she could not pass by the opportunity.

Arriving at Nirvana, Nyoman's studio, is in itself a wonderfully peaceful experience. His workshop is in his family compound, which is also an upscale home stay. The galleries and workshops have three walls displaying his watercolor and batik paintings. The fourth wall is open to the sun. From inside, one can receive inspiration from surroundings...the beautiful gardens, temple, traditional Balinese architecture and caged tropical birds.

Nyoman describes batik painting as meditation. Fran found that to be true as she painted the first wax outlines of the design carefully on the stretched canvas. The design is further developed by alternately painting the areas with wax that are not to be dyed and dipping the fabric in a color. Layers of wax and color build, with the most advanced batik being complex and many layered.

Fran's first attempts were not so prosaic; they were rather primitive. But she thoroughly enjoyed learning how the fabric absorbs dye and how the colors interact with each other. She developed an appreciation for the work of real artists. Batik is something that she would like to develop further when (and if) she settles down to one place again.

Around Ubud

One evening, we head just north of town to where Balinese White Herons roost at night. In the late afternoon, a few birds begin to show up and roost in a few trees along a short stretch of one village. No one knows why they chose this spot. By sunset, thousands of the white birds have congregated in the trees. Locals call the birds herons, but the bird guides refer to them as egrets. They look very similar to the lesser egret, if you are familiar with that bird. It reminds Rod of the thousands of green parrots which roost each night in a few trees at the train station in Agra.

Surrounding Ubud is hilly country with many streams and rice paddies. Now is the end of one rice crop, and the time from harvest to re-seeding is just a few weeks. We see a few fields that are still to be harvested, while others that are already flooded and being plowed for re-seeding. We see some women flaying the rice, and it is spread out on many side roads to dry.

On the south edge of Ubud, one ravine is relatively heavily forested and home for a band of monkeys. Called Monkey Forest, it is a big tourist attraction. The monkeys learned long ago not to wait for tourists to hand them food. One jumps at Rod in the parking lot as we arrive to steal food. We see another jump on a woman's head and pull her hair, and hear stories about them stealing anything shiny, including cameras. We even see one monkey tightly clutching a baby kitten --we watch for a while but are unable to figure out why.

Denpasar

Denpasar is the capital of Bali and not usually much of a tourist destination. The guide books say to give it a brief look but keep going. We found it to be a quite pleasant city, full of parks and interesting buildings. We spent a little time at the museum, learning a bit about Bali.

Maybe we should have spent a night and walked around more, but Fran's knee is still sore from a fall a month ago in India. Her frozen shoulder is gradually improving, but now she also has a sore knee to worry about.

Craft Villages

South of Ubud is a series of villages, each full of master craftsman of a particular type. First we stop through the stone carving village of Batulbatan, then gold and silversmiths at Celuk, then basket weavers, and finally woodcarvers. Each village is fully dedicated to its one craft, with the street lined with shop after shop, where the craftsmen are working. We stop and watch a while. Tourists from Kuta Beach arrive in large tour buses, spending just a few moments before loading up to go to the next sight.

North of Ubud is a kite village, where a dozen craftsmen produce all of the best kites of Bali and Indonesia. Some are very creative, e.g. the Flying Boat. Others are beautifully colored, e.g. Butterflies and Dragonflies. Some are huge, including a couple with a 4 m (13 feet) wingspan!

Kuta

Kuta Beach

Kuta Beach is the long-time center of tourism, with the best beaches in Bali, famous sunsets, and parties. For many people it is the only Bali they will see. That is too bad, because it is very developed, catering to tourism, with touts selling something on every corner. But the people of Kuta Beach have aggressively driven out illegal activities such as prostitution and drugs that have plagued other Asian destinations, and it remains a livable albeit highly developed place to visit.

With both wild party scenes and serene sunsets, and the full range of plentiful cheap places to nice 5-star international resorts (include one rated in the top ten hotels of the world), Kuta Beach remains the initial focal point of tourism in Bali. We want a quieter holiday, and to be able to understand Balinese culture better than is possible from folks desperate to sell a trinket. So other than taking care of a few logistics and organizing the rest of our stay, we decided to minimize our time in Kuta Beach.

Regardless, Rod found time to spend an afternoon on a surf board (or, more frequently toppled in the water next to it), his first time on a board. He caught a couple of waves laying down on the board but never mastered standing up. But it was still great fun. Rod also started swimming again, which always feels so good. (You don't dare swim in India, except a few beaches such as Goa and Kerala.)

After seven months in India and Nepal eating as vegetarians, we knew that it would become more difficult in other places. In fact we quickly got very hungry in Kuta Beach since everything features fish! Fortunately we soon found a great place with a vegetarian dinner. We had both earlier lost some pounds on the trip but are not looking to lose anymore, so it is great being able to pig out, and even chug some beers, feeling like it is okay if a few pounds come back! The days are quite warm and muggy, the nights often rainy, keeping the flowers lush. It is easy to just relax, and too warm to do much other than take it easy and swim anyway.

Balinese Culture

Balinese culture is overshadowed by the tourism, but it is definitely not threatened. As an influential Balinese in Ubud was to tell us later, the Balinese culture is very strong and as long as it remains strong in the family compound it will be all right. What happens with the tourist on the street and the beach is not a threat to the culture in the heart. As we rolled around Kuta we find that to be true. We stumbled past a community center where the local boys have gamelan practice (the Javanese percussion orchestra), and we are able to go in and listen. We switch to a home stay, where the family compound includes their own small temple and they quietly have their own private offerings and worship many times a day. Balinese spirituality is deeply rooted in Hinduism and animism, and Buddhism. Most everything has spirits, and many activities are guided by spirits.

Some Balinese believe intensely in the spirits, others conduct the ceremonies just in case the superstitions are true. Few ignore the spirits altogether. Every few days there is some auspicious event, or a ceremony for a spirit. Many are simply ceremonies in the home, some are quite elaborate. Regardless, every day includes making offerings to the spirits. The women fashion little bamboo leaf baskets, fill them with a bit of cooked rice, a few flower petals, and maybe a cracker (biscuit). She may make a dozen or more of these and take them to special locations within the family compound. As she places each offering, she lights a stick of incense and splashes a few drops of blessed water. With a gentle wave of the hand, she is then off to the next offering. Regardless of your belief in whether these offerings please the spirits, they do cause the household to keep spirituality in their minds constantly, and behave accordingly.

Uluwatu Temple

The island of Bali is small. Hundreds of years ago, the island was ringed by a series of seven temples, all within sight of each other, to protect the entire coastline and island. Each of these temples remains today, some still very spiritual, others largely tourist attractions. Uluwatu is the temple closest to Kuta, and attracts a large number of tourists. The temple is high on a cliff jutting west into the ocean at the southern knob of the island. It is famous for sunsets, and also for its monkeys which will snatch food, purses and cameras from tourists. We were able to attend a Kecak dance performance on the cliff at sunset. The story is about the capture and rescue of Rama's wife Sita, taken from the Indian epic Ramayana, which contains the roots of much Indian and Balinese culture and stories. Wonderfully costumed dancers perform slow intricate movements to the constant percussive chek-a-chek-a-chek bleating of a male choir.

Nusa Dua

A couple of decades ago, in an effort to isolate Bali from excessive tourism, the area called Nusa Dua (Two Islands) was developed for high-end resorts. Especially catering to the tourist who wants isolation rather than immersion in a country, the area is a beautiful escape from the real world.

We walked the grounds of the Grand Hyatt, and it was absolutely wonderful. Pools cascade over waterfalls into swimming pools, restaurants float over lotus ponds, and the grounds are immense, lush and immaculate. The streets and beaches are free of any local touts or distractions. Balinese culture is present in dinner shows. Unlike many of the places we stay, I'll bet the plumbing even works! We contrast this style of travel with ours, and must admit that this is attractive! If only we could afford long-term travel in this style! But alas we are comfortable with the choices we have made, trading comfort for longer time to meet people and understand their lives.

Unfortunately, these up-scale places are suffering the worst from the tourism drop. The wealthier tourist and conventioneer seems to be the most likely to change destinations if a place seems at all risky, so the hotels lost 65% of their guests after the Bali bombing. As we walked through the grounds whole wings of the hotel were empty, and it seemed like less than 10% occupancy. Probably a great time to get a super deal!

Amed and the north

Amed

At the north east tip of Bali is the tropical paradise we were looking for. Quiet beaches, friendly locals, sand and sun. Palm trees, bananas, ... Ah, so restful...

We found a wonderful place right on the beach --literally we just walk down four steps to the sand, and another 20 meters to the ocean. With an upstairs room, the balcony is nice and private with a great view through the palm trees. If this sounds idyllic, then you are getting the right picture!

The room includes breakfast and dinner, making life even easier. There is little to think about --no chasing off to restaurants to eat. Rod swims many times a day, and we both snorkel constantly. Fran spends a lot of time reading spiritual books. We initially checked in to Vienna Beach Bungalows for a few days, but we ended up staying for eleven!

Snorkeling

Earlier, while Fran took the Batik course in Ubud, Rod headed out to Padang Bai (Bay) for snorkeling. Purported to be one of the best snorkeling areas in Bali accessible from the beach, it was a great way to spend the day. Water was clear to about 15 meters and snorkeling was great, but the real treat was deeper where the scuba divers were. Initially the little bay was full of diving boats, but they left as the tide went out, a good clue that it was time to get out of the water. The current becomes very strong and the low water bashes swimmers on the corals.

In Amed and the north, the ocean is very calm, with waves just one foot (30 cm) high at most, and currents are mild. Just off the beach at the Guest House was an incredible coral garden, packed solid with soft and hard corals until the El Nino event of 1998 when excessive rains diluted the coastal waters and killed off the coral. Today there are just a few pockets of live coral among the acres of bleached dead coral.

Still, the snorkeling is enjoyable and the fish plentiful. Near the beach we find an eel garden, a sandy stretch with a hundred little eels the size of pencils poking up through the sand. In the crevice of one bigger rock, Rod finds a Moray Eel. In the shallows right near the beach are many trigger fish (especially the Black Spot Trigger), and fifty meters out (150 feet) are parrotfish, batfish, angelfish, butterfly fish, clowns, wrasse, and more.

Indonesia is in the triangle with the most diverse tropical fish in the world. The global ocean currents drive diversity towards the islands --the warm equatorial currents in the Pacific flow from east to west resulting in a increase in the number of species as you progress from the Americas to Asia. The currents circulate back through the cooler temperate regions, so the net drift of warm water species is east to west, and Indonesia has several times as many species as the south pacific, which has more than Hawaii, which in turn has more than the coast of the Americas.

In the bay, we discover an old wreck of a wooden 30 meter (100 foot) boat resting in 2 meters (6 feet) of water. The deck and cabin are long since missing, but much of the hull is intact, and the engine and drive train are still present. It is covered with coral and surrounded by little fish.

A few kilometers east, a larger Japanese shipwreck makes for great snorkeling. It lies at the leeward end of a bay so often the sand is stirred up and visibility bad. The first time we snorkeled to find it, we were unknowingly directly over the wreck when the dip of the ocean swells brought it into view just a meter (3 feet) below us! It appeared and disappeared in the time of one ocean swell. Later when the wind was calmer we could see the whole wreck. The nearby coral gardens are one of the few areas in Bali that survived the El Nino bleaching, and was spectacular.

The most famous shipwreck in Bali is the USS Liberty, about ten kilometers to the west in Tulamben. It is one of the three top dive sites in Bali.

In 1943 the USA was unofficially subverting the Japanese occupation of the South Pacific, and the USS Liberty was carrying a valuable cargo of rubber. Torpedoed by the Japanese, the Americans scuttled the vessel on the beach and removed the cargo. It sat on the beach for several decades until the earthquake in 1968 associated with an eruption of Agung Batur. During an earthquake sand vibrates and becomes virtually a liquid. The 140 meter (400 foot) vessel slid down the beach into 30 meters (100 feet) of water, where it rests today. It's amazing to think of a steel ship that size just sliding along --it makes clear why masonry materials are best avoided in earthquake zones! The ship is now covered with corals and small fishes, and larger fish come by for a meal.

Since the upper portion of the USS Liberty lies less than 10 meters from the surface, we went snorkeling to see it. But that didn't last long --it just convinced Rod to come back with diving gear. Ship wrecks are a favorite destination for divers because they are so full of life, and the wreck at Tulamben is one of the easiest in the world to dive --there is little current and the wreck is very shallow --the ship lies on its side not far under the surface.

Scuba Diving

Rod took four dives in Bali, two from Amed and two from Lovina Beach. In all four dives there were no other tourists, so he was alone with just the divemaster. That was great!

The first dive was to the USS Liberty wreck in Tulamben. The dive consists of drifting down one side and then back through the interior. We saw tons of corals and fish, including Lionfish. At the nearby Tulamben Wall, we saw a gigantic 2-meter (six-foot) Gorgonian sea fan.

The next two dives were at the equally famous Menjangan Island, part of a National Park and preserve. Among the long list of stuff that I didn't know or can't remember were a Black-tip Shark, table coral, brain coral, sponges, anemones, Clown Trigger, and a curious Cuttlefish.

Gugung Batur

Most of the Indonesia islands are volcanic. Each island is typically formed from several volcanoes which are close enough together to merge into one island. The north of Bali is formed from many volcanoes, in particular one mountain (Gugung Agung, at 3,100 meters or 10,000 feet) and two calderas.

The Gugung Batur caldera near the center of the island is a huge crater that was once a towering volcano. Inside are numerous fumaroles, a new peak that has risen above the rim of the crater, and a lake. While eruptions have occurred within people's lifetimes, many people live within the caldera in several villages. The soil is very fertile and the farms are beautiful. One village was nearly destroyed by a lava flow near the turn of the century, but the temple was spared. The villagers took that as an auspicious sign and rebuilt the village. But a second lava eruption a few decades ago again buried the village, and this time only the top spire of the temple was left. This time the village was relocated to the rim of the caldera, although several prosperous agricultural villages still thrive on the crater floor.

A favorite walk of travelers used to be up the new peak. However the local guides were overtaken by a corrupt group that raised the prices and began beating up tourists who attempted the climb without a guide. We decided to skip that hike, since we neither wanted to support such guides, nor incur their wrath. Instead, we walked from a charming temple on the floor of the crater up to the western rim for the view over the edge and out to the sea.

What's next?

We are starting to think about what we do when we return...We are finding a little less interest in learning everything about each place and the people. We are not tired of traveling yet, but can see that the end is coming. We are starting to talk about getting ready to come back, but haven't a clue what that means. We just see that the end is coming. We will stay in Australia for 2-3 months, and return to the USA in August. Fran's sister Lucy is assembling her family together to celebrate their 25th anniversary in July so maybe we will cut Australia a bit short to come home for that.

Death

Before this trip, I hadn't thought much about death. I knew that there is a tendency to regard death as the ultimate failure, that people are supposed to be fighters to keep living, and doctors are supposed to find heroic methods to keep people alive (at least when the quality of life can be preserved). I also know that it is not a topic that people talk about. It is something to be denied, at least as long as possible.

Ultimately if we define death to be a failure, then we just set ourselves up for failure. But it isn't failure. How can it be? Everyone dies. That's just reality. That is not failure. We have not failed a loved one if we didn't find the magic cure. Nor have we have not failed our loved ones if we slip off into death and leave them behind. Those are simple facts. Everyone dies, everyone always has, and everyone always will.

While on this trip, several of our family and friends have died and others have had some scares. Depending on the circumstances, we have offered to fly home, we have made quiet prayers, we have added the name of the deceased loved one to elaborate religious ceremonies, or we have just sat stunned and unsure what to do. And we have thought a lot about death.

At Hindu Ghats, we watched cremations, seeing so visibly the temporary nature of our bodies as fire tenders stir the fire to shuffle body parts like logs. From dust we come and to dust we shall return. Vivid images. In Buddhist monasteries, we were directed to meditate on death. To understand it, acknowledge it, accept it. To think about death, and to think about our death, and the death of everyone around us. How near it really is in the larger scale of time. Death is inevitable, only the time is unknown.

In Western cultures we think about forces as things we master. We conquer nature and tame it. We have complete responsibility for our life, with beliefs in external spirits and such considered superstitions. In Eastern cultures there is less belief in the ability to control and more in preserving a positive state of mind through acceptance. If a river floods, then that is just the way it is, and building a dam seems to offend nature and possibly just make things worse in the future. It is better to just accept the flood.

The intense drive to change and master has led to great material gains in the West, but the acceptance and focus on a peaceful mind in the East has led to less feelings of emptiness. Which is right? Both, neither. Clearly the belief that we can change the world around us, that we can control it and master it has led to incredible progress that I would hate to give up. On the other hand, there is great wisdom in the Eastern acceptance.

Ultimately, we all die. Obviously if we can defer that date and preserve good quality of life than we should. Few would argue with that.

But the state of mind is the key point. We should attempt to preserve life but remain at peace. If we fight death as an enemy we die a unhappy death and our loved ones suffer as well. If we accept it as inevitable, then everyone's hearts can remain at peace. We can rejoice if life is preserved a little longer, but not fall into despair if it isn't. Feelings of loneliness do not grow into feelings of rejection or being forsaken by one's God. It is just death, no more no less.

We read about the experience of death in ancient texts like the Tibetan Book of the Dead. We hear about the near-death experience of a dear friend. The similarity is spooky. The Tibetans prepare for death. They believe that what happens to the spirit/soul depends on the state of mind at the time of death. Angry or fearful minds are likely to end up in hell realms, while peaceful and generous states of mind can lead to the heaven realms. Life is a process of conditioning the mind to remain calm and peaceful, to accept that final moment and move to a better place. Those who live generous life can die feeling fulfilled and pass to heaven realms. Those who live a life just for material pursuit in this world, perhaps at the expense of morals or the well being of others, will feel panicky and afraid at the moment of death, and pass to the hell realms. According to Tibetans, as the body shuts down, the process of death sends the mind through several very scary stages and how it reacts determines the next destination. Christians might state this as maintaining serenity and faith in their Savior, and the allowance for "death-bed conversions" seems consistent with the idea that the final state of the mind is most important. Tibetans study and prepare to guide their mind calmly through the process.

Whether you accept the Tibetan beliefs is not relevant. The point is that they simply acknowledge death as an experience that everyone will go through. They neither fear nor desire it, they just know that it will inevitable occur someday and they prepare themselves for it.

Perhaps in the West we could benefit from a more open discussion of death, and acceptance of the reality. In the west, when we talk about death, loved ones will quickly rush in and say not to talk like that. If we are ill then we are admonished not to give up and talk about death. That is not healthy. We do not get to talk with our loved ones. We need to acknowledge reality. We will die. Everyone we know will die.

Once we accept that death will occur, and could even occur today, then we ensure that every day that we live counts. That is ultimately the way to prepare for death -- to live life today so that we have no regrets if we die tomorrow. Material pursuits or getting emotionally attached to transient things seem less important. Instead we think about what is really important, and are quietly led to act on those deeper beliefs we consider important.

Accept death as a fact of life. And live life today so that you have no regrets is you die tonight. Ironically, this seemingly pessimistic advice liberates you from so much worry, and leads to a very optimistic life.

Chinese Tibet

We first traveled in Tibetan regions of China and later visited Tibetan refuges in India. Consequently we have two very different vantage points regarding the Chinese rule in Tibet.

Tibet, according to the Chinese

While in China, we saw considerable economic freedom, and a degree of freedom of speech that startled us. We have already described the developing areas as being the most capitalistic country we have ever visited. Hand-in-hand comes a certain amount of education and freedom of expression. In the prospering areas we heard open discussion of many concerns.

But significantly, we heard little disillusionment with the current Communist leadership. We heard about the old days, when the party controlled every aspect of someone's life, including where you could work, if you could travel, what you could buy. Even who you associated with and what you said were always closely watched. We talked openly with people about the colossal failures of the Great Leap Forward (farming reform that cost 10 million lives) and the Cultural Revolution (extra-governmental gangs loyal to Mao that killed or tortured another 10 million, especially the educated or intellectuals). We heard about the horror stories of the past.

But people viewed these as problems of the past (the Gang of Four). We met many people with ideas of how China should grow and change, but no one seemed to sincerely wish for a multi-party democracy. Some even gave very credible explanations why one-party rule is best for China (the history of foreign invasion, the low level of education, the just emerging free press, the civil war during that last time of two-parties,...). Generally the Chinese people were much more interested in economic reform and development than political issues.

After the Chinese invaded the Kingdom of Tibet in the 1950's, Tibet was partitioned into several pieces. We were in the parts of Tibet that were merged into adjacent provinces. When we spent time deep in Yunan and Sichuan provinces we saw little of this recent economic development, at least at an individual level. There were large scale government projects, such as road building or hydroelectric plants. There were people working hard on road construction crews. But there was little development for individual families. There were exceptions (like Karen), but most people lived very simple farm lives.

The majority Han Chinese outside of this region have been told and believe that the previous TibetanKingdom was oppressive and that China liberated the region. Also, they believe that the Tibetan people were very backward and the Chinese government is spending huge sums to provide education, medical care and development, subsidizing the people of this backward area.

Tibet, according to the Tibetan exiles

The Tibetans tell a different story. The invasion of the Chinese army left a million Tibetans dead, most of whom had no weapons other than a dagger or spear. The Chinese subsequently have opened mines to rich mineral areas, deforested the mountains, and dammed the river for hydro power. Roadways were built to support the exploitation of the resources. Claiming the roads were to benefit the Tibetans, the Chinese forced the locals to work voluntarily (meaning unpaid) on the road construction under brutal conditions under which many perished. The minerals and timber were transported on these roads to greater China for use by the Han Chinese.

For administration and exploitation of the resources, the Chinese settled many Han Chinese in the region. Job qualifications were manipulated to ensure that the Chinese received the better jobs, and the Tibetans fell deeper into poverty. To stamp out the Tibetan culture, schools taught only Chinese and Chinese language skills were required for jobs. Tibetan religious practices were banned and monks and nuns tortured and killed. Many stories are particularly gruesome and revolting.

Such practices continue today in Tibet. The Han are now a majority, and many younger Tibetans have accepted the Chinese culture and language as the only way to survive. Those who attempt to preserve Tibetan culture continue to disappear, and Tibetans have no more freedoms than the Chinese did during the Cultural Revolution. The atrocities that the Chinese believe are part of a distant past still occur daily in Tibet, where government controls are just as oppressive as they ever were in China.

Westerners who visit Lhasa in Tibet are treated to religious shows at the old Palace, but the monks are monks in name only and no serious practice is allowed. Tibetans who associate with the Westerners are punished. We read of an incident with a group from the monastery that we stayed at in Nepal. The Western group was not stopped from conducting a religious ceremony at the Buddhist stupa. Afterwards, one of the western women stepped into a nearby shop to purchase a beverage. As the Westerners departed, the police closed the shop and punished the shopkeeper for subversive activity.

Ironically, the Tibetans have flourished outside of Tibet. The world has come to know the gentle and peaceful nature of their culture and religion, even awarding their spiritual leader the Dali Lama a Nobel Peace Prize.

In some other areas of the world, international pressure has helped to stop overt oppression of a peaceful people --for example in South Africa. The world community is quick to criticize people who take to arms to resolve their disagreements, and has implored people to remain non-violent or lose international support. This puzzles the Tibetans, who see themselves as the perfect example of non-violent protestors. With nearly 10 million Tibetans now killed, tortured or missing at the hands of the Chinese, the Tibetans still wait for the world to take interest in their plight. Instead, China is rapidly gaining acceptance in the world, including admission to the WTO (World Trade Organization) and hosting the 1998 Olympics.

Personally, I think that it is easier to influence friends rather than enemies, and that allowing China to join the nations of the world is a positive step. However, it does appear that the plight of Tibetans is one that the international community would prefer to ignore. The reality of foreign policy is that it is always an extension of domestic policy, power and economics, and Tibet is not strategically important to the rest of the world. That sad reality leaves millions of exiles with no real idea of what to do to stop the oppression.

Jaipur

Jaipur, the largest city in Rajasthan at two million people, is described as "the place to shop until you drop". Fran offered to buy sarees for a few people back home and got requests for thirteen! So, after asking several Indians where they would buy sarees, we headed to Jaipur and started off on the saree hunt at Johari Bazaar.

The Great Saree hunt!

It turns out that buying sarees is quite complicated! There are silk sarees (of first grade, second and third, which is a measure of softness; and of several different weights, such as 40g/m, 60 g/m), as well as cotton and chiffon. In Rajasthan, Georgette is also a popular material. We couldn't tell any difference from chiffon, but we were told that Georgette is "real" and chiffon is "synthetic". Some are dyed, some are tie-dyed. Some are printed, some are printed by hand with wooden blocks. Some are mill-woven; some are hand-woven. Some are woven with two different colors of thread, so that they change color as they move in the light. Some have embroidery, sometimes using silver or gold thread. Sometimes the embroidery patterns are one-sided, sometimes two. Sometimes the embroidery is very elegant, other times it resembles costume jewelry, with sequins and little mirrors. The patterns reflect the local area, with striking differences between south Indian, Varanasi, and Rajasthan styles. And of course, the prices vary from 300 Rupees ($7) to 300,000 Rupees (somewhat more than $7).

We budgeted one day to get educated and not buy anything, and then a second day to buy the sarees. That took pressure off the first day so we would really just soak up everything as we went from shop to shop. While we couldn't understand all of the local terms and had to hear some of the descriptions several times, we slowly began to understand all of the varieties, and our preferences. Surprise, we especially liked the most expensive ones!

Some things are fairly constant. Sarees are 6 meters long (nearly 20 feet), including about 1.5 meters (4 feet) at one end to cut off for making a blouse. Hmm, that is about the only thing that is constant. Except that some sarees were 5 meters and some 6.5 meters, with some having extra blouse material and some not. Well, maybe the only constant was that they were all peddled by enthusiastic salespeople!

We discovered that we particularly liked the southern Indian style, which is a bit more elegant and traditional. It would have been handy to have done our shopping while in Bangalore, especially since our Indian friends could have helped educate us and negotiate. We even considered a short (40 hour, one way) train ride down to Bangalore for a shopping day, but thought wiser.

By the end of the second day we had made three purchases, all southern style, and all quite beautiful. We were very happy with the choices. Then, with just ten more to go, we added another day to the saree hunt.

On the third day, we started to really appreciate more of the other styles as well. We could especially see some of the people back home in the different styles and started matching people to styles and colors. It was quite fun trying to imagine people in each one, thinking what highlights hair and eye color, for example, and also thinking about their personality. Those of you who asked for a saree, we hope you like your surprise! Fran and Rod formed a good team. Fran picked out most of the sarees, and Rod negotiated the prices. Of course, all of the stores are fixed price, and a few would not negotiate, but some turned out to be very flexible and we got some great deals.

We finished day three and now had a mountain of sarees. We also bought a couple of slips/petticoats and blouses for a few people that we knew would actually wear the sarees. We picked up one more on the fourth morning, and began the process of packing, writing notes, and getting ready for the post. They had to be packaged and then sewn into white bags for shipment. We hope there are no customs duties --we checked the rules at DHL, with friends who had shipped things from India before, and at the US Customs web site. We think we shipped everything correctly (no duties apply to a single gift package of under $50), with compliant individual packages consolidated into two big boxes, one for Canada and one for the USA. They're on the boat now, headed to Lucy (Fran's sister) and to Laurie (Kim's mom, Arlo's mother-in-law), who offered to accept the USA shipment and reship to everyone.

At the end of day four (remember this was going to be a two day thing?) we started out to look for the original saree --one for Fran. But we were too exhausted and headed back to the guesthouse for some tea and rest. We decide to go back again for day five!

We enjoyed shopping for sarees for everyone, but it was especially fun to shop for Fran. The salespeople always just keep pulling more and more sarees off the shelves, flinging them into the air to drift down into your lap, and the pile gets higher and higher. They quickly whisk away the ones that don't elicit a response, and present a zillion more like any that produce an "ahh!". Given that we had the whole day, we let the salespeople do the full deal, and wrapped Fran in all of her favorites in front of the mirror.

Actually, it turned out we didn't shop for long. We arrived just as the stores open (they were still sweeping and laying out the rugs), and the salesperson was very relaxed. Unlike most salespeople, he was very methodical and presented sarees at our pace, not in a rush. He also started by showing all of the major styles, then within our favorites, he showed every similar style, and then for each style we liked he showed all of the colors. There must have been thousands of sarees in neat boxes on shelves behind him, but he was able to systematically pull out just the right ones as he learned our tastes.

Except that once we had worked down to the perfect traditional South Indian Saree, Fran announced that she might instead like a Rajasthan style saree! Reset! We started again and worked our way through the assortment. She soon found a beautiful Rajasthan saree, with a delicate woven pattern, embroidery, and even some subtle jewels. While generally the elegant southern style, with exquisite silk and embroidery, is more expensive, in this case Fran fell in love with an even more expensive Rajasthan saree! But it really was spectacular. Now came the hard part --these two were very different sarees, so it was hard to choose between them.

Rod's negotiation strategy was simple. This was a fixed price shop, and the salesperson was very helpful, so beating him into submission was not an option. Instead, Rod explained that Fran really preferred the more expensive one but was about to settle for the lesser of the two based on price, and I knew that she would regret it later. I asked how close he could reduce the expensive price to the lesser, to save her the grief. He dropped a bit, but not enough. Some more friendly talking, and he headed off to call his boss on the phone for an exception. When he hit his bottom number, then I leaned forward and whispered to him: "Don't let Fran hear, but what price would you give me for both!". He dropped a bit more, I winced again, we talked some more, he dropped a bit again, I countered, and finally we settled on a price. Fran smiled!

We needed to head off to the bus directly, so Fran will get the blouses made for her sarees in a few days when we reach Dharamsala. Then we will take pictures and post them for all to see!

Jaipur

Beats me! We spent the time looking for sarees! Actually, Jaipur is an interesting blend of Rajasthan people and big-city India. The people are quite friendly, with easy smiles. Frequently, we see locals whiling the time away with each other, engaged in laughter and conversation, or with their arms around each other. They are also very helpful. When I stopped in a shop with a phone booth to call the Delhi office of Air India (yep, to change the flight), the owner pointed me to a hidden Air India office right down the street that took care of me for free.

On the other hand, Jaipur has some of the more intent touts and rickshaw drivers we have seen. We cannot walk ten feet (three meters) without getting approached. We cannot finish one sentence talking with each other on the sidewalk. Touts do not even wait until we finish talking --they just shout over the top of us "Rickshaw! Where you going! Shopping!" In Jaipur, the shopkeepers pay a commission to rickshaw drivers who bring in customers, so the drivers harangue the tourists mercilessly to drag them to the shops with the highest commissions. If you walk towards one store you will be told they are dishonest, or have poor quality or high prices, and the rickshaw driver will take you to a better shop because he is your friend and wants to help you. Yeah, right. Well actually, there are many friendly and helpful people here, so that makes it difficult to sort out the helpful ones from the touts, and also makes it important that we not just harden too much and blow everyone off.

Jaipur also has more than its share of children beggars. There really aren't that many beggars in total, it is just that most of the beggars are children and that is so disturbing. Adults are just behind the scenes or around the corners, or often nowhere to be seen. We have been in India for six months and we still are not used to the beggars.

The Weld

Our camp stove broke. At a critical point near the gas nozzle, a weld failed. Probably it got bumped one time too many in hauling the packs around. I disassembled the stove to see what repair I might affect, but it was clear that a weld was required. Also, it needed to be a high temperature weld to some special high-temperature metal that housed the nozzle, and yet it needed to be delicate enough to not ruin the nozzle just 1-cm (0.4-inch) away. I knew where a district with auto repairmen was, and figured there would be welders there. I hoped I could find a skilled one, who knew about high-temperature metals and welds.

I posed the problem to a very friendly old cycle-rickshaw driver that we had met the day before. He immediately understood and walked me through a maze of auto parts, repair shops, bicycle tire repairmen and tea stalls to a welding shop. No one there spoke much English, so I explained the operation of the stove with pantomime.

It turns out that the stove is a bit tricky to understand. It folds up for small storage when packed, and the weld was along one of the axis of rotation. It needed to be done just right to open and close properly. I showed the way the stove opens and closes and five guys huddled around the stove poking and prodding until they thought they had figured it out. Soon they were fashioning a custom little sleeve to slide one rod through, so that the burner would rotate along the sleeve. I explained again, and this time they understood that just one little weld in the right place would make the magical contraption work properly. They set out to figure out how to hold the two pieces at just the right angle, and started welding. After about fifteen minutes of starting and stopping (that's a very long time for a weld, and I was getting worried about the amount of heat going into the nozzle), they were done. But in testing it with a gentle tug, the weld immediately broke apart. That special metal was something unique, and the normal flux and solder would not fuse to it.

They huddled together again to talk it through. Then one guy announced that I should take it to the Asfhlklsdj shop at Asmurti gate. I couldn't make out the name of the shop, so asked them to write it down. After they handed me a paper and pen to write it down, I understood that they didn't know how to write in English, and I couldn't understand the Hindu name well enough to even attempt a spelling. So instead, one fellow pulled his motor scooter in from the alley, I hoped on and we were off.

We raced up and down the back alleys for a few minutes and then arrived in an area full of even more repair shops. This however was SERIOUS repair-land. The guys were clearly mechanics through-and-through. We stopped in front of the Guru of Welding (that's my name for him, I couldn't read the Hindu sign).

You have to picture this guy. You know how Asian people can sit? With their feet flat on the ground, they just squat their rear down until it sits on their heals, with their knees tucked against their chest or to the side. Their legs go to sleep and they can just sit that way for long periods of time. In the absence of chairs it actually isn't a bad way to sit, and we have learned to sit this way at least for a little while. Well, a few seconds anyway.

The Guru of Welding sat Asian-style at the edge of the cobblestone and dirt alley, with an anvil and a few tools in front of him. He was an enormous guy with a huge belly that protruded through the opening between his shirt and pants. He had stringy hair and a straggly beard (beards are unusual in India, except for the Sadus). His shirt hadn't been washed in forever, and I couldn't tell if it was a plaid or solid.

The scooter driver took the stove part over to the Guru and explained the problem. The Guru hardly said a word. Without moving a muscle, he directed his assistants to set up the piece and hold it in the right position. They floundered for a while and he sat silent. When they finally had it just right, he lifted his torch to the side for an assistant to light, dipped a special bronze colored rod into flux and started the weld. In under a minute, he was done. He held the torch to the side again and an assistant shut off the gas. The Guru remained still, motionless, still squatting with the enormous belly. He clearly was the master, and did absolutely nothing except the welding. All of the underlings in the city brought him the tough jobs. He knew exactly what he was doing, used the right materials, and had a perfect weld. I was thrilled!

Back at the guesthouse, I tested the stove and it works great! The excess heat of the first welding attempt didn't seem to cause any problems. And I got to meet the Guru of Welding!

Udaipur

Udaipur is billed as the most romantic city in Rajasthan. We originally had an itinerary that would have put us here on our wedding anniversary (last Dec 4), but when we had the opportunity to attend the 30-day retreat in Kathmandu we took it and spent our anniversary in separation and silence! How's that for a good way to spend a wedding anniversary! So this was our long-deferred treat to ourselves.

Udaipur was developed by the Rajput people, a fiercely proud warrior-caste people (Kshatriya). They are very proud of the fact that they fought wars with either occupying forces (e.g. Moghuls) or with their neighbors virtually non-stop for 1500 years, until the British arrived. They then emphasize that the British did not conquer them, but instead recognized the Maharana as the legitimate government of the area. They still emphasize that their Maharaja was the supreme ruler over all of the other Maharajas of India (a fact than no one else seems to agree with), and call the Indian Independence "so-called independence".

The Arts

The ruling class of Mahranas lived their fairy tale lives in their fairy tale castles. Their castles were supreme showcases for the arts. Colored glass mosaics, ornately mirrored rooms, frescos, stone carvings and miniature paintings adorn almost every surface. They were patrons of a large artist community. That community and the Rajput dynasty has persisted to the present day.

The miniature paintings are still produced by descendants of the original craftsmen. Almost every other shop on the street sells miniature paintings and claims an artistic heritage. The paintings portray life in the palaces and Havelis (homes of rich merchants) in minute detail. They are done on paper, wood, silk and marble. Many are done on the back of old manuscripts, with original Persian script still on the other side. The brushwork is delicate and the colors are bright.

We met a family of artisans when we stayed in their guesthouse, the Art Loft. The Art loft is owned by the Raj family who has been creating miniature paintings and gold jewelry for 300 years. They also create blank books with handmade papers with covers of saree fabric. The work done by the four brothers is exquisite. We had the opportunity to watch them work each day as we passed through their workshop on our way out to see the city sights. Business was going well when we were there. They were preparing a large shipment of paintings and books for a gallery in Germany.

Lake Palace Hotel

Udaipur is built around a lake, created in the 1700's when the royal palace was moved from a prior location to here. The lake is quite charming, with the far side a bright green marsh area and several islands in the foreground. The famous Lake Palace Hotel completely covers one of the islands. Originally built as a summer royal palace, it is now one of the world's finest hotels, in the prestigious Taj Group. This was the location for the filming of the James Bond film, Octopussy. It was fun to tour the hotel first, and then see the film and notice all of the familiar places.

The hotel is quite exclusive. No one is allowed on the island unless they are a guest, and the rooms start at $250 --triple that for a suite with a view. However, the hotel restaurant has a buffet dinner that you can get into if the hotel guests have not filled the dining room. We waited three days on the list, and finally our number came up so we headed to the island and joined the wealthy folks! The food was fine, though not really spectacular --the catering at the wedding in Jodhpur was better! But the ice cream was the best we have had in Asia, and as good as Italian gelato. It was really good! Even after stuffing ourselves with the buffet, I went back for ice cream twice! Can you tell I liked the ice cream!

The real point of dinner on the island is not the dinner, but the island experience. We toured the Palace, attended a Rajastani music and Kathak dance performance, and watched the sun set over the lake, luxuriated with the sumptuous meal, and enjoyed a star-lit boat ride. The hotel itself is very comfortable, not ostentatious. Rather than a big imposing lobby, there is a collection of seating areas separated by interesting architectural details such as archways or wall screens carved in stone. The indoors just slowly blends into a garden courtyard. We sat on the sofas thumbing coffee-table photo books on Rajasthan, and imagined that we could quite easily live here. Often, we are put off by the formality and coldness of top-notch hotels, but this one would be perfect for a couple to relax for a weekend. Now, how do we work out the arithmetic of $250 per night for a year or two of traveling? Hmm, we caught the late boat back to our guesthouse....

Bagore Ki Haveli

The wealthy royalty and merchant classes built elaborate homes throughout Rajasthan during the prosperous years when this was a key trade route. Called Havelis, these homes were preserved in good condition well into the early 1900's and in some cases right up to the current time. But generally, at some point the family was unable to continue the expenses needed for maintenance, and the haveli began to decline. Recently the families have realized that the Havelis can be popular with tourists, and many have been converted to hotels. In Udaipur, the Bagore Ki Haveli has been recently converted to a museum.

This dilapidated haveli underwent an extensive restoration to bring the rubble walls back to their white plastered splendor. The before and after pictures of the building were quite striking. Strolling through the terraces, secluded courtyards and balconies gives one a glimpse of the lifestyles of the royal families. Objects like jewelry, boxes, musical instruments, games, clothing and household articles are displayed in the recreated rooms. Frescos and colorful glass mosaic peacocks (the symbol of Rajasthan) adorn the walls. One can almost hear the laughter of the ladies congregating in the Chamber of the Royal Ladies.

Fran was delighted when she entered the kitchen area. The kitchen is the heart and soul of any home. It is a utilitarian room, unglamorous but necessary. In the castles of Europe, it was the room often neglected during restoration. The kitchen in the haveli was little more than a few tools and storage items, but she was happy that they had included this mundane aspect of daily life along with the lofty object d'art.

In the evening we were treated to a cultural performance in one of the courtyards. Bejeweled dancers, brightly colored layers of silk dress and headscarves cast their spell on the audience. In one dance two women carried brass bowls with fiery coals on their heads. They spun in dizzying circles, hands quickly moving from one mudra (hand position) to another. The fire lit the bewitching glance of their eyes. Puppeteers danced their puppets across the stage, accompanied by drum and mouth harp.

The finale of the show was the vase dance. It originated in the villages when the women would travel with their water jugs to fill the household water supply. The dancer first came on stage with one large water jug on her head, spinning rapidly. She continued to add jugs, one on top of the other until she was balancing nine jugs of declining size on her head, in a tower as tall as herself! All the while she was dancing on tops of objects like bowls, water glasses, broken glass and sword edges. It was quite the show! She is over 60 years old, and has been doing this performance for over 40 years.

Shilpgram

Shilpgram means Craftsman Village. It is a living village recreating the art, craft and culture of the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. It consists of 26 huts that represent the homes of those areas. Around the huts are artist’s stalls displaying weaving, paintings, textiles. Musicians and puppeteers perform in the stalls during the day, dancers perform on the large stage in the evenings.

We hired a guide to show us around the village and explain the lifestyles in the traditional homes. The first area that we came to was Rajasthan. It was just like the villages that we saw in the desert around Jaisalmer. Made of mud and cow dung with thatched grass roofs, they were designed to stay cool in the 140 Fahrenheit degree days of summer. We were intrigued by the refrigerator...How do you keep butter and yogurt cool without electricity in that heat? You build a thick walled mud and plaster box, raised 1 foot off the ground with air ducts underneath and with a large "attic" area. Natural airflow keep the foods cool!

All along our journey we have enjoyed seeing how people use local materials and building methods which combine natural conditions and cultural differences. Shilpgram was an exciting example of this. The grass mat and palm tree beamed huts of Maharashtra; the plaster and teak carved Havelis of the Portuguese inspired merchants of Goa; the red plastered walls decorated with intricate white drawings of Gujarat are all expressed in the different climate and culture conditions of the people who created and live in them. And we learned a new practical tip --since the plaster is made from cow dung, then cockroaches will not enter the house!

One particular treat was the performance by a Rajasthan musical ensemble. The men were dressed in white with red turbans, many with long handle bar mustaches. And their music was both exotic and exquisite. One played a melody on the nagaswaram...a double flute. Each flute is fingered separately; one playing the drone and one the melody. He used circular breathing, and puffed the drone flute like a percussion instrument. Quite amazing! He was accompanied by a 2 headed drum, much like two tabla drums combined in one. There was one playing an accordion box; another a mouth harp. Another interesting interchange was between the drummer and a man clapping sticks like castanets. The intricate call and answer patterns was quite exciting...the speed and pattern hard to duplicate.

Fateh Sagar

Reputed to be a hangout for young lovers, we visited this lake park. It has a popular garden island, which you can get to by boat. We journeyed to its edge by walking several hours in the hot and dusty sunshine; looking forward to the coolness of the lake and reflections of buildings in the waters. Well, forget the boat the island and the lake. It is gone! The lakebed is bone dry with nary a hint of the former water’s edge. Remember the drought that we mentioned in our Jaisalmer pages? The fact that it has not rained seriously in four years might have had something to do with the great disappearing act.

In Summation

Udaipur lived up to our expectations of romance and mystery. We explored beautiful palaces, dined with the rich and famous, watched sunrises and sunsets from the rooftop balcony outside our hotel door and were enchanted by the warmth and hospitality of the Rajasthan people. It definitely deserves our recommendation for a city to visit.

Jaisalmar

Desert. Sand. Hot sun. Blowing wind. Dry creek beds. Cracked, flaking ground. Wind blown brush. Parched skeletons. Star-studded nights.

Cactus flowers, acacia trees, desert rodents, foxes, owls, eagles, vultures, dung beetles, antelopes, donkeys, camels, goats, and desert dogs.

Jaisalmer is in the Thar Desert of India and Pakistan. Not as dry as the Sahara, sand dunes cover only a portion of the desert; most is parched ground with seasonal grass, cactus and a few hardy bushes.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer is the oasis in the desert. Situated atop a rocky outcropping, it gains life from a nearby lake. Nicknamed the golden-city because of the yellow-cast sand stone from which the city is built, Jaisalmer is both (compared to other cities in India) a quiet haven for tourists, and (compared to the villages of the Thar Desert) a bustling metropolis. Some of the locals clearly enjoy the bustle and hearing stories of faraway places from tourists. Other locals endure the noise and tension of the city only to earn money and then return as quickly as possible to the serenity of their desert village.

The ancient stone fort arises out of the sand, towering over the plains, surrounded by the bustling city of 50,000 people. The air is filled with sounds of Hindi music, rickshaw drivers blowing their horns, merchants hawking their wares, friends in conversation and laughter, dogs yelping in pain from the cast rock. People generally have relaxed, pleasant expressions, similar to the wonderful people of southern India and not as stressed and cold as the northerners. Narrow streets curve every few buildings, the view obscured by guest houses, shops, signs, stalls, and bustle. Occasional glimpses of the fort sneak between the obstructions. The hot dry air squelches most smells.

Camel Safari in the Thar Desert

Outside of Jaisalmer, tiny villages are scattered in the desert. Homes are made of stone blocks, plastered with cow dung and mud. Villagers travel by foot or camel across the desert trails. Men dress in sandals, loose cloths around their waists, a plain shirt and a brightly colored turban on their head. Women don brightly colored full length clothing and scarves. The bright colors are the brightest in all of India, a commanding contrast to the desolate sand.

In the desert village are no cows, no chickens, and few sheep. They have been sold or perished after several years of failed monsoons. Only goats and camels remain, and there are fewer of them than two years ago before tourism slowed.

The chief attraction of Jaisalmer is the desert, and most people take a camel safari. We joined up with Pabu and Gamera, of Full Moon Safaris. (email: fullmoonsafaris@hotmail.com) Many hotels offer fancier safaris, but we liked the friendly, informal approach of Pabu and Gamera. Instead of paying a commission to the hotel, and hundreds of Rupees to Jeep drivers, we took the local bus, so that virtually all of our fees ended up with Pabu's family.

Pabu, 24, has been offering camel safaris for about five years. He is particularly popular with Japanese tourists, and highlighted in Japanese guide books. The current edition of Lonely Planet Guidebook for Rajasthan purportedly includes a color photo of Pabu's uncle on the camel that I rode! This is no ordinary camel --while we ate lunch all of the other camels foraged the desert, but this one joined us for chapattis (Indian bread)!

Pabu tries to get enough business to support about thirty people, the extended families of his father and his uncle. His farm is fallow, since the monsoons have failed. Tourism is not as strong as two years ago, so he has had to sell some of his camels and his cart. He also currently has ceremonial earrings, important family symbols, at a pawn shop in exchange for food. (A week after we have left Jaisalmer, Pabu's son took ill and required hospitalization. With little money anyway, the new debt makes it unlikely Pabu will ever be able to reclaim his earrings.)

Pabu is a jolly guy. He approaches his customers not as a business person but as a host, telling local stories, singing songs, and evoking the character of the land and people. He must spend most of his time away from his wife and three children.

In India, youth respect elders. It isn't so much that they respect the wisdom or help that they get from their elders, it is simply that they unquestioningly give their respect. This, I think, helps youth to develop a better sense of themselves in relation to others.

Perhaps an analogy is possible from Chinese Confucianism. In Confucianism, as in all religions, proper human conduct is delineated. However, in Confucianism everything is defined in relation to others. There is no behavior of an individual, just behavior of a father or son, husband or wife, older or younger brother, uncle or nephew, employer or employee, civil administrator or citizen. Everything is understood in relationship to others. In India, children respect their parents simply because that is their role in the relationship, much as the parent provides for the child.

Pabu and Gamery, to show respect, began calling us Dada and Dadi (grandmother and grandfather) and treating us with utmost care. It was almost too much to bear! We are not used to such treatment! But it was quite touching to see what respect to their elders means to these desert villagers.

Many people sign up for a 1-2 day camel safari, and end up adding another day or two, or even more. We also extended our stay another day. Unlike elephant rides (slow, lumbering, and boring), camels cover a fair amount of territory quickly and comfortably, and the desert terrain is full of life and interest. Okay, Fran did complain the second day that she couldn't walk without pain, but .... The star filled nights are hard to describe. We'd lay awake and watch, and even saw one malachite-green shooting star.

The weather is beginning to change on the desert. We arrived during hot days and warm nights. Then a bit of moisture showed up as a hazy sky and the wind began to blow. A day later the wind was a minor sand storm, dust and sand penetrating every pore of our bodies and every bag that we packed. Then the wind subsided for a cool day and night. After the weather rattles around a bit like this it will settle into hot winds, and tourism stops. By summer, hopefully the monsoons will come, starting the cycle of agriculture followed by a bump in tourism in August and then resumption of the tourist season in October.

Jaisalmer

The Jaisalmer Fort is unlike any museum --it is still alive! Built in 1156, the fort still teams with people, homes, hotels, and shops. Restoration work commences on one building while another lies in ruins and a third is a thriving restaurant. The palace is now a museum, but is in surprisingly good shape and restoration has begun. While many people tour the palace just for the incredible views from the rooftop, we find it to be quite fascinating.

Inside the fort as seven beautiful stone-carved Jain temples. We tour them and are struck by the detail and enormity. Fran ponders what it is in the human spirit that drives such efforts. We have seen in every country from Japan to India to Europe the great structures that people build for their faiths. Many defy believe in the sacrifice required to construct them, and the passion that the creators must have had. Another unifying characteristic of all cultures seems to be the passion to create great monuments to their local faith.

Outside of the fort in the main part of the city is Patwon-ki-Haveli, an elaborate palace-home created in the early 1800s by wealthy merchants. Again we marvel at the intricate detailed stone work. Also we are again intrigued by the design, common in much of Asia, with the house forming a square looking into an interior courtyard and with no exterior grounds. A cool space since the haveli is four stories high, the courtyard is quiet refuge. Now devoid of plants and tapestries, and with plaster paintings crumbling, it is easy to imagine fully decorated and alive.

Tourism is light this year, and it is near the end of the season. We meet the same people on the street, and joke with one American couple after we bump into them at three restaurants in a row --all they ever do is eat (of course they get the same impression about us!). Jaisalmer is a nice place to relax into as a tourist, kind of like a beach town without the beach. As always we meet a few new friends. We have been traveling long enough we now even meet two different people that we have seen earlier, one in Thailand last year and one in Nepal last November.

We were able to settle into an internet cafe to catch up on our journals and photos. With Windows XP, it was a snap to get the camera connected and to burn another CDROM.