First Day in India and Kashmir

Finally made it.

We had a twelve hour layover in Newark because of a huge storm. We stayed at a hotel there and arrived in Delhi yesterday at 8:20 in the morning when we proceeded to get to the other side of the airport and get our flight to Kashmir. Elfie was waiting at the airport here. We are staying in her mother-in-law's house and I have included a pisture of her mother-in-law and her sister who is a retired Dean of a woman's college here and worked in the women's rights movement in India while being a companion of Indii Ghandi for ten years. She is a story to herself. We are staying in a beautiful house just below the Shiva Shrine. There is some type of festival at the shrine so we have to sleep with ear plugs. I have also included a photo of the boat that give tours on this beautiful Lake. There are great houseboats here and a town that is on the lake. The end of the movie "Passage To India" where Dr. Aziz left Delhi to spend his time in northern India was filmed here on the houseboats we saw today. Bob and I also got fitted for Indian clothes (cotton) that the tailor will have ready by this Friday. I'll take a picture of us in our new clothes and let you have a look.

Bob Has His Say:

I'm tired. We got sniffed by the drug dog at the Dehli airport. He gave up and exercised by running around on the luggage trolly. There's a lot of military here--serious looking guys with serious looking machine guns. We have a guard at our gate. He says Americans "are nice people" and puts out rice for the birds.

We arrived in New Jersey at Liberty airport about two hours ago. We've eaten and looked at some Saprano shirts and finally settled in the Continental Club. It's very nice here with comfortable chairs as you can see. We will stay around here until our plane leaves at 8:15p.m.

I forgot to bring the cheese which I had gotten for our host in Kashmir so I've sent Bob out to try to buy some from a deli. He'll check back later, after his nap. I'm ging to take a stroll around myself (which is impossible to do according to an English Professor I know) to the bookstore and then rest. I hope my dog Chester was walked today. I hated to leave him this morning but India calls. It's going to be great so hang in with me until I get to some great culture/nature and all that stuff. My friends tell me that Snow Leopards are seen often at the home where we will visit that is in the mountains. I can hardly wait. Meanwhile, it's airports and not so great scenery.

In Newark

Lotus Fest is today

It's almost time to leave!!!!!

Time is growing shorter by the day. I've been getting cameras ready and will post my first video to the blog tonight. I went to the Buddhist Temple Wednesday evening for a mediation class which I go to each week. There is a Lotus Festival going on there this weekend. I shot some of the flowers and a couple of the monks talking about the festival. I hope to go myself Sunday. It is in Port Aurther, Texas, a forty-five minute drive from my home.

Getting ready!!!!!

It has been very hot in Lake Charles today. I have accomplished getting appropriate luggage so I can bring all my cameras aboard the plane in one container. Now I will spend the next couple of days making sure they all fit. Our visas are back from Houston. We have our shots up-to-date, and have upgraded to first class for the trip from Liberty airport in New York to Delhi. So far all is looking well. I will keep you posted as the departure date gets closer.