INDIA, JAIPUR: JANTAR MANTAR, THE CITY PALACE OF JAIPUR, AND GOING HOME

 December 30, 2025

Driving through the urban areas of India is always interesting. I find myself wishing I could see these buildings when they were new, and I wonder who has lived in them and what stories they can tell.

The same goes for the people. Their lives are so different than ours, and yet we find common ground when we talk with them. It is hard for me to envision living in their shoes.

In Jaipur, there was beauty of some kind on every corner.

There was also plenty that made us smile, like this anti-drinking-and-driving signage.

We had a new guide, and our first destination of the morning was the Jantar Mantar, an observatory completed in 1734. 

INDIA, JAIPUR: THE SAMODE HAVELI HERITAGE HOTEL AND THE AMBER FORT

 December 29, 2024

It is about 150 miles from Agra to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri, and altogether the drive took us almost five hours. Again, we were so glad we had a large van with AC and a very experienced driver. By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were worn out and the day was pretty much over.

Bob had booked rooms in a five-star hotel, the Samode Haveli, which was initially built in the 16th century as a fort but was converted into a palace in the early 19th century by Samode Haveli, the Prime Minister of Jaipur. In 1987 it was converted again, but this time into what is called a "Heritage Hotel," which is a building that has historical or architectural significance and has been made into a hotel. Heritage hotels are usually tied in some way to royalty, nobility, or prominent families.

It is gorgeous inside, but the hallways are a maze and we got lost a couple of times on our first day there. It was a little like wandering the back alleys of Delhi, but on a very grand scale!

INDIA, VARANASI: WALKING TOUR

 December 24, 2025

We arrived in Varanasi on a flight from Delhi at about noon. Compared to Delhi, Varanasi has a small airport, but it was still very interesting. I have no idea what this tree sculpture is all about, but I love the symbolism of trees, so I had to stop and look.

This next display is one I could decipher. The G20 Summit, an annual meeting of leaders from the world's largest economies, was held in Delhi in 2023. A branch of the G20, the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting, was held in Varanasi.

So why were we in Varanasi, a city I hadn't heard of before Bob told me he wanted to go there?

Varanasi is a huge city on the Ganges River that is the main pilgrimage site for Hindus, much like Mecca is for Muslims. It is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities, and according to Hindu mythology, it was founded by Shiva, one of the three principal Hindu deities along with Vishnu and Brahma. One story is that Shiva brought the Ganges from heaven to earth in his hair. Another is that Vishnu pierced a hole in the universe from which the Ganges flowed to earth. Either way, this is a sacred spot for Hindus.

The modern city is about 32 square miles and houses 1.2 million actual residents, but in 2024, 11 million tourists came to the city, making it possibly the most crowded city in the world. Many of the tourists are not coming for sightseeing, but rather to die here and/or spread their loved one's ashes in the Ganges. Dying in this holy city is said to result in moksha, or release from the endless cycle of dying and rebirth. It is thought that about 32,000 corpses are cremated each year on the banks of the Ganges, after which their ashes are spread on the river. Other Hindus come here to bathe in or even drink from the river, which is said to have healing properties. 

But I am getting way ahead of myself. Our first stop was at our hotel, the Taj Ganges Varanasi. That's a pretty presumptuous name for a very normal-looking hotel.

Photo from Booking.com

INDIA, DELHI: QUTB MINAR COMPLEX AND FUN TIMES IN THE IMPERIAL HOTEL

 December 22, 2025

I admit that I am obsessed with the traffic in India. Here's yet another post beginning with traffic footage. This one shows us trying to cross the street on foot. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ON YOUR OWN. You should be with a guide who can, well, guide you across.

 

Pay attention to the signage, which is often good for a laugh or at least a smile.

And watch out for the traffic cops. Some don't look so friendly. And the trees have eyes (eyeglasses?)!

Our next stop was the Qutb Minar Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but it sounds like a disease.

INDIA: RETURN TO DELHI AND SUNDAY CHURCH IN AN LDS WARD

 December 21-22, 2024

Bob left early in the morning for one more birding trip with Bablu while the rest of us enjoyed a slower morning with time to pack and eat breakfast. A van and driver picked us up around 10:30 AM and we began the long trek back to Guwahati and the airport. This time I sat up front, and the driver was much, much smoother. We also seemed to be on better roads, so I wonder if we took a different (perhaps longer?) route. Anyway, I survived without motion sickness.

We had another difficult pass through the airport. We had no ticket confirmations or boarding passes, which apparently were required just to get through the first door. The officials finally let us in, but three of us had to stay near the entrance guards while Bob picked up our boarding passes. Our time in Guwahati and Kaziranga was the only part of the trip where we were not with Audley Travel, the agency Bob used to plan the rest of the trip, and it reinforced that when you travel to India, it is a good idea NOT to do it on your own. We are pretty experienced, savvy travelers, and it was almost too much for us!

When we had arrived in Guwahati four days before, we didn't stay long in the airport. This time we were there for several hours waiting for our departure time.  We admired the holiday decor. 

We tried to understand why these signs were on the trash cans.

We hunted and hunted for something for dinner and finally ordered a veggie pizza that came with corn, green olives, green peppers, onions and ketchup.  Yeah, no.

INDIA, DECEMBER 2025: LAX TO GUWAHATI

December 14-16, 2024    

We've been wanting to go to India for a while, but the timing never worked out. A few years ago it was not our year to have everyone home for Christmas, and I made the casual comment to Bob that next time it wasn't our year, I wanted to be traveling instead of sitting around at home. He took that as a green light for India and began planning. Once Bob starts planning, well . . . 

We drove to LAX on Saturday, December 14. We were trying out a new parking structure--105 Airport Parking--and couldn't find it. It turns out it had changed names to South Bay Parking, but no notice had been sent informing us of that change. It turned out to be a bit of a dump, and not a place we would recommend. There was only ONE available parking spot in the whole place, and it was on Level 6, the top floor. Of course, the elevator was broken, so Bob dropped me off and unloaded our luggage before going up (and then taking the stairs down after he parked).  We waited and waited and waited in a decrepit waiting room for a shuttle.  After at least a half hour, we gave up and called an Uber, which cost $18. 

Luckily, we always leave ourselves lots of time when we take international flights out of LAX as we never know what kind of traffic we will be facing on the LA freeways. We had time for a pizza at Wolfgang Puck's before flying to San Francisco Airport, where we again had plenty of time and enjoyed some clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl. 

The plan was to meet up in India with my sister Chris and her husband Stan, who live in Billings, Montana. While we were in the San Francisco Airport, we got a text from Stan telling us they had missed their first flight from Billings→Seattle, which meant they might be behind 24 hours or more. Later we heard that they found a Billings→Portland→Seattle flight and made it in time to make their Seattle→London flight before their London→Delhi flight. Whew.

When we boarded our Air India flight from San Francisco→Delhi, we were struck by how Indian the plane seemed. Its seats were a yellowish-orange and red, and it smelled like an Indian restaurant. 

IRELAND, DAY 4: THE SKELLIG RING AND RING OF KERRY SCENIC DRIVES

 July 7, 2024

It was 1:00 and we were hungry. We had bought some snacks at our last gas station stop and were ready to eat them.

Bob found a grassy knoll where we could sit down and enjoy the cool weather and a few treats.

What a view! It was the perfect background for eating gingersnaps dipped in milk.

Our next stop was Ballinskelligs Beach (aka Ladies' Beach), a secluded beach with fine white sand hidden beyond some rugged black rocks.

Further on, we stopped at another viewpoint. Gorgeous, right?

Our longest stop was at Derrynane Beach, which had a sandy beach on a cove with gently lapping waves and quite a few people in and out of the water. It almost felt like California.

We hiked up a road to where we could see a cemetery. 

All kinds of kitsch decorates the graves.

The Irish really know how to treat their dead--and the survivors who visit the graves. This is the view from the cemetery. What a beautiful place.

A little further on, and on its own little island accessible from the beach when the tide is out (which it was), we came across the ruins of the 6th century Derrynane Abbey, built on a monastic site founded by St. Finnian of Clonard (one of the fathers of Irish monasticism) during the 5th century.

The abbey is in ruins now, but at one time there was a Romanesque church with two connected structures here

The abbey has its own graveyard, with some markers being very old . . . 

. . . and others more recent. These two are from 2009:

I'm always intrigued by what people leave on graves. It's part of the mourning process, I guess. 

Many of the markers mentioned several people. This one has four.

Mary O'Connell (d. 1836), wife of "The Liberator" Daniel O'Connell, is buried here. In fact, Daniel O'Connell's ancestral home is just up the road, but we didn't stop there.

Photo from here

We couldn't dawdle too long as the tide might close off our passage back to the parking lot.

Every now and then we would pass through a small town or village. This florist shop is in Sneem, a village with fewer than 400 people. They must buy a lot of flowers. Either that or this wonderful florist serves a much wider range than this village.

More soul-touching vistas.

Coming up, "Ladies View," but ladies, please don't leave your purse in your car!

According to The Irish Times, this is one of the most photographed places in Ireland, and the Daily Edge says it is one of Ireland's finest Instagram spots. The name Ladies View stems from the admiration of the view by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting during the queen's visit to Ireland in 1861.

Back on the road. Gotta love the tunnels. They look like something out of The Hobbit.

We ended up in Killarney, a beautiful town of about 14,000 inhabitants located in County Kerry on the edge of Killarney National Park. Apparently they had a Fourth of July parade in honor of their friendship with the U.S., but we missed it!

However, we were there in time for our reservation at The Tan Yard. On the outside it looked like a sports bar, but inside it was all elegance.  We started off with a plate of breads, cheeses, and tepanade:

Our waitress suggested the locally-sourced tempura vegetables, which were delicious. I had a side of gruyere mashed potatoes to go along with . . . 

. . . what I described in my journal as "the best duck I have ever had." Bob had rib-eye, which was good, but not as good as my duck.

I really liked the looks of Killarney and wish we could have spent a day there. We'll have to go back, right, Bob?

We drove another 13 or 14 miles north to Castleisland, where we spent the night in the River Island Hotel.