INDIA 2025: KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK

 November 25-26, 2025

After arriving in Delhi, we spent the next five or six hours on the road to Bharatpur, a city of about a quarter million people in the Indian state of Rajasthan and popular with tourists because of its proximity to Keoladeo National Park, which was our ultimate destination.

We stayed in Pahersar, a small village 10 to 12 miles outside of Bharatpur. Our hotel, the Chandra Mahal Haveli, was built in 1840 in a Persian style--symmetrical, lots of tile work, large courtyards, plenty of landscaping, etc.

I can't remember what is important about that photo of Chris and Bonnie on the left. I think Chris couldn't get into her room or something. Our rooms opened onto this lovely courtyard.

In California, we see warning signs for rattlesnakes. It is a little different in India.

UGANDA: ON THE ROAD FROM MURCHISON FALLS TO KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK VIA ACHOLIBUR PRIMARY SCHOOL

 July 22, 2025

After a good night's sleep, we climbed back into our trusty vehicle for the most difficult drive of the trip, which, as you can see, made Ella very happy . . . or maybe just a bit loopy.

And off we went into the sunrise.

Kidepo Valley National Park is in the far northeast corner of Uganda, just south of the South Sudan border. The distance from Murchison Falls to Kidepo Valley NP is only 250 miles, but it took us over ten hours to get there. We did stop for a little over an hour at an elementary school along the way, but even at eight or nine hours that is a pretty slow drive that can be attributed to the poor road conditions.

At first, the road was paved and we made good time for a while. 

INDIA: BACK TO DELHI AND ON TO AGRA'S RED FORT

 December 26-27, 2024

Our next destination was Agra, home to the world-renowned Taj Majal, but to get there from Varanasi we had to fly to Delhi, spend the night, then sit four hours in a minivan to drive 150 miles, which gives you an idea of what the roads are like in India.

Fortunately, we had another luxury stay in Delhi in the Marriott Hotel. It wins the prize for the most beautiful lobby.

I was intrigued by this Christmas display with a griffin in the center, but I have since learned that the griffin is the Marriott Hotel's custom logo found in their hotels throughout the world.

Like almost all of our upper-end hotels, this one had a doorman in traditional dress. I don't know if this is a British colonial thing or a truly Indian culture thing. I suspect it is the former.

About half-way through the long drive we made a bathroom and snack stop.  I like how this bathrooms are labeled "Public Conveniences." 

KFC, Pizza Hut, and Subway are regular fast food places in India. No thanks. I grabbed something (I can't remember what) from the Indian fast food restaurant Vaango!

We arrived at the Agra Fort (aka Red Fort) in the early afternoon. I think it was the most spectacular thing we had seen up until this point in our trip. The initial stages of the fort were built in the early 1500s, and it was the main residence of the Mughal emperors from the time of its construction until 1638, which is when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. It is where the most famous Mughal emperors, Humayun and Akbar, were crowned in 1565 and 1573, respectively. (It was Akbar's grandson who built the Taj Mahal just 1.6 miles from this site in 1648.) The Agra Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

INDIA, DELHI: HUMAYUN'S TOMB

 December 22, 2024

After church we got on the road for a city tour of New Delhi. I can't say this enough, but the traffic is CRAZY in the city. There is no respect for lanes, and there is lots of honking. Tourists should not drive.

Our first stop was Humayun's Tomb, built for the Mughal emperor Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad (aka "Humayun," and I have no idea how the names relate to each other) by his first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum and with the patronage of Humayun's son, the great Emperor Akbar, in the 1570s. The Empress was so devastated by her husband's death that she dedicated the remainder of her life to the construction of the most magnificent mausoleum up to that time in the Empire. It was the first monumental Islamic mausoleum in India as well as the first garden tomb, and it greatly influenced that design of the Taj Mahal 80 years later.

The tomb and surrounding property was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, which enabled it to undergo extensive restoration. It didn't take long for us to discover what an excellent guide we had. His name was Sajeet, and Bob found him online. I wish I had more info to share because he was one of the best guides we have ever had. 

The tomb complex has an impressive 67-acre footprint and includes over 100 tombs in addition to Humayan's Tomb, as well as several ponds and  gardens.

It was pretty busy the day we were there.

INDIA: GUWAHATI TO KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK

 December 17, 2024

We were up at 6:00 AM, ignoring both the 12.5 hour time difference between where we were and California and our 40 hours of travel, and were down at the extensive and excellent breakfast buffet by 7:15. Chris and I especially liked the black rice in a purple pudding--more dessert than breakfast!

A driver in a small minivan came to pick us up at 8:00 AM. Our luggage caused him and the hotel staff some distress. They spent over twenty minutes strapping it to the roof, and we finally got on the road at about 8:30.

We headed east-north-east through the finger of India that lies between Tibet to the north, Bangladesh to the southwest, and Myanmar to the southeast. I had no idea that India was anything other than the downward-pointing triangle I always pictured it as.

The distance was just over 200 km, or 125 miles, but it took us 4.25 hours of driving.

It started out well enough with wide, scenic roads lined by vendors, most of them selling oranges.

IRELAND, DAY 5: CLIFFS OF MOHER

 July 8, 2024

A 2.25 hour drive got us from our hotel in Castleisland to the Cliffs of Moher, the #2 attraction in Ireland after the #1 Guiness Brewery Tour (which was not on our itinerary). In 2022, the Cliffs got about 1.1 million visitors, 41% of whom were from the United States.

There are two ways to see the cliffs: tourists can 1) walk along the top of the cliffs, or 2) take a sightseeing cruise. We thought we'd see more from the water than from the top, so before we left home, Bob purchased tickets (€26 each) for a boat tour. 

While we waited to board the boat, we walked around on the shore. Rather than sand, there was a rocky surface with interesting cracks filled with tiny flowers.

We boarded at about 11:45 and departed at noon for a "drive by" that took about 50 minutes.

The Cliffs of Moher run for about nine miles and rise between 390 feet and 702 feet above the ocean. At first we weren't very impressed. The cliffs were in shadow and we were very far away from them as we motored the nine miles to the far end. 

Here is a photo that I tried to edit to show the cliff details.

INDONESIA - SUMATRA, MEDAN: MAIMOON PALACE, GUNUNG TIMUR BUDDHIST TEMPLE, AND CABE HIJO

 July 1, 2023

After a 17-hour flight to Singapore, a 15-hour time change, and a full day on our feet, we really needed sleep, but we got up at 4:30 AM, pulled ourselves together and called a car, and made our way to the airport for a 7:00 AM flight to the city of Medan, located on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The flight itself was just 1 hour 5 minutes.

Arrival was complicated. We got in line at Passport control, only to be sent back to buy a 30-day "Visa on Arrival." In all our correspondence with the travel company and research online, this was not mentioned. The price was $35/person, and of course they required cash (no credit), and we had yet to visit an ATM in Indonesia to get some cash, so we had to dig out US dollars. 

We presented our VOA at Passport Control, after which we had to fill out and print a customs report, then go through customs, then have our carry-on luggage x-rayed. We think that was the most steps we have ever had to take on entry to a foreign country.

I had checked a bag, so we made a bathroom stop (apparently women are identified by their shopping bags here?) and then waited for my suitcase, hoping it wasn't one of the suitcases dangling artistically from the ceiling. I was happy to see it come rolling out on the conveyor belt.

JAMAICA: MOCKINGBIRD HILL, THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, AND OUR JOURNEY HOME

 February 18, 2023

Not far from Port Antonio, a city of about 14,000 on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, is a lovely eco boutique hotel named Mockingbird Hill. 

It is located between the Caribbean Ocean and the Blue Mountains, which contain Jamaica's highest peak (7402 feet), and it has some incredible scenery.

Photo from Travel Weekly

JAMAICA, DAY 3: GREENWOOD GREAT HOUSE AND FALMOUTH

February 17, 2023

Bob got up early for a morning of bird watching, and I slept in until 7:30. The hotel included a breakfast buffet with boiled bananas and sweet potatoes, fish hash, some bread-like items I don't know the names for, scrambled eggs, sausage, and French toast. It was all good, and the view of Montego Bay made it taste even better.  Chad was out there snorkeling, and he said the water was crystal clear and the fish were amazing.

I had a lazy morning, and when Bob got back we headed out to the Greenwood Great House. GPS led us down roads that could hardly be called roads--narrow, rutted dirt paths that wound around tin shacks. There were virtually no indicators, like signs, for example, indicating that we were going in the right direction. It was hard to believe most tourists wouldn't be deterred by the roads or would get lost on their way to the house. We persevered, however, and finally pulled up to the rear of a large, dilapidated erstwhile manor.