A Visit to Meerut

Our old friends Brij and Viola Lal, have lived in Meerut since retirement. This is a smaller city than Delhi, but has grown enormously since we first visited here back in 1996. Their daughter Deepa and her son Jason live with them. We are staying in a hotel not far from their home, and are kindly picked up by car in the morning to spend the day with the family. 

Our trip from Delhi by car on Friday went smoothly, although it took a long time to get from one side of Delhi to another. Once we crossed the River Yamuna, we got on an expressway that moved us quickly to Meerut. After settling into the hotel, we went over to the house for greetings and tea with samosas.

The cricket test match between India and South Africa was on the TV. We anticipated being able to watch it for the usual five days. However, the scoring was low and the wicket-falling was high, and the whole thing was over before the end of the third day. If you don't know anything about cricket, that won't mean much, but it was disappointing. And India lost.

On Saturday we did our laundry in their automatic washer. I hung it out on the rooftop terrace and it was all dry within just a few hours. Anju and Sandeep came from Delhi and we all had a good day visiting.

Saturday night we had an unfortunate incident; about midnight a large group of noisy people came into the room next to ours. They were smoking, talking, and laughing loudly. Dan went down to the desk but the overnight attendant had no authority to do anything. They finally quieted down about 4:00 AM. We were not happy!!

On Sunday Neelu and Sanjay came from Delhi. What a treat to spend time with three of the Lal daughters and their parents. In the afternoon I went shopping with Anju and Neelu; I was interested in the yarn shop Anju had been at the day before. I did find some very decent yarn for a project I have in mind, and the total price for a total of eight 100-gram balls was less than $10! After the yarn shop, the sisters had some more shopping to do. They are professionals 😉

When we returned, Deepa had lunch ready -- Tibetan noodles and momos. She is an amazing cook, just like her mother. I was happy to spend some time visiting with Neelu, whom we see very rarely.

Today (Monday) is our last day here. It will be quieter, as the Delhi folks have returned home to work today. We'll be leaving for the airport at 7:30 in the morning for our flight to Bangalore and our next visiting adventure.

I did take some pictures but the internet here in our hotel is extremely slow. I can't get anything to load. I will try to add some when we are in Bangalore, where we should have better connectivity.

A Few Days in Delhi

Today (Thursday) is our fifth and last day in Delhi. We have been very fortunate to spend time with several friends. On our first day, Sunday, we took the Metro to Mayur Vihar, where Anju (Lal) and Sandeep live. We had a good visit and some tea, then headed back to the hotel. 

On Monday we were able to meet up with Darab and Naz, long-time Woodstock friends. Darab was our student back in the 1970s and lived with us in Goshen for a year and a half while he completed a teaching degree. They were on their way home from Mussoorie to Pune and were able to stop at our hotel. We went to lunch and talked and talked. In fact, we were so busy talking, we neglected to take the obligatory photo.

Tuesday morning we were happy to run into Dar (Seaman) and Tom at breakfast. We had been in touch, as I knew they were attending a class reunion in Mussoorie around this time. Again, lots of talking, and this time we did remember a photo!

Wednesday we were back with Anju and Sandeep, and very grateful for Sandeep's help with some problems with our upcoming domestic flights. All is well now!

We had lunch several days at a nearby restaurant, The Beer Cafe. This dish of chicken meatballs was very good (as were the other dishes we tried).

This hotel, the Hyatt Centric Janakpuri West, is very comfortable. The peacock below decorates a wall looking down from the 8th floor to the 4th.

The breakfast buffet is excellent, with both Indian and western dishes. Eggs are made to order, there is a variety of fresh fruit, multiple pastries and toast, and North and South Indian breakfast foods.

Fresh poories, with potato bhaji

Two kinds of wadas, a South Indian staple

We took a shopping trip to Khan Market on Tuesday, hoping to find some things at FabIndia. We took the Metro again, which stops very close to the market. But by the time walked around and climbed the stairs to the store, I was quite breathless from the heat and pollution. (It isn't really all that hot, but I don't adapt very well above the upper 70s F.) A kind clerk gave me a bottle of water, which helped. Dan climbed another flight to the menswear department and found a few things. I tried on some tops, but nothing was quite right. Today Dan has gone into Janpath and Cottage Industries but I decided to stay back and rest up.

Tomorrow we head to Meerut to visit our old friends Brij and Viola Lal. I'll post some photos, as many of my readers remember them.

Back in India

When we left India after our last visit in 2022, we thought we might not return. But here we are again! We are in Delhi for a few days to get over jet lag, do some shopping, and visit with some friends.

We were a bit worried about our flight from O'Hare on Air India. Our original reservation was for November 6, but that flight was cancelled and we were moved to November 7. Then the AI October 31 flight was cancelled (no reason given). With the US government shutdown, it was announced that flights would be cut back beginning November 7, due to the air traffic controllers not being paid. Fortunately for us, the cutbacks started with domestic flights and ours left on time.

We arrived four hours early at the airport and there were already long lines at the check-in desk. Since we were in business class, ours was shorter. When we got to the desk we were told that one of our seats had a problem; it might not recline or lie flat; we would have to check at the gate. This did not sound good! After a couple of hours in the lounge, we went to the gate. It was confirmed that one seat was not working and we had to fill out a form to agree to fly anyway. That took a good half-hour. We are assured that we will get a partial refund. In the end, Dan took the seat and let me lie down. It wasn't as comfortable as some of the flights we've taken, but it went well and we were fine in the end (although Dan's hips weren't very happy; he's been having difficulty for the past year).

We both got wheelchairs when we exited the plane; it was a very long walk to immigration and baggage claim. Our electronic visas and arrival cards passed inspection and we went on to collect our bags. The two men who pushed us were wonderful; they took care of the baggage and saw us to the prepaid taxi booth and into the taxi. They enjoyed having a westerner who could understand and speak Hindi with them. It was a relief to get to the hotel, shower, and get into a comfortable bed.

Sunday morning we were up early and enjoyed the hotel buffet breakfast. Dan went out to the Metro station to get our travel cards, and around 10:00 we headed out to get our phones connected here. An Airtel store was a short distance from the hotel. That took over an hour, with lots of paperwork, photos, etc. (Yes, I still had to put my father's name on the form; that hasn't changed since we first came here 57 years ago.) Eventually everything was working and my home SIM safely stowed. We were told there was a bank just around the corner with an ATM. Well, it was quite a bit further than just around the corner, and the ATM wasn't working. We walked back past the hotel and to another mall, where we looked into a shop and had lunch.

Finally back to the hotel to rest for an hour, then take the Metro to Mayur Vihar to visit Sandeep and Anju. It was good to see them and have some tea. Our hotel is right next to a blue line Metro station, which goes right to their stop. We got back around 8:00 and had a decent night's sleep.

Inside the Metro station; there are usually many more waiting for the next train.

This shows how close everyone stands; Thums Up is a local Indian cola brand. It came up in the 1970s when Coca Cola was banned. I was fortunate to get a seat on both rides.

Dan drinking chai and chatting with a hotel employee at breakfast.

Day Ten and Wrap-up

A few things I forgot to include: on our last game drive, we saw some lion sex, not all that interesting (a few seconds then quit, wait, try again), and a race to see another leopard. I wasn't able to get a good photo, but we did see it. One time another vehicle got stuck in a rut; our driver gave it a shove and away we all went. We had rain most afternoons in Naboisho, but it never caused us any problems. We enjoyed seeing it coming across the horizon.

At Saruni Eagle View we got acquainted with a British Indian couple who arrived and left at the same times as we did. On the second day, they got engaged in a special setup out in the bush. They also had a fancy dinner at a table moved into a lounge area. They were euphoric and we all enjoyed watching them!

Our last day was spent in Nairobi. We flew by a chartered plane from an airstrip on the conservancy (air traffic control: a man on a motorcycle rode to the far end and waved) and landed at the domestic airport in Nairobi. It was nice to be met by an Asilia agent and guided to the car that took us to the airport hotel.

The pilot gave us the security talk; we were the only passengers

On our last full day, we had a tour of several places in the city. The first was the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an elephant and rhino orphanage where the babies are raised and reintegrated into protected wilderness. We were looking forward to it, but found there were so many people it was difficult to see, and the man who gave a lecture spoke for a long time and was very difficult to hear and understand.

We watched some of the little ones coming to the center ring

We found a bench slightly raised and could see some of what was going on

Next stop was a place that helped Maasai women earn a living by making beads and doing leatherwork. Shopping opportunity!

Our next stop was the Giraffe Center where endangered Rothschild's giraffes are raised. I loved it! We had an interesting lecture after the feeding. I learned that giraffe bones have no marrow so they can support their immense weight.

They gave us food pellets to feed the giraffes, who obviously knew what to expect.

Love this photo of the long narrow neck!

We had lunch at the Madbronze art gallery and cafe. A lovely table was set up for us in a gazebo.

Panoramic photo of our location

Restroom sign!

One of the many bronze works on display, love this family of warthogs

Our last stop was the Karen Blixen house, where the author of Out of Africa lived (pen-name Isak Dinesen). We toured the inside but no photos were allowed.

This was an amazing trip and I feel so fortunate that I was able to go. Lucy's reading of  Born Free at age twelve was the impetus for planning it.

We did learn a very little bit of Swahili:  Jambo = hello, often said twice; Asante = thank you; and Karibu = you're welcome. And, yes, hakuna matata = no worries, is commonly used.

Africa Adventure Days 8-9

The two full days at Saruni Eagle View were wonderful. Because it was so small, our meals offered two options and were served at the table, rather than the lavish buffets we had before. Again, the waiters and other staff were outstanding. Because the Conservancy is owned by the Maasai, many of the employees were members of that tribe.

We continued to have morning and evening drives and saw many more animals. This area did not have as many zebras as we'd seen before in the thousands, but there was plenty of wildlife to enjoy.

Thompson's gazelles near grazing Maasai cattle

A jackal in a hurry

More lazy lions!

Some lions getting ready to go scouting

We saw these three giraffes standing together. The lions also saw them and began stalking. They were able to cut one off from the others and the giraffe, sensing the danger, began to run. We saw the lions chasing her and saw her fall down but get up again (not easy when you have such long legs). They all disappeared into the bushes so we didn't see the kill. But our driver knew where to go and we sat for a long time watching the lions feast. It was horrible (giraffes are my favorites) but also fascinating. We saw the "law of the jungle" in action.

Later we learned that the giraffe had been pregnant; some of the other watchers saw the evidence.

The Thompson's gazelles' tails never stopped wagging; perpetual motion!

Mongooses standing up like meerkats (a relative)

More warthogs

Elephants and giraffe together

Our driver, Alex, while we waited for our flight to Nairobi

Yes, our bags got on board!

Africa Adventure Day 7

The following day we left Ashnil Mara in the Maasai Mara Reserve and drove to the Naboisho Conservancy. We were still in the same type of country, but the Conservancy is privately owned by 800 Maasai families. They are allowed to continue to take their cattle out onto the land; the locations change in order not to disturb the wild animals. We were driven to the gate between and transferred to another vehicle just like the one we had been riding in. Our new lodge was the Saruni Eagle View and it was wonderful (they all were!). This one is a tented camp with only about ten tents. They are elevated with views out into the bush. There are no fences, so the animals can move about the property freely. During the day they stayed away, but in the night a number of them were around (we saw the evidence). Before light and after dark we were required to walk to our tent with a guard; they patrol all night.

Great photo of us (!) at the Talek Gate between the Reserve and the Conservancy

We drove through a town and saw many Maasai homes, some stockaded like this for the cattle.

Looking out from the main lounge area of our camp

The tent for Lucy and me; Barbara had her own

The view out the front from inside; the screens were zipped closed

We just got settled in our room when it was time for our first game drive in the conservancy. For the first time, we had others in our vehicle; a Norwegian couple. We stopped for snacks and drinks about 5:30, the only time we did that.

The next two days we did lots of game drives and saw many more animals. Next up: yes, more animal pictures!

Africa Day 6

Even though my pictures are dated and therefore should be in order, it is hard to remember exactly what happened when. I think the majority of these pictures took place on day 6.

Dead hippo in pool, hyenas feasting (horrible but fascinating)

Lazy lions; we waited quite a while and they didn't move

Here we are in front of our truck with our driver, Danson.

Cape buffalo

Secretary bird; we saw several but it was hard to catch a picture

Elephant family

Helmeted guinea fowl

Hippos in the river

Hippos returning to river

River banks showing hippo paths for going up and down.

In the Serengeti

Giraffes, my favorites

Impala and zebras

Wildebeest and zebras lined up for migrating; my videos won't load ☹️