Thursday, June 28, 2012
Day One, Delhi
All right, so here I am. I have learned from my mistakes in Croatia when I did not stick to my plan. This time my plan was to arrive and hunker down in the hotel room for the first day. I knew I would need to get acclimated and caught up on sleep. I didn't realize how holing up like a hermit would play with my mind. I felt like a prisoner. But now tha I am over the sleep deprivation I am feeling a lot better. Right now it's almost ten at night. Tomorrow morning I am going to take advantage of the hotel's trip assistance and take a tour of the sites. I'd thought being so close to the red fort I'd be able to just walk myself over there, but in Delhi, like Cairo, one mile may as well be a hundred. I wish I'd remembered Cairo's lesson about distance, direction, and allowing yourself to let others help you--but not be a fool about it, of course.
So, I know friends were expecting photos and such, but that will have to wait. Seriously, I haven't left the hotel. And from the rooftop dining area, all I can see through the bamboo screening are higher buildings and air conditioning units.
But tomorrow I will be adventurous.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
48 Hours, or Less
Hello Everyone. Well, it seems like it's about time to check into my old blog. It's around 48 hours until I'm on the road/in the air/sitting for hours in an airport waiting for something to happen.
And what is everyone's main concern at this point in a trip, the 48 hours before leaving? What to pack. I've been gathering up clothes and pills and toiletries and all those items that cause you to think you don't have enough and you have too much: adapters, converters, transfer ports between camera and computer, etc, etc...
I guess for all the stress accumulation of these items causes me in pursuit of comfort, there is one thing I am kind of excited to have gotten, a zoom lens for my new camera. I got the new camera a couple of weeks ago but only had the 18-55mm lens that came with it. I was thinking I needed to bring along my 30x zoom point and shoot in order to get distant photos. I stopped at all the used camera shops along High St. a couple of days ago and found nothing. Columbus is not a Pentax town, they told me. Then I tried "World of Used Photography" on W. Third Ave. in Grandview. For a bargain $100 they sold me a used 70-300mm zoom. It's used, it's a little rough, but it works and has a macro setting for tight close ups of tiny objects. Check in to my Flickr page soon to see how my progress with the new camera goes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcvdave/
When I found the zoom lens, I felt relieved. I could cut down my load to one good camera and a tiny point and shoot. This sounds like a lot of over thinking for a tiny issue. I don't know if it is or isn't over thinking. All I know is my mind does this and it is bothersome.
So how about my plan? Arrive in New Delhi, stay for three nights. There are tons and tons of things to see in Delhi, it was home to five different cities over the centuries, one shoulder to shoulder with the next, but I am going to limit myself. Rather than a grand plan to see everything in one shot, I am planning on hitting the highlights of the Red Fort and the various ghats, steps built on the banks of rivers for people to do ritual bathing and praying. I figure mostly I need to acclimate myself those first few days. I am anticipating more culture shock than I've ever experienced. I visited Cairo when it was about 15 million people. I hope that may give me some indication of what Delhi will be like.
After three nights in New Delhi I am headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Two nights there and then on to Rajasthan. I've got five nights booked in Jaipur. There is the Pink City, the old town where I'm told most buildings are painted shades of rose. I'm looking forward to seeing the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds and the Amber Fort just outside the city up on a hill.
After Jaipur I am planning on going to the Blue City, Jodhpur. I haven't arranged accommodation yet for Jodhpur in case there is something outside of Jaipur I need to stop and see for a day. Other places I want to hit up are Ahmedabad and Patan in Gujarat for the step wells, silk industry, and Jain Temples. On the way back to Delhi I should stop in Jaisalmer to see the honey colored sandstone fort and possibly Bikaner if I haven't seen enough and if there's enough time. I've got to get back to New Delhi to fly out on the 25th of July. I'll probably spend a night or two in the capital just to round out the trip and pick up souvenirs. Word is that there is a national craft museum in Delhi that brings in artisans from all over the country and in a concentrated area you can find items from all over the country being made in one place.
So, does that sound good? Laying it all out there in words sure helps me feel like I have more of a plan than I thought and it soothes my racing mind a little. Whew.
And what is everyone's main concern at this point in a trip, the 48 hours before leaving? What to pack. I've been gathering up clothes and pills and toiletries and all those items that cause you to think you don't have enough and you have too much: adapters, converters, transfer ports between camera and computer, etc, etc...
I guess for all the stress accumulation of these items causes me in pursuit of comfort, there is one thing I am kind of excited to have gotten, a zoom lens for my new camera. I got the new camera a couple of weeks ago but only had the 18-55mm lens that came with it. I was thinking I needed to bring along my 30x zoom point and shoot in order to get distant photos. I stopped at all the used camera shops along High St. a couple of days ago and found nothing. Columbus is not a Pentax town, they told me. Then I tried "World of Used Photography" on W. Third Ave. in Grandview. For a bargain $100 they sold me a used 70-300mm zoom. It's used, it's a little rough, but it works and has a macro setting for tight close ups of tiny objects. Check in to my Flickr page soon to see how my progress with the new camera goes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcvdave/
When I found the zoom lens, I felt relieved. I could cut down my load to one good camera and a tiny point and shoot. This sounds like a lot of over thinking for a tiny issue. I don't know if it is or isn't over thinking. All I know is my mind does this and it is bothersome.
So how about my plan? Arrive in New Delhi, stay for three nights. There are tons and tons of things to see in Delhi, it was home to five different cities over the centuries, one shoulder to shoulder with the next, but I am going to limit myself. Rather than a grand plan to see everything in one shot, I am planning on hitting the highlights of the Red Fort and the various ghats, steps built on the banks of rivers for people to do ritual bathing and praying. I figure mostly I need to acclimate myself those first few days. I am anticipating more culture shock than I've ever experienced. I visited Cairo when it was about 15 million people. I hope that may give me some indication of what Delhi will be like.
After three nights in New Delhi I am headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Two nights there and then on to Rajasthan. I've got five nights booked in Jaipur. There is the Pink City, the old town where I'm told most buildings are painted shades of rose. I'm looking forward to seeing the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds and the Amber Fort just outside the city up on a hill.
After Jaipur I am planning on going to the Blue City, Jodhpur. I haven't arranged accommodation yet for Jodhpur in case there is something outside of Jaipur I need to stop and see for a day. Other places I want to hit up are Ahmedabad and Patan in Gujarat for the step wells, silk industry, and Jain Temples. On the way back to Delhi I should stop in Jaisalmer to see the honey colored sandstone fort and possibly Bikaner if I haven't seen enough and if there's enough time. I've got to get back to New Delhi to fly out on the 25th of July. I'll probably spend a night or two in the capital just to round out the trip and pick up souvenirs. Word is that there is a national craft museum in Delhi that brings in artisans from all over the country and in a concentrated area you can find items from all over the country being made in one place.
So, does that sound good? Laying it all out there in words sure helps me feel like I have more of a plan than I thought and it soothes my racing mind a little. Whew.
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