Hey Monica Gupta

Planes, trains, automobiles, rickshaws, e-rickshaws, elephants, camels, boats, trucks...we experienced it all.  Driving through India is like being in a dance with many performers moving through the tiniest of spaces and somehow making it to the end.  Every arrival is like arriving at the end of a rollercoaster ride.  We survived, barely.

You know when you watch the news and hear about a ferry boat capsizes in the Arabian Sea? Well today I felt like that could be us! Monsoon rains, dodgy wooden boat, not enough life jackets, kids puking, people praying. Full experience. Well worth it to see the Elephanta Caves! Temples dating back to 200BC carved in stone depicting Lord Shiva. Priceless.

Drove from Jodhpur to Udaipur. Stopped into a Jain temple in Ranakpur in the Aravali Range. Met some active Grey Langur monkeys (terrified Leela and I) then made it to the City of Lakes Udaipur

Maharajas from Rajasthan have a title but usually don’t work. They’re families recently have converted their private homes (palaces) into hotels. Ratan Villas is where we stayed last night. We met the Maharaj and he let me take these photos. He’s 85 years old and he has grandchildren in university. The hope is that they take over the family name and protect the homes for future generations.  We took our first Indian train ride from Jaipur to Jodhpur.