Read our other e-postcards from this trip:
Postcard#1     Postcard#3

FRIDAY | January 19, 2007
Varanasi, India

Hi!

When we last wrote we were about to visit Ranthambore National Park in search of India's few remaining Bengal tigers. (Apparently there are only a few hundred left from the thousands that once roamed India's hills and countryside. Poachers have taken - and continue to take - their toll.)

After a morning of driving and sightseeing en route from Agra and the Taj Mahal, we reached Bharatpur where we boarded an express train for Ranthambore. We had reserved the best seats in the train, in an air-conditioned "chair car". While the car was fine, the windows were tinted to the point that it was almost impossible to see outside. A few hours later, we reached Oberoi Vanyavilas resort, located near the entrance to Ranthambore National Park. Our accommodations were to be in luxury 'tents'. Though the ceilings were, indeed, canvas, our spacious tents came complete with king beds, wooden floors, a giant bathtub, heating and air-conditioning, satellite television and all the comforts of a luxurious suite. (That's not the way we remember camping!) Incidentally, the service at this resort was, perhaps, the finest we have ever encountered.

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

At dawn the next morning we rose early to begin our game drives through the National Park. Though we saw beautiful spotted deer with enormous antlers, wild boar, peacocks and crocodiles; the tigers remained elusive. (We did see huge tracks of a male tiger.) Oh well, we had another chance this afternoon and one more the next morning.

That afternoon, we went out again. This time Marijean and Bob Whitmore and I were driving up a remote road. Suddenly, we saw a beautiful female tiger silently walk directly towards us. A sublime moment! Right in front of us one of the world's most beautiful animals turned into the woods and disappeared, without a sound.

The following morning our friendly driver, Mr. Singh, drove us through the countryside to Jaipur, the capital of the fabled state of Rajasthan. This is the land of the maharajas (the Indian kings) and their luxurious palaces and forts. One of the maharajas of Jaipur declared that all buildings in the old town had to be built to conform to a certain architectural style. In honor of the visit of Prince Albert in the early 1800's he also declared that all the buildings (except his) be painted in a reddish color; hence the name, the Pink City. It's a great place to visit.

A Jaipur Fire-eater	Norma and Bob Evans ride up to Jaipur's Amber Fort

From Jaipur we flew to another Rajasthani city, Udaipur. This is the city where you've seen the while palace that appears to float in a lake (made even more famous as the location for the James Bond movie, Octopussy.)

While here we visited two "dead" (meaning abandoned) Hindu temples in the remote countryside. Apparently when the Muslims came in the 1600s, they defaced many of the magnificent carvings on the temple walls to the point that Hindu followers no longer returned. Though left completely open to the elements for centuries, the temples remain in remarkable condition and the lovely stone carvings still tell the complex story of the Hindu religion. While in the vicinity we stopped in a little village to see rural life. No matter how simple the living standard, the women wear delicate, wispy saris in bright colors while many of the men don colorful turbans. The kids in the village school seemed thrilled with our visit.

A Jaipur Fire-eater

Though there's so much more to tell you, we have to mention the amazing welcome we received at our hotel in Udaipur. When we drove up, waiting for us we about a dozen dancers and musicians, monkeys, four our five camels and two royally draped elephants. Like India itself, we felt surrounded by a sublime kaleidoscope of sounds, colors and exotic images. Soon the camels dropped to their knees and our little caravan was off for a ride.

There's so much more to tell you. Plus most of us have one more stop before we return home. The new promotional campaign for India is "Incredible India". Indeed it is that. But after our journey, perhaps a better phrase would be Inexplicable India. All of us feel that this is one of the great journeys of our life.

Wish you were here!

PS - We've all been wondering how we can describe this trip to you. It's almost as if we've been on another planet. Still, it be will great to get home.