Things were going just fine in India. Then Ashley decided that we needed a bit more of a challenge - apparently she thinks this trip has been all fun and games so far - and so she decided to go ahead and break her foot slipping off a twelve inch step. Now India isn't really a place for the handicapped. Its tough enough to walk around with no disabilities, and I really prefer walking without a bag on my back, because that extra weight may slow me down crossing the street, or get snagged on a passing motorist while doing so - we're talking about centimeters here. So, we'll see how this goes for the next four weeks with Ashley's neon orange cast here - on the up side, atleast people can see her coming.

For our India page here I'll try to include as much information as possible about transportation, hotels, etc. for those that may read this and come after us since it has proven challenging to find our way around. Trying to figure out busses, trains, the complicated processes of buying tickets, where exactly they are leaving from, how much you should be paying for a room, what everyone is yelling at you about is part of the fun of India, but it always helps to have more information I reckon. For a detailed description of rooms and things to do in India check out Doug and Tracey's guide. . I'll also try and break things down by city/region here, and keep the pertinent information at the bottom of each section. Any food places that stood out will be included as well...

This place amazes me sometimes. The story goes like this: I went out on a mission the first full day in Kolkata to find Ashley some good forearm crutches since the ones she had gotten in Aurangabad had already broken. I was told to head up towards the university in North Kolkata and I should be able to find something on College St. So I took the metro up there and got horribly lost wondering around looking for College Street. The maps in the Lonely Planet are not really designed for a street by street detail, and besides, the streets up there are crowded, take all kinds of turns and bends, and are called different names on different blocks. After about a half an hour of walking in this hot, noisy, polluted place, I was pretty sure I was going to return empty handed. Just then, I turned a corner, and there was a man waiting to cross the street, holding onto one of the exact forearm crutches that I wanted! Even better, it turned out he spoke perfect English. Very incredible. I chased him across the street, and he told me the exact store where I could find one. Turns out, it was about 3 blocks down from the Metro station I had started off at, I had just gone the wrong way. I thanked him and took off back in the direction I had come from. Again, I got terribly lost, but about an hour later this time, when I had forgotten everything but the first letter of the store, I looked up, and there was the name, 'K.R Lynch' which was exactly what I was looking for. So Ashley got her forearm crutches, and it was probably the biggest factor in her staying here.

The story of finding crutches in Kolkata is probably just like a story of trying to find anything else in Kolkata. But, I must say, I found myself smiling while walking through the crushing sea of humanity at times. I don't know if it was just because I was happy to be in India, or if it was because I hadn't gotten sick of all of the bad things also in India, but it made me smile while I was there. That city is certainly like nothing else we've seen so far. I forget exactly which book it was we read on this trip that I'm about to paraphrase, so I'm sorry, but to sum up: "Everyone has something to sell, and those that have nothing to sell, they sell their nothingness".

Kolkata Info:

Sunflower Guesthouse - on Royd Street. Double A/C room with attached bath 850 + 8.8% tax. Old school lift takes you to the 4th floor.

Tours - West Bengal Tourism was very helpful. Located on BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square). Book well ahead, as you'll be competing against many Indians for seats.

Flights - one way fare from Mumbai around 4000R/person on Indigo Airlines. Good value considering the service we received and front row seating on account of Ashley's broken foot.

Train - we booked tickets to Darjeeling through an agency on Sudder St. who charged us a ridiculous premium for confirmed seats during the busy season. Book well ahead and use the internet if possible.

Subway - 1 line runs North to Dum Dum, south to Tollygunge. From Park street most fares are 4R. Great way to get around most sites in the city. Buy single use tickets at the 'Booking' office within the station.

Sights - Garbage homes, religious streets, flower markets - get off at Central, and head south off the platform. Up the stairs look for the 'Indian Airways' sign by the 'Booking' office and use this exit. Make a left out of the station, and another left on Chhatawali, and a right on Brabourne.

So, I guess its time we catch our breath now and recount some of India. Ashley can first tell our Bollywood experience:

It’s relatively common for Westerners to be targeted up by touts in the Colaba area of Mumbai for some work as Bollywood extras. We were approached several times on the street but it wasn’t until one of these touts knocked on our hotel room door that we agreed to it – only for “the experience” and not as much for the 500 rupees (13 dollars) that we would each be paid for the 9 hours (5 pm – 2 am) that we were told it would take.

So we arrived at an old hotel that was undergoing renovation and had been converted to an airport terminal for the shoot at around 6 o’clock where there were already about a hundred people in costume standing around. We were assigned our roles: Ashley - a beauty pageant contestant and Ryan - first a Beatle, then demoted to a tennis player.

The whole thing was mass confusion. I was sewn into my dress, loaded up with makeup and then had a horrendous black hairpiece attached to the back of my hair (it’s barely visible in the photos, but it’s there). I looked much less like a beauty queen than the Chiquita banana lady, but nevertheless I had “fans” ask for my photo.

We were filming a commercial for a cell phone, or at least that was the rumor that was being circulated through the extras that spoke English. There were about 200 extras dressed as all sorts of characters: bodybuilders, Eskimos, Baywatch lifeguards, cheerleaders, ethnic dancers, cowboys, etc. Those in charge gave us no information other than to smile so all of this made very little sense to us.

Not too surprisingly, at 2 o’clock in the morning they were nowhere near finished. Luckily, we were in a large group, and when a revolt was started by some Westerners that wanted to go home, we joined. Several people ended up leaving, and those of us who stayed got triple pay, and had the casting director bringing us cups of coffee. We ended up finishing up around 5 in the morning and definitely had a very interesting, somewhat lucrative, and excruciatingly long Bollywood experience.

So, that was Bollywood. I was disappointed about not being a Beatle at first, but after they had to stand around in wool suits and wigs for the whole night, I was pretty glad I was a tennis player. As far as overall thoughts on Bombay, it seems like a very old city - the fact that most buildings have not been kept up adds to this. The number of trees that line the streets in the Colaba/Fort area also adds a nice touch to the city, although the pollution levels were near toxic at times. We didn't see as much as we would have liked there, since we were planning on exploring more after Aurangabad - but we came back with a broken foot instead. However, because of the foot, I went into the Nariman Point area looking for an airline office - this area holds most of the consulates and airline offices in Bombay, as I was very impressed with it. Hopefully we can explore the city once again, as we will be back through there at the end of our India leg, with 4 good feet.

Bombay Info:

Maria Hotel - Hard to find, as the sign has the 'R' plastered over it - put your stuff down at the Barista coffee on Authur Blunder Rd. and walk toward the water, make 1st right to find it. Double wo/w A/C was 650/850. Secure baggage storage at 25/bag/day.

Hotel City Palace - Directly across from CST. Lift is useful when someone has a broken foot. Delux double w attached bath, hot water and TV 2200R + 10% service tax. Regular double (no balcony) w A/C and bath 2000R. - The 200R for the balcony is worth it, as it looks over CST and the post office. The 1200 Rs +10% tax rooms on the mezzanane level are shoeboxes.

Taxis - Don't support taxi drivers that try and bargain with you (aka, charge you more) in the Fort/Colaba area. Make sure they use the meter. Easiest landmarks to navigate by are CST (VT station), the Taj hotel, and Marine drive. Pre-paid A/C cab from airport to Colaba + 2 bags = 480R - pay for cab before exiting airport at booth just past (non-existent) customs. From Fort to the shiny new domestic airport is around 300R. From fort to the international terminal at 4:30 am was 350 Rs.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST or Victoria Terminus or VT Station) - The busiest train station in Asia - to buy tickets, enter to the side where all of the taxis enter - the ticket booths are actually in a building not attached to the stations - you'll find it this way though. Tourist quota tickets are upstairs at window #52, but you can only pay in USD or Euro for advanced purchase tickets - tickets for the next day can be paid in rupees. Not much of a savings over the windows downstairs. Windows 20 and 21 accept all credit cards for a 30R fee.

Travel agents - The guys at Lala Travel were very helpful in booking flights, rebooking flights, and getting a wheelchair for us at the airport. You can find them directly across the street from the McDonalds by CST, 2nd floor.

Food - Bombay is delicious! Good ones in Colaba include Laxmi Villas near Leopold's, Kailash Parbat just south of Arthur Blunder Rd, and Theobroma for coffee and cakes. By CST, we've eaten a number of meals at Saj Pooja Veg (upstairs A/C) a few steps in on Bora Bazar St.

When we had thrown out our original plans for India on the plane ride in, Sikkim became one of the destinations I was most excited about. It was an independent kingdom until 1975, borders Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan, and requires a number of permits to get around in it. Ashley insisted that I leave her for a few days in Darjeeling to try and go trekking in remote villages near Kangra-La.

From Darjeeling the road east to Sikkim follows cliffs covered in tea and rolls through moss draped forests. Monkeys calmly watch the cars pass as they sit on the side of the road. The banks of the Teesa river have sparkling white and clean(!) beaches, probably thanks to Sikkim's ban on plastic bags. Needless to say, this area is different than the rest of India. I had tried to get a permit to enter Sikkim in Siliguri, but the office was closed that day due to a Hindi festival. The Darjeeling office was also no help, as the person that issued permits was indefinitely on strike due to the Gorkhaland protests (see Darjeeling above). Fortunately it ended up being easy enough to get an inner line permit at the border. Unfortunately, it proved more difficult to get a group together to head north (which also required additional permits), and so I only spent about a day and a half in the capital, Gangtok, before heading back to Darjeeling. However, I did get to see the Institute of Tibetology, which contains one of the worlds largest collections of Buddhist books and scripts, some which were written on palm leaves dating back to the 12th century. It also had a number of things used in tantric ceremonies, which included human femurs and skulls shaped into cups.

Gangtok, and Sikkim in general, is definitely a place I want to return to though, and I definitely prefer it to Darjeeling. I never did get a glimpse of mountain peaks though, as the weather never really cleared. Anyone who is interested in trekking across the Yedi infested Zemu glacier in Khangchendzonga National park in a few years... let me know.

Gangtok Info:

Modern Central Lodge - Not to be confused with the New Modern Central Lodge up the hill on Tibet Rd. Dorms (3 single beds in a room) for 100 Rs.

Modern Tours - Very helpful staff below Modern Central Lodge - didn't get to experience anything with them, but others said the tours were very good.

Food - Hot Rolls on the East side of MG Marg should not be missed - Veg rolls for 10 Rs.

Getting around - Taxis run up and down the main highway for about 5 Rs per stop. All private shared jeeps seem to leave from the new station (pretty well organized) about 1km south of town on the main highway - buy tickets at the entrance to the left. 125 Rs per person to Darjeeling. All rates are fixed. The Ropeway to the top of the ridge is 1km farther south at a sharp bend in the road - if you reach the military base, you've gone too far. Fare is 60 Rs to go up and down - no one way trips possible.

Sights - Institute of Tibetology admission 10 Rs- just up the hill past the Ropeway, walk until you see the Baker's Cafe stand. Flower Exhibition on the north side of the Ridge park admission 10 Rs camera fee 10 Rs.

Permits - If you can't arrange a permit before coming, it only takes 10 minutes and is free at the Rangpo border post - bring a passport photo - walk up the hill to the white building on the left to get the permit, then walk back down to the border checkpost on the left to get it and your passport stamped - your jeep driver will most likely point the way.

A retreat to the hills has proven to be a good move to help get Ashley's foot back in order... well, mostly atleast. We left Kolkata from the Howrah train station, which wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, but it did take us almost 20 minutes to get from the waiting area to our car, which was one of the furthest possible ones away. We spent a quiet evening on the train with the 4 other people who shared our cabin, which was seperated from the throngs of hawkers selling every conceivable piece of junk possible by a curtin. At first, our impression of New Jalgapuri/Siliguri was that it was a quiet town. It was also about 6:30am. Now, I really hate that town. Its kinda in the crossroads of everyone going north to Darjeeling and Sikkim, and east to Assam from Kolkata, so it really is a busy, noisy, dirty place, with no real purpose other than to move goods around. We stopped there only to get plane tickets for our flight to Delhi two weeks later and to get a permit to Sikkim. Well, the permit office was closed due to a Hindi holiday, and since I couldn't book our tickets online with a foreign credit card, I spent most of the rest of the day trying to find an agent that would give me a similiar price to what I had seen online.

I was very glad to be leaving for Darjeeling the next morning, and after we sorted out the confusion around getting a seat in a jeep, thanks to a cyclo driver who was willing to ferry us from place to place, we were off in the back seat of a jeep - Total passengers, including driver, I believe, was 13. The actual hills of West Bengal rise dramatically from the plains that surround Siliguri (about 600 feet) to a height of about 7500 feet at Ghoom, before settling at around 6700 feet at Darjeeling. The ride up was a series of blind hairpin turns, but the views back down into the valley were beautiful. Its really a dramatic change from the hot dry plans below.

We spent 10 days in Darjeeling, and never once did we see the peaks of the Khangchendzonga (3rd highest mountain in the world) or the Everest Range, which was disappointing. Although we went during the dry time of the year, most days saw a fair amount of clouds over the town and fog all around. However, it did make for pleasant walking weather, and I explored most of the city, from the tea plantations down the hill, to the monestaries at the top of the ridge. Ashley got a little stir crazy by the end of her confinement in the hotel, so we went down to the zoo one day, which was quite hilly. But, it was one of the best zoos that I can rememeber seeing, not only because of the number of animals there, but also because they are only a few feet away from you. I even walked to Ghoom and back one day, which was about 16K, and saw some of the monastaries along the way and the Gorkha War Memorial.

A little bit on the Gorkhas, since they played a big part in our visit to Darjeeling. They are a minority group in the Darjeeling/surrounding regions that are now demanding the formation of their own state. From what I picked up, all of the money that is earned from tourism in the Darjeeling region goes back down south to Kolkata, and the infrastructure in the hills is in bad need of repair.

Well, its 43 degrees Celsius today in Delhi, and we're headed in a nice air conditioned 4x4 (with only 4 people in it including the driver!) to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. All of this, of course, thanks to Miss Debbie De Wald, who has become the first one to join us on the trip. Along with joining us, she has made our lives infinitely easier and more comfortable for the next two weeks, which makes India so much easier to deal with.

We got into and out of the domestic terminal at Delhi with little difficulty, and although both Ash and I were laid up for short times with some minor illnesses, Delhi turned out to be rather pleasant, if hot. When the news is talking about the abnormal heat wave, you know its hot, and we had solid 40+ the entire time there. However, through the heat and illness, and still slightly unwell foot, we managed to see a number of sights in Delhi (again thanks to our 4x4 and driver, Mahavir) including the Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat and Gandhi's cremation site, the Gandhi Museum, the Gandhi Smriti where he was assassinated, the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib - the gold domed Sikh temple, and finally the Baha'i Temple which is also known as the Lotus temple, probably because it is designed to resemble a Lotus flower. Oh, and last but not least, the Qutb Minar, which was build in the 13th century as a victory tower by the invading Mughal empire. Also at the Qutb Minar we saw the first mosque built in India around 1230AD, as well as a pure iron pole dating to around 400 AD which has Sanskrit carvings on it. So, yea, you can get a lot done when you don't have to waste time and energy figuring out how to get from place to place, or how much it costs to get there. Some of those sites above were really cool - in addition to the Qutb Minar, the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib has a great tourist service, and we learned a lot about Sikhism and the Sikh temple complexes from our guide that took us around. The Gandhi museum I would rate as one of the best museums we've seen on this trip - it had countless artifacts from his life, including his spinning wheel, yarn he spun, all sorts of trinkets given to him, the first (modern) flag of India, banners he carried while protesting in South Africa in the early 1900s, and finally the bloodstained clothes he was wearing when he was shot. All in all, Delhi wasn't as bad as I pictured it would be - sure Old Delhi was crowded, congested, and dirty, and sure, people tried to get us to go to every travel agency and shop around Connaught place, but hey, its India after all. At least rooms and transportation are sorted out for the rest of the time we're here, and I couldn't be happier about that.

Delhi Info

The Hans Hotel - Poor quality, poor value - more catered to Indian business men.

The Park - fits every cliché for a modern chic hotel but the real mattresses and flat screen TVs certainly make up for that.

Tour agents - The Real Government of India tourism office is on Janpath, although plenty of people will tell you otherwise. They'll give you maps and brochures, but that's about it. As the lady helping us said, 'We do nothing here'. They did refer us to Destination India Travel Center though, right around the corner on Connaught Lane. Highly recommend these guys for their professional service and ability to tailor a trip to what you want, without you really even telling them. Certainly make them a stop on the way if you're shopping around for agents in Delhi. They have car hire service for long trips, and can make all of the bookings you need. Car hire is around $85/day including all gas and unlimited kilometers - discounts for longer bookings and if you purchase more (ie, hotels along the way, etc.) Ask for Shafi at the office. You can reach him at indiadestination@rediffmail.com on by Cell: +91 9868209880 Demand Mahavir Singh as your driver. You can also arrange trips directly with Mahavir by emailing him.

Sights - Jama Masjid admission free but 200 Rs camera fee, 50 Rs to climb the tower, mandatory guide for tower climb asks for 20 Rs and wear long pants, or pay 50 Rs for a lungi rental (with which would probably buy you two or three of them). Qutb Minar - 250 Rs/person. All other sites free, tips for guides appreciated.

Train - Express to Amritsar leaves 7:20AM from the New Delhi station for 600 Rs/person for AC Chair Car. Water, breakfast, tea/coffee and juice are served. Great train.

Border crossing extravaganza at Attari!!! - This absurdly patriotic shouting match/spontaneous dance party/kick yourself in your funny hat higher than the guy on the other side of the line while trying not to drop your machine gun takes place every day as the only land crossing between India and Pakistan closes. Definitely not something to miss if you're remotely close to this area of India. Along with thousands of Indians, we took our seats in the grandstand and waited as songs with choruses such as 'It happens only in India' blared on the speakers, both towards us, and towards Pakistan (Paki speakers were directed back at us, and the competition for loudest song ensued). The whole thing got underway as a few huge Indian flags were carried out to get the crowd excited, which they did with tremendous success. Two men were waiting to run these flags towards the border gate and back, but as soon as they got back, they were mobbed by more groups of Indians wanting to do the same, and this continued until the flag running part disintegrated into pure chaos. Eventually the flags were recovered by the officers in charge, and a lull in the action occurred. This was rather brief though, as most Indians took to dancing in the streets during this time until the ceremony continued with soldiers half running, half high kicking to the border, which, after much scowling and posturing by both the Paki and Indian soldiers, was closed. The flags of both countries were lowered at the same time, which was a nice ending touch, before the stampede of people leaving the stands took place.

My favorite thing about this area though was the Golden Temple, which is the holiest Sikh shrine, housing the original Sikh holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib in the heart of old Amritsar. The dome is supposed to be gilded in 750 kg of pure gold, and its a striking sight, especially set against the white marble which encloses the gurdwara (temple). The contrast of worlds inside and outside the temple is striking, as the old city outside is chaotic and noisy, and the only noise inside the gurdwara are the kirtan (Sikh hymns) broadcast on loudspeakers and sung continuously by the Sikh holy men inside. It is a very warm, welcoming place (as long as you cover your head and take off your shoes) where many people will say hello and invite you to join them bathing in the sacred pools surrounding the temple. Sikhism is inclusive to all women and genders, so the feeling inside is vastly different to mosques and mandirs. As we were waiting in line to go inside the temple to see the holy book, which is kept under a cloth during the day, I guess a popular or well known kirtan began, and the entire crowd waiting with us joined the singers in unison. Very cool moment. Anyways, very cool place, very peaceful and beautiful. We also saw the Mata Temple, which was a Hindi temple taken to the extreme, made to look like a cave, complete with running water. In one last note on history , the Golden Temple was the place that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army to storm to remove the armed Sikh separatists inside (they, like many other groups in India wanted their own state). This was most likely the reason she was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Like the song says, 'It happens only in India'.

Amritsar Info

Hotel Ritz Plaza - real bathtub, and real pool. 2km away from the Golden Temple in the new section of Amritzar, but plenty of cyclo and autorickshaws waiting at the gates will be happy to take you there for an inflated fare.

Sights - Ram Bagh - 15 Rs admission to museum - all other sites mentioned are free

Train - Express to Delhi leaves 5:10AM - same deal as the other way from Delhi, see above.

Attari border - At the communal food hall enterance to the Golden Temple there are plenty of options to get to the border. We took a shared taxi for 100 Rs/person for the return trip from the 'Tourist Taxi' signed travel agent to the right of the gate. Foreigners get to sit in the VIP section of the stands - just follow the direction of the guards.

Oops, never picked that up again. The Gorkhas, and Gorkhaland played a big part in our trip to Darjeeling, because you never really can escape the banners flying everywhere, the marches that stop traffic, or the strikes that close all businesses and government institutions in Darjeeling and the surrounding areas. And these people are very organized too, it is quite impressive. Coming in, we were stopped on the side of the road by their march that took atleast 45 minutes to pass, because there were so many people. And that one was made up entirely of women. I guess that the leaders of this movement have considerable influence, because when businesses shut down, even the sidewalk hawkers are no where to be found. And, as we were reading in the papers, they even shut down the world heritage listed Himalayan Diesel Toy train that runs into Darjeeling by making all of the offices and the maintenance yard close, even though, as their spokesman said, they still allow the train to run from Ghoom to Darjeeling (graciously). All of this is starting to have an impact on the tourist business in Darjeeling, as far as I could tell, with most restaurants and hotels semi-empty in high season. I doubt that the Indian government will ever give them their own state, since the Darjeeling area is so valuable in terms of tea and the tourist trade (and the fact that no other group that wanted the same thing ever got it), but some resolution will have to be reached eventually, or the tourist trade will continue to decline. I spoke to one girl who said the same things were going on when her friend was there a year and a half ago, and the man at the FRRO said the strikes had been going on for 4 or 5 months. From what I could tell, these people are committed to not stopping any time soon.

Forgot about Jaldhapara in this section since it is so removed from the hills of Darjeeling. Its about 122km east of Siliguri out to Madarihat, halfway to Assam. The train ride proved interesting as we took the general unreserved seating car, since that was all that was available from Siliguri Juntion. When the train pulled up, I was fighting with all of the old women and children to get a seat on the train for Ashley and myself, since all of the young able bodied men had already jumped on the train before it had come to a stop to get a seat for themselves. Luckily, I had the added use of two backpacks, so I used one for protection and one for blocking, and Ashley had her two metal crutches. We got window seats. Riding on a local train is defintiely something you should do when you come to India, its a very interesting experience. The wildlife lodge at Jaldhapara was a pleasant enough time too, as we got to go out into the park three times, once on elephant back and twice in a jeep. The only thing that spoiled one of these times was a group of three Russians, who were quite upset that the animals were not out in full force posing for them. As one of them tried to prove his point, he said 'This is not interesting. There are no animals. My wife, she is not animal' (a discussion on this point ensued). But, if you are patient, there proved to be plenty of wildlife including barking deer, indian bison (who have been known to kill elephants in the park), wild elephants, numerous peacocks and monkeys, a number of beautiful birds, and some very very large one horned Indian rhinoceros.

Siliguri Info:

Hotel Vinayak - Gave us the 3200R a night room for 4 hours to have a shower before our 700R (sometimes + 10% service charge) double room was ready. Good value, and just far enough away from the crazy bus terminal. The Che-esquie guards will help with everything, but expect a tip.

Hotel Conclave - Nicer than Vinayak, and quieter for 600R + 10% Tax.

Getting around- Kolkata trains pull into the New Jalapuri station a few km down the road. A one way from Kolkata in 3AC class costs about 650R. Cycle-rickshaw costs about 60R for the 15 min ride. Return was down to 40R. Shorter rides around town should be 10R. Hiring an autorickshaw is a more expensive option. Shared jeeps leave Siliguri from the chaos around the bus station. Find any sign that says your destination, and your best bet is to walk up to it and start shouting where you want to go. Someone will sell you a ticket and point you to a car - Fares vary here, and some people tell you your only option is a 900R private jeep. 82R/person to Darjeeling.

Train station - directly behind the bus station - information counter to the left, booking counter to the right. Tickets to Madarihat (20R - 23R) (for Jalgapara) from window 2 that says 'Up Train Tickets' - train leaves at 8am - no advanced booking, and no one on the train actually checking tickets.

Tours, etc. - Vinayak tours booked our plane tickets to Delhi, but there are plenty more options along the main drag. Sikkim permit center is housed in the SNT bus terminal, which is easily missed in the chaos. West Bengal tourism department south of the SNT bus terminal is helpful and forthcoming with info.

Food - Eminent restaurant under Hotel Conclave is the best we had in town - they'll also serve beer (120R), though its not on the menu. Amit's Amardeep Restaurant is across the road from the Hong Kong Markets (not on Hill Cart, but the road that splits off it) serves great masala dosa.

Darjeeling Info:

Crystal Palace Hotel - Their quoted 1800R a night room was unimpressive, and we got it for 800R a night.

Hotel Sonar Bangala - Got their 1200R a night room for 800R a night as a discount for a longer stay (after 20% initial discount). Good clean room and bathroom and great view from the large windows. Friendly staff.

Getting around - Walking is the best option (if possible) around town. Shared jeeps leave from the annoyingly crowded and noisy north end of hill cart rd. Gangtok ticket booth is on the left - 125R/person. Jeeps to Siliguri leave from almost anywhere (80 - 90R).

Jaldhapara info:

Jaldhapara Tourist Lodge - owned by West Bengal Tourism - 1400R (+ 5% service charge) for a double per night with all (basic) meals included. Jeep safaris - we joined three others for 300R the first day. 2nd ride was 690R for the two of us (Breakdown: 200R entrance fees, 75R vehicle fees, 25R camera fees, 40R service fees, remainder jeep hire and guide fees). Elephant safari for 2 was 775R. (Breakdown -200R entrance fees, 50R vehicle fee, 25R camera fees, 200R taxi, 20R service fee, 140/person for the ride).

Train - Get off at km 122 from Siliguri - return express train leaves Madarihat at 8am for Siliguri - 39 - 41 Rs

While we were driving through the Great Thar Desert we were passed by a convoy of Indian army soliders on their way to one of the mulitple bases located in Rajasthan. They were wearing black scarfs around their heads and faces, and had large machine gun mounts on the roofs of the vehicles. There were also a number of jet fighters coming in for landing over our hotel in Jaisalmer as we sat next to the pool, probably returning from patrols of the Pakistan border. All of this brings the two recent border wars with Pakistan sharply into focus. Unfortunately, just two days ago the Indian/Pakistan relationship was again thrust to the forefront as eight bombs were detonated in the crowded bazars of Jaipur's old city on May 14th. They were strapped to bicycles and loaded with ball bearings, nails and glass to inflict maximum damage (over 75 were killed and 150+ injured). Those responsible either set alarms or phoned in the explosions from a distance. We were in Jaipur on the 5th of May. The police suspect the Bangladesh group HuJI, and the hawkish news media and several heads of state have either hinted or outwright declared Pakistani involvment without little justification. On the same day, there was an alledged violation of the 2003 Indian/Pakistan ceasefire on the Line of Control in Jammu, Kashmir, where the Indian army claims to have been fired upon by small arms and morters.

So, what to say about all of this... The Jaipur blasts were aimed at tourists - 26 million tourists visit Rajasthan each year, of which 24.5 million are Indian nationals. While I believe this is the first attack in Rajasthan, it is certainly not the first in India, where I believe they have been averaging one to two bombings per year targeting civilians. It is a sad reminder of the world that we live in - and a reminder that it is truly the world that we live in, not just one country, or one state. This stuff knows no borders, does not discriminate. It also reminds us that a region of the world poised for nuclear war less than 5 years ago still has serious issues that need to be resolved.

Jaipur Info -

Shahpura House - nice swimming pool in enclosed courtyard, and the staff will serve you food wherever you want, be it on the lawn or on the roof. Nightly traditional performances on the roof as well. Slightly outside city center.

Sights - Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) photos from street, Amber fort 100 Rs/person including camera fee. Kali Temple is up the ramp to the right of the stairs leading to the fort palace area. City Palace 200 Rs/person including camera fees.

Bikaner Info -

Lallgarh Palace - Amazing place built in 1902 with amazing indoor swimming pool. Not for animal lovers, due to the number of stuffed heads and skins gracing the walls. But, definitely gives you the taste for the extravagance of the maharaja.

Sights - Bikaner Fort - a compulsary guide is included in 100 Rs/person enterance fee. 30 Rs camera fee. Don't get there too late, as your tour may be rushed. Karni Mata Temple (Rat Temple) free admission, 20 Rs camera fee.

Khuri Info -

Mangalam Resorts - 1200 Rs/person for a few hours ride and 1 night on the dunes under the stars, includes dinner in desert and breakfast back at camp, and all the bottled water you want. Questionable value, as there were probably 20 other places in town that would have done it for cheaper, but was the same as we were quoted in Bikaner at Vijay Guesthouse.

Jaisalmer Info -

Gorbandh Palace Hotel - Seemingly brand new and huge. This place was built for weddings - also has a great outdoor pool. Decently far outside the city.

Sights - Ramdeora Temple is somewhere between Khichan and Jaisalmer on the Bikaner to Jaisalmer road. If there are thousands of people there waiting to go inside the temple, ask if you can take the small door to the right of the main enterance to bypass the pilgrims. Lodhruva temple enterance 20 Rs/person with 50 Rs camera fee. Not that impressive, nothing around there. Bada Bagh Cenotaphs are halfway to Lodhurva. 50 Rs/person enterance fee, 20 Rs camera fee. Nathmal Jiki Haveli admission free, Patwa-ki-Haveli 50 Rs/person including camera.

Jodhpur info -

Devi Bhawan - beautifully set in a large garden just a little bit outside of town - Rooms are huge with good AC and have their own outside seating areas. Great egg sandwich.

Meherangarh (Majestic Fort) - 250 Rs enterance fee includes 1 hour 20 min audio tour. Bring passport or drivers licence as deposit for audio guide. Jaswant Thada 20 Rs enterance fee, 25 Rs camera fee.

Udaipur info -

Ram Pratap Palace - Set on the lake to the north of the main lake, owned by a guy that also owns a marble quarry, which explains why the entire thing is marble. 50 Rs auto rickshaw into town.

City Palace - 25 Rs admission fee, 50 Rs museum fee, 200 Rs camera fee. Museum was probably one of the worst we saw, not terribly interesting, but it was only 50 Rs. Bagore-ki-Haveli 25 Rs enterance fee, 10 Rs camera fee. Not huge, but interesting enough. Great views and breeze over the lake from the top, although the breeze can also bring in some rather unpleasant smells.

Bank of Baroda just south of Delhi gate does cash advances against credit cards on floor 1 and a half - no joke

Bus - we took a very expensive bus from Udaipur to Bombay - 2000 Rs/person. However, we did get our own double bed on this bus, but due to the road conditions and the shockingly strong A/C, we did not get much sleep.

No story about Aurangabad would be complete without the story of how Ashley broke her foot, and now two months after it happened, I guess its time to actually tell it. But first, Aurangabad. This was our first experience to what most people would call 'real' India - ie, the hot, dirty, smelly, loud and frustrating India that you can never really get away from. It was a little bit to adjust to. But, we did manage to go out and get lunch without passing out (although it was close) and we did get a tuk-tuk driver to take us to the Bibi-qa-Maqbara around dusk the first day. This giant tomb/memorial was built by the son of the guy who built the Taj Mahal, and I thought it was pretty impressive as well. As we never got to see the actual Taj, I'm happy we got to see this as a substitue. A quick interesting historical note on this one. The Bibi-qa-Maqbara was built by Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emporeror. He came to power after deposing and imprisioning his father for making the Taj too extravagent. I'm glad he didn't go overboard on this one.

The next day we took the VIP bus out to Ajanta caves, which wasn't much of a VIP bus at all, as it turns out. But the caves themselves were quite nice, wrapped around a horseshoe bend in the river. These caves were quite impressive, as the builders dug into the rock from the top down to excavate the rock. We also had a very good guide from the Department of India tourism, and he explained the meanings behind all of the frescoes that were remaining on the walls, some of which were quite elaborate.

Our final day in Aurangabad, Ashley broke her foot. But prior to that, we had taken the local bus out to the Ellora caves, which proved to be a very good and cheap way to travel short distances. The Ellora caves were carved a bit differently from the Ajanta caves - the biggest of them were started at the top of a hill, and the builders dug down into the rock to excavate them - this gave many of them open tops. The biggest of these, Kailasa temple, took 7000 people 150 years to remove the 200,000 tons of rock required to create this temple. I would say I was as impressed by this place as I was by Angkor Wat, if not more. The detail of the carvings and how well they have been preserved was amazing. Even more amazing is how few people were visiting these caves as compared to Angkor. The caves here were carved by Buddhist, Hindi and Jain monks, which also shows a long period of religious toleration. After viewing the Buddhist and Hindi caves, we wondered up the road about 1km to the Jain temples. The carving here was really among some of the best I think we've seen, so we spent quite a bit of time in these temples. However, do not wear socks into these temples if you have to remove your shoes, since they are thousands of years old, and the floors can be a bit smooth. This is how Ashley broke her foot, by stepping down from a step and twisting her foot.

Now, we don't really need to spend too much time on the guy at the caves who rubbed Ashley's foot with olive oil and then pronouned it to be fine, or the ride we took back to town in the back of a shared taxi, or even really the hospital and the lack of English that anyone spoke. But, whom we should mention is the doctor who took an X-Ray and put Ashley's foot into a cast. First, it turned out, he was OB/GYN, so that was good. Second, it turned out that Ashley wasn't really prepared to hear any news about her injury, so anything that had to be said, I had to be called into his office and have it explained to me, and then I could go back and tell Ashley everything - this arrangement didn't make her too happy. I also had to go out and buy the supplies necessary to wrap her foot. Lastly, he said that we should go see this guru 'only 150km south of here' in Pune, so that we could conceive. And that was about it - then we went directly back to the train station, got on a train and headed back to Bombay. All in all, I think we got pretty good service. We saw a few other casts on people in India, and those that didn't look homemade looked like they were pure plaster, so I think we did okay.

Aurangabad Info:

To and from: 8:55 Express Train from CSTM will drop you off about 4:30am - 660R for 2AC cabin. Return train leaves at 9:55 pm and pulls into CSTM about 7:30 am. Return fare similar.

Hotel Panchavati - Double with fan and TV and small balcony 500R + 14% tax/service charge. Attached travel agency doesn't pay his internet bills, but will show you around town for 400R what you could do by public bus for about 50R.

Taxis - Autorickshaws are everywhere - about 15 - 20R seems to be the lowest anyone is willing to go for a short trip around town - longer trips and those including waiting time will generally be metered. We paid 125R for a return trip from hotel to the Bibi Qa Macabara around dusk but didn't have much time to shop around as light was going down quickly.

Tours - we went with the (somewhat) A/C tourist bus (300R/person) out to Ajanta caves through Classic Tours (located at the MTDC by the train station), as it is a 2 hour drive. Included was a very good and knowledgeable guide from Government of India tourism. To Ellora we took the government bus - 15R/person to Ellora - board at gate 8, or ask someone at the ticket office as soon as you get inside the bus station on the right. Pay on the bus. Don't break your foot. Shared taxis (20R) or busses can be flagged down outside gate for return to Aurangabad, or you could stop at the Daluntabad fort on the way back as well.