India

The only words I can think to describe India is "sensory overload."   It is a country full of sounds, smells and people and most of them are unpleasant.  It is a country of contrasts from extreme poverty to extreme wealth often side by side.  It is a country of brilliant colours with women in beautiful saris and colourful buildings but one where we did not see any natural beauty.  It is a country in transition and one facing all the challenges of modernization with poor infrastructure and demand outstripping supply.  It is a country where you find the goats, trucks, dogs, camels, horses, cars, water buffalo, scooters, tuktuks, elephants, busses, monkeys and cattle in the midst of modern cities all sharing the roadways.   In the large cities you will see modern stores in the background with an instant fresh produce and cloth market in front of the buildings all displayed on dilapidated wooden carts.  It is a country steeped in a long history of being conquered by various groups with many kings and emperors.  We started travelling in Chennai formerly called Madras, a very poor state in India off the Bay of Bengal.  We visited the Taj Mahal and it is an amazing piece of marble work and architecture.  We spent two hours walking the grounds and through the buildings.  Security is high and many items are prohibited from being brought in.    Agra fort was controlled by the same emperor who built the Taj and it is an amazing complex.  It was here that the Taj building emperor was imprisoned by his son who killed his three brothers to assume control.   From there to Delhi, the seat of power in India.  Over 70% of the people in Delhi are employed by the federal government, with one of the perks being housing for which you pay minimal costs but must vacate after quitting or retiring within six months. The size of the housing is dependent on your position. From there we travelled  to Mumbai formerly known as Bombay which appears to be a cleaner city than New Delhi but the slums are more extensive and there were warnings about the professional beggars. The Cel's enjoying the Indian food and Cia is loving the Nam bread.  The beer -not so good. Driving in India makes the Deerfoot a cakewalk and I can only imagine what a great business brake repair shops do, it is similar to Cairo.  India will be a place in our memory for a long time as we consider the complexity of India.  We are so lucky and blessed to live where we do and I am so glad that we are returning to the ship mainly so I can breathe fresh air again for a little while until the middle east.