Goodbye, India, Hello, China. Goodbye, China. Hello, HOME!

Hello!

This is the last post of what has been quite an adventure for both me and Dad.  I am writing to you from the comfort of my own home in beautiful Calgary, Alberta, CANADA.  It's taken awhile to get adjusted (the jet lag means I randomly fall asleep for multiple hours at a time), but I am beyond excited to be home!  The cold air feels great! The snow is beautiful!  And the food is fantastic. ;)
But before I officially sign off, here's what went down in Delhi, and my final thoughts on the trip:

By the time Dad and I got to Delhi, we had two days left.  At this point, we were both pretty exhausted and ready to come home.  India is tiring!  We spent our first day in the city walking to Connaught Place which is the central part of the city.  There are lots of stores - including H&M!  I was so excited to see something familiar that I had to make a little pit stop there before we continued on...Unfortunately, the Indian prices were equivalent to the Canadian prices so I didn't buy much.  However, I let Dad wait outside on a bench (a sitting duck for the local merchants).  By the time I came out, Dad had been asked if he wanted his shoes shined 4 times and the man next to him asked him if he could clean out Dad's ears.  hahahah That was a new one, even for us.

After walking for an hour or so, we went to the Starbucks so I could write a blog post.  Dad didn't stick around.  I honestly don't think I've ever seen him in a Starbucks in my life...He went to sit in the park (no merchants allowed!) and picked me up two hours later.  We had dinner that night at the hotel.  We had a great view of the neon signs that line one of Delhi's bustling streets.

The next morning, we packed our bags and began counting down the hours until we were headed home on the plane.  Our flight didn't leave until 11:00 PM but with Delhi traffic and the disorganization we have experienced at different places in India, we weren't taking ANY chances.  We started the afternoon off by going to the National Museum of India.  It was terrible.  I am not exaggerating.  Even Dad came out of the museum and said "That was a bunch of junk".  And it was true.  There was no information provided for any of the "exhibits" and it was literally just a museum of thousands of statues.  Mostly Buddhas.

Notice how there is hardly anyone in here...

Literally no one.

SOOOO boring.

Anyway, after the terrible museum (and a somewhat alarming encounter with some monkeys), we decided to spend the rest of the day walking around.   We went to the city market which was full of locals, but I didn't buy anything because the whole experience was so overwhelming.  Everyone was pushing each other and vendors were yelling so loudly that I had to plug my ears as we tried to make our way through the crowd.  We figured we should have something to eat before we went out to the airport, so we stopped at "Dunkin' Donuts".  Weirdly, this "Dunkin' Donuts" served burgers.  I should've known that there's a reason "Dunkin' Donuts" doesn't serve burgers at home, but we really had no other option.  I ordered two chicken burgers for the two of us and it was...well, it was what you think an Indian version of a burger from "Dunkin' Donuts" would taste like.

On our way to the airport!

We took the train to the airport and spent the next 5 hours killing time.  I'm not going to lie, Dad and I did not fall in love with India.  As much as we both have travelled, neither of us have had such an intense experience.  There were, of course, wonderful moments on the trip.  The Taj Mahal, the morning boat ride on the River Ganges,  and the camel riding adventure in Jaisalmer were a few highlights.  A lot of things went really well.  Our driver, Ramesh, was great and definitely reduced our stress level once he was with us.  We were able to remain safe the entire time and didn't get mugged.  And, despite a few difficult days being sick, overall, we remained relatively healthy throughout the trip.

For the first part of the trip, I struggled with the fact that I wasn't completely amazed and enthralled by India.  In my mind, I had expectations of an exotic, culturally interesting place that would ignite my senses and push me out of my comfort zone.  It definitely did the latter... and it DID ignite my senses, but sometimes I didn't want them ignited.  NAWAMSAYINN??  #urinesmell

I think I had to learn that a trip is not a failure if one does not love every part of it.  Ok, a lot of it.  Despite the challenges we faced, I still had the opportunity to experience another culture, learn about a country's history and people, and respond to difficult and oftentimes strange situations.  It was definitely an educational trip and, as my mother says, "Education is never wasted".  I also feel very fortunate to have spent 3 weeks with my dad which wouldn't have happened had we not been travelling.  Life is so busy (and he does have 4 other children), so one on one time with my parents can be a rare thing; certainly one on one time that is more than an hour or two.  It is really a special experience to travel with a parent when you (the child) are also an adult.  It provides an opportunity to spend time as friends, travel partners, and teammates rather than just father/daughter.  With the many stares we got from people travelling, I understand this is kind of a strange thing to do.  However, I highly recommend it as a way to connect and bond beyond the typical parent/child relationship.  As I said to my dad on the trip multiple times, "I chose the right person to travel to India with...".  His positive attitude and ability to simply embrace the craziness when I would get frustrated was a real asset to our travel partnership.  We shared many conversations and lots of laughs.  It really did feel like it was us against the world.  I'm truly thankful for the time we had together and will always remember the experiences we shared, even if they were difficult at times.

It's steeper than it looks!

Halfway up!

Our journey back to Calgary included a 13 hour layover in Hong Kong.  I was looking forward to it as I spent a great deal of time in Hong Kong when I worked on cruise ships.  We arrived at 6:30 AM and took the train into the city.  It felt so CLEAN compared to India, and honestly, it was just a nice change of pace.  As busy as Hong Kong is, it still feels pretty empty compared to Delhi.  We decided to hike up to Victoria Peak.  Dad had taken the tram up to the Peak with my mom on an earlier trip, but this time we were walking up ourselves!  It. was. steep.  It was definitely a physical challenge (especially since we realized 10 minutes into the hike that we didn't have any water...which the guide book specifically mentioned was an important thing to have!!) but we eventually made it!  Unfortunately, it was really foggy and we couldn't see much.  However, we were excited because there was basically a mall at the top with cafes and restaurants so we could finally quench our thirst with some water!  Unfortunately, we didn't have any Hong Kong dollars and none of the stores took credit cards.  Very disappointing.

What an incredible view, right?

We walked down and eventually made it to...a Starbucks.  You can always count on them for having water!!  We relaxed for a bit before it was time for some SHOPPING!  I was hoping to stock up at some of my favourite Asian stores, but the mall I went to only had designer stores which I obviously couldn't afford.  However, it's always nice to look. :)

We still had 5 hours to kill once we went back to the airport, so I went to the Zara and treated myself to a few items...I survived India, I deserved it!  Then, it was an 11 hour flight to Vancouver, and a quick (and super stressful) layover there before finally landing in Calgary.  It felt amazing to see the mountains in BC and the city lights of Calgary as we flew in.  I have been home for a few days and I am definitely appreciating the little things.  I enjoy the fresh (though cold) air in the morning as I go out and scrape the frost off of my car.  I cherish every cup of coffee that I make in my own kitchen.  And each time I drive down the street, I celebrate the fact that I don't have to watch out for cows.

This doesn't really have anything to do with the blog, but now that I'm home, I get to hang out with my niece and...she's really cute.  Obviously.

It has been a journey, my friends.  Thank you for joining me virtually as I documented India through my eyes.  I must apologize if I ruined the country for anyone.  My experience is certainly not everyone's and I believe many people DO love India.  Even though I'm not dying to go back any time soon, I am certainly grateful for the experience we had and the adventures, challenges, and difficulties that came along with it.  I do believe that it is in the uncomfortable moments-the ones where we push ourselves beyond our regular limits, that we often feel most alive!

Thank you for your prayers, encouraging words, and for following along with the Diva's Adventures with Dad: India.  This is Annika, officially signing off!

A

An Indian Road Trip

Hello everyone!

Well, Christmas is over, and New Year’s Eve is still to come so…it’s kind of that awkward time of year where you aren’t celebrating anything, but you aren’t working, so you’re just not really sure what you’re supposed to do.  The days seem to blend together and are filled with random activities.  Well, those days in India are no exception.  The past few days have been filled with lots of driving.  Lots of interesting meals, and of course…a fort.  Because we can’t seem to get through a few days without touring one.

We left Jaisalmer for Bikaner on Dec. 26^th.  I was thinking of all my friends at home doing some boxing day shopping, but I didn’t want to mention anything about shopping in the car because I know Ramesh would’ve immediately taken us to an antique store that has “very good prices”.  Usually, road trips with my family involve a lot of conversation, laughter, and music.  As a child when we vacationed, each of us would have our discmans to get us through any long drives.  Unlike most families, however, we didn’t just listen to music, we would each look out the window, lip syncing, making music videos in our mind.  I legitimately remember having to take turns with my sister, Britt, for the window seat for this very reason.  We would also lip sync songs to each other and try to have one another guess which song we were listening to.  Although I could’ve asked my father and/or Ramesh to partake in those activities for our 6+ hour trips each day, I refrained.   Ramesh didn’t really seem like the music video making type and…he was also pretty busy avoiding cows on the freeway.

A typical pit stop for Dad is eating oranges/bananans on the side of the road

As much as I was nervous about the boredom that would inevitably accompany these long drives each day without any music, podcasts, or audio books to listen to, it all worked out quite nicely.  Dad and I managed to always have something to talk about.  I would look forward to our conversations each day-mostly because they would cover a variety of topics ranging from World War II history to current politics to dental hygiene to tax planning (I mean, I am with my father after all). This is the best part of any trip with anyone, in my opinion.  It is a treat to be one-on-one with someone, talking about anything and everything without distraction.

When we arrived in Bikaner, we were pleasantly surprised to see that we were staying in a hotel that was built in 1926 by the last prime minister of the former state of Bikaner, Rao Bahadur Shri.  It is still owned by his descendants and has been converted into a hotel.  We ate dinner in the formal dining room and enjoyed the Bed and Breakfast feel of the place.  As soon as we arrived, they asked us what we would like for dinner and had us look at the menu.  We were confused because it was only 2:00 PM and they didn’t serve dinner until 7:30.  However, they insisted we order then and they would call us when our meal was ready…We thought this was an anomaly, but it happened at our hotel in Mandawa as well.  When we ask why we can't simply order when we go for dinner, the staff say that in order for the meal to be prepared using fresh ingredients, they need that much time.  It is still strange to me, especially because usually we get to the restaurant and they can’t remember what we have ordered so they ask us again…and the whole process repeats itself.  Anyway, the food was good.  Unfortunately, the beds didn’t really come with mattresses and there was a train that consistently honked its horn throughout the night, so I didn’t have the greatest sleep but we had hot water and the residence was quite lovely, so we were happy.

Dinner in the dining room

The following morning, we went to…wait for it…a fort.  As much as it pains me to say this, it was actually reasonably enjoyable.  We were able to use an audio guide which I found incredibly helpful in understanding the history and importance of the sight.  There were some great exhibits and lots of information about the maharajah that lived there which was great.  Unfortunately, I eventually had to leave because so many people were asking me for photos.  I mean, I love getting my picture taken, let’s be honest.  But there IS such a thing as too much attention, even for me.  It was a beautiful fort, however, and I am glad I saw it (there, Dad, I admitted it).

This was the Maharajah's bed.  It was small and close to the ground so that he was easily able to stand up if someone tried to kill him in his sleep.  Comforting.

Afterwards, we came back to the hotel and I read my book in the garden.  Dad had a nap before he met Ramesh again to go to a camel breeding farm.  My experience riding camels for 6 hours in Jaisalmer was enough camel time for me, so I opted for a facial at the hotel.

Rockin' those audio guides

I was in love with so many of the doors in the fort like this one!

A snaphot of Dad's adventure to the camel farm

A typical ad for an Ayurvedic Massage

I have had two interesting spa experiences on this trip.  In Varanasi, I had a "Ayurvedic Massage".  This was pitched to me as a typical relaxation massage with the added bonus of special oils being poured on your temple from above your head, slowly, in order to relax you even more.  In reality, it involved me laying naked on a table while a girl aggressively spread cold oil on my body and then proceeded to flip me over and pour the oil in my hair.  Think of getting your hair washed at a hair salon, but instead of water and shampoo, it's oil. I had no idea what was happening and I started laughing at one point because it was so random.  I thought the facial would be a safer choice this time.  It definitely wasn’t a North American facial, but it did feel nice to have lotion rubbed on my face.  The only thing was, the lady went beyond my face and would rub my throat and upper chest.  You don't realize how seldom it is to have your throat touched by someone until it is.  She would rub quite aggressively and I gagged a few times which was alarming for her.  Despite my reaction, she didn't avoid the area and the gagging continued.  Anyway, it was an experience!

That evening we ate dinner in the dining room and had to eat with other guests staying there.  I say “had to” because I have learned from this trip that I basically hate people.  Maybe more than Dad.  Well, I guess I don’t hate people, I just hate talking to people.  I know this is hard for some of you to believe, but I truly detest small talk more than anything.  However, there we were with four New Zealanders for dinner and my social skills kicked in and I basically saved Dad from having to talk to them. ;)

The next day, we drove to Mandawa.  On the way, Ramesh made a few stops.  He often stops for us to take pictures of "interesting" wildlife on the side of the road.  Sometimes he will pull over to view a deer in the meadow.  Obviously, deer aren't that exciting for me, so the last thing I want to do is dig in my backpack for the camera.  But Dad, not wanting to disappoint Ramesh often took out the camera and pretended to take a picture just so we could move on.

Roadside picture of the antelope

One of the stops on the way to Mandawa was a Haveli that had been restored by a French artist who currently lives in Paris.  A Haveli is a traditional town house or mansion that is covered with frescoes.  The paintings on the outside and inside walls are made with natural dyes (from vegetables and flowers).  However, the elements often result in wear and tear on the paintings, so they have to be restored.  The Haveli that we visited first had been was in the restoration process (which is essentially a constant process because the colours fade so quickly).  It was a beautiful house and it was quite interesting to see artists working away at restoring it.  It was peaceful, eclectic, and was full of Indian charm.  I can honestly say that it was what I pictured India to be like.  The woman who was showing us around was living there for three months and then would return to Paris in the New Year.  She said she loved India.  She also said she hadn’t really left the house too many times.  I feel like that makes a difference.  Anyway, it was really a lovely oasis in a small, somewhat disheveled town.

Indoor courtyard

One of the art students working on the restoration

Close Up View of the Frescoes

Frescoes on the outside walls

Outdoor garden and pool (JEALOUS)!

Abandoned by Dad on the street

When we arrived in Mandawa, we were met by a guide who was excited to show us more Havelies.  Of course, before we left for our afternoon tour, we had to order our dinner for the night.  We then asked what time dinner would be served.  The manager, named “Surrender” replied “Anytime between 6 and 7:00”.  Perfect, we thought. “Great, we will be there at 6 because we are quite hungry”.  His response: “No, ma’am, you can only come at 7:00”.  Ok then.

Our walking tour was pretty random.  Mandawa is a town of about 25,000 so there is not much to see.  Our guide took us to a few more Havelis but he consistently gave incorrect information about them which was unfortunate.  For example, he told us that the frescoes on one dated back 150 years, but some of the paintings on the building depicted airplanes which weren’t invented until 1905.  He also told us that a shack in Mandawa costs $300,000 CAD.  So, all of the inaccuracies took away from the “guided tour” experience…He also took us to a shop to see some local handicrafts, and even though Dad and I told him we didn't want to buy anything, he said "no, just to look.  This is my Uncle's place".  We were too tired to disagree and just went along with it.  We'd been through it a million times.  However, this was the first time that we showed up to the shop and nobody was there.  Our guide wanted us to wait in the store while he called his Uncle.   Our patience had reached its limits and we said we wanted to leave.  You know, I understand that retail can be a tough industry, but I feel like it's common sense to make sure that if you're going to walk people to your Uncle's shop, he (or, rather, ANYBODY) should actually be there.

Our guide insisted I take this picture of the Mandawa city centre.  So you'd better enjoy it!

That evening, we had dinner on the rooftop.  We arrived at 7:00 (as directed), and Surrender came out and asked us to order our food…again…Thirty minutes later, after everyone else in the restaurant had been served, he brought out one dish for me.  This leads me to another idiosyncrasy of Indian dining that we have encountered time and time again: the full meal is never brought out at the same time.  He brought out the chicken curry….then 20 min. later some rice…and then another 40 min later, he brings the naan bread and the dal (because he forgot that we ordered it I guess).  I feel like an annoyingly white, North American venting about it online, but it’s so cold outside that if you don’t eat the food right away, it gets cold.  So then you're left to consume each dish by itself when it should be eaten together.  It seems like a minute detail, but after a long day, I just want to eat a hot meal.   The constant confusion and lack of ability to communicate with hotel staff can be exhausting.  At breakfast,  I asked for cold milk for the cereal (because they only had hot milk at the buffet), and the waiter brought out hot milk.  When I asked for coffee, they brought tea.  We asked for clean towels and they brought us toilet paper.  It seems that the small inconveniences, day after day, piled on top of one another lead to some frustration on my end (clearly).  

On our way back to Delhi

The following morning, we were up bright and early for our 7 hour drive to Delhi.  With the city traffic, it seemed like it took forever to get to our hotel.  However, we made it and we are happy to have reached our last hotel of the trip.  We have two more days in Delhi and then we will be heading home (with a day spent in Hong Kong on the way).  I will keep you updated with one last post before I sign off FOREVER...

(at least for this trip)!

Hope you all have a great New Year’s Eve!

A

An Indian Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I write to you from Jaisalmer-it is sunny and pleasant here, but I am missing the snow.  Never thought I’d say that, but I DO like a White Christmas (even if I’m sick of winter as soon as Dec. 26^th hits).  For now, I hope you are all enjoying your holiday whether you are having a White Christmas or not.

My last blog post left off at our arrival in Jodphur, AKA “The Blue City”.  To date, Jodphur was our favourite city. However, that could be because we spent most of the day OUTSIDE of the city.  

We were staying at an old house that had been converted into a hotel.  When we first showed up, there was nobody in the lobby for a solid 20 minutes.  I ended up having to call the manager from booking.com to eventually get us checked in.  So random.  Anyway, Dad sort of bonded with the manager (he was a young guy who thought everything Dad said was funny) and he offered to take us cycling in the city the following morning at 7 AM (before the traffic starts).  Of course, Dad is never one to say no to a cycling opportunity, so we were up at the crack of dawn the next day, ready for our excursion.  There were supposed to be two Indian tourists joining us, but they just didn’t show up.  We asked the manager if he knew why they didn’t come and he responded with “That is India”.  Got it.

As excited as Dad was to get on the bike, I think it was quite a shock once he actually sat on the largest bike they had.  I’m pretty sure it was built for someone that was about 5’5”.  Even I felt like I was riding a clown bike because my knees came up to my chin each time I pedaled.  Anyway, we rode around town and saw a few sights.  I can safely say that by the end of the two hours, Dad and I were not wishing that we had decided to cycle through India.  I cannot explain how many things are happening in each narrow alley.  The potholes, the vegetable carts, the motorcycles, and of course, all the people!  It was quite a stressful ride, but it was good to be able to see a city with a local guide.  We even got to go to a very nice lookout point which was a real treat.

Dad's buddy

Away we go!

Morning Lookout

"The Blue City"

After the tour, we ate breakfast on the rooftop balcony.  This was a nice feature for the hotel and I enjoyed many hours in the sun up there.  Then, we hiked up to the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park.  This is not necessarily a tourist destination which is why I was looking forward to getting there.  It is just behind the Mehrangarh Fort.  My idea was to skip the fort and enjoy the walking trails BEHIND it.  And it was fantastic!  We walked around for about two hours, enjoying the wildlife and fresh air.  Dad stopped at the fort on the way back, but I didn’t.  Obviously.

Checkin' out the fort I'm NOT going in...

View from the desert park!

I spent the afternoon on the rooftop enjoying the sun.  The roof was a great feature of the hotel, but unfortunately they had music playing on the stereo and for whatever reason, it was just one song that would play over and over again.  After 40 minutes, I was getting such a headache, I explained the music situation to the waiter, so he said he would change it.  As you might guess, then THAT song played on repeat.  In case you’re wondering the song was a techno version of “Take Me Home, Country Road”.  So there’s that.  After another 30 minutes went by of THIS song, I asked him to just turn off the music.  Instead, he switched the song again and…the cycle continued.  Eventually I had to leave.  What was hilarious was that when we came up for dinner 4 hours later, the same song was STILL playing. 

ANYWAY, as soon as I left the rooftop, Dad arrived back at the hotel after his trip to the fort.  Nothing interesting to report on there (surprise, surprise).  Next up was the local market.  There wasn’t much to buy but it was definitely where the locals shop.  The beggars were all over Dad.  I forgot to mention in the last post that rather than saying “no thank you” as I’ve suggested, soemtimes he looks at them after they ask him for money and says “Money? You want to give me some money? Sure, I’ll take some money”.  Of course they look at him confused and say “No, Me, money!” He responds “Ok, yeah, I’ll have some money!” while putting his hand out.  Needless to say, the exchange continues for quite some time amidst laughter and giggling from the children and confusion from everyone else.

After Jodphur, we headed to Jaisalmer.  The big tourist attraction on the way was the Indian War Museum.  It was pretty boring, but I took a few pictures anyway.

Really glad a stranger volunteered to take a picture of the two of us.  Clearly, he was really concerned about making sure my face was in the photo.

Heading out to the desert!

Jaisalmer it known as the “Golden City”.  We didn’t see much of it because we only spent one night there before heading out to the desert.  However, it was a restless night due to the number of dog fights happening outside our window.  The night was filled with howling, barking, and what sounded like... dog wrestling?  We have been here for two weeks and never thought the wild dogs would be an issue, but as we’ve learned, India is full of surprises!  Before we left Canada, our pharmacist (who was from India) told us that we didn’t need to get the rabies shot.  We would be fine as long as we didn't play with the dogs…I didn’t think it would be an issue, but apparently in Jaisalmer, the dogs are a little more feisty than usual.

The following day, we got in a jeep and headed out to the desert.  We were going on a camel safari-an excursion we had been looking forward to since we booked our trip to India!  Dad and I rode camels on our trip to Jordan and loved it, so we were excited to get away from the city and enjoy some time with the camels.

We met our guide, Lakia.  He was less of a guide and more of a “camel walker” (self described).  I don’t want to say he was unhappy to see us, but I would say his disposition was disinterested at best.  However, Dad and I were loving life being on the camels, seeing the desert landscape, enjoying the fresh air, and treasuring the fresh, unpolluted air.  After an hour of riding, we stopped at a village.  As soon as we got there, about 10 kids came running out to us.  They were so excited to show us their home.  It was great to spend some time in an actual rural Indian village even though they were asking for money the whole time. 

This was right before they began teasing me for having a large chest...so that was awkward.

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful tree.  As soon as Dad and I sat down on the blanket in the lovely shade, Lakia informed me that it was time to make lunch.  In the sun.  So there I was peeling potatoes in the sun while Dad napped in the shade.  It was a cool experience to see how they make everything, and be part of the process, but the sun paired with the hot fire was a little too much for my Canadian blood!

There I am, slaving away

While Dad LITERALLY does nothing.

Making Chapita

I (helped) make this!

A random man came out of nowhere (I think he was a shepherd?) because he was followed by many goats and he ended up eating with us as well.  A stranger that seemed to come out of nowhere joined us at every meal during our time in the desert.

I was in charge of herding the camels after lunch...

Our camel walker, Lakia

This camel was named "Michael Jackson".  So that was great!

After lunch, we rode for another 2 hours before arriving at our campsite.  Dad and I went on a walk around the dunes before watching the sun set.  You couldn’t see anyone for miles.  It was amazing! And then, out of nowhere, three figures starting walking towards us.  Two women and a small girl were singing and dancing.  They walked up to us and begged for a solid 10 minutes.  That doesn’t sound like much time, but when you’re in the middle of nowhere and you have three people asking you for money, 10 minutes goes by very slowly.  Even in the middle of nowhere, with nobody in sight, they manage to find Dad.

Waiting for the sunset

We had a fire that night after dinner and went to sleep under the sky.  It was beautiful to look up and see nothing but the stars and the moon.  Dad and I were dressed for the weather (many layers as it gets cold at night in the desert).  Just as my eyes were closing, I heard Dad saying “Go!  Get out of here, get gone!” and I wake up to see a wild dog basically on top of us.  I don’t know what it was about us (we did not have any food on us), but they kept coming back over and over again.  Eventually, after waking up an hour later to a dog sniffing around my FACE, I gave up and went to sleep in the tent.  Dad also gave up and slept in another tent. Throughout the night, they were sniffing around our tents constantly.  What is it with these dogs????  

The remnants of the sunset

Evening Fire

Attempting to sleep under the stars...

The next morning...

Dad checking out the sunrise 

I don't know if this is artsy or just really blurry.

Making Breakfast With Lakia

Technically, we didn't really sleep under the stars, but we feel we got the true Indian experience!  Which comes with dogs, I guess!  The next morning after making breakfast, we rode the camels to the highway and returned to the city.  I had a nice, long, hot shower and Dad had a nap before he went off to…you guessed it, another fort.  

Our little "friend" marking his territory as we leave...

Leaving the desert behind and heading back to Jaisalmer

Overall, our camel safari was a really great experience and certainly a highlight of the trip!  It is probably the strangest Christmas Eve I’ve had, but I was happy to spend it with my dad since I couldn’t be at home with my whole family.  Plus, it’s the most I’ve ever related to the three Wise Men, that’s for sure!  ;)

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday with family and friends.  Once the tree, the presents, the good food, and the decorations are stripped away, you really get a chance to focus on the reason for the season: Jesus’ birth!  He is a gift to us, truly unlike any other, and we are rejoicing here in India even though our Christmas experience was very different than usual this year.

Sending hugs and love to you all on Christmas!

A