Summary

Mike and I traveled for 217 days from Oct 1, 2011 until May 4, 2012 to 12 countries. Now we are shopping for a pick up truck with a 5th wheel. Our next blog will be Liz and Mike loose in an RV http://loose-in-an-rv.blogspot.com/
We spents the most time in Thailand because Mike loved Thailand when he served there in the US Army in 1968. He speaks enough Thai to negotiate a meal, a room, and tuk-tuk ride. We both loved the people and the environment inspite of the haze and burning.

43 days - Thailand (Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Pai and River Kwai)
38 days - Hawaii (Oahu - 13, Bie state  Island - 14, Maui - 9, Kauai - 4) 
30 days - Australia (From Sydney down around New Sotuh Wales to Melboure to Adelaide  then Alice Springs, thru Uluru and the a brief stop in Cairnes)
20 days - India in the southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
19 days - Celebrity Century Cruise Ship with 4 stops in French Polynesia
14 days - New Zealand north to South on a terrific bus service.
12 days - Malaysia (Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Caeron Highlands, Penang
12 days - Vietnam ( Saigon, Da Lat, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong)
6 days - Indonesia (Bali)
6 days - Cambodia (Siem Reap and Phom Phen)
5 days - Singapore
4 days - Laos (Luang Prabang)
4 days - The Netherlands in Amsterdam, Holland
4 days - Las Vegas (Zion Canyon)

Mike and I were in no way world travelers when we began this trip. Mike does not relax in a place until he has a map in his hands. When he knows where he is and can find his way around he is confident.

Outside of the rarified environs of the cruise ship we met just a few travelers our age and fewer yet who were our age and Americans.

We were very fortunate early on to meet Canadians, Carolann and Dan climbing Diamond Head. Their blog is The Mature Traveler and it is linked to ours. They leased out their house and traveled about as long as we did. They went to amazing places like Bhutan and all over India. They gave us good warnings about booking ahead during Christmas and Chinese New Years.  Last minute Asian accomodations are the norm except during peak travel seasons. Easter is not an issue in Asia.

When we arrived in Detroit we visited our dear friend Liz Boss and were glad to see that she is recovering nicely from 11/11/11 back surgery. She took us to the Verizon store and Mike replaced a lost cell phone. We just filed our travel insurance claim for my 10 stitch cut on lava on the 2-step beach near Kona in Hawaii and the stolen netbook taken by Jet Star baggage handlers in Bali.

We cannot express enough gratitude to Mike's brother Fred for managing our mail and doing our taxes while we were away. He threw out our 3rd class mail so we did not have much mail to weed through. Fred's wife set me up with an optician in Lansing since I left my better eyeglasses in a glove box in a rental car in Melbourne. The price of glasses with transition lenses is the same as in Bangkok or anywhere else so we may as well buy American.

 Mike Here:
It's very easy to travel in Southeast Asia quite cheaply. If you're willing to spend the time and accept the inconvenience, it can be the next thing to free on buses and trains. Accomodations are the same thing, though a little more money can mean a big step up in luxury and convenience. At no time did we leave established tourist areas. It seems there was always someone around who understood English and could help us along.

Everywhere we went, we had access to ATM's. A couple of cards is advisable, as there can be communication problems with a certain institution. The only real trouble I had was in Europe, which has leapfrogged us technologically.  WiFi is ubiquitous in Southeast Asia. Even the cheapest flophouses proudly advertise this. India, Australia, New Zealand, not so much. There are enough internet cafe's available where one could probably get along without a computer. Personally, I was delighted to bring along a netbook, if only for keeping pictures arranged and keeping notes for the blog.

Southeast Asian street food (restaurants, roadside food stands, etc.) is generally safe, not to mention delicious. Just be sure it's been freshly cooked. Avoid fruits you can't peel, salads and any water but bottled. India is something else; just be sure to keep Immodium AD handy and accept the occasional intestinal distress.The food is worth it. Vegetarian food will cut down on the worry a bit.

Was it all worth the trouble? You betcha! We met all manner of interesting people, saw things to boggle the mind, absorbed world culture in a way not to be matched by just watching the tube. Checked the hell out of the bucket list. One person has asked "What is the most beautiful thing you saw?". I just can't answer that. Too many choices. I can't even tell what the most interesting thing was. But I can set you down and fill your ear with what we did see and experience. Or you can take the easy route and start this blog from the beginning and watch a couple of world travelers develop.

A well regulated Gomorrah

Ah yes, contrasts. Ten hours in a plane and a whole new world unfolds. The Netherlands and India are probably as far opposite as possible. Where India is unkempt and rubbish-strewn, Holland is well-scrubbed and orderly. Where in India a speaker of English was a pleasant surprise, in Holland one could assume some proficiency from nearly everyone. Holland shop fronts were all closed up with windows and neatly arranged shelves. Water could be trusted for drinking. And on and on.

We arrived in Amsterdam on Queen’s Day. This is a holiday of somewhat more magnitude than St. Patrick’s Day in the U.S. Fortunately we’d already been told of this and booked a hotel early for a somewhat decent price. It was a bit of a disappointment at first. The place resembled a flophouse with a single doorway on the street and a full flight of steep narrow stairs to a combination front desk/dayroom/computer room. After checking in we discovered our room was another four flights up. When Liz entered the room she was even more disappointed by the smell of cat urine. Not the shabbiest place we’ve been, but close. Then she looked out the window. What we had was a 5 dollar room with a million dollar view! Considering hotel prices around Amsterdam we consider this a qualified win. Certainly, Queen’s Day is a helluva show. Streets full of people, everybody wearing orange. Every few hundred feet is a bar with music blaring onto the street, from 60’s rock to rap to country to reggae. Souvenir booths and street food lining the streets which are closed to traffic. All of it happening right under our window.

View from our window

Also this

And this

Murphy, resident cat in dayroom, office, computer room.

Steep, narrow 18th century staircase.
We were 5 flights up.

　

Since it was early afternoon, we had the rest of the day to explore this amazingly compact city and see a little of everything Amsterdam has to offer. Museums, cathedrals, castles, cafés, restaurants, coffee shops (coffee isn’t the main menu item here), curious little picture windows with scantily clad ladies visible, live sex shows (not right there, you gotta pay heavily for the privilege) all within a surprisingly short walk. Everyone kept commenting on what a fine day they’d gotten. The impact of that didn’t sink in for a couple of days. Queen’s Day was pretty much all the sun we’d see here and certainly the warmest day. We wandered the streets and narrow alleys all afternoon, having a ball. By 9 or 9:30 we fell into bed, fatigued and somewhat intoxicated by a little of this and that.

Queen's Day street scenes

Next morning, up pretty early and out observing the aftermath of the big party. Also trying to get cash to fulfill our payment obligation to the hotel. No credit, cash only, it’s that kind of place. Small problem. All ready tellers require an imbedded chip that my cards didn’t have. Had to pay a premium to a moneychanger (no problem finding one of those here), who would happily trust my card to get the needed Euros.

At 11:30 we met up with Audrey and Jorrit who we’d originally met in Australia. They showed us a great time! They took us to Zaanse Schans, a Dutch equivalent of Mackinac Island or Old Williamsburg. Lots of windmills, all but one dating back to Holland’s golden age. The operating one was a working sawmill, built from original plans by rabid enthusiasts. The whole thing was wonderful! Thanks again, Audrey and Jorrit for a great time! We also spent the night with them in their beautiful house and had dinner the next day at a most unusual Japanese restaurant along with another couple, there to help celebrate Jorrit‘s 30^th birthday. Up to 6 courses of sushi and other Japanese delicacies with 6 selections each, all for 20 Euros. We had to admit defeat by the 4^th round.

Our hosts, Audrey and Jorrit

Like some other cities we’d visited, Amsterdam had a free walking tour. Our guide, Dave, was an expatriate Irishman who walked our legs off all over the old city. Since Amsterdam is actually quite small, in three hours we’d crossed it north to south and east to west, crossing over many of its 300 bridges and seeing many of the churches and museums.

　

On our last day, we finally managed to get to the Rijksmuseum early enough to beat the crowds and get inside. Lots of Old Masters, headed by Rembrandt. I had never appreciated how photographically real these paintings are. Every fold of cloth and even the edges of books done with exquisite detail. Also lots of silverwork, woodwork and porcelain, much of it done as paintings, suitable for framing. We finished up with yet another walking tour of Amsterdam vice- marijuana and prostitution mainly. Sorry, no free samples and the ladies would take great exception to being photographed. Of course, since these vices are legal there seems to be actually a bit less of them than in some other cities we’d seen. For example, even in Hanoi, as puritan a city as I’ve seen (not even facebook allowed to sully the citizen’s psyches), a single man would hear tuk-tuk drivers offering girls and weed and hinting of other illegal available delights.

And so ends the great trek. On a jumbo jet and across the Atlantic to Detroit. Next up: get a truck and fifth wheel trailer and see the U.S.

Liz on India

We visited southern India from April 10-30, 2012. We got this timely e-mail as we arrived.

From: shashikumar.h: Why should we visit temples ? Scientific reasoning. Nice article
Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 7:08 AM

WHY TO VISIT TEMPLES ? (with photos of Temples Liz and Mike visited as arranged by Shashikumar)

(Scientific Reason)
There are thousands of temples all over India in different size, shape and locations but not all of them are considered to be built the Vedic way. Generally, a temple should be located at a place where earth's magnetic wave path passes through densely. It can be in the outskirts of a town/village or city, or in middle of the dwelling place, or on a hilltop. The essence of visiting a temple is discussed here.



Somanathpur is a town with a Temple between Bengaluru on the way to Mysore

Keshava Temple





Keshava, a Hindu Temple from 1288 spoiled in war by Moslems.
If a Hindu temple is damaged it is not possible to use for worship.

 

Restoration in process in rear

 

 

Now, these temples are located strategically at a place where the positive energy is abundantly available from the magnetic and electric wave distributions of north/south pole thrust. The main idol is placed in the core center of the temple, known as "*Garbhagriha*" or *Moolasthanam*. In fact, the temple structure is built after the idol has been placed. This *Moolasthanam* is where earth’s magnetic waves are found to be maximum. We know that there are some copper plates, inscribed with Vedic scripts, buried beneath the Main Idol. What are they really? No, they are not God’s / priests’ flash cards when they forget the *shlokas*. The copper plate absorbs earth’s magnetic waves and radiates it to the surroundings. Thus a person regularly visiting a temple and walking clockwise around the Main Idol receives the beamed magnetic waves and his body absorbs it. This is a very slow process and a regular visit will let him absorb more of this positive energy. Scientifically, it is the positive energy that we all require to have a healthy life.

 

 

Fully unfolded bud of Lotus Flower on Ceiling of Keshava Temple

 

Hindu Goddess

Further, the Sanctum is closed on three sides. This increases the effect of all energies. The lamp that is lit radiates heat energy and also provides light inside the sanctum to the priests or *poojaris* performing the pooja. The ringing of the bells and the chanting of prayers takes a worshipper into trance, thus not letting his mind waver. When done in groups, this helps people forget personal problems for a while and relieve their stress. The fragrance from the flowers, the burning of camphor give out the chemical energy further aiding in a different good aura. The effect of all these energies is supplemented by the positive energy from the idol, the copper plates and utensils in the *Moolasthan*am / *Garbagraham*. *Theertham*, the “holy” water used during the pooja to wash the idol is not
plain water cleaning the dust off an idol. It is a concoction of Cardamom,*Karpura* (Benzoin), zaffron / saffron, *Tulsi* (Holy Basil), Clove, etc...Washing the idol is to charge the water with the magnetic radiations thus increasing its medicinal values. Three spoons of this holy water is distributed to devotees. Again, this water is mainly a source of magneto-therapy. Besides, the clove essence protects one from tooth decay, the saffron & *Tulsi* leafs protects one from common cold and cough, cardamom and *Pachha Karpuram* (benzoin), act as mouth fresheners. It is proved that *Theertham* is a very good blood purifier, as it is highly energized. Hence it is given as *prasadam* to the devotees. This way, one can claim to remain healthy by regularly visiting the Temples. This is why our elders used to suggest us to offer prayers at the temple so that you will be cured of many ailments. They were not always superstitious. Yes, in a few cases they did go overboard when due to ignorance they hoped many serious diseases could be cured at temples by deities. When people go to a temple for the *Deepaaraadhana*, and when the doors open up, the positive energy gushes out onto the persons who are there. The water that is sprinkled onto the assemblages passes on the energy to all. This also explains why men are not allowed to wear shirts at a few temples and women are requested to wear more ornaments during temple visits. It is through these jewels (metal) that positive energy is absorbed by the women. Also, it is a practice to leave newly purchased jewels at an idol’s feet and then wear them with the idol’s blessings. This act is now justified after reading this article. This act of “seeking divine blessings” before using any new article, like books or pens or automobiles may have stemmed from this through mere observation.

Energy lost in a day’s work is regained through a temple visit and one is refreshed slightly. The positive energy that is spread out in the entire temple and especially around where the main idol is placed, are simply absorbed by one's body and mind. Did you know, every Vaishnava(Vishnu devotees), “must” visit a Vishnu temple twice every day in their location. Our practices are NOT some hard and fast rules framed by 1 man and his followers or God’s words in somebody’s dreams. All the rituals, all the practices are, in reality, well researched, studied and scientifically backed thesis which form the ways of nature to lead a good healthy life.

The scientific and research part of the practices are well camouflaged as “elder’s instructions” or “granny’s teaching’s” which should be obeyed as a mark of respect so as to once again, avoid stress to the mediocre brains.

Temple in Mysore's Palace Compound

Mysore Palace Temple side view



Bronze Nandi, Sheva's Bull. Sheva is major Hindu God of War and Transformation.

 

Mahabaleshwar Temple

Blocks numbered on Temple Wall for Reconstruction

 

Mahabaleshwar is the source of the Krishna River that flows across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The legendary source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Old Mahabaleshwar. Legend has it that Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trimurtis by Savitri. Also, its tributaries Venna and Koyana are said to be Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma themselves. An interesting thing to notice is that 4 other rivers come out from the cow's mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna. These rivers are the Koyana, Venna (Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri.


Our GM colleagues Linda Spiller and Shashikumar were the first people to subscribe to our blog. They are 2 of the most socially intelligent people I have ever known. Shashi is a highly skilled and dedicated specifications analyst in Bangalore. He visited Powertrain in Pontiac for several months with other colleagues. We went to a Tiger’s Game together. He works on the Small Gas Engine program and is much appreciated by Linda Spillers.

Shashi in his home office. Marble floors throughout well located Bengaluru Townhouse

Linda and husband Derry in Shashi's office

 Indian Workers adds untold value. And No, workaholism is not acceptable. Life is too short.

Shashi’s consideration is one of the reasons I stuck to my plan to visit India. We enjoyed an early dinner near the AOL Ashram in the hotel’s restaurant. Shashi pronounces the names of dishes while Mike can only point at the menu. Mike agreed to a car and driver and I surrendered to just being the Madame or me’m. It does feel nice to be taken care of even though I am unused to such loss of control and autonomy. We really thought we’d travel via bus and/or train then get tired and take an airplane like we did in Southeast Asia. That way we’d meet other Western tourists. This worked in previous countries, so why not in India? Shashi looked so concerned, actually askance at the idea so in the interest of safety, ease and less wear and tear, we agreed to pay $44 per day for an experienced driver, Yogesh.

Yogesh with  his Diesel Tata

Yogesh in car discussing our trip plan in Wayanad 

I asked Shashi about his family situation. He asked me, “Isn’t it obvious that I support my parents?” I assured him that no, we would not know that since typically we do not support our parents in the US. I asked him about his own marriage plans and he said that maybe in 2 years or so, that his parents would arrange a marriage. I asked if his wife would work or just stay home and be a good cook. He said he’d like a woman who is a teacher or lecturer who might do both. Maybe Linda and I will attend his wedding.

Shashi said the equality job opportunity for women is the law, that a quota of 20% female is required in every occupation. In the airport female security officers wear the same uniform as their male counterparts. Their slacks are in sharp contrast to the silk sari. The sari is the only style of garment that millions Hindu women wear on a daily basis. Very few women do not wear a sari. The sexuality of the goddesses in the temples is carried over into the sari worn by Hindu women.



Women Police. No saris worn in this occupation.

Shashi said often how over population is hurting India. Just too many people result in huge demand. Interest rates are 11% to fend off inflation. Recently the government dropped the wholesale rate from 9% to 8.5% and people cheered. Shashi can hardly believe US interest rates are so low. Standard and Poors downgraded India’s credit rating from BBB (stable) to BBB- a few days ago. A decline in projected growth rate from 7% to 6.9%. Too much debt were cited as factors for the downgrade.

Later Sudheer, another colleague who did stack analysis on the High Feature V6 (HFV6) stopped by. Sudheer was very good at monitoring the HFV6 parts list which saved me a time or two. Sudheer drove quite a distance to visit us. He would have like to bring his lovely wife and daughter but it was too far. He showed me their photos instead. Years ago Sudheer suggested Kodaikanal and Munnar as places for us to visit and thanks to Shashi we are taking him up on that. We are not going to hot beaches in Goa.

Santosh, Sudheer, Shashi, Liz and Lonely Planet.

Another colleague Narrender Gurram telephoned and would have liked to visit but again he lives so far away that his calls were ample expression.

We visited the palace in Mysore which was built in 1910. Its opulence far exceeds Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester or other mansions built by industrialists in the US. It receives so many more local visitors than any US mansion. The Palace at Mysore represents no power plant or automotive factory profit. It contains lots of gold and turquoise. No interior photography was allowed. Mike told about the shortcut we took. Let me mention that I avoid the sun because cold sores, aka, fever blisters curse my lips from time to time. Stress and the sun bring them on. I used up 30 Valtrex pills at $10 per pill and I am down to my last one so staying out of the sun is necessary. As Rudyard Kipling wrote, “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun”. So Yogesh had to take the car in for 5000 mile service and Shashi told us to walk the short distance from our hotel to the palace. We walked across the long hot palace courtyard to see a viewing stadium, temple and the colorful gates but I really did not want to walk back to the front gate. We saw some children and women climb over the far gate and so we decided to just climb out into the shade behind the palace. We found a nice lunch place after passing the obligatory statues of Nehru and Gandhi.

Unfortunately we missed Yogesh who was waiting for us out front. But we were amused to be gate crashers. We also saw first hand why in India a guard needs to be posted at any and every entrance because unauthorized people will find a way in.





Typical Family visiting the Palace; seems like a lot more visitors come here than in comparable sights in US.



Visitors passing Mysore's Palace's Bronze Tiger



Couples outside of Palace at Mysore

Ladies in Saris outside of the Palace




Men as friends; typical is an arm on a friend's shoulder.

Mysore Palace Building

Brindavan Gardens west of Mysore

Family in Brindavan Gardens; Yogesh and Shashi knocked themselves out to give us the ideal day.
We went from Mysore to Brindavan Gardens in time for evening show.



Water Towers do not need painting in Tamil Nadu, India

“Lonely Planet” says that Ooty is the “Queen” of the southern Indian hill stations. Dubbed “snooty Ooty” our friend Cornell Lughart was in Ooty 40 years ago and loved it. Neither Mike nor I thought the town looked attractive. Chaotic traffic especially busses jammed the heart of town. The shops looked worse than shabby. Many private homes looked terrific.


Hotel Sweekar is a Lonely Planet recommendation but without a Driver's Dormitory.
Nights in Ooty were cold for us all.

Looking down on the Race Course and town of Ooty

Home in Ooty

Gated Home in Ooty

Home in Ooty

View Overlooking Ooty near Hotel Sweekar

Welcome to our Blog, Depak. We so enjoyed your collection in Ooty.

Depak's model car collection in Ooty

The Lonely Planet compares Ooty to Kodaikanal as a queen compares to a prince. I expected to love the place and sink in and relax. “Expectations reduce joy in life.” as the sutra says. In Kodaikanal I worked to post my Ashram story. Instead of being grateful for any internet at all I felt angry by power interruptions and too much noise. In the Hotel Gurupriya an old man, the apparent owner spoke to me kindly. He tried to soothe my agitation. He told me that he’d been to Denver 4 times to visit adult children there. His children are IT managers. He said that his grandchildren call India “Inda” instead of India. The children say that they will not return to India ever. That has to hurt him. He reached out to me and sincerely wished us a nice trip.

Located at the end of this dirt road was a really large hotel with lovely grounds. It was host to the Indian Rotary Club. We know because Mike asked for a room there but it is was sold out. Across from our hotel were 4 huge white “Incredible India” busses for the Rotarians. Their meeting there was a tribute to Kodaikanal as a tourist destination. I told our hotel owner that in the US we would never build a hotel on a dirt road. In fact we would not build a hotel without 2 paved roads, a front road and a back road to be certain cars could enter from either if the road were closed for repair.
He also told me how orderly US highways flow. Indians like all of Asia do not stay in their lane. He once tried to assist an elderly American lady load groceries in her car and she refused assistance. Her independence and the fact that she drove herself impressed him. Americans typically do not have servants. He said that in India lots of men need work so people expect to be waited on. Men here wear long sarongs that they flip up into shorts. Men wearing shorts is the most common attire as we travel. 

One bus of a Georgeous Fleet of Buses for Rotary Convention

Hotel Gurupriya in Kodaikanal

Man in sarong on dirt road with new hotels in Kodaikanal 

Repair marked off on Dirt Road

Dad playing Cricket with sons next to Hotel

Son running in cricket

Beautiful Grounds of sold out hotel for Rotary Convention in Kodaikanal

Statue on Grounds of sold out hotel for Rotary Convention in Kodaikanal

Coaker's Walk scene. Moma is coaching a little girl to pose.
The girl initially cried afraid to be perched up on the rock.
Note Dad is wearing a tradional sarong

Coaker's Walk in Kodaikanal

Hazy view from Coaker's Walk

Chevy customers unloading in Kodaikanal.

Visitors to Kodaikanal

Bright English speaking young men in National Park asked if we have vacancies in the US.

   



Beautiful daughters on the "Toy Train" with great views on the Western Ghats



Yogesh made a friend in Kodaikanal. We'd have stayed another day but too much noise circled hotel.

Next we drove to Munnar, another place planned out by Shashi (recommended by Sudheer years ago). Munnar is a hill town where Sudheer honeymooned. It is greener and lovelier yet than Kodaikanal, in a valley surrounded by mountains. Munnar is our introduction to the prosperous state of Kerala.

Our Hotel in Munnar ; no lift (elevator)

Tea Plantations in Munnar

Restaurant across from the Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea

Then we make a dash to Allepuzha south of Kochi and see the Arabian Sea. We decided to head back and not sleep on a houseboat; after the River Kwai north of Bangkok the houseboat in Kerala lacked appeal for double the price. We used the time to head north and spent the night in Thrissur.

Then we stayed at Hotel Haritgari in Wayanad for 2 nights. The reception desk in the lobby of the hotel burns incense. Wifi is in the lobby, not in the rooms. We saw a lot of billboards advertising the hotel and our hotel in Thrissur recommending it. The hotel has a pool but we caught rain and missed the swim. I heeded our friend Sai’s suggestion and got an ayervedic massage.

Haritagiri Hotel in Wayanad

Ayervedic Massage

Lobby of Hotel Haritigari where aroma of incense wafts.

We read a lot of articles about community issues over marriage. One newspaper article describes a rural village holding a wedding for 42 couples. Government officials ask for birth certificates since likelihood of underage brides and grooms is great. 5000 villagers turn on the officials and shatter “glasses” on the vehicles. Another article in a March 4, 2012 magazine “The Week” (like US’s Newsweek) describes how “men in Manasur (a town between New Delhi and Jaipur) pay lahks (lots of rupees) to get a wife!” In a place where traditionally a woman’s family pays a dowry to get rid of her the lowered sex ratio (880 to 1000) means that now men pay for women. (We heard this story in Vietnam where Korean men build houses in Vietnam for their bride’s parents because women are in short supply in Korea). I asked Shashi about the legal and typical ages for marriage. 18 is for women and 21 is for men.

Women's Shelter in Ooty

In Munnar we pass the Koduvally Muslim Orphanage.

A Cow in front of a Billboard for Wedding Clothes

We see loads of billboards as Yogesh drives. Billboards are 3 or 4 times the size in the hills in southern India than they are in the US. When I was in business school we learned that the message on a billboard is the essence of a marketing campaign. No doubt billboards are important. Jewelry and wedding clothes for men not just women dominate as the subjects on the billboards. Do bejeweled glamour shots of silk clothed beauties say too many people need to spend their money to get married? A few Oreo Cookie billboard of daddy holding his little girl who is holding Oreos.

Monkeys watching people

We tailgated a fleet of these trucks as we passed them.

Rear of one of a  fleet of trucks carrying explosives

Lots of billboards for different steel bar companies is a surprise ad. Steel bars are used for pouring concrete in construction. Notable in the steel bar ads is that one model is a really dark skinned man. Indians are various shades of chocolate but the only really dark model is a construction worker in a a hard hat. Vaseline even has a product to make skin lighter that they pitch to men as hard as they pitch it to women. Anyway skin color is an ongoing issue. Alice Walker is quoted in a national park for saying that animals are not to be owned any more than white people are to own black people or men are to own women.


India as a nation is part of the G20 and G24. We saw a few items about that meeting in particular is a concern that India will tax corporations who earn money in India retroactively going back as far as 6 years. Hew and cry about that tax! “Who’s money is it anyway?” is a headline. Tax law decisions by the Indian Supreme Court really ring true with what is going on in the US as per the recent Congressional vote against the “Buffet Rule“. A country works for social welfare and justice. Tax evasion gets turned into mere tax avoidance by the courts. The article discusses island tax havens. Mauritius is to India what the Cayman Islands are to the US as a tax haven.

Initially Mike just floated along not really engaged, just killing time until departure on April 30. Totally understandable for a man who was in India to please his wife. This trip is a gift of love on his part. The compliment I have for the people I meet is to tell them that the smartest people in America are from India. Their faces light up and they tell me that that is absolutely true! A sincere compliment paid truthfully is priceless.
 

We visited 3 states named Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Each of these states speaks a different language and has well over 30 million residents.



Tipu Sultan's Palace from 1784 described in 3 languages with 3 alphabets. Tip of ice berg as far as languages in India.

Indians do not understand me when I ask for “water” or when I ask for a bread named “roti”. In an effort to be objective I noticed and Mike further elaborated that I drop the “t” in water and say “wader” and I say “rodi” instead of roti.

Mike drinks black coffee. The coffee here (tea too) is served with milk and sugar, just a disappointment to a black coffee drinker. So Mike often drinks Coke or Pepsi instead. Indian tobacco on the other hand tastes really rich. Cigarettes are ten cents per cigarette and come in a pack of ten. Smoking in national parks and most public places in illegal with a fine of $5 to $10.

Cigarette Pack in India

Mike smoking by the toilet in Brindavan Gardens along with the toilet attendant. It is illegal to smoke on public property in India. The subtext is some people do not like India and some people do like India. Mike does not like it and I do.
 Is it a little passive-aggressive to pose Mike with toilet attendant?  

For our last day in Bangalore we stayed in a nicer hotel than usual to be close to the airport and to have wifi to get the blog out. We are careful with where stay before flying internationally because we we do not want to miss a flight. We had our window open and heard nice music from below. When we drive Mike’s philosophy on music is that the driver chooses the music. Whatever pleases the driver rules. In the process of driving we heard Indian music for 13 days and find it pleasant. Female Indian vocalists have a highly stylized high pitched sound that we have started to like. When we went down for dinner we found a buffet on the lawn. We enjoyed a really nice Saturday night in the Sai Lella Hotel with live music and vocalists. A breakfast buffet is included and we met a nice couple engaged to be married in December. She told me that they slipped away to the hotel ostensibly to discuss work. No surprising the young man would really like to work in the USA. They both are highly educated and have highly skilled occupations that demand big bucks.

Sai Leela one hour from Airport in Bangalore

Doorman for Sai Leela

Sai Leela

Sai Leela Pool

I asked Shashi why Kerala is so much wealthier than Karnataka and especially Tamil Nadu which looked really poor. He cited extraordinary high levels of education in Kerala and very low levels in Tamil Nadu. Kerala faces the sea and has the natural resources that come with sea life. I asked the young Hindu bride-to-be about the difference in Kerala and she too cited low education in Tamil Nadu. I asked her about Malayalam the language of not just Kerala but also of Malaysia. She conceded that “rudeness” exists in Kerala. We learned through our 2 Chinese friends how the Malays are ruling class while the Chinese and Indians do their work. Kerala gets an economic infusion not just from Malaysia but also from Dubai. One day in Kerala we saw 2 rollover accidents, the first and only accidents we saw. The roads were not unsafe by design just possibly crowded. Distressed Moslem women came out of their secluded houses to stand by the road waiting for rescue personnel. I sincerely doubt that all those women in black burqas are college educated.



Hindu Art

"Welcome to God's own district is the sign for Kerala. Another is a country is known by the way it treats its animals. We do see a dead monkey on the road so they don't all judge the traffic just right. In addition to the red flag with hammer and cycle, we see a red flag with a green stripe and a white star. Is this flag making a statement that Communism is good for the environment? Then a green flag with a white star and quarter moon is a very Moslem looking flag.      

　


Hammer and Cycle on Red Flag flying over Kerala.
Kerala is an Indian state that routinely votes Communist.

 Christian Heroes in Munnar, Kerala

Anniversary of Communist party

Coke cans are smaller than in US and water bottles are  not sealed with plastic like bottles are in Thailand.

I pasted my blog text below Mike’s and added photos most of April 29. I actually had on my swimsuit planning to take a swim before we left for the airport. Frustration with my inability to share this experience hit hard on our last day. Our 3G I-phone died a few days ago. The touch screen is not connecting. Then our Blog provider, Blogspot made a system upgrade. Saving is no longer automatic so I saved manually. Then I cut and pasted a picture and, ZAP! I lost my entire entry shortly before our late checkout of 6:00PM. Then to add injury to insult I had diarrhea. Mike took over the blog and published but my blog and photos were lost. Mike was totally understanding and appreciative of my pain. I was so disappointed not to be able to say THANK YOU especially to you, Shashi promptly.

Our fellow blogger, Carolann Moisse wrote that 4 days in Amsterday will cost the same as 12 days in India. In Holland we did not have a power source for our computer so finally I post from Lansing, Mi. on May 5.