Jaipur

The Pink City is a magical place. I love the splashes of color, the interesting patterns, and of course the shopping. It was painted pink to represent hospitality for the Prince of Wales that visited in 1853. I can only imagine what a journey that was. The pepto pink and those lovely hanging lights make it feel like a movie set.

The initial shock of India started to wear off - the poverty, the dust and dirt, everyone wanting something, and the guilt for having more than others. These qualities linger with me and give me a lot to continually think about.

Unfortunately the heat isn't something I'd ever get used to, but it's part of India. Thankfully there were a lot of distractions.

Random notes + photos: - Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is one of the most famous sites here. It's very ornate and distinctive.

-Our guide told use how the cow is such a sacred piece of the Hindu culture and that they use all of its byproducts in ayurvedic medicine. We noticed dung patties drying and he told us they were delicious... still not sure what to make of that.

- We kept seeing men with large silver jugs. In these jugs they had milk and would dip their hands in the milk to determine how concentrated it was, which would determine the price it sold for.

- The city is one of the best planned in the world, which piqued my interest, because I love urban planning. Interestingly, we heard multiple times how they hold horoscopes and gemstones in high regards. Jaipur is a prized city since it is set up according to 6 sectors with 9 blocks, which were based off the planets. Every street is 111" feet wide and all streets are on a 90 degree angle. Our guide said that religion and profession dictate where people would live.

- Astronomy is a long standing part of Jaipur, which is evident at Jantar Mantar - a sophisticated observatory that holds the world's largest sundial (Samrat Yantra). You can literally watch time pass and most impressively there's an accuracy of 2 seconds. (You can read more about it at the WebUrbanist)

- Supposedly 70% of the world's gem stones are cut and polished here. Then again, maybe that's a sales ploy. We were told multiple times that Indians invest their money in jewelry and land. It wasn't the first time there were plenty of things I would have loved to buy, but baggage space didn't allow for it. Instead I bought several custom made tunics, which arrived at our hotel several hours later.

- The Amber Fort was particularly astounding due to the architecture, view, and artistic details. It had some impressive vegetable dyes in vibrant colors that have withstood both time and weather.

- We were particularly interested in the elephants, so we asked what it takes to own one and how the owners can afford them. We found out they are traditional for grooms to ride for 1km when they get married and they cost 11,000 rupees ($230 USD) for weddings and a minimum of 1 million ($20,800 USD) to buy one.

- Our first introduction to double standard pricing... we noticed the neighboring table at dinner was given another menu with local prices and our bottled water was seriously inflated from what we paid in Delhi. It also doesn't help that we haven't exactly figured out how to tip without thinking of Western standards and being overly generous... wouldn't you know that waiter was waiting on us hand and foot at breakfast the next morning.

- There were monkeys running around on city walls. Unfortunately they were too fast for me to catch on camera.



...next stop Agra - and the Taj Mahal!

city updates

As much as I'm sure you'd love a play by play of each day of our trip it's frankly a bit boring and will take forever. I am bored writing it, and I know that it can never precisely capture our experiences or the excitement. If it's boring for me, it's surely boring for you.

Instead, I think I will post a more concise reaction to each place with plenty of photos. If you have questions about places, experiences, or something else I'm more than happy to answer them, just leave them in a comment below.

There's so much going on that will hopefully be more inspiring to write about and plenty more trips around the corner. I need to enjoy the downtime while I have it and get our apartment settled, because we're back to exploring foreign lands in early April.

Road to Jaipur: Day 3

We spent the greater part of the day traveling by car from New Delhi to Jaipur.

It was a bit of a surprise that the tour company owner wanted to meet with us since he was out of town when we arrived. He lived slightly outside of New Delhi in a place called Dwartha. One thing he said really resonated with me - he tells his children how much he appreciates living a little outside of the the New Delhi chaos, because they can see the stars at night. Isn't that sweet?

The drive to Jaipur was long - insanely long. At each tiny village that we encountered there was traffic, not to mention there aren't really any rules for the road. 3 lanes of traffic turn into 5, and they are shared with people pushing goods on bikes, scooters, the occasional animal and often also pedestrians. Stefan particularly liked the trucks that were so festive.

The closer we got to Jaipur the more we saw wild life... cows, camels, goats, monkeys, and even elephants.

Seeing people working in the fields made me really feel as though we were stepping back in time, until we saw people on their cell phones on the sides of the road in the middle of nowhere. One thing is for sure - there is plenty of work to be done and the people here are very hard workers.

It seemed very misplaced to see billboards of jewelery companies along the way when the people working in the area would most likely not be able to afford things that luxurious. In India there truly is a market for anything. With so many people everything from the inexpensive street foods to the 5 star restaurants are filled.

Once we reached Jaipur I was thrilled to see such interesting architecture. This is nicknamed 'the Pink City' and the buildings demonstrate exactly why. It is a very striking place that most closely identifies with the India of my thoughts, although it's still sensory overload.

In the end our poor driver was on the road for nearly 7 hours - including arriving right when it was Jaipur's rush hour. We checked into our beautiful hotel, had an exorbitantly priced dinner, and then decided to call it a night.

antique photos

One of my guilty pleasures is riffling through boxes of old photos at the antique stores. I love photos, so I find it very hard to imagine how someone could part with these. Surely they have many stories and a history behind them. There are babies, weddings, parties, and my favorite - vacations.

Some are the historical scenes of the lives that cities once lived, while others are people. I admit, I am the creepy person that has photos of people I don't even know.

My favorites are the kids at the zoo or people wearing lederhosen, just because they are funny. I'm not entirely sure what I will do with them - perhaps display them or introduce them to the 21st century and make them digital so I can share them here.

My city collection now consists of:
Rome
the Vatican
Florence
Venice
Capri
Paris
Pompeii
Dubrovnik
Salzburg
Brussels
Trier
Hamburg

I think about how far digital cameras have come and how precious these snap shots and limited film supplies once were.

Now someone's memories are having a second life and making me wonder about the experiences that made them worthy of being captured for posterity... even if posterity means a random American girl living in Munich.

absolutely beautiful

I've been loving Jamie Magazine since I was sent a copy by a friend.

Being a book lover I appreciate the luxurious feeling of the uncoated pukka paper mixed with the photos from David Loftus and the incredible fonts. It certainly makes for an insanely gorgeous magazine.

Unfortunately I haven't found the magazine here in Germany - even at the international booksellers. (I found this magazine here in Munich. You can purchase it at the Hauptbahnhof International Magazine shop for 10.50€)

Stefan enjoyed reading it too, and I'm all for anything that encourages him to cook with me! I may just have to get a subscription from the UK.

You can flip through some of the back issues here.

In case you are interested, here is a list of some fonts that are in the magazine:

Monte Carlo Script NF
woodtype URW D
Fedra Serif B
Quimby Mayoral, which I purchased today!
Soho Gothic
Meta Hairline

We'll be heading back to London in May and have already made reservations at the River Café, where he was a sous chef. I can't wait for a great meal and to pick up his newest magazine!

If you're in the US, you can even check out the Food Revolution and sign his petition for healthier school meals.

New Delhi + Old Delhi: Day 2

Our second day in India was spent touring both New Delhi and Old Delhi.

We were promptly picked up by our guide, Lalit, and our driver. Lalit thanked us for coming to New Delhi, because it's really not much of a tourist city.

The first stop we made was to visit the Parliament House / Rajpath, which reminded me of a mix of Paris, Washington DC, and India. I'm sure it was due to the regal architecture, sprawling mall area, and the red sandstone.

We stood outside of Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's house) and suddenly realized the school children that were surrounding us were more interested in us than the President's house. Clearly Lalit was right about the city not seeing many tourists.

Other important monuments in the area are the India gate and Humayun's Tomb, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mughal architecture of Humayun's Tomb is what the Taj Mahal was modeled after. Supposedly, when the Taj Mahal was planned to be built 2,199 architects were asked for plans. Upon seeing Humayun's Tomb, Shah Jahan decided he wanted to model the Taj after it, which was built in honor of his wife that had passed away. Humayun's Tomb, interestingly enough, was commissioned by Humayun's wife.

As we walked around the grounds of Humayun's Tomb Lalit called the stray dogs lions. They were basking in the sun and scampering around. Being someone that really loves dogs it's always interesting to me to see how people treat them around the world.

The light in India is beautiful and it's certainly a culture that loves color.

We quickly learned the school children weren't the only one that were interested in us. Lalit had no hesitations in asking us all kinds of questions - how we met, what we did for work... and then I asked if he was married. His response took me by surprise, but also summed up a bit of the Indian culture.

He responded that he and a young woman, who lives in Auckland, met and they fell in love, but due to arranged marriages he wasn't able to marry her. Without skipping a beat he said, 'perhaps in a next life'.

There are so many aspects of the culture in India that I find fascinating. The Hindu faith, the arranged marriages, caste systems, the transfer of jobs and the telecom boom, and why exactly is there so much poverty. What's interesting to note is that divorce in arranged marriage is substantially lower than average.

After seeing New Delhi it was time for Old Delhi including the Raj Ghat (cremation / memorial site for Mahatma Gandhi) and the largest mosque in India - the Jama Masjid.

The best way to tour Old Delhi is by taking a ricksaw/rishka. Our driver was a frail looking older man, who frankly I hated to have drive us around in the sweltering heat. I found myself wondering if his old bike would hold our weight. Our guide told us to put our feet on a ledge and that was our seat belt. I was a bit nervous to enter traffic on the busy main roads, but I had to remind myself they are accustomed to this. He plowed through the crowds and dodged motorcycles, tuktuks, cars, and everything else as he took us through the various streets.

The ride was exhilarating. We wove through the Old Chandni Chowk market passing the themed areas: silver, wedding, paper, and sari/saree. It was certainly sensory overload. There were so many things to see and once again the people were also watching us. Funny how we are all curious about one another.

As we approached the Jama Masjid there were plenty of hawkers who wanted us to purchase so many things. Some of them were rather odd... a kama sutra book, a huge leather bull whip, bindi stickers for my forehead, and many books about the city. Everyone seems to be some kind of salesman with something for you to purchase.

We made our way up the sandstone steps and left our shoes before entering the mosque. It's customary to give the man that watches over your shoes a small donation. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw young man from America making a scene. He was actually yelling at the man and saying that he would not give him a donation, because he wasn't told this beforehand. The whole situation seemed rather ridiculous to me, because we're talking pocket change, which sadly probably means a lot more to the Indian man.

I was surprised that I didn't need to wear a head scarf, yet even despite being very conservative dressed I was given a silk gown. We tried to find a bit of shade so we could hear more of the history of the area without standing in the intense heat and burning our feet on the warm pavement. The Islamic architecture was very beautiful.

After making our way back to our driver we thanked the rishka driver and I told him that we were sorry we weighed so much, but the food here is just too good to resist.

Lalit made reservations for us for lunch. Despite serving Indian food it was clear this was a restaurant that catered to tourists and Western tastes. He declined our invitation to join us, which we weren't sure if that was looked down upon or if he simply had other guides he'd rather join.

After lunch we visited the Laxminarayan Hindu temple, which was more interesting because we heard Lalit discuss his own faith. It's nice when someone welcomes you to look at their beliefs, how they practice, and to learn what it's about. This temple was built in 1622 and unfortunately cameras weren't permitted..

We stopped to take off our shoes and walked across the cold marble floor, stopping to touch the steps as we walked in.

Next we greeted Ganeesha (the elephant God) so that our prayers would be heard by the other Gods.

We again noticed the swastikas that we've seen throughout India. It's such a heavy symbol coming from Germany, although I know it's roots go back much further. In the Indian culture it represents wealth and prosperity. Unfortunately we were not able to take photos at the temple, but the various idols and colors were really striking. We left with our own red tilaka 'third eye'.

I loved one fresco image of a man and a dog. Lalit told us the story, which was about the Final Journey of Yudhisthira, who was a brave man on his journey to paradise. Along the way he crossed paths with a dog that was said to be thin and ugly. They were companions for the journey. Finally, at the gates Yudhisthira was told his mangey friend was not allowed to enter. The man decided if the dog could not enter nor could he after all that they had been through together. Just then the dog transformed into the god Dharma. That was Yudhisthira's final test and a bit of philosophy from ancient India.

We passed through an underground walkway where several people were trying to avoid the heat. A disabled man pulled himself over to us asking for money. It's shocking and disturbing to see people not having the resources for wheelchairs or other medical devices that would greatly increase their quality of life. Unfortunately this wouldn't be the last time we saw people living like this.

After visiting the Hindu temple we went to the Sikh Temple, which was less colorful, but equally as lively. I can't say I knew much about the Sikh faith before we visited, however I recognized the men instantly. One of their five pillars requires never cutting their hair (kesh), thus they wear it wrapped up on their heads and enclosed in a turban.

While walking to the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib area a little guy approached Lalit and asked if he could join us for tea. We didn't quite know what was going on, because we didn't speak his language. Lalit told him he could join us for a meal and he declined, which I found puzzling. I quickly understood why.

We left our shoes with the shoe minder and received a head scarf before we entered the gurdwara. The area is quite enormous and houses the temple, an art gallery, a school, a kitchen, and the holy pond that is said to be blessed by one of their Gurus and cures aliments like cholera.

One of the most inspiring things that I saw was the enormous Langar (kitchen area), which is where this small boy knew we were going. In the Sikh faith they believe in equality, regardless of race, religion, caste, creed, age, gender or social status. Not only that, they believe in providing selfless service to mankind, so Sewadar (volunteers) offer their services to the community without asking for anything in return. It is very inspiring, especially when you see the scale at which they are working.

The dining area of the Langar is set up reflecting the equality - everyone sits on the floor next to one another and eats the same meal. Meals are served twice a day and amazingly 50,000 people or more are served each day. You don't even want to see the dishes. I wish I could have taken a photo of the metal plates stacked so high, but I didn't want to disturb the diners.

They definitely left me with Cherdi Kalaa (ever-rising high spirits), just knowing someone is working towards helping others.

We were understandably very tired at the end of our day. Thankfully we could settle in with room service. Things are very inexpensive in India. The most expensive item on the menu at our hotel was boneless chicken pakora for 300 rupees or roughly $6USD. We had also purchased 6 - 1 liter bottles of water and a bag of chips at a shop for only $2 USD.

The hotel also offered a day trip to the Taj Mahal for only 12€ a person. After we went to the Taj Mahal I cannot imagine going on a day trip, but the next day we were headed to Jaipur and it was one long haul.

Congratulations...

Andi was the winner - lucky number 7!

Please contact me so I know where to send your gift card!

Unfortunately this giveaway was only open to German residents, however the next one will be open world wide.

The Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy

I read about the Secret Society at the San Francisco Chronicle and it just made me so happy.

It's great to hear about people doing good things, just because.

A few days ago I met with some friends and we were discussing how in Germany it's not typical to say excuse me, I'm sorry, or to hold the door for others.

If you do, it's typically met with a 'nichts (or in Bavaria nix) passiert' - "nothing happened". One person mentioned she thought this summed up the German culture, while someone else went as far as to tell me once I lost my manners I would be integrated into the German way of life.

3.5 years and counting and I refuse to let that happen, even if it gives me away as a foreigner.

It's really interesting how hesitant people become when you offer to do something nice. They instantly think there must be a catch.

German readers - don't forget today is the last day to enter for the Amazon.com 50€ gift certificate! Just leave a comment on this post about your favorite ways to save when you travel!

A 30€ day in Munich + a giveaway!

The easiest way to save money in Munich is obviously by having a friend or family member living there... Yes, I'm talking to you friends and family who have yet to visit!

For the rest of you I composed a guide to a day in Munich on a budget of 30€.

As a special bonus to readers in Germany, the wonderful folks from gutschein-codes.de are sponsoring a 50€ Amazon.com gift card giveaway.

You can use their site for instant savings on travel or photo prints from your latest trip, as well as everyday shopping.

The contest is open to those with a German mailing address and limited to one entry per person. All you have to do is leave a comment about your favorite money saving travel tip or favorite place to visit in Munich between now and 7 March 2010 at 23:59 (CET). The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

Please make sure I am able to contact you if you win!

Viel Glück!

Below are some of my favorite places in and around the city center to enjoy on a budget. Munich is truly more of a village, so traversing on foot is relatively easy, although we do have a stellar subway system.

Simply click the image to enlarge it or print it out and take it along. There is also a map with the designated places marked below, so you can easily find your way.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the contest!

Here are a few of my tips:
- stay above ground so you can see more and make up for all of the walking with delicious foods
- stop by an apple store to check your emails for free
- many restaurants have lunch specials - eat a large lunch so you have energy to burn and because it's much less expensive.
- if you want to make your own 'bierprobe' purchase beer at the grocery where bottles are very inexpensive
- find groceries in the basements of many department stores and purchase drinks there


View 30€ day in Munich in a larger map

Other free activities to consider:
Gärtnerplatz - beautiful flowers and a great place to people watch
Olympic Park - this was the stage of the 1972 olympics, and if Munich has it's way, in 2018 it will be the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympics.
BMW Museum - the tours are not free, however going inside the museum and looking around is.
'Free City Tour' - guides work off of tips

Check back March 8th to see who won, and if you're in Germany visit gutschein-codes.de for more money saving opportunities!

The giveaway is over - congratulations to the winner: Andi!

While I'm unpacking...

Apologies for being MIA for quite some time... this apartment thing is seriously taking over my life, but the good news is we only have a few last minute things to move (like Stefan's fish tank) and then it's on to the fun of unpacking and decorating.

If that wasn't enough, we're going to be getting a new kitchen, so it looks like I'll have more reason to sample some of the restaurants in our neighborhood over the next couple weeks.

I wanted to leave you with a few beautiful travel inspired works of art made by the über talented Julene Harrison.

She painstakingly cuts her images by hand!

If an original cut work commission is out of your price realm you can purchase some of her laser cut prints on etsy! Some of my favorites are her city series, including: New York, Paris, and London.

(images: Julene Harrison)

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year is extra special, because it's also the Chinese New Year / Year of the Tiger!

We celebrated with a much deserved dinner after a full day of packing. Thankfully everything will be finished by this time next week, including furniture deliveries. (Can I tell you how happy I will be when this is finally over?)

For dinner we went to Emiko, a restaurant that opened shortly before we left for our trip, in the new Louis hotel at Viktualienmarkt. The food is Japanese inspired and it was excellent. Lots of tiny portions served family style, which ensured a lot of variety. They also had a lot of little origami decorations hanging around for a sweet touch.

It was such a great way to celebrate - a mix of old favorites (a bottle of one of our favorite wines, Grüner Veltliner) and new classics (touches of Japan when we're missing Tokyo).

New Delhi: Day 1

Our arrival into New Delhi was nice, but boy was it hot - already at the break of dawn. We were met with the heat, honking horns, and a bit of chaos. A definite welcome to India.

Reality check #1: Be prepared to sweat more than you thought humanly possible.

We didn't have to negotiate our way around the tuks, because we hired a driver for our stay before we left Munich. A guide and driver promptly met us and gave us marigold leis and bottles of water. That was a much easier way to soothe our jet lag.

Before I left I was constantly told the same words of wisdom about India, 'You either love it or you hate it', and 'Make sure you check your water bottle to make sure it is sealed and hasn't been refilled'.

On our way to our hotel we quickly saw things are very different. We saw what is supposed to become their subway system in anticipation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which are to be hosted in New Delhi. Throughout the next days we would constantly hear about it on the news, from our guides, and around the city. Everyone was excited and also a bit curious how things would come together.

Reality check # 2: Forgo any prior knowledge of what is safe and don't tell your Mom about it until you get home.

We were instantly struck at how odd it was driving into town, namely because the highways weren't highways like I know them. Instead any type of transportation was permitted, including animals, bicycles, and pedestrians. Safety was entirely different - often the cars would not have seat belts, seeing 4 or more people on a motorbike was considered the norm - and no one had a helmet on. Car seats for children and babies are nonexistent and they would often be riding on their parent's lap as they drove or sandwiched in and taking a nap to the gentle hum of the motor.

When we arrived at our hotel, in our jet lagged haze, it was culture shock to say the least. Our driver pulled up to our hotel and for a few minutes we actually didn't realize this would be our home away from home, off and on, over the next several weeks.

The hotel reeked of furniture polish when we initially arrived and then we were lead up to our room, which was a wonderful little oasis. We had a large shower area, wireless internet, and the ultimate luxury - air conditioning (we don't even have this in Germany!).

Everyone was very attentive to our every whim and everyone expected a tip as well. This is something else we had been warned about, however weren't entirely prepared for. You see when you convert money they don't often give you small bills, so it's easy to dole out very generous tips. Lesson learned - get small bills pronto!

We got acclimated to the noises and would peer out our window to the dusty street below. There was a small and colorful Hindu temple directly outside with a many visitors ringing a bell throughout the day. We heard the constant honking and from time to time cows mooing or dogs barking.

After resting up we decided to venture out. We had a 'park' in front of our hotel, although walking past was enough. We were armed with directions from the hotel and wandered into the middle of our neighborhood - Karol Bagh. As soon as we walked out the door the heat was absolutely stifling. I tried my best to not breathe in the humid air that was suddenly acrid as we passed open urinals on the street.

We left with a mission - to see the area, take some photos to send our parents, and to buy several bottles of water. The amount of attention we would receive was also a big surprise for us.

It didn't take long before we appreciated another luxury - trash service. The streets were littered with random detritus and I was happy to have worn closed toe shoes. In some areas animals of choice (usually dogs, cows, or pigs) would be scavenging for anything edible. We were faced with the reality that life here is incredibly hard for most.

Our first day in India was intense. We were jet-lagged, tired of sweating, annoyed at getting heckled, and feeling immense guilt for having more than the average person.

Reality check #3: Be grateful for everything... education, family, food... - EVERYTHING.

Thank You!

...so much for all of your kind comments, emails, and support.

Life has been keeping us very busy with this move, but I am doing my best to keep up with everything - in addition to reflecting on the past half year and how much our lives have changed.

I can't wait to share everything we saw, learned, and experienced.

Munich to India

I'm not entirely certain how to go about writing the past 4 months... but I will start at the beginning.

We opted away from traveling anywhere that is theoretically accessible for a long weekend, or as a short trip, in favor of further destinations. We could have easily spent 4 months in one country, but our curiosity got the best of us and we wanted to see as much as possible.

There were plenty of things that we had to consider, as well as what to pack, and if we had the proper vaccinations and visas.

We then booked most everything in advance. Since we traveled with the Star Alliance around the world ticket, we were able to easily change dates for free and destinations for a small fee.

This does take some flexibility out of things, but it also provided us with a schedule. After researching the places we would visit we also booked most of our hotels ahead, which ensured us of having nice places to stay and an address to arrive at in each city.

In the end the planning ahead saved us an incredible amount of time and money while providing some extra luxury. After staying in over 35 hotels in the past year we definitely know what we like and what we don't... more about that later.

Since we are largely familiar with the US and Europe we opted to head East, beginning with our first stop in India. The weather during this time of year in Asia is also a key factor. We didn't want to spend our trip in monsoon season or in sweltering temperatures. We figured we would chase the nice weather around the globe and once it cooled off in Japan we'd be heading South of the equator to New Zealand. Mother Nature always has a few tricks up her sleeve, but considering we were spared natural disasters we fared pretty well.

In the days before we left I wrote my preconceived notions of what things would be like in each place, just for comparison when we returned. I was curious how my expectations and ideas would change after visiting. We printed out our confirmations and tickets, laid out everything we'd be taking on our living room floor, checked and double checked, and before we knew it, it was time to leave. Stefan and I constantly looked at each other and stated time and time again, 'This is really happening.'

After our annual visit to Oktoberfest and saying goodbye to friends, family, and co-workers. It was wonderful to have a farewell celebration at the Käfer tent. The very next morning we were on our way.

The meals on the flight were cutely themed - for Oktoberfest and India. Stefan cherished his last Bavarian feast, while I enjoyed the vegetarian Indian option.

We arrived very early the next day (September 23rd) in New Delhi, India and just like that our adventure began.