Catching You Up...

Sometimes days are so busy and fun that there is simply no time to blog.  Sometimes the internet is too slow to even want to attempt to blog.  Sometimes your eyelids cannot stay open long enough to write what needs to be told.  These sometimes describe my last several days.  So much has happened, but there has been no time, poor internet, and no energy to get a blog finished.

Since so much as happened, I am going to write this blog in parts and post a few pictures of what we’ve seen.

From Africa to Asia

Friday morning, we said “goodbye” to our friends from America and Togo and hopped on a plane.  The trip across the continent was uneventful and good, even though it was probably one of the rockiest flights I’ve been on.  It was relatively empty (apparently few people need to go from Togo to Ethiopia—imagine that!) We had a layover in Ethiopia and enjoyed my last hamburger (although it was more like spicy meatloaf) for a while.  Then we boarded the plane again and headed back to South Asia.  Although a more crowded plane and much less leg room, it was a smoother flight.

Back in Asia

We arrived mid-morning back in the big country in South Asia.  Our first stop was the capital city.  I introduced Mom to the driving here—haha!  Her first impression was that it was more modern, but a lot like Togo.  I’d say that is pretty accurate.  That and there is an exponential difference in population.

For lunch that afternoon, we met up with some friends of mine that had given me region orientation back in February.  It was great to see them again and hear about what is happening in their lives.  It was also very nice for Mom to meet some of the people that have been influential in helping me survive the last 8 months here.

We rested during the hot of the day.  Wow!  What a difference from even Africa.  It was like we had been thrown into an oven and were getting baked.  After a couple hours of napping, we were ready to go again.  

We took the metro to the Qatab Minar, a favorite sight of mine in this city.  We arrived at 6:30 and were surprised to find it closed until 7:00.  The Lonely Planet said it closed at sunset, but that had obviously changed because some time in the afternoon it closed and then reopened from 7-8:30.  It is a very South Asian thing to do I think.  We tried to make the best of our time, drank a Diet Pepsi, were attacked by some very large sweat bees, and weighted in line until at least 7:10 when they finally decided to issue us a ticket.

The Qatab Minar did not disappoint.  It was as grand and beautiful as ever.  It was nice to go in the evening and see it under a different light as well.  Below is one view of it with Mom.

To the Taj
Saturday started early as we left for one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.  We drove for a seemingly unending time (4+ hours) before finally arriving.  When we arrived in the city, we met up with our tour guide and he guided us around the amazing, beautiful buildings the rest of the day.

The Taj Mahal was something else!  It was huge.  I didn’t realize it was so big.  To put it in perspective, it is about 7 feet taller than the Qatab Minar!  The marble, carving, and inlays were stunning.  It is hard to describe it all in words, but it was really spectacular. 

Mom and me at the Taj Mahal

Holding the Taj by my fingertips!

The final sight of the day was the Agra Fort.  It was also huge and had some intricate carvings.  We only got to see a small portion of the Fort as it is still active and used by the army.

By late afternoon, after going to a souvenir shop, we were worn out and felt like we had been broiled in an oven.  We started the 4+ hour trip back to the capital.  Along the way we found a McDonald’s Drive Thru—no kidding!  Of course, we had to stop, and although we needed to go in and use the facilities (that were equipped with toilet paper!), I was majorly impressed that this place had a drive-thru!

From K-city to K-city
Sunday was another early morning because of a 6:30 am flight back to K-city.  For my mom, she started the journey in one K-city airport and ended it (sort-of) in another K-city airport.  Once we arrived, we finally unloaded the suitcases and took a bit of a snooze.  I had fun catching up with Julie about all that had gone on while we were apart.  Let me tell you, after living with someone and seeing them absolutely every day for many hours for eight months, it was weird to be away from her for two weeks! 

The next day it was back to work.  I had at least a 12 hours meeting!  Whewee!

Yet, one more early flight awaited us on Tuesday morning.  We left to go to the villages and got to fly part of the way there this time.  On day one of this village trip, we got a treat!  We got to go to the beach!  It was Mom’s first time being in the Indian Ocean.  When I had gone before, I was on the east side, so this time I was more on the west side.  The day was pretty dreary as monsoon season has started here, but the water was nice and warm.  It made some big waves, but most of the petered out before getting us too wet as we stood along the edge of the shore.  For lunch, we had fried shrimp, and no, it was not like Red Lobster.  It definitely had a South Asian flare and was fried with onions.  It tasted good, but wasn’t exactly golden and crisp shrimp like I really like.

I think that about catches you up on all the adventures.  Right now we’re on our June Village Trip.  I generally send out more updates about the Village Trip in my newsletter since it is a more secure way of communication, so if you are not getting my newsletter and would like to, please email me at eorre@aol.com.