Sightseeing in Udaipur

My mom still turns heads. The silver jewelry, peacock scarf and colorful purse certainly attracted attention at the City Palace today. One man decided to follow her (a bit too closely) as we walked to the ferry dock. Mom held his attention well enough that he did not notice Lindsay and me next to him. "I haven't seen anyone yet that I would have any trouble tackling," Lindsay commented.

Mom's admirer moved on and we explored the palaces in the middle of the lake. One was built by a prince when his father refused to let him "borrow" his mid-lake pleasure palace. So the son built his own - much larger. It is now the Taj Hotel Lake Palace.



We had lunch at a much smaller mid-lake hotel. While it only has eight rooms, the staff was starting preparations for the New Year's Eve celebration on December 28.

Sunday Redlines

10 x 100 free for best average is usually one of my favorite workouts. I usually sprint the first three pieces with reckless abandon thinking "pride will overcome lactic acid" for the next seven pieces.

Sunday morning I had a momentary crisis-in-confidence. I brought the first piece in at 1:15 and said to my lane-mate, "Maybe I should back it off a bit."

I don't remember her exact words, but the message was, "Bull Sh_t! Hold the 1:15."

We did. It hurt, and it was worth it.

Teammates.

-HammerHead

Sunrise in Agra

Sun just rose over the Taj Mahal. The Fsmog (fog + smog) certainly obscured part of it, but the 7.30 am afterglow is impressive. The calls to prayer at 6.00 am set the tone for the sun's rise. Lindsay took some excellent photos. After a battery failure on the way to Agra, the camera is fully charged this morning.

We saw several people lose their camera's inside the Taj Mahal yesterday. But that's what happens when you try to "sneak" a flash photo in the pitch black area beneath the dome. They were swift confiscations.

Our guides warned us that persistent, young salesmen would meet us as we walked to the Taj Mahal yesterday. Mom was friendly. I explained that the young hawker had no interest in her friendship. I told him that he should go talk to a prospect that actually had intent to buy, since we did not. (As a salesman, I consider it a matter of professional courtesy not to waste the time of someone that is on quota.) He persisted. I started making up stories. He pointed to Lindsay and asked who she was. "Girlfriend. Don't tell my wife."

All commerce and commentary aside, it is a breathtaking building...built by a heartbroken emperor in memory of his wife.

-Jawbones

Back on the Grid

Wow. It felt good to go "off the grid." I must admit that I did peek at personal email a few times (who knew my iPhone would work in Rajasthan), but unplugging from the internet made the time I spent in India with Lindsay and Mom more memorable.

I relied on a journal (and Lindsay's photographic skill) to catalog the trip. I hope you enjoy the entries that follow (in no particular order.)

-Jawbones