Goa

05/15/2008
Goa,
We arrived in goa yesterday afternoon.. It is really quite different here from the other places that we have been too.. It was under Portuguese rule for over 400 years.. In 1961 it went back to India.. Because of this, there is a heavy Christian influence. The guy at dinner said that currently ~ 30% of the population is Christian. The buildings are different, and the level of income seems to be higher.. It is also the Hawaii of India.. We are here in the off season, but they said that during the season, there are direct charter flights our of Europe. It is also interesting that all of the menus have Russian as one of the languages on them. From what I can tell.. It becomes quite the party place. Our Hotel is wonderful, and the views are fantastic… Aside from all of this, we really are missing home… we are thankful for what we have there… this has given us a real chance to evaluate our selves.. More on that later.

Udaipur

Udaipur

Wow, now this is nice!!! We are staying at the Hilton Trident, in Udaipur… it is sitting on something like 40 acres of land which was once the royal hunting grounds… Stacy has final found her place… laughing.. The other Hotel in the compound is currently the #1 Hotel in the World as ranked by Travel and Leisure. Yes, you heard me right #1 in the World…. http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2007/results.cfm?cat=hotels

The Hotels sit on the hill above a beautiful lake… (a little low,because of the summer) but come Monsoon season, it will be filled to the brim.. There are walking paths around the entire place, and of course everything is incredible…. I think Stacy does not want to leave this place.. Laughing.. more to come...

Jaipur

05/11/2008
Jaipur… Today we went to see the Amber Fort, and the City Palace.. We are starting to understand the system better. It is hard to explain, that is for sure…

Taj Mahal - Japiur

05/10/2008

Taj Mahal, Yes it really is that beautiful….. I must say that I really enjoyed seeing it, the drive afterward to our current location (Jaipur) I really could have done without…. It is summer, and it is hot… we went approx. 200 kms. (124 miles) and it took hours!!!! I am not kidding, all day!!! With a couple of near misses along the way. Anyway, I have a bit a negative attitude at the moment because it was such a crazy drive… At the moment, I am also very grateful…. In my heart, I know that I have really been blessed. We have been given so much by way of the lifestyle that we live. As we drove, I couldn't help but notice all of the construction taking place on the road. The shocking thing was that most all of it was done by hand!!! Workers breaking stones with Hammers, trenches being dug with very small shovels, Dirt being removed by ladies with baskets on their heads… It created a picture, a profound image of gratefulness… It was also interesting to note, that I did see a hint of western infusion.. A few (not many) Catepiller track hoes. And a very small concrete pumping device… WOW!!!

Akraba tomb

05/09/2008
Off to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.. Stop on the way at the Tomb of Akraba, I can't put into words just how many people there are here… it is shocking, they are everywhere… It makes you feel just a bit closed in. It is also hard because it seems that although most are very poor, there is a sense of entitlement, I don't know how to explain it… hmmmm

Delhi.. Lotus Temple, India Gate

5/08/2008
Well, another day in India has nearly gone by.. . Right now, it seems like a blur. Parvesh and I spent all day talking about business, while Stacy and Shweta went and did just a little shopping…. In the process, they stopped by and had Stacy's hands painted.. I must say that at the moment, my head is a little foggy… I stopped by Pizza Hut for a personal pan pizza.. We then went to see the Lotus Temple, and the India Gate… See Pictures..

India Wedding

5/7/2008, 10:08 PM
Wow, that is all that I can say… Stacy and I arrived in Delhi last night.. It was a good flight, and with the exception of Parvesh not being there to pick us up, all has gone smoothly.. On the way from the airport, Parvesh asked us if we would like to come to a Indian wedding.. Of course, we said sure.. Not knowing what to expect.. I am sure that I was not prepared for what we got!!!! Lets just say that they really know how to throw a party, I have never seen anything like it!!!!! Parvesh said that for this wedding, the price tag = $2,000,000 USD … I took a few pictures, but they do it no justice… wow!!!
That is all I can say...

Flight to India

5/7/2008, 4:24 AM
Thoughts, well I know that I have them… We are in the air still, wow!!! I forgot what it feels like to fly for this long.. I guess it has been allot longer since the Philippines… anyway we just fly by Moscow and we have about 5hrs left until we arrive.. Stacy is sleeping like a baby, which is good.. I woke up a couple of hours ago, when we were somewhere over Norway. I find it interesting that we flew north and east up near the artic. It is also cool that we have been in daylight for most of the flight, so we left NewYork at 6:20pm (Utah) and have been light since about 8:00 or 9:00pm pm utah time… laughing…

As for me, I got a good 4 hours of sleep at this point.. I figure that it is good as I will be tired when we land in India at night…

I must say that 1st class is the way to go when flying for this long! They take very good care of you!!!

Spring Soccer

It is that time of year again.. Soccer. . I must say that it is allot of fun to watch the kids learn and play soccer.. This year, Alli and Madi are playing.. Alli is really starting to understand the game alot better, Madi on the other hand loves standing on the field and looking for worms, butterflies, grasshoppers, etc... it is so funny...