Welcome to our Blog-ocracy

We've already received a number of comments on the recent photos, most of them from a single source (love you Dad). In yet another shameless attempt to encourage comments, we are introducing another contest. There is a twist, however--this time, it's an intra-blog competition between Bob and myself. We're calling it "Who looks hotter at the Taj Mahal?" and your comment is your vote. The whole idea was hatched by Bob, who is emboldened by his slim 'n' trim figure, but I like it as well. As with the postcard sweepstakes, there are, of course, stipulations. ANY comment, negative or positive, will be counted as a vote. Let the games begin.

Some of our more astute readers may have noticed that there are surprisingly few pictures from Delhi, where we've stayed longer than any other spot in India. I can give you some sample captions from the past week:

"Here we are watching television in our hotel room. I think this is the second time we saw 'Maid in Manhattan.'" (J. Lo was amazing in this performance. Oh, the pathos!)

"Melanie does some 'last-minute' shopping yet again."

"Melanie gasps when the postal clerk tells her how much her package to the US will cost to send. Perhaps she regrets all of her last-minute shopping."

"Here we are buying movie tickets."

I hear that Delhi has some pretty cool attractions, from the Lotus Temple to the Red Fort. Our knowledge of them will be limited to the descriptions and photos in our Lonely Planet guidebook, however. Unlike our friends, we did not have the wherewithal to book a Delhi sightseeing tour. Republic Day was Wednesday, which has resulted in sporadic closings throughout the city during the week. At least now we have incentive to come back (in case the shopping wasn't enough).

Signing off from India, Mel

Lucky Number Thirteen

Monday marked the beginning of our time in Delhi as well as our thirteenth week of travel. The last bit of our India tour was a good time in the (cold) desert. We visited the "holy" city of Pushkar as well as the forts of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, and we went on a camel safari! (Bob claims that he is much better at camel riding than I am, and I have to agree. Pictures are forthcoming.)

As Bob reflected in the last e-mail, India can be quite frustrating at times; however, it's also a captivating place to visit. It has the added benefit of being cheap--for those of you interested in the more mundane aspects of our trip (or possibly looking to plan one of your own), we have spent about $16 a day each (not including what we paid to the overland company before we left). We were also tipped off to a good around-the-world ticket deal, through the OneWorld Explorer Pass. The Irish girls are using it for their trip and have paid less than we did for more than we got. Bugger. But, in case anyone else is thinking of taking a similar journey, please learn from our fiscal mistakes.

The Postcard Sweepstakes was not nearly as popular as I had hoped it would be. I was initially worried that people would "cheat" by changing the time that their comment was made, but it turns out that this concern had little, if any, basis. So far, there have only been seven respondents (ten postcards were offered up), and the list includes our most faithful blog devotees. Current winners are Shannon Shipley, Miriam Dillard, Elizabeth Quinn, Jim Bohlen, Scott Bartelt (by proxy), Jennifer Gill, and John Venable. Congratulations!

I'm really impressed that the site has been visited by such B-list celebrities as Reba McEntire (sp?) and Michael Bolton. We definitely weren't expecting such widespread acclaim. Maybe Debbie Gibson and MC Hammer will join the ranks.

We spent all day yesterday in our hotel room watching TV, ordering cheap room service, and in general recovering from our last night together as a group. Today we have actually ventured forth to run errands and sort ourselves out to see the Taj Mahal on Saturday. We're going to wait to post pictures until after we've visited THE tourist attraction in India.

Until then, peace out.

The Postcard Sweepstakes!

Bob and I assume that our reputation for arrogant presumption precedes us; hence we are spicing up the blog and offering Indian postcards to the first ten commenters (or is it commentors? I think I'm getting dumber) to this post. Our reasons for providing our faithful readers with this golden opportunity are manifold (and will now be listed):

A) To be honest, we've been a little overzealous in our postcard purchasing, and slightly underzealous in our postcard writing and sending. While Bob has a handy address book, I do not, and could mail about 5 postcards correctly if I went only from memory.
B) The best part of getting online for me is checking the comments on the blog. If I have to make bribes for more comments, so be it.
C) What else are we going to do with 8 days in Delhi?

There are, of course, a few stipulations. Addresses to which postcards have already been sent (you know who you are) are exempt; we're looking for new blood here. A complete address must be provided, preferably along with a witty comment (points will be given for a comment that mocks our sense of self-importance). Otherwise, let the games begin. We'll arrive in Delhi on the 24th and will be visiting the post office sometime the following week. Winners will be announced.

If this sweepstakes is (are?) successful, then we'll escalate next time. Perhaps a Thai mail-order bride sweepstakes. Stay tuned!

Weather, or not?

For those of you readers who think of India as a hot, tropical locale, think again. As we've headed north into the desert state of Rajasthan, the weather has grown considerably cooler and drier. Bob and I are happy about this because it means we occasionally get to wear spandex long johns under our clothes, but it has made the last FIVE nights of camping a little...uncomfortable.

I get the feeling that the newcomers to the group are even less enthralled with camping than we are. As one of them was wiping the caked-on dust off of her face with a third baby wipe, she asked me if this were the dirtiest I'd ever been. She then demonstrated an intriguing emotional blend of admiration and revulsion when I told her about my showerless month on NOLS in Alaska. Wherever I go, I try to make a good impression.

Needless to say, I think the World's Cheapest Couple may spring for the extra $7.50 each and sleep indoors tonight. I think avoiding frostbite is worth it.

This leg of the trip has been super interesting thus far. We've seen a lot of outdoor "ghost" temple complexes representing a panoply of religions--Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Islam. As with most tourist attractions in India, once you have paid to get in somewhere, the atmosphere is a lot calmer and can be downright pleasant. Luckily, our new friends are a lot more tolerant of touts than we are and are a good line of defense. Bob and I have been traveling longer than anyone else in the group, save our leader (and it's his job), so I think we have license to be more cynical.

We're currently in Udaipur, which is purported to be "the most romantic city in India," but I think I'm missing out on the vibe. We toured the City Palace Museum this morning, which is very impressive, and had lunch looking out on the famous "lake" palace. "Lake" is in quotes because it's the dry season and it's more of a grazing pasture for the many "street cows" that roam around. It's funny--the cows get their horns painted because they're sacred, but they don't seem to know it. As Bob put it so eloquently, how can you revere a creature that eats plastic bags when other food is available? Food for thought (ha ha).

This keyboard is terrible and I'm out of news anyway. Thanks to all of the newcomers and new posters on the site--it really gives us something to look forward to whenever we get online.

Kolsky--we'll give you our flight details as soon as it gets closer to game time. If you're anything like your buddy Bob, attempting to make plans more than a week in advance is an exercise in futility.

Happy upcoming birthdays to Amy Unterborn and Elizabeth Quinn! They are turning 24, one year closer on the inexorable march to 3-0!

Thank You Visit Again

Hello hello hello all of you faithful bloggers. Sorry to have delayed a new post for so long, but we have been in Goa for the past few days. The beach lifestyle and bad internet service did not make a good combination for new, witty posts.

We arrived in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) yesterday and have been spending the morning taking care of business, which involved mailing a parcel home and buying tickets for our movie tonight (hooray!). We dearly appreciate all of the comments (and new commentors!), but have received some grief for "not being detailed enough about what we're actually doing," and "talking too much about our stomachs." Bob is working on photos right now, which hopefully will be successful and give some images to match the words. Meanwhile I will try to articulate what it is we've been up to.

Today we get four new group members--all girls from either the UK or Ireland (does Ireland count as the UK? Am I stupid for asking that?). This will mean no more long naps in the truck, but I think we'll manage. In the past ten days, we've spent about 40 hours in the truck. So you could say that we've been riding like it's a paying (part-time, or French, ha ha) job.

We spent New Year's Eve in the hill station of Ooty, which was a very low-key party with fellow travelers. Jon, Bob, and I did not make it to midnight. There's always next year.

After Ooty, our goal was to make it to Goa, which took us two and a half days. India's roads are such that a seemingly short distance (e.g. 600 kilometers from Goa to Mumbai) takes a disproportionate amount of time (18 hours split up over two days). We had a brief stopover in Mysore, famed for its palace, and, as we soon learned, its coin collectors. So many people gave us the same script: "Hallo! Which country are you from? Do you have any (Swiss francs, Aussie coins, US coins) you will give me for a coin collection?" As David Sedaris says, you'd like to think that people are unique, and it's quite depressing when you're constantly reminded that they aren't.

Goa was a good time, full of twenty- and thirty-something European backpackers who were looking for love in all the wrong places. Our group was no exception--the three singletons all made their mark on the local bar scene. Customary with any tourist destination, booze was cheap and plentiful, food was more expensive and catered to Western tastes and intestines, and handicraft shops abounded. Bob bought a hammock and I got a Ganesh tank top that I give maybe ten washings. On the whole, it was a really lovely and relaxing time, although maybe not the best thing to happen to our wallets or livers.

We were back to bush camping two nights ago and experienced the usual flock of onlookers, who by now we've become completely accustomed to. I can definitely see a change from South to North; the climate is drier, the landscape less lush, and the people more "westernized," for lack of a better term.

I was expecting to be accosted by humanity in Mumbai but have actually found it to be quite pleasant. We're less interesting here than we are in rural villages, so most people leave us alone, except for the opportunistic taxi drivers, beggars, and souvenier shopkeepers. Apparently white person=endless amounts of funds.

That's all I've got for now. Hope all is well back home. We really do love all the comments we get; it helps ease any tendencies towards homesickness.