One thing about our travels is that the touring in India went without a hitch. I had been warned that might not happen. But, our guides were there to meet us when we arrived; our drivers were professional and timely; no glitches in itinerary or reservations; planes were pretty much on time. Maybe some of the food and hotels were not precisely up to our (my) standards, but nothing terrible! The only real disappointment in India was the tigers that failed to show at Ranthambore. However, when we got to the gate in Chicago after 36 hours of travel, there was an electrical issue that prevented the cargo hatch from opening. Ha! It took forever to get our bags.

But eventually the bags were retrieved, the dogs were picked up from their spa vacation (kennel) and we are home in cold Chicago.

On Sunday the NYT ran an article about the air quality in Delhi- worse than Beijing, it said. And that 3 days in Delhi could have cost President Obama 6 hours off his lifespan. Delhi and the other major cities we were in were very dusty and smoggy and I did have a recurring sensation of grit in my mouth. If you go there, be prepared to taste the place as much as see it.

India has an ad campaign called “Incredible India.” Our guide in Jodhpur kept saying this- “Incredible India” – after he would point out some feature- the sidewalk barbers, the milkmen on motorcycles, etc. It was incredible in many ways; there is a lot of beauty; but this is a place that is hard to visit; not comfortable in many ways (until we got to Mussoorie, with just 1 exception, we never left our hotels on our own- there is no walking out to a restaurant or cafe as you might do in Europe); and even leaving air quality to the side, the EPA would not know where to start (could they get a few garbage cans?) It was certainly eye opening and incredible that a nation of this size with such a focus on education can tolerate the sanitation, water quality, pollution, garbage and infrastructure issues that exist. In the end, I left my daughter there in a beautiful place with a view of the Himalayas and the structure of a boarding school. Maybe this generation will figure out how to make the place even more incredible.

Well, it seemed as if it would never end and now seems like it has flown by. We are at the Delhi airport (note that Christmas continues here on Valentines Day) waiting for our 330 AM flight to Amsterdam. I think we arrive in Chicago just about 24 hours from now.

Francie’s orientation was today but she is one of only a handful of kids moved into the dorms. We are not sure how the timing changed, but kids were encouraged to stay with their parents the last 2 nights. Francie was anxious to stay on her own on Friday night, but I think she was a bit adrift earlier this evening. She will figure it all out and soon it will be chaotic with all the kids in residence. From the sessions we were able to attend, it sounds like the school and people are great. Certainly she will be in great shape after climbing up and down every day.

Glad to be headed home!

Francie will spend her first night in the dorm tonight. Her room is very small, but she has her own separate bathroom. There is no heat; she will be cold tonight; but the school provided 2 heavy blankets in addition to what we brought. There are only a few “new” students, but she met 2 girls, one of whom will be there tonight as well (she made the trip from San Francisco on her own). The other girl will stay with her parents which Francie could have chosen, but I think she is ready to get this underway.

Jim and I will be at the school for a couple hours in the morning for part of an orientation program; then we begin the long trip home.

We had a good day yesterday. Jim and I hired a car to take us to Kempte Falls. The falls were beautiful but becoming overrun by tacky tourist shops and, unfortunately, litter. The drive did give the opportunity for more views of the Himalayas. Someone asked about Mussoorie which is called a hill station. It’s literally built into the sides of “hills” which in the US would be considered mountains. We are about the same elevation as Denver. So we are in the foothills of the Himalayas. It’s sunny and warmer during the day and chilly at night.

Today Francie moves into the dorm!

Prapti and her Mom visited us at Rokeby and showed us around Woodstock School.

This is the third attempt to post this. For some technical reasons, I don’t know if it’s been successful before or not!

Today we arrived at a very beautiful and peaceful spot – Mussoorie, India. We found our way up a one lane road with 2- way traffic through the Himalayan foothills to Rokeby Manor. It was a hectic travel day with an early flight from Udaipur; massive fees for our luggage (what can you do? An 18 year old girl away in a foreign country for 4 months needs to have her things with her. Plus the school’s packing list was long!); a second round of security in Delhi; no lunch; and then the ride up the mountains. But all is well. It’s beautiful. We caught a glimpse of the school as we motored further up to the Rokeby.

Our place for the next 4 nights is a 3 bedroom log cabin with a butler who hangs out waiting for us to want a cup of tea. Decadent and strange, but I’m not complaining. Tonight he will build us a bonfire if we want one and you know we will want one since I’m married to a pyromaniac.

We had a great lunch in the restaurant and are settling in. No tour guides or agendas for a couple of days. We expect a visit from Prapti and her Mom tomorrow; maybe we will go on a hike or do some shopping. My internet connection is weak so my pictures are not uploading very well, but stay tuned, because it is an amazing view.

We were in Jodhpur, the blue city, for one night staying at a nice hotel that we had little time to enjoy. We had a quick lunch by the pool when we arrived and before heading to a massive fort, the Mehrangarh Fort. India historically has been highly fortified: we toured the Red Fort in Delhi, the Amber Fort in Jaipur, Ranthambore Fort and at Jodhpur, Mehrangarh. This fort offered a zip line tour! Jim and Francie braved the whole thing, but I couldn’t quite muster enthusiasm for this type of touring. They enjoyed it and I was happy too, so it was a win-win. We had a drink and dinner back at the Taj Hotel (one of the nicer of the trip) and braced ourselves for early wake-up and the drive to Udaipur.

A bit about the time in the car. Although we realized we were moving around a lot, India is a vast country, and we were only in a few places! But we covered alot of miles/kilometers this week: Khajuraho to Agra (6 hours); Agra to Ranthambore (6 hours); Ranthambore to Jaipur (another 6); Jaipur to Jodhpur (4-5 hours); Jodhpur to Udaipur (another 6). Even Francie is worn out; thank goodness for her iPhone full of Taylor Swift. I’m bushed. Only Jim will not admit to feeling any impact of this. However, its nice to have done everything we had the opportunity to do! Tomorrow- a couple of plane rides and a drive up to the Hill Station, Mussoorie, and maybe a first look at Francie’s school!

Francie is actually excited to be getting back to school- can you imagine all this time with her parents? She is done with us! And she is excited she has been admitted to both Wooster College and Whittier University so she knows she will actually be going to college in the fall (still waiting to hear from a number of schools, but 2 for 2 so far!)