On our way home

We are coming home!!!

After two months in India, we are finally on our way home. It was a great experience, and one I hope I get to repeat with Mommy some time in the future, but for now I am glad to be heading home. I haven't seen my Frog Prince, Sheepie, or Boy in two long months, and a Travelling Froggie can only stay away so long.

I am blogging this from Newark International Airport, so I can now say I am at least back in the states now. I still have another eight hours before I make it back to Portland, and at least another two before home, but now I can say I am back. It is good to be back.

Right away, I got down to the essentials, like eating an American breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, and ham (the pork kind, not the chicken ham they serve in India) with lots of maple syrup (they use honey in India). After that, Papa and I sat down to catch up on some much neglected solitaire.


We also grabbed these great shots of the New York skyline at sunrise.



I don't know when I will post again. It will not likely be until I make another excursion again in the future. For all my loyal fans, I would say thank you. So long, and have a great day.

Travelling with the Travel Froggie

With only a few days left before we head back home, I was anxious to get out and spend some time sightseeing with Papa. As such, I kindly requested that Daddy leave work early and come with us. After much haggling over food compensation for the lost work hours, we headed out.

Since I have seen many of these sights before, I decided to take Papa and Daddy to some of the sights I liked. We first went to Humayun's tomb. Outside that is the Isa Khan tomb and mosque. We even got Daddy to come to the other side of the camera for once. It was a little awkward for him at first, but he finally got the hang of it.


After that we went to see Humayun's tomb. Papa noticed some of the intricate carvings in the floor, so we explored those and their many variations. It is amazing how many different designs they were able to make off the same few patterns. We also found Barber's tomb, who was Humayun's father and the first Mughal emperor who conquered India. Since Papa brought the memory card that Daddy forgot (those silly Daddies), we were able to take plenty of pictures without having to skimp on resolution.


Once finished there, we headed on to the Purana Quila. Again, the massive stone structures that these people were able to build are just amazing.


We were also amazed at how well preserved the colors are. Almost 500 years after being built, and the reds, blues, blacks, and whites are exceptionally vibrant.


After walking through much of the Purana Quila, we were asked to leave. Apparently there is a new curfew in place now after the terrorist attacks that occurred right before I left for Pune. We will have to factor this in for our plans on Monday, but it will be OK I think. Still, so much to show Papa and so little time for a Froggie such as myself.

Papa Arrives

HE'S HERE!!!


Papa has arrived finally to tour India with me. His flight ended up a little late, and those nasty customs people tried to detain him, but I broke him free.


After we broke out of the airport, we then rushed back to the hotel. An hour and forty-five minutes later we arrived and got checked in to our new, posh little room. Much nicer than my other accommodations. We should have had Papa visit a long time ago, then maybe my stingy daddy would have upgraded us sooner.

Anyway, it is late, and I am tired. Tata for now.

Purana Qila

Today's journey involved a lovely place called Purana Qila, meaning Old Fort.


Believed to be built on the site of an ancient, some say mythical, city it rest on a hill slightly elevated above the surrounding area. The current fort was built by Humayun, the second Mughal king of India. It was captured by Sher Shah Sur when he drove Humayun out of India for a few years. Shar Shah made the fort his home, and built a beautiful mosque inside.



He also built a tower, now called Sher Mandal, which is believed to be the tower that Humayun used as his library after returning and reclaiming India. This is the same library that Humayun lost his footing, and subsequently his life, in.


Personally, I was hoping for the moat to still be around so that I could do some fishing, but apparently the river Yamuna which used to fill the moat has since changed course. Oh well, some other time I suppose.

Qutb Minar

On the agenda was a trip to Qutb Minar. This giant tower is the tallest stone tower in India.


As a frog, I don't truely appreciate the need to reach for the sky. I am quite content with a nice pond, a good lily pad, and my trusty fishing pole. Yet I must say that this tower was quite impressive.


The mosque on the site was also one of the largest I have yet seen. Though it is in ruins now, it must have been quite the thing in its day.


The finale really came though when I got to see some planes taking off right over the tower. Reminded me that it is only a few days more until Papa arrives.

Tughlaqabad

Tughlaqabad was built as the dream of slave turned emperor Ghiyath al-Din Tughlaq in 1321 A.D.


Tughlaq had told the previous king that the spot would make a fine spot for a fort. The king has responded "When you are king, you can build one here." Shortly thereafter, he deposed the king and began construction.


The fort was his home for the last six years of his life, until 1327 when he passed away. Though it was only under construction for six years, the fort spans an area of 8.5 km in a roughly octagonal design. It is truely enormous. After his death, his son build his mausoleum on the site, and then abandoned the fort. It has never been inhabited since.


After the fort, I headed back for a little playtime at the Ansal Plaza, which is a small mall next to the Stellar Gymkhana. Disney characters and fun all around.

Back to Noida

Today I headed back to Noida for the last leg of my trip. Less than two weeks to go now. Almost done.

The first thing to do with every trip is to find yourself a travel buddy. Safety first and all that. I found my travel buddy.


Once we had our travel buddies, we set off to the airplane. Again on the SpiceJet airlines. Decent service at a fairly affordable rate.


When we had finally boarded, I decided to get comfortable. This mainly just involved taking up my usual place next to window.


Finally we arrived back in Delhi. As with last time in this airport, we got to take a bus between the plane and the terminal.


If feels good to be back. So many things left to see, and only one more week until Papa comes.

Motobike

Today was my last full day in Pune. To celibrate the passing, I convinced my good friend Rahul to let me ride his bike. The wind through my lamination as I travelled at 5 MPH around the parking garage.


To make it even better though, I forgot to check my camera at the security guard station on my way back up. Instead of heading back out and handing it over, I decide to take this candid shot. Froggie, hard at work.

Sinhagad

This past Sunday I went to visit a historic fort nearby Pune. Called the Sinhagad, it was so named for the general of Shivaji who lost his life retaking it in 1670.


The fort encompasses a hill, starting at around 1800 feet and going all the way to the top (around 4000 feet). The views were truly breathe-taking.



It is amazing to think that General Tanaji and his men were able to scale such a giant fort.


To prevent any future attacks, I decided to stand guard for a while.


In the end though, after climbing up and down over two thousands steps, I decided that a quick nap in one of the nearby trees was probably the most prudent course of action.

Chaturshigri Mata Mandir

Well, its been over a week now since I visited the Chaturshigri Mata Mandir and others, so figured it about time to blog about it.

The Chaturshigri Mata Mandir is a lovely temple to an Indian god. I think it is to Pavarti or Shakti, but I'm not sure. Either was it was a very beautiful, peaceful place.


After visiting the temple, it was off to the Mahatma Phule museum. They had a wonderful collection of artworks from different ages and styles, as well as many models and explanations of modern technology.


Finally, the day was rounded off by a visit to the Pateleshwar Caves. These are cave temples dating from between 800 and 900 A.D.


The shrine in front of the caves (behind me in the picture) was actually carved out of the surrounding rock, as were the caves. This used to be just one large slab of bedrock. Unfortunately the caves were too dark to get a decent shot, and being a temple I didn't really try, but here is a kneeling bull in the shrine in front of the caves. It also appears to have been carved out of the solid block rather than added later.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

It was at the Aga Khan palace that I found the first wealth of information about Mahatma Gandhi. Other places had made mention of him, but this was the first place that really went into detail (at least in English) about his life and teachings. The Aga Khan palace itself was a prison where Gandhi was held for two years after his part in the Quit India pact of 1942.


They had wonderful murals of his life, intermixed with the rooms being setup as they were when he was there.


It was here that his beloved wife Kasturba passed away.


Gandhi was truely a man of the people, and a man of God. He lifted those around him, succorred those who stood in need of succor, and fought for those who could not fight for themselves.


Gandhi, I would glady fight with you any day.


Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on the second of October in 1869, he rejoined his beloved wife as a true Mahatma on the thirtieth of January in 1948. May you rest in peace.

Parvati Hill

Well, its the weekend, so off I went again to explore the city. Again I headed towards the downtown area of Pune, specifically Saras Baug and Parvati Hill. Saras Baug is a local rest area and park. Parvati Hill is a hill fort with four temples, all of which appear to be dedicated to different forms of the Hindi goddess Parvati.


First to Saras Baug. One of the first things I noticed was a wonderful rest area, that even was made to be multi-species friendly.


I even found a good Travel Froggie-sized temple. All around, a very nice place.


After my relaxing morning at Saras Baug, I decided to ascend the hill. Upon making the summit, I found a wonderful little hill-fort complex. More importantly though, I made some new friends.


I won't include all the temples here, just click on one of them to be taken to my Picasa album with more pictures. I must say that the colors were amazing, as bright and lively as a small child's toy. Some of these temples date back over 400 years, and to see them so well preserved was nice.


In addition to the lovely temples, there is also a museum on top of the hill showcasing many historical artifacts from the region, including coins used thousands of years ago. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the museum, but I was allowed to snap a few shots in the foyer. The murals in the foyer depicted scenes from Maharashta's golden years under Shivaji.


After seeing the sights there, I headed back to the hotel for a brief respite before trekking out for a five mile walk to visit a local palace. More on that next time. Ta-ta for now.

Dining Out

Well as any good traveler abroad knows, eating the local cuisine, made by the locals, is one of the best perks of traveling. Today, my friends Rahul and Kishore took me out to eat at a lovely place call Singree. Their commitment to fresh food and simple flavor was a welcome change from the more common spice-laden Indian food. Simple kabobs, a buffet style, and good ice cream (come on, we all know what draws me) made for a wonderful dining experience. Unfortunately, I was so busy eating that I didn't get any pictures of their wonderful food.

I did get a picture of myself in the restaurant though. You can see the buffet in the background.


I also was able to snap a shot of my friends. Behind them you see the glass-encased kitchen area where the food was prepared.


Finally, I did get this shot of my evening meal back at the hotel. They have some great food here, but sometimes you just need the classics. Hurray for grilled cheese and tomato soup.