The Taj

Look! We went to that place where people go! It was especially exciting to see the Taj from the Red Fort with mist surrounding it. I know what you all are thinking. "That's great Kate, but what we want to know is are you sick yet?" No, Chris and I are well... so far. Unfortunately all of our traveling companions have been hit with digestive troubles, so we know our days (hours?) are numbered.

Now we are going to tell you about the most charming town on the planet. Chanderi is a tiny village of 40,000 people (that is small by Indian standards of course.) Very few tourists ever go there. As a result, the tourists who do go there are ROCK STARS. Children follow you everywhere and want to shake your hand. Chanderi is famous for the fabric that is made there so of course we did some shopping. The highlight of Chanderi is Kalle Bhai. He was our tour guide and is quite the man about town. He is a Renaissance man in the truest sense of the word. He taught himself how to speak English and knows seven languages. He showed us the cave paintings he discovered, took us to a Jain temple, a mosque, and a fort on a lake. His wife made our dinner and lunch and it was the best Indian food we have ever had. We got to visit Kalle Bhai's house and meet his family. While we were there his fourteen year old daughter gave Kate a henna tattoo. When we got back to the hotel there was a troupe of musicians and a dancer to help us celebrate New Year's eve. The dancer got both of us to try some new dance moves. It turns out there is a reason why we are in theatre.

Now we are in Orchha. This is a holy city and since it is New Year's it is crowded even by Indian standards. Our tour guide gave up trying to show us the town. We stopped by the tailor's to have some clothes made and he recognized that our cloth was made in Chanderi. Then we bought some MORE gifts and began the quest for internet. Many places were without power (we learned there is a power cut every day from 1:00 to 6:00). Fortunately we found a place with its own generator so that we could contact our favorite people.

I (Kate) just need to add that if you are going to travel anywhere, make sure you bring Chris along. He learned some Hindi before we came here. Even though his proficiency is limited, everyone loves him for trying to communicate with them. Tour guides, bellhops, everyone. When we went to Italy, he learned Italian. If you are looking for an interpreter for a good price, contact me and we'll negotiate.