12/19/2007 to 12/27/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 27th, 2007  123► As I rode Dehli city bus 729 towards Indira Gandhi International airport crammed in aisle amidst the crush of humanity that is Indian public transportation, I was excited at the prospect of seeing my sister, Karin, and brother-in-law, Jeff, after nearly a year away. I had just completed nearly a week of […] 12/5/2007, 12/10/2007 to 12/11/2007 | India , Madhya PradeshBy Micah Hanson, on December 11th, 2007  123► While Varanasi may be the most famous and holiest of India’s riverside cities, there are a number of venerated places along India’s extensive network of rivers. I made my way to three of these revered cities in Madhya Pradesh, stopping first at Ujjian, and then Maheshwar, and Omkaheshwar. In the absence of […] 12/5/2007 to 12/9/2007 | India , Madhya PradeshBy Micah Hanson, on December 9th, 2007  1234► The collection of villages now scattered across the Mandu plateau sit in the shadow of a deserted capital dotted with ruined mosques, palaces, and tombs. It was once a capital and fortress of a Muslim dynasty that ruled the area during the 15th and early 16th century. Today it lies in a […] 12/2/2007 to 12/3/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 3rd, 2007  Few tourists make there way to the town of Jhalawar in the southeastern corner of Rajastan. I was stopping to break up the journey to province of Madhya Pradesh and to check out the 10th century sun temple in nearby Jhalrapatan. However, what I’ll remember from Jhalawar was not the old temples, but […] 12/1/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  Kota is the big city in the area, for this reason most tourists don’t do much here other than hop on a train. I made a day trip into the city to check out the city’s palace and look around. I walked around some of the back streets picking up a mob of […] 11/30/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  12► The small town of Hindoli gets only a fleeting mention, if any, in guidebooks. It lies 30 minutes by bus north of Bundi on the edge of large reservoir. While certainly not the most spectacular town in Rajastan, it’s a pleasant picturesque town with more of a village feel. A ruined palace […] 11/29/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  The Bundi festival extended to a few neighboring towns. The Rajastani tourist office in Bundhi was using the festival as an occasion to try to develop the tourist industry in these towns by organizing a free bus tour. I went along with 8 other tourists to town of Kasherai Patan about 2 hours […] 11/27/2007 to 11/30/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  12► Images from the Deepans (ghee lamps) that took place around the town. 11/27/2007 to 11/30/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  123► There were far fewer western tourists at the festival in Bundi than at the more famous Pushkar fair. The relatively small number of tourist meant that the 20 or so foreign tourists who were there were given the “royal” treatment. On the first day of the festival there was a parade that […] 11/25/2007 to 12/1/2007 | India , RajasthanBy Micah Hanson, on December 1st, 2007  12► After leaving Pushkar, with the rest of the crowds at the conclusion of the fair, I spent a half day in Ajmer before heading on to the town of Bundi. Ajmer is a Muslim pilgrimage town, the site of the tomb of an important Sufi saint. For me it was a place […] | Currently in:Chicago, Illinois, USA |