by Maureen Dubiak
For the Sequim Gazette
I consider India the ultimate destination. It is full of color, chaos and contradictions. It is only when you immerse yourself in the culture that you can truly begin to enjoy the experience of India.
As our tuk-tuk putt-putted down the streets of Delhi, my husband Ed and I were assailed by smells of spices and the sights of century-old markets and bazaars that sell everything from flowers to breakfast. It was a colorful, crazy and wonderful experience!
India can be overwhelming. In Agra, we saw crowds of individuals (tourists, locals, tribal people) all clustered around one of the world’s most famous monuments — the Taj Mahal.
In Jaipur, you can perfect shopping to an art. Being one of the former royal cities of Rajasthan, it had a large population of artists and crafts people, many of their ancestors are still practicing these arts. You can visit an old, dilapidated building only to find it filled top to bottom with fabrics of every color and material imaginable. Johari Bazaar is the perfect place to practice your bargaining skills for gems and jewelry.
Ed and I were then on to Pushkar for the largest camel fair in the world. Thousands of tribal people bring their camels and horses to sell. To be shown at their best, the camels are dressed up with nose rings, pompoms, beads and eye kohl. It is a mixture of carnival and horse-trading.
You may come away dusty and dirty only to arrive back at your tent — the most luxurious tent you have ever seen. Luxury in India is a given, in any location.
A visit to the Aravalli Hills had us staying in a room above the residence of the local Maharaja. At another stay, I spent a morning doing yoga with a Maharani. There was a night in a haveli, a traditional Rajasthani mansion. Then there was a tiger sighting in Rathambore. This is India!
In Jaisalmer we dined on spicy Rajasthani cuisine in the Thar Desert followed by a dune/camel ride to our tent for the night, passing local villages along the way.
My best memories of India are not those of the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort. They are of visiting our Indian driver’s friend and having the wife dress me up in her wedding attire—jewelry and all. We loved meeting the people in the villages and on the roads, getting a glimpse of their daily lives, what makes them happy and how they co-exist with different religions and cultures. I have found no better place to observe contrasts than in India.
About the presenter
Our love of travel began in 1970 with a trip to Mexico City and has continued to include over 90 countries and every state in the U.S. Ed and I prefer independent travel. I love the planning, which allows us the freedom to explore a country as we please. We enjoy the challenge of actually getting what we thought we ordered at a local restaurant or arriving at the location we set out to visit.
About the presentations
Traveler’s Journal is a presentation of the Peninsula Trails Coalition. All of the money raised is used to buy project supplies and food for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail projects.
Shows start at 7 p.m. in the Sequim High School library at 601 N. Sequim Ave. Please note the change of venue: All shows are in the library, not the cafeteria as in previous years.
Suggested donation is $5 for adults. Youths 18 and under are welcome for free. One selected photo enlargement will be given away each week as a door prize. Creative Framing is donating the matting and shrink wrapping of the door prize.
Call Dave Shreffler at 683-1734 for more information.
Traveler’s Journal
About the presentation:
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19
Where: Sequim High School library, 601 N. Sequim Ave.
Cost: Suggested $5 donation (adults); 18 and younger, free
Presenter: Maureen Dubiak
