Lingering Memories!

It doesn’t take long to return to my daily routine after being away.  Even so, lingering sweet memories are gifts that don’t easily disappear:

The magic moment in Varanasi at the BrijRama Palace when tabla and flute combined to make tangible and present a world long gone.

Cruising through the Kerala backwaters to the sound of Thwap, Thwap, Thwap as women do what women have done for thousands of years, beat their clothes against a flat stone.  Thwap, Thwap, Thwap.

Looking across the lake from our balcony at the Leela Palace in Udaipur at sunset as the lights of the City Palace illuminated the horizon.

The women in the airport who, unbidden, pointed us in the direction of the escalator so we didn’t have to climb the stairs.  The men in Delhi who showed us the way to the ATM.

Delicious vegetarian dishes, often cheese-based, in Varanasi.  The extraordinary dinner at the Indian Accent in Delhi.  Our final lunch on the boat in Kerala, a dozen unique South Indian dishes.  Dining under the stars in Udaipur and Hyderabad.

Visiting the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib to see how the Sikhs serve everyone who comes in.  And the Nizamuddin Shrine, a frenzied atmosphere to honor the Sufi saint.  And the Jama Musjid, India’s largest mosque.  And the Jagdish temple in Udaipur, a holy place for Hindus.

Watching the cremation rites at the Manikarnika burning ghat on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi.  Sitting on the steps of the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat to soak in the scene.  Wedding parties, beggars, families, tourists, sadhus, all out in force.

And more . . .  And still very glad to be home.