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14th February 2011

Had a full day yesterday in Kuala Lumpur after getting in early at 6am Malaysian time. After freshening up at the hotel and being able to have a shower we then decided on tackling the streets of KL walking down to the Telecom tower and from there down into the markets in old KL. Markets seem to be the same throughout the world with lots of sunglasses, t-shirts, food and novelties. Had no money in Ringgits so did not do any shopping. Got back to the hotel for a lovely morning tea in grand English style and from then we were taken to the new capital of Malaysia (13 states ndash; 11 in Malaysia and 2 in Borneo) Putrajaya tour including the mosque and minaret, the new Government complex, the seven storey world class entertainment and convention centre and the summer palace on the lake of the Raj of Putrajaya.
Got into Delhi airport without hassles for me although some of the team had a bit of bag damage ndash; David Fayle will need to contact insurance. Got into the hotel Metropolitan late for a fast check in and the n finally to bed at 1.30pm Delhi time ndash; no idea of the time in Australia. Good nightrsquo;s sleep in a great bed so ready for sightseeing in Delhi today.

15th February 2011

Well, we are on our way well and truly and have had a very busy day with sightseeing, shopping and sourcing the various great items of interest in and around both New and Old Delhi.
Started with a walk through the streets with David Fayle after breakfast and were able to see all the children being taken to school in rickshaws. Breakfast at the hotel was ample and we seemed to spend a lot of the day eating.
After a leisurely morning we were then taken sightseeing through New Delhi and Old Delhi. Our initial drive took us past India Gate to the heart of the government section of New Delhi where we were able to get out and photograph the Presidential Palace, the Government and Finance buildings which were all very impressive and from there we then went onto Old Delhi with visits to Jama Masjid, the largest markets in the world at Chadni Chowk which also resulted in a rickshaw ride for us and a walk through the Red Fort.
We then went for lunch and shopping for carpets etc. before going to the Imperial Hotel Room 1911 for dinner in the evening. A very hectic and impressive day resulting in coming back to the Metropolitan and falling into bed and sleeping soundly..

16th February 2011

Leisurely rise and another walk after breakfast to do some photography and find a pharmacy. At least this was the plans. However we did have breakfast at 7am and then walked down the street to find the pharmacy and instead were directed to a Government store selling all sorts of goods much cheaper than where we were taken yesterday for shopping.
So did some early morning shopping including finding a pharmacy and being able to get suitable medical supplies.
We left for Jodhpur via Delhi Domestic airport at 10.30am. Delhi domestic terminal is very busy but we were able to get our tickets and baggage booked through to Jodhpur with the assistance of Surya who has joined us for a few days. An easy and good flight then to Jodhpur although we have been restricted with photography as it is closer to the Pakistani border.
Got to a most magnificent walled hotel in Jodhpur and had a couple of hours to settle in and get ready for a 5pm meet to go to the markets in town and then back to the hotel for 8pm dinner.

17th February 2011

Half day tour of Bishnoi village. The Bishnoi are an eco friendly sect of the Hindu religion. They are one of the communities of Rajasthan famous for rich cultural life and for their true love of nature and animals. Bishnoi translates as twenty niners as there are twenty nine rules that the follow in life including being strict vegetarians and not killing or chopping down larger tress ndash; particularly the cineraria which is considered sacred. At the village we were able to also see the desert teak which was in flower at the time and participate in a welcoming ceremony involving smoking of opium ndash; very illegal but still carried on by the Bishnoi. We were also able to also see their work with Dhurris or rug making using a range of materials including camel hair.
From there we came back into Jodhpur to cooperative selling largely recycled royal saris and other materials which they use to raise funds to go back to the Bishnoi villages. Then back for dinner and another late night. We are certainly cramming in the days and nights.

18th February 2011

We left Jodhpur after a leisurely breakfast and then travelled to Ranakpur in the mountains where we were housed in a former royal palace and now a hotel in the TAJ group. After a fairly slow trip ndash; close to 5 hours we settled into the hotel and were then taken out to see the JAIN temples in Ranakpur. Not a lot of photography possible but we did get some pictures of the various columns (1444 in all and no two the same).
Had dinner at the hotel. I walked the following morning as did David into the village where they were performing a religious ceremony based around the full moon. Left in the bus after breakfast to make our way to Udaipur.

19th February 2011

20th February 2011

Udaipur sightseeing. After breakfast we were taken by bus to Lake Pichola and a boat ride on the lake over to one of the floating castles ( an optical illusion) After that the group split up with 6 of the group going to visit the vintage car collection of the King of Mewar whilst the others went to visit the famous temple complex of Eklingji and Nathdwara.  Those of us who went to visit the car collection sat the Garden Hotel then went on into the gardens for as very pleasant walk, back to the hotel for lunch and then walking and shopping through the old town before catching an auto rickshaw back to the hotel and then a swim and a freshen up before proceeding to The Sunset terrace, a rooftop restaurant in Fateh Prakash Palace Hotel to view and photograph the sunset and then have dinner at the Hotel. An early night tonight seeing that we leave early tomorrow morning from the hotel at 6am for the airport and our flight to Mumbai.

21st February 2011

Well we had a most interesting flight from Udaipur to Kochi via Mumbai. We got up very early in the morning for a breakfast at 5.30am and from there on the bus to the airport which was nearly one hour out of town. We were met at the airport and given our boarding passes for both legs of the journey except for Liz and Paul who were given special boarding passes from Udaipur to Mumbai. The plane was early leaving but after circling for some time and parking on the tarmac got into Mumbai finally for a very short change onto the next plane at Mumbai for Kochi. With extensive security checks and running around trying to get boarding passes for Liz and Paul we finally got onto the right plane with just minutes to spare ndash; thank god for Indian time.
We arrived in Kochi (Cochin) and the tropics about one hour late and this meant that the rest of the sightseeing for the afternoon was delayed and had to be rushed. The hotel is quite magnificent ( a Le Meridian hotel) and after an un[pack and a cleanup we then went out to visit the old Kochi fort, the Spice Market in the old town, the Jewish synagogue and Jew street and then to the Chinese fishing nets. We then finished the day with dinner at the hotel and a great view from our room overlooking the magnificent swimming pool and a party being held in the grounds by the Toshiba Company.
Many of us are si8ck either with a cold or upset stomach so wersquo;ll see what tomorrow brings with the trip up into the mountains.

22nd February 2011

This was the day for our bus trip up into the Western Ghats mountain range from Cochin to Munnar for an overnight stop. We were very late leaving the hotel at Cochin as our guide was very concerned about the size of the3 bus for all of us and luggage and then took about two hours making alternative arrangements for our luggage to be carried up to the hotel in a separate car. Quite a number of the group is not very well so the day proved to be very long and arduous for them.
We had several stops to see rubber plantations, pineapples growing, bricks being made and a very nice stop for lunch, a toilet stop and then a wander through a plant nursery to see the range of plants that were being grown in the area including pepper, cacao, coffee, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and peppermint. Our guide was keen to dole out some homemade remedies and many of these really seemed to work.
After lunch we then continued to wend our way into the mountains until arriving at Munnar very late in the evening having passed through kilometers of tea plantations. Dinner was in the hotel tonight and was most pleasant as are the rooms. We will be having a reasonable early start in the morning to go out sightseeing for the day although some in the party may stay back and recover.

23rd February 2011

Rotaryrsquo;s birthday so we celebrated it with a Rotary breakfast at the hotel. Still some members of the group not very well but all are cracking hardy. Went for an early morning walk up into the hills to see the sun rise and this was quite a fantastic experience.
After breakfast the group boarded the bus for a morning sightseeing tour of Munnar going to Kunbdala Lake, the tea plantations around the hills of Munnar, Echo Point and View point before returning to Munnar to visit the local markets. From there we had a one hour trip back to the hotel and then a cleanup for dinner in our first a la carte restaurant at the hotel. Still quite a bit of coughing, sneezing and generally cold and fever.

24th February 2011

David Fayle and I got up early again this morning for a walk up into the hills to get a view of the sun rising ndash; but although we climbed higher and got some wonderful views of the valley we were in, the sunrise was not as spectacular as the cloud cover was e3xtensive and there was a lot of mist in the valley.
From there we left the hotel at 8am for a trip that proved to be 6 hours long ( Indian time again) to the backwaters of Kerala at Allepey where we boarded two houseboats for a cruise of the backwaters and an overnight stay sleeping on the boats. The houseboats are traditionally decorated and very beautiful . On boarding we were shown our sleeping quarters and then given lunch before continuing the cruise through the backwaters. The backwate3rs of Kerala are unique with sparkling grenns, emerald water, coir-laden houseboats and miles upon miles of rice paddies all on land reclaime3d and lower than the water that we were travelling on.

25th February 2011

Left the houseboats at 8am to be taken via the Kochi markets to the airport where we fly to Hyderabad. The plane was very late leaving the airport at Cochin and there were delays with all planes due to storms in and around Delhi which were disrupting all flights.
This meant that instead of getting into the hotel first for a cleanup, we were taken straight to the Taj Falakuma Palace at Hyderabad for dinner ndash; a very regal dinner indeed after a tour through the Palace museum ndash; the home of the Nizam of Hyderabad who was once the richest man in the world and the deacute;cor and furnishings were absolutely sumptuous.
After dinner we returned to our hotel for an overnight stay, a shower and a good cleanup.

26th February 2011

This was our first Rotary day involving a four hour trip out to visit a school which had been upgraded with 720 desks for the children from a matched grant that came from District 9640. It was a marvelous day although we had a lot of travelling to do with 4 hours out and then almost 6 hours to get back to the hotel and then out to a Rotary club dinner at night. The Rotarians ensured that everything was well organized and we had a very full but most worthwhile day. The most5 worthwhile feature for me was the ability to see the final result of a matched grant coming to fruition. An excellent recommendation for The Rotary Foundation.

27th February 2011; National Immunization Day NID for Polio

After a reasonably early start we were taken to a number of booths in the slums of Hyderabad to participate in the immunization of children. Again this was a very full day in which we visited three different booths, a hospital and two medical centres in the slum regions. This again was a most worthwhile and fascinating day with many of the group quite overwhelmed by the task taken on by Rotarians in combating polio in India and the commitments from the Indians to ensure a polio free India. We then went out to dinner at the sailing club and from there to the Nehru International airport at Hyderabad where we again had a long wait as the plane was delayed. An overnight flight with some broken sleep ensued with an early morning arrival into Kuala Lumpur airport and a bus trip to the Hotel Istana for a couple of days sightseeing and recuperation.