Some Travelling Companions
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Dad in the middle of one of the bazaar (market) streets in Karol Bagh,
New Delhi.
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Here, Dad is sitting on the lower of two bunks in our sleeper
compartment. Eventually, this would turn out to belong to a rather
taciturn Indian gentleman who was not part of our group in any way.
Still in the train station, near Delhi.
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Mom in between the two rows of bunks. Still in the train station,
near Delhi.
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This cow was hanging out with us in the train station outside Delhi as
we waited to board our overnight train.
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Loes (pronounced "Luce") and Gé (I won't try to explain how to
pronounce it -- my parents just Americanized his nickname to "G"), two
members of the Dutch Djoser group, stop by to see how our tiny
compartment compares to their tiny compartment. Or maybe to see if we
need any more whiskey.
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A number of members of our party, including our wonderful tour guide
Margriet (with the red hair, second from the right), getting off the
overnight train in the morning. Train station, Bikaner.
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Mom and Dad (posed, obviously) in the garden of our first "palace"
hotel, the Hotel Bhairon Vilas, Bikaner. The garlands, which came in
various forms, were a frequent treat on arrival. These were made of
strung marigolds, and we often wondered where they grew enough of
those to make all the garlands they must give away!
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Madeleine, Guido, and Barbara in front of our tour bus. (Alex and
Cora in the background.) Bikaner, near Hotel Bhairon Vilas.
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Between avoiding all kinds of obstacles on the highway (some
stationary, some abulatory) and keeping us from getting killed, our
bus driver Mr. Singh and his assistant Anil had their work cut out
from them. In addition, they occasionally played bodyguard to keep
the hoards of hawkers from overwhelming us, and kept the bus
spotlessly clean (how!?) and supplied with cold beverages. They were
also two very nice gentlemen, and we all very much enjoyed their
company. Outside hotel ??? in Jaipur.
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Margreit dressed up in a beautiful Indian outfit on our last night together.
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Barb, Alex, Guido, and Madeleine, arriving at Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
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Our tour guide (on the left) along with Margriet, Gé, and other tour
group members. Junagarh Fort, Bikaner.
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Guido, Madeleine, and Alex enjoying a break inside the Junagarh Fort
in Bikaner.
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Cora is one of the first of our tour members to discover the effects
of giving something to one child: that the remainder of the village
will surround you in seconds. (And, to her credit, her generosity
rarely flagged or hid behind cynicism or exhaustion.) Oasis in the
Thar Desert.
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More photos of buildings, including a photo of my dad as the
photographer. Outside Jaisalmer.
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Pretty much as soon as we had dropped our stuff in our hotel, my
parents and I struck off for the town, and met many friendly patrons
absolutely certain we needed their wares. Jaisalmer.