Jo-Ann is currently sitting beside me at the local Internet stall doing the complete travelogue of our recent days, so I will avoid the exact details -- which works fine because she'll be more accurate anyway!

Some of the real highlights for the past number of days have been the following:

Sitting by the lotus pool in front of the Taj Mahal with Jo-Ann in the morning before I proposed. The only sound the birds chirping, the only site the perfect cool marble poem that is the Taj Mahal. Some butterflies circling the love in my heart.

The buddhist carvings in the Ajanta caves. In a tropical rainforest type surroundings of a horseshoe shaped valley, the scene was breathtaking. I could imagine myself making the pilgrimage on foot to see them 1500 years ago. Also, trying to remain patient with completely ridiculous levels of bureaucracy: we had to pay a 10Rs amenities charge so we could get in the gate to pay 10Rs charge for a one way mandatory bus ride up to the caves and then waited longer for the bus than it would have been to make the walk ourselves.

Taking a shared Jeep back from the Ellora caves (like sharing a taxi but much more crowded) from some guys that were screwing around lying to us about how long we would be stopped in each small village trying to pick up more passengers. We were starting to get frustrated with them and worried about getting back to meet our next bus on time, but Jo-Ann made my dismay melt away when she started singing in Hindi to one of the songs they were playing. :) They like their (sometimes very shrill) music very loud here, with no concern for the distortion from the cheap or blown speaks they are playing it on. At least Jo-Ann's voice and beautiful smile was a pretty counterfoil to the otherwise typically Indian assault on the senses.

Meeting a father and son from Bangladesh on the train to Jalgaion (Hi Symon :), and having an interesting conversation of cultural exchanges.

Scrambling in Pune in the dark and in pouring rain to find a bus to Goa -- paying way too much to the auto rickshaw driver to drive us around to various travel booking offices to find a bus that left that evening. Eventually finding a "semi-sleeper" (the seats have foot rests and fold back a little more) and a really friendly Indian family from Goa that helped us eventually find our way here.

Sleeping in and being lazy and gorging ourselves on non-Indian food choices in the beautiful suite that we have near Baga beach in Goa. Perfect relaxation that is a wonderful end to the otherwise intense and beautiful frenetic tour through the sites of India. Having a beer and some chicken in white wine sauce and watching the sun set over the ocean with my love beside me.

That's all for now. We're heading to Mambos (a bar facing the ocean) for french fries and beer. :) Later, we head to Vagator (apparently the most popular spot for European and Israeli ravers) to look for some decent nightlife/party action. This IS Goa and there is a full moon tonight, but we're in off season and we haven't seen more than a handfull of foreign travellers. ;/ Sounds like our chances for good music would be better in the Mojave desert. Dance your feet off for us Vik!

Love from India, Jeff