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Showing posts from April, 2014

What it's like to stay in a Maharaja's palace in India

While on my small group adventure tour in Northern India in January of 2007 we ventured into "non tourist" territory and visited the small city of Karauli.  This was definitely the highlight of my time in India.  I will talk about our short time in the city touring the city palace, meeting the children and taking a camel cart ride in an upcoming post but this one is all about my accommodation.  We stayed at the Bhanwar Vilas Palace which is owned by the Maharaja and his wife.  Sadly they were not in residence while we were there.  They rent out rooms in their palace to help pay for restoration of the City palace in the centre of town as well as to help run a local school.  Built in 1938, the palace is a bit rough around the edges and probably needs a bit of  a reno but that just adds to its rakish charm.  I would rather help to support educating children than stay in fancier rooms.  It was clean and that's all that matters. The palace viewed from the garden - we enjo

This and that

Well things on my blog have been a little quiet lately due to the fact I am at home and not on the road.  Since coming back from my winter holiday in Mississippi, New Orleans and New York I have been at home - not even a day trip out of the city to tell you about.  While life hasn't been dull...it's just full of home type stuff such as movie and wine evenings with friends, meals out, live theatre, reading,  walking around the lake near me (not worth sharing photos believe me...melting snow and ice....riveting stuff!)  and working two days a week. (to help fund my travel addiction)  And wondering....will Spring ever come to southern Saskatchewan?  And spending hours googling places and looking up airfares for trips I will probably never take... In mid May I start traveling again for a couple of long weekends and then in early July I am "out there" for a few days as well.  No overseas trips this year however....too much going on next year.  All will be revealed in

The "Cities of the Dead" in New Orleans

You can't visit New Orleans without visiting one of her many cemeteries.  These are unique due to the fact that the dead are buried in vaults.  This is because on average, New Orleans is between one to two feet below sea level.  Early settlers tried burying the dead and placing stones in and on top of the casket however when it rained it was not unusual for the rocks to come loose and the casket to literally pop up to the surface. Not nice! Following the Spanish custom, vaults were constructed and this method has been used ever since. These are family owned vaults that go back generations.  How do they fit all the bodies in you might ask?  Okay you asked for it...this is a bit gruesome.  Bodies are laid out in the vault in a wooden  box.  New Orleans summers are stifling with heat and humidity and inside the vault it can reach 300 degrees fahrenheit.  Bodies disintegrate quickly in that kind of heat and all that is left are bones, ashes and rotting wood.  Remains may lay there undi