After spending six weeks in Mumbai, India, we were lucky to spend two nights in Instanbul, complements of Turkish Airlines because we had traveled business class. We spent one full day at the fabulous Topkapi Palace.
As Susan and I conclude our sixth and final week in Mumbai, India, I will attempt to relate the cultural impressions rather than just recounting the events. Readers of my previous blogs will know I’ve been visiting India for many years, playing music in various settings.
The world lost one of the world’s greatest musicians in the death of Zakir Hussain at age seventy-three. All of India and his many international fans are in mourning.
Susan and I spent six weeks in Mumbai in early 2024. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again, spending another six weeks in Mumbai, from the end of November until the beginning of January 2025.
Four days after arriving in India, we took a quick three-day trip to Nepal. The purpose was to meet two Nepali friends. While there we made a new friend, someone I perceived to be a brother that I was meeting for the first time.
Our first trip to East Africa was a great experience. The people were very open and hospitable. The safari logistics were performed without a hitch. But above all, the animals were amazing.
The gallery for this blog features the people, not the animals.
DISCLAIMER
My photo gallery for this blog is of varying quality. That is because many photos were taken from the moving jeep. Sometimes, the subjects were far away, such that expanding and cropping of the subject lowered the resolution. Some of the subjects were not happy with my having taken their photos. I tried to be unobtrusive when possible. Don’t forget to click the photos to expand them and see the short descriptions.
Our safari trip consisted of two weeks in Kenya and one week in Tanzania. It was nice to visit both countries for a broader perspective on how each is using its diverse animals to attract tourism.
Tanzania is larger than Kenya and has 125 different tribes, compared with Kenya's 45 different tribes.
DISCLAIMER
My photo gallery for this blog is of varying quality. That is because many photos were taken from the moving jeep. Sometimes, the subjects were far away, such that expanding and cropping of the subject lowered the resolution. Some of the subjects were not happy with my having taken their photos. I tried to be unobtrusive when possible. Don’t forget to click the photos to expand them and see the short descriptions.
I write my blogs to give my readers the vicarious pleasure of sharing my experiences via text and photos. During this first week in Kenya, I've taken hundreds of photos. I'll post the best ones, including shots of the various species of animals inhabiting Kenya's rich environment.
Be sure to click on individual photos in the gallery for fullscreen display! Enjoy!
Visiting China for the first time did not make me an expert. But I’m willing to publish my opinions for future discussions with friends. This is purely a text blog with no photos. I hope it spurs thought and further investigation. Comments are welcome!
I’ll begin with a bold statement:
China leads the US in every technical realm except advanced weaponry and some high-tech American cutting-edge research.
Thousands of terracotta warriors were made and buried over two thousand years ago, but they were only discovered in 1974 when some farmers were digging a well. They are buried 2-3 meters deep. They were arranged in a classic large army formation, with the lowest rank soldiers in front, backed by archers and chariots, with the generals in the rear. This is a unique human creation in the world.