Taj Residency Lucknow

The train was long and the visits to the toilet numerous. Descending from a cramped upper berth in sleeper class to prevent one from ******** oneself at regular intervals was not fun. The toilet to the left was a squatter, meaning I had to go through the added precaution (yet highly necessary) of removing all clothes, before returning shoes and getting down to business to prevent me accidentally covering my sweaty ...

... man again it turned out he was the chef too!!) ...... I have never encountered a kebab like it and never want to again ...a wilting sausage more like .... gross!!!!!<br><br>so we went off to the train station in the hope of booking an express train to DElhi ... on the way the pedal rickshaw driver decided to give us a grand tour instead .....we went miles ..we were yelling at him 'where are you going' he couldnt understand English and just kept ...

... dressed them up with little bangles and hair bobbles and flowers. We dumped our bags in the haveli and then went for a walk around the tiny village, people coming out to look at us, men on the pavement smoking together and smiling up. A group of elders sharing a hookah outside a small house were completely indifferent to us and I wondered if they felt a bit exploited by us. But mostly we were greeted with the most friendly faces and 'hello' and ...

... be visited. Our trusty old rickshaw peddler did make it there and back. We enjoyed the day away from the busy and noisy city of Varanasi. Unfortunately, upon returning to the hotel we were confronted with the sad news of the ongoing Mumbai attacks. We watched the terror unfold thinking about how we'd been there just ten days earlier and wondering if traveling in this part of the country was safe.

Lucknow! A pretty cool place for a capital city. There were enough sights and interesting things that I was literally busy from the moment I arrived, until the moment I left. Keep in mind that was only 2 days, but still. I wont bore you with the details here, but there are some interesting historical landmarks. There was also a big commercial shopping ...

... of plastic chairs placed on each side of a narrow aisle leading towards the stage. About halfway up the aisle towards the stage there was a chain-link fence, and in front of the gate were plush, cushioned sofas and armchairs, a far cry from the plastic chairs located behind the gate. Assuming that the "posh" area in front of the gate was closed off and reserved for special guests, we headed towards an open section of plastic chairs. Just then, a uniformed ...

... so far? Well, despite all the historical sites, it is definitely NOT a tourist hot spot! In fact, I've only seen 4 people who "could" be foreigners, and then I only saw them for split seconds when passing them on the street (Next time, I should get up the courage to shout "Hey you, what are you doing here in Lucknow?"). It's also a pretty spread out city, and it will take me a while to visit the many different neighborhoods and get the lay of the land. The traffic ...

... We told him the address and he seemed to know the way. We arrived right at 10am, just in time to join the staff in their morning chitchat session. In fact, we learned that the staff sit around and chat every morning from 10-10:30am. It's sort of like a morning staff meeting, but many things they discuss seem to be unrelated to work. Most of the chatting was in Hindi, so I didn't understand much, but they staff also introduced themselves to us and asked us how we were ...

... a small, but well-equipped exercise room with weight machines and treadmills, and then she led me into an office where I thought she was going to tell me about gym membership, pricing, etc. However, she seemed more interested in getting to know me and finding out why I was here in Lucknow. I told her that I was working for an NGO and she immediately chimed in that she had started an NGO herself that is working to build schools and a hospital in one of the rural districts ...

... amateur guerilla types hiding out in the forest. I am blissfully ignorant of the finer details of the plot but the parents went from disapproving of the teenage alliance to accepting it. Shakalaka Boom Boom - rivalry and girlfriend-stealing in the cut-throat music industry. This film would have you believe that Indian pop, complete with energetic aerobics-class dancing was the order of the day in New York. The opening scene shows Kool Kat black dudes breakdancing to ...