A Taste of Aurangabad

Over the Christmas holidays we took the kids to Aurangabad (about 200 kilometers north-east of Pune) to sightsee. We visited two main sites, Daulatabad fortress and the Ellora temples. The picture below shows me in front of one of the largest temples at Ellora. This temple was carved out of solid rock over seven generations.



The fortress at Daulatabad was built over hundreds of years and was only taken once by siege. The cannon below is made of bronze and is about 14 feet long. The minaret in the background is the second tallest in India.

Friends of International Students Party

On December 16, 2007, we hosted a party for approximately 30 international students. Iranians were the largest contingent and they were simply fascinated by us, as we were by them. There were also Israeli students and everyone got along great. The picture below shows that even here folks love hamming it up for the camera!

Matharan, Continued

Video was the only way I could capture this view . . .

Diwali and Matheran

Probably the biggest festival in Pune is Diwali, or the festival of lights. Establishments are dressed up with flower garlands and floor art done in colored sand. Even work places are dressed up. It is the custom to give gifts during Diwali. Our hotel gave us a box of candies and two Diwali ‘lights’ – oil candles. Yes, the candies on the left are garnished with silver. Matheran is a mountaintop resort not far from Mumbai (formerly Bombay). A narrow-gage railway that still runs originally reached it but now there is also a truly steep road, which is how we got there. Matheran has a series of overlook points offering spectacular views.

There actually was quite a bit of walking around Matheran so we used a bit of horsepower. And there was some wildlife that we don’t see in the old USA. The family below, mom on the left sonny in the middle and dad on the right, look like they are used to photographers.

First Weekend in Pune

Prashant Wani, his wife Harsha and their daughter Mrudula hosted us for lunch on Saturday. Prashant is a dear friend and collegue from Cummins who we have known for the past three years. Harsha and Mrudula are both studying English and Harsha found just the right spirit for practice with Pam.




Brian Bridges joind us Sunday. He arrived in Pune, for the first time, right around lunch time. Then we went to visit Pravati Temple and Shaniwar Wada fortress.

Home, Sweet (Temporary) Home, in India

This is our hotel room at Central Park Studios in Pune. Their byline is that "every room [is] a piece of art!" We're quite comfortable. Get a load of how low the bed is.

The Guys