Well 3.5 months and 7 countries later we have returned home with a tan, a little less money, 67 rolls of film, 6 journals, and a lot of great stories and experiences. Since our last update we took a 3 day camel safari through the Thar Desert. We rode camels during the day and slept on the dunes under a brilliant night sky with only a blanket and pillow. Watching our camels on top of the dunes silhouetted against the setting sun as our guides huddled around the campfire with their turbans and big Rajasthani mustaches cooking our food was something right out of a movie. The town of Jaisalmer on the edge of the Thar Desert was our favorite town in India with very friendly people and a beautiful sandstone castle perched on the hill.

In Jaipur we saw the new Bollywood hit "Mission Kashmir." If you ever get a chance to see an Indian movie, we recommend it - it was quite entertaining. Although it was all in Hindi, it was not very hard to figure out what was going on. The lead character was bent on avenging his father's killing by some Indian soldiers. However, he also has a romantic love interest. So he alternates between Steven Segal on a revenge mission and John Travolta from Grease. He was always clean shaven and well-dressed when he was a sweet guy, and he was scruffy and dressed in a muscle shirt when he was a tough guy. There were a lot of other funny (to us) things in the movie. For example every once in a while they would throw in a random English phrase: "[Hindi talking]...You listen to me sir!...[Hindi talking]...No you listen to me sir!" And when the audience knew how the movie was going to end, they all got up and left like it was a lopsided sporting event.

In Jodhpur we visited several villages where we got to visit people in their homes and see how people in rural areas are living traditional lifestyles. We saw women in their beautiful saris and people doing traditional crafts and trades. We saw a traditional doctor treat our guide for a stomach problem (he poked around his stomach a bit, hit it a couple times, pulled his limbs a couple different directions, stood on his legs, tied a string around his big toes, and gave him some opium). The other tourist with us was treated as well and said he felt some changes, so maybe there was something to it.

We also visited Pushkar, a Hindu holy town where they make pilgrimmages to bathe in the lake's holy waters. A lot of hippies also makes pilgrimmages there to hang out and be hippies. After Pushkar we visited Udaipur, another pretty town on a lake and site of part of the James Bond film "Octopussy." Near Aurangabad we saw same incredible caves that Buddhist monks, Hindus, and Jains carved into the sides of cliffs about 1500 years ago. Some of them were painted, and the most impressive one was an entire Hindu temple that was cut from the side of a cliff. It was cut from the top down without using any scaffolding. Its size, beauty, and detail were quite amazing. Our last stop was Bombay, an interesting and attractive city.

We enjoyed India much more after we left Delhi and the big cities. Although travelling in India involves a lot of hassles stemming from overcrowding, pollution, and poverty, it is also a very interesting country with a lot of history. Wendi even decided she likes Indian food. Overall, we had an excellent trip. We saw a lot and learned a lot and had tons of fun.

We are also glad to be home and have gained a better appreciation for some of the comforts we have here. We're looking forward to celebrating the holidays with our family and friends. We wish you all a merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah and a happy New Year. We probably won't have time this year to send out many cards, but we wish you happiness and health in the coming year. We extend invitations to all of you to visit us in Rochester.

Happy holidays!

Steve and Wendi