[Leica] Question for Jayanand (OT)

[hlritter at bex.net (Howard Ritter)]

Hello Jayanand (and anyone else, you know who you are)?

As you probably know, interest in India and a desire to visit the country 
are practically part of the patrimony of every educated American, and I am 
not an exception, especially given my experiences with an Indian practice 
partner and many Indian colleagues. I was obliged by circumstances to opt 
out of an opportunity to spend 2 1/2 months at the All-India Institute of 
Medical Sciences as a medical student, and I've been regretting that fact 
for 40 years.

In our local paper a couple of days ago, a retired Pakistani-American 
surgeon in our community, a traveler, historian, writer, and photographer, 
as well as humanist, devoted his biweekly column to a weeklong trip he 
recently took through Rajastan on a train called the Palace on Wheels. (If 
you're interested, you can likely find his column by going to the website of 
the Toledo Blade, theblade.com, and searching for S. Amjad Hussein's 
columns.) As soon as I finished reading, I went to the computer and found 
the train's website. Its various journeys of 7 to 11 days in Rajastan visit 
many of the top attractions in India, including Ranthambore. I immediately 
decided that this is for me (us, assuming my wife's growing interest matures 
into assent), but I'd welcome any comment or observation from an Indian, 
especially one who might well have some knowledge of the train. Dr Hussein 
is an acquaintance of mine and I will obviously be talking to him as well. I 
would also have an interest in an additional excursion to visit Goa and 
Kerala. (I have several colleagues, Fernandeses and a Fernando, who are 
first-generation Goan-Americans and speak glowingly of the place.) 

Any thoughts? Suggestions? Time of year? Duration? "Sees" or 
"Stay-away-froms"?

Thank you very much in advance,

?howard