Farewell to Our Bicycling Companions

Today was the last bicycle ride of our trip. A short ride of only 18km from outside of town, back thru the streets of Udaipur, and directly to the hotel.

Caren took a pass on the bicycle ride and did some serious shopping in town. She even had some custom clothes made and they will be delivered tonight. Forget about Hong Kong and Vietnamese tailors - Udaipur can make you a suit in 4-6 hours for a lot less money.

We are about to head to our final dinner with the group and our guides. I'm sure that Karen, our B&R guide, has a few plans to surprise us at dinner here at the Oberoi. As we usually do, we will exchange email addresses with everyone and hopefully encounter them on a future trip.

Tomorrow we head to Jaipur, the shopping paradise of India. It is also the final day of Diwali - the festival of lights. It is the most celebrated holiday here in India, observed by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains as a religious festival. Buildings, streets, and homes are all decorated with lights and fireworks are shot off every night of Diwali. People exchange gifts, but not to the extent of holiday gifting in the U.S. Typical gifts for Diwali are sweets, fruit baskets, and sometimes even wine.

It seems to me like it's a combination of the 4th of July, spring cleaning, and Christmas. Everyone fixes up their house, applies new paint, and goes shopping for gifts.

Here is a website that explains it all: Diwali 2008

Even Barack Obama got into the act of recognizing Diwali:

Press Trust of India, Monday, October 27, 2008 9:20 AM (Washington)

The Democratic White House candidate Barak Obama has wished a "joyous" Diwali to the Indian American community in US, saying the festival provides a "wonderful opportunity" to reflect on the year past and rededicate to spread peace and tolerance in the coming year.

"Thank you for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you as we near the night of Diwali. In the coming days, Hindus , Sikhs, Jains and their friends of all faiths will gather across America and around the world to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

"Much has happened in the world since the last Diwali, and this is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the year past and rededicate ourselves for spreading peace and tolerance in the coming year," Obama said in a message dated October 24.

"Last year, I wrote that Diwali's celebration of the triumph of illumination over ignorance had a special meaning for me. At that time, traveling across America and meeting people of every spiritual

and ethnic background showed me that there is much more that unites us than divides us. Now, one year later, I believe this even more strongly," he said.

"Americans, despite our varied backgrounds, believe that all people are created equal, and that each person should be free to practice or not practice religion as they choose," the Illinois Senator added.

"If I'm elected President of the United States, I will work to renew America's moral leadership in the world. This is our time to create change, and I believe that we can and must continue the fight against ignorance and intolerance. I wish you all the best for a joyous Diwali" Obama said.

I did a search on Google News and couldn't find a similar press release by John McCain. Surprise, surprise.

Here is where we are staying in Jaipur.

Jai Mahal Palace