From Turning Over the Keys to a Royal Stay

On Friday, we had the official turning over of the keys to the office to the Sister Loewer, Elder McDonald, Elder Veera, and Elder Loewer. This was our last official day in the office, although since Friday, we have been available to answer questions via the phone.

That same evening, the same day that Danny and Krista arrived, President and Sister Berrett hosted a farewell dinner for us and our family. We were touched by their consideration and thoughtfulness. We went to "The Only Place," of course. The trip there took FOREVER because of the traffic!! At one point, we thought about turning around to go to a place closer to the office, but we were not able to pull a U-turn at the critical intersection, so we continued on. We also realized that we were basically half way to the restaurant, and if we turned around, it would take us just as long to get back to the area of the office as it would to get to the restaurant. We all had a wonderful dinner. Thank you President and Sister Berrett.

The next day, Saturday, we went to the waterfalls . . . hmmm . . . You may ask, "Where is the water?" That is the exact question we asked! Apparently, when it is not the rainy season or soon after, the falls are dry. This is the same spot that we went in the middle of last year, and water was cascading in torrents down the rocks, sending wonderful sprays up through the air.

After this first stop, we then drove to the second stop at the waterfalls where we saw a trickle of water falling down the rocks. We also climbed down the stairs (so many stairs) to the bottom of the falls to enjoy the scenery surrounding the pool of water. The only problem was that we had to climb back up the stairs. Now, that was a test of endurance. We all got a bit of a sunburn. Luckily we all had some sunscreen on, so they weren't nasty burns.













Danny stopped to enjoy a small conversation with a monkey who was perched on the fence rail watching people go by. This was about half way down the stairs. You can see how much farther we had to go to reach the bottom.









The area at the bottom was peaceful and beautiful. A beautiful daughter and two beautiful granddaughters enhanced the natural splendor of the scene.










Many people were enjoying the water, but we did not venture into the pool

After our short visit at the waterfalls, we made our way to Mysore. Of course, an elephant ride was a must. We did not go on the elephant this time, as we had already had that experience, and we knew that we would get a chance to ride an elephant at the Amber Palace/Fort in a few days. Everyone enjoyed the ride. Again, the driver of the elephant wanted a big tip.






Here we have the king and queen outside their palace at Mysore. We all enjoyed the audio tour, and we loved the beauty of the grounds.

This is a phenomenon that we are used to, but the rest of our family were amazed by it. The people from India love to have their pictures taken with foreigners. If we agree to have our picture taken with one person, all of a sudden, others run to join in the picture. We find this all a bit strange, but it is interesting. Everyone seemed to be taken with our granddaughters and with Danny. They loved Danny's muscles.





Visiting the lions that guard the palace gate was one of the last things we did in Mysore. By this time, everyone was very tired, but the girls managed to enjoy the idea of what could have been had the lions been real. We arrived back at the apartment late that night and went to bed quickly after our arrival.

The day went to the waterfalls and Mysore was Danny's birthday, but we did not have a chance to celebrate it that day. So, we had a birthday cake for both Danny and Elder Tiefenbach (his birthday was the day before Danny's) for breakfast the next day. We went to church and then got ready to travel to Jaipur.







Jaipur was wonderful. We stayed at the Diggi Palace hotel. It was an actual palace. What a great experience that was!!! We loved the architecture, the carvings in the wood and the stone, the grounds, and the wonder of it all. The rooms had been modernized, but they kept the character and romance of days gone by. We certainly felt like royalty during our stay there. The owners of the hotel live in a house on the grounds and have converted the palace into a hotel to help the area promote tourism. We were able to talk to the owners. They showed us the "hall" and pointed out the pictures of the husbands ancestors who occupied the palace. The husband talked about his memories of the green fields that surrounded the palace in earlier years. This picture was taken in the restaurant at the hotel.

Each night during the dinner hours, local traditional entertainment was provided. At first, we were exited to see it, but by the second night, we found it too loud. We had been busy all day, and we were tired. We wanted some peace and quiet. Fortunately, we were able to find refuge in the serene courtyard, where the music seemed far in the distance, giving a sense of authenticity to the experience.













We loved seeing the colourful birds singing in the trees of the courtyard. This tree was outside the window of our room.











The peacocks are permanent guests in the hotel. We saw one fly up to sit in this tree. None of us had seen a peacock fly before. We weren't quick enough with the camera to catch him in flight, but his grace and majesty as he sat in the tree was a sight to behold.









This blog ends with a view of part of the outside of the palace. As we look at our children standing within a royal courtyard, we remember that we all have a royal lineage. We are truly sons and daughters of the "most high God," (3 Nephi 4:33) and we "shall be filled with his glory, and receive [our] inheritance" (D&C 88:107).