Saturday, January 28, 2012

Still in India.........playing "Catch Up"......Stay Tuned

It has been some time since I have written a blog post…………… almost seven months to be exact………..the reason for the lapse is not because I have left India……….I am very much still here in this amazing country…………it is not because I do not have adventures to share………….there are many……..in fact, I have them well documented in photographs. I have been “snapping” away,  cataloging and organizing and they are simply awaiting me to find time to put my words in action to describe the experiences…………..it is not because I have lacked the inspiration to write…………this blog has always been an enjoyable “escape” from the pressures of work……………..sharing this incredible country through my lens and words has been extremely rewarding………so why……..distractions………work….more work……perhaps not an excuse, but it has been difficult to justify to myself taking time to “pen” my thoughts while knowing that there are several things on my “To Do List” that are pending………I am not trying to portray myself as a “martyr” to my job………………it was simply that I got out of the habit of writing, during a very busy time………….and during the “down times” I have spent my time gathering material to write about at some time in the future.
That time has now come………..a New Year has began, and my resolution, in addition to beginning YOGA, is to begin writing again…………..there is much to share………….six months or more worth of catching up…………my next dilemma is where to begin?
It is very easy for me to pick back up from June…………….my camera and photo program has organized my photographs in chronological order……………..but that would be too simple…….and predictable.
So I have decided to begin with a post on my first visit to Gulmarg, India……….from June of 2010………..over a year and a half ago…………..certainly much farther into the past that the last six months…….so why have I waited so long to share this experience with all of you?
Just last week, after almost two years of negotiations, we have signed the management agreement to operate what will undoubtedly be the finest hotel in Jammu & Kashmir, and perhaps all of northern India. I realize that my claim may seem to be biased and perhaps a bit pompous…………….but Khyber Mountain Resort and Spa is a truly special destination.
Now that we are “official” I can write…………..and tell you all about this truly amazing place on Earth……
But before I share more about the Resort……I thought it would be best to begin by sharing all of the many reasons to visit…………
I have visited Gulmarg twice……..and will be returning again next month for my third visit…………my second visit in the peak of winter………and what I have described to many of our friends and family as “one of the most beautiful places on Earth”……..stay tuned.