Posted by Administrator on 31 Aug 2006 2:00 pm. Filed under Work from Home.
Making money on the Internet is no longer something reserved for a very small and elusive crowd. You can make money online today, with minimal financial investments, through 100% legitimate ways. Here is a look at the most successful 10 methods of making money online, as they appear categorized on web2earn.com:
1.Online advertising - On the Internet, a smartly organized small business may get excellent results, often competing side by side with larger corporations. Internet advertising is on an ascending trend, which shows plenty of potential for the near and distant future. As traditional media outlets struggle to keep costs down and become more attractive for potential advertisers, the virtual space offers any business the opportunity to achieve amazing results with a budget that is only a fraction of what an advertiser would pay to get the same ROI through traditional media. Using programs such as Google Adsense, placing affiliate banners on your site and making the most out of pixel advertising are all amazing ways to make some money.
2.Affiliate programs - You can choose affiliate hubs where different advertisers offer their banners and affiliate offers and you can manage them using a centralized system, or you can get a single affiliate website that will display their banners on your site. The potential profits that come from affiliate programs are strictly connected to how high your visitor counts are and how targeted those visitors are. This takes us a bit away from affiliate systems and highlights the importance of SEO in any online business. The web masters who invest money and energy into ethical SEO techniques often notice a very steady increase in traffic, which, in turn, enables them to make more profit from their online business.
3.Freelance jobs - Working as a freelancer on the Internet is one of the most popular ways of making money from home. You can try your luck at graphic design, copywriting, programming and several other dozens of ramifications and project types.
4.Electronic commerce selling items on eBay is one of the hottest ways of making a lot of cash online. Not everyone is successful at it, of course, but those that are continue to increase their profits constantly. Auctions on eBay have a lot of potential combine them with dropshipping and you can get a business that’s easy to run and very profitable at the same time.
5.Paid surfing and survey filling - There are a number of companies that pay you to surf the web. They display a small add on your desktop when you are connected to the Internet and give you a percentage of the advertising revenue they receive. The amount per hour is not very big, but there are ways to multiply it by referring other people. This is really the focus of all this programs. Tell everybody you know that they too, can get paid to surf, and get paid yourself for referring them. Paid surveys are also great, since they are easy to fill in and anyone can do that from the comfort of their own home.
6.Networking while this is not actually a direct way of generating profit, you can use social networking and MLMs to generate leads and drive traffic to your online business.
7.Selling websites and domain names is becoming an extremely popular area, which still has a lot of room for development. If you bought a nice, short and relevant domain name a while ago, you can make a small fortune selling it today. If you don’t believe me, check out these figures, for the top five most expensive domain sales in the last few years: Business.com $7.5 millionAsSeenOnTv.com $5.1 million Altavista.com $3.3 million Wine.com $2.9 million Autos.com $2.2 million
8.Work at home jobs - Depending on how much time you are willing to put into a work at home opportunity, you could either do it in your spare time, or make it your main income source. Work at home jobs are suitable for everyone: from students, to retired people. You do not sign any documents or commit in writing to anything, thus you are not obliged to work if you do not feel like it. In a modern society, with parents spending more time at home raising their children and college students looking for a comfortable part time job, a work at home opportunity is the perfect answer.
9.Outsourcing this is not a moneymaking opportunity, but a money saving one. Outsourcing is the best way to create a competitive business in countries like the United States, Canada and most of Europe.
10.Free stuff online you will not get rich while taking advantage of all the free stuff you can get online, but it is fun and rewarding. If you are a webmaster and you wish to create a very popular website, do your best to offer lots of things for free downloads, software, ebooks, wallpapers and so on.
Find out more about each of the 10 online moneymaking opportunities mentioned above by visiting Web2earn, your free online moneymaking guide. Hundreds of free articles, guides and downloads are available don’t miss this opportunity to launch your online profit generating business.
Posted by Administrator on 31 Aug 2006 2:00 am. Filed under Online Promotion.
You want more potential customers to your website. You want more back links to your website. You want better position in the natural search engine results. You want your products or services to become better know and your brand name to be recognized. All of these things are possible with a little work and the right knowledge. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques fill countless books being sold on the Internet and there are hundreds of companies and individuals who make a living selling their expertise in this area.
The SEO experts will tell you about on-page optimization, meta tags, keyword density and internal link structure. They will also tell you about off-page optimization, back links, relevant links, reciprocal links, high PR links. All of this information is important and should be addressed in your overall SEO endeavors. You want to cover all the bases in your goal to reach the front page of search results in the big 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo and MSN) for your most important keywords.
But of all the techniques used for SEO, the most important today, are the back links or incoming links you have to your website. Your SEO endeavors will succeed or fail depending on how many other sites on the internet link back to your site. So how do you get other sites to link to your site? Write articles!
Now let’s talk about writing articles to increase the incoming links to your site. While this method is still not widely known or used by the vast majority of website owners, it is one of the best ways to increase the incoming links to your site. First, it’s free! If you can write even a little, you can produce an article that will increase your links and make your products, services or website more visible on the web. You don’t want to write a sales letter. You want to write an article that is somehow related to what you sell or the service you offer. You should write an article that shares your knowledge in a particular area and provides valuable information to your reader.
If you can’t write a lick or would rather spend your time doing other things, there are many places on the Internet where you can hire a writer to do the job for you. One of the better sites out there is elance.com, but there are many other sites you can chose from. You’ll be surprised at how inexpensively you can have an article written for you. The going rate seems to be $10 to $20 an article. Of course you’ll have to chose your writer carefully. Get some examples of the work they have done for others and pay close attention to the ratings they have from past customers. Make sure they understand you are looking for a ghost writer and that the articles must be original work. Also make sure it is understood that you will have exclusive rights to the article and they may not use this article for another client. After you have selected a writer to write your article, you must convey the subject and the kind of article you want him or her to write. Be as specific as possible to get the best results. The writer should also be willing to make changes if the first draft isn’t exactly what you wanted. This is pretty standard but worth mentioning before the writing begins. Payment is usually made when the job is finished and you are satisfied with the results.
Ok, now you have an article or 10, what do you do with them? You submit your articles to Article Directories. There are hundreds of Article Directories on the Internet. They provide a service to writers and publishers. For article writers they will list your articles for free and provide a bio box at the bottom of the article where you can promote your product, service or website with links back to your site. These articles are then syndicated to publishers of blogs, ezines, newsletters and websites who are looking for content. Each time a publisher picks up your article they must agree to publish it with the bio box and the links back to your site. Over time, one well written article can bring you hundreds of back links to your site. This is a viral method of site promotion. Your article will spread like a virus over the Internet, giving you name and brand recognition and those most important incoming links.
Christianna Mansfield has been an Internet entrepreneur and business woman for over 10 years. For more information on Articles and Article Directories visit ArticleObsession.com
Posted by Administrator on 30 Aug 2006 2:00 pm. Filed under Work from Home.
Internet marketing doesn’t just involve advertising.Internet marketing also involves making sure a website is properly set up and designed so search engines can locate that website and sequence it in search engine listings.
Internet marketing doesn’t just involve advertising.Internet marketing also involves making sure a website is properly set up and designed so search engines can locate that website and sequence it in search engine listings. If an internet business website can’t be located online that business will likely fail. Marketing a business website by designing it with specific keywords in mind will help that business website become a marketing success.
If you’re an internet business owner who designed your business website using HTML programming, otherwise known as hypertext markup language, you may be aware of the importance of meta tags. Meta tags contain keywords and phrases hidden within the coding of websites that contain them. No one viewing a website can see the meta tags, but search engine spiders and meta tag crawlers can read them. Meta tags help search engine technology appropriately place websites on search engine listings. Without well written and properly placed meta tags, an internet business website may never be found online.
There are free search engine tools and meta tag generators for website designers and internet business owners wanting to save money while marketing their website. Free meta tag generators create meta tag codes based on keywords and phrases entered. The meta tags can then be copied and pasted into the HTML coding of the website.
In order for meta tags to be efficient in helping search engine spiders and meta tag crawlers identify a website in search engine listings, a website must contain keywords and phrases. Enough of these keywords and phrases must be contained within website text in order for the website to be sequenced and found online. This is known as keyword density. Five percent keyword density is a good percentage to try and attain. A higher percentage of keywords contained within website text usually result in text that doesn’t read well. Marketing a website should begin with marketing a site that makes sense. Don’t forego quality of content in exchange for high keyword density.If the content is too redundant and isn’t valuable, potential customers will go elsewhere.
There are free keyword density tools that enable website designers and owners to check the keyword density of their websites. Many keyword density tools work by copying and pasting website text directly into a text box and typing the desired keyword in another box. One click of the mouse and the keyword density will be accurately calculated. This free service allows website owners and designers to add the appropriate percentage of keywords to bring density up to the desired number.
After a business website has been properly equipped with meta tags and keywords,website designers and owners can use one of the many free search engine submission services. Free search engine submission services enable people to easily submit their websites to the major search engines. Most free search engine submission services ask those using their service to place a link back to the search engine submission service. This is a nominal request for using this valuable free service.
Marketing an internet business through proper website design is the first step in marketing an online business. Without proper design including meta tags and keyword dense textual content, a business website may end up at the end of search engine listings - if it is even listed at all. Before proceeding with the usual internet marketing methods and techniques, check the internal design of your business website. Good internet marketing begins with good website design.
Posted by Administrator on 29 Aug 2006 2:00 pm. Filed under Work from Home.
If you are making money online, you probably have a website. However, there are a number of ways that you can market your website so that you are not just making money online, but instead you are making lots of money online. Effective marketing brings in a rush hour of traffic, which then equals a lot of revenue. Here are some effective ways to get the traffic you want.
If you are making money online, you probably have a website. However, there are a number of ways that you can market your website so that you are not just making money online, but instead you are making lots of money online. Effective marketing brings in a rush hour of traffic, which then equals a lot of revenue. Here are some effective ways to get the traffic you want:
Use Google Adwords to your advantage. If you are not already involved in Google AdWords, then you are not taking advantage of this great way to be making money online. It is very simple to sign up you just need to set a budget and how much you are willing to pay per click, then you will start making money online within minutes. Your ads appear on Google searches all over the internet.
Use other Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search engines. Sites like Overture, FindWhat, and Kanoodle are all powerhouses in the PPC industry, and using them will help you in making money online. There are higher PPC limits and costs than Google, but these are all PPC engines that will keep you making money online by drawing in more traffic to your site.
E-zine advertising is another inexpensive way to advertise your site to draw in traffic. If you are serious about making money online, you need to look for e-zines that fit the topic of your website. Since there are thousands of e-zines published all over the internet, you can easily find one to fit your niche. Sometimes, the publishers will even trade advertising by giving you exposure if you put a link to the e-zine on your site. This makes it an even more inexpensive way to be making money online.
Creating an opt-in list is also a wonderful way to draw in traffic so you are making money online. Some people create an opt-in list promising to e-mail great offers and coupons. Other people offer things like e-zines, newsletters and e-courses. People like to get things for free, and your e-mails keep your site fresh in the customer’s minds. You will be making money online by just taking a few minutes out of your day to write up a quick newsletter. If you get a lot of people subscribing, you can even hire a mail list service that can help you handle all that e-mailing. You will be able to afford it, because all that traffic will be making you money online.
Use eBay and other online auctions. If you have products to sell, then you may want to take advantage of online auctions, like eBay, for making money online. You can sell some of your products or services, then add the person to your opt-in list. With over 22 million customers in 100 countries, why not take advantage of that kind of traffic? There are over 1.8 billion page views on eBay every day. If you get even a portion of those views you will easily be making money online while also generating traffic for your site.
Six-Figure Income Earner Charles Fuchs Shows How to Explode your Income and Make Huge Amounts of Money, even with no experience. Visit our Home Based Business Opportunities website and receive the Best Home Based Business Ideas, valuable tips, strategies, and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Posted by Administrator on 29 Aug 2006 2:00 am. Filed under Online Promotion.
Publish Yourself In The News
by: William R. Nabaza of http://www.freshdocuments.com/
With the use of several news publishing tools and sites on the internet, you are able right in the comforts of your room to publish yourself on the news - that is the internet news. The basic ingredient is at the least you know how to write and you can tell stories.
1. Newsvine - http://weblord.newsvine.com/
By becoming a free member, you can publish “things” with your by-line on this nifty news community where every story is a news headline. Grow your vine and get recognized by adding contacts and referring friends.
2. Technorati - http://technorati.com/profile/weblord
You do need to be a blog owner first before using this. You claim on the internet what’s your blog and publish it on the news. Works like 2 to 3 days in “tags” style. For example: Isulong SeoPH
3. Digg.com - http://digg.com/users/weblord/dugg
This is the newsgroup of them all, be very careful when using this news. The idea is publish your news using a domain not necessarily yours, and people should digg into it, the more “diggs” the more it gets the chance that your news will end in front. Digg is all about user powered content. Every article on digg is submitted and voted on by the digg community. Share, discover, bookmark, and promote the news that’s important to you! as their frontpage says.
4. Shoutwire - http://www.shoutwire.com/profile/weblord/personal
This is in the tradition of news digging and publishing. All news are voted to be on the frontpage. Not too many members/users are here but it gets you in the news.
5. Newsgator - http://www.newsgator.com/ngs/ratings.aspx?rurl=http://www.freshdocuments.com/
This is an online news reader. Free members can publish news content to paid membership.
6. del.icio.us - http://del.icio.us/weblord
The main principle here is keep, share, and discover. Keep all your news-worthy content in one place, share them to your friends and discover more in a news community setup.
7. WordPress - http://weblord.wordpress.com/
WordPress is a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. What a mouthful. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time. Their principle is “Code Is Poetry”
8. Poob - http://www.pobb.net/
Pobb is an online Tool to create your own unique eHome, with links to your favourite places on the Net and lots more. Take the tour and discover why Pobb makes for such a great Homepage or Favorite.
9. Simpy - http://www.simpy.com/user/weblord
Simpy is an online public bookmarks, your bookmarks get published and shared all over the internet. This becomes news to others.
10. Newsburst - http://www.newsburst.com/
Newsburst is Cnet Online(tm) news distribution service. It allows anyone to add news sources to their control panel and your news if news-worthy gets published on other control panel as well and hoping (sooner or later) on the front page.
Posted by Administrator on 28 Aug 2006 2:00 pm. Filed under Work from Home.
As an operator of a website you often hear and read about having fresh, quality site content. What exactly is site content and is it really just all about articles and the information contained in articles, or is there more?
As an operator of a website you often hear and read about having fresh, quality site content. What exactly is site content and is it really just all about articles and the information contained in articles, or is there more?
It is true that site content is primarily made up of articles and textual information. Look at just about any site on the Internet and you will find that most of the content requires the site visitor to read to understand what is being offered up.
Yet, thought this is true there are some other mediums that should be considered when building content for your website. Before we get to the other content types we should consider how the different ways people think and learn. Some learn best by reading, others by viewing and others by interaction. Knowing this will help you when deciding which type of content you should include on your site.
Here are three examples of content that can be used to deliver your message.
Textual Content Content that is great for getting a lot of detailed information out can be descriptive and paint a word picture of the message you want to convey.
Video Content Very hot content delivery method. Many visitors are comfortable with video having grown up with it. Great for building immediate rapport with the viewer. The message is dependant on the quality and length of the video. One consideration is that if your audience is world wide, not all visitors will have powerful enough computers to display video.
Graphic Content Content that delivers a message through pictures. This can be art, cartoons or anything with visual appeal. The graphic should be consistent with your sites theme.
As you read this article you will certainly become aware of other content that is available and can be used to enhance the look and feel of your particular website. The challenge for you is to find the happy medium between having text, video and graphic content. A purely bland website has only one and might not be inspiring enough for a visitor to hang around.
You can get more great home business ideas and information by visiting www.BestBusinesses4u.com.
Posted by Administrator on 28 Aug 2006 2:00 am. Filed under Online Promotion.
Generating excess traffic to your website is the key being successful online. This however is very delicate and hot subject for internet marketers, especially when it comes to generating free traffic, which seems to be the ultimate goal of all online entrepreneurs. But I can assure you that most sources of free traffic do not come free at all. Did you ever calculate how much time you take browsing these sites, and as you might have already found out by now, in our line of business time can be more precious than spending a few bucks on advertising your business.
The best solution is to try and find a balance between these two forms of generating traffic. When you combine the best free traffic sources with some of the best paid advertising, you are on the right path to get a result. Me personally, I will suggest three methods that will boost your online traffic, and if you put your mind to it and concentrate to these three methods of advertising, the traffic you need will come. Let me give you a brief description of my favorite three methods which are: (1) Posting and Contributing to forums; (2) Writing and Distributing your own articles; (3) Buying and Writing Ezine ads.
1. Posting and Contributing to Forums
Please try to understand that these places are not for posting ads. The primary scope is to contribute with your questions and answers. Forum spam is becoming more common, and above all it does not go down very well. If you ask me too many once good forums have been bombarded with Ads posted by online marketers. Therefore, your no.1 goal is to visit these forums, read as many posts as possible, and when you think that you have a good question or answer, then post it to the forum. This type of attitude towards forums will allow you to build certain credibility in that forum, and only by giving an honest and well thought opinion on the topic discussed will generate interest in your business from other members. As you build your credibility, you will generate free traffic, and most forums allow you to post a link at the end of your post where you can promote not advertise your business.
2. Writing and Distributing your own Articles
Articles can give you that much needed advantage over your competitor, and a good reason to write you own is that these have the potential of becoming viral once posted. In truth and honesty, I can say that this is my no1 method of diverting free traffic to my site. It is important to concentrate on creating a 500 word article which is relevant to the nature of your online business, and then at the end of your article it is important to include a resource box that displays a link back to your own site. When done, post your article to article distribution sites, and also email groups . To see traffic from this method, it is important that you repeat the process continuously.
3. Buying and Writing Ezine Ads.
This is the method which is not free. However, this paid method of advertising works efficiently, because it is the most specifically targeted method of all three. Start by writing a good ad for your business, and link to your auto responder or directly to your site. The next step is to contact Ezines to place your ad. If you do a search for ezine directories, you will find enough lists to keep you busy for a long time. Once contacted, look for rates for both classified ads and solo ads. Solo ads are usually more effective because they out in a separate email, but for this reason they are more expensive. So make sure that you choose the right ezines which relate to your business and do not advertise in an unrelated ezine. Once this is done, you will need to track your results to see which ezines bring you the most and best traffic in order to repeat the process with different ads.
These three methods of generating traffic will keep you busy for a while, and if you do things the right way and most important of all stay focused, you will definitely see the traffic you need.
Posted by Administrator on 27 Aug 2006 2:00 pm. Filed under Work from Home.
Okay, it’s summer. Everyone’s getting hot and bothered, but instead of sweating buckets and letting the heat get to you, why not make the summer sun work to your advantage? Here’s a couple of cool money making ideas you could try.
Okay, it’s summer. Everyone’s getting hot and bothered, but instead of sweating buckets and letting the heat get to you, why not make the summer sun work to your advantage? Here’s a couple of cool money making ideas you could try.
Sell and rent swimming pools If the family can’t go to the pool, why not bring the pool to the family? Go house to house with a catalogue of colorful kiddie pools and family sized portable pools. How to get your stock? If it’s the smaller kiddie sized ones, you can get them from plastics wholesalers in bulk at a lower cost or you could act as an agent for companies that sell portable swimming pools. You profit by charging your own markup.
Beach gear Set up a stall at the beach selling inflatable toys, sun tan lotion, swim suits and other beach gear. Don’t confine yourself to just beach gear use the breeze to your advantage sell bubble blowers, kites and balloons.
Teach Water Sports Since everyone’s heading to the beach, if you’re an expert surfer or windsurfer or jet-skier, teach those who can’t. You’ll need your basic training equipment that means extra surfboards etc. for your students. Charge by the hour for express lessons or by the days for longer, detailed coaching.
Drinks and Fruit Smoothies Everyone needs to drink lots of water when it’s hot right? Set up a stall selling good old fashioned lemonade or healthy fruit smoothies. You’ll need a heavy duty blender and a supply of plastic cups for this.
Flavored ice If you know where you can rent a couple of meat freezers, you could make flavored ice tubes. Fill small hot-dog shaped plastic bags or ice cube trays with flavored drinks and stick them in the freezer. They’re cheap to make and you can mark up the price for a nice profit. Sell them by the bags or tubes. Kids will love popping in a cube or two now and then to cool off.
Snowballs and snow cones Shaved ice is a wonderful thing. You can scoop them into wafer cones or just pack them into snowballs and pour colored flavoring on them and voila! you have snow cones and snowballs. No limit to the number of flavors you can offer. You’ll need an electric ice shaver if you expect a large crowd or the good old fashioned hand operated ice shaver which is cheaper. Both require careful handling lest you end up with red ice if you know what I mean!
Cooling Station Do you stay far away from the beach or local swimming pool? Do you have a front yard or open space with lots of shady trees? Open up a cooling station serving drinks, ice cream and snacks. Get a couple of wading pools for the kids to splash around in or maybe a couple of sprinklers. Make extra money by renting water shooters. Make it a family fun place.
Summer clothes Sell summer clothes vests, shorts, bandanas and slippers. Set up a stall to customize them with iron-on summer motifs or hand painted messages. Get your stock from clothing wholesalers or factories to keep your cost low.
Personal Cooling Accessories Skin tends to get dry and hot in the summer. Ladies are more bothered about this, so sell face freshener sprays and mini battery operated fans. These are handy items that they can carry in their handbags and use to cool down. Contact your local novelty or electrical wholesaler to get cheap mini battery operated fans.
Pet Baths Humans aren’t the only ones who get hot and bothered in the summer. When dogs get hot and sweaty, they’re ideal breeding grounds for fleas. They also start to smell. Help busy pet owners keep their pets cool and clean by offering pet baths.
Water adventures Organize one-day water adventures kayaking, trips to a waterfall, scuba diving, snorkeling. Make sure you’re qualified to do this and take all the necessary safety precautions. You want this to be a money maker, not lose money with possible lawsuits!
Things you’ll need to consider. You’ll need to keep your costs as low as possible. This means finding suppliers who can offer the lowest price. It would be ideal if you could work out an arrangement where you act as an agent for that supplier or only have to pay for stock that is sold. That way, you won’t be left holding unsold stock when summer’s over.
You may need to invest a small amount of money to obtain equipment or supplies. Work out your cost and price your products accordingly. You will need to check with local authorities about licensing or zoning laws governing your temporary business. Many local authorities issue temporary trading licences which are renewable every month. Check out your local laws especially with regards to food businesses. Keep things legal and you won’t have to worry when you’re busy making money! Cheers!
Andrew Shim is the owner and editor of PositiveMoneyIdeas.com a website which offers FREE Money Making Ideas for those interested in starting their own freelance or home based business. He and his wife run a successful home catering business. Visit Andrew’s Work At Home Make Money Blog at HomeWithAndrew.com.
Posted by Administrator on 27 Aug 2006 2:00 am. Filed under Online Promotion.
We arrive to the land of 1000 languages and 1000 gods. At the Intercontinental, the women in my group are welcomed with marigolds and branded with the typical red dot on our foreheads. This hotel is an oasis of luxury in a polluted city of 14 million people. Two days are spent touring Delhi. The obligatory sites include Gandhi’s Tomb and many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. No where else have ancient traditions blended with the modern on a scale so evident as in Delhi. Fat sacred Brahma bulls block traffic creating delays. In this Hindu land, cows rule. Dogs, monkeys and children cross at their own risk.
I love spiced food and begin each day with a 3 alarm-curry breakfast. We head by coach for Rajasthan, the beautiful desert state where cows are replaced by camels. The air is sweeter and everything more colorful. Here is a microcosm of all that India is. The people are genteel with a humility if spirit and still light up at the sight of foreigners. We continually wave through our windows to those who stare with curiosity and seem to say, why have you come here? As a fan of the third world, this place has been on my dream list for years. I now vividly enter that element of travel that provides me astonishment.
We’ve come to attend the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar that has taken place for a thousand years. As the world’s largest, it has at its peak attracted 50,000 camels with 200,000 traders. We unpack at our camp called Exotic Adventures. Our spartan tents did have ensuite toilets but toilet paper was at a premium. There was a 24 hour guard outside who stingily rationed our quota. In the desert, nights are frigid and afternoons sweltering. I confided to a guest there from the American Embassy that I felt like I was in an episode of Survivor. She laughed assuring me that it was all worth it. Soon my shock turns to awe as I enter the fairgrounds.
Set on miles of shifting sand dunes with festooned camels and a flood of pilgrims, the scene looks totally surreal. Its like a State Fair on steroids. There is a flurry of horse, bullock and camel races, contests for milking, animal decorating, turban tying, tattooing as well as snake charmers, free carnival rides, mystics, astrologers and dazzling stalls of handicrafts at giveaway prices. The ground reverberates with activities. Thousands of Rajasthani woman have arrived dressed in their finest clothes in near neon colors. I watch trained monkeys, painted cows and cobra’s dance. No words can adequately describe how this helter skelter overwhelms my 5 senses. Others can have Europe with its cathedrals and museums. For me, this exotic exposure and cultural immersion is the ultimate travel!
Covered in dust, we return to camp. Each night there is entertainment under the stars with musicians, folk dancers, puppet show or fire eaters. No alcohol is allowed here and all meals are vegetarian buffets. An Ayurveda Center offers us treatments to cleanse body toxins. We decline them: induced vomiting, enemas, nasal drainage and blood letting.
We tour the holy city of Pushkar with its sacred lake created by Lord Brahma. Pilgrims come from afar to bathe in the ghats and worship round the clock. We learn about religions here: Zorastrism, Sihkism, the mystic Sufi’s, Jainists who won’t kill a mosquito, Hinduism that claims no absolute truth and the caste system. We tour temples at the lake; some are blessed by priests. Later, a highlight for me was a one hour Camel Cart Safari behind the scenes of the fair. Children line our route shouting to us hi, hello, one pen please! We see a camel slaughtered and half naked people washing. Back inside the grounds, we visit an orphanage and scatter individually to get lost in the feverish revelry. We ride huge spitting camels that provide us a heightened perspective of it all. I purchase a dozen garnet necklaces and silver ankle bracelets. Teenage boys approach Terry to photograph him. He’s 6′5′’. One politely as him, Sir, what do you eat?
There are endless food courts however we must pass all enticements to prevent Delhi Belly. I find the cacophony of chaos delightful. Pushkar is truly a party affair for the locals and we are just observant guests. I’m so grateful to experience such but time to proceed on with our busy itinerary.
We arrive to the famed Pink City of Jaipur, now more deep maroon from pollution. In touring its palaces, fort and architectural marvels, we learn of the great Amber rulers and maharajahs of the Moghul empire. History comes alive and I find myself so interested in that which I never cared about. And here is a shopper’s paradise for silk sarees, gems, jewelry and marble crafts. I visited an animal sanctuary called Help In Suffering. The worst cases of various species are treated here by volunteer veterinarians. Forty five stray dogs are sterilized daily and I witness a surgery. (See www.HIS-INDIA.com ) You can simply mail them a check to help.
On to see the grand Fatehpur Sikri, Ghost City of Akbar that was abandoned due to scarcity of water. We finally reach Agra, a broken city of 2.5 million. Hawkers harass us. Chained bears dance for rupees in the street. Hungry children beg. We are thankful to lodge at the deluxe Sheraton here with its western cuisine and affordable massages at $20. It was like a galaxy change from the downtown.
After witnessing an eyeful of wonders along the way, we have saved the best for last at the world’s greatest tribute to love. Goosebumps rise as I enter the majestic gate to the Taj Mahal. Morning sunlight illuminates it like a flawless pearl 22 years to build by 200,000 men with 2 million pieces of inlaid semi-precious stones. After a lecture on why this perfect symmetry was created for Queen Mumtaz, we disperse to photograph what looks to be a mirage. It is poetry in architecture and as magnificent as can be imagined.
Back in Delhi, we all enjoy a free day of leisure to explore as we choose! Most go shopping as prices are extravagantly low but how many Pashmina shawls does one need? For our final evening we enjoy a show called Dances of India followed by a farewell feast of our Last (Indian) Supper.
I remises another journey well done with excellent guides, drivers, assistance and accommodations. I recall my favorite moment which took place at the fair when I hired two body guides to assist me through the crowds, Jamal and Ranshi. These two 11 year old boys bonded to me like barnacles and their beaming smiling faces will forever remain etched in my memory of India. This trip has renewed my curiosity of the world reminding me again that my love of travel proliferates itself. The more I see, the more I want to see.
This country is for the seasoned traveler. I am extremely impressed with the fortitude and patience of my group of 60 people in a land of erratic infrastructure. For some it was their first visit to the third world but they all persevered like pros. To witness suffering first hand is the fullest way to appreciate home. We saw things both appalling and joyful. The word fascinating however would sum up the entire trip. I must return again.
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