Good Morning!

Well I have made it to Hyderabad and am in the process of making my new home. However, it has been quite a journey to get here. To start off the semester abroad we took the Golden Triangle Tour. This journey consisted of the cities: Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. I will not bore you with all the parts of the last few days, but here are some fun adventures that may interest you.

Day 1:

Well first off I want to tell you of my luck of being upgraded from economy class to first class on the flight from London to Bangalore and that was quite a pleasure. YAY for a great flight!!!

Our car trip from Delhi to Agra was a long one, but there was plenty of entertainment along the way. On any given road in India there may be cars, mopeds, bicycles, people walking, rickshaws, camels etc,. It is quite a site not to mention the amount of weaving in and out of traffic and the constant noise of horns. Our driver about three hours in stopped on the side of the roads, told us not to get out, locked the doors, and just left us there sitting.

Instantly, after he left five people came to our windows trying to sell things. There was one man with a monkey, and although we have now observed that monkeys are India’s squirrels this was our first experience and we thought they were adorable. One of the girls wanted to take a picture of it and wanted to know if it was alright to. I advised her not to since more than likely they would make her pay afterward. They heard her say that and they said yeah sure, its free no problem, take the picture. But later when we joined the other car holding AIFS students a girl had taken took a picture and they demanded some rupees.

When we arrived in Agra we went straight to the Taj Mahal and since our group was behind the whole tour group, due to plane cancellations, we were just dropped off to fend for ourselves. It was a foggy evening, but that did not hide the beauty of the Taj Mahal. We arrived about an hour before it closed and everyone was in a hurry. Not long after we went through security it started raining and someone in passing said, “welcome to India.” We found a tree to stand under, and it was wonderful to listen and fell after such a long time traveling. Once the rain ceased the six of us headed towards the Taj Mahal. No shoes were allowed inside and there were shoe boxes where we were suppose to leave them. WE had some confusion. The workers offered us shoe covers, but we thought that we would just put these over our feet and since they were used we didn’t want to do this. So instead we looked around and saw that most Indians were just going barefoot and decided on that. It was only later we realized that the shoe covers go over shoes (hahaha). But going barefoot was and interesting experience and it made us feel a little less touristy. I am going to say I took some time scrubbing my feet that night.

Inside the Taj Mahal it was dark, crowed, and loud. Since it was almost time for closing the employers were blowing their whistles within the building, people were running through it, bumping into eachother, and it was so dark that we could not see much. I was thankful to be outside again, where the beauty could be enjoyed. The Taj Mahal is not the peaceful place I had always imagined, but a little chaotic.

One of the most interesting things I have observed while in India is that opposite categories are often separated by only a small barrier. Rich homes often neighbor urban slums. Both the magnificence of the Taj Mahal and the chaos exist together. A landfill can be right next to a nice shop. One cannot be in India and bypass the suffering, but you also cannot be in India without see the beauty and happiness.

When we were once again outside the Taj Mahal there were two Indian girls who asked if they could take their picture with us. They were adorable probably around 6 and 8 years of age. There are a lot of times when people ask to take pictures with us since we are foreigners and look different. Once a friend of mine was even asked to hold a baby so they could take a picture with her and their child. There is no blending in India, but I am going to try the best I can.

Jaipur

Our trip to Jaipur was another long drive and it was made longer due to a protest that farmers were forming which blocked all the highways. In order to continue to Jaipur we had to travel through the small farming villages which we would not have been able to see. Every time we went through a village the people would wave and all the children would run towards the bus and get really excited to see us.

We started the New Year with riding an elephant up the pathway to a ghost town right outside Jaipur. It was a crazy experience. There were probably 50 elephants all painted and decorated, transporting people up to the center of the town. I don’t know if I will ever ride an elephant again, it is quite bumpy and not the most comfortable. The town was beautiful and had the palace where three generations of kings lived in the 16^th Century. It was amazing to see the architecture of the palace.

Jaipur is known for its textiles and gems. We were able to go to a textile shop where they showed us how they use wood block prints and the whole process. They can use anything from 4-7 paints and these paints are not chemical but all from plants and hand made. This helps the paints to stay brighter longer and also allows us to machine wash, which is always a plus. They then brought us inside and showed us all their merchandise and prices. Next it was time to shop. Shopping in India is much different from in the US. It is a bargaining idea and if you look too much at an item it is very difficult to get away from the salesman without buying the item you looked at. They stick with you and don’t understand why “wealthy” Americans wouldn’t be able to buy something that they want. So this is something I need to improve on not looking at anything with too much interest before realizing I really want the item. This is difficult for someone who takes a long time to decide anything. Oh dear.

Below are some pictures that I have taken. I didn't have my camera when we went to the Taj Mahal, but there are pictures of several palaces, of monkeys, and of one of the busy streets.

I hope all is well back in the states and have a wonderful day.

Judith