Monday, March 15, 2010

Jaipur!




























Days 71-73: Mom, Dad, Rachel, Aunt Sheila, Uncle Mike, my friend Isabel, and I embark on our adventure to Jaipur! It begins with a 5 hour ride on a sleeper car. We arrived at the hotel in time for a late dinner and then bed. The following 2 days were packed with shopping at local markets, tourist attractions, and some lesser-known attractions. We climbed 2 hills at opposite ends of the city to visit temples and for some amazing views. All in all, an awesome trip!

A Second Trip To Old Delhi






Day 69: Revisited Old Delhi, in the northern part of the city. Delhi is big enough that there are areas, still within city limits, that are about an hour from my house in South Delhi. Old Delhi is one of them. Spent a few hours wandering along streets too narrow for cars, these are some of the things we saw!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Humuyan's Tomb






Day 68: My parents are visiting! I've spent a week doing relatively touristy things, but it's not all bad. This is Humuyan's Tomb, located a mere 2 blocks from where I take classes, but this was my first visit! The tomb preceded the Taj Mahal and as you can tell, provided inspiration for the Taj.

It's starting to get hot here, low to mid 90s during the days, but relatively cool in the mornings and evenings! And it's only March. We're all dreading April...

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Agra Fort








Day 56: After spending early morning at the Taj Mahal, we headed to the Agra Fort as the sun was setting. The late afternoon light makes the red sandstone look incredible! Shah Jahan was imprisoned in this fort, in a room overlooking the Taj, forced to spend eight years looking at his beautiful building, but unable to enjoy it.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The moment you've all been waiting for...the Taj Mahal















Days 55 and 56: The program organized a weekend trip to Agra, a 2.5 hour train ride outside of Delhi. We visited a number of different sites, but the highlight was the Taj Mahal. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz fell in love when they first met, but were both married off to other people. Years later, Shah Jahan was able to take her as his second wife. Romantic, kind of. Mumtaz died giving birth to their 14th child. We went at sunrise, along with entire buses filled with tourists. And no, I am no longer tourists. I have paperwork to prove that I'm Indian.