The People of India

We traveled over 18,000 miles by airplane both flying to India and on internal flights. We travels over 3000 kilometers by train,
we rode in busses, taxis, motorized rickshaws (tuk-tuks), bicycle rickshaws, jeeps, large safari trucks, rode on elephant up steep hills and camels across the desert, we rode boats across lakes and down rivers, and we even walked many kilometers through the streets, villages and forests of India.

We visited fantastic monuments built 1000's of years ago, We saw beautiful Forts made of red sandstone with massive walls and defense systems, We saw the beautiful and amazing art of hindu, jain, moslem, buddhist temples that cover India.

We saw the luxurious Palaces of Maharajas and their wife's filled with gold and jeweled inlaid walls and ceilings. Many had amazing gardens and courtyards that were beyond comparison. Palaces that make any castle in europe seem trivial by comparison.

We visited the worlds most beautiful building the Taj Mahal Which is one of the few sights we have ever seen that surpassed our expectations when we first had a chance to gaze upon it

We saw beautiful tigers roaming wild in natural and well preserved jungle filled with deer, foxes, wild boar, monkeys, and birds of all description.

We saw ancient cities like the Holy city of Varanasi which is where the mother river of ganges is most holy, This is a town like jerusalem filled with pilgrims of many religions and sects. Where life revolves around religious observance and there is an import religious festival for nearly every day of the year. This is where hindus come cremate their dead and send the ashes down stream as it is the quickest way to be reunited with god.

But the very best thing we saw, and we saw it every where we went were the wonderful and varied people of India going about their daily lives. They were always happy and pleasant even when they were trying (and they tried hard) to sell us products and services of which we really had no interest. Many were extremely poor yet they always had a smile and a friendly wave for us. They didn't really make us feel sorry for them because of all the good things in life they are missing compared to the abundance we enjoy. We loved them for their happiness and gratefulness for what they do have, their patience with life. the peaceful way they live and their acceptance of what life gives to them.

These are some of our favorite pictures of our Indian friends

Varanasi

Now I know where the location scouts for the Indiana Jones movies came to get inspiration. This is like nowhere else we have ever seen.....except maybe in the movies. This is one of the oldest cities in the world at least 5ooo BC and is the most holy for Indian Hindus. Today we took an early morning cruise down the Ganges River. We started before the sun came up. We saw the pilgrims arriving to bathe themselves in the river, holy men chanting to the sun, young priests doing yoga which included a laughing exercise, cremations of bodies going on, and even bodies floating in the river with the birds happily eating away. An incredible experience We are sure that if you have been to India and not seen Varanasi you have not really seen India.

Other photos include a small village school we visited in Khajuraho, and a massive waterfall we visited in the same location. we have taken over 700 photos and these are just a small sample.

Tomorrow we head home

More Photos

India -More Picitures

Jaisalmer -The Golden City

Rajasthan - The Land of Majarajas

We are now with the Palace on Wheels, a beautiful train similar to the pictures everyone has seen of the Oriental Express. When we boarded the train, they put a turban on Mark. I will post that picture later! Needless to say, it made a lot of Indians happy. There are 52 compartments on board with little elegant bedrooms, and two restaurants, a saloon/bar, and several sitting areas. We are with people from all over the world. We spent the night traveling from Delhi, heading southwest, to the town of Jaipur, which is the capital of Rajasthan, and where we are spending the day sightseeing. We went on an elephant ride which took us to the top of a big hill where we toured a beautiful old Amber Fort.
It is an amazing place, just driving down the streets is a feast for the eyes, of colors, and sounds and so much see.
We will post pictures at later date. But we are having a wonderful time. This trip, so far, has been well worth it!

A Day in Delhi

We spent a couple of days touring around this amazing city. The weather is very hot and steamy, and I think our favorite thing was taking an exhilarating rickshaw ride through the old city market. The colors sounds and smells were incredible. We are having a wonderful time, and this afternoon we will board the Palace on Wheels. That will be 7 days of more exciting adventures. Hopefully we can post another blog along the way.

A Passage To India

I have always wanted to travel to India, and this Sunday my chance will finally come.

Mark and I will be there  from October 5th to the 19th.  Hopefully I will be able

to find a few internet cafe spots along our journey to post a few words and hopefully  some pictures.  We are excited to see this amazing and many faceted country.  I have been vaccinated and we are both packed and ready to go.  After a 15 hour flight from New York to Delhi, we will update this post!