I have traveled a bunch, but I have never been to a country that has more culturally and historically to see and experience. Even the Great Wall of China doesn’t compare to the countless forts, castles, art, textiles, temples, holy grounds, government buildings, workshops, gardens, markets, etc. that India has to offer. The beautiful history radiates throughout the landscapes of each and every city. Even in Goa, a popular beach destination, there are forts, temples and even Catholic churches.
Our first stop in India was Delhi. Dehli is an enormous city; it is the capital of India after all! It is actually the third largest city in the world (exceeded by two other Indian cities, one of which we visited as well – Mumbai). We were only there two days so we had to jam-pack everything in.
My friend Missy, who I often travel with, met me in Delhi. We both like to pack as much into our itineraries as possible so we can try and see all a country or city has to offer. And then we have a method of after 5 or so days of going and going, we head to the beach in whatever country we are in to relax and enjoy the ocean scenery. It is a win-win way of traveling and that’s why we are trying to see as much as possible while youth is on our side and we have the energy to do so!
That being said, while in Delhi we visited: Jama Masjid (largest mosque in India), Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodhi Gardens, India Gate, Presidential Palace, Raj Ghat (Ghandi’s Memorial where he was assassinated and then cremated), Qutb Minar, and Lal Qila, to name a few. I’m sure I left some out – there was SO much!
Also, it wasn't until India that I the great interest in foreigners emerged, especially American foreigners. I mentioned in earlier posts that unlike my time in China, most of Southeast Asia didn't seem to think twice that "white folk" were roaming about. That all changed in India! Everywhere we went we were asked to take photos, hold babies and take photos with them, switch off with every family member to have a photo with two American gals. We started to get a little annoyed and at times frustrated because here we were seeing the Taj Mahal and all these great wonders of the world and most were more concerned with us. We had to start saying "no" to many picture opps because it was just too overwhelming (is this how Gaga feels?). Our tour guide did explain that most of the people are traveling from other Indian cities not as big as the ones we are visiting and have never seen a "white person" in real life before. Plus, he said the more photos of "white people" a family has while on vacation, it appears to fellow residents in their hometown that their vacation was absolutely stellar and regal, if you will.
I'll be posting a bunch of these "family" shots!
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