Taj Mahal

March 3rd I think it was that we arrived in Agra. But I have yet to tell you about our driver, Sanjeev. At first we thought he was really nice and informative, but we found out very soon that he could be pushy. By that I mean if he had a "suggestion," he would not let it go even after we said we had something else in mind. For example, we had read that the morning is the best time to visit the Taj Mahal and we got into Agra around 3pm so we were going to go the next day. But our driver kept saying sunset is the best time to go and we felt pressured to follow his 'advice.' As it turns out, sunset was a great time to go (although I'm still convinced that Sanjeev's real reason for wanting us to go at sunset is because it fit his plans better for leaving Agra in the morning.) But aside from the Sanjeev situation, the Taj Mahal was AMAZING to see in person! It was well worth an entire trip to India. The pictures don't do it justice.

When you're on the top most platform (and you can actually enter the Taj, although there's really nothing to see inside) you have to either take off your shoes, or cover them with slips as we have on here. Most people just walk around barefoot, but there is dust and bird poop everywhere so I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, the shoe covers come free with your entrance ticket.

Delhi

Okay, first let me say that my last blog entry did not post correctly. It only posted the very beginning for some reason and made India seem like the worst place ever. Don't get me wrong....it has a lot of negative aspect, but there are positives as well which include some pretty amazing sights.

So as I mentioned, Gina and I decided to hire a personal driver for 14 days, which began with a tour of Delhi (which seems so long ago to me at this point.) Here are the sights we say back on March 2nd:

First stop, a large temple where the scam artist tried to work their magic and make us a pay a ridiculous price to watch our shoes. You have to take your shoes off, but technically, no one has to watch them. Guys just decide to sit outside the temple and pretend to be official 'shoe watchers.' Our driver had warned us this would happen and that we should at least give them a small tip, which we tried to do but the shoe watcher got so angry! But then he realized his threats didn't scare us and refused to take any money at all.





Gotta love the beautiful robes they made us wear! :P

Next stop was an extensive area that was primarily built in honor of an emperor in the 16th century.














That day we also when to a nice park (which seemed like a haven from the rest of India). There was a memorial, the Raj Ghat, for Ghandi who was cremated there after his assasination in 1948. Nothing too exciting to see though. Then our last stop was the president's residence right down the road from Delhi Gate.


The next day, on our way out of Delhi, we stopped at a Fort and then a Bahai Temple, know as 'Lotus Temple' because of its shape.





P.S. Sorry for the spareness of my comments, but I'm going to try to speed through India, because I've already been in Nepal for 2 week and have tons of pics from the Everest Base Camp trek. So much to post!

India!!!

It's hard to believe I've been in India for almost a month already! Gina and I arrived in Delhi on March 1st and the first few days lasted FOREVER! But now time is flying by and tomorrow we leave for Nepal. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me try to get caught up on my India experiences. It's been a rollercoaster to say the least - a lot of bad times mixed in with the good times, but if anything, it hasn't been boring. My first words of advice: Do not make Delhi your first destination in India. It is so crowded, filthy and chalk full of scammers, not to mention extremely noisy; Cars and rickshaws fill the air with non-stop honking. And you can't walk down the street, even small side roads, without having to dodge cows and motorists. Needless to say, Delhi was overwhelming and we wondered what the heck we'd gotten ourselves into. Luckily, we had scheduled a taxi to pick us up from the airport. (Although his matchbox-sized "taxi" and his crazy driving were a bit unexpected.)

Suddenly, we turned down a dark street with old crummy buildings and garbage scattered everywhere. People and bikes weren't the only thing clogging the way......watch out for the cows and bulls!! They were just laying and wandering at their leisure. Then the car stops.......this is where we're staying?!? Hotel Namaskar.....the top rated budget hostel/hotel in Delhi. (I guess for 6 bucks a night you can't be picky.) And as you can see, security was top notch!

Day Two - Monday 3/2

Let's just say we weren't feeling too confident about our decision to come to India after the events of the morning. Our hotel was close to the train station so we thought we'd wander over, find the subway, and get around to a few places on our own. It was insanity on the streets: ...so many people trying to talk to you to get you to buy something, go to their supposed 'travel tour' office, or ride their rickshaws (a bike with a two-seater on back, sometimes motorized.) To make a long story short, we made it into the train station after dodging a fake government employee trying to point us in the wrong direction. A layer of dirt and dust covered the hallway floor and stairwell up to the nearly vacant second floor. But we found the tourist 'refreshment area' and got safe bottled water. It was here where we decided we were in not mood to find our own way around Delhi; we were going to take the advice of the hotel owner and book one of his private cars to go sightseeing in Delhi as well as a 14 day tour of Rajashstan (a North Western state with many cities with lots of sights to see.)

Welcome to my new blog!

It's about time that I started an offical blog. My friends and family already know I have the travel bug. I lived in South Korea for 2 years teaching English and getting my Masters, went backpacking in Europe in 2007 and am now traveling around S.E. Asia. I hope to get pictures up here of my previous travels and Korean life, but for now I'll stick to the current. Thanks for staying tuned! :)