In the last week and a half, we traveled to Delhi, India's capital and some famous cities of Delhi's former rulers (Agra and Jaipur). These three cities are known as the "golden triangle". The Taj Mahal is located at Agra. We saw so many forts and temples that they started to look the same.
Tracy at one of the forts:
An elephant ride to the top of the mountain:
The best part of the trip around these three cities was our wonderful driver, Sanjay. I wish I had a picture of him, but it is on the camera, and I can't get to it right now. He was extremely helpful and nice, and when we left, he asked that we call him once we arrived at our next destination, which we did.
Our chariot:
After Agra, we traveled to Mumbai (also known as Bombay). Tracy and I both fell a little ill the day before we left for Mumbai, so that hampered our time there. We did get to see some interesting things, including a temple cut into a cave on an island (Elephanta Island), the largest slum in Asia (Dharavi), the Taj hotel, and ancient clothes washers still practicing their ancient art. Mumbai is an interesting mixture of old and new, and the locals have a knack for making use of every nook and cranny, especially in Dharavi.
We were hosted in Mumbai by Shreya's parents. They took exceptional care of us and treated us to home-cooked and authentic Indian cuisine. It was a great pleasure to meet them, and we were sad to leave.
We're also excited to return to the States. No more bartering, less pollution, less noise, and our own home. First, we have to complete a 48-hour odyssey that takes us from Mumbai to North Carolina. We'll be on 4 flights, have 3 connections, visit baggage collection 3 times, take 3 taxis, 1 train, and drive 6 hours from Atlanta to NC. How this scenario developed is a long story. We are going to be so beat by the time we arrive. Fortunately we have friends who have offered to drive us to NC.
We arrive at noon on Friday the 7th.
