Final Thoughts

So, I have been back in Fl for about 20 hours now. Last night I wore a traditional Indian outfit and as I passed out at 7:30pm (I was proud of myself for making it that late!!)

People asked me the same questions when I got back, so I will answer them:

What was your favorite thing to see there:
I cant pick one but top three were the Taj Mahal, Huymaun's Tomb and The Rambagh Palace.

Did you get sick:
Yes.

How was the food:
Incredible!

What are some souvenirs you brought back:
Bollywood DVDs and CDs, Clothes, scarves, textiles, tea, but most importantly a lot of Ganesha Stuff.

Will you go back:
Hopefully, yes!

Overall I had an incredible trip (I was telling Avantika that it was a top 3 vacation, pushing number one). If anyone is going to India, email me, we can talk further about where you need to go and what you have to see.

Also, I have posted my pictures (they had to be broken up into two albums), and they can be found here:

http://gallery.me.com/bryanmeisel#100200
http://gallery.me.com/bryanmeisel#100207
*Photos are property of Bryan Meisel. No use with out permission.*

Namaste.

The LONG journey home

Checking in to and boarding a flight at the CSI airport in Mumbai is about as pleasant as being groped on a crowded subway. After being hassled by continental for an hour (After all I was flying in cattle class... no wait, they treat cows nicer than coach in India) I had to go thru 2 different security check points. Although, the one highlight was seeing a group of about 50 Muslims praying for Ramadan in front of the next gate (it was a Saudi Airlines flight to Jeddah).

The 15 hour flight from Mumbai to Newark was bearable. While the seat was very uncomfortable, I was able to sleep for a bit and watch 3 Bollywood movies. After clearing customs in EWR, I rechecked and boarded my flight to Fort Laurderdale. It took 24 hours door to door, but I am happy to be home now.

My trip to India was incredible! I learned so much about a culture that I never really had much exposure to. My friend and her kind family really gave me an insight to India that no regular tourist could ever get. I saw so much in only two weeks! When I am not so jet lagged (Tomorrow morning) I will post my final thoughts.

B

The last 24 hours.

After taking a rest, I went shopping at FabIndia, this is the place for traditional Indian clothes. There are a bunch all over the country, but the best one is in South Bombay. After dropping about Rs5000, I went to meet more of my friend's family and then we all went to the tratoria restaurant in the Taj President together. I was so happy having some whole wheat pasta.

On my last morning here, we woke up late, checked out of the NSCI club and went to the Phoenix Mills Mall. This is a very upscale mall in South/Central Bombay. We went shopping, and I met a friend for lunch and we all went to Bandra together. Bandra is a neighborhood in North Bombay with lots of cool bars, coffee shops and stores. (It is easily reached by the Sea-Link, a bridge that bypasses Bombay traffic and has incredible views of the Mumbai skyline.)

After this, I went and said goodbye to my friends parents and I was off to the airport to catch my flight.

Wrapping things up

Hi everyone,

Today is my last full day in India, and of course, this makes me very sad because I have had an incredible time here.

Yesterday, Avantika and I woke up early to catch a bus to Pune (Pronounced: Poona). The journey up, which very scenic was rough. A few things about Indian buses: They are cheap (a three hour journey cost Rs250=$5). Even on the most luxury buses, the seats are worn down, will recline into the lap of the person behind you and don't have toilets. It was an uncomfortable trip to say the least, but once we arrived in Pune, we were greeted by Avantika's grandmother who took us back to her house for a traditional Indian meal. This is when I learned that no matter what country you live in, grandmothers will make sure that you have eaten enough to feed a small army.

While we did not tour Pune, as there is not much to see in the city proper, I had a very interesting conversation with Avantika's grandmother and I learned some really interesting things about India:

1. The Indian gov't will not permit parents to know the gender of their child as the majority of parents here will abort the fetus if it is a girl. Furthermore, when girl's are born many indian's will mourn and will be very upset. Except for the few who are educated, the family will blame this on the mother. Also, spinning sperm to determine the gender of your child is illegal here.

2. There is currently an Indian tribe that resides close to the Nepalese border that has a ceremony where they will take all newly born girls and boil them in calves milk. Because the women all either died off or were boiled, they import women from Nepal to have their children and sell the mother's of their children when their services are done.

3. To get to Leh (Northern India where the bad flooding is currently happening), one must take a 16 hour bus.

4. There is an incredibly large Indian community in Muscat, Oman. Many Indians travel freely between Muscat and India. The local people from Oman often learn Hindi and come to India to get educated. A lot of the students in India come from the Middle East, countries like Afghanistan and Iran.

The drive back down to Bombay from Pune last night was also very scenic, but kind of long as Bombay traffic is insane. Last night I went to be early at the NSCI club.

Today we woke up and had breakfast in the room as Avantika was preparing to go to the RTO (RTO:India::DMV:America) to get her driver's license. I was throughly amused by the people sitting outside the RTO in straw huts selling car insurance. Afterall, who wouldn't purchase car insurance from a man in a hut? After this I went to a store called Shurjan. This store sells beautiful handmade crafts from a small town outside of Bombay that had lost all of its industry a few years ago due to a poor economy. Now, They have revived that and sell those items this store. I bought a few nice things and most importantly, I am supporting these artisans with my purchase. This store was not at all a tourist trap as most of the people who shop there are Mumbaikars (a person from Mumbai/Bombay).

Afterwards, I took some time to pop in and out of stores here and look around. I bought a few things and we went to their club for lunch. I am now resting in their apartment as I am tired and my stomach is still fairly upset.

Anyway, I have about 24 hours left in India so I will try to make the most of it!

Back in b'bay

Hi everyone,

Today after being woken up at 5am, Avantika and I checked out of the hotel and flew back to Bombay. Allow me to clarify a few things about domestic flights in India. You can show up about 20 minutes before your flight. We showed up 90 minutes before departure time and we weren't even able to check in yet. (The old Jaipur airport is a single gate and has 5 flights a day.) After checking in, we had to wait another 20 minutes before the security opened. Needless to say, the security wasn't up to American standards. Things in India just kinda happen. It isn't always simple or on time, but they happen. Like our luggage came out 30 minutes late and mixed in with a different flight. Didn't make sense, late, but hey, it happened.

On arrival here in Bombay, my friends mom met us and we came back to her apartment. After this, we went to their club for lunch and to meet the Aunts. Indian families are very large and very close. After this we took a nap and went to North Bombay to meet a friend of my friend at a cafe that specialized in brownies. I ordered a cookie brownie and a cappucinno, This was a weight watchers fail. North Bombay is different from South Bombay as it is more middle class and more residential. Most of the slums can be found in North Bombay. (The best view of the slums is flying in to the airport). They are basically massively large shanty towns.

Anyway, after this we went to say goodbye to Avantika's friend who is off to Europe for school. Tonight I am staying with my friend and we are going to Poona (Pune) tomorrow for the day to visit her grandmother and to see the museums there. Considering I have seen most of Bombay, the rest of my time here will be spent seeing people and doing some last minute souvenir shopping.

The Pink City

Hi,

Today was quite a busy day. I woke up early this morning to do a yoga class at the spa on the pool deck. It was great as the class was only 5 people. Most of the poses and meditations I was not familiar with. After doing 12 sun salutes (each 2 minutes) and a lot of chanting in Hindi, we made some very simple poses and meditated for 25 minutes focusing on proper breathing.

After a very delicious and lavish breakfast, we went out to the grand rotunda to meet our driver and our tour guide for the day. Our tour guide first took us to the central museum. The museum was beautiful as it was a converted palace. (It seems that everything in Jaipur is a converted palace.) It contained many interesting artifacts such as 50 statues in yoga poses, an egyptian mummy (Gifted to the royal family of Jaipur by the Prince of Wales), and the maharaja's collection of hookahs.

After that we went to the city palace. This was inside the old walls of Jaipur, which is the part of the city that is truly the pink city. Everything inside the city walls is painted in a dull pink, except for the buildings and entrances for the royal family. The City Palace is very large and we were able to learn the history of the royal family and see all of their artifacts, including the pajamas for one of the kings who weighted 500lbs. (I think they could fit on my car.) We were only able to see the outside gardens of the palace and some of the inside as much of it is still in use.

After this we went to see two cremation sites for the royal family. These were cool as they were off the beaten track and no one really visited these. The guide was surprised that my friend knew about them. We saw where the members of the royal family was cremated (as per Hindu tradition). The places where their ashes were buried were surprisingly modest, yet very pretty.

Then, we went for a restaurant that serves traditional Indian meals, but instead I got chow mein and a diet coke. (Not very adventurous, but I have had more naan and paneer than I can count!)

After this we went to Nahrgarh, which is a fort in the mountains of Rajasthan. It started as the Maharaja's hunting lodge, and was later expanded in to a palace, fort and complex with an amphitheater. The views of Jaipur (a large city of 3.5 mil) were incredible! The palace was not upkept like a museum and anyone could walk in. It was abandoned in the last 100 years so there are still intact doors, bookshelves, etc. If someone gave it a new paint job, it would easily be restored to its former glory.

On the way down, we pulled over to get a perfect view of the Palace in the water. This was another hunting lodge built two hundred years ago. They would shoot birds from the palace on the water. It is incredible to see this Mughal architecture coming up from the middle of the water.

Our last stop on the way to the hotel was the Birla Temple. This is a beautiful marble temple erected to honor on Lord Vishnu.

After returning to the hotel we said goodbye to our driver and tour guide and I went for a swim in the pool. The pool here is indoors and very similar to the one at Hearst Castle. After I was able to use the facilities at the spa, so I took a steam and a sauna before heading back and preparing for dinner. Our dinner was comped, so we enjoyed a free three course dinner with a bottle of wine. Afterwards, we went to the polo club to see the historical decor of the bar.

We are going to bed early tonight as we are being woken up at 5am for a 7:30am flight back to Bombay. I absolutely loved Jaipur, but of course, the highlight was the hotel. Only a few more days in India before heading back to the US :(

I am a Prince in a Palace.

Hi, all

Today was quite the day. We woke up and after a quick dosa for breakfast, headed out for Jaipur. We made two stops on the way.

The first was Fatehpur Siki. This is a town that has built around one of Akabar's palaces. This palace is beautiful as it was built using various eastern architectural styles. The highlight of Fatehpur Siki is the tomb in the middle where you can make three wishes. This is the tomb of Salim Christi, where people travel from all over the world come to lay a cloth on his tomb, toss flowers on the cloth and then tie a string on the side of the tomb with three knots, representing three wishes. One for yourself, one for your family and one for your best friend. Many swear this to be true and take it very seriously.

On the way, we also stopped at Akbar's summer home which looks alot like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. This home is not maintained by the government and alot of homeless people have moved in. After all, If I didn't have a roof over my head, I would move into a palace too. Our driver said that he knew about it because he has done film shoots there before. (Our driver works in film production and has worked for the crew's of Slumdog and Eat, Pray, Love. )

Next was not just the highlight of my day, but possibly the highlight of my life. We checked in at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur. This used to be the palace of the price of Rajasthan until the 60's when it was converted to a hotel. When we pulled up to the gate, we were asked if we would like to move over to a vintage coach, so as to have a proper entrance. We declined as moving all of our things seemed excessive. When we arrived we were escorted under a royal umbrella to check in where we were given a formal welcome with real handmade flower leis and sandelwood put on our foreheads. We were shown to our room, or rather our suite. We were upgraded to the Historical suite, which was one of the rooms that the Maharaja stayed in, and it has been restored to its prior glory. The room is beautiful and very intricate with decorations. They spared no detail making this room perfect. After reveling in the glory of the room, we explored the palace and ended up having a pre-dinner champagne on the lawn of what used to be the prince's polo field.

For dinner we went to this very strange Rajasthani village that was almost like Disney world. After paying an entrance fee, we ate a grand dinner of north indian food. The platter was a sampler, so we got to try everything. After we explored the village and saw traditional dancers and I had my palm read. This place was very strange, almost like the casa bonita of India.

Tomorrow is our last full day on the road, so we will make the best of it and enjoy our palace!

TD and TM in Agra

Hi all,

Well, the inevitable has happened, I got Shiva's Revenge. (I am now calling it this after the Montezuma's Revenge people get in Mexico. I have specifically named it Shiva's revenge because as the destroyer, Shiva has destroyed my digestive track.) I am not quite sure where my really upset stomach came from, but I have a few contenders at the top of the list (#1 being the pizza sauce that came with my pizza last night). But you never know here, the dishes couldn't have been properly washed or maybe the fruit in my fruit tart last night wasn't as well cooked as it appeared and felt. I think the best thing to do is come prepared with medication and to be very careful.

But, enough with that, I was feeling well enough to go out and be a tourist today. First we went to the Taj Mahal. Our driver, Manoj, had arranged for a tour guide for us, who was very helpful. Investing is a guide is well worth it, epically considering he only charged us Rs500 (after a 200 rupee tip, this all came out to be $14 for a professional guide). We had to be dropped off about a kilometer from the entrance and take an electric cart to the entrance, as the Indian gov't doesn't want the the pollution from cars to harm the Taj Mahal. This is done with good reason because The Taj Mahal is hands down the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The view from far away doesn't do it justice as the beauty is really in the detail. As we walked closer to this beautiful tomb we were able to see the great detail that went into it. The building is made of a beautiful white marble with a decorative inlaid pattern of precious gems. After walking inside, we could see the tomb with his wife in the center and him to the side. (He had originally intended on building a black version of the tomb across the river for himself, but his son placed him under house arrest for the latter parts of his life and this was never created, so he was buried next to his wife.) Also, I found out that what I was taught in 6th Grade was not true, the mogul king DID NOT cut off the hand of the architect. History has made him out to be mean, when he was kind and his son was the draconian ruler.

Side Note- Slumdog and the Taj Mahal: One fun fact, Slumdog Millionaire filmed briefly at the Taj Mahal, but did not have the proper permission to film, so they shot it really quickly and ran out. The Indian government only got wind of this once the movie became wildly popular. Also, they now give you a large mesh sock to slip over your shoes so you don't have to take them off. Unlike the movie, there were no beggars at the Taj Mahal, but there were many at the Red Fort.

Our next stop was the Agra Fort, this is the beautiful fort that is often referred to as the red fort, because it looks so much like the real red fort in Delhi. While the fort/wall itself is kind of cool, the interesting stuff is inside the fort. Most of the stuff inside the fort (Including the King's private mosque) is shut off to the public, but his old palace was visible. It is a shame that we couldn't spend more time there (it was brutally hot) because it was incredibly advanced in terms of architecture and art, very interesting!!

After this, our tour guide dragged us to one of those horribly touristy stores where they make incredibly overpriced crafts . I was irked by this because I could easily tell it is one of those deals where he gets paid for taking us there. After seeing the craftman's demonstration here and hearing just how over priced the crafts were (they wanted $400 for a set of coasters), we left and the tour guide lost a little bit of his tip.

After this, we returned to our hotel to take the afternoon off. We have seen all of the sites in Agra, and frankly it is a gross and dirty city. I am recovering from my stomach ache and have a massage scheduled for later this afternoon (once again, something that is less than half the price than in the states). Our hotel has one upscale restaurant where we will be eating dinner.

Also, today is independence day in India, so there has been a lot of excitement in the air with people singing and wearing special ribbons. I do find it strange, however, that India is a dry country on Independence Day.

We are heading to Jaipur tomorrow and staying at the Rambagh Palace. Check it out: http://bit.ly/8Y6gux

The Real Hindustan!

I had quite the past 24 hours or so!

Last night we went to a really good restaurant, but made the sad mistake of ordering Chinese food with naan. While the garlic naan melted in my mouth (Yes, it was just that good), the Chinese food was pretty horrible. I should have known this much, but anyway, lesson learned: Indian Chinese food is horrible.

Today I slept in too late so we rushed thru breakfast and hopped in the car and headed out to Agra. A few notes from the car ride...

Outer Delhi: As we drove out, we got to see the outskirts. Unlike American cities, there are no suburbs here, as the wealthier people live in the center of the city. We saw the construction of the new Delhi Metro that crews are working on 24 hours a day to complete before the Commonwealth Games.

Rural India: Driving thru rural India we were able to see what I would call the real India. Until this point I could not understand why people had described India to me as a place that was nothing like they had ever seen. I now know why. Cows roam thru the streets freely as so people carrying food and baskets on their head. My personal favorite was seeing a snake charmer outside of the entrance to the restaurant where we ate lunch. (I never knew that those existed, it was really cool!)

Beggers: While we have had a number of beggars approach us in the past week, we really got swarmed at the border to enter the state (In India, drivers must pay a tax each time they cross this state line.) We waited in the car while our driver went out to take care of things. Immediately we were surrounded by people trying to sell us things. After they left we had to beggars come up and start banging on our windows. Usually these people are either crippled or are woman with young children (apparently, they rent these children from neighbors because they will make more money). It was very uncomfortable all together. Although I was slightly amused by the kid who put a monkey up to the window of the car after we ignored him. I am not quite sure what the point of that was...

Anyway, after a very eventful journey we reached the Sikandra Fort, which isn't actually a fort, but a memorial. After going inside we were approached by a tour guide who led us around the sights. (At all of these sights, the tour guides look for white people and start to show you around. They are very knowledgeable, but expect some sort of payment at the end. I think anything between Rs300-500 is acceptable). We learned about the tomb of Akbar and his three wives; one was Hindi, one was Muslim and one Christian. The tomb is absolutely beautiful and incorprates different types of architecture from all over the world in honor of his wives.

We recently arrived and checked in at our hotel, the Gateway. The hotel looked pretty in the lobby but our room leaves me at a loss for words! We have a beautiful suite on the top floor with sweeping views on Agra, meaning a straight on view of the Taj Mahal. I think the bathroom here is the size of my apartment!

Tonight we are going for a traditional North Indian meal right in our hotel. The North Indian food here is what we think of as Indian food in the states. It is very heavy and a lot of it is fried. (My goal is to find a South Indian restaurant in the City, because Dosas are just about the best thing!)

Tomorrow we will be seeing the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.

Namaste. नमस्ते.

Delhilicous!

Hi all,

Today was another great today!!

After a VERY NICE breakfast at our hotel's dining room we headed out later today (around 10am) to our first sight, Jantar Mantar. This was a series of ancient sundials built by King Jai Singh back in the 1700s. We had a random tour guide approach us, and show us around, while he told us he worked for the government and asked for money at the end (a little sketchy), he was useful to have because we were able to learn a lot about the sun dials. There were four. One displayed the local time, one displayed world times and there were two calenders (one solar, one lunar). To think one person built this, when there was no standard time or electricity was incredible!

Next we went to the Ghandi Smriti, This was the place where Ghandi lived his last years of his life and was assassinated. Frankly the museum was strange. Once you have seen one Ghandi museum, you have seen them all. They all contain the same posters and minute sculptures of his life. He has a martyr status here so they have showed his last steps and have a memorial where he was shot (very similar to Yitzhak Rabin). The creepy part was seeing other tourists stop to smile in front of the spot where he was killed. The highlight here was the World Gong of Peace in the gardens.

After this we went to the Safdarjung Tomb. This was a memorial to the "weak ruler" of the Mughal movement. It is incredibly beautiful but has kind of fallen into disrepair. Avantika and I were the only two visitors to this massive garden and tomb. The entrance is very busy as there is a large mosque next door and dozens of aggressive beggars in the parking lot. Overall, this was worth it because it was so peaceful.

After this, we went to the Gurudwara, which is a Sikh Temple. We were greeted by a very nice man who took us into the "International Visitor's Office", meaning the "non-sikh" office where we were politely briefed on the protocols of the temple and given schmatas to cover our head. We walked thru the temple, which was beautiful. The alter, which was in the center, was gold and covered in flowers. The building was made from white marble and people sat around the center, as one is not supposed to turn their back to the alter. After, we walked out and down to a large fountain that is apart of the temple. On return, we briefly talked with the Sikh man, returned our head coverings and retrieved our shoes.

Lunch is what inspired the title. We went back to the Kahn market where we had lunch at a chocolate cafe. Needless to say, it was delicious!

Our last stop for the day was has the Hauz Khas village, which is a village that is becoming an artist colony. We went into a bunch of different galleries where some people were really nice. In one gallery, we spoke with the owner for about 30 minutes. her daughter made beautiful jackets, but considering the price of the one I wanted $350 (IR 16,000), I had to decline. We explored and got lost in the village and I feel that I got to see the real India by having a 30 minute excursion thru the residential areas here.

We are off to dinner in Delhi soon and off to Agra tomorrow to see the Taj Mahal.

Delhi!!

Yesterday was our first day in Delhi and it was absolutely incredible!! Do to the fact that the 15th of August (Independence Day) is coming up, many attractions here have been closed, such as the red fort and Ghandi's memorial and gravesite have been closed.

On the way to our first stop we drove by India Gate, which is a beautiful marble gate that sits in the middle of New Delhi. We got a great view of it as we made our way to see Jama Masjid, India's most famous mosque. As we walked in to the mosque we were asked to take off our shoes and I was asked to wear a make-shift skirt because I was wearing shorts. (Note to self: wear pants to mosque in future!) We roamed around the mosque for a good 30 minutes taking pictures of it and enjoying the views of Old Delhi from it. We were permitted to climb to the top of a tower which was scary and claustrophobic, but worth it for the view. On the way down the stair case, we ran into two young men who were smoking hash. Apparently this is very common here, because its use is legal for Hindu Religious purposes. People who pray to shiva, the destroyer, use this frequently.

Anyway, Our next stop was Huymaun's Tomb. This was the tomb of many of the people from the Mogul empire. When I say tomb, I mean grand palace and garden. This place looked very similar to the Taj Mahal that I have seen in pictures but it was colorful and not very crowded. We strolled the grounds coming up to new tombs, waterfalls and buildings in honor of the late rulers.

After this, we went to the Ghandi Museum. It would be an understatement to say this museum knew EVERYTHING about him. They had managed to collect personal artifacts, photos, gifts, etc,etc all related to Mahatma Ghandi. While I was a little creeped out by the memorial to him (It contains the clothing that he was wearing when killed, inclusive of bullet and bloodstains.) the museum was really informative about his life and India's struggle for independence from the British.

After that, we went to an upscale garment store so we could pick up a few souvenirs for friends back home and for our selves. While I got some really great pashmina and things from Kashmir, my personal highlight was seeing the tattooed american tourist open a can of beer and light up a blunt in the store. How proud I was of my country....

After a quick stop for lunch, we went to see the Qutab Minar Tower, which is an absolutely beautiful tower. Sadly, we didn't have a tour guide and my friend and I didn't quite know what was happening there, so we amused our selves by making up intricate and detailed stories about the site and what happened there. My recommendation to future travelers would be to spring for the audio guide.

After that my friend and I went to a large outdoor shopping mall, were we went to the Urban Cafe for coffee and to relax.

For dinner, we went to Bukara at the ITC (another hotel here). Bukara is North Indian food with some Afghani flair. This restaurant gives you a bib instead of napkins and asks that you eat with your hands. I ate a delicious creamy and spicy cheese cube served with traditional tandoori naan. The food in the North is more like the Indian food that we are used to state side, which is a shame, because I prefer the South Indian food.

Anyway, After dinner, we retuned to the hotel to crash. Blackberries are still not working here, so I can not immediately respond to emails.

Internet Issues

Just a heads up:

The government here has cut off all 3G service to Blackberries, so I do not have any access to BBM or email on my phone. I do have internet at my hotel and if you send me one, I should be able to get back to you.

Also, for some reason, facebook has been down here.

Lap of Luxury!

Hi all,

Yesterday was a relaxing day. I woke up early (still jet lagged) and called down for room service for breakfast. Afterwards we packed up and went to my friends house to pick up our plane tickets and to say good bye (not to mention having some delicous tea). We caught a 1pm Air India flight from Mumbai to Delhi. Note to future India Travelers: Air India is an incredible airline for domestic! After checking in with no line at all, we were automatically assigned to an exit row with more legroom that 2 first class seats combined. Each seat had its own TV and we were served a full lunch on a two hour domestic flight.

After landing in Delhi, we were met by a private driver from the Taj Mahal, our hotel, where we were quickly taken to. Upon arrival, we were whisked thru security and taken to our room where the check in process was completed. We were immediately brought coffee and tea. Needless to say, this is by far the most beautiful hotel I have ever stayed in. After settling in, we meet our driver for a brief driving tour of Delhi. It was raining very hard, so we didn't leave the car, but got to see the president's home, the prime minister's home and parliament.

Dinner last night was fantastic! After briefly exploring the hotel, we walked down the grand staircase (Formed by a large fountain with candles and lotus flowers) to a restaurant called Wasabi. It is a Japanese restaurant by Morimoto. After the Maitre'D came over and gave us about a good 15 minutes of personal attention, we learned that this restaurant was ranked in the top 100 in the world and it was the highest ranked in all of India. After our food came, I could easily understand why. My tofu was delicious and my friend throughly enjoyed her sushi. The personal attention of the wait staff is like nothing I have ever experienced. It seemed that we had a team of 10 different people waiting on us.

Today is going to be a very busy, but good day! My friend has arranged for lots of touring thru Delhi.

Screw Italy! India is the place for foodies!!

Hi all,

Today was one for the records! I got a true tour of Bombay from two locals who seem to know alot. After having breakfast, we drove around Bombay and I got to see everything from their train station (which is also a UNESCO world heritage site) to beautiful gardens in the Prince of Wales museum. The Prince of Wales museum was really interesting and I got to learn alot about the basics of Eastern Religion, mostly Hinduism. There were lots of beautiful pieces of jewelry and Indian Miniature Paintings. After we stopped by the beautiful Taj hotel here. We went inside to see it and saw where the 26-11 attacks were. (Needless to say, the security getting in was very heavy). Out next stop was the CD/DVD store where I bought 5 CDs and 5 DVDs for a whole $60. Needless to say, I am bringing home some sitar music and some bollywood movies! After I was taken to an incredible restaurant where they just kept putting food on your plate until you firmly said no. As was the case with dinner, we ate different types of South Indian food, which is delicious and much better than the Northern Indian food that is served at 95% of Indian Restaurants in the US. We also saw the house where Ghandi lived and worked, making his own shirts out of Indian cotton.

In the afternoon we went to see a Jain Temple that is hundreds of years old and went to a holy Hindu sight where people had put up many temples surrounding it. I was lucky enough to walk into a Hindu temple where they were chanting meditations and praying. It was fantastic! Unlike anything I had ever seen! I was also taken to my friend's Aunt's home, which is a beautiful modern apartment that looks over the ocean. I still cant comprehend the Indian Hospitality, people here are beyond kind and generous!

I must say though, my highlight of today was the food, I was taken to such good restaurants and got to try probably 20+ new types of food I had never heard of. Just think of the possibilities if I could eat everything here!!

Tomorrow morning we are going to go to a mosque and have breakfast before heading to the airport to go to Delhi for a few days. We will be staying at the Taj, so I am assuming I will have some sort of option for internet access to update about my day.

B

Incredible India

Woah, the ad on the side of the M5 bus was right, India is truly incredible.

Last night was rough due to some serious jet lag. I only got about two hours of sleep, but it was a good excuse for me to read a book, and look out the view of our hotel room. We are staying in a room with a view of the ocean and a view of the Haji Ali Mosque, which is situated in the middle of the ocean and is only accessible by a walk way that magically appears when the tide goes down.

We are breakfast at my friend's club in the middle of Bombay, which is absolutely beautiful. It is like Woodfield, but with a lot of history to it. Then we were dropped off in the middle of South Bombay, where we were instantly greeted by a begging child who was probably three to four years old. I felt bad ignoring her, but knew that I had to. She followed us all the way to an art gallery, which was full of all sorts of modern art done by local Indian Artists. From there we walked to the Gateway to India, which is a beautiful structure on the water. Across the street, we got to see the Taj Hotel, which was also gorgeous. It was attacked in the 26-11 attacks here last year. After that we went to see the Chabad House, which was also attacked. It has moved to a temporary location, so I couldn't go in and lay tefillin, but I did say a kadish in my head. Then we went out for lunch and shopping. One of the stores we went to was called Fabindia, which was this brilliant combination of an indian version of bloomingdales and pier one imports. We went to walk along the water until it started to pour and hailed a cab.

Now my friend and her awesome family are hosting me for dinner. It smells so good in their house!! We are going to go to a Hindu Temple tonight

B

And it begins

Hi all,

I am sitting at the gate at ewr waiting to board my 15+ hour flight to Mumbai. I have no idea what to expect put of this vacation, buti am really excited for it.

I'm off to eat a salad for the last time in two weeks. I land in Mumbai tomorrow evening. I will blog when I get Internet access.

B

My Upcoming Journey

In 6 days, I will be leaving from Newark on a 15 hour flight to Mumbai/Bombay to visit my friend Avantika. We will be traveling around for two weeks. I know I will be hitting up Bombay, Delhi, Agra (Where the Taj Mahal is located.) and Jaipur (The Pink City). It seems like this trip is so close, yet so far away!!

I don't know much about what I will be doing yet as I will be with some very knowledgeable locals (i.e.: My friend and her family) who will take me around. I am going with an incredibly open mind and I am going to try to immerse my self as much as possible (with out drinking the tap water!)

I never thought I was going to do a travel blog, but so many people have asked me to share about my trip with them, I felt this was the easiest way to do so. I will try to update once a day in the evening so I won't forget all of the incredible things I am going to do, but we will see how much internet access I will be able to find. I will post all of my photos when I get back. Also, if anyone is dying to have a small souvenir from India, let me know what it is and I will see what I can do.

PS- If any of you need to get ahold of me while I am in India, I ask that you please don't call or text me. It is horribly expensive for me to respond. However, I will have a travel blackberry with unlimited internet so you may bbm me (new pin to come) and/or email me.