2 weeks in India

Day #1 Delhi: Arriving in India was surreal. I would call myself an experienced traveler, but India is known to be a place of chaos, and not for the faint of heart. I knew that I would eventually get to India, but stepping out of the Delhi airport slightly terrified me. I pictured pandemonium, but that wasn’t my experience at all. We arrived at 2:30am, and decided to take a nap before we started sightseeing. Our first stop was the Lotus Temple, which is a Bahá'í House of Worship, and is dedicated to the oneness of humanity and religion. It was breathtaking, but man was India HOT. October may have been too early to visit, because the temperatures were between 95-105 degrees Fahrenheit. We then visited the tomb of Mughal Emperor, Humayun. It was the first garden tomb on the Indian sub-continent, and also the first structure to use red sandstone. Next up was the India Gate, which is a war memorial dedicated to the 82,000 soldiers of the Indian army who died in the first World War. It reminded me of the Arc de Triumph in Paris. The India Gate was one of my favorite places to visit. I felt a sense of peace, even though many people there are trying to sell tourists food and souvenirs. Our last stop on our first day was the Presidents House! It is officially called Rashtrapati Bhavan, and in 1911 the capital moved from Calcutta to Delhi, when this was built. It was lit up in the colors of the Indian flag, which was very moving to see. Day #2 Delhi: We had a family made meal which was absolutely DELICIOUS. I was extremely worried of getting “Delhi Belly” (extreme stomach pain, diahrea, and vomiting – basically everything you never want to have, especially while traveling!). My masseuse told me about an essential oil called Di-Gize, which is supposed to help your stomach digest bacteria you are not used to. I put a few drops on my tongue before I ate anything (and I made my friend do the same, because you know – if one goes down, you both go down), and we NEVER got sick!! This stuff really works. Our next stop was the Kingdom of Dreams, which basically is the Disneyland of India. Our experience was so magical, and we were able to dance with the performers after the Bollywood dance performance we saw. We ended our day with Butter Chicken and Naan, and a nap on our way home, after our action-packed filled day. Day #3 Delhi: On our final day in Delhi, we ended up going to Chandi Chowk, which is in the heart of Old Delhi. My friend warned me that it would be a little chaotic. This extremely busy (no seriously, it’s PACKED) shopping area has spices, wedding supplies, silver, and sweets. One of my favorite things to do in India was haggling with these little shops. I loved seeing how much they would negotiate with me (knowing that they had already increased the prices just for tourists). I bought a few pairs of earrings, and actually left with some very beautiful wedding envelopes (that were very ornate).

I had been dreaming about visiting the Taj Mahal for as long as I could remember. As a little girl, I never had imagined that my dream would come to fruition. We left Delhi at 6:45 AM, in order to make our 8 AM train to Agra. The train signs were extremely confusing, but we got situated and we were able to all get our own window seat (there were 3 of us). As a westerner it was a bit eye opening seeing people hanging from the train, as well as defecating on the train tracks. I love being exposed to things I would never normally see. We arrived at the Agra train station, and it was INSANITY. We secured a driver for the day (who was authorized by the Indian government), and he would give us a tour of the Taj Mahal. We went through security, in which they took our bags and dumped out the contents. I froze as an Indian woman pulled out my stuffed duck (aka Ducky), whom I’ve had since I was 4 months old, and who travels with me everywhere. She asked me what it was and then told me no toys allowed in the Taj. I told her it was not a toy, but she then told our tour guide that he was considered a deity and was not allowed. My heart literally dropped as our guide took him away to put him in a locker (*insert long dramatic stare). I took a breath and left my most important possession. The Taj tour took about 2.5 hours, and it was one of the most breathtaking things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. We walked the grounds, stood on the platform that Princess Diana had her picture on, and got to go inside to see and touch the white marble of this magnificent creation. The Taj Mahal will forever be one of my favorite travel experiences.

Day #1 Udaipur: We arrived in Udaipur and were picked up by a driver I booked through our hotel (I highly recommend you do this in India!). Our hotel room overlooked the water, and the weather was gorgeous. Udaipur immediately reminded me of Lake Como. Diwali celebrations were in full effect, and the evening was filled with fireworks, and parties on the grounds of the hotel. We went to dinner, enjoyed the view, and were excited to explore this city. Day #2 Udaipur: We woke up early and went to the concierge desk to get advice on what we should see, as well as try to book a driver for the day. The man at the concierge was named Mahipal, and he was extremely accommodating. He helped us organize everything, and gave me his cell phone number in case we needed anything throughout the day. He also invited us to his family’s home for a Diwali celebration. We told him we needed to think about it, and would let him know later. Our first stop was City Palace, which is on Lake Pichola. It has 11 palaces within its walls, and was definitely worth the visit. Next, we paid a visit to Ropeway, and took a cable car that sits between Lake Pichola and Machhala Hill. The views were breathtaking. Another “must do” is to visit Maharana Pratap Smarak. While it is a historical site, it also gives you really beautiful views of the city. Udaipur was hands down, my favorite city that I visited in India. It was near the end of our day, and we needed to decide if we wanted to celebrate Diwali at Mahipal’s family’s house (the man from the concierge). My gut told me we should go, and on instinct, we went to celebrate Diwali with locals of Udaipur. We shared a meal, met the family dog, and also played with crackers (firecrackers), to celebrate. Connecting with people from other cultures makes my heart so happy, and I am so grateful to have experienced this. Day #3 Udaipur: We didn’t have very much time today to sightsee, because our flight to Mumbai was at 4 PM, but we wanted to get some sort of activity in. Taking a boat ride along Lake Pichola was one of our favorite highlights of Udaipur. It brought us past City Palace, as well as the Taj Lake Palace, which is where certain scenes from James Bond 007 were filmed. The boat also brought us to Jag Mandir, which is a palace that was built on an island. We were able to eat lunch and take in the view of the lake. Being on the water was incredible. We went back to our hotel in time to pick up our bags and go to the airport. We were Mumbai bound!

Day #1 Mumbai: We arrived in Mumbai in the evening, after an hour and a half flight from Udaipur. I scheduled a driver to pick us up at the airport, through the St. Regis, the hotel we were staying at. Driving from the airport to the hotel was reminiscent to driving through New York City. The lights, the traffic, the buildings. All reminded me of the great East Coast city. We arrived at the St. Regis hotel, which by the way, was a STEAL. It was the one hotel we splurged on, and it still didn’t compare to prices in expensive US cities. We had our own butler, an enormous room, and a large tub ready for a bubble bath. Day #2 Mumbai: We decided to explore the Palladium Mall, a luxury mall which was connected to our hotel. We weirdly felt out of place, having traveled through India for quite a few days. We were able to recharge, enjoy air conditioning, and watch a few cultural performances. After we left the mall, we were on our way to the Gateway of India. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, the Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai. A friend that I studied abroad with, had a connection in the Bollywood industry, and we were invited to watch them film a scene at the Gateway of India. So we went to the Gateway and watched the filming for about 45 minutes. At that point, the heat became overbearing, so we decided to leave. While we were walking out, we noticed that they had roped the entire Gateway area off, for a scene they were going to film with extras. We decided not to exit, and when approached by the directors in charge, we stated that we were supposed to be there. They proceeded to film, we acted like we knew what we were doing, and somehow accidently became extras in a Bollywood movie. After our exhausting and exciting day, we went back to our hotel so we could rest for our last full day in Mumbai. Day #3 Mumbai: We couldn’t get enough of the Gateway of India, so we ended up starting our day with that same view. There is something so magical about arches. We then walked over to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, which is India’s first luxury hotel. It was breathtaking, and after talking one of the bellhops into letting us see the pool area even though we weren’t staying there, I can confirm that it is definitely luxurious. After grabbing a drink at the hotel, we ended up going to dinner/dessert at the Leopold Café. The Leopold Café is famous, partly because it was one of the sites that were attacked by terrorists in 2008. It had a really great vibe to it, and it was jam packed (which is always a good sign). Next we decided to go to the Crawford Food Market. It is also called the Jyotiba Phule Mandai, and you can buy anything from vegetables to actual animals. I would express a word of caution to anyone who might try to give you a tour of the market, as they will definitely ask you for money at one point. Luckily, we were fast walkers! We hadn’t done any shopping, which is what Mumbai is notorious for, and we headed for the Colaba Causway. This is the most famous shopping place in Mumbai, and you can buy anything from antiques to shoes. We must have walked for hours, walking through crowds of people. It was definitely an experience, and we were exhausted. Exhausted, but definitely in love with Mumbai.

Day #1 Kolkata: We arrived in Kolkata, and were immediately impressed by the influence the British had on Kolkata. There is even a replica of Big Ben! Although it was really hot and humid, the city was gorgeous, and I was already in love. After checking into the hotel, we immediately hired a taxi for the day to go sightseeing. Our first stop was the Victoria Memorial. The Victoria Memorial is a beautiful marble building, which was dedicated to Queen Victoria. An interesting fact is that right before the Memorial was finished, the capital was moved from Kolkata to New Delhi. Next stop was the Jain Temple, which was beautifully decorated with stained glass, and the entire area just sparkled. We finally ended up at the Mother House, which is where the Missionaries of Charities still reside, and also where Mother Teresa’s tomb resided. Please note, that it is extremely hard to find. There is one small sign, and we missed it multiple times. Part of me wanted to visit her because I grew up going to Catholic School and she was a sense of home, but also because of the impact that she made on the world. Visiting her final resting place not only was very moving and brought me to tears, but the feeling of peace that it brought me made it worth the trip to Kolkata. That night we ended going to a restaurant called Peter Cat, and we had a delicious meal to end the night. Day #2 Kolkata: We woke up, and somehow I had talked my friends into taking a slum tour. One of the friends with me was from Delhi, and she was a little hesitant to experience something that could be perceived as intrusive. We ended up booking our tour through an ad that we found in the hotel lobby, and we went to meet our guide at the designated area. The focus of the tour was to shed light on what the slum is able to contribute to society, whether it was recycling plastic, running a laundry business, and other urbanized projects. We got to see how these people lived their day to day life, and we got to bring school supplies to the children that lived in that area. It was one of the most heartfelt activities that I have ever done in my life. These people were happy, and they had close to nothing. At one point it started to downpour (which is normal in Kolkata), and as we ran to find shelter underneath a tin roof, a couple invited us into their slum home. We were hesitant, but could not deny their hospitality. In awe, they asked us to sit on their bed, which took up most of their hut, and offered us tea. They were the warmest people, and never once asked for anything. They truly wanted to help. We ended up donating some rupees, and while they persistently refused, they ended up taking it. I will never forget that very humbling experience. We ended our trip to Kolkata taking a boat ride under the Howrah Bridge, which is the iconic bridge of the city. Kolkata definitely holds a special place in my heart.