5 Delhi, India

Our first day in India corresponded with Katrina's birthday, so as a special treat we'd arranged to stay at the lovely Shanti Home, complete with airport pickup. It was a luxurious way to start our India leg, with garlands of marigolds to greet us, a huge four-post bed, and a romantic open-air rooftop restaurant. In fact it was so fantastic it was difficult to make ourselves leave at all, but the lure of exploring Delhi managed to persuade us out by late morning of our first day.

When deciding on how to get from point A to point B in Delhi you have many options, all cheap. We were surprised to find that one of these was a metro system and really didn't know what to expect. It was a brief walk to the nearest station from Shanti Home and when we arrived we were frisked, bag inspected, and then admitted to the platform. From there it was smooth sailing: the stations and trains are very modern (they should be since the whole system is only a few years old) and it stops at many convenient stations for sightseeing. Plus no ride seems to cost more than 40 US cents--no wonder it's so popular! Which makes for the one downside of the metro: sooooooo crowded. We had to be careful not to be in the way at major connecting stations or risk getting trampled.The metro dropped us off in the heart of Old Delhi and we meandered through the bustling streets full of rickshaws, wheelbarrows, street vendors, and stray animals of all varieties to make our way to the Red Fort. One of Shah Jahan's many grand constructions, the fort is today generally dilapidated with a few of the main structures still intact including a balcony from which the Mughal Emperor would address his subjects every morning. It seemed that the fort complex's primary use is a quiet greenspace oasis for Indian families to stroll, relax, and enjoy a lazy Saturday.

Across the street from Red Fort is Jama Masjid Mosque, the largest mosque in India. It is a huge, open-air affair and our shoeless feet burned up on the sunbaked stone floor. Not wanting to put his grubby, smelly sneakers back on, Patrick took advantage of the bazaar directly outside the entrance to bargain for a new pair. The Reeboks now gracing his feet have ridiculous sized tongues--it looks like they are swollen from a massive beating. But no one can argue with $3 USD for clean, new shoes.

With the metro off our transport checklist we took a cycle rickshaw ride from Old to New Delhi and arrived in bustling Connaught Place, a huge circular shopping area in the heart of downtown. From there we walked to India Gate and down the Rajpath to Parliament at sunset. It's a beautiful stretch that reminded us alot of the National Mall in DC.

The next day we hired a taxi to take us out to the gigantic Akshardham complex. The ornamentation on the temples, gates, and shaded walkways is almost overwhelming, as everywhere you turn is a new detail to examine. The mindblowing thing is that the thousands of tons of sandstone sculptures we saw are modern: the whole thing was built within the last ten years! We found it really interesting to see this traditional Indian architecture in a contemporary style and in impeccable condition.

From Akshardham we negotiated an autorickshaw to take us to Humayun's Tomb. The first thing we saw after entering was a crumbling protective wall around a large ancient tomb--not Humayun's. We had free reign to climb on the walls and up to the tomb's second story; it was hard to believe this wasn't the main attraction. Until we saw it. We walked through another large gate, this one of red sandstone, to find Humayun's Tomb in all its glory. A beautiful edifice of sandstone and marble, there are several chambers housing hundreds of royal tombs, all splashed with light streaming in through intricately carved stone screens. It turns out the tomb was actually a precursor to and model for the Taj Mahal. Which made it a perfect last stop before hopping on the next train at nearby Nizamuddin Station to Agra.

View more pictures from Delhi here.

3 India

Through my work for the Unitarian Universalist Association, I get to travel frequently around the country to meet with generous supporters of the Association. This fall, I was given a unique opportunity to travel to India to see schools being built in the Khasi Hills, where there is an indigenous Unitarian population, made possible by donations through the Association. Patrick obviously would have loved to join me, but his own work responsibilities kept him in Boston.

My trip began with a tour of the Golden Triangle before heading further east to the Khasi Hills. The morning after my arrival in Delhi, I took a two hour train to Agra, which was a piece of cake after spending 14 hours on a plane the day before. The trains are comfortable and even serve hot breakfast, but make sure to reserve a seat in an air conditioned car. Agra is known as the city of monuments, the crown jewel of course being the Taj Mahal. This magnificent mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, and the detailing is truly impressive; seemingly painted characters are actually perfectly inlayed marble in marble. The next stop was the Red Fort, where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son. From his room you can see a beautiful view of the Taj. It is so sad to think of him spending the last years of his life longing for freedom and within sight of his cherished memorial.

It is hard to avoid crowds of tourists when in the Golden Triangle but our next stop, the Baby Taj, was a surprising escape. Don't be fooled by the nickname: the only relation to the Taj Mahal is an architectural resemblance. It is much smaller but very beautiful, and the quiet lawn is dotted with dozens of monkeys out to play.

While in Agra I stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel, a converted palace with plenty of thoughtful details and a lovely courtyard that is visited by a variety of birds and monkeys. The restaurant is also fantastic and serves the best kulfi (Indian ice cream made of goat's milk, pistachios and spices) that I had on the trip.

The next stop on the tour was Jaipur, about a five hour drive from Agra. My favorite Golden Triangle site was actually a stop along this drive: Fatehpur Sikri. It is a sprawling palace built by Emperor Akbar, who was so dedicated to his interfaith belief system that his three wives all came from different religious traditions: one Hindu, one Muslim and one Christian. Each wife had her own living and eating area, but these all reflected elements and symbols from the others' faiths. A definite must see!

Jaipur is known as the "Pink City" for the terra cotta colored edifices that line its streets. In the old city it is mandatory that buildings be painted to conform with the city's moniker. Jaipur is not only known for the color of it's buildings but also for the grandness of them. Notable of the cities many palaces are The Palace of the Lake and Palace of the Winds, both brief stops. The former is built in the middle of a lake and not open to visitors, and the latter is actually simply a facade. Open to visitors is Jaipur City Palace, which is now a collection of museums and a center for local artisans. But the main attraction is Amber Fort built high on the hills. One can take an elephant ride up to the top which is a major thrill and highly recommended, but make sure to tip your driver to avoid them encouraging elephant mischief as you try to dismount! My favorite thing about Amber Fort was the Kali Temple located inside its walls. I was fortunate enough to be visiting during the festival that honors the Hindu goddess Kali, and so there was much ado and many worshipers visiting on that day.

Another interesting site in Jaipur is Jantar Mantar, which is an observatory filled with tools to measure time and make astrological predictions. The world's largest sundial is located here, which can unbelievably tell time within a two second margin of error.

Accommodations in Jaipur were at the Alsisar Haveli. Located right off of a busy street, you are shocked to find this quiet oasis down a driveway between run-down storefronts. A haveli is essentially an Indian mansion, and each room in this one was unique, comfortable, and tastefully decorated.

Unfortunately I was not able to spend time in the third corner of the Golden Triangle, Delhi, due to the time constraints of this work trip. I was fortunate enough to have a guide and

driver while touring the sites above and I would highly recommended the same for anyone else for several reasons. First, driving is crazy in India, and I say that as someone who can navigate through Boston traffic no problem. I cannot imagine even attempting to drive there. Secondly, written narratives at tourist attractions are practically nonexistant. It would be very difficult to understand what you are seeing without a guide. Most importantly, India is really another world. As someone who has done a good deal of foreign traveling, I still found it very difficult to get around without local guidance or direction. It is very inexpensive to hire a guide, and almost all travelers that I saw--from backpackers to affluent tour groups--had a guide with them.

After days of sightseeing it was time to get down to business. I flew to Guwahati for the work portion of my trip and then drove another three hours on a very bumpy road to get to Shillong, the main hub of the Khasi Hills. Visiting Indian villages is a drastically different experience from touring the big cities of the Golden Triangle. In both, white skin and western clothes immediately sets one apart. In Agra and Jaipur, this marks a person as someone with money, and I was swarmed by beggars and hawkers outside every attraction. This made it very hard to be a visitor, and deeply sad in many ways. In the villages I was seen more as alien. Kids would point at me and whisper to their parents, while some warmed to me and would giggle when I waved.

The people in the Khasi Hills were welcoming, gracious, and generous. I was visiting a school built by donations from the West, and the students prepared songs and dances to welcome us. The presented us with gifts upon gifts--traditional Khasi necklaces, beautiful shawls, and handwoven sieves and bowls. It was a special experience to spend time in such a place, so many worlds apart from my home.

It took me almost 36 hours straight of travel time to return to Boston at the end of the trip; I was exhausted and glad to be back. India is an amazing, beautiful, fascinating, and also heartbreaking place. I have never before felt so far away from home.