Pictures Pictures Pictures!

I'll give you a little taste of the pictures I have. Since some people have been asking for them....




Paris!!!!!!! Need I say more?


Kia and I on our camel Babaloo!



And of course, my picture taken in front of the Taj Mahal!


I hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures!

First Trip to the Doctor

So I got sick and I had to make the trip to the doctor. I had such a bad cough that it was beginning to get hard to breathe. It was one of the suckiest feelings that I have experienced in my life. It went on for quite a few days and I finally relented to going to the doctor.
I ended up going on Monday because I came to college and felt absolutely horrible that day. That day I unexpectedly went to the doctor with Madhu. We walked down the street and took a turn to arrive at the clinic. We went to reception and after a few minutes directed us to another floor. I had to climb stairs and it was hard for me to climb up because of my cough. Anyway, we finally made it to the floor. Once again, we had to talk to reception and they said have a seat.
I ended up waiting for a few minutes. Madhu and I chatted a bit but I wasn't very good company. Then we got called and I had no idea what to expect. It was the first time I have ever been to a doctor outside the country and even my state. I knew it was going to be quite the experience and a story to tell.
I walked in with Madhu and sat in the chairs. He asked what the symptoms were in Bengali. Madhu answered in English and Bengali. He then asked me in English and I answered the best I could. It was interesting switching between languages in an office visit. This is something that wouldn't happen at the doctor in America.
After talking about my symptoms, he asked me to lay down on the exam table. He took my blood pressure laying down; something that I have never been asked to do. He then listened to my heart and lungs. Then I got down and went back to the chair.
He then prescribed a few things. A cough syrup that is lime green and frightened me at first. I was also prescribed doxovent which is an anti asthmatic and I also got vitamn c. All the drugs have made me feel much better. The whole doctor visit plus medicine costed me 380 rupees or about 10 dollars. It was money well worth spent. I feel much better now and I hope to write again soon!

Taj Mahal

I had the opportunity to go to the Taj Mahal on Janurary 5th. Yes, I know its Jan 13th and I'm sitting down to write this blog post. Anyway, the group had Agra on their mind.
We got up way to early for college students and of course they had to come wake me up. I slept till the time we were supposed to leave because the alarm didn't go off. I quickly got dressed and ready to go see something that I had dreamt about seeing for a lifetime.
We ended up boarding the bus and started our 3 hour journey to Agra. Anyway, we had breakfast on the way. It was so cold that day! We all froze because we didn't think India would get that cold. I wish I wore my layers. It was at freezing for the majority of the morning and the whole night. On top of that, our driver decided to take the back roads and the trip ended up being six hours. It was one of the most miserable rides of my life.
We finally made it to Agra. The Taj Mahal came into view. The government allows only nonpolluting vehicles within a mile because it keeps the marble in better shape. So we parked and took a little ride up to the site. When you pay, they give you shoe covers and a bottle of water. The shoe covers make your feet look like elves!
It was cool entering and it was there.
I can't describe seeing it because there are so many words that could be used. Its hard to pick just one! We were all snapping photos away for the first few minutes.
As you walk up, you can just sense the majesticness and grandeur of the place. Everything about the Taj is symmetrical. There is a mosque built on one side and they have a building mirroring the mosques. The work that went into the place.
I finally entered to see the tomb of Shan Jan's second wife. She was the most beloved. She died in childbirth and it was her 14th! I just couldn't believe that she lasted that long. It was neat to see the inside but at the same time disappointing. There was so many people inside that it made it hard to enjoy.
After the Taj, we ended up going to the Agra Fort. We ended up being more entertained by the monkeys and ended up watching them for awhile.
Then we had dinner and it was one of the best dinners we had while in India. The food was so good!
Besides the miserable bus ride, it ended up being a good day! Signing off!

India so far...

Hi Everyone,
I haven't had a chance to update my blog so I'll start from the beginning. As you know, I flew out on the 26th. Well, my flight did not go as plan. Our 2 hour stop in Paris ended up being a 24 hr stop. Let's just say, the Charles De Gaulles airport is one heck of a maze and it took us a few hours to get out of the place. I got a free hotel and some meal vouchers. Jen(my flight buddy) and I decided to go out to explore the city of Paris. We ended up meeting to awesome girls named Estzer and Julia. They are from Hungary and the United States. Their dad actually lived in Paris and they knew Paris well. All four of us piled into a taxi and headed out from the hotel. Our first stop was the Arc de Triumph. It was a spectacular site at night. It was all lighted up and I ended up taking a few pictures. After that, we hit the Aux Champs Elyesses to look at the shops. The streets were all light with lights and the avenue was gorgeous. Our first stop was in an everything shop and that had jokey stuff in it. There was also food and a magazine shop. Then after that, we looked at a few car shops. They had some amazing cars in there. I enjoyed looking at them very much. We also went to a clothing shop where I could have easily spent some money. I saw some pretty shoes that I almost bought but didn't have enough money for. We then went to a cafe, I had a gallete chocolat. It was delicious. After the cafe, we hopped the metro to go to the Eiffel Tower. It was gorgeous. The whole thing was lighted up and it also twinkled. I didn't get to climb up the Tower because I didn't have the proper clothing and it was so cold. In the park, they had a winter carnival and we looked around. All the stuff was so cool and I wish I had money to spend. Off to the hotel, we went after seeing the Tower. We were cold and hungry. So we had dinner with the girls and headed off to bed because we needed our sleep!

We got up and got on the shuttle to catch our flight. Our flight finally departed after a 4 hour delay. We arrived in Delhi early morning and at our hotel even earlier in the morning.
We got up and ready to go for our day in Delhi. We had breakfast and then headed to the ATM to get some money. I have never seen so many dogs, cows or goats in the street before. After our little trip to the ATM, we loaded the bus. Our first stop was an arch dedicated to Indian armies who fought in WWI and some other wars. The arch was beautiful. Anyway after that, we went to the Red Fort. It was gorgeous even with most of it stripped. We learned that it was built by a Mughal emperor. The Mughals were Islamic and it was laid out in fashion to what heaven would look like. We also took a walking tour of Old Delhi. Oh my was that exhausting. I have never seen so many people in my life. I'm surprised we didn't lose anybody. Again, lots of cows were present. The walking tour was cool because each market has a theme and Delhi's street food is famous. Too bad, I couldn't eat any! After our tour, we ate at a place called Kareems. It was a kebob place. The mutton was delicious. After that, we headed back to the bus and we had to jump onto the moving bus because there was no where for it to stop. This is basically the end of day 1 because I zonked out for the rest of the bus ride.
The next morning we left for Rajahstan. We took a flight to Jodhpur. I feel like I'm going to be a great flyer at the end of the trip. When we landed, the airport was so cute. We had to walk down the steps to get off the plane. After the plane, we went to the Mehrangah Fort. The guy who gave us directions was a hoot and we ended up taking a audio tour. I again learned a lot about the kings of Rajasthan. All the rooms of the fort were beautiful. A lot of them had gold and ivory inlay. The views from the fort were majestic and worth the hike. After the fort, we went back to the hotel. Our room was very pep to pink and we had a very good laugh about it. We ended up having dinner on the roof top. The views were beautiful. You could see the fort and the palace from that point. After dinner, we all headed to bed.
In the morning, we got up and went to Jaisalmer. This was New Year's eve. It was about a five hour drive there and the scenery was beautiful. It was intersting to see rural India and get a feeling for the difference. All the people's clothes were so brightly colored and beautiful. We made a pit stop at a beautiful resort for a bathroom break and tea. The tea was delicious. The resort was just beautifully laid out. After we left, we did make another stop for lunch and I ate vegetable noodles. It is India's version of Chinese and it was good! We finally made it to our destination at the Mindar Palace. Yes, I stayed at a palace hotel! The hotel was amazing! After checking in, Kia and I went exploring in the city by ourselves. There were so many cool things to see! We looked at a lot of clothing shops and saw a lot of neat stuff! That night, we had a New Year's Party. It was so fun!!!!!!!! We danced and laughed. There were some cultural dancing as well. A male dressed up as a women danced. She pulled our whole group up and had a blast. We shook our hips and did everything she did. We had dinner and continued dancing until the New Year. They set fireworks off for us and that was so neat.
On the next day, we had our camel safari planned. I do have a video to share with you guys. It took about 45 minutes to get there. We arrived and got settled. The tents were gorgeous! Nothing like I was expecting at all. Our camel ride was an experience. Before getting on our camel, I had my head wrapped traditionally and that was an expereince. I had a camel named Babaloo(sp?). It was neat to see all the desert landscapes. The camel was actually really good and I was surprised. The ride was nice and our guide was cool. He made us laugh a few times. Then, we stayed in the desert to watch the sunset. The sunset was beautiful. It was gorgeous! After that, we headed back to camp. We sat around in a half circle and listened to folk music. They also had cultural dancing. I got pulled up twice. The first time was with a man than with a woman. It was quite the experience. After that, we had dinner. Madhu decided to have story time with us. The guide at the fort mentioned seti and she wanted to clarify it for us. It was really sad to hear about all the women who went to their deaths. After our story, we all went to bed.
We headed back to Jaisalmer for another stay. It was a free day for us to do what we want. We just ended up looking at shops for the whole day.
The day after, we headed back to Jodhpur to catch the train. We took the train from there to Delhi. It was an overnight train and we were in sleeper class. I slept most of the trip and felt so good!
After we got back to Delhi, we had lunch. After lunch, we went to visit the Gandhi Memorial. This is where he took his last steps. You have to take your shoes off to go in and see the place. It is cool because all around, there are Gandhi quotes and sayings but in hindi. It was so peaceful and full of such spirit!
This has been my trip so far in India! Tomorrow, I head to the Taj Mahal(Jan 5). I hope to write again soon and give you another update!