I just got back from India, but I have a few sets of photos I still need to post. Around mid-July, I took a trip to North India to see New Delhi and Agra. A couple days really is not enough to appreciate North India. I was unable to to visit Jaipur or Rajasthan or even see most of Delhi. But what I did get a chance to see was amazing: Humayun’s Tomb, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. [Slideshow]
After Delhi, I took photos at Hampi, one of the world’s largest heritage site. We rented motorbikes and went temple-hopping. Although it is full of backpackers with questionable fashion senses, Hampi was beautiful. [Slideshow]
I took video during the safari. Watching these clips together is just like coming to India, without the $2,500 plane ticket, overly spicy food and random Bollywood dance scenes.
First up: elephants.
This next one doesn’t have animals. It was during the part when we almost got trapped in the muddy and bumpy road.
Okay, I was just amused by this deer at the Bandipur Park. We didn’t go in since the elephants were resting and we had our fill of monkeys for the day, so this was the most exciting animal encounter we had that day. (Except if we include the monkeys that threatened to attack me for my peanuts.)
Infosys was going to take us to Mysore, but due to the violence that broke out over the past several weeks, the trip was postponed to the same weekend I booked a flight to Delhi and Agra. We were able to stop by shortly after the Safari last week to visit the Mysore Castle. The Mysore Palace photos are posted on Flickr.
I’m in the middle of a photo dump, here are the photos albums from last week’s safaris. We all came to safari for one purpose: elephants.
Here are the albums:
Karnataka travels has a nicely organized tour bus for people who want to see Bangalore in a day- perfect for a daytrip. With over a month in Bangalore, I can tell you about the good restuarants and bars but not much about the sights. (In Mexico, I can tell you about all the sights, but my culinary recommendations end at the quesadillas on the corner.)
The highlight of the day trip was the technology museum with this awesome picture of a cow pulling a satellite, but the rest of Bangalore Day Tour photos are online on Flickr. Pretty standard stuff: palaces. government buildings and some temples.
Compare this photo with the postcards I found to send you all.
So. About my postcards.
It seems every time I ask an Indian National about post offices, they seem confused as to why I would want to use postal mail. “Email is more convenient,” they say.
I tried mailing out my cards last week from a post office near Gate 1 of Infosys. But when everyone told me this post office was near, they meant this post office was 3 kilometers away. (A bit far for a lunchtime walk.) It’s alright, the photos I’m taking are nicer anyhow.
Most people were skeptical when they heard about the Chinese Fishing Nets in Kerala. Fort Cochin has excellent seafood, but did we really want to go watch our food get caught? The answer is yes.
Friends and Family,
Whenever you come to India, I highly recommend the state of Kerala. Their tourism slogan is “God’s Own Country” because it is one of the nicest places in the world. In addition to the beautiful backwaters, there are safaris, caves, nature parks and waterfalls to explore.
This weekend I explored inland Kerala with the InStep interns. I didn’t see tigers, nor did I ride an elephant, yet I had an amazing time. I rode a small jeep into nature park with elephants and deer. I hiked through jungle in sandals to view a waterfall on top of a mountain. (Yeah, I forgot to pack sneakers.) I ate lunch in a cave by candlelight and dinner near a campfire surrounded by treehouses.
When I come to India again, I am going to need to resist the urge not to spend the entire time in Kerala enjoying the ayurvedic massages and the beautiful landscapes and hikes.
Kerala is a beautiful place made up of rivers, canals and other bodies of water for miles of land. I will update with details when I finish uploading all the photographs. Until then, I have a video from the boat and will state my trip resembled the Wikipedia article on tourism on the Kerala Backwaters.
Thus far, best trip from India.
Dupattas! Kurtas! Bangles!
In Bangalore, Commercial Street is where you go for the shopping.
Bargaining is difficult, however. I can’t get the prices anywhere close to where I know they can go. I’m told anklets can go as low as 10 rp, but the prices for me start at 50rp and go down to 25 rp. I refuse to pay more than 100 rp for a small scarf, but I’m getting prices around 150-250 rp.
Funny thing is that even the prices I can get are much lower than at retail stores. But I know those prices are much higher than most other people pay. While I still have time, I enjoy watching other people bargain to see how low others can get prices. Maybe I can pick up some tips.
