1st Week of India, October 9-17

Greetings from India! This has been our first week in this exquisite country and we have thoroughly enjoyed it so far! Following a red-eye flight, we found ourselves in New Delhi. We spent two nights there, enjoying the delectable North Indian food, visiting significant historical sites (see the list below), both ancient and modern, and taking in the busy atmosphere of Delhi. After these three days, we moved again, this time to Agra, the highlight of which was undoubtedly the Taj Mahal! We spent one night there and then flew (with some unhelpful embellishments on our travelling experience) to Aurangabad. We stayed at a wonderful site with bungalows, where we had an awesome view of the Ellora Caves. We visited the Ellora Caves and Ajanta over the next couple of days and had a charismatic guide who taught us much about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. We ended the week by flying to Chennai. This was a magnificent way to start our time in India!

And here's a sneak peak at our time!

Schedule:

Day 1: Delhi

Arrival and rest

Day 2-Delhi

Jama Masjid, rickshaw ride around Old Delhi, Gandhi's Memorial, market run by Kashmir families who made hand-crafted rugs, and Qutub Minar

Day 3-Delhi

Orphanage established by St./Mother Teresa, India Gate, the Presidential Palace and ministries,

Day 4-Agra

Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and craftsmen shop of descendants of the marble craftsmen who inlaid the Taj Mahal

Day 5-Aurangabad

Travel all day

Day 6-Ajanta

The Buddhist temple and monastery caves in Ajanta and a traditional Hindu dance and music performance

Day 7-Ellora

Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monastery and temple caves in Ellora

Day 8-Aurangabad

Devigiri-Daultabad Fort, handloom weaving shop, Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum, and tahli lunch

Quotes:

“I still am not over the caves at Ellora and Ajanta, they were so amazing! It makes me wish my name was Ellora, not Laura.” -Laura

"Golden rule for India: look left, look right, and then run for your dear life." -said by guide

"Monkeys, monkeys, even more monkeys, and who would forget the cows!" -Katherine

Until next time, and on behalf of Global Semester,

Viveka Hall-Holt & Zoua Lor