OUR SERENDIB

Taj New Year and no Delhi belly

Happy Taj Mahal New Year....3 months late;)  We went to the Taj twice; once on NYE and next on New Year's morning.  We certainly didn't want to miss out on any good lighting!  For any of you wanting to visit, I would say evening to sunset gave much better light.  But beware, there are no lights when the sun goes down.

Here is Jim striking a pose:

Here are George and Linda posing after our exciting NYE buffet dinner;)  We decided to stay away from the all night dance party in the tent behind our hotel to preserve our energies for our morning Taj visit:

Early morning silhouette:

Back to Delhi.  The government and diplomatic enclave is vast and immaculate.  A far cry from the filth and chaos of Old Delhi.

Here are Linda and George braving the wilds of Old Delhi!

Rajasthan cont'd.

Because I am so awful with updates.  I will post some photos to illustrate the remainder of our trip.

2. Udaipur town

Just some ladies out shopping.

This little one followed us for about 5 minutes asking for money.  We finally gave him a coin and with a smile he quickly jumped on the back of this wagon and was whisked away by his friend. (click to enlarge; his smile/smirk is classic)

3. Jodhpur - The Blue City

Rajasthani dance performance.  The woman bends over backward for money which she then picks up with her teeth.

Look at the detail on these costumes - absolutely beautiful.

4. Jaipur - Old Jaipur

Thank goodness for donkey labor:

These kids were super cute:

I love the colors on this wall and gate:

Rajasthan: Udaipur

1. Lake Palace Udaipur

This is some entrance!  We arrived late at night, but no worries, our private gondola was awaiting our arrival.

The Lake Palace at night from boat:

We arrived on Christmas Eve so their was a cultural performance going on in the courtyard.

The architecture and symmetry of the architecture made some great photos:m

Our transport...not too shabby!

The Lake Palace during the day:

India highlights: Mumbai

As you can see, I am dragging out the rehashing of our wonderful vacation as long as possible.   But, with no further delay, here are some highlights of our travels to India.

1. Mumbai aka Bombay

Our first stop was Mumbai.  We stayed at the beautiful Taj Hotel in the Colaba area of Mumbai.  I really loved this area because one can walk around and see the sights rather than rely on taxis or trishaws; a nice change for Jim and I.

Here is a slightly fuzzy night photo of the Taj but nice nonetheless.

This is a view of the Taj (center) and India Gate from the bay:

Here is another perhaps not as flattering view of the Taj.  There was a lot of construction in the area.  I imagine it will look quite nice once it's finished.

Here are some street scenes (notice the nice wide sidewalk):

It was the weekend so luckily for these guys there wasn't much traffic.

I love this photo.  He was a little bashful.

I asked this guy if I could take a photo after I bought some of his peanuts.  He so graciously sat there and withstood the smoke in his face so I could snap this shot.

Here is Linda making her first street purchase.  This little purse was a much more practical buy than the "big balloon" being sold by many on the street. 

Here is me in front of India Gate!

We also visited a Jain Temple:

The Jains where masks over their faces...they are extremely sensitive to the lives of all living creatures.  I believe this is to prevent any small organisms from entering the mouth.

Next stop....Udaipur!!

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