I will share more on my trip in the coming days.
Here are a few pictures in the meantime.
Taj Mahel - We went on the perfect day. Mild tempratures, low crowds, and sunset!!!
View behing the Taj Mahel
Northern India Veggie Sample Platter, all for me...YUM and I finished it all!! Then didn't have to ear for the next half day. HAHA
We all got some good sleep after our long days touring India.
High Five! We saw monkeys all over the place. NEAT-O!
Typical side street of Old Delhi
Bengali - Well known Indian sweet treat shop! A highlight of my trip.
WOW! This trip looks fantastic, Sean! You are so fortunate. I love the photos. It's a nice representation of the trip. I almost feel like I know what India is all about. The shot from behind the Taj Mahel looks like something out of National Geographic. It would make a real nice framed wall photo. The shots of the cow and monkey are great! Thanks for sharing, Sean I look forward to hearing some stories in the coming days.
ReplyDeletelove,
Mom
Hey Sean,
ReplyDeleteA red-eye flight from Dubai to Delhi . . . very cool! Despite the culture shock, it seems like you developed an appreciation for India in just three days. The real question is: Would you go back to India for work or vacation? According to my good friend Mike Kurker (you may know him), I’m sensing that he’s not going back any time soon . . . too much shock and awe, the rickshaw ride (sounds like a reality TV show), and the ubiquitous street urchin – too funny! I’ll have to drop him a note.
Those are some fun photos. I like the one of the bull eyeing the fruit stand – or is he eyeing the owner. Either way, that horn looks sharp. I read that bulls, cows, and macaques run free on the streets of India. That should make for an interesting rush hour. Add a few illiterate, though sacred, bovines that prefer jaywalking to crosswalks and 1.2 billion people who are largely ignorant of the rules of the road as they lean on the horn trying to pass the car in front (who’s doing the same) and . . . “that’s one fine mess you’ve gotten me into, Stanley.”
Apparently, the cow is still sacred to the Hindus. From what I could tell, Lord Krishna once appeared as a goatherd 5,000 years ago; and the rest is history. If you harm a cow, you can be tarred and feathered, or something like that. However, the cows don’t feel the same about humans. I heard that you have to walk before you learn to run. And in keeping with that theme – if you’re going to run with the bulls in Pamplona, you have to learn to walk with the bulls in Delhi.
I am waiting for the picture of you and Mike using ancient swords at the Archeological Museum Mumtaj Mahal. That should be right up there with you holding the Spirit of St. Louis In the palm of your hand at the Smithsonian.
So what did you think of the Taj Mahal? Not bad for a mausoleum built in the 1600s at the dawn of the mechanical analog computer (also known as a slide rule). It’s amazing what you can do in twenty years with 10,000 laborers and a slide rule. Did you get much of a chance to delve into any of the cultural design, architectural, engineering elements of the Taj Majal during the tour?
I am thrilled you were able to visit India for a long weekend after the midterm. When I first saw your schedule, I thought that the secret trip was to Luxor, Egypt (Valley of Kings) or Giza, Egypt (Pyramids). I picked the right distance from Dubai, just the wrong direction. Wouldn’t be the first time I headed in the wrong direction. Haha. Where will the LAU students be going on their trip?
The closest I’ve been to India is a vacation to see the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina when I was a kid, the Cleveland Indians when we watched a baseball game at “the yard,” a bottle of IPA beer, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (which took place somewhere in India), George Harrison singing “My Sweet Lord," and a transcendental meditation class given by a disciple of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who claimed he could fly.
As you and I have talked before and with a credit to Green Day, “It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you’re having the time for your life.”
I look forward to your next post and some additional pictures, comments and observations of India. I’ll save up all my questions for when you’re back in the States. Me, you, and Ellen will have to allot some time in wine country just to catch up a little.
My love,
Dad