The Taj Mahal is Incredible!

THE TAJ MAHAL
Words cannot summarize what I saw and experienced at the Taj Mahal.  I was struck by its presence and beauty.  Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, many have tried to sum up its beauty - 'a teardrop on the face of eternity,' according to an Indian poet. I agree, and I hope these photos can do it a little justice. 

Part of the experience was the difficult trip to New Delhi, and then to Agra, which I definitely want to fill you in on.  It was more than worth it, though, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. That being said...Who wants to come back to India with me someday?? It's a magical country, and I would highly recommend this experience to anyone with a passion for travel and an open mind.

Our tour guide had my camera for a lot of these photos, and he did an amazing job! I also got professional pics which are larger prints already in a photo book. I never want to forget this trip!

Wednesday night, five of us departed Bangalore on Indigo, a budget Indian airline, while other four left on a nicer Indian airline.  Abishek from Ripples had warned my consulting group of excessive fog in New Delhi for the past few weeks, and he told us to be careful.  Not only were planes not landing, there were four train accidents in the past 15 days, and several car pile ups.  I was worried we'd encounter some fog, but I never though we wouldn't land...Luckily, we had a gutsy American pilot (random) who said while en route "I WILL land this plane."  It was probably the longest landing ever. Fog everywhere, no visability, and then finally, we hit the runway with a thud. Success! I still couldn't see out my airplane window, but I was excited we were in Delhi.  I'm pretty sure most American airlines wouldn't have let us land in thoses conditions. We must have landed in a field far away because we probably rode the bus to the terminal for about 15 minutes, or maybe that just had to do with the excessive fog.  For the first time, it was cold in India, about 48 degrees. 

We claimed our baggage and went outside to meet our ride. There were a few men holding signs with our names on them.  They said our friends never landed and were rerouted back to Bangalore! So crappy! Apparently most flights were turning around. We were one of the lucky (or crazy) ones that actually landed.

The next part of our adventure was the ride to our hotel...bad fog and little visability. I was remembering what Abishek had said. He specifically told us not to get in a car in the dark when it is foggy. Well, we weren't about to spend the night in the Delhi airport, so we put our trust in our driver, and made it back to the hotel in one piece. I didn't see New Delhi that night. Even though we didn't get in until 2am, the staff greeted us with friendly faces, flower necklaces and fresh juice.

630am we were up and had breakfast on the rooftop of our really cute hotel. The service was incredible, and the breakfast was tasty, and free. By 730am, the five of us loaded our mini bus to the Taj Mahal! We felt so bad for the others that didn't make it in because we were told we couldn't wait for them if we wanted to see the Taj Mahal. This was a Thursday, and the Taj is closed on Fridays. I knew they had to be devasta.

Even though it was only 200kilometers away, the ride to Agra was supposed to take anywhere from 4-5 hours. The crazy driving and traffic scared me, as usual, but I was in good company and was really excited to see the Taj Mahal!  I finally got to see New Delhi as well because there wasn't as much fog. It is really, really underdeveloped. Definitely the poorest place I've ever been. I didn't realize Bangalore was so "nice" for India. Now I know.  A young girl that works at the hotel (about 16) came with us as our interpreter/connection to the hotel. She was so sweet and shy. It was her first time to the Taj as well. We made a rest stop at McDonald's and let me just say that I was completely impressed that half the menu was vegetarian! I couldn't resist, so I ordered a "McVeg." It was pretty good actually. I love India. They really understand me. :)

Several hours later, we arrived in Agra! The town survives off tourism. In an attempt to preserve the Taj Mahal and reduce pollution, since 1994, they no longer are allowed to have factories or polluting cars near the Taj Mahal. We picked up our tour guide and then took transportation to the entrance.

The first thing you see is a large reddish/brown building and courtyard covering the main event. We took some photos in front of it and hired our professional photographer.

Then, we made our way through the fort, and caught our first glimps of the Taj Mahal! I was starstruck. It was so magical.

Needless to say, everyone was impressed, and we took tons of photos. There were beautiful pictures of the extravagant monument.

There were group photos...

There were individual photos too. Lots of those. I liked posing like a princess!

And there were roommate photos...

This is taken from the Taj Mahal, looking back over the gardens, to the entrance.

Directly inside the Taj Mahal, there are replicas of the tombs.  Visitors are no longer allowed to see the real tombs downstairs, (due to vandalism). The walls are beautifully covered in semi precious stones, and they light up in a beautiful way when they are hit with light. Along with other couples, we found out that Will Smith proposed to his wife there! I just kept thinking, would it be possible for me to rent this out for my wedding? Haha. I wish!

We didn't leave until 6pm because we got caught up shopping in a marble store. I made one large purchase on this trip and bought something that will last a lifetime and always remind me of India! Our ride back took 6 hours, and it was definitely the most intense road trip I've ever taken. The fog visability was dangerously bad, but our driver was confident in his driving abilities. I had to make a rest stop halfway through, and they basically took me to an Indian trucker stop. I was escorted to the woods, basically, to the scariest bathroom of all time. The "room" was a dirt floor covered by a sheet instead of a door. Awesome! The rest of the trip back, we played "would you rather" to entertain ourselves. The game went something like this: Would you rather __________ or live in that bathroom for a day?  It was that bad. Needless to say, we made it back safely and will never forget our trip to the Taj Mahal!!  I definitely want to visit it again one day.  I'm sad to leave India tomorrow, but excited to get back home as well. I could definitely travel for a living.  See you soon!

India! (Finally!)

Hi Friends! 

Our welcome to India ceremony...

I cannot believe that 11 days have already passed since my last blog, and for that I am sorry!  We missed out on a few days in Hong Kong, so I'll try to fill you in on that later.  For the past 8 days, I have been busy exploring Bangalore while simultaneously working on a consulting project for a local company here.  It's difficult finding a travel/work balance because the last time I travelled, I had no obligations.  This time, I needed to prepare an amazing presentation and report for Ripples Learning Services, in order to help them gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. I am already seeing the benefits of hands-on consulting experience because I am learning a lot. We just finished our presentation this morning, and the company was really pleased! They want to stay in touch and work with us while we're at home, too.

I want to share SO many things about India with you, but for the sake of my time and yours, I am going to make this entry simple.  I will post photos, captions, and some thoughts and observations about Bangalore, India.  You can also check out photos of me on Facebook.  My travel companions have tagged me in many photos. 

I am getting ready to pack and check out for our trip to New Delhi tonight! Tomorrow I will be at the Taj Mahal! There will be lots of pics from there too, but you might not see them until I get home on Sunday.  Enjoy the photos, and I'll see most of you soon!

Bangalore, India: Asia's Initial Observations
- Shake your head "yes." Shake your head "no." Now, imagine shaking your head yes and no at the same time, in a kind of side to side motion. This is how Indians say "yes." Confusing? YES!

- Driving here is crazy, the craziest I've ever seen! The lanes are completely ignored, and cars, motorcycles, and "rickshaws" weave in and out of traffic, tailgating, and repeatedly honking their horns as if to say "I'm here!" Our taxi driver honked over 130 times on our ride to our hotel! (Yes, Dad, I counted!) It's nearly impossible to cross the street without cursing and praying for your life at the same time. Drivers do NOT yield to pedestrians here, and I've almost run into cars or been run into several times. Somehow, it always works out. The sidewalks aren't much better. There are random potholes, so you must watch your footing and avoid walking around at night. It's an obstacle course!

Bull Temple, where we again got the red dot on our heads. The bull is carved out of 1 stone!

- There is trash everywhere here, adding to the underdeveloped appearance of Bangalore aka Bengaluru as known to the locals. Technically, it was renamed Bengaluru in 2006, but I've only heard some people call it by its proper name.

Fresh fruit and flowers are sold at a local street market.

- Cows, lots of cows, roam the streets of Bangalore. Someone told me that they all have owners. They just roam free during the day and return home at night.

- The smells in Bangalore aren't as intense as I imagined. I actually like the smell of Indian food, and I LOVE the taste of it even more! It's much easier for me to eat in India than it was for me in Hong Kong. I want to learn how to cook Indian food when I get home too.
Sugar can juice is a popular drink here. It's a bit too sweet for me.

- The nightlife here is fun and interesting. Everything closes at 11pm, and dancing is only legal in clubs, however. Can you imagine if someone told you it was illegal to dance in your favorite bar? Needless to say, I did a lot of dancing in my seat, hoping it was legal. We made it to a nightclub once, and danced under a huge tree, under the stars. So cool! Our hosts/new local friends took us there.

- Our first bar experience was at the 13th Floor, on MG Road, the happening street in Bangalore. We also made new friends there, and they took a few of us out to a Tandoori, all you can eat style dinner.  The spiciness hasn't stopped me at all here...Thanks for the killer tastebuds, Dad!

- The daredevil in me decided to ride on the back of a motorcycle. Scary, but fun and worth the experience! Photos on Facebook.

- I ate 2 meals with my bare hands, Southern Indian style. The first time, it was for lunch, and we literally ate off a banana leaf! So cool! It's tricky eating rice with your bare hand, especially when I had to do it right-handed only. (As in other parts of Asia, the left hand is considered dirty here. Not fair!)

- The second time, it was at our final USD group dinner.  All you can eat Southern Indian food + bib + no utensiles = a happy Indian mess.

- More on food...Indian coffee is very good, but sweet, and served in a tiny glass. People stand outside tiny cafes and enjoy conversation and a cup of brew. Indian breakfast is also quite tasty! Our hotel (guest house) serves us free breakfast daily, and there is always a new Indian dish to try. On our tour of South Bangalore, we got to sample breakfast from a very local cafe that is infamous for its homemade breakfast. There is a sauce man under the tree that will pour you more of the spicy green sauce if you walk up to him with your plate. (No pictures of the sauce man allowed, unfortunately.)

- Centrum Electronics Company visit. Gracious, last minute hosts. People here are very accomodating. I don't think they ever say no? I've only heard that word once here, even when people actually mean no. The povery level is apparent and sad. At the same time, everyone seems so happy here. This is a view outside a high tech company's office window. The pollution here makes it very difficult to breathe (and not develop a bad cough!)

- The school children here are adorable. My friends have pics of me with them on the steps. I need to get those.

Last group photo from Bangalore! Outside the government building, where "Government's Work Is God's Work"

xoxo
Asia

I Heart Hong Kong!

Hello again from Hong Kong!

I am really enjoying my time here.  It is such an amazing city!  I am still star struck by the incredibly tall buildings that are crowded together, it seems, everywhere I go.  Did I mention they use bamboo for scaffolding?

I have to look through my progression of photos to remember everything I've done this week.  I have been incredibly busy, but I wouldn't change a moment.  I last left you with my day tour and initial impressions of HK. Tuesday, after my first day of class, a group of us went out to LKF, the tourist road on Hong Kong Island.  From the moment I got out of the cab, I loved HK even more.  So many bright and shiny lights! 

Everyone's energy levels were high, and we made our first stop at a fantastic sushi restaurant for Katie's birthday.  The unfortunate part about eating at a nice sushi restaurant in the tourist district is the price. I paid $30 American Dollars for my meal which is no different than at home!  I've noticed that HK is significantly more expensive than any other part of Asia I've been to (except for Tokyo.)   After sushi, we went to the top of a nice hotel that had a fun lounge with excellent city views. 

Our final stop was a hole in the wall pub/karaoke venue.  It was a funny scene.  There were 2 men on acustic guitar and 1 guy on "drums" which he made use of via a martini shaker and spoon.  As for the lead singer, which I attempted once doing a duet from Grease, he or she had to read off hand written or typed lyrics from a binder with random American songs.  Definitely not your typical karaoke, but a great way to end the night!

Wednesday we went to see Malik, the USD recommended tailor, and stayed in that night to study for our midterm.  I resisted temptation and didn't get fitted for a suit, but did purchase dress shirts for Jeremy and me instead.  (I brought one of Jeremy's shirts for them to copy.)  Their turnaround time is fast, and so far, everyone has been very pleased with their results.  He makes a trip to San Diego a couple of times a year, so I'm sure we will be seeing him again.  Keep that in mind if you want a suit made especially for you!

Thursday night was another great night, and we decided to see the nightly Hong Kong skyline lights show.  We went to the harbor for what we thought would be a short cruise to watch the show, but since it was cold and a little rainy, we made a slight detour and ended up at the Intercontinental Hotel to watch the light show from indoors.  Another expensive choice, but luckily one of my classmates picked up the tab.  :)  I had a fabulous martini which matched the light show because my coaster would flash different colors anytime you put weight on it. Clever and almost worth the $20 US!

After drinks, we decided to find a real Asian style karaoke bar.  5 of us went and sang our hearts out for hours!  It was so much fun!  Don't believe me? Check out Facebook for a mini video clip of the night! (I couldn't get it to upload on here for some reason.)

Friday after class, my busy schedule and the night life was finally starting to catch up to me, but I had to rally.  It was time to meet up with Jessica, a girl I know from San Diego (Jennae's sister-in-law that was in Jennae's wedding party with me) who lives in Hong Kong now.  Her boyfriend is a club manager at a nice member's only type venue, so I brought 10 USD people with me, and we had a great time. 

We arrived around midnight and were home around 4am. Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a typical "party girl" that likes to stay out all night, but I was really feeling the vibe at M1NT. The DJ was great, and there was even a shark tank in back!

My only mistake was trying to buy my own glass of champagne once...$200 Hong Kong Dollars. Are we in Manhattan now?  (I guess it all depends on where you go because the night before, we purchased beers at 7-Eleven at a price of 2 for $1.50 US. That's more like it!)  Anyway, it didn't matter because the club was very nice and very fun.  It's nice being connected in HK!

This morning I woke up hurting from the night before, but I didn't want to miss our cultural tour! We visted a couple of temples, a local village, and a local market, followed by a dim sum lunch. 

Our tour guide actually lives in one of the villages, so we were able to see his home. It was so amusing because it was very, very old and traditional, but he had a karaoke set with flashing lights and a flat screen TV in his modest living room. 

The local market reminded me of the Asian markets I had seen in Southeast Asia before, so I knew to avoid the meat and seafood section if I didn't want to see anything getting killed alive. No thank you!

I wish I liked Chinese food more, but they tend to put beef and pork in everything, so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the dim sum experience. I did learn some things, though. You are supposed to wash your bowl with hot tea, just in case anything got left behind after being washed. Interesting...and scary, right?

Wednesday I'm off to India, so I only have a few days left to explore HK! It's hard to believe that I've already been here for a week, but I still feel like there is so much left to see.

Asia's in Hong Kong!

Hello!

After a nice 14 hour flight (shorter than expected!) I arrived at the Hong Kong airport on Sunday, Jan 3 at 630am.  I met up with a guy named Evan in my program to share public transportation to our hotel. After traveling in Asia only 6 months ago, I was on guard for scams and ready to negotiate for the best rate...I didn't have to do much of that at all!  The public transportation system is very reliable here, and the taxi drivers have been honest meter users for the most part so far.  On our ride into the city, I was amazed by the huge skyscrapers on the beautiful green mountains on either side of me.  The shipping ports were filled with large cranes, boats, and more skyscrapers. I have never seen anything quite like it.

Once we arrived at our lovely 5 star hotel, of course it was too early to check in, so Evan and I roamed the streets of HK near our hotel.  There is a flower market just outside which puts our Farmer's Markets to shame, several pastry shops which actually make me want to try something, and lots of hole in the wall Chinese restaurants with the usual odd smells.  The more we wandered, the more of these things I noticed. One of the things I couldn't seem to find, however, was take away coffee!  There are 711's here on every corner, so I went inside and pointed to a coffee cup.  The women just shook their heads at me and said no. Fine. I will find a Starbucks. Well that didn't happen, but I did stumble upon a McDonald's!  I ordered a black coffee 2x that morning, attempting to stay awake and avoid a major case of jet lag.  The coffees here are served in a mini size. I should have known. 

Monday we had a full day tour of HK, specifically the Kowloon and HK Island territories. We visited a temple and a nunnery and some markets in the morning...

Then, after a boat ride around the fishing village, we shared a wonderful dim sum lunch at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant.  I was so happy they asked if there were any vegetarians in the group, so I was able to partake in my first dim sum experience.  They kept everything very simple for the meat eaters too because they didn't think we would appreciate all the delicacies of HK...like intestines, brain, feet, etc. Gross!

After another market visit (and some shopping, I'll admit), we went to Victoria's Peak which had great views of HK.  Unfortunately we went too late in the day because the sun was gone, the clouds rolled in, and I was pretty chilly!  It was still great to get the views, and then take a nice tram ride down the mountain.  One of our classmates was late for our meeting point, so Craig (our professor) got angry and insisted we left him behind.  Not a good way to start off the program, buddy. At least he made his way back ok! Note: Never be late to Mr. Barkac's class. Ever.

We went out to dinner for Katie's birthday (a young USD administrator and former IMBA graduate) and had some Tiger beer.  It was a pretty low key night because we were a bit tired, and some people, let lagged.

Tuesday was our first day of our Negotiations class session. I'll admit that I was not looking forward to spending the day in school because I felt like I was on vacation, but once the lecture began, I actually enjoyed the class. I mean, who doesn't want to become a better negotiator?

Tonight we might look for a karaoke bar or night club because we don't have class until tomorrow afternoon...but we'll see if that really happens.  We still don't really know where we are going around here.  HK is huge!

I hope you enjoyed my photos, and I will post again soon.  Sunday some of us might take a day trip to Macau...aside from all the gambling and casinos, there is apparently the highest bungee jumping site in the world! I'm not going to do it, but I want to be there to take pictures.

The first Cantonese phrase I learned: m'goy = thank you.

Talk to you again soon!
-Asia