CROWDED | COLORFUL | FRIENDLY
For some people, India is not the first place they would go for a relaxing vacation. Seinfeld even dedicated an entire episode to the topic. Having spent over six weeks there, I consider myself fortunate for the experience. The country is huge and diverse and a single trip is not enough to experience everything. We attended not one but two weddings in India, one of which was the primary reason for our trip and the other literally a day-of decision where we knew not a single person aside from the couple who invited us. We saw the chaos of Old Delhi, the grandeur of the Taj Mahal and a glimpse into local city life during a two week stay in Jaipur. It was a whirlwind trip full of adventures big and small that we could not have anticipated.
Delhi
In Delhi, one of the most populated (and polluted) cities on earth, we stayed at the Taj hotel and did a good bit of sightseeing in between wedding events, which were an absolute blast. There is so much history here that it would take months or years to properly cover it all. We did our best in the time we had. The people we met were incredibly warm, welcoming us into their shops and homes as if we were family.
Old Delhi
Agra
It’s the image that comes to mind when any westerner hears the word India. One of the most iconic structures of all time and among the seven wonders of the world, nothing can compare to seeing the Taj Mahal up close. From the size and scale to the persistent symmetry to the fact that it was built to honor a wife (one of many) and the innovations (leaning the towers ever so slightly away from the main structure in case of earthquakes), it is truly breathtaking and certainly exceeded every expectation.
Ranthambore National Park
A terrifying (by Indian driving standards) three or so hours from Jaipur is Ranthambore National Park, home to a tiger reserve covering nearly 700 square miles and containing over 70 tigers. It is one of the best places to see these animals - and many others - in the wild. We spent an amazing long weekend at Sawai Vilas in between game drives, which was among the top hotel stays of our entire time traveling. Despite being the “winter” season, which means denser brush and greater difficulty locating the animals, we were lucky to have tiger sightings on two of our five drives. At one point we were a mere ten feet or so away from a female tiger who was not at all pleased by our presence. It was absolutely terrifying and for my money the most fun you can have in a moving vehicle. While very different from our experience in Africa, it did nothing to curb our budding safari addiction.
Jaipur
Jaipur is where we lived most like locals. While smaller than the other megacities in India, it is still one of the craziest places we’ve ever been. It contains some beautiful buildings and interesting sights, so many that we only got to see a fraction. We stayed in a neighborhood outside the main city and did our best to get into a routine while working nights. On our street we would regularly find cows and goats walking amongst the speeding cars, tuk-tuks and motorbikes throwing up dust in every direction.
The sound of horns honking formed the soundtrack for our entire time in India. The “supermarket” stocked 30 or 40 items at most. I was most likely the only foreigner to ever have stepped foot in the gym that I joined for the two weeks we were there. On the other end of the spectrum, we crashed (literally) the most over-the-top wedding we've ever attended at the Rambagh Palace, complete with a one hour drumline processional for the groom, dozens of mounted horses, several elephants and a buffet surrounding permitter of a space the size of a football field. It was a once in a lifetime experience and impossible to describe. Overall, I think Jaipur was a great way to wrap up our trip to India: it was eye opening in many ways, provided some lasting memories and left us with the slightest bit of relief that our next destination was a tropical island.