Jaipur [India]

"Jaipur is the 'Pink City' because in the 1800's the whole city was painted pink to welcome Prince Albert.  The old city walls are still standing and inside there were things to see at every turn!  Monkeys, fruit stands, street food vendors, crumbling pink walls, old wooden shutters, cows, goats - everything!  It literally looks just like my daydreams - an exotic place stuck in time - a faraway land..."

"...As the evening crept in to night we wound through the streets snapping photos everywhere and enjoying everything.  Everyone in Jaipur has been so friendly... We found our way to a hindu temple, and a fair-trade shop where I proceeded to die and go to heaven.  The shopkeeper took us through the side streets and up an ancient spiral staircase (don't look down!) to a rooftop overlooking Jaipur.  Amazing!  Really?  How cool is this guy?  And as if the night couldn't get any better he took us back down to the square with a flower market.  While the girls bought spices I snuck away and found jasmine perfume..."

"We ended our evening with a rooftop dinner and watched fireworks (wedding season) over the Jaipur skies... what an absolutely perfect afternoon and evening... right when I least expected it, India delivered this gem of a city.  Tomorrow awaits!"

"The Hawa Mahal (above) was really only a photo opportunity but next door were snake charmers - real snake charmers.  This was unreal!"

"JAIPUR IS AWESOME.  This is what I was dreaming of when I was dreaming of India.  Incredible India!  Jaipur is so charming and totally exotic...  We rode in a rickshaw!  How fun!  It wasn't as scary as it looked in Delhi but the traffic here is so much calmer (still crazy) and there aren't as many horns.  It was exhilirating to drive in the hustle and bustle of everyday life."

"We bounced along in the tuk tuk - winding through the bustling streets of the old city.  Past all the beautiful women in their vibrant saris.  We saw our first elephant when we stopped to admire the Amber Fort (I'm pictured above at the vista point!)...  The views of the Amber Fort were expansive and very beautiful.  It sits on a hill range with a winding wall snaking its way through the peaks.  Really stunning!"

"The Fort and Palace was gorgeous.  I must be in some kind of dream world with all these beautiful archways at every turn (my weakness)."

"...And one of the highlights of the day was our stop at the block printing studio (see photo below).  So cool!  I picked some up to take home!"

"Everywhere I turn I see a picture... I know now that I have certainly missed my camera over the last couple months..."

"We were up on the top of the hill overlooking the city - after foregoing a visit down the other side of the hill to the Monkey Palace (too many monkeys!).  I love the view.  What a whole different world than my own - the constant tug between old and new... it continues to humble me..."

"...Someday I'd like to return to Jaipur - the city that so far has embodied my ideal of India..."



Tuesday Tune (Christmas)

More Christmas songs!  I love Christmas music and I try to listen as often as I can this time of year and I can't forget about my favorite lady:

The First Noel / Mary, Mary


River


Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Agra - Part Two [India]

"What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of India?  Taj Mahal.  Travel never ceases to amaze me and the sights I am so lucky to see are always so much more amazing than I can dream.  The things I've read about India are so true - this place can break your heart in one second and delight your senses in the next."

"What can be said about the Taj that hasn't already been said?  This is one of those things that you only see in TV or in books or movies.  And as I rounded the corner and walked through the entrance I was so shocked to see this world famous monument... so much grander than I'd somehow imagined!"

"...The lighting was gorgeous and muted as only India's sky can be.  It sort of lends itself to the exoticism of it all..."

"After the obligatory photos we slowly made our way towards the Taj.  The reflection of it in the ponds was so beautiful..."

"The Taj was so majestic and more than I expected!"

Agra - Part One [India]

Aimee and I woke up quite early to get to the Delhi train station (the streets were eerily quiet at 5 in the morning...).  The fog followed us all the way to Agra!  Here we visited the Agra Fort and the one and only Taj Mahal.

"The Agra Fort was probably the most beautiful fort I've ever seen.  I was so unexpectedly delighted by the exotic wonder of it all.  There were arches everywhere.  Everywhere!  Serious heaven - just gorgeous!  The red walls looked amazing against the muggy skies..."

"I loved every detail and every thought of my fantasy of life within the fort walls coming alive.  The intricate details of the stone work and the blend of the Hindu and Islamic art made my mind reel.  If the air quality was better we would have been able to see the Taj from the fort (it was built across the river so it could be gazed upon from the Fort)..."

I am still SWOONING over these arches.  This is pretty close to perfection in my book!

Dehli [India]

"My favorite thing is to go where I've never been."   [Diane Arbus]

"We hopped in our yellow and black taxi and met India with open hearts and tired minds.  Delhi is a maze of crowded streets (dogs, monkeys, cows, men peeing street-side, child beggars, and goats, oh my!) lined with very dusty tropical plants.  It was so much to take in - my eyes didn't know where to start!"

"Delhi is huge, loud (horns everywhere), colorful, and dirty.  Rickshaws / tuk-tuks everywhere you look.  Dogs sleeping in the shade.  Men on bicycles.  Women in coloful saris.  Everything is high energy and everywhere I look people are laughing."

We took a taxi tour around Delhi (we were only there for one day) and we saw the Qutub Minar (photos below), the Gate of India, parliament, and the Lotus Temple.  It was "foggy" for the first few days of our stay in India - although I'm inclined to believe it was mostly pollution with fog mixed in.

"Day One:  check.  India, here I come.  Camera at the ready!"


*The text in quotations is directly from my travel journal.

Let Go

"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."  [Lao Tzu]



I caught this beautiful scene on our drive home from our anniversary weekend.  I absolutely LOVE fog!

Tuesday Tune (Christmas!)

I'm back from India and getting back into the swing of things.  I'm adjusting back to our chilly winter after spending over two weeks in "summer" and I'm getting our Christmas things out - starting with the music!  It's that time of year again!

Putumayo music is my very favorite - and this Christmas album is no exception.  Here are some of my favorites: