Mad Dash Through India

It's been quite awhile since I updated - sorry! The internet in India was sketchy at best and often nonexistent; now that I'm back in Thailand, I'm much more appreciative of having Wifi at most restaurants and at the dive shop.  Here are some photos of my travels through India!

I'm so glad I went, and it was great to spend time with Neil and experience homestays with his family in Jaipur, Rajasthan, and in New Delhi.  They showed me many sites that I would've missed as a tourist traveling with a group, and it was lovely learning about Indian culture as it exists today for millions (no, more than one billion) people.

I can't say right now if I'm eager to return and see the cities that I missed on this trip. India was in some ways so beautiful, and other ways so raw and third-world that I can't imagine going back without an Indian friend to help me navigate. I was often the only foreigner, and I'm not used to being stared at by everyone.  Even in baggy long pants and a loose long shirt, I still felt like the center of not-always-positive attention.  It's a much different country than I've ever visited before, which was great to experience but perhaps enough for the next while. In the US, you can apply for a 10 year multiple-entry visa, so maybe someday I'll get that and give myself the freedom to see it one bit at a time. 3 weeks was enough for this trip, and now it's great to be back "home" in Thailand for the next 10 days until I meet my parents in Indonesia.

Confluence of the Zanskar and Indus Rivers

Lamayuru Monastery - utterly breathtaking

Tallest motorable road in the world! According to the tourism board, anyway...

Double humped camel in Nubra Valley. THEY ARE SO GREAT

The road signs are cheeky and wonderful in Leh

Pashmina goats

Pangong Lake, at 14,000 feet. Mostly frozen this time of year

Frozen lake in the morning

Taj Mahal

Enjoying the Taj with Neil and his cousin Anchit & girlfriend Aconcha

Line for the Taj