Thursday, February 10, 2011

Vellore and Christian Medical College


The front gates of CMC
Kim tearing up after her Masala
Our humble abode
Dressing the part



Vellore has been described to us as a college town of sorts, but not in the sense I'm used to.  It's smaller in scale, but still has all the hustle and noises of any Indian city.  CMC is perhaps the central focus of the town and quite a Mecca of a hospital.  People from all over India make the trek here leaving their villages and families to travel by whatever means they have. 

Golden Triangle Part 3: Jaipur and More Palaces- Feb 2-3, 2011


Fighting through "traffic"


 Jaipur, the Pink City, is all about the palaces and we definitely got to see some amazing ones.  My favorite was the water palace built out of a waterproof marble foundation and subsequently surrounded a man-made lake so that it would stay cool in the 45 deg celcius summers.  Kim´s favorite moment was when an elephant gave me the eye as it walked past us and turned and sprayed me with a combination of spit and water.  Our guide said it meant I was being blessed by Ganesh.  So I feel lucky?


The Water Palace
Wind Palace




Golden Triangle Part 2: Agra and the Taj Mahal- Feb 1, 2011


Taj at Sunset


Agra Fort
We made the 4h drive to Agra to see one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal.  I love the story, that it was built as a monument to immortalize a King's love for his wife, Taj Mahal.  He could see her memorial everyday across the river from his palace in Agra Fort.

Golden Triangle Part 1: Delhi- Jan 31, 2011

Trying on a Sari




So it took us 2 days to get to Delhi and once we got here we were immediately seized by the rich texture of India. We woke this morning to the soundtrack of barking dogs, constant honking, construction, and shouting. The visuals and smells are just as powerful with the vivid colors cutting through the gray smog and gasoline smell. Otherwise we spent the first day trying to get over our jetlag and visiting the sights of New Delhi.