On the Road to Somewhere : Backblogging India: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur- December 2013

You guessed it! Cody had a work trip in India this December. We decided to take advantage of that location and plan a holiday around the, "Golden Triangle". We spent the first week of our stay in Bangalore at the Marriott hotel. They picked us up from the airport and drove us about an hour through incredibly dark and twisting streets; that was an adventure in itself. The hotel is beautiful...you just have to go through bomb security and metal detectors to get into it! We spent our first night and woke up early because we had a one day tour set up. Our guide took us to several temples and we really started to soak up the sights and smells of India.

Cody worked at the AMD office for a week and then we flew from Bangalore to Delhi on Air India where we were picked up by Indian Holiday, PVT (a recommendation from John and Halie) and taken to the Shangri La- a beautiful hotel! Our tour guide met us in the lobby the following morning and we began the real tour. We had the same driver for the entire trip, but were provided with a local guide for each city we visited. They were all wonderful and gave us a wealth of information about the sites we were seeing as well as prearranging tickets, transfers, etc. Usually I am the one planning all of those details so it was fantastic to have it all thought out for us! India can easily be described as a colorful and vibrant country. Everywhere you turn there are bright colors and smells; not to mention delicious food. The women dress in the most elaborately beautiful saris and the people were incredibly friendly! We were taken all over the three cities and saw amazing places that we've only ever read about. We usually started our tours in the mornings, finished late afternoon, and then drove to our next destination by late evening. In Agra we stayed at the Radisson Blu and in Jaipur we spent the night at the gorgeous ITC hotel.

It was certainly a trip filled with luxury and excitement for us, but was also another eye opener for just how much hurting there is around the world. We brought small bills and snacks to pass out to the needy around us, but it just didn't feel like enough. We were taken back to an almost Biblical time seeing so many beggars and even people with leprosy. These are things that we are able to forget when we're in 1st world countries, but just outside of the hotels we were staying in there were people that may not have even had a place to sleep that night. More than anything it was a reminder to give when and where we can and to continue to be thankful for what we have at all times.

Love,

Christie & Cody