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Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Daniele and I have decided on our final honeymoon destination in India, but in order to make it work we will cutout the Golden Temple in Amritsar.  Even then our timing is still tight.

The reason we are willing to sacrifice one location and to make our trip more rushed is because our final decision is too amazing to not fit it into our trip.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about the North East of India, often referred to the Seven Sisters.  The Seven Sisters comprise of seven different states:

 Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Nagaland
Manipur
Tripura
Mizoram
Meghalaya

Via Wikipedia
The states are narrowly connected to the rest of India via West Bengal, giving them a feel of remoteness from the rest of India.  Surrounded by China, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, the seven states each have their own characteristics that resemble their borders.

After discovering how amazingly this part of India is, we were tempted to spend our whole two weeks going from state to state, but we couldn't bring ourselves to give up more of our choices. In the end we narrowed our choices down to two, Sikkim (not officially part of the Seven Sisters, but often associated with them) or Meghalaya.
Sikkim Via Wikipedia
Sikkim Via Wikipedia
Meghalaya Via Wikipedia
Meghalaya Via Wikipedia
They couldn't be more different from each other.

Sikkim reminds me of Tibet, a location I really enjoyed visiting.  With a large Tibetan population and the largest Tibetan monastery in India, it's no surprise there are similarities between the two.  

Meghalaya is different from anywhere Daniele and I have ever been to.  When I first saw pictures of Meghalaya it was the exact image of unexplored natural beauty that adventure films have placed into my head. 

As difficult as it was to decide, we were won over by the gorgeous living bridges of Meghalaya:
Via Wikipedia
The above is a living rubber tree root bridges created by Khasis tribe.  It wasn't just the bridges that helped us decide on Meghalaya, but the beauty of going someplace mostly unspoiled by tourism really was hard to resist.  Although not a lot of information can be found on Meghalaya through the usual channels, luckily there are a ton of Indian travel blogs that give detailed information.

Since there are no flights directly into Meghalaya, we are looking at flying into Guwahati or Jorhat, both are in neighboring Assam.  Jorhat might make more sense since we plan on going on a safari in Kaziranga National Park, also in Assam. 
Kaziranga National Park, Home To The One Horned Rhino, Via Wikipedia
There are really too many amazing places that we want to visit!  Even though we narrowed our options down to Meghalaya and a jaunt into Assam, it doesn't mean it was easy to say no to the rest of the seven sisters.  They are all truly gorgeous and each deserve a visit!
Daniele and I had the hardest time deciding between India and Egypt for our honeymoon, but in the end we chose India!  

That means 2 weeks in India and 1 week in our undisclosed location. We may need an alternate for that 1 week, which has us eyeing Sri Lanka or the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

As for the 2 weeks in India, we're having a hard time narrowing down where we want to go.

We are choosing two different destinations each.  One monument that takes only a day to visit, and one location that takes longer to enjoy.  New Delhi will be our base, so we'll have pockets of time there.

My monument choice is the Golden Temple in Amritsar.  It will be a quick stop, and when I say quick, I mean quick.  All the flights we have seen have us arriving early morning in New Delhi from San Francisco, which lets us catch an early flight from New Delhi to Amritsar.  After a day trip, an overnight train.  Luckily this isn't my first time in India.  Not a lot of surprises regarding how to get around - flights, trains, private car, taxi, local buses, boats, motorcycles, I've done them all in India.
Via Wikipedia

I know, we've been putting off our honeymoon for one reason or another, but Daniele and I have decided we'll finally take our honeymoon at the end of this year or beginning of next year.

We've already selected one portion of our trip (hopefully political situations improve and entry points reopen, I'm keeping our destination secret for now), but we are having a hard time deciding between two options for the second half of our trip.  We've narrowed it down to Egypt or India, but the reason we are having a hard time deciding between the two is 1) they are two of my favorite countries and Daniele has an interest in visiting both 2) our first choice only allows Americans to enter with an organized group, and it'll only be half a year after our honeymoon that I'll have my Italian passport which allows for tour free visits to Iran.

We'll have a total of three weeks, one week will be reserved for the secret destination and two weeks for India or Egypt.
Our Secret Location, But It's Not The White Sand Beaches That Make This Place Unique

Since I wanted to find the super creepy photos of the Tyne Tunnels that I took with my old phone, I found a few others from my trip to India.  I forgot these even existed!

Some of them turned out quite well.
Jagdish Temple, Udaipur
Jagdish Temple, Udaipur

I arrived late at night into a tangle of narrow streets filled with zooming motorbikes and slow moving tourists.  My overzealous taxi driver tried one last time to convince me to hire him as my driver for the next day, however, two things kept me from giving into him, the fact that Udaipur is a very walkable city, and the fact that his English was so terrible that I was lucky to figure out a third of what he was saying to me.  

I decided to pay a little more to stay in a hotel right across from Jagdish Temple, which meant it took me a second to locate once I arrived in the old city.  This gave me the opportunity to relax and situate myself in my new location.  The arrival to a new city is a traveler’s most important moment.  To be able to locate a temporary home, put down bags, grab a map and orient oneself is crucial. 

"Thank you," I told my driver as I handed him a few rupees as a tip, and in exchange he gave me his card, which I took, telling him that I would call if I changed my mind about wanting a guide.  We both knew I wasn’t going to call.

I had read my hotel was not a real Haveli, but the details put into the interior could have fooled me.  The moment I stepped into the lobby I felt like a princess, alright, maybe it was more like a homecoming for a banished princess to a home that’s glamour was past its prime, but that's the kind I like.  After all, my own family history is one of banished power mixed with Chinese royalty. 
Five star hotels can wow and impress easily with their opulence, but for me there's something about faded glory that makes me spend more than a few seconds to ponder and wonder at the details and history. 
Alright, these are the last of my India photos.  Kerala was a last minute decision, I replaced seeing the Holy cities of Pushkar and Varanasi with a more laid back time in Kerala, a decision I couldn't have been happier with. These photos are from my time in Cochin, floating in the backwaters from Alleppey and Kollam, Varkala, and the hill station of Munnar.

Chinese Fishing Nets, Cochin



Kerala Backwaters


Rajasthan had both my favorite and my least favorite cities in India, Udaipur being my favorite, and Jodhpur as my least.  Had I skipped Jodhpur I think I may have stayed longer in Rajasthan to explore the other cities, however, it all worked out in the end.  Here are the photos from the famed lake city of Udaipur, the Jain temple of Ranakpur, and the blue city of Jodhpur.

Udaipur City Palace At Night
Door To My Hotel Room, I felt like a princess!

Jagdish Temple, Udaipur

Monsoon Palace In The Distance, Udaipur

Jagdish Temple, Udaipur

Mumbai was my little oasis in India.  During the lazy days I didn't feel like venturing out into the heat I'd spend my time hanging out in my friend's apartment enjoying the view while drinking wine/beer, doing some yoga, or just listening to music.  Though I did explore the city, often times it became too hot for me to want to stay out for long.  In between cities it was nice to have somewhere to relax, do laundry, and figure out where to go next.


Antilla In The Distance 
Dharavi Slums

Gateway Of India

I admit, while in Agra I felt the awe of childhood as I drove into the city and caught my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.  I couldn't contain my excitement at seeing this monument to eternal love and warned my friend that when we actually visit the next day at sunrise I would be in full on tourist mode, letting nothing hold me back.  It's hard to imagine that British soldiers defaced the complex during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, but thanks to Lord Curzon for his restoration efforts to make up for the damage his people ravaged on the Taj Mahal.

Without further ado, here is Agra, well, Agra Fort and Taj Mahal.


Agra Fort

Agra Fort
Yesterday I made a childhood dream a reality.  There aren't many sights that my limited childhood knowledge knew to get excited about, but the Taj Mahal is one that plays on the mind of all children and adults alike.  Like the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal was a far off idea that I never thought would be a reality.  Travel was not something my family indulged in, rather we spent our time in hard work just to keep afloat.  I'd imagined the day in a not quite real future when I'd lay my eyes on one of the world's most photographed structures and then die happy at achieving such a a miracle.  Even as I started to travel 6 years ago I still had a fear that I wouldn't make it to India and see the Taj Mahal.  It still all seemed like a distant idea, the last unconquered territory that may or may not happen.

Yesterday it did happen.  With my thirtieth year looming, I headed out with an early start, I felt the years of anticipation build up into a chaotic mess of nerves as I waited in line to get in.  I don't think there has been a time I've felt so nervous to visit a structure.  It was as if I was to make the acquaintance of the Queen of England, a moment to be practiced and rehearsed until perfection.  The Taj Mahal was a moment I rehearsed and researched until perfection.  I read about the spots to take photographs, I read about going early morning to see the sunrise throw pinks and oranges against the cool white marble.  I thought about what I'd wear in photographs and how I'd throw out my normal etiquette of politeness to get my moment with my childhood dream.

By the time the moment came I was more than surprised to have the Taj Mahal live up to all my expectations and more.  I actually felt goosebumps as I walked around without a moment to look away as my dream transitioned into a reality.  My heart still races at the very thought.


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