Here I am in India. After 10 days, I finally found the opportunity to spend a couple of minutes posting some pictures of this amazing adventure!  I am having a fantastic time discovering the richness of Indian culture and visiting incredible places.  Today was the day we went to the Taj Mahal.  Although crowded with tourists, it was still was very impressive - especially because of the motivation behind its construction.  It is a magnificent huge jewel.




My first impressions after arriving is that India is more exotic than I imagined.  New Delhi was smoggy; air was thick with polution.  It is extremely dusty, dirty, and the streets are full of litter.  Traffic consists of cars, buses, trucks, bikes, motorized and pedalled rickshaws that move with disregard to lanes and signage. Yet the city has a wonderful spirit.  We visited a mosque, a Sikh temple, and a Hindu temple - all very impressive.



Above is the temple dedicated to Shiva and below is our guide, Sameer, demonstrating the sensuous pose of Hindu goddesses.



After visiting a beautiful Sikh temple we went to the kitchen where meals are prepared by volunteers for thousands of people each day.  We spent a few minutes helping to roll out nan.



And, just like President Obama, we visited the monument to Ghandi.



Jaipur was just a bit less poluted than Delhi but just as noisy and crowded.  In Jaipur I went up in a hot air baloon to view the Amber Fort from aloft.





Our next visit was to Ramthanbore Tiger/Nature Reservation where we saw lots of wild life, but unfortunately there were no tiger sightings the day we were there. This was our very handsome, naturalist guide.



We are here during the festival of Diwalli, a Hindu holiday that is celebrated for four days with lights and fire crackers and fireworks.  Buildings are decorated with lights and vehicles with garlands of marigolds.  Our guide surprised us with our own celebration where he shared the Hindu ritual followed by fireworks.



More later!