Since a great deal has transpired since I last posted, I will do my best to update you on the highlights:
While we were out west in the state of Rajasthan we did man exciting and rather India-esque things, such as:
-elephant rides through the jungle
-tours of many forts and gorgeous palaces
-camel rides through the Thar Desert
-jeep safaris through the sand dunes of the Thar Desert
-an evening of traditional Rajasthani dance and music
All in all, Rajasthan was a rather exciting place to be. OH! I almost forgot. Before we arrived in Rajasthan, we stopped in Agra to see the Agra fort and the TAJ MAHAL! It was more gorgeous than it looks in photos and I know that I do not have nearly the skill or vocabulary to describe it with words. All I can say is that to really understand the majesty of the Taj, you need to visit it.
After our time in Rajasthan, we returned to Delhi for a few days before a whirlwind trip to Amritsar. We took a train to the city on day, toured the city and saw the Golden Temple and India/Pakistan border the next and then took a train back to Delhi and then to Hardiwar the next day. It was quite a lot of traveling and train time. :)
In Hardiwar, which is in the foothills of the Himalayas, we went white water rafting on the Ganga river. It was so much fun. Even an overly cautious individual like me had a blast. We all got to get out of our rafts and swim in the frigid water too. Don't worry, the Ganga is still safe this far north!
We spent 2 days with a program called SIDH, which is a NGO that strives to improve education (both in the academic sense and also in regards to retaining the traditional culture that is being lost) in the rural Himalayan villages. We spent a day at their main campus and did some hiking up the mountain to there main high school. We helped to repair the path up as we went. We were at about 6000 ft, so it wasn't too bad. Then we went to spend a day in a village the next day. We were broken into groups and my group went to a small village called Matela. There were about 100 people, from 9 joint families, in the village We stayed at the school one night and spent that evening and the next day with the villagers. We helped cook our dinner and spent a lot of time with the children. The best part of the stay was when one of the young women in the village approached me and asked if I wanted to go to the fields. I said sure and she told me to get the other girls. I went over to meet here and she placed a bag filled with 30 lbs of cow crap on each of our heads and said, 'chello' which means 'let's go' and she lead us down to the fields. That's right. I carried 30 lbs of poop on my head down this little goat path through the terraced fields on the side of the Himalayas. When we got to the bottom and dropped our poop, she goes, 'again?'. So we did it again. I even got asked to marry her brother because I am so brave, strong and intelligent. Ha.
Now we are in Mussoorie for a few days. The city is built on the side of a mountain and it is beyond beautiful here. Yesterday we hiked up to the top of the mountain and saw the 'eternal snows', the Himalayas in the distance that are always covered in snow. It is breathtaking to see these mountains. This morning we visited the Woodstock International School here in Mussoorie.
After we leave Mussoorie, we will be making our way to the city of Leh in Ladakh. We will be over 14,000 ft there and will be traveling up to about 18,400 ft. Oh boy! If I think the mountains are big here....
With love,
Laura
While we were out west in the state of Rajasthan we did man exciting and rather India-esque things, such as:
-elephant rides through the jungle
-tours of many forts and gorgeous palaces
-camel rides through the Thar Desert
-jeep safaris through the sand dunes of the Thar Desert
-an evening of traditional Rajasthani dance and music
All in all, Rajasthan was a rather exciting place to be. OH! I almost forgot. Before we arrived in Rajasthan, we stopped in Agra to see the Agra fort and the TAJ MAHAL! It was more gorgeous than it looks in photos and I know that I do not have nearly the skill or vocabulary to describe it with words. All I can say is that to really understand the majesty of the Taj, you need to visit it.
After our time in Rajasthan, we returned to Delhi for a few days before a whirlwind trip to Amritsar. We took a train to the city on day, toured the city and saw the Golden Temple and India/Pakistan border the next and then took a train back to Delhi and then to Hardiwar the next day. It was quite a lot of traveling and train time. :)
In Hardiwar, which is in the foothills of the Himalayas, we went white water rafting on the Ganga river. It was so much fun. Even an overly cautious individual like me had a blast. We all got to get out of our rafts and swim in the frigid water too. Don't worry, the Ganga is still safe this far north!
We spent 2 days with a program called SIDH, which is a NGO that strives to improve education (both in the academic sense and also in regards to retaining the traditional culture that is being lost) in the rural Himalayan villages. We spent a day at their main campus and did some hiking up the mountain to there main high school. We helped to repair the path up as we went. We were at about 6000 ft, so it wasn't too bad. Then we went to spend a day in a village the next day. We were broken into groups and my group went to a small village called Matela. There were about 100 people, from 9 joint families, in the village We stayed at the school one night and spent that evening and the next day with the villagers. We helped cook our dinner and spent a lot of time with the children. The best part of the stay was when one of the young women in the village approached me and asked if I wanted to go to the fields. I said sure and she told me to get the other girls. I went over to meet here and she placed a bag filled with 30 lbs of cow crap on each of our heads and said, 'chello' which means 'let's go' and she lead us down to the fields. That's right. I carried 30 lbs of poop on my head down this little goat path through the terraced fields on the side of the Himalayas. When we got to the bottom and dropped our poop, she goes, 'again?'. So we did it again. I even got asked to marry her brother because I am so brave, strong and intelligent. Ha.
Now we are in Mussoorie for a few days. The city is built on the side of a mountain and it is beyond beautiful here. Yesterday we hiked up to the top of the mountain and saw the 'eternal snows', the Himalayas in the distance that are always covered in snow. It is breathtaking to see these mountains. This morning we visited the Woodstock International School here in Mussoorie.
After we leave Mussoorie, we will be making our way to the city of Leh in Ladakh. We will be over 14,000 ft there and will be traveling up to about 18,400 ft. Oh boy! If I think the mountains are big here....
With love,
Laura
