Highlights Of Our Adventure

As we come down to the final days before our trip, I realized that I’ve been so consumed with packing and getting other things in order that I have not had a chance to give any details about our journey. Honestly, I have not really done any research on our trip, which is kind of shocking for me because normally I have our itinerary all lined up by now. But I will give some highlights of the cities we are going to and a few things we will be seeing.

New Delhi is going to be our “home base” while we travel back and forth from city to city. We will be staying with Jas’s Masi (Hindi for Aunt or Mom’s sister) during the time we are in Delhi. So our first few days will be spent here while we adjust to the time change, which is about 11 ½ hours ahead of Chicago time. (I think Mia will do fine with this since she is not a sleeper anyways!) I am sure there is also going to be somewhat of a culture shock as well since we (by we, I mean Mia and I) are not used to the hectic environment, constant noise, air pollution and of course the insane traffic. The other thing that I am going to have to adjust to is being the minority and being stared at. I am pretty used to this since I have traveled a lot….sometimes I get approached because people want to take pictures with me…I have been followed in a mall by about a dozen people and even told that I look like Madonna! I think most of it has to do with the fact that I am tall and blonde….I stand out like a sore thumb anywhere. But standing out in India is something that bothers me because I have Mia with me, I just want to draw as little attention as possible…..but I don’t think that will happen. I have to ignore the stares and move on. Anyways, while we are in Delhi, we will see a few really neat things and one of them is Akshardham Hindu Temple. There is a similar one near our house on RT. 59 (I think it’s Bartlett) but the one in Delhi looks amazing, and I have heard that they do a really cool water show as the sun sets. (They might put the Bellagio in Vegas to shame!)

Chandigarh is our next stop, and is in the northern state of Punjab. The distance between Delhi and Chandigarh is only about 160 miles which is not too far, but it’s probably going to take us about 4 hours if not more. I think most of the issue is just getting out of the traffic in Delhi….hopefully we won’t be held up by a random cow in the road! I know that while we are in Chandigarh we will be visiting with a lot of family members who have been waiting years for me to come. And of course there are some things to see along the way, one of them is called the Rock Garden. Now that is my kind of garden, no water required!

From Chandigarh, Jas, Mia and I will be zig-zagging our way up the south-western base of the Himalayas to a Hill Station called Shimla. From the pictures, the town actually looks more like somewhere in Europe rather than India, but that has a lot to do with the British rule over India. When I Googled Shimla, a few interesting pictures came up. The first one is the road up to Shimla, and the caption said “One of the most dangerous roads”. I don’t mind winding roads, but when the drop off is inches from my window I tend to panic a little…as any normal person would! But Jas assured me that there is a different road to Shimla…..and there better be or else he is spending the night up there alone!

 

 

Another interesting picture that came up was a monkey. I didn’t even really think about what kind of wildlife (besides cows) I would encounter while we were in India because it’s not like we are going to be in the jungle! Apparently up in Shimla it’s not just a random monkey sighting, there are monkey gangs! (This is according to what I am reading online) One article said that they have become the “unavoidable bully” who can rob anyone, mostly women and kids because they are easy targets! Are you kidding me? I have to be worried about being chased down by a small primate? That just freaks me out! I am sure Mia will find it amusing until one comes to chase her down for a goldfish cracker!

 

 

The last picture that caught my eye was the train that runs up and down the hillsides. It’s actually called the Kalka-Shimla Railway and it is known for it’s breathtaking views of the mountainside. It has been nicknamed the “toy train” because the tracks are only 2 feet 6 inches wide and the train kind of does look like a toy. It runs for about 60 miles, through 20 railway stations, 102 tunnels, 800 bridges and 900 curves! We will only be taking the train going down because it takes about half the time as the train going up.

 

After Shimla, we will make a stop in Chandigarh and then back to Delhi. And then we are off again to Nainital which is also at the base of the Himalayas, but more to the Northeastern part. I think the roads going up here will be curvy as well, but from the pictures online they don’t look as crazy as Shimla’s. The main attraction here is the lake which is shaped like a kidney bean and the city and hotels surrounding it. There are a variety of things to do like hiking, shopping etc, but there is also the “High Altitude Zoo” that I am sure Mia will enjoy. (Hopefully there will be no wild monkeys roaming around!)

Somewhere in between all of these cities, we will be visiting Amritsar, which is in the far northwestern state of Punjab and is the spiritual home of the Sikh religion. Here we will be paying a visit to the Golden Temple, which the main place of worship for the Sikh’s. And you guessed it, the temple is Gold and it sits majestically in the middle of a reflective lake.

We head back to Delhi for a few days to spend time with family and then we saved the best for last, the Taj Mahal! I am definitely excited about this stop and cannot wait to bust out my Nikon and take a million pictures. I am really hoping we get there early enough to avoid the crowds, but that almost sounds like a joke since there are crowds everywhere in India. (I just googled how many people visit the Taj Mahal and it said about 2 - 3 million annually with the peak months of October/November. Awesome). A few years ago, India was really pushing tourism and there were commercials on TV showing images of a couple standing alone in front of the Taj Mahal making out….so romantic. Well, that is not reality and Jas and I would always laugh when we saw that and how they put that image of India in the mind of Americans.  I am also sure that we will do the token picture that everyone takes where it looks like you are touching the tip….hey, when in Rome do as the Romans do, right!?

 

I am sure in between some of these cities, we will be seeing and doing many other things, but just wanted to hit the highlights before we left.

2Days to go!!!!