Exiting the New Delhi airport was a very different experience than Nepal. The international airport, first of all was huge, with high end shops and was very very clean. We began to think that maybe India wasn’t going to be as much of a culture shock as people were warning us. Then we left the airport.

Once outside the doors it was a madhouse. There were people standing everywhere, it was incredibly hot and there was so much noise and exhaust from the cars it made our eyes water. We got into a cab that looked like a car from the 1950s and headed to our hotel. Although the streets were, of course, paved the car ride was extremely stressful. Our cabbie dodged open air wagons called tuk tuks and honked with every move he made. The streets were full of families squatting on the ground, walking to and fro and selling goods. Garbage was strewn all over the streets but we had become accustomed to that in Nepal.

To our surprise our hotel was absolutely stunning, quite a change from the quaint room we had in Chitwan. We had a full kitchen, living room, beautiful bathroom and a large bedroom that looked out over New Delhi, we were so excited to explore the city and know we had such a comfortable room to relax in each night. Ofer and I completely agreed that our accommodation standards have dramatically changed over the past few months. We feel so lucky to see that we have running water that heats up, no obvious bugs or grime on the floors and that our linens don’t smell like mold. Over and above that makes us feel like we are living like kings.

Then it happened. The thing that I had been hoping would not happen in a third world country. I got sick. We knew it was bound to happen, a lot of people warned us about lowered immune systems and travelers stomach on the trip but we weren’t prepared for how sick I got. Luckily it wasn’t my stomach that was sick (a blessing considering how many people told us it was inevitable), it was a head cold; I had blocked sinuses, a sore throat and was completely fatigued.

Unfortunately I stayed sick for all of our India trip including New Delhi, Goa and Mumbai and just started to get better while we were in Laos. Ofer was fantastic and took great care of me. We were so lucky to be in such a great hotel with a fridge and a warm shower and bed with TV to keep me occupied.

Our hotel was connected to a large mall so Ofer and I didn’t have to go far to forage for food. We ended up finding a nice Indian restaurant and ordering my favorite dish that I had known from living in New York: chicken makhani. Over the next few days I think Ofer and I ordered the exact same thing maybe 4 or 5 times...it was so so good, wow. We would sit on the couch or in bed together watching Indian news or movies and engorge ourselves with chicken makhani, basmati rice and butter nan. It was incredibly spicy and anyone who knows me well knows that I can’t eat spicy food at all, but it was so good Ofer and I worked out strategies on how to eat it and suffer the least from the incredible amount of spices.

Even though I was still sick Ofer and I were determined to at least make it to the Taj Mahal. We hired a driver from the hotel for 8 hours to take us into Agra. Unlike Nepal we were provided a beautiful, comfortable car with air conditioning for the ride, what a difference that made. The hotel even provided us with lunch boxes containing sandwiches, apples, water and cookies for the ride.

We slept most of the ride but once we were in Agra it was clear to see that the locals did as much as they could to make money from the tourists. We had to change vehicles to drive up to the Taj Mahal, we were told not to buy anything from the vendors or even look at them and once we got out of the car we saw why. With one foot out of the car we were swarmed by people selling goods; jewelry, calendars, statues and even peacock feather fans. Once in the Tuk Tuk they ran along side trying to continue the sale. Then a well dressed man jumped in the front seat, it appeared a Taj Mahal guide came with our package.

The Taj Mahal was spectacular. From a distance it was so bright, like a pillar of safety, worship and love in the middle of such a chaotic city. The closer we got the more beautiful it was. From far away it looks like a solid marble structure but as we got closer we could see that it was made up of thousands of marble bricks and decorated with jewels in every nook and cranny. The white marble building is inlaid with semi-precious stones, lotus flowers and calligraphy. The inlay stones are of yellow marble, jasper, crystal, turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphire, carnelian and jade to name a few, there are 28 types of stones.

We walked around inside and saw the incredible detail in every part of the building. No wonder it took over 20 years to build it. Outside locals laid on the marble floors in groups talking, sun bathing and people watching. Every place we stood was the spot for a beautiful picture, this was definitely one of the things we have seen that truly shocked us with the beauty of standing before it.

After seeing the Taj Mahal our guide took us to the location where the decedents of the original artists who built the Taj worked. They showed us how they individually shape each piece of stone and each jewel to be fit into the mosaics in the Taj Mahal. There were no lines to follow it was all completely done by hand and by eye to fit perfectly into the works of art. We then walked around the shop and admired the table tops, vases, bowls and mini Taj Mahals that were there. We were so impressed with the work and we knew that this was such a special art form that we decided to purchase a small tabletop. The table is made up of marble and inlaid stones and has almost 10,000 pieces.

Next he took us to a place where they create silk tapestries, jewelry and purses using the same jewels used in the Taj Mahal. They were incredibly delicate and detailed. I am not the kinda girl who collects bags like a lot of women that I know but these purses were so unique and beautiful. There were a few I had my eye on and Ofer bargained harder than I had ever seen him bargain to get the price down. The salesman was so surprised at his skills that he asked where we were from. When Ofer explained that he was originally from Israel he laughed and said that now it was clear, he knew that he couldn’t be an American because of his ability to negotiate. Ofer and I were both proud.



Over the next few days Ofer took some excursions by himself while I stayed in and rested. We tried to take a day trip around New Delhi on another day and our driver just kept taking us to areas to buy local goods. We started at a sari shop and I tried on different colors and kinds....traditional saris, punjabi saris and wedding jewelry. Ofer joined the fun and tried on a few outfits and a traditional wedding jacket, he looked great. We were given chai teas and were pushed hard to buy but Ofer and I both knew that we weren’t interested, we had been warned about buying articles of clothing that had a high probability of never being worn again. They weren’t very happy with us when we left only with silk scarves.


Ofer and I had a good opportunity to see the countryside as we drove home seeing as our 3 hour expected drive turned into a 7 hour drive. Once we had left Agra the skies opened up and a terribly heavy storm began. As we drove in our warm comfortable car with our water and snacks we watched men and women with no jackets or helmets on motorcycles riding right next to us. We also saw trucks with at least 20 people piled on top. They held on to anything they could so as to not slip off the top as they were drenched by the storm. Ofer also counted about 17 people in and on a tuk tuk that we felt cramped in just the two of us. It’s incredible to think that these people were completely soaked and dirty from the mud and exhaust on the road yet I was the one who was sniffling and miserable in the back seat. I think I need to grow a thicker skin.

We left New Delhi excited to get to Mumbai and hopeful that I would get nice and healthy quickly. I was determined to see the city with the energy and excitement that I had to explore the place where my parents had lived for a year years before I was born.