NICE Monkeys!

We went to Galta temple (aka Monkey temple) yesterday in Jaipur. It was like a scene out of Indiana Jones. There were monkeys everywhere (20,000 they say) and they were all friendly. You buy food for them and they walk right up to you and eat - Devi even had one eat straight from her hand. Of course, that was nothing compared to when the snake handler wrapped a live cobra around her neck! While Galta is run down, the views and the age of this place were awe inspiring. We went around one corner and I swear it had to be a movie set - nothing can look that incredible. And, oh yeah - there were orange robed priests roaming the temples and steps - incredibly picturesque.

Buying Sarees

We took cycle rickshaws into old Delhi to see the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (largest mosque and the crowded markets - Chandni Chowk). We had the drivers take us to a saree place - what a hoot! The alleys got so narrow, the drivers had to get off and walk us the rest of the way. We went thru some crooked walkways, up some stairs and into a tiny loft (the ceiling was only 5feet, 3 inches, so I couldn't even stand up) and it was filled, wall to wall, floor to cieling with the most beautiful saree material. We sat on the floor and the owner proceeded to unfurl yard after yard after yard of gorgeous material. Devi and I each picked our favorite, they took our measurements and the outfits were delivered to our hotel that night!!! Wait til you see.

Bukhara - "OH MY GOD!!"

We actually got to eat at Bukhara (#1 Asian restaurant in the world, #23 overall best restaurant in the world) on New Years. We ordered Jumbo Tandoori Shrimp, Dal (spiced lentils cooked for several days), Mutton and Chicken Murgh. Ajit took the first bite of shrimp then went into a trance and said "Oh my god!". We are not exaggerating when we say it was, hands down, the best meal we have EVER had. It was truly amazing.

In Jaipur

Just thought we'd post a short entry to let you know that we've made
it to Jaipur after an amazing time at the Neemrana Fort-Palace! We
don't have the best Internet access here, so updates will be sporadic,
but we'll try to post now and then. I'm not sure we'll be able to post
anymore pictures for the rest of the trip, so you might just have to
wait until we get home!

Lots of stuff

Be sure to check multiple pages; we've posted lots of material. Also, we finally updated the story behind The Agony & The Ecstasy - read the update (in that order). I promise, we didn't make any of it up and there will be more incredible details when we tell it to you in person. Those 2 items happened on Christmas day and so far have to be the most amazing day we've spent here.

Tristan's Pic: Delhi Traffic Sign

If you think you've experienced crazy driving try going to Delhi. There is no end to the commotion. Dogs will run across the street at random times, people will cut you off , and you see 5 people run a red light every 10 minutes. And on top of that everyone is honking their horns constantly. Driving in Delhi is something else, but after a while you kind of get used to it.

Devi's Pics - Aarti/Fire Ceremony on the Ganges

Technically, Tristan took this picture but as it was taken on my camera we're just going to pretend it's mine anyway. This was taken in Haridwar on the Ganges at dusk. All of us ended up partaking in a fire ceremony or Aarti as they call it. They made us say some prayers in Hindi (which we couldn't understand but was cool anyway), bless each other with the holy water from the river and Tristan even had to wash our feet. After this shot was taken mom and dad gave our gift of flowers and fire to the river and we watched it float down the Ganges with all of the other glowing offerings. It was truly an amazing experience.