Agra Day 4 - 5/27 I was in awe as I entered the East Gate of the Taj Mahal. This stunning wonder of the world was right before my eyes. The gate perfectly framed the glowing white marble structure, as if it were a picture. The symmetry and immense grandiosity was unbelievable. I squeezed and shuffled through a crowd of people who also came to lay their eyes on the iconic mausoleum. Every year, the Taj Mahal attracts millions of locals and tourists coming to view and take pict

Jaipur Day 3 - 5/26 I rode an elephant. No trip to India is complete without this experience. We visited an elephant village, where there are over 150 elephants living on a reserve. When I came close to this majestic creature, I was in awe. They are so peaceful, elegant, strong, and gentle. I held my hands on Boby’s (the elephant’s) ears, placed my foot on her powerful trunk, and she lifted me 10 feet off the ground onto her back. She then took me on a short tour around the r

When people ask me where I’ve been in India, I always gave the same answer: “Andhra Pradesh, East Godavari, Mori. Some people tell me, “Oh, you haven’t seen the ‘REAL’ India…” E. Godavari locals will disagree, and say that THEIR home village is the "real" India. I doubt that all Indians will agree on what is the ‘REAL’ India. This large country contains 1.2 billion people, 29 states, and 23 official languages. India is vastly diverse in culture, religion, food, language, musi