Saturday, February 13

Namaste from Agra

Well I've been in India for a week now and I have to say I love it. It's true it's dirty, poverty is everywhere and it's very very crowded but there is an underlying beauty that is undeniable. I've toured many beautiful monuments including the taj mahal, agra fort and amber fort. I've seen Dehli, Jaipur and Agra and also spent a night in a little village. I stand out horribly and get stared at everywhere I go, in the village I also scared the children. I've taken what feels like a million photos, and seen a zillion cows. It's sureal to be here and time doesn't seem to flow the same way here. One week feels like months have passed and I've found a lot of peace and healing here. This trip really is the best thing for helping me heal and I finally feel I've found some sense of being centred in myself while here. With everything I've already seen and experienced I can't believe I have another 3 weeks ahead of me. Tomorrow we go by train to Ochchaw (sp?) and then on to Varanasee the holy city. The tour group I'm with is a great group my roommate and I are the youngest two and the group ranges up into their 60s which makes for some very interesting supper conversation. Our tour guide is excellent, and very funny and very very over protective of us...it's hilarious he hates when we wander off or want to do our own things but he lets us. When I totally overpaided for a book he was personally offended on my behalf but it was totally my fault for not bargaining better. My roommate is from Australia and we're the only two doing the month long tour, she's awesome and we get along great and already have a few in jokes between us. I'm getting a little tired of curry twice a day but the food is excellent and so far no sign of stomach problems. The weather has been mostly warm and humid but with a breeze so even in the direct sun it isn't bad. The flowers are just starting to bloom and everything is green. Animals wander everywhere even in the cities so I've seen...elephants, camels, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, dogs, squirrel thingies, horses, monkeys several types and more birds than I can name. For an animal lover it's been quite amazing.

Well I'm off to try some more bargaining I did well on my fabric purchases earlier so hopefully I'm improving. I'll try to upload pictures next time but some of these computers look older than me so no guarantees.

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