Incredible India - The People

After a hectic week of moving and readjusting, I've finally found a moment to sit down and finish writing a full post! I'll tell you more about what I've been up to very soon, but first I'd like to share the second of my three India posts.

The theme for this post is people. As I said in my previous entry, the streets were vibrant with people. Different faces everywhere you turned, all with a story to tell. People watching was one of my favourite aspects of our time there; you could sit on a street corner for hours and never get bored...

I've selected my favourite shots - really hope they give you an idea of how colourful and diverse India's population really is.

I also wanted to share a bit more helpful information that we found while on the trip. As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to travel the Golden Triangle (excluding Jodhaipur): 

NEW DELHI - JAIPUR - AGRA 

- New Delhi - was a very cool city, but pretty enormous. Luckily we had a very good friend of Michele's show us around, which was great because there was just so much to do and see. You could easily stay there five days without becoming bored, and like all big cities, it has its traditional elements as well as the more modern and affluent. The Akshardham temple is a beautiful sight to see, but do note that no cameras are allowed - you have to put them in lockers outside which may not be safe if you have expensive equipment.

For shopping, the best market we visited during our entire trip was in Delhi at the Dilli Haat. Most of the stalls there are subsidized by the government so the prices were reasonable and the quality was great, better than anywhere we found.

- Jaipur - This little town was a bit of fresh air after the chaos of Delhi. What we liked about it was the fact that you could easily walk around and not have to rely on transport or getting stuck in traffic. If it's a beautiful sunny day, make sure you drive past the Jal Mahal (water palace) - it's a beautiful monument that no one actually mentioned for us to visit! We also discovered two delicious restaurants with our Lonely Planet Guide - definitely recommended: Handi's Restaurant and Niros. 

- Agra - Evidently we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, and honestly other than that and the Agra Fort, we didn't feel there was much else to see. It's definitely doable as a day trip. Going to the Taj at sunrise is a must-do, not only for the fact that it's a beautiful sight, but after about 11am it becomes so congested with people that a picture in front of it is near to impossible. 

We also got a tour guide around the Agra Fort which was so worth it. There is a lot of history that ties the fort to the Taj, so it was interesting to be able to contextualise the background to both monuments.

Anyone planning a trip to India soon? Get it on your bucket lists asap!!!!