INDIA...ENJOY!

Friends,

Let me explain my experience visiting  4 Indian cities: Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra,during one week, before Esatern vacation. I will really try to be brief...as I don't like to read looooooooooooooong posts...at least over 3 or 4 screens.

Let me just start asking a question (also one of my first questions in India): What are doing the (Holy) cows in the middle of the road? Why aren't they on farms where they belon? (of course, they are not suffering from the Mad Cow Disease. Check  the answer and the bottom of this post...

Cow bike session...

1. Mumbai, largest Indian city...chaotic city to drive with and claxoning everywhere, anytime, for any instance...business, industrial and economical power of India. Mumbai is a city that never sleeps! Fifteen million people live in Mumbai - industrialists, film-stars, artists, workers, teachers and clerks - all living cheek-by-jowl in soaring skyscrapers and sprawling slums. They come from diverse ethnic backgrounds and speak over a dozen tongues, adding colour, flavour and texture to the Great Mumbai Melting Pot.

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Mumbai...attacked November 26th, 2008

Leopold Cafe, also attacked...

...one of the terrorist's bullet

"Slumdog Millionaire"...

Indian 3 wheels Vespa taxis...125.000 just...

Dinner Afghan restaurant...

Indian logistics...

Yeap...they also have one....

2. New Delhi...more organized and easier to drive than Mumbai, the capital and the third largest city of India (second one is Kolkata) is a fusion of the ancient and the modern and with much more infrastructures, just to have an idea, over 250 shopping malls in this city, longest one 1 km long...nice monuments, temples and palaces in that city, of course, local and Estate government buildings quite impressive. Standing along the West End of Gangetic Plain, the capital city, Delhi, unwinds a picture rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep in history, monuments, museums, galleries, gardens and exotic shows. Comprising of two contrasting yet harmonious parts, the Old Delhi and New Delhi, the city is a travel hub of Northern India. Narrating the city's Mughal past, Old Delhi, takes you through the labyrinthine streets passing through formidable mosques, monuments and forts. You will also discover lively and colorful bazaars that boast to cater all sorts of good and items at mind-blowing prices amidst a barely controlled chaotic ambience. The imperial city of New Delhi displays the finely curved architecture of British Raj. It generates a mesmerizing charm reflecting well-composed and spacious streets under the shade of beautifully lined avenues of trees and tall and imposing government buildings.

Nw Delhi government building...

...more palaces...

...Red temple...

...more "slum"

...and more...

...beautiful colours...

...very poor people...

Gandhi...

...and his message...

Palace at night!

Delicious Indian food...becareful with too much curry...

and more palaces.

3. Jaipur..."Pink city", as they dressed itself pink to welcome Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth II, and thus the name “Pink City” stuck to it. Now the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan, it has the rightful blend of rich heritage monuments, palaces and lakes and gardens with the modern buildings and shopping arcades. Jaipur falls in a rich mineral belt of marble, precious and semi precious stones, which makes it a unique marketplace for both raw and finished products. Jewellery of precious and semi-precious stones is a strong attraction for tourists. Jaipur is also home to gold and silver jewellery made in the “Kundan” and “Meenakari” traditions, which are now world famous.

Typical indian menu...delicious!

...same.

"Pink city"

...Hamman temple...

..same...

...Indian jacuzzi...

...nice picture in the mirror...

...dancing cobra...

...lake palace...

...Maharaja Xavi...

4. Agra...sorry, we just spent few hours, 12, to see one of the world wonders...and I believe the most amazing one...no words to describe it...if you have the opportunity to visit India, you can not miss it and then may be you will be able to explain what you have felt during that visit...for me was vextremely beautiful and also the love story behind it...Taj Mahal of India - "the epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized. Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name "Taj Mahal" was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means "Crown Palace". The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument.

...no worries..I will not release it...lol

"Love is in the air"

...more love...

...and a little bit more!!

Uff!! I arrived JIT (Just In Time)

...white marble...temple air conditioner...

...Indian girl I met overthere... ;-)

Hindu...in private transport...

...yeap, more Indian logistics!

About the cow answer...is mainly since Indian's are by-and-large vegetarian , the cow, given its holier-than-thou status, has rarely been exploited for its meat, but, the flip side of the cow's ritualistic position means that no sooner than it stops producing milk, its owner finds politically correct to abandon the unfortunate creature on the streets, rather than pack it off to the slaughterhouse. Hindus also believe that should a cow tethered in their home die, its owner has to perforce undertake a piligrimage to all the holy cities of Indiato atonefor the sin and upon his return he has to feed the Brahmins in his village. Last but not least reason, why cows go to the middle of the busy roads and traffic is because the exhaust fumes from the smoke belching buses seem to discourage flies, while the toxic fumes get them high. Now, that is a typical Indian solution to a vexed problem.

India..."you love it or you hate it", I think is a correct assumption...but in my opinion is IMPACTING and VERY DIFFERENT in all senses from any other place in the World!

Talk to all of you in my next post!

"XTB" Xavi.