Wandering Aimlessly

The program is offically over, and now I am doing a bit of traveling before heading off to Rome. A small group of us went to Agra after getting into Delhi and got up early yesterday to see the Taj Mahal. It was so white in the sun I could barely keep my eyes open. It was really beautiful, and the grounds were a peaceful retreat from the crazy city outside. We went to the Fatehpur Sikri, which was another amazing heritage complex that felt the same way. We drove through the country a bit and went through Mathura on the way back to Delhi, looking for the same beautiful carved temple bells so common in the Johar valley, but no luck. Today I'm going to ship my trekking stuff, do some laundry and get some much needed vacation from my vacation. I am traveling with a classmate of mine, who is from India, and staying with family members along the way, which is a real treat. I have now seen so many different sides of India. I had my first hot shower in over a month, and my second shower of the whole trip. So far we have been washing with one bucket of cold water (try that at home) or washing in the many steams while trekking in the valley. Being here really puts our use of resources into perspective, and all the waste we produce. India doen't have the infrastructure to make it all "disapear" like we do back home, so you are forced to constantly confront it.

Tomorrow we leave for Ahmedabad to check out Adalaj stepwell and may visit V.V. Doshi 's(an architect) office. Then we head to Mumbai and out to the Ajanta and Ellora cave temples, then back to Mumbai. From there we go to Chandigar, and then we fly out of Delhi for Rome. I realize that I really won't have time to deal with my photos properly until I get to Rome, but here is a taste:

Delhi