HOME!

Ok, so quick update to at least finish off my trip although I will be talking to many of you in person about this soon.

Following Corbett National Park, where I went on two jeep safaris and an elephant safari, failed to see a tiger, although supposedly drove by, and felt the elephant tremble because one was nearby, our group took the train back to Delhi. I managed to repack while in Corbett with only a slight interuption by the monkeys who ripped my purse- ohh well! In Delhi, time flew by. We had an AMAZING Punjabi inspired lunch by a famous chef at Brown Sahib. Delicious. Multi-course fancy meal that made everyone much further appreciate Indian food :)! Didn't do much sightseeing although was fortunate enough to go to a Delhilite's house for dinner who was also the person Samia and I stayed at upon returning for our travels in India.

After our going away dinner with the group, Maresa, Katie, Steve, Samia and I took a car to Agra. Terrible driver. He did not know how to use the brake pedal and slammed it to the floor everytime a brake was needed- which was too often considering the traffic. We did however make it to Agra late in the evening to our hotel. We woke up and went to our rooftop where we saw the Taj Mahal through the smog. Beautiful. After breakfast we walked down and through. Beautiful. Breathtaking. I don't know what else to say! I can see why it is considered one of the wonders of the world. Men have a lot to live up to now! (Considering it was built for a wife, for those of you who don't know).

Afterwards, we went to the train station to find that our train was delayed for 12 hours. After several hours we arranged a car instead in order to gt to Jaipur. I was getting sick, but felt fine. It was just my voice that left me in Jaipur. While in the pink city we saw Amber Fort, a beautiful Mughal Empire structure and went outside of the city to ride camels in a nearby village. I also took advantage of the cheapest silver in the world.

From Jaipur we flew domestically to Goa after making it through the ridiculous amount of security checks. Goa was beautiful. The Mexico of India for Europeans and Russians. It was amazing. A great break of sun and beach before coming back to the northwest winter. We lived only a five minute leisurely walk to the Baga Beach. We failed to see the old Portugeuse colonial architecture up close, although did appreciate it from the car. However, the majority of our time was spent on the beach, and getting in last minute shopping. Awesome! Great way to conclude the trip! From there, we flew back to Delhi where I had a day, went to a famous kebab restaurant and enjoyed our friend's luxurious home.

Now I'm back and adjusting to the Western ways of life. Less chaotic, more schedules, technology, etc.

I am very fortunate and appreciative for all of my experiences and people I met during my travels and hope only the best for them, although I hope to see many again in the future if time and schedules permit!