India

Jain Temple

City: Bikaner, India
Weather: 95°, sunny
Site: Seth Bhandasar Jain Temple
Activity: Looking over Old City, beautiful paintings

 

This temple is in the heart of the Old City of Bikaner and has amazing views of the city. We had to beg to be let up but it was worth it. In India, a little cash and asking for what you want goes a long way.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hut Sleeping

City: Outside Bikaner, India
Weather: 80-100°, sunny
Site: Sleeping at Mud Hut
Activity: Star gazing

 

Our camel ride ended at this small mud hut village where our camel driver, his wife daughter, and son stayed. They made us dinner: roti, aloo, daal, rice, and chai. Very good. I was so sun-sick by this point though, my main dinner was water. The sunset over the dunes was amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Red Fort

City: Delhi, India
Weather: 95°, sunny
Site: Red Fort
Activity: Searching for shade

 

This wasn't my fav place. It wasn't very well up kept and the site was pretty sprawling with little shade. If the gardens were alive and the water flowing through the channels, I imagine it could be an alright place to live.

 

 

 

 

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Camel Sitting

City: Outside Bikaner, India
Weather: 100°, sunny
Site: Desert Safari
Activity: Drinking water

 

This is on our Camel Desert Safari. We spent about 6 hours on camel back, and it was no Cadillac. The best part was seeing the desert villages and the scrubby farm land nearby. Our camel drivers made us a hot lunch over campfire like it was nothing. Fresh roti and all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rat Temple

City: Outside Bikaner, India
Weather: 96°, sunny
Site: Karni Mata
Activity: Stepping on rat poop

 

I'm not squimish AT ALL but this temple is up there on grossest things I've ever done. It's an active Hindu temple with thousands of pilgrims coming to worship. You are required to enter bare foot and there is no surface not covered in rat feces or decaying rats or half eaten rat food. The smell… And the rats are not healthy in the slightest. I did see an albino rat which is supposed to be excellent luck so it was a trip well spent and I think I left disease-free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Delhi

City: Delhi, India
Weather: 95°, sunny
Site: Old Delhi, markets
Activity: Dodging cars and cow patties

 

As much as I love India, Delhi was not my favorite. There are definitely beautiful moments, but overall a very crowded city with not a whole lot of beautiful sights to visit. We enjoyed walking around the old city and markets. We didn't see any other tourists and the local people looked confused about what we were doing snooping in their shops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sikh Lunch

City: Delhi, India
Weather: 96°, sunny
Site: Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
Activity: Watching lunch prep

 

We stumbled upon this temple while walking to the big market. We were brought around the temple by a Sikh man who told us about the giving nature of the Sikhs. Everyday all day they have free food for anyone. We watched the prep and the giving of the food. The Sikhs branched off from Hinduism in their rejection of the caste system.

Inside Sikh temple with live music and reading of The Book. Delhi, India
Inside Sikh temple with live music and reading of The Book. Delhi, India

 

Chapati maker in the kitchen of Sikh Temple. Delhi, India

 

Cook making chapati in Sikh temple in Delhi, India

 

Inside Sikh temple kitchen making Dahl. Delhi, India

 

Free lunch in Sikh Temple Delhi, India

 

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Big Mosque

City: Delhi, India
Weather: 96°, sunny
Site: Jama Masjid
Activity: Hunting for shade

 

My favorite building in Delhi. The dark red stone on bare feet was pretty miserable and had us running for cover but it really was a beautiful active mosque.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lotus Temple

City: Delhi, India
Weather: 92°, haze
Site: Lotus Temple
Activity: Not a lot

 

I was interested in seeing new Indian architecture but this Baha'i Faith temple was really not worth the effort. It was a one liner. You see it, you get it. It had a few nice moments but nothing to rave about.

 

 

 

 

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Srah Srang

City: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Weather: 89°, sunny
Site: Srah Srang
Activity: Sketching, dodging other tourists, admiring the trees

 

Just look at that tree. This temple felt like a secluded retreat after the chaos of Angkor Wat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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