Return to India

Since I was about 16, I've had a fascination with India.  I longed to visit the country, and spend time on the streets, witnessing the bizarre and mysterious.  Stories of snake charmers, sword swallower, gurus, fortune tellers, hot coal walkers, and mystical healers enticed my young mind.  More than any other country, I wanted to visit India.  Strange, I know.  Most Americans want to visit somewhere tropical with cold drinks to sip on the beach, or touring Europe.  Not me.  Give me a ride on an elephant or a chat with a guru any day.

A couple years ago, I was fortunate enough to travel to India on business with a few friends and work mates.  We were able to visit the Taj Mahal and spend a little time with our friend Sanjay and his family.  If anything, this visit (short though it was) only served as a teaser, beckoning me to return.

The Taj Mahal was breathtaking.  Pictures absolutely do not do it justice.  It must simply be seen in person, up close and personal.

We also toured through Delhi, and really found the local traffic to be a shock and a hoot.  Here's a picture of our little group in front of India Gate (in a capital park in Delhi).

The oxen, carts, auto-rickshaw, trucks, buses and nano cars were such a novelty to our American group.

We saw so much, and my pictures here are such a small sample of the experience.

Here's a link to my old blog, where I posted a few notes and videos of our adventures in 2008:  http://philthescott.blogspot.com/


So, now, I have finally made plans to return.  In about a week, I'll be departing for a nice long vacation in India, visiting about 16 cities.  I'll post more information about my trip and preparations leading up to it...