Iceland

I'm home! Iceland was definitely an amazing trip...I went as part of the JK Tours' Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice trip, and also helped out a college friend with her research study over the course of the 10 days we were there. The group total was 13 people, quite varied in ages and backgrounds, so we had a really great dynamic right from the start--it was a great group (and some I had travelled with previously)! The 6-hour flight from JFK to Iceland travelling on IcelandAir was interesting...lots of bizarre people on that plane--asking for weird meals, then 15 people getting up to use the toilet at the same time, crowding at the back of the plane, where we were sitting. We arrived early Saturday morning in Keflavik, as the time difference is 4 hours ahead of EST. Upon arriving we met up with our tour guide for the week, who is a geology professor at the local university the rest of the year, and then we were off and running!

So now on to the explanation of why Iceland has the nickname: "Land of Fire and Ice." Driving along and seeing a glacier spread out over the top of a mountain and spilling out into the valley, then driving past a volcano and the lava field that was created from its last eruption, and then seeing waterfalls, hot springs, and a beach all in the same day...pretty incredible! A little background info I found helpful in bringing back from my elementary school years: the earth is made up of lots of different "plates," which are layers of the earth that move relative to each other. These plates either move away from or toward each other, and where they move apart, magma flows upward, forming new material in the earth's crust; where they move together, mountain-like ridges are formed. If one plate moves under another, a deep trench is formed. Iceland is unique in the fact that the country is an island that sits right along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American plate meets the Euroasia plate. The whole ridge is submerged and lies on the floor of the Atlantic, except where Iceland rises up out of the ocean, and is therefore a literal "hotbed" of geothermal activity. The country is theoretically growing due to the separation of these 2 plates, which is about 2-4 cm every year (but erosion of the coast amounts to not that much change in the country's total land mass). In some spots we visited, we could see the small canyons & fissures caused by these plates moving gradually apart...which was kind of neat to be able to put one foot on one side and one foot on the other side, and be able to say you were standing in North America and Europe & Asia at the same time (well, the plates that they sit on, anyway)! Other spots we visited where this gradual divide is evident...a geothermal power plant that actually has a 4-inch crack in one corridor of the main building, as it sits right on the fault line. And the site of Iceland's early government, the small quarries that have formed and filled with water from the nearby lake, Iceland's largest, and is a spot popular with scuba divers and trout fishermen due to its depth and water clarity--absolutely pristine!! Some areas of the country are even monitored by satellites using lasers for the slightest change in seismic activity, as Iceland has experienced some significant volcanic eruptions in the past, resulting in many casualties and destruction. One particular volcano, named Hekla, which means "hooded one" in Icelandic, is often hidden by clouds, but of which we had clear views of given our lucky streak of weather. This particular volcano last erupted in 2000, and according to our guide, has a full magma chamber and is primed for another eruption...a comforting thought as we drove not far from its base and through the largest lava field in the world (in the past 10,000 years) that was created the last time it erupted. We also visited a recently excavated Viking settlement that was wiped out by a similar eruption many years ago. It was tough to wrap my mind around that kind of explosion, given that only a small wisp of steam could be seen coming from the top of the snow-capped volcano. Iceland is also marked by lots of geysers, a cluster of which we got to see, one in particular that goes off every 5 minutes, and another that we were glad didn't go off, as when it does, it causes major flooding and anyone close enough to it risks major burns, as the last time it went off it didn't give any warning when it was going to blow. It's pretty difficult to describe the smell around these geysers and hot springs...if you didn't recognize it as sulphur, you would probably think that everyone walking around that area was suffering from a major case of flatulence, or that there was a whole truckload of rotten eggs in the vicinity. It's pretty distinct. And since Reykjavik gets all its hot water from geothermal pipes, showering is an interesting experience...I knew I was getting clean, but it sure didn't smell like it!

So we quickly discovered on the first day that the best way to unwind after a long plane ride is to relax in the warm aquamarine waters of a geothermal hot spring. Iceland has realized this as well, and the result is geothermal hot springs turned into pools that are spread all over the country. One particular destination popular with the tourists is called The Blue Lagoon, which is basically a large sunken pool in the rocky ground about the size of an odd-shaped Olympic pool, fed by a central hot spring that is quite hot if you get too close, as well as a waterfall and silica mud right from the ground that you can use as a scrub or mask...it's quite the spa experience, au naturel of course! Iceland is not a country for many hang-ups, but they are serious about their swimming and spa-ing, and the one rule they enforce is bathing before you take a dip. How nice it was to decompress after our long journey! I can also now say that I am officially a Viking...and I will try to describe the ceremony as best I can, but I'm afraid it's one of the "you have to see it to believe it" kind of things. At one of our lunch spots, beside one of the most picturesque waterfalls, our guide invited us to officially become Vikings. We listened as he described the process and then watched in amazed horror as he demonstrated it: eat a piece of putrefied shark, then follow that with a shot of Icelandic Schnapps. Sounds pretty simple right? OK, well, let me tell you a little about putrefied shark...after it is caught, the shark is buried for about 3 months, during which time a hard casing forms around the carcass, which is good since that protects the meat from the hordes of flies that assail it during the next phase of the preparation, which is to let it hang out to dry for another 3 months. The meat is then sold, mostly in small cuts/cubes, and is quite expensive, as this is considered a delicacy here. Our guide informed us that he often eats it to combat indigestion and heartburn...I would submit that it causes them, but what do I know? The Greenland Shark is the main type that is used, quite large, up to 70 Kg, and is very ferocious--they are not hunted anymore, mostly just caught by accident in fishing nets. Now, as he explained all this, my attention was drawn to the small lidded container that was holding the rotting pieces of Icelandic goodness, mainly due to the fact that a small cyclone of flies had gathered around it and was buzzing like crazy over it. For good reason too, as the smell was enough to bring me right back to dissection class in college--bleck! OK, now to describe the Icelandic Schnapps...pretty simple, as I can only compare it to what I think floor stripper would taste like--it was pure grain alcohol I'm sure! So the whole thing was pretty much a blur, putting that piece of putrefied shark in my mouth, chewing it up, then swallowing the shot and feeling like my insides were going to explode as it all travelled down to my stomach...but hey, at least I can say I'm a Viking now!

So I mentioned earlier that the whole reason for going on this expedition was to conduct research for a college friend's study that was designed to collect all sorts of atmospheric as well as sense data in order to allow students in her class to write poetry about a place they have never actually visited. This is sort of a new field of scientific research which she is actually scheduled to present at a state conference in the fall, so I was excited to be a part of gathering all the information! Through various grants, we had top of the line equipment to take measurements, one of which I'm wearing around my neck in most of the pictures, that was used to measure light and temperature. We also collected olfactory (sponges/cotton was used to absorb the smell and placed in a bag), tactile (material placed in bags), auditory (tape recorder), visual (pictures), and gustatory samples (several foods native to Iceland were purchased to take back for the students to try). So the study set the atmosphere for the whole trip, and I must say, we had a lot of fun with it! I learned quickly how to be fast on the draw with the tape recorder to catch a unique sound, or which things would provide a unique smell for the students to experience (discreetly sticking a sponge underneath a horse's saddle during a ride, or in a crate of fish just unloaded off a boat down at the docks, or at the edge of a geyser reeking of sulphur...don't worry--there were some more pleasant scents we got for them: wild thyme and a few other fragrant things).

So this was a great educational trip, in addition to vacation, for most of us. We toured a couple of museums, and learned a great deal about Iceland's history, a relatively young country as they just gained full independence in 1944. The many facts we received came in very handy for pondering later in the evening, usually when it was time for bed, when we had a little trouble falling asleep...because it never got dark! Situated just below the Arctic Circle, and now in their summer, we had just missed the weeks of the midnight sun, but let me tell you, given how light it was at midnight, I don't think we missed it by much (see picture of sunset, taken at 11 pm)! I was definitely glad I had packed an eye mask, originally intended for the flight only, but I used it the whole week! Another exciting occurrence: seeing my second full sundog, the rainbow spectrum created around the sun only in the polar regions of the earth!

The trip was all-inclusive (lodging, transport, guide, admittance to various places we toured if there was a fee, and food). This was probably the smartest thing we ever did in planning a trip to Iceland, as it is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. There was not a day that went by we weren't shocked at the price of something, and I would recommend waiting until they convert to the Euro before visiting. One reason for the high prices is that they have to import a great deal, for example, not really being able to grow a lot of produce due to the cold temperatures year-round. We were visiting in the high summer, and temperatures were barely making it to 60 degrees, hovering usually in the low-mid 50's. Most days we were only too happy to wear a fleece jacket, but we were blessed to have unusually sunny skies for most of the week, which every Icelander we met claimed was unheard of this time of year! Food was pretty good though...lots of fresh fish, mainly salmon, trout, and arctic char, which was really good prepared smoked. Some other delicacies they have include sheep's liver pate`, dried fish with butter, skyr (akin to yogurt), herring fixed every way imaginable, and lobster bisque--which I had several times and was probably the best I have every tasted! Whaling was halted back in the 80's, but then recently started up again last year. However, since Japan is the only country still using whale products, and they don't import, Iceland is stuck with all the meat harvested from last season, as there really is no international market for it anymore. They're still debating whether to allow it again this year, but I think it's mainly those die-hard Icelanders that want to hold onto the way things used to be. I did see Minke whale on a few menus, but was not brave enough to try it. Especially since we had just seen some Minkes frollicking out in the sea on our whale watch! We did get to tour a fishing dock and the fish factory nearby...the speed of those filleters was incredible...one worker gets paid 3 times as much due to the amount of fish he can process is triple what the average worker can get through by the end of the day! I really had never seen anything like that before, and to see the fish sitting in crates on the dock, and then tour the factory and see it getting cleaned, cut, and then either packaged or frozen, was pretty neat.

Now, probably the most plentiful natural-occuring tourist stop in Iceland is the waterfall, or "foss" in Icelandic. I took about a million pictures of the first one we saw, and then by the last, we were basically saying, "Oh, wow, another waterfall." Now, don't get me wrong, each one is different and beautiful in its own right, and the water was just the clearest blue, definitely cold too, as most are fed by glacial runoff. I've attached some pictures so you can see how amazing they are. One waterfall we even got to walk behind, and another was Iceland's version of Niagara Falls, just on a smaller scale. Another waterfall some in our group took the plunge on! The amount of water that barrels through these landscapes is pretty incredible--the sound is deafening at most of the falls, pretty much soaking you with the spray, too, and looking at them from above, which some we got to hike up, gives you a pretty sick feeling when you think about what would happen if you accidentally lost your footing and went "for a swim" so to speak. One of the falls, legend has it there is a chest of gold coins that was dropped in transport and now lays at the bottom of the collecting pool, and the rainbow that forms when the sun hits the spray only adds to the story...you know, at the end of every rainbow...













One of the highlights for me was definitely getting to hike on a glacier!! After driving to Skaftafell National Park, and then meeting our guide, we each got fitted for crampons, which are devices that strap to hiking boots, and have sharp metal spikes on the bottoms to allow the person wearing them to dig into the ice and not slip, which is vital given the number of crevasses (holes that vary in depth) and sharp ridges that mark the face of any glacier. We spent about 2 1/2 hours up there, and we hiked all the way up near the "icefall" which is where the ice breaks off of the main glacier and spreads down the valley. The visibility could have been better, but it cleared up by the afternoon, which allowed us to do a great hike to a lookout over the entire glacier, which had the most amazing views! I couldn't help but feel really small standing up there looking out over all that ice!

Some other highlights: white water rafting for the first time! and riding an Icelandic horse for the first time! We had arranged to do some white water rafting, at the most class 2 rapids, and boy was that water cold! We got geared up in wetsuits and drysuit jackets, complete with neoprene boots, but that first shot of water that seeps down between the wetsuit and your skin--definitely a shock to the system! We had the opportunity to do some cliff jumping halfway downriver, which was a complete thrill! Taking that first big step was the hardest, then making sure you didn't lean too far forward or backward, and then trying not to inhale water once you broke the surface since the water's so cold, it immediately takes your breath away! I did 2 jumps, and the picture really doesn't do it justice, since we were about 25 feet up, and you really don't feel it at first when you jump off, but then gravity takes over and your stomach's doing flips in the 4 seconds it takes to hit the water, but what a rush it was! So the horseback riding was a little tamer, even though I had not been on a horse since I was a little girl...we went out for about an hour-long trail ride, and the weather was absolutely beautiful! The Icelandic Horse is a bit smaller than most horses, and Iceland has mandated that any livestock/horses can only be exported, to eliminate the risk of foreign diseases by importing animals. So any horses, sheep, cows, or goats we saw, they are all native to Iceland. If an owner wants to take his horse abroad for a show, he/she has to sell it as it is not allowed back in the country. All horses have 4 basic gaits, but the Icelandic horse is the only one with a 5th gait, which I have no idea how to spell, but it sounds something like "lufft," and is a very elegant gait. In fact, the rider is supposed to be able to hold a cup of tea and not spill it during the ride when the horse breaks into this particular gait. I don't know about that...but I'm not an experienced equestrian, so the fact that I was getting bounced all over probably meant I wasn't directing the horse properly.

Our last day in Iceland turned out to be the best weather...walking the streets in Reykjavik under the bluest sky and warmest sunshine. We ended up at a church with a towering concrete steeple and high cathedral ceilings (the largest church in Iceland I believe) and slipped in just as the service was starting. The organ was absolutely amazing--taking up the entire back wall of the church, and even though the service was in Icelandic, I was still moved to tears as the hymns were sung and towards the end, a young girl was christened. No matter what country I have been this year, or what denomination or language the service is in, the power of faith and the Holy Spirit has been a common thread in every church I have visited. "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" will have a completely different meaning for me from now on! We had lunch in Iceland's only revolving restaurant (and it's most expensive), then it was off to the airport, but not without one last reminder of the land of fire and ice we were about to leave...driving past a "beach," our guide informed us that this is the only place in Iceland where people come to lay out by the water in their bathing suits, and the reason for that is because they actually have geothermally-heated water pumped in to the bay for people to be able to swim in the ocean! So if they can survive the nip in the air as they lay out on the beach, there's always a warm current they can dip into!

So I was completely doubting why I signed up for a trip that had me leaving again only 4 days after returning from 6 weeks in India...but I am totally glad I did. Iceland is a unique country, for it's geological features and raw beauty, as well as its "go-it-on-your-own" attitude...explore, discover, realize. It was also great getting to catch up with old friends and making new memories!

I'm now home for a whole 3 weeks before I leave again in August for Peru! It's hard to believe I only have one country left on my list for this year! My first of 3 projects will be in Mancora, just south of Peru's border with Ecuador to the north. I have been briefed that I will be staying in a hostel there, and working in a center for children ages 3-19 with a range of disabilities, including Downs' syndrome and autism. As for materials for those interested in donating: anything for arts and crafts activities, as well as dance and playtime activities. The volunteers that are currently there have specifically requested essential oils, sensory toys (e.g. light boxes, massage products, etc.), and picture books of America and England. So if anyone has any of these things laying around the house or can come by them fairly easily, they would be most welcome!

Chuck & Steph's Excellent Adventure: India!

So Darjeeling was absolutely amazing...4 weeks volunteering, then Charles arrived, and we began our Indian adventure! My last official day at the school was June 14th, then on the 15th I had planned a surprise pick-up at the airport, and then the next few days spent in Darjeeling were nice...doing some sightseeing but mostly me getting to show off my home for the past month to Charles. And of course, his first full day in Darjeeling, I laid eyes on the wonder that is Kachenchunga (India's tallest mountain and the third highest in the world) from the streets of the town that I had been in for 4 weeks!! Just goes to show you the fickleness of the weather up in them thar hills! Speaking of which, one of the mornings we decided to go to Tiger Hill, which is the best spot to see the Himalayas and the only place in Darjeeling from which Mount Everest can be seen. Now, there is a whole protocol that has to be followed in order to participate in the outing known as Tiger Hill, which involves getting up at 3 am, haggling for a ride from the rows of taxis that are lined up waiting to take people there, as that is the only destination people are crazy enough to be going that early in the morning, as the best viewing is at sunrise. In order to make it there in time, you have to be on the road no later than 4, as the sun rises just before 5 and it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get there. Well, we woke up on Sunday morning, and it was the clearest I had ever seen it, so how pumped was I that we picked the best morning?! Got a taxi with relative ease, but then on the way, the clouds seemed to envelop us, visibility dropped to about 10 feet, and the conditions really didn't improve from there. Now, Tiger Hill is an observatory, so there are several choices when it comes to buying your tickets...needless to say, we did not regret paying extra for the indoor, heated option with complimentary chai, as we watched those that had opted to save a few rupees, by choosing the outdoor lower viewing platform, withstand the gale force biting winds and heavy mist that assailed them until sunrise. The outcome of this story is that we only got about 3 breaks in the clouds that we could actually see a hint of sunrise for a few seconds each time, which got a reaction from the crowd very much similar to when Shamu leaps from the water at Sea World (I'm sure you can just picture the oohs and aahs), and then when the clouds rolled back in, the sounds of anguish and disgust that followed, much akin to Fenway when Johnny Damon takes the field nowadays. Needless to say, Tiger Hill was a bust and we didn't really see the spectacular views it's famous for, but it was an experience for sure! The last few days in Darj were also spent wrapping things up for me...saying goodbye to the people that had become my family and the kids that were my inspiration every day for the past 4 weeks. The monsoon was creeping ever closer day by day, and our last day in town was pretty much the big arrival! On the way to the airport, we had decided to make a side trip and also break up the 3-hour drive by stopping off at a tea plantation. We picked Makaibari Tea Estate, which is another location that i-to-i places volunteers at, and got a tour of it in the pouring rain. Now, when I say pouring, I mean pouring in the sense that an umbrella does you absolutely no good since the rain that is coming down in torrents is falling so heavily that it bounces off the shallow lakes it has created on all walking surfaces so the water is not only coming at you from above, but below as well, in addition to every side with the wind gusts that closely resemble a minor hurricane. In essence, we were soaked and were quite a sight sitting in the airport and then boarding the plane for the hour-long flight to Calcutta. Any traces of dampness, however, were quickly evaporated I'm sure when we arrived in the heat that awaited us there! 90 degrees and above with high humidity levels made us quickly forget the cool breezy mists of Darjeeling. The rest of our trip was no different...in fact, I don't believe I have ever sweat so much in a 24-hour period for 2 weeks straight before...I still seem to be replenishing my fluid levels!


After arriving in Calcutta, we quickly realized that we had finally arrived in India, or what we had expected India to be like. In addition to the heat, we finally saw cows roaming the streets, along with cars, bicyclists, trucks, rickshaws, autorickshaws, and pedestrians, that all seemed to be on the road when we arrived at rush hour. The air conditioning in our hotel was absolutely a-mazing when we finally arrived. The two days we spent in Calcutta was full of sightseeing, taking in the Victoria Memorial, a large capitol-esque building built during the British reign to honor Queen Victoria as well as the Marble Palace, which is a huge mansion made entirely of marble, and the collections of art and antiques housed inside were absolutely incredible...the larger than life oil on canvas of "The Marriage of St. Catherine" took our breath away when we saw it taking up one wall in the great hall! Lots of walking...I think we managed to see all of Calcutta in the first day! Unfortunately, due to planning miscalculations, we were unable to see the Mother House, where Mother Teresa is buried, or the mission she set up in the city because it was closed to the public on the day we had planned to go see it. Just to be in the same city that she based all of her life's work from, reaching out to those that have found themselves at the bottom in every way, and to walk the streets of Calcutta and see a lot of those people existing and surviving day to day...pretty humbling to say the least. One of many moments that I found myself struggling with transitioning from volunteer to tourist in a country that has so many in need.


Next on our destination list was Aurangabad, for which we had to transfer from Calcutta via Mumbai. The big highlight in Aurangabad, and two of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, are the Ajanta and Ellora caves. We arranged to go see the Ellora caves the full day that we were there, among other spots the tour bus went to that we linked up with, but the caves were definitely the main draw. The "caves" are actually a series of 34 temples, monasteries, and chapels hewn out of the side of the rocky hills just outside of Aurangabad by generations of monks, some even with elaborate courtyards and the majority have the most incredible sculptures. 12 were fashioned by the Buddhists between AD 600-800, 17 are Hindu, created between AD 600-900, and the last 5 are Jain, a form of reborn Buddhism, carved between AD 800-1000. There is a whole park now around the site, so walking trails are set up and the caves are numbered, so you can either do a guided tour or explore them on your own. We ventured into several of them in the 2 hours that we were there, and it's difficult to put into words the awesomeness of it all...I mostly should have walked around with my hand under my jaw the whole time! The masterpiece is one of the Hindu caves, a whole temple dedicated to Shiva (see picture), and the world's largest monolithic sculpture, as they didn't carve from the inside out, they started from the top of the hill and carved down around the structure that would eventually become the temple, thanks to some 7000 laborers over 150 years! Dinner that night was pretty much the moment we realized we were travelling in the low season (not to mention the high heat and humidity or the intermittent monsoon showers)...we had the whole restaurant at the hotel to ourselves! We had to actually go partially into the kitchen to let them know we were there when we first walked in, then waited patiently while they turned on the A/C and lights, and had an amazing dinner of Maharashtra cuisine, 3 waiters catering only to us, not even having to ask for things most of the time!

Next stop was Mumbai (Bombay), for 2 days. Mumbai was probably the biggest city we had been in to date...prime example was that our hotel, which was not far from the domestic airport, was still a 45-minute train ride from downtown. It was probably also the most contemporary city of India as well, feeling a lot like New York most of the time. Our chosen mode of transport into downtown Mumbai was none other than the train, which I would advise as a must-do for anyone travelling there in the future...it is the essence of the total Mumbai experience!! One story I will share that captures the adventure I think quite well...we decided to head downtown our last morning to do some last minute sightseeing before we flew out, and we ended up in the middle of rush hour, so jostling for position to board the train amid the throngs of people on the platform was nothing compared to being packed like sardines in a non-air conditioned car, standing room only, not really knowing whose arm or elbow or whatever was pushing into me or being so close that you're not really sure whose sweat is whose. And of course the ever-present stares we were getting being the only Westerners in the car. One advantage of this method of transportation, which we discovered as the train rocked back and forth, is that you don't really have to worry about losing your balance being so tightly wedged together! Now the trains have special ladies-only compartments, which we had discovered earlier in the trip when we boarded a completely empty car coming back late one night--we were celebrating our luck in finding the only empty car on the train when a kind passerby informed us that we should move out of the ladies compartment or else we would get fined! OK, so the the city of Mumbai has the nickname "Bollywood," and for those not familiar with pop culture, it's India's version of the American Hollywood, for the very reason that all the major motion pictures of the country are mostly filmed and produced there. We adopted the "When in Rome..." adage and with some major convincing I got Charles to go see "Shootout at Lockandwala," a recently released Bollywood movie that was playing in one of the theaters. The movie is "based on true rumors" about the gangsters in the area of the city that the film is named after, and the showdown between them and the Mumbai police at the end of the movie. It was an action film, but even with all the shootings and explosions, there were still a good amount of "items" which is the name given to the song & dance numbers interspersed throughout...so for instance, after the gangsters broke into, robbed, and shot up a bank, they headed down to the local dance club and showed off their moves to a hip-hop tune...only in Bollywood! The Gateway of India was a quick stop as it started to pour soon after we got there, and we also got to see the house that Gandhi stayed in each time he visited Mumbai, the site where many events contributing to India's independence emanated from, that has now been turned into a museum...I admit that I did not know a lot about his life before coming to India, except that he was monumental in the non-violent revolution movement, but I have come to a whole new appreciation for him as the father of India after reading imploring letters he wrote to Hitler, pictures of him not often published, and getting to read excerpts from his journals...a truly amazing man in his convictions and how he was able to do all that he did. Now about the food...Mumbai is also known for its Gujarati cuisine, which is best sampled in the thali, a dish that has a little bit of everything, your own personal buffet almost, and is very tasty, as well as the pure vegetarian restaurants...wow what they can do to vegetables over there in India...amazing! We also opted for Chinese one night...in India's only revolving restaurant!! The views of the city at night were incredible and we were right on the water, so we had a prime view of the back bay and the city skyline along the shore. This vantage point was also quite interesting when a storm blew in and we watched the visibility drop 50% in 5 seconds, the wind and rain blowing so hard it sounded like the windows of the restaurant were going to shatter and watching the huge lights of the nearby cricket stadium sway at least 10 feet in the really strong gusts...did I mention it was monsoon season? We missed the truly serious flooding by a few days, which we saw on the news after we had arrived in Goa...our next stop, aka paradise!


The beach resort of Goa was incredible...the only place we opted for 5-star lodging, and boy was it five-star, all the way down to the sprawling pool, immaculately kept gardens and lagoon, 4 different restaurants to choose from every night and a breakfast buffet to die for (for those familiar with Disney World resorts, this was India's version)...I would have been happy to stay at the resort the whole 3 days we were there!! Given it was monsoon season, we weren't expecting nice weather, but our first full day there we were blessed with partial sunshine, and I even ended up with quite a sunburn, from which I'm still peeling! I did get to dip my toes in the Arabian Sea, but no further as the water was just not safe to go in because of--you guessed it--monsoon season...I don't think I've ever seen a rip tide that obvious before! And it seemed to be churning up everything in the ocean, as there was quite a bit of garbage on the beach. We did however venture out to do some sightseeing one day...renting a taxi for the whole day and taking in Goa's magnificent Catholic churches and mansions. As it was colonized by the Portuguese, Goa remains mostly Roman Catholic today and is the wealthiest state in India. We also stopped at a spice plantation, learning all about nutmeg, pepper, curry, vanilla, cinnamon, and various other spices, then having lunch there that tasted so amazing, after having smelled all the individual spices that went into each dish. We even got to see the streets where I believe the opening chase scenes of the movie "The Bourne Supremacy" were filmed...our taxi driver was quite knowlegdeable!!

Alas, we had to leave Goa :( and the next stop on our whirlwind tour was Delhi. Now when I say the heat was increasing incrementally throughout our 2 weeks, in Delhi it seemed to jump exponentially, as there was really no breeze to give you at least the illusion of coolness. We arrived on a Thursday and had planned to go to Agra on Friday, but were disappointed to learn the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so we did some sightseeing on Friday and although we would be cutting it close to get back for our flight home, we decided to do Agra on Saturday...[cue foreshadowing music here]. Friday we ended up just wandering around Delhi, seeing the largest temple in India, but not really feeling up to going in as there were armed soldiers at every entrance, and someone shouting over a PA system somewhere on the square of the temple in what looked like a protest, as one of the religious leaders had just been arrested the day before. We also walked through one of the bazaars that Delhi is famous for, seeing pretty much everything that can be sold for a profit being displayed there! And Delhi was the place where we took an autorickshaw for the very first time...I wish I had a picture of one here because it's difficult to describe the mode of transport that is the autorickshaw...with the small size of these vehicles, they are able to weave in and out of traffic, although their manueverability is not capable of handling the fetes their operators try to put them through most of the time...pretty much you feel even that much closer to the moment that could be your last in the chaos that is Indian traffic!! The highlight of the day came when we visited the Red Fort, built as part of the Mughal capital in the 1600's. When we had arrived the day before, we saw on the news that it had been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we had already mentioned we wanted to go see it. After walking around inside the many walls of the fort, we were on our way out when we were stopped by a journalist who had a couple of questions for us as visitors to India's newest UNESCO site, which we thought was neat, that we might get referenced to in the paper. Well, that was only the beginning!! As we exited the fort and headed up the entrance path back towards the main street, we were approached by a reporter who asked if he could interview us for the lead story on the Red Fort for the live local news at noon!! So Charles and I, along with the curator-person of the fort, as well as a crowd of about 50 curious local Indians bunched in behind us, were on the noon news!! We also made it down to the Gandhi Museum, and the Baha'i Temple, which was built in the shape of a Lotus Flower, just in time for sunset, passing India Gate on the way. We were able to get inside the temple and spend some quiet time reflecting there...bowing my head to pray with Muslims to our right and Sikhs a few rows ahead of us, with Hindus interspersed around us, is one of those moments in life I will not quickly forget and I couldn't help but think if this small little microcosm of peace that I found myself in at that particular moment of time were as easy to replicate in the rest of the world...as Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." So to complement that moment that was uniquely India, we finished off the day by heading to McDonald's on Charles' urgings, where he was only too happy to polish off a "Chicken Maharaja Mac", and we both had fries and ice cream. I convinced myself our visit there was just getting me ready to return to Western culture...

So I think I might have mentioned the attention we were receiving, mainly because of the fact that we were Westerners, definitely in the minority, that seemed to stick out practically everywhere we went. Well, our trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal saw the intensity of that attention jump two-fold! Let me just put some other summary points here: this was probably also the most chaotic day we had of our time in India, and the hottest!! We were up by 5 am to catch the train to Agra, arriving in style in an air-conditioned car. We hired an autorickshaw for the whole day to take us around town, stopping for breakfast first, and then it was off to the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. The Taj is a mausoleum, built by emperor Shah Jahan for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. The emperor was heartbroken and built this memorium for her, importing materials from all over the world (e.g. turquoise from Tibet), enlisting the labor of 20,000 people, from masons to specialists of in-lay. The moment we walked through the gate was the most spectacular sight...to see the top of a structure that you have heard so much about, that is one of the most recognized works of architecture known to man, and to be standing there gazing upon it, was pretty incredible! The weather was heaven-sent, as the bluest sky created the perfect backdrop and big white puffy clouds lazed overhead...the white marble just shone in all its glory for us!! We took lots of pictures and walked around for about 2 hours, again attracting a lot of attention. Even though it was low season, the Taj grounds were packed! We were even asked to pose for pictures with people, and are probably in a 100 more that we don't even know were taken, as we would see cell phone cameras pointed at us and then quickly put away when we glanced in that direction! Charles and I just chalked it up to the fact that people must have thought we were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The rest of the day we spent seeing the other sights of Agra, heading back to the air-conditioned restaurant at the train station early to escape the heat. Jostling for position and boarding the train in a non-a/c car, as the a/c cars were filled when we bought our tickets, we met a group of Indian guys travelling together on a pilgrimage to the temple in Mathura, as it was the full-moon holiday. They were in our seats, but kindly got up for us so we could sit by the window. We chatted and joked with them until they got off, and then the ride went downhill from there. We realized soon after we got on the train that it had been double booked, so twice the amount of body heat and half the amount of available space were the conditions we travelled in for about 3 hours. For future reference, when travelling for longer than an hour and a half by train in India, make sure you're in an air-conditioned car, because even sitting by the windows doesn't help when it's that hot. We were delayed, not getting into the station at Delhi until 10:30 pm. So with a flight to London scheduled to depart at 2 am, we booked it back to the hotel, as fast as we possibly could given how near heat exhaustion we were, showered, packed, checked-out, then taking a taxi to the airport, arriving with 10 minutes to spare before we boarded the plane! Needless to say, as we walked down the jetway, we decided our motto for this trip would be, "We survived India!" and had an amazing time doing just that!!

So I've been home for 4 days...had a wonderful 4th of July down at the beach, now it's off to Iceland...I fly out tonight for a 10-day trip! Keep it right here for an update when I get home mid-July!!