india is an incredible country to visit. here is a list of resources and also my notes on my experience. namaste.

In Delhi:

• Hamayun's Tomb
• Rajpath Street to India Gate
• Lodhi Gardens
• Dilli Haat Market
• Red Fort
• Jami Masjid Mosque
• Chandni Chowk Street & Market
• Fabinia Craft Market
• Spice Market in Old Delhi
• Raj Ghat Gandhi Memorial
• Toilet Museum (which we missed)

Observations & Stuff:

• mastering the squat toilets = success
• richard will laugh at falling cheerleader youtube images all night without even having a computer
• people sleep everywhere
• you will drive straight into head on traffic but somehow it's normal
• lots of delhi dust
• many men are addicted to betel tea leaves and spit the bright red globs into the streets everywhere
• tractors are completely decorated and colorful even in rural areas and they blast bollywood music
• autorickshaws are usually about $1 to get to most places
• 2nd class A/C is great for overnight train rides. try to get the 2 side seats
• smell of the river in agra was almost unbearable
• electricity goes out often so it's hard to find cold water and popsicles in the summer
• water coolers work well but they attract mosquitoes
• on the way from the airport, you'll get your first delhi driving experience. we almost hit dogs, on coming cars, people, cows, and many auto-rickshaws
• first night, woke up not knowing where i was
• richard ate my cookies and rice krispy treat
• men show affection by holding hands and laying in each other's laps
• sikhs wear great jeans and urban shoes
• cows are everywhere
• dogs are everywhere but are in severely dire condition
• many children/adults in poverty. indians advise not giving money and donating to an organization when you get home.
• we choose bits and pieces of morality and hopefully collectively we can get there. it's important to remember we are all hypocrites on some level and should be careful about judgement.
• to haggle prices...offer something reasonably low and walk away if they say no. often they will pull you back in. haggling is part of the fun in india.
• note: recreate india soap opera facial expressions
• indian men have an interesting bobble head response for the answer yes --which looks like maybe
• indian music videos are super risque and sexy and they love choreographed dance!
• we were three tucans
• it's hard to walk through poverty with an expensive camera knowing that camera's worth could pay a salary for a year
• the chandhi chowk market where they sell meat is really horrific, contrasted with the beauty of the sari market
• i enjoyed taking tea with the hotel manager in orchha
• finally got my boob groped/hit in the jhansi train station because i was not paying fast enough
• quote from richard's lonely planet: africa, the birth place of humanity and freddy mercury
• men flying kites from rooftops look like they were having a dance party (when you haven't realized they're flying kites)
• me and a monkey scared each other
• i watched a father bring his baby to the burning ghats and shroud it in white cloth. babies are not cremated but sent into the ganges to be eaten by the creatures of the ganges.
• came across the brahmin caste and their morning meditation
• watched children play afternoon cricket on the ganges
• riding on the train and listening to music from a time and place so different than the indian countryside, but still beautiful
• the sight of men disfigured and walking like crabs through the markets
• the bats flying over the ganges
• the sound of the ceremonial bells and song over the ganges
• being gay is illegal but there is a caste of men who dress as women and once a year conduct a festival of free sex. odd.
• watching a female goat running from a male goat for several ghats. really funny. i couldn't help her it seems.
• ingesting ashes and dust in the burning ghats and coughing. feeling as though i had entered into another world.
• walking everywhere carefully to avoid cow dung and other street delights
• overhearing men at a cafe discussing the problems facing indian children and how they're gearing up to start an organization. thinking about the children that i work with.

Places We Stayed (hotel means something a little different there):

• hotel rahul palace - delhi ok
• pearl palace - jaipur amazing
• hotel sheela - agra terrible but probably better in spring
• hotel sheesh mahal - orchha
• jhansi hotel - $17 jhansi terrible
• hotel alka - $20 varanasi amazing rm 101
• rak internation in paharganj, delhi decent and good spot to markets & train
• note: stay here one day in Udaipur: Dream Heaven Guest House
• note: stay here one day in Varanasi: Uma Guest House

Sounds of India:

• namaste
• hallo, hallo, hallo
• hello madame, come look, not need to buy, just look
• bollywood music
• horns, horns and more horns
• hindu puja chanting and bells
• foto. foto?

Charity Organizations to Donate to:

• Learn For Life
• Flying Kites
• Asif Tour Guide (095) 9818920540
• I India
• Ladli Jewelry Co-Op for Children
• Ujala Project