Catch up time...

Hi all,
I have been so busy the last few days - we've had access to the internet but I've been on a dead run. Attached are pics of our group at the Taj Mahal. The camel picture is taken from the train on the way from Jaipur to Agra where the Taj Mahal is. This is a 5 hour train ride from our hotel to the Taj and then back in the same day. The heat is unbelievable. I actually puked in the train station in Jaipur the morning we were leaving (mostly from taking my malaria meds on an empty stomach, but also from the smell and heat and lack of sleep). We have given "awards" to individuals who do the first ... vomit, pass out, cry... Although I did get the category of most graceful puker. Charlene says I vomit like a gazelle. NICE. Great thing to be known for.

The Taj was incredible. The food is incredible. Even the bugs are cool! Check out the grasshopper... yes Lauren... I'm posting bug pictures! [It doesn't look like the upload on this pic worked, so maybe I'll post the grasshopper later].

This blog will be mostly pics because the speed is really good on this internet. I'm using the one in the hotel in Mumbai. It's incredibly humid here. The poverty is very disturbing. There are 16million people (officially) and another 2+million unofficially that live in tents or make their own homes from wood and garbage and bags, etc. There is trash everywhere.

Delhi is more like a fast paced medium sized city. The traffic is insane, it is like bumper cars everywhere with bicycles and pedestrians competing as well. Jaipur is my favorite city thus far. I actually am in love with Jaipur. It is a lot smaller, traffic is still insane, but there is something about this place that pulls me. The infrastructure there is horrible though. Electrical wiring is exposed in the tangles on the sides of the street and there are holes in the sidewalk that would be difficult to get out of if you fell. They are multiple feet + deep. The smell here is of urine and incense and heat. It has a sweet odor to the air.

Mumbai is very different from either. There are so many people here. Everything is packed in and dirty. It's actually very difficult for me to continue to look at. It costs about $25-30 USD to rent a space about 10x5' and this is one level of a two level "flat."

It appears that the pics aren't uploading so I'll post this and check back in a bit to add more.