INDIA
NEW DELHI
A modern day Hindu Temple welcomes people from all castes, quite a rare thing in India
This fabulous Bahai Temple is built in the shape of a Lotus blossom, one of only 8 in the world.
This Red Fort is similar to the one in Agra, near the Taj Mahal, where the territorial capital was once housed. Both were built around 1500-1600 and remain today as beautiful monuments to the governments and leaders who built them.
Humayun's Tomb, very similar in style to the Taj Mahal.
In ancient times, Marble was sculpted to look like lace covering the window openings.
Temples, Palaces and Monuments are beautiful to visit, but the people live and work in utter squalor.
DHARAMSALA
In search of peace and tranquillity, we traveled hundreds of miles north to Dharamasala, at the foot of the Himalayas, where the Dali Lama and his followers live in exile.
We did see some beautiful scenery along the way.
But for the humans, life is about the same, if not worse than in the crowded and polluted cities.
The people themselves though, are clean and well groomed, and the women are always beautiful in their brightly colored saris.
His Holiness lives of a relatively modern, well kept group of buildings that also house the Temple, the monks and a small community of Tibetan People.
Along the treacherously narrow and winding, unpaved mountain roads, full of potholes, we must have passed 50 of these brightly colored trucks, called "Goods Carriers". These, and about 20 buses, all make this 100 mile trek everyday, tearing up the roads even more.
TAJ MAHAL
There are not a lot of words to describe the Taj Mahal...
Whether viewed from up close,
Or from the Gardens,
Or from the River's edge.
It's probably THE most beautiful place on Earth.
I am so happy to have made this trip. My visit here was the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
Here's maintenance crew, using their most advanced technology to keep the grounds lovely for visitors.
GOA
We finally found our peace and tranquility on the southwestern coast of India.
Here, in the formerly Portuguese colony of Goa, was a quiet little hideaway on the Arabian Sea.
What a place to relax and rejuvenate after 6 months of traveling.
With gardens leading down to the shore.
Just a short distance from where the old Fort had stood.
With plenty of public transportation available.