After quite a bit of delay (drumroll!), my India photos are finally up and (mostly) organized. Here's a quick recap of the adventure.
Full photo album here.
Map of where we went.
India-Nepal | August - September 2009
Week 1-2: Chennai (Madras), Southern India: I began the trip by helping to coordinate my company's bi-annual international conference. I work in "development finance," and my company helps banking institutions (including microfinance banks) in Asia and Africa improve their management, structure, and skills. This conference, we worked with 10 Asian banks' senior management. (Here's more information on the conference.)
Week 3: Delhi - Kathmandu, Nepal: After I finished my work, the real fun began! My friends Amber (graduate school), Ken (high school), Elizabeth (work), and my sister Kiki joined me in Delhi. They made a quick trip to Taj Mahal in Agra while I recuperated in Delhi. We flew to the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, where we saw tons of Buddhist "stupas", colorful prayer flags, thankas (religious paintings), prayer wheels (which I LOVE!) and some pretty cool Hindu sights too (here is one: the holy waters of the Bagmati River, where bodies are cremated).
Week 4: "Little Tibet" (Ladakh) and Kashmir, Northern India: After a few travel delays (weather, scheduling, etc.), we ended up flying into Srinagar, Kashmir in Northern India and taking a 13-hour "high road" drive to Leh. (This is another website that describes the trip pretty accurately.)
The trip is not for the faint of heart; the 475 km National Highway 1 is closed from October - March because of Himalayan snow. Along the way you will see some of the most beautiful mountains, valleys, and the occasional army checkpoint. (Well, you'll see those things if you a) don't have your head buried into your hands out of horror at the extreme drop-offs, b) are willing to look past the enormous trucks that insist passing you at frightening speeds and on areas of the road that are not two vehicles wide, and c) don't actually die by falling down the mountain on the washed-away areas of the mostly unpaved road.)
We had to purchase Buddhist prayer beads and drug ourselves on dramamine to get ourselves back down.
We did actually make it to Leh, which is a beautiful Tibetan town in in India. Although we traveled all that way to make their annual "Leh Festival," it was conveniently closed that day (yes, think Griswold family vacation). We enjoyed ourselves, nonetheless and visited several monasteries there and on the way back, including Hemis and Lamayuru.
Finally, we spent our last couple of days in Srinagar, Kashmir, which is an absolutely beautiful city with classic houseboats on the Dal Lake.
Week 5: Himalayas: Kiki left and I decided to stay an extra week to go "trekking" in the Himalayas with some new Israeli, Austrian, and Germany friends I'd met. The views were breathtaking, the local gypsies were entertained by our inability to keep up.
Don't forget to view the map!
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