Catching Up

So again, sorry for the lack of blogging during the past month. It was busy and hectic through December with holiday travels, etc. Things have now settled down here and I thought I would take some time to catch everyone up on what has been happening with me in India.

Love Nest Holiday Party:
To celebrate the holiday season, all the Seva Mandir volunteers gathered at the Love Nest for a nice dinner. Rather than trying to make food to feed everyone, we ordered from our favorite tifin service (delicious home made food delivered to your door). Along with the organic, vegetarian dishes from the tifin service, we also went out and purchased a few fried chickens.



Delhi:
Just before Christmas, I went to Delhi for the weekend with Alvaro and Fizzy. One of my fellow Fellows (Carolyn) hosted us and took us to an Amazing dinner at a local Korean restaurant. This was Alvaro’s first experience with Korean food so we went a bit crazy and ordered the left side of the menu. And half of the right side. Dinner was delicious and we were all fully stuffed for a few days afterwards.


But the main reason I went to Delhi was to meet up with my Arnab. We have been friends since college and were roommates in New York so it was really great to see another old friend and explore India together. His trip was short as he was only passing through Delhi to see his family in Kolkota, but we made the most of it and Carolyn took us to all the major attractions. Some of the highlights were Qutb Minar (victory tower), Humayan’s Tomb, the Lotus Temple, and Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India).

I also learned that Arnab really likes to take pictures where it looks like he is holding up a structure by the top.

Christmas - New Years:
Christmas was when things started to become a bit more hectic as I came back to Udaipur for a week to get some work done and meet up with my first visitor. One of my favorite Fellows (Pooja) was traveling in Rajasthan and brought her friends to come see the most beautiful city in India. Though they were only here for a few days, we were able to cram in a couple of Udaipur palaces, Khumbalgarh fort, Ranakapur temple, and a midnight Christmas service at the local Church of North India (all in Hindi, but a nice experience nonetheless).

After Christmas, I headed down to Goa. I met up with another Fellow (Hemant) and a few other Fellows met up with us during the few days leading up to New Years. Goa was without a doubt one of the most relaxing escapes that I have ever experienced. Many times throughout the trip I forgot that I was in India, before remembering what a diverse country India really is. We rented scooters during the few days we were in Goa and hopped from beach to beach. Top 3 highlights:

3. Cows on the beaches - Only in India.
2. Amazing sunsets - My favorite was drinking beers on the rocks
1. New Years - I have never been a big fan of New Years, but this one certainly did not disappoint. What started as a New Years Eve at Club Tito’s became a beach party with a bonfire, an awkward dance-off, and people getting dragged through the sand.

Ajanta-Ellora Caves:
On the way back to Udaipur, a few of the Fellows and myself stopped to see one of the main attractions in India, the Ajanta and Ellora Caves. On the first day, we went to the Ellora caves. Composed of 34 man-made carved monasteries and temples, the Ellora Caves includes Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain caves dating back to 600 AD. While all of the caves were interesting and beautiful, the most impressive by far was the Kailasa Temple. Built to represent Lord Shiva’s home, the Hindu temple was completely carved out of a cliff face. While we all appreciated the beautiful details and carvings of the temple as we walked around the inside, it was not until we climbed up around the back that we were really able to take in what a feat it was to create such a grand structure.

The Ajanta Caves, dated somewhere around 200 BC to 650 AD, were no less impressive when we visited them the next day. Unlike the Ellora Caves, the Ajanta Caves were actually discovered accidentally by a British hunting party in the early 19th century. The caves are filled with beautiful Buddhist paintings that remain surprisingly well intact despite their age. I prefer the sculptures and was my favorite of the weekend was probably the “sleeping Buddha” sculpture that must have been at least ten feet wide.

That's it for now, I'll write about my AIF midpoint retreat that I just returned from and my work projects in the next posting.