National Gandhi Museum and Indira Gandhi

My first tourist destination in New Delhi was the National Gandhi Museum. I enjoyed the visit so much, that I returned for a brief visit on my last day in Delhi. I recorded the video below to share some final thoughts on my trip to India.

I also need to make a few corrections from the video. On my first day in Delhi, I also visited the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. Before entering the museum, my driver told me that it was a memorial to Gandhi's daughter. I believed him, but I did not understand why none of the exhibitions focused on her relationship with Gandhi. There was only one picture of Indira and Gandhi, so I kinda trusted that the driver was right. Well, she was not his daughter. Indira was, however, the first and only woman Prime Minister in India. Indira served as Prime Minister for three consecutive terms, and was assassinated during her fourth term in 1984. I really enjoyed learning about Indira. It turns out her real father, Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. I also learned that she was a tough and incredibly intelligent woman. Indira was able to command respect from strong, male dominated political system and was a very effective political leader. Her policies were innovative and focused on improving agriculture in India in order to reduce famine. I had never heard of Indira Gandhi Nehru, but I am so pleased to have learned about yet another fascinating woman leader. It was very empowering witnessing her life through photos, old personal files and books, news headlines and the many awards she received throughout her life. If you ever have a chance to look her up, do so. Her story is inspirational.

Indira's museum also included a memorial to her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv was selected to take his mothers place after her death, and become the 7th Prime Minister of India. He was later killed during a bomb attack by a separatist organization. I mention both Indira and Rajiv in my video, but was not aware at the time that there was no relation to Mahatma Gandhi. The picture included in this entry is of Indira and Gandhi sometime in the 1930s.

I hope you enjoy the clips. I also mention a radio address by Martin Luther King, Jr. in the video and I have added an audio link to that address. In addition to my video, I have included a brief video of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum that I found online. Lots of love to you.

Martin Luther Kind, Jr. Radio Address after Mahatma Gandhi's death

http://stream.state.gov/streamvol/libmedia/india/13974/mlkradioaudio/mlkonair1959.mp3

Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle circuit in India includes Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. It usually takes about seven to eight days to complete the trip. I had only four days. To see nearly everything, I was on the road by 6am. The cities are about four to six hours apart from each other. I have posted quick summaries, pictures and videos below that will give you a better glimpse into my golden triangle adventures.

Delhi

The first stop was New Delhi where I was able to visit the National Gandhi Museum. This place was peaceful and serene. The site of the museum is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life before being assassinated. A small monument is built on the spot where he was shot and killed. I really enjoyed visiting the museum and learning more about Gandhi.

I also saw the India Gate, but to be honest, I did not know what the big deal was. Later I learned that it is the largest war memorial in India and the national monument of India. Considering how hard India fought for its independence from the British, its size is very appropriate.

Delhi: Gandhi Museum

Jaipur “The Pink City”

The second stop on my tour was Jaipur where I got to see the Jaigarh Fort and the City Palace. The Jaigarh Fort was built between the 15^th and 18^th centuries. The main highlight of the fort is the Jaivan Cannon. According to one of the guards that I spoke to at the fort, the cannon is supposedly the largest cannon in the world. Frankly, I didn’t care too much for the cannon. All I could think was, “Great, another massive weapon to kill people.” The guard, however, seemed very proud of the cannon. I took pictures for my father. He likes that kind of stuff. Personally, I preferred the scenic views from the fort.

The fort as a structure is beautiful. The colors of the walls are a rustic red and orange that look absolutely stunning from afar. I had a lot of fun taking pictures at this fort. There were little nooks around the walls. It took a few shots to realize that the cute nooks were used by soldiers to shoot their rifles. See the pictures for yourself and let me know what you think.

The City Palace is a major tourist attraction in Jaipur. There are many buildings within the palace and not all of them are open to the public. The palace was beautiful. My driver, Mr. Singh, had a great time taking pictures for me and of me. I was very amused as he stopped and decided where I should pose for a picture. There really isn’t much more to say about the fort or the palace. I think the pictures will do the talking. Also, you can see me talking in brief clip below of the drive into Jaipur.

To learn more about Jaipur, click here http://www.jaipur.org.uk/index.html

Jaipur: Jaigarh Fort

Jaipur: City Palace

Agra

The third stop was Agra. The main attraction here was the Taj Mahal. This beautiful tomb is located in one of India’s northern states, Uttar Pradash. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Do you know why she was his favorite wife? The rumor is that she was the only one that gave him children. But the crazy part is that the Taj is her tomb. It also holds the remains of the emperor. No one ever lived there. It serves no purpose other than to bring in tourists and hold the remains of the emperors favorite dead wife. I realize that I may sound a bit callous, but still. It took 22 years to build the Taj Mahal and it is a tomb. That said, the Taj is beautiful and the craftsmanship is incomparable to anything else I have ever seen. Well almost. Nearly one hundred years before, Agra Fort was built and the palace and mosque withing the fort also had very similar craftsmanship. The most amazing part is the skill and patience it took to cut and lay the jewels into the white marble that makes up the Taj Mahal. The architecture is quite remarkable. I tried to take lots pictures with details so that you can see that it is not all just white marble.

I was happy that I made it to the Taj. It was a dream come true. Although I was not completely blown away by what I saw, the journey to the Taj made it a memorable and unique experience. See the clip below and meet my tour guide, Raj.

Diana at the Taj Mahal

Despedida de Soltera

I first traveled alone when I was twelve years old. My parents sent me to Guatemala for a month to visit my family. I remember my mom being very nervous and both of us having to drum up the courage to make it look like what I was doing was very normal. My family and everyone I met in Guatemala keep saying how brave and adventurous I was for travelling alone. Ever since that trip, I have had to drum up the same courage every time I embark on a new journey: leaving to Wisconsin for college, moving to Washington, D.C. and then New York, my trips to Europe and now my adventures in Southeast Asia. In some ways, despite the bumps in the road, it has always been easy leaving, but I have always felt like I was keeping a secret. One side of me has always felt very confident and secure about my travels and my decisions, but until recently I did not realize that some of that drummed up courage was forced and that I had kept this as a secret even from myself. It was as if I needed to keep a strong face so that no one would question my decisions and so that no one would worry about me. I started to realize this in New York, but it did not hit me until I arrived in New Delhi. I booked my trip to India while I was still in the states and purposely booked it for a longer stay than Bridget because I could not see myself visiting India without seeing the Taj Mahal. After spending two weeks cuddled and cradled in Bangalore, I left to northern India to visit the golden triangle, which includes Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. I was not excited about traveling alone, particularly in India, but my trip was booked and I either flew back to Thailand without seeing the Taj, or I drummed up the courage to accomplish what I had set out to do months before.

I arrived in New Delhi on a Thursday morning without a hotel reservation, or any idea of how I would get around. I simply placed my bets on figuring it out when I got to the airport. I had done some research online and read a bit from my Lonely Planet book, but for some reason, it was not making sense. In Cambodia, Carla and I simply winged it, and it worked. This time, however, flying solo seemed to throw me out of whack. In my head, no matter how much I read, Delhi seemed like this massive mush that I could not get my head around.

It was only a four day solo trip, and although I have travelled alone for weeks at a time, I was not prepared for my emotional breakdown in Delhi. There were a few mishaps that propelled the break down which included a canceled credit card due to fraud, an expired debit card that contained my emergency funds, a bank that did not know where the new debit card was, and dwindling cash flow. All I could think was, “how the heck am I going to pay for my hotel tomorrow morning?” I have been in more pressing situations in the past, and everything except that hotel night was paid for, but I think this situation represented something bigger for me. I realized that I was done traveling alone and I was done trying to be courageous.

By morning, mom and dad came to the rescue. I had called my dad the night before and I literally could not get the words out “I need $30 to pay for my hotel.” All the credit and debit card mishaps did not matter. The bottom line was that I was asking my dad for $30 and it hurt more than anything I can remember. It was then, and now as I write, that I realize how tough and strong I have been trying to be for so long. This toughness has served me well in my thirty years of life. I am grateful and honor my efforts, but the universe could not have sent a clearer message. No matter how successful, all my tiring efforts at trying to do it alone, with no help, may no longer be the best option anymore.

Having arrived at the decision that this was my last trip alone, I decided to really enjoy the four days to the fullest. It took some work to sit with my new outlook on life. The new outlook is, “It doesn’t need to be so hard, you don’t have to be so tough, and it’s OK to ask for help.” With this realization, I dubbed my trip “mi despedida de soltera.” In Spanish, this phrase refers to a farewell to the single life for women that are going to be married, which is also known as the bachelorette party in English. Now, I am not announcing that I am getting married, but I am announcing that I am done with the old and ready for the new. My “despedida de soltera,” or my good-bye to going at it alone, seemed to be the most appropriate phrase to capture my four day trip in northern India.

Pyramid Valley

Friends! I have just returned to Bangkok from a spectacular three week adventure in India. As I mentioned before, Bridget and I embarked on our India adventure together and enjoyed our stay with Anita. Anita is retired, and nearly two yeas ago, left her super powerful business life behind in San Diego and ventured into a 24/7 spiritual journey that includes daily meditation. For these reasons, Bridget and I were excited about coming to India and learning more about meditation through Anita.

We wasted no time diving into meditation. On our first day Anita took us to Pyramid Valley just two hours south of Bangalore. The main attraction at the Pyramid Valley campus is the Maitreya-Buddha Pyramid which stands 104 feet tall and can hold up to 5,000 persons inside. The main purpose of visiting the pyramid is to meditate. During different times of the year, communal meditation sessions and retreats take place. According to the Pyramid Valley website, an enourmous amount of energy is stored within pyramid structures, which makes it a much more powerful meditation experience. Two-thirds up from the base of the pyramid is a platform where anyone can sit and meditate. Meditating at this level is said to increase healing energy and alter one's state of consciousness.

Before learning about this and not really knowing the purpose and effects of pyramid meditation, Bridget and I willingly and happily went for the two hour drive to Pyramid Valley simply because Anita suggested it. We learned that our blind faith in Anita paid off as we all had quite an interesting experience during the pyramid meditation. I have been meditating for nearly four years now and enjoy it very much, but my meditation at Pyramid Valley was different than other experience. During my meditation, I literally felt like I was being cradled in two enormous arms. I knew that I was in the pyramid physically, but during the meditation I was very far away. I experienced a number of other things, but being cradled was by far the most unique effect. Because I was aware of my physical body lying on the pyramid platform, and because I felt like I was floating, I decided to come back just in case something was wrong and make sure that the platform wasn't about to collapse. I started to come back by feeling the cement ground with my hands, then the metal railing. I opened my eyes and confirmed that the platform was definitely NOT moving. I was relieved but more excited about going back into the meditation and floating once again.

Anita and Bridget also felt a unique sensation during their meditation. Anita felt like she was floating and Bridget felt like she was experiencing a mini earth-quake. Bridget wasn't convinced, and Anita had to show Bridget that the platform was made of cement and not suspended by cables. As we left the pyramid, Anita spoke to one of the staffers and was informed that the floating sensation was the soul rejoicing and speaking to us. How happy I was to learn that my soul simply wanted to cuddle.

I recorded a clip right after the experience and I have included it below. I am also sharing pictures of the pyramid and the road trip to the pyramid campus. If you are interested in learning more about Pyramid Valley and the positive effects of meditation, please visit http://pyramidvalley.org/home.htm

Pyramid Valley

Curry in a Hurry

Friends! It's been too long. India has been wonderfully amazing. I travelled from Bangkok to Bangalore with my friend Bridget. We first met in Washington, DC. nearly four years ago. Bridget and I have not seen each other in about two years and during that time we did not keep a tight phone or email connection, but each communication was solid and meaningful enough to bring us together in India. During one of our phone conversations, Bridget shared that she was meant to come to India and I could not help but ask if I could join her. Sharing this time with Bridget has been a gift in itself. We are staying with her very good friend Anita. They are powerful women and it has been a true blessing sharing the last nine days with them. Although Anita and I have just met for the first time, the three of us built a tight circle almost immediately. They are both warm, loving, accpeting, strong, intelligent women, and I feel so very lucky to be surrounded with so much positive love, light and energy every day.

Through Anita, Bridget and I have met many wonderful friends, all on a spiritual path and part of Anita's spiritual family in Bangalore. Thanks to Anita, we have indulged in delicious home cooked Indian meals everyday. For those of you who know me well, I am not big on spicey foods, but I feel like I am eating like a Queen in India and loving every bite. I am realizing that maybe I should have just written a food blog instead of a travel blog. Many of the highlights of Thailand, Cambodia and India have been the food! But I would not think twice about changing the food for the company and my lovely friends that I cherish.

I have many stories to share, but will write in more detail when I return to Bangkok. I leave for Delhi on Thursday. That should be fun. I will continue to post pictures. Love you all!