5 Top Favourites

Each of us are going to list our favourite 5 places or things in India......

-Puri: A good beach setting that I hardly got to enjoy. Best way to spend a day is sitting on the porch soaking up the beauty of the garden around. I especially liked Puri because the people were so friendly and layed back (taking dishes from any restaurant and returning them later, paying days later etc.)! And you just can't forget "Bird Lady"!

-Hampi: I really liked Hampi just for its unique setting and the laziness of it all. Hot sunny weather, palm trees, tropical fruits and beautiful scenery!

-Hassan: Just outside of Hassan we found beautiful Jain temples! I love how you can walk anywhere and everywhere having absolutely no restrictions even on/in 900 year old temples! Sandra being able to share the experience and making it even more of a blast!

- Orchha: Just a simple town with a peaceful river and ruins all around for a good day of sight seeing. Again, having no restrictions or limits. Wandering in and out and about, up and down skinny passage ways and staircases. It is also a good break from all the busy cities and people buzzing around constantly!

-Bikaner: Just one of those places you don't find very often. One of the best memories, arriving by train and catching a ride, cramming not 3, not 4, but 5 people AND all our big back packs into a tiny tuk-tuk and driving through the early morning fog! That was one of those kinds of things you just had to be there to appreciate how crazy we really are. Bikaner itself was a nice, quiet town and I saw, for the first time, camels pulling wagons with monster truck wheels everywhere!
Savannah


-Hampi: I loved the setting of a tiny village amongst the ruins, banana plantations and giant boulders. Also being free to roam the ruins without anyone around. Seeing the sunset from high above the village on a hilltop.

-Puri: Is on my list because the part of town we stayed at was so layed back. The people left you to fend for yourself. Sometimes a little too much but a very pleasant change. If the shop keeper didn't have cold water in his shop he would send you across the street to a different place, that's how nice they are. Our hotel's garden was great.

-Jaisalmer/Camel Safari: Sleeping beneath the brilliant stars on the sand dunes under a pile of warm blankets after a campfire of twigs with singing from our guides. Jaisalmer's roof top looking out on the daily life below and the sand fort.

-Kanyakumari: Sitting on the southern point of India. Looking out at sea, sitting in the sand and yapping with the poor lady selling bobby pins for the afternoon. Hearing all about her experience with the Tsunami. This was definately one of those memorable days.

-Jain Temples Near Hassan: Of all the temples, churches etc. that we have seen, I love the Jains best. They have amazing detailed carving work. I could spend days just looking at it all!

Honourable mentions: It's too hard to stick to 5 so I must add Ellora Caves, Taj Mahal because I get to mark it off my to do list, and of course our four great visitors; Brittany, Sandra, Alysha and Paul! It wouldn't have been the same without them!!
Maggie the mom


-Golden Temple in Amritsar: So clean, so organized, and the people didn't care if you were there or not so you could just sit back and watch all of the pilgrims without feeling out of place. The whole free food and welcoming atmosphere of the Sikhs was great.

-Rat Temple near Bikaner: Damn, that place was cool! A temple dedicated to rat worship is so out there you just have to go. It blew me away!

-Burning Ghats in Varanasi: Another thing you just have to see to believe. So open to view I could have stayed there all day watching.

-Hampi: For reasons already stated above.

-And any time spent wandering around with Alysha. She is an inspiring person to travel with and got me into all sorts of weird places, especially in Jaisalmer!

Honourable mentions: The Ellora Caves and any Jain Temple is worth seeing.
One thing I still haven't figured out is what is the circle inspector of police? We saw signs for the office of the circle inspector of police all over in the south. What kind of job is that?!
Ammon


-Kolkata: All the fun people

-Delhi: More fun people and good shopping

-Amritsar: For the golden temple. It's so cool.

-Taj Mahal: With Sandra and Alysha at the same time. I also got to knock it off of my to do list!

-Hampi: It's like the flintstones!
Breanna