Thanksgiving in Paris!

We were lucky enough to spend an incredible week in Paris this year for Thanksgiving. I had been twice, but the last time was seven years ago, and Nate had never been! Rather than stay in a hotel, we rented a lovely apartment in the Marais district. It is a beautiful Paris neighborhood filled with locals, it was really easy to get around and absolutely charming - on every corner bakeries, chocolate, cheese, and of course wine shops! Because we had an entire week, we didn't have to rush sightseeing. We took in everything - museums, cafes, opera houses, just about everything! Nate really loved Paris - one of his favorite cities we've been to. Visiting France also marked his eleventh country (ten, not counting the US) so he's officially in double-digits. Not bad for a guy who didn't have a passport four years ago! ;) Some favorite pictures of our trip are below... we continue to be blessed continuing to travel and explore the world!

Who knows where our next adventure will take us? We're looking forward to the holiday season and the year ahead!

Upcoming Adventures Announcement: Thanksgiving in Paris!

Photo Credit: Steve Johnson, world's best photographer

I know what you're thinking... you're going on another trip!? Are you and Nate crazy?! Where do you find the time/money/energy for another big trip. Well, let's rewind... Last fall I got a serious case of cabin fever/wanderlust. Plans were underway for our wedding just under a year away - our two week honeymoon trip for summer 2014 was booked, but there was nothing on the horizon for the near future. I got the idea to go to Paris for Thanksgiving from a friend of mine who went for Thanksgiving in 2012. It's a great time to go, Paris is cold but not freezing, it's very low season for tourists, but the city is already decorated for Christmas. March of Dimes and Columbia were closed Wednesday-Friday so we'd only need two days off work - it was a brilliant plan!

Unfortunately, the reality of saving for 2014 caught up with us and we were unable to make Thanksgiving in Paris a reality in 2013. So as this year went on, we started saving and found a great deal on a beautiful apartment rental in Paris. After getting through this summer, we decided to book it! We'll spend seven days, six nights in Paris - I can't wait to show Nate the city. I have been twice, in 2005 and 2007, and I know he will love it! We plan to live like locals, shopping and eating some meals in our apartment similar to how we are when we travel to Rome. We can't wait!

In related news: this has inspired me to resume Rosetta Stone French practice! I hope I will get through some of the lessons and be somewhat useful our week in Paris.

NYC Bucket List: Governors Island

We finally had our first free summer weekend in NYC where we weren't too exhausted to do something fun! Between guests in town, our wedding, our honeymoon, and two trips to the mid-Atlantic (Kentucky and North Carolina) we have hardly been home at all! Last weekend we were treated to a cloudy (but not rainy) day so Nate and I decided to conquer something that's been on our NYC bucket list for FIVE SUMMERS - Governors Island! We first heard about Governors Island after moving here - one of Nate's friends, Katie recommended it for bike riding. Nate was missing his bike that he'd left behind in Florida for our move up north so we decided we HAD to check it out! Weeks turned summer to fall, and before we knew it our chance to bike Governors Island had slipped away. We decided we'd definitely go the next summer... and the cycle repeated itself.

We set off on the 2/3 train downtown, transferred to the 1 train to South Ferry. The ride to Governors Island is cheap - only $2 round trip! The ferry passes the Statue of Liberty (not closely, but you can certainly see it!). It only takes about 5 minutes to get to the Island, 10 if you include the wait time to embark/disembark. We really enjoyed the ferry ride - and of course, we snapped a selfie to commemorate it :)

Once we got to the Island we decided to walk around first, before committing to renting bikes. We walked to Fort Jay, the corner Castle, and through the Food Court before settling on Little Eva's Beer Garden for lunch. They had a cute seating area (as opposed to some of the other options, which were food trucks) so we settled in to enjoy summer beers and sandwiches. After lunch, we rented our bikes and spent an hour biking the perimeter (or as much as we could - a large part of the island is roped off for renovations - by 2016 there will be two huge hills on Governors Island with unobstructed 360 degree views of Manhattan, Jersey, and Brooklyn). Biking was a blast and the views were still amazing -  here's Nate biking towards the skyline, and me with the Statue of Liberty behind me:

 All in all it was the perfect day. It took about 5 hours, including the commute to and from our apartment. While I can imagine pictures would be better on a nicer day, the overcast skies kept a lot of people away so the Island was not crowded at all! I'd highly recommend it to anyone, especially on a cooler, overcast summer day! Bring an umbrella, just in case ;)

One final picture - panoramic of the view from Governors Island.

I Who Have Arrived in Heaven

Back at the beginning of the month, Nate, Jen and I waited in an insanely long line to view the art exhibition "I Who Have Arrived in Heaven" by artist Yayoi Kusama at the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea. The first exhibit, "Love is Calling" had a significantly shorter line, just about 10 minutes. It was really neat - these sculptures changed colors in the middle of an infinity room.

There was also a beautiful poem on the wall outside this exhibit that I thought was really pretty. It's called "Residing in a Castle of Shed Tears."

Residing in a Castle of Shed Tears

When the time comes around for people to encounter the end of their life

having put on years, death seems to be quietly approaching

It was not supposed to be my style to be frightened of that, but I am

In the shadows of my loved ones footprints, distress revisits me at the dead of night refreshing my memories

Being in love with and longing for you, I have locked myself up in this “castle of shed tears”

Now may be the time for me to wander off into the place, the guidepost to the other world points to

And the sky is waiting for me, attended by numerous clouds

Overwhelmed by your tenderness that has always encouraged me

I have been searching for “love” in earnest taking my wish for happiness along

Let me call out to and ask the birds flying about in the sky

I want to convey to them my feelings

Over many long years, with art as a weapon

I have treaded the path in search of love

During the days I have lived through keeping “despair”, “emptiness” and “loneliness” all to myself along the way

there were times when the fireworks of life “splendidly” adorned the sky

Dancing in the night sky in a myriad of colors, the fireworks sprinkled dust all over my body

I will never forget that exhilarating moment

Now I think is the time to dedicate my heart to you, my dearest

Was the beauty of the end of one’s life nothing more than illusion?

Would you give me an answer to this?

Devoting all my heart to you, I have lived through to this day

Hoping to leave beautiful footprints at the end of my life

I spend each day praying that my wish will be fulfilled

This is my message of love to you

The long wait was for the exhibit "The Souls of a Million Light Years Away." The reason for the wait is that each person gets to go in the room alone for just under a minute. You could take pictures, which was cool. You walk onto the platform, the rest of the floor was water. The walls were all mirrors and colored lights hung from the ceiling all around you. The mirrors had the effect of feeling like you were in heaven, among the stars. It was magical - and the minute honestly felt like eternity! The lights changed every few seconds so there were a range of effects you could see. Worth the wait, in my opinion! This is my favorite pic of the ones I took:

Nate and I have resolved to do more things like this in 2014! There are so many opportunities living in NYC - exhibits like this one only stay for a few weeks or months, if you're lucky. I'm so glad we saw this exhibit and look forward to more adventures in 2014!

Return to the Dominican Republic!

Finally - catching up on blogging! June has been totally crazy (!!) and just now able to catch up on all our adventures! So Memorial Day weekend in the Dominican Republic was absolutely amazing! We got lucky and had amazing weather our entire visit! The cool thing about this trip is we went totally different places than when I visited Jenni in January! We even flew into a different city! We started the trip in Santiago, the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic (smaller than the capital city Santo Domingo, which I visited my first trip!). Santiago was really cool and relaxing! We visited the Monumento a los Heroes de la Restauracion, a monument to those who fought in the Dominican Restoration War 1863-1865. That night Jenni took us to a great pizzeria and a casino where we had local Dominican beer. Yum! 

The next day we took the local transportation (buses that tend to fill up and become overcrowded called guaguas) to Puerto Plata. We stayed at the Riu Bachata resort at the west end of the beach - less touristy and not at all crowded! It was absolutely beautiful, with a nice pool and a beach covered with a shade of palm trees. It was my first time at an all-inclusive and I enjoyed not having to stress about paying for things - just rested and relaxed!

We were treated with warm but not hot weather - it never broke 90 degrees, but hovered in the mid to low 80s. Other than the occasional afternoon thunderstorm - for which we were usually inside napping - we had amazing weather. The water was a beautiful, clear turquoise blue!

My favorite moment of the trip had to be when we watched the sun set over the surrounding countryside. Of course I made Jenni and Nate pose for several rounds of photographs! But it was so worth it - the sunset was absolutely gorgeous! Jenni was a patient tour guide throughout our entire experience - and her spanish is super impressive!

It's hard to believe I've already been to this country twice and I already want to go back!!! Guess I'll have to be patient. All in all it was a wonderful trip, so excited to see my sister and spend quality time with her! Next time I'll see her will be in October, can't wait!

Catching up on May: Chef Adventures!

We had such a fun time in May going to not one, but two amazing James Beard Foundation Chefs events! The first was Chefs Night Out which was at The Plaza Food Court this year. Chefs Night Out is a late-night event, starting around 9pm (we were there early, didn't stay as late!). The food was amazing! There were French macaroons, sushi spreads courtesy of Sushi by Gare, lobster rolls, signature cocktails, prosciutto and more! It also marked a year since we met Janie and Russ, two of our great friends in the city! Chefs Night Out is the less formal of the two events, but we were still dressed up and of course took some pictures at the stop-and-repeat photo call!

The second night's event was the JBF Awards and Gala, which are hosted every year at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The Awards are always so much fun - it's so neat to see which restaurants and chefs win awards - some of them we've usually been to! This year Del Posto one several awards, including service, and that was Nate's first 5-star restaurant in NYC! We went in summer 2010 with my parents and Jenni! After the awards is a gala reception, with dozens of food and signature drink spreads. This year, our favorites included mini burgers, the momofuku milk bar dessert spread, and sushi (my favorite, of course!). My favorite part of the gala reception is going on the second floor terrace overlooking the fountain in Lincoln Center. We got lucky with amazing weather - nice and cool! We were also treated to a few celeb sightings including Martha Stewart, Mario Battali, and Emeril Lagasse! All in all it was an amazing evening and we had so much fun at both events!

Congratulations, Brad & Angelina!

Credit: Rex-USA

Hooray!!! For those of you who don't already know I'm a huge Angelina fan - now you do! I've followed her work in my field for years, and she truly talks the talk and walks the walk. She is finally engaged to longtime partner Brad Pitt, after 7 years and 6 children together! I think the story is really sweet - their children wanted them to be married like Shrek and Fiona. I also admire that they didn't give into pressure from the media early, and they are doing it on their own time. And it'll be something their kids will always remember. I think it's so important in life not to be judgmental, and I really admire how Angelina carved her own path, grew up in the spotlight, but found herself in an important cause and travelled the world, building a family and advocating on important issues. People in my field always describe her as being extremely well-educated on issues, which is very telling. She's defied the norms, managing to be both a credible advocate, a nurturing mother, and an action star all at the same time. So congratulations to you both, especially Brad, he is the lucky one! Haha! ;)

Weddings Vs. Marriage

So, like everyone else in the US that pays attention to/is amused by pop culture, I had a minor shock Monday when it was announced that Kim Kardashian was filing for divorce after 72 days of marriage. Now, to say I am deeply invested in her decision is not accurate. But it prompted me to think about some very serious issues surrounding weddings and marriage in our culture.

As a 26 year old woman in a serious, committed relationship bordering on 2 years, conversation inevitably turns to marriage. And I'm as guilty as anyone for bringing it up - it's definitely exciting to talk about when you feel like you've met the right person. However, this announcement yesterday got me thinking about what marriage means, especially marriage versus a wedding. A commitment versus a party.

A Wedding is Just a Party.

Now my close friends will laugh, knowing I've already thought through many details of the type of party - WEDDING - that I want to have. Guilty as charged! I know the details will be fun to plan.

But I started thinking about Kim Kardashian's story. Last fall, in 2010, her face was on the cover of People magazine with the caption "I thought I'd be married by now." I remembered thinking, how sad. Marriage is not a finish line... it's a benchmark, one of many in life. And it's not the only one that defines you. Then she started her whirlwind romance and wound up engaged 6 months later. I remember reading the article on her engagement... and thinking, this is all about the ring - this giant, over-the-top 20 carat diamond ring. It was all about her - her reaction, her surprise and shock, and her family celebrating her. The guy was just background filler - could have been anyone, really, as you were reading the article. Finally, her wedding magazine cover featured solely her - not her new husband - on the cover. It was all about the day, the dress, the jewels, the money spent on the party. Her bridesmaids got more coverage than the groom.

What's missing? Why am I so interested? Why do I even care to flip casually through these magazines, I wondered? And I yesterday when she announced her divorce, I was as guilty as anyone in reading articles on the demise, comment boards filled with "who cares?" and "no surprise!" messages.

Yet the same people watched her wedding special. Purchased the magazines featuring her on the cover. I was one of those people after all, I liked reading about the details and seeing the pictures too. So what's the problem? The thing is, society rewards this kind of behavior. It rewards the glamour and materialistic aspects of marriage. It focuses on the party, the amount of money spent, the size of the ring. And when things turn to divorce, no one acts surprised. Why buy into it in the first place? And why do we allow ourselves to feel like we should have the biggest of everything, as if that will make or break the union? To spend a fortune on a ring that you can't take with you. I'll admit there have been times I've worried about everything looking perfect. But I realized, just because something sounds perfect doesn't mean it is perfect. I already know a dozen people my age who are divorced.

I had a lightbulb moment (aha!) when I came to the realization that everyone should ask themselves before getting married: If getting married means no wedding, would I do it? No celebration, no white dress, no toasts, no flowers, no photographer. If it means signing a piece of paper down at City Hall and then going off and building a life together without any fanfare, just hard work. When you can say yes, I think you've found the right person.

My grandparents were married in a quiet ceremony, no diamonds, no glamour. And they were happily married for the rest of their lives, over 50 years, until my grandfather passed away. Those vows meant something to them, and I'm not saying they don't to everyone. But it's really, really tough. Good times and bad means after the photos are framed and the honeymoon ends and you're stuck with a mortgage and kids and not enough sleep and more than enough work to do, that you can look at each other and smile and still be best friends, still have that sparkle when you think about how you built your life together. That's what I saw in my grandparents. And that's what I want. And from this point forward, I resolve when the time comes, to keep perspective.

I'm not the expert - I'm not even married after all. But I see it everywhere, in all the bridal magazines and in coverage of pop culture events, that the obsession with weddings over marriage is the problem. And it's increasingly evident with high profile engagements, weddings, and divorces such as Kim Kardashian's. I'm not saying Kim Kardashian is blameless, nor am I saying she's a bad person, after all we all make our own choices and only we have to live with them. I'm also not saying that when the time comes, I won't be excited to plan all the details of my wedding and have one hell of a party. There's nothing wrong with envisioning a dream wedding and being excited to plan it. But the union is more important than the celebration.

A wedding is just a party.

Perfect Pairings: Wine & Cheese Class

For our birthdays this year, Nate and I decided to celebrate by doing things - not getting gifts. Our first treat was a Wine and Cheese Perfect Pairings class, taught by James Beard winner Max McCalman. We learned so much in one class - general tips on pairing types of cheese and wine, and then sampling 5 wines and 7 cheeses to discover our own perfect pairings.

We tried these wines:
-Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Chateau les Arromans Entre-Deux-Mers France '10
-Chardonnay Xavier Courthezon France '09
-Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon Chateau Les Arromans Bordeaux France '09
-Syrah Avondale South Africa '05
-Chenin Blanc Bonnezeaux Domaine De Mihoudy '05

And these cheeses:
-Manchester
-Stella Royale
-Terraluna
-Le Moulis
-Appenzeller
-Gouda
-Roquefort

Of the wines, my favorite to sip on would have been the Chardonnay - but surprisingly, I didn't like it best with any of the cheeses! My least favorite wine was the Chenin (too strong/sweet) but I absolutely loved it with the Manchester cheese. It was a "perfect pairing" for me! Other perfect pairings for me was the Appenzeller with the Merlot/Cab blend, the Roquefort with the Merlot/Cab blend, and my absolute favorite was the Le Moulis with the Syrah!

I highly recommend taking a wine and cheese class if you have time/availability in your own city! And if you're in NYC, I'd highly recommend Artisinal Wine & Cheese!

Welcome to the Neighborhood

After two months filled with moving and a lot of travel, we are finally settling down and we've had the opportunity to get to know our neighborhood! I've posted a map of the Manhattan neighborhoods (loosely defined) as a guide. I work at the UN - which is located in the "Midtown East" neighborhood. Nate works at Columbia University, which is located in the "Morningside Heights" neighborhood. So you can see our choice of picking Upper West Side was very strategic - it's in between our places of work! Nate takes a local train up 5 stops (72nd-116th) to Columbia, where I take the express train from 72nd to Times square (42nd street, NO STOPS) and then the Shuttle train across to Grand Central - arriving in Midtown East.

Beyond the location, which was ideal, the Upper West Side (UWS) is perfect for us in so many ways. It's a lively neighborhood and there are people out at all times of day. In the morning there's the work crowd, during the day there are some young families with kids out and about, in the evenings lots of couples like us walk the streets shopping, checking out restaurants, sitting on benches. We are located in the "heart" of the UWS at 72nd street and Broadway. The UWS stretches south past Lincoln Center into the mid 60s, and also stretches north to around the mid 80s. Its width covers from Riverside drive (which faces the Hudson River) up to Central Park. 72nd and Broadway is literally right in the middle - supported with a major subway stop where both the local AND express trains stop. Our apartment is at 71st and Broadway - literally across the street from the subway which makes commuting to work a breeze (in Brooklyn we were a 10 minute walk to the subway). We are also two long blocks (AKA, horizontal width blocks, not up and down vertical blocks) to Central Park. On nice days it's so easy for us to walk over to the park.


picture: a bridge in Central Park

We're also finding "our" places in the neighborhood. Right now our favorite sushi restaurant is Tenzan, which has the most unique rolls we've ever seen, including our favorite Green River Roll which has a jalapeno Mexican twist! Our favorite Italian is Pappardella, which showcases truly Italian recipes and a warm, cozy atmosphere. Both these restaurants are located along Columbus Avenue, which is the street between our apartment and Central Park (so one long block away). It has dozens and dozens of cute local restaurants - we are still finding the time and money to try them all!! We are also big fans of Harry's Burritos which is at 71st and Columbus. I'm starting to worry about the proximity to all the delicious food when we can't go out to eat every night!! Haha! Broadway and Amsterdam house banks, major stores (including Trader Joe's across the street - I couldn't be happier!). So we really have everything right where we are.


picture: Lincoln Center at night

We are a short walk from Lincoln Center, and we've been to one performance already of the New York Philharmonic. I'd also like to see the Ballet, Opera, and smaller jazz group performances. There's so much culture in our neighborhood, it seems like the possibilities are endless - which I know is the case in a city like New York City, but I'm finding it to be the case even in our neighborhood! Across from Lincoln Center is our favorite Mexican restaurant - Rosa Mexicano - which we've been to already a staggering 5 times! And we're going with friends visiting the city this month! Any excuse really... it has the best frozen pomegranate margaritas, made at your table fresh Guacamole, and Filete con Hongas - filet steak with mushrooms in a tequila cream sauce. YUM!

I can't wait to explore our neighborhood more. We already love it and we feel so at home! More soon on our beautiful apartment... stay tuned!

Final Thoughts from India

So I wasn’t able to post blogs continuously due to internet unreliability, so here is one long post with a few pictures to explain my journey and travels! First, the getting there. We arrived at the RDU airport at 11am. Our flight was at 1:50 and we flew to Chicago, where we had a 5 hour layover (actually longer, second flight was delayed). Next we had a 14 hour flight from Chicago to Delhi, India where we stopped for the night. The next morning we had a 5 hour drive to Jaipur, our final destination. On the way back it is even harder. We had a 6 hour drive to Jaipur (due to traffic), a quick dinner break then practically 2 hours going through airport security, customs, MORE security… it was intense! Our flight from Delhi departed at midnight, and is about 15 hours to Chicago. We land in Chicago early (5:30am Central Time) and have a 5 hour layover before boarding the flight to Durham (including claiming luggage, customs, rechecking luggage). Once in Durham (about 1:30pm) we pick up our bags and head back to Station 9. This was the plan, although our flight from Chicago was delayed over 2 hours and I had the “Delhi-belly” on both flights so I was in a lot of pain, but I finally got home and got to bed (much love to my EA for picking me up at the airport)!



Some final thoughts about India… it definitely resonated differently with me than my experience in Tanzania. In general I found Tanzania to be a warmer, more welcoming environment. I thought about why this might be, and I came up with a few comparisons. First, I was based in a rural area of Tanzania – Bagamoyo – along the coast. I lived in a house with a lot of luxuries and amenities, but still I felt immersed in the culture and the people. In India we were based in an urban city – Jaipur – and our other excursions were to Agra and Delhi, also large cities. We were also based in a hotel which in a sense I felt in a glass box a large part of the time – disconnected from the people outside my window. I had every luxury – clean room, warm showers, air conditioning, room service, and (somewhat unreliable) internet in my room. It was a strikingly different feeling, and I found myself deeply missing the connection.



In terms of the daily activities, our purpose in India was entirely different than Tanzania. We were there to offer business skills to a local entrepreneurship organization, as opposed to Tanzania we were there to learn and absorb the culture (as the primary activity). So the nature of the trip was different, and I realized I missed the daily interaction with local people, learning from them and engaging with them, learning about their individual stories and developing relationships. In another aspect, Indian culture seemed to me less open to outsiders than Tanzanian culture. In Tanzania I immediately felt welcomed and part of the lives of the families I met. In India there was greater hesitation – a great deal of staring and uneasiness at the sight of outsiders. In Tanzania the kids would run up to you freely offering hugs and love, here kids were certainly interested in us but I was not approached by them.



I tried to do justice to the observations of urban poverty in a previous post but I don’t think I captured it accurately. The things I saw in just a limited time were absolutely shocking to the core. I saw tent cities along the highway, where tents made up of a simple piece of wood and tarp of plastic served home to hundreds of people, including many children. In the cities, I saw children using the bathroom on the side of the road because there are no toilet facilities. I saw men brushing their teeth early in the morning with sewage gutter water. Before dawn, passing down the streets you can see wood cots that line the road where men, women, even children sleep out in the open, with no roof, covering their entire bodies with a blanket. It is all they have. In the slums of Jaipur there were once-streams of water filled with feces, pollution, garbage, and animals chewing through it all looking for any kind of nourishment. Most of the animals, like people, do not have enough food. I saw cows so thin their ribcages showed. Children run around often barefoot, covered in dust and dirt. They still smile and they are so curious about you yet very shy.



Shopping in India was strikingly different from Tanzania – even though bargaining was involved there the pressure to buy in Jaipur was overwhelming. The streets are flooded with shops and boutiques, selling everything from pottery to jewelry to saris and pashmina scarves. The pressure to buy reminded me a little of when you’d be at the beach in Bagamoyo or Zanzibar and people would approach you laying out what they were selling even when you said you weren’t interested. Perhaps because of the population density, but literally I found myself saying no thank you to 5 different guys at the same time, all pressuring me to buy bracelets or postcards or other trinkets. Even in some stores they wouldn’t listen, throwing dozens upon dozens of clothes at you. And you are supposed to negotiate everything – and it’s just not my style. If they say it costs X and I say Z and somewhere we settle at Y, yet still I feel like I’m cheating them or they are cheating me, depending on what you get. There were some in our group who thrived on the bargaining, but honestly when I liked something I got it, when I didn’t I walked away. It was just too much stress for me.



My limited experience in Jaipur showed me so many child beggers. I felt actually less guilty refusing them than I would have before watching Slumdog Millionaire, when you realize a lot of these kids just give the money to someone else because they have to. I wished I could send them to school, or something more sustainable. Unfortunately that dollar only hurts those kids, it doesn’t help them. Still, it broke my heart every time I walked away or pretended not to see them. I still tried to look at them, I couldn’t speak Hindi but I still wanted to communicate in some way that I cared. I feel that it was probably not successful, in all likelihood.



The touristy highlights of the trip included 3 main things for me: the trip to the Taj Mahal, a camel ride, and an elephant ride – all things I can knock off my “bucket list”. The Taj was everything I hoped it would be and more. It lives up to the hype – it’s just incredible, from the design to the size to the detail. Every angle, every design had thought, purpose, and meaning behind it. At the Taj we were surprisingly the minority – most of its visitors were Indian. I expected it to be something like the Colosseum in Rome where it would be teeming with foreign tourists. After our adventure though I realized I am one of few people in the world who will ever see this amazing building – even most Americans that make it to Colosseo and the Eiffel Tower do not get as far as northern India to see the Taj Mahal.



The story behind it I found to be exceptional as well – this king, after the death of his wife (who died in childbirth while delivering their 14th child) was so heartbroken (or obsessed, as some might say) that he spent all of India’s money for 20 years building the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for her. She is buried in the center of the building. The tomb is surprisingly small, in fact the large structure has walls so thick that the center chamber is actually quite cozy. After its completion, the king’s oldest son eventually overthrew him and jailed him in a fort where he could still see the Taj Mahal every day. It’s a magnificent structure, but it cost billions of rupees, used slave labor, and bankrupted a country for practically 2 decades. The king died 8 years after imprisonment and is buried in the tomb – but she is still in the center. This reverence for a woman was in these days and times a defiance of cultural norms – which I find to be the most fascinating thing about it.



The camel and elephant rides were also a blast, I can’t deny it! The camel ride was fun because you get to ride solo – it was like riding a giant horse. But sometimes the camel would turn its head around and look at me which really freaked me out – I thought he might spit at me or something! The elephant ride was my favorite. They are my favorite animal by FAR and the ride was a little longer than the camel ride too. Our elephant’s name was Bovi and he was really cute. He also stopped for a snack along the way, and arched back for a minute I thought Erin and I were gonna slide off! Of course it really wasn’t that bad at all I was just silly.



The other places we visited – Jaipur City Palace, the Agra “Red Fort” and Amber Fort in Jaipur were also fun excursions. But the top 3 will remain the camel ride, elephant ride, and the Taj Mahal. All in all, a wonderful trip.