Blogs from Qutub Minar, Delhi, National Capital Territory, India, Asia

After a good workout in the hotel gym (I am traveling with Leo) and another great breakfast in our hotel, we met our driver (DP) and our guide for the day “Luke”. We headed from central New Delhi to Old Delhi to begin our touring. As we approach Old Delhi you can see how the buildings change. They are older and more compact. Our first stop focused on the Muslim residents of Delhi. Interestingly, although all religions appear to live with each other peacefully in Delhi, there is a definite divide in this part of town, the Muslim live on the ‘left’ and everyone else on the ‘right’. You could see the difference in dress and the stores on either side of the road. We made our way to the Jama Mosque, the largest mosque in ... read more

Living in India is not always easy (who am I kidding its NEVER easy) BUT its nearly impossible to live here without learning to "man up." Here is a list of skills I have acquired thanks to my wonderful life here in India. I will say that none of these skills are things I would have thought I'd have when I was a kid, but here they are! 1) How to successfully eat all types of food (including rice) with my HANDS! :) 2) How to squat in the bathroom and remained balanced enough that I do not need to TOUCH ANYTHING for balance (trust me, in India being able to not touch anything while in the bathroom is an EXTREMELY useful asset.) 3) How to wear a sari! ... read more

Ahhh the sari dresses!!! As a blonde girl I think its safe to say aloud: One of the reasons I came to India was for the sarees. My first experience flying into the Delhi International airport, was the first time in my life I saw a woman wearing a sari. Almost every woman on the plane that day seemed to be dressed in a gorgeous array of colors, bangles, necklaces, nose rings, toe rings and various shiny things. (Shiny things=Blonde girls kyrptonite) I was in absolute heaven when I realized that living in India meant getting to dress up in the sari dress. Whether attending a festival such as Diwali, or getting invites to a wedding, any occasion to wear a sari you can count me in. Putting on the sari takes a bit of practice--and ... read more

Anyone travelling to India on a budget will soon discover the joys of travelling via rickshaw. "Joys." My experience with the auto drivers can be summarized quite simply. "You need auto ma'am?? Auto??" "Haan auto to....(insert destination)... How much?" "Theek hai, ok ok 250 rupees." Now any foreigner not living in India and working off Indian salrary will think: "250 rupees?! Thats only $5 USD!!! Awesome! " Krystal, however is not one of those foreigners with American dollars. So here is how my conversations generally go: "250 Rupees!!! Nay Nay its 30 Rupees distance." "Ma'am 250 rupees." "Nay nay 50 rupees bes." Auto driver attempts to haggle for several minutes. I start to walk away in search of another Auto. "Ok ok ma'am 70 rupees." (And of course after getting into the auto and driving away ... read more