India - different .....

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Here is a very quick first installment of our travels. We arrived in Delhi last Fri, but seems like weeka ago now. Straight away we were thrown in at the deep end. Our taxi ride from the airport was a indication o what was to come. Despute being three lanes separating the motorway, our taxi diver quite happil drove down the middle of the lane line, taking up two lanes, and we were to find this was the India way of driving. You cant drive without honking, but if you can drive in Delhi, you can drive anywhere else in the world, our taxi driver told us. Sure ...... Anyway, that day they were celebrating Dwali. It made our experience extra special as we were able to watch them celebrate what would be their version of Xmas. The fireworks were what can only be described as bomb blasts with sparkle. Trying to sleep after our long flight was a nightmare. It honestly sounded like WW3 had begun. We checked out the night market which was lit by candles celebrating Dwali. It's cheap to hire taxi drivers for the day over there, so for our first full day we used one to check out all that Delhi had to offer, including some amazing mosques and temples. The abandoned palace protected by the Red Fort was fantastic, though had an eerrie sense about it, as the derelict, lifeless windows looked out upon you. Tash being typical Tash also was 'skantily' clad, so for the running mosque we went to she was given 'buddist monk' type gear to wear, v chic.
Next day we spent a gruelling 9 hours round trip to Agra, but it was worth it to see the Taj Mahal. It was more spectacular that we could have imagined. It literally left us speechless, there is nothing like it. That journey was a real eye-opener to the way they live out there. Shanty towns lined the road for the whole journey to Agra. But constantly watching women dressed in brightly coloured sharis rush past on the back of motorbikes, casually perched on the back was always something to make the journey a little more light-hearted. It is hard to describe India as anything else but colourfully manic.
We're in Singapore now. Arrived today and have already had a good dent at what Singapore has to offer, including Raffles hotel, Marina Park, the Merlion, and war memorials. We really love it here, it's so cosmopolitan, and shockingly modern and clean compared to India. If you've ever been to Chicago, Singapore is that, but also so so much more!
We meet up with our tour group on Sat, when we'll then start our overland trek through Malaysia and Thailand, arriving in Bangkok 2 weeks later. Hopefully have lots of stories to tell you then!

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Photos

Taj Mahal, Agra
Stunning!