Earlier this month, I went up north to the state of Uttar Pradesh for work again. My colleagues and I traveled from Delhi to Mathura and Vrindavan on the first leg of our trip. As you can see in these photos, we spent an especially memorable afternoon exploring Mathura, a small city known for its many Hindu temples, some on the banks of the Yamuna River, one of India's holiest (and most polluted!) rivers.
During the past month, I've traveled a bit for work -- while interesting, visually it gets a bit repetitive (schools and kitchens)! So here are some rather random photos of Bangalore taken over the past several months. I don't take many photos when going about my daily life here, so these are far from representative of the city. But I hope you find them interesting anyway!
A few weeks ago, I met up with a couple of friends from DC in Goa. It was great to catch up with them, look at some pretty architecture, and eat good seafood, sausages and bread! While we did walk for a bit along one of Goa's famous beaches, we spent most of our time exploring the current capital, Panjim, and the old capital, Old Goa. Panjim has a laid-back atmosphere with colorful houses along narrow streets. We stayed in a quiet part of Panjim in a picturesque refurbished Portugese mansion, complete with antique four-poster beds! Old Goa is filled with churches, some now abandoned and in ruins, but others very large and featuring gilded interiors -- demonstrating the power and wealth of the Portugese several centuries ago. As I hope you can see in these photos, it felt *almost* like I had left India for a few days!
From the sea... to the mountains! The weekend after Christmas, we visited Ooty and Coonoor in the state of Tamil Nadu, colonial hill stations originally established by the British as summer headquarters. These photos show some of the lovely mountain views and tea plantations for which this area is famous -- I think deservedly so. We also enjoyed a taste of the Raj era while staying in a restored mansion, filled with antique furniture and fireplaces in every room!
Kerala's known as one of India's most beautiful states... a well-deserved reputation, as you can see in these photos. The weekend before Christmas, a friend visiting from NYC and I spent a few idyllic days there, staying at a small resort of cottages in Alleppey, with views of the water and hammocks to relax in! The highlight of our visit was a tour in a canoe, which allowed us float through some very narrow canals. We were privileged to observe life along the canals: the people there depend on the water not only for transport, but to clean their clothes and dishes, themselves and their children.
My work trip to the north of India took me only about an hour away from Agra, so I had to take a morning to see the Taj Mahal. It is a stunning sight. Agra Fort is another beautiful structure nearby. I doubt any photo can truly convey the magnificence of the Taj Mahal, but I tried my best with these.
