It took almost 7 hours in our bus to reach Jaipur from New Delhi. The journey was filled with plenty of traffic, honking, and cows started appearing in the streets just outside the city of Delhi. We stopped and watched a few men with carts selling bananas for the macaque monkeys surrounding them. People buy and feed the bananas to the monkeys.. as well as a few cows hanging around. It is believed that feeding the monkeys brings you good luck. Entering Jaipur, red flowers …
Asia
India… First Stop Delhi
Delhi was the first stop on our trip to India. After years of talking about it, a co-worker/friend and I finally made it to India. We started our trip with a tour with Gate 1 Travel which led us through Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Khajuraho, and Varanasi. Then we headed to Rishikesh on our own. We arrived at the New Delhi airport in the evening, made our way through customs, and found a taxi. It was a long ride to our hotel and traffic was CRAZY (at least compared to American …
Shanghai Stopover
Did you know that if you have a long layover in Shanghai, you can check out this Chinese city without applying for a visa? I found an amazing fare to India... but it had an 8 hour layover in Shanghai each way. I stumbled across some info on 24 hour -144 hour transit waivers/visas. All you need to do is fill out a departure card, show your onward ticket, and go through customs. Once through customs... we boarded the Maglev Train (a high speed train that takes you …
Cambodian Wedding
It's an honor to be invited to a friend's wedding... but when that wedding is in another country, with completely different traditions, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. This invite was to a Cambodian wedding. The festivities took place on the bride's family's land around their house in a small village less than an hour outside Siem Reap. A Cambodian wedding consist of many different ceremonies, each requiring different gorgeous garments for the bride and groom. Weddings …
Singapore
When I heard my next destination was experiencing a major flood, I did a quick search for a destination with a cheap last minute flight. The answer was Singapore! I hadn't done any research on this tiny country, but wikitravel helped me pick out some sights and have a fantastic time. It started with splendor and awe... I made it to the Bayfront on time for the light show. It exceeded my expectations! (Way more impressive than the Bellagio in Vegas) The fountains light up in various …
Discovering Brunei
As the plane descends to land at Brunei International Airport, an automated voice announces that the country has a mandatory death penalty for anyone caught smuggling drugs. I've certainly never considered smuggling drugs anywhere... but following this announcement I felt a bit compelled to check my bag, just in case someone snuck something in there during the flight. They did not. I knew about this prior to planning my trip, but hearing the announcement was still a bit unexpected. Entering …