Tweets from the Golden Triangle

By now you are all familiar with my strong belief in the narrative power of Twitter.

140 characters don’t do much on their own, but once they’re strung together over the context of days, something magical happens. They provide a real-time pulse that more thoughtful summaries can’t capture.

Sometimes I’ll carry an interesting anecdote around in my head, but when it comes time to write a post, I realize it would take forever to explain the back story. Or it has nothing to do with the rest of the post, and would completely disrupt the flow. So they get lost, or relegated to journals, or just bump around in my head until some inopportune moment.

That’s why I like to include tweets from the places I visit as an addendum to each related post: they get their just due, and provide a record of what life was like, in that place, at that moment. Sometimes they chronicle a journey and deserve a post of the very own, as was the case with Tweets from Southern India and Tweets from Northern India.

Not to be outdone, the tweets from my latest India trip – to the monument-packed Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur – also clamored for their own post. This time I included far more pictures, and while I can’t insert them all on this page for fear of dire consequences, I’ve included links to each.

Namaste!

Grounds of Fatehpur Sikri, once- Mughul capital

• Anticipating a beef-free week for #FCIndia, Ben farewell-ed me with the best BBQd sirloin ever
• Made it to my Delhi hotel! I’ve been here before, but nothing quite prepares you for that first taxi
• Hair standing on end from all the energy filling a Sikh prayer room
• Girl perks: less crowded, female-only cars make the Delhi subway so much more manageable
• Delhi madness + Red Fort seen from India’s largest mosque http://twitpic.com/8q9e6b
• A Sikh volunteer cooking for the hungry – sharing resources is a tenant of the religion   http://twitpic.com/8q9hpj
• A quiet afternoon in Delhi    http://twitpic.com/8q9i30
• G-Adventurers volunteering for the hungry at a Sikh templelook at those boys roll it out!   http://twitpic.com/8q9j1u
• If they tell you it’s worth rising before dawn to see the Taj Mahal…BELIEVE THEM!!   http://twitpic.com/8qjyuf
• I’ve always been a fan of experiences over monuments, but maybe that’s because I’d never seen the Taj Mahal
• The only asymmetrical object of the #TajMahal is Shah Jahan’s tomb; his wife lies at the center
• After 22yrs of construction, Shah Jahan gave lifelong pensions to all the #TajMahal artisans, ensuring its equal would never be built
• Our hosts tonight are the friendliest of Indian families. We’ve been hanging out w the ladies, laughing and trying on saris
• Can’t quite say I’ve ever worn mirrors before (house party in Agra)    http://twitpic.com/8qo02r

Can’t quite say I’ve ever worn mirrors before (house party in Agra)

• Off to Bharatpur, a small Indian town w/ a UNESCO world heritage bird sanctuary, stopping at a Mughul capital on the way
• Driving thru country is fascinating: fields dotted w technicolor saris, circularly stacked dung patties, shrines in every village.
• At Fatehpur Sukriya we learned Akbar the Great had 3 wives: Muslim, Hindu and Catholic. Plus 350 concubines.
• We’re bedding down at a Ragasthani palace for the eve! No internet, but this country lives by mobile access so I’ll survive
• So far we’ve seen monkeys, antelope, camels, and a ton of birds. Tomorrow we’re leaving for Jaipur in search of elephants…
• Up late w fellow travelers-has it only been 3 days? Love when u gel instantly w ppl on the road
• Rural school children take shifts in class; 3 classes to a room (just facing diff directions)   http://twitpic.com/8reb8s
• Saw family huts, buttermilk making, and-oh-an 8th c bath house!   http://twitpic.com/8recv2
• Thrilled to be in Jaipur, heading out for a bollywood movie and the best lassis anywhere!
• Bollywood comes to life under the tinted lights of the Raj Mandir movie theater, Jaipur   http://twitpic.com/8rj2vz
• Unreal beauty at Jaipur’s City Palace-think I should reincarnate as either a dove or a majaraja so I can live there
• G-adventurers rockin’ some serious bling Rambaugh Palace, Jaipur    http://twitpic.com/8s24bf
• The photo’s funny, but wait till you see the video!    http://twitpic.com/8s88wm
• Our last day of the (official) tour Can’t believe we’re splitting up…it’s amazing that 15 strangers got along so well
• Even more amazing: 1/2 the group changed their plans so we could travel together longer! How many tours can say that?
• Could you resist this face? Child selling powders for the festival of colors    http://twitpic.com/8scfzn
• #AirIndia change fee was twice that quoted by the call center. My rickshaw driver commiserates, “Yes, this is India…”
• Anyone on the market for large vats of clarified butter?    #TTOT  http://twitpic.com/8sn597
• 7 hr train journey to Udaipur beginning . . .now!
• Our rickshaw driver had no fear. Way, way too close!     http://twitpic.com/8sn645
• Making lassi cups (so much cheaper than plastic)     http://twitpic.com/8sn6ng
• Stacked cow dung patties (biofuel)…strangely artistic     http://twitpic.com/8sn79n
• Migrating geese from Siberia at Kaladeo Nature Reserve     http://twitpic.com/8sn7qg
• Our royal palace/hotel outside Bharatpur – wow!    http://twitpic.com/8sn86m
• Arrival Udaipur- moonlight shimmering on palaces + lakes truly makes it the most romantic city in India
• How many Indians can you fit in one tuk tuk?     http://twitpic.com/8sn8qg

How many Indians can you fit in one tuk tuk?

• *Welcome to paradise* morning view from Narayan Niwas hotel, Udaipur     http://twitpic.com/8t1oxa
• The once-seat of the Mughul Empire: Fatehpur Sikri    http://twitpic.com/8sn9as
• Rajasthani eld-eld-elder     http://twitpic.com/8t1lkn
• Last night we dined on our rooftop, bombarded by silence for the first time in a week #Udaipurhttp://twitpic.com/8t1ptj
• The city of Udaipur as seen by boat http://twitpic.com/8tf4gt
• G Adventurers buying colored powers for the big event: today’s festival of colors    http://twitpic.com/8tf4xl
• Our gAdventures group has survived #Holi – barely http://twitpic.com/8tkdyq
• Our guesthouse mascot gets in the #Holi spirit http://twitpic.com/8tkakd
• No matter how cute, don’t trust her – she’s armed! #Holihttp://twitpic.com/8tkfn9
• Addicted to photographing Udaipur-my last day! On to Istanbul next wk    http://twitpic.com/8tvp55
• So curious about these village schoolchildren-were they rushing to finish homework?   http://twitpic.com/8ty5dp
• Is it just me, or does it look like this cow is praying?     http://twitpic.com/8ty6p4
• Makes your jaw drop-woman carrying a bundle as large as herself    http://twitpic.com/8tyare
• Roadside rest stop, India   http://twitpic.com/8ty7vn
• Even cows need a bath     http://twitpic.com/8ty9c4
• Throw a stone and you’ll hit a water palace / Udaipur    http://twitpic.com/8uyb1j
• My long-haul flight seemed luxurious after enduring an Indian train. TY God for movies, seat cushions + flushable toilets
• My post-India ritual never varies: 1. long hot shower; 2. big salad; 3. drink tap water, just because I can #littleblessings
  

  Throw a stone and you’ll hit a water palace, Udaipur

**Special thanks to Flight Centre UK with the help of G Adventures for making this trip possible**

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