Dates: 06JAN-12JAN2026

Locations Visited: India’s Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra &, Jaipur

Summary: It was a “bucket list” trip for me to travel to India, but Tony was never interested in visiting so I have never gone there. When an opportunity presented itself to go on a tour to India with a friend, I jumped at the chance. The first part of my India trip included visiting the cities of the Golden Triangle and Varanasi by bus and the second part of the trip was on a river boat cruise along the Ganges River departing from Kolkata. While this trip was both a cultural shock and a sensory overload experience, it was also an opportunity for me to practice gratitude for the life I have and often take for granted. The people of India showed me immense kindness and incredible hospitality at every opportunity. Although I became sick during the trip (more on that in Part 3 😊), I would very much consider returning to India in the future to explore other parts of this vast country. While India is a country of poverty, pollution, 1.4 billion people living in a high-density chaotic environment, I also found it was a place where people wear beautifully colored clothes, cook with spices to produce gastronomic delights, have genuine community interactions with each other and the people show a dedication to their traditions and rituals which deeply connect them to their spiritual beliefs. India is a beautiful country of contrasts and people either love or hate visiting, but I am definitely in the former camp.

Tampa to Delhi, India (Days 1-4): I flew from my mom’s house in Tampa, FL to Delhi, India with a connection in Newark, NJ. It was a long, but uneventful, flight which took me 21 hours of travel time. I had planned to sleep for most of the long flight, but my excitement level did not allow for any sleep. There is a time difference between Arizona and Delhi, India of 12 ½ hours so my sleep and wake cycles needed to be completely reversed upon landing. As soon as I walked outside the doors of the airport, my sensory overload began with the sound of constantly honking vehicle horns and people shouting, the bright lights of the headlights and street signs but mostly I was aware of the thick, strong odor from the pollution, burning of garbage/cow dung and dust all mixed together. A driver took me to the Taj Mahal New Delhi hotel which was the opposite of my initial experience of India as it was calm and elegant and decorated with beautiful flowers.

My travel partner, Susan, arrived shortly after my arrival and I was therefore able to get a full night’s sleep. The next day was spent relaxing, recovering from jet lag, exploring the hotel, and meeting the other 12 people and our guides for the tour.

The next day, our tour began with a full day bus tour around Delhi which included stops at: Jama Masjid Mosque, the UNESCO World Heritage designated Red Fort Complex, a pedal rickshaw through Chadni Chowk (a large market) and to two additional World Heritage designated sites called Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar.

After my first day on the tour, my impressions of India were: 1) While Delhi is the 2^nd largest city in the world with a population of 35 million people, the physical density felt much higher than when I visited Shanghai China which is the 3^rd most populous city. 2) The traffic was never ending with pedestrians, dogs, livestock, bicycles, rickshaws, Tuk Tuks, cars, motorcycles, and trucks all competing for the same limited space. Traffic rules weren’t followed and the horns were used liberally to help orient other cars/motorcycles/trucks to their spatial location as all were so close to each other. 3) Delhi has consistently been named one of the cities with the worst air pollution and has roughly 10x the World Health Organization (WHO) annual guideline value for safe living and I can attest that this is true.  While I wore a face mask while in Delhi, my eyes and throat felt the burning sensation related to the poor air quality after the first day.

Agra (Day 5): Our tour bus drove 130 miles SSE from Delhi to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. This was my first experience driving on the highways of India and getting out of the city and seeing the countryside. The expressways were smooth and well-maintained but there were frequent speed cameras so our bus driver would drive faster in the distances between the cameras and then slow down going past the speed cameras. We had an EXCELLENT bus driver and he skillfully navigated all the highway speed cameras and navigated this giant tour bus through the heavy congestion getting out of the city of Delhi which was mostly gridlocked for miles. We also had a driver’s helper on board our bus and his primary job was to assist the driver with navigation and getting around obstacles, but he also served us snacks and cold water intermittently which kept the group happy. The bus itself was genuinely nice with cushioned and reclining seats, large windows, air conditioning, and a bathroom. The air pollution in the countryside was no better than in the city. The practice of stubble burning (or intentionally setting fire to crop remains) was a contributing source of the severe air pollution we were experiencing. I continued wearing an N95 mask, but despite this my eyes still burned and my throat felt raw.

We checked into another Taj Hotel; the Taj Hotel & Convention Center Agra and I immediately realized not all Taj hotels were created equal. Our room location was less than desirable and the pollution was present both in the rooms and in the lobby so I felt like there was no escaping it. In addition, my hotel room was placed directly below the roof top banquet hall where there was a large Indian wedding taking place complete with DJ. Our guide tried to resolve the issue but the hotel staff lied to him repeatedly and the hotel did not handle this situation properly. Therefore, no sleep was had until after midnight.

Agra is known for its famous unique white pumpkin candy called Petha, the traditional art of Pietra Dura (marble inlay) and being home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Taj Mahal, which is also one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.

Due to the clear weather we were experiencing, our guides decided to switch our schedule so we went to the Taj Mahal that afternoon instead of going the following morning. We took rickshaws from our hotel to the gates of the Taj Mahal which allowed us to bypass all the souvenir shops, vendors and crowds of people heading to this site. Our local guide provided a detailed history of the Taj Mahal as we were walking the grounds and then he led us through the tomb interior which houses the cenotaphs (empty tombs) of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, which was completely encircled by a marble screen (note: no cameras or photography were allowed inside). To be honest, the interior of the Taj Mahal was nothing special but the outside is really why people visit.

The Taj Mahal was simply magnificent with its perfect symmetry of every arch and minaret reflected in the large pool. As I moved closer to the building, the massive scale of the white marble dome was overwhelming and it was hard to imagine the level of skill which went into crafting such a structure. The Taj Mahal looked like a plain white monolith from afar, however up close the marble was intricately detailed with delicate floral semi-precious stone inlays of lazuli, jade, and carnelian. As we were visiting in the late afternoon, I was able to experience the magical color shift which occurs when the white marble slowly transitions to a soft golden hue as the sun begins to set. This was easily the most beautiful building I have ever seen in my life and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience all its wonder.

After returning to the hotel, I had a lovely dinner at a hotel restaurant with 2 new lady friends from our group. Many of our lunches and dinners were not included in this portion of the tour which was nice as I was able to choose my own food and time to eat. On this trip, I ate Indian food breakfast, lunch, and dinner about 95% of the time as the Indian food was so delicious.

Agra & Jaipur (Day 6): We started our morning taking rickshaws to a viewpoint on the other side of the Yamuna River which provided a different view of the Taj Mahal. Our rickshaw route took us through areas of India I was personally most interested in, that is places where people actually live and not tourist areas. My primary photography interest is street photography so this ride was one of my favorites as it allowed me to shoot some everyday life images. People walking, kids on bikes, a group playing cricket, fruit carts, various types of transport and real living conditions of many Indians were some of the shots I was able to obtain and they ended up being some of my photographs which best capture the realistic “vibe” as to what India was really like. Next we boarded the bus again and headed for the Agra Fort (another UNESCO World Heritage site). I did a bit of shopping at Akbar International and purchased a beautiful marble piece with more than 3000 individual inlaid semi-precious stones which took 2 master craftsman 2 months each to complete. I was a bit worried after I purchased it that I would have to pay a hefty tariff when it was delivered to me in the USA, but because this piece was deemed  a “work of art” it was not subject to any tariff. We were back on the bus for a long 5-hour ride to Jaipur plus a stop at a local restaurant for lunch.

We checked into another Taj brand hotel and this one was my absolute least favorite place we stayed. It was dark by the time we arrived and the drapes were already drawn so I did not inspect my room or view that night. However, during the night my allergies were terrible and I ended up wearing an N95 mask to sleep in and had to double up on my antihistamines. In the morning, when I opened the drapes I noticed the room was facing a construction site, a temporary tent which was in disarray lay not more than 3 feet from my window, but worse the outside window ledge was covered in 1-2” thick layer of bird poop. Now I know why my allergies were so bad that night! It took a bit of doing and looking at a few additional rooms before an new acceptable room was located. I really try to be low-key and not a complainer, but this was a health issue and nobody should be staying in a room like that, especially at a 5-star supposedly luxury hotel.

Jaipur (Day 7): We had a full day tour planned for Jaipur. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and is known as the “Pink City” due to its distinctive terracotta-pink architecture. It is also considered the “gemstone capital of India” and renowned for its hand-blocked textiles and deep blue and white glazed ceramics. On our tour we saw the Hawa Mahal (“Palace of Winds,” an iconic five-story, pink sandstone structure), took Jeeps up to the Amber Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and to a Hindi Temple, had shopping opportunities for blue ceramics, textiles and carpets from local artisans, enjoyed a delicious group lunch at a local restaurant, visited the Jantar Mantar Observatory (another UNESCO World Heritage site) and rode in pink electric rickshaws driven by female drivers through the old walled city to see its vibrant bazaars.

Up Next: Our group flies from Jaipur to Varanasi for a few days to explore the religious and cultural heritage of the Ganges River. We then board another flight to Kolkata where the Ganges riverboat portion of the tour begins.