Taj Mahal

At sunrise, I visited the most beautiful man-made structure in all of its glory. Arriving at the Taj Mahal at 5:30 a.m. was incredible. At first glimpse of the Taj, my eyes start to moisten because of the pure beauty that is and behind the meaning of the mausoleum. Many do not know, and I myself included until today, that the Taj Mahal is a mausoleum for the former king's wife. After bearing him many children, 14 to be exact, she died in childbirth as her husband promised to build her a structure so exquisite that it would never be surpassed by any other man-made figure. It is made entirely of marble with hints of color that are actually semi-precious stones, not paint.

As you approach the entrance of the Taj, you can see the middle of the structure waiting for you to share its enormous amount of energy. Walk even closer and the entire temple is exposed, leaving you to wonder, "Is this real?" It's beauty is so immense, so uncapturable, I hope these pictures do it some justice. Sunrise illuminated the Taj so that beams bounded off the marble, picking up hints of gold, yellow, pink and even the purest of whites.

Inspiration. Immeasurable beauty. A new perspective.

Enjoy.

Taj Mahal Pictures

Kingfisher and Elephants--Only in Jaipur

Click for Pics

Click for MORE Pics!

I, Sarah Nicole Skelnik, hopped on top of a giant elephant today. Don't believe me? See for yourself! Today was the first day I felt a little under the weather. I'm pretty sure the culprit was not eating for 2 weeks at MICA campus then going to Jaipur's 5 star hotel dining room and filling up on the buffet.

On the road to Agra. Before we depart on our next adventure, the unreliable ATM and chemist had to be visited. Sinus infection, stomach problems, my unfortunate 24 hour headache have been bittersweet additions to this heavy, yet inspiring trip.

Yesterday was fun-filled, and maybe even a little bit too filled with excursions and tours of temples, bathing pools and palaces. Starting at 7:45 a.m. was prime for touring since the Indian sun was hiding behind the morning. However, around 2 p.m. dizziness surrounded me, which was probably caused by a mix of dehydration and lack of a wholesome diet. Don’t get me wrong, yesterday was an absolute blast. From an elephant ride with Rennie to drinking Kingfisher in the Raj Mahal Palace resort, it was a day none of us will ever forget.

Elephants and Other Adventures

Imagine a fort at the top of a giant hill, and as you look down a giant herd of 10 foot, 4 ton, brightly painted elephants. We had to climb steps up to the place where we would climb on top of this beautiful, rare creature. Wishing his name was Babar (haha, Kyle), his keeper said his name was Yao-something. It was a very Asian name and I couldn’t even pronounce it, yet remember it. With every step of the elephant below us, our entire seat would shift until I had Rennie almost in my lap. Wonderful pictures were taken along the way by my new friend, Lucky—the youngest paparazzi I know. Around 10-years old, I think (it’s hard to tell children’s ages here because they’re so malnourished) his day job consisted of taking wonderful pictures that captured the ride. I bargained with him and only bought 1 out of his 5 photographs for 50 rupees, roughly a little over a dollar--forever priceless.

After our elephant adventure, we were all feeling rather daring, so we proceeded to the monkey palace, where I actually fed a monkey! His little, human like hand reached out as I did, then gently took a peanut from me as if I were handing it to anyone. They took over the temple, thus where Monkey Palace received its obvious name. Baby monkeys clung to their mother’s necks, and I was reminded of Lou dog. Although they had no real resemblance, they were teeny tiny, brown and absolutely adorable—just like Lou. Cascading the steps, we heard laughing and playful shouting. However, we would soon find out it was a bathing pool for all ages—some women, mainly old and shameless, actually stripped down, too. (Not pretty).  We went right back down those steps pretty quickly. Most of us felt very uncomfortable in this setting.

During the day, shopping was always part of the routine. Markets are found on nearly ever block, but we were directed to an art/jewelry/textile market by our tour guide, VJ. As we walked into the market, art and jewelry were on display with their designers sitting behind their masterpieces. With great pride, an artist who was honored by the Prime Minister and Price Charles, with photos to prove it, sat a few of us down to look through his work. Pure Indian art, with culture that jumped right off of the rice paper. The artist used gold leaf paint, which is real 24-carat combined with a mix of other elements to make the piece shimmer. (Later, while visiting the King’s palace, the walls and entire ceiling were covered with this same illumination, 24-carat gold paint). Exquisite.

A full day ended with pool side drink service at the Jai Mahal Palace, our hotel for the past 2 nights. Off to dinner to soak it all in before an early rise and tour bus ride to Agra, our next adventure city. There, we will finally see the one, the only, majestic Taj Mahal.

Pack up. Breakfast. Check out of Raj Mahal Palace. On the tour bus. Agra, here we come.

Arrived in Agra. iPhone does not work. Not sad because I’m wearing my awesome new ring and Glee just so happens to be on TV in our room. Dinner with the SMU crew at 7:30.

It will be an early 5 a.m. morning to see the Taj in all of its glory.

To adventures at the Taj.

I ♥ Jaipur

Flight from Ahmedabad to Jaipur: Short with a side of turbulence. Upon arrival, we were greeted by our private drivers in a huge, air-conditioned and CLEAN tour bus. YAY! Checking in our hotel was an attraction in itself. We were greeted with red dots and freshly cut flowery leis into a marbly decorated foyer of the Raj Mahal Palace. That's right...palace. Aquamarine rooms with tile floors and oversized king beds are a drastic change of scenery from what we have been accustomed to at MICA. And, did I mention hot water in the shower? We dropped off our bags and proceeded to begin our Jaipur journey. First stop: a beautiful marble temple.

Vibrant colors and hundred of people were at the other end of our camera lenses. With so much to see and so little time, it was up to our knowledgable tour guide to show us to the nearest site. Since our arrival into Jaipur was a bit late, the group opted out of sight seeing until tomorrow only to find ourselves at one of the finest jewelry stores in all of Jaipur! Without the help of my wonderful father, I myself haggled with Vismay until I finally and happily purchased a diamond/topaz ring. Not only did I get to pick out the ring, but I also got to wander downstairs inside the shop to see it reshaped, set and made exactly to my own liking. (Pictures to come, but it was absolutely amazing).

Dinner. RED WINE. Magic show at the Taj. Laughter. Hotel room. Simply amazed.

Tomorrow awaits. To Sunday elephant rides.

Free Day

Means...5:30 a.m. wake up call for morning yoga, which was absolutely amazing once again, peanut butter, Skype, followed by P90X in the quad. Not surprisingly, a few more students have enrolled in my P90X Hot Hot Indian Style class.

Things that made me smile today: 

• Rennie and her endless supply of Parle-G's (my new favorite Indian cookie)
• My 1 underwear. 7 countries panties. (That is until the infamous laundry man at MICA lost a pair)
• Leaving for Jaipur tomorrow without an assignment! (Class was cancelled yesterday, thus no time to discuss project)
• The five scarves I purchased yesterday from Khazana laying all around our hostel (Things that don't make me smile: being in a hostel)
• And finally, the precious nap I'm about to take :)

Nap was ruined! Ahh One more day until 5-star hotels with endless shopping, spas and beauty in Jaipur!

Yoga and Tea--Bringing People Together

Never have I ever been to a yoga class as inspiring as the one this morning. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. sucked, but the second I walked through the door to see rows of brightly colored yoga mats, more like quilts actually, I knew I was at the right place. Chanting, breathing and listening to the sounds of the instructor was so serene--practicing yoga in the place where it originated, hearing the sounds of Aum's quietly whirling through the breeze filled Indian air. Except the interruption of a dime-sized bug that was flicked at me by Rennie, the entire hour was simply... peaceful.

Immediately following yoga, we would embark on our first corporate visit to none other than...du du du dummmm, Wagh Bakri Tea. Upon arrival, our entire group was welcomed proudly with open arms and escorted into the factory where the most popular brand of Gujarat tea is actually sifted and packaged. Boring, you think? ABSOLUTELY NOT. It was AMAZING! Sadly, I couldn't take any pictures inside the factory but you'd be surprised how interesting the machines and laborers are at work. You could sense the pride and appreciation that goes into each and every bag. 

Later, we went to the corporate Wagh Bakri Tea corporate headquarters, where we were welcomed with that same universal appreciation. Flowers, engraved pens, complimentary tea and even lunch was provided to welcome SMU to the international company. Believe it or not, the chairman of the tea company himself actually dropped in on our visit. Scented anything (shampoo, deodorant, hand sanitizers) were strictly forbidden inside headquarters because we were also invited to view the tasting center. Rows of teas labeled with tiny numbers were laid out in perfect lines across two tables. We watched as each tea was prepped for tasters to come in, where they then would choose which farmer's tea would be chosen for the next season's brew. (Click for Pics)

New fav--Indian Masala Chai, a wonderful spiced tea.

Shopping. Scarves. Shoes. More scarves. Dinner. Hand sanitizer. 

To the "coexistence of one and all."

--Wagh Bakri's philosophy

Workin' On My Fitness

Adding to the list of culture shocking events, every so often--a little too often--the power shuts down at MICA. Keeping up good spirits with humor, a few ladies sent these to everyone to lighten the mood with the following message: 


Dear Cohort,

Due to the recent power outages, Lauren and I took it upon us to call local TXU reps in Ahmedabad to help alleviate the situation.  If you have any more issues with the power in your rooms or around campus, please feel free to contact them.  We have attached their pictures so you can recognize them around campus.

Thank you for your cooperation and best of luck moving forward.

Sincerely yours and best regards,

Room #25 

MiCafe (clever, right?), the cool kid hangout on campus was out of panne bottles today (panne=water--that's phonetically speaking--I'm sure that's not how spell it). After our water search, it was time for P90X instruction. Four "scantily clad," by Indian standards, ladies doing plyometrics in the quad for an hour and fifteen minutes while chanting "GOA GOA" was a novel attraction at MICA. To all those P90Xer's out there, be thankful for your air-conditioned in home gym--the outdoor quad just doesn't even compare. It is my observation that regular exercise is not a popular hobby among college students. Yoga, however is a regularly practiced spiritual/physical workout. Excitedly, SMU students have been offered the chance to take part in regular sessions throughout our stay here in India from a yoga master who shares her talent with Ahmedabad companies, families and individuals at her ashram.       

Class at 1:30. Bird Sanctuary (?). Butter sandwich (a random snack that is offered at "tea time" from 5-7 p.m. on campus. 

To never wearing hova/safari clothes again.

Culture Shock

Student life on campus is everything that the US is not. Each class, our professor and host are served hot tea/coffee by a formally dressed young man. Slightly awkward yet unintentional, the attendant just stands by the professor at the front of the room until the professor either senses his presence or turns around to speak. He thanks the silent attendant where then he may depart from the room.

Other culture-shocking moments:

1-Harleen, a wonderful host, warned us not to leave MICA grounds due to protests.

2-The inability to pronounce "v" and "s" sounds, such as "wizit" instead of visit the web site and "conjumers" instead of consumers. Fortunately, I think I have conquered this pronunciation dilemma and rarely have problems understanding our professor and speakers.

3-The entire city of Ahmedabad is dry. Prohibition, something so distant to us as Americans, is still happening in the state of Gujarat. So, what do 350+ MICA students do at night? Tennis, dancing, and music--lots of music. Random 80s like Aerosmith and REO Speedwagon and even David Guetta's, "Sexy Bitch" are among a few artists that radiate the air on warm campus nights. If you do choose to take part in illegal drinking, like the young man stumbling into the cafeteria one afternoon, then you just might be dragged by your feet out of campus by security guards. (This really happened).

4-Administration comments to director on scantily clad Americans, with inappropriate clothing items being Nike shorts. Proper clothing on campus is nonnegotiable--even knees must be covered.

Class. Lunch. Free night.

In good news, we have been informed that we will not be traveling via train (12-15 hours) from Mumbai to Goa, but we will be flying! Extra day in Goa on sandy beaches, minus bugs and classrooms? F yes please.

Here's to August.