Weekend Touring

So I am sorry that I have not blogged for awhile but we were touring in the north for the weekend and I didn't bring my computer so I will just make this a really long one and then blog about today later tonight. So here it goes...
On friday, we woke up at 3 and I found out that Griffin was still sick and wouldn't be coming with us which made me really sad and sorry for him. I was really hoping that he would be able to come but it just didn't work out cause he was really sick. So we left giff here with the other people staying and departed in the dark morning on a long bus ride to chennai then a plane ride to New Delhi.
I was shocked when we were dricing around about how clean it looked around the airport and how nice the buildings were. it was intereting though cause then in the city I saw both worlds on top of one another. There were 5 star hotels next to rundaown apartments and little tent shacks on the street in front of beautiful buildins. I saw both rich and poor where as in Chennai it is mostly all rundown, dirty, and poor. I was also shocked thatit was a little more westernized and touristy. People wre in jeans and t-shirts which made us stand out even more in our chuddadars. Most the ads were in english and it was wierd. This changed however as we went to Old Delhi which looks alot like Chennai. In Old Delhi, we took rikshaw rides which was so much fun especially since we risked our lives being on really little rikshaws in the streets of India ;) but our driver was really protective and sweet and reminded us to watch our stuff and just looked out for us. We saw the international spice market which was crazy with hundreds of people and barrels of open spices crammed into the alleyways. Men were carrying bags of spcies as big as me on thier backs and the shopps had so many spices that the air was almost unbreathable yet wonderful cause every breath was a new sensation. I was smushed and pushed through the crowd which reminded me of a mosh pit. I wish I could have gotten some spices but with so many people and the lack of oxygen we didn't spend much time there.
The city was rundown and old but so alive with people and bright colors everywhere. It was amazing to see but I think the people there were more surprised to see us cause they just stared at us and took pictures of us which was akward. They were nice but is was wierd to get attention like that. It probably didn't help that we were traveling on a huge bright orange bus that said Tourist on the top. I can't imagine why we were always surronded by beggers and kids trying to sell things. ;)
After touring the city we got back on the Orange Dream machine and drove 5 hrs. to Agra, checked into the hotel, got food and just chilled and relaxed which was nice. It was fun to walk into the hotel and have them put a mark on my forehead and give us rose water and treat us like honored guests even though we looked tired and our old chuddadars looked even more tired.
On Saturday we left for the Taj Mahal at 5 in the morning and it was still crowded which surprised me alot. It was great though cause we beat the midday rush and heat and we got to see the Taj light up as the sun came up on it. It was incredible and since it is made out of marble it just sparkled in the sun. The closer I got the more the intricate details took my breathe away. We but on slippers and walked around it and inside and the buildings around it. It was so beautiful and words cannot descibe it. We went to Fort Agra whre the Muggal kings lived when they occupied India. It made me think of the Great Wall of China but it had a moat surronding it and a courtyard with gorgeous buildings on the inside. It was cool to see and eventful with out little fan club of indian men that followed us the whole time. We tried to just move along but they kept following and asking for pictures with us. We just made sure we stayed togeather and went along though.
Then we went back to the hotel for breakfast, and swimming which was a blast to play with everyone. We raced, played games, and just splased around for a while. Then we went to a Indian Rug Shop and watched how rugs are made by hand on the loom and it is incredible to see. The details and skill involved just floored me. They were fast and it was amazing to see the designs taking shape as they "sang" to eachother to get the pattern down and burn the back to keep the rugs from being slippery and sliding. It two people about 5 months to make these rugs that only cost 700 dollars. I was shocked that they were so cheap for how hard they were to make. There are so many steps and such skill involved. But that is still pretty could pay here since the average salary is really small. I would say that it is sad but maybe it is not cause they people live simply and they are so happy. Somtimes I wonder if Americans really do "have it better." Anyway then they did a rug show for us and we sat on couches and drank soda while they unrolled amazing rugs. It was cool to see. Then we went to dinner and the bazaar for shopping which was kinda sketchy but really fun and I got some awesome shoes. Then it was back to the hotel and we went dancing while people stared at the strange white kids trying to dance.
Sunday we rode elephants which was really cool and then made the day long travel back to Rising Star. The weekend was really fun and the bonding was great but I missed the kids and the service. I was really happy to get back and see Griff and get ready to see the kids and work hard today. I missed them alot and the feeling that I get from serving which no amount of touring can make up for. I will write more about today though tonight when it is over. And I still need to get all the pics so I might end up not showing those till I get back. Sorry.