Himalayas. Part One.

We took our 10-month old and 10 students to the Himalayas.  I know, we're crazy.  But we had a blast!  Here's the story:

We started our adventure at the Taj Mahal.  It is INCREDIBLE.  Some Wonders of the World aren't all they are cracked up to be, but this is.   If you are planning on going to India, you need to see it.  

Just a little warm...

However, let me advise you to go during the cooler months.  It was H.O.T.  My goodness.  It was probably close to 110 degrees or higher.  And we went during monsoon season so it was cooler than normal..... yikes.

All the girls at the Taj

The Taj is absolutely breathtaking.  It is made out of marble and semi-precious stones.  And it's hand-carved.  WOW.  Little did I know (I'm not really a history buff), it's actually a tomb.  One of the Muslim Mogul Emperors of India built it for his third (and favorite) wife after her death.  His other two wives have tombs on the property as well, but they are definitely not as neat.  And they are A LOT smaller.  I guess there's perks to being the favorite? :)

There are LOTS of photo opportunities at the Taj.  So, we took a lot of pictures.  And, you'll notice that I am wearing a backpack in most of them.  Guess that makes me a real mom?  I bet this is the first of many vacations I'll take when I wear a backpack.  Ha!

And, here begins just a few pictures...

Love these girls- Brittney and Taylor

Please notice how many Indians are also smiling for our photo

The next day we flew to the town of Leh.  It is a quaint little town in North India.  But here's the kicker.  We flew out of Delhi- elevation 743 feet- and flew into Leh- elevation 11,000 feet.  Talk about an altitude change.   We actually had to take special pills to help with the altitude change.  

Flying into Leh

Leh was gorgeous.  It's nestled in a valley of the Himalayan Mountains.  It has a lot of Tibetan influence and it is definitely apparent in their architecture.  They had these beautiful and intricate wood carvings above most windows.  (I hope you can see them in the picture!) We spent some time talking as a team on the roof of our hotel about what we had learned and enjoyed about our time in India.  It was amazing how close the 14 of us had become- really more like family!

In the afternoon we headed out for some shopping! Bob even gave in and got Hannah some jewelry.  And she accidentally stole a key-chain from one of the vendors.  Oops!  Don't worry, we returned it. :) I love shopping at the local markets because you get to barter.  I wish we could do this in the States!  

Outside of a local restaurant

Eating dinner by candle light in the hotel.  Partly because Hannah was asleep.  Partly because the power was out.

The next day (yes, that's right day 3 in a row of traveling), we loaded up in 3 SUV-like vehicles and began our trek UP the Himalayan mountains.

More to come...