(Sorry for the delay in the blogging from India...the last 2 days have been jam-packed of activities! We made it to the safari part of our trip today - so awesome - and we're just waiting to have dinner in a little whlie. So I'm typing from literally the middle of no-where in India!)
On Christmas morning, we left Mumbai and took a flight to Delhi - this was the next stop on our journey. The flight went well but when we got out of the airport in Delhi, we couldn't find our driver at first. Then a guy walked up to us with a sign saying "Craig Barnes". So we went with him (although he looked like he had just rolled out of bed!). When we got to the vehicle he was driving, we were a little concerned...this was a vehicle about the size of an Escape, but with a bench seat in the back instead of luggage space, and it wasn't in the best of condition. So the driver loaded the luggage on top to tie it down with Chris and Craig on-looking to make sure his methods would in-fact hold the luggage on the car :)
So we all squeezed in the car with our backpacks on our laps. Off we went for the ride to our hotel, with some of our seats shifting and all! This was definitely an "experience" for us, but was frustrating because a larger vehicle had already been paid for.
We were happy to reach the hotel and had fun seeing the Christmas brunch that was happening there. And it was especially funny because there were 2 Santas and they both had masks to make their faces look white...which looked so cheesy! But it was still fun to see all of the festivities they were having and the Christmas music they were playing. (We were surprised to hear them singing Christian Christmas songs!)
After we got different cars for the afternoon, we were on our way to tour Delhi in two cars and a tour guide. We made a few stops:
- Humayan's tomb
- Quitab Minar
- President's residence and Parliament buildings
- India Gate
These were all fun to see and gave us a taste of what we would see the next day (the Taj Mahal) because some of the architecture is similar. The last 2 places we just drove by. Chris, grandpa, and myself were with the tour guide, so it was interesting to hear different things about Delhi from him and the fact that it has about 16 million people!
After getting back to the hotel, we had our Christmas dinner at the chinese restaurant in the hotel, called Jade. And the food was delicious! I think I ate the best spring roll ever...the roll was very light (the way it should be) and not heavy like they typically are in the US. We enjoyed dinner together and also got the chance to call all of our family, which was wonderful. At the time, it was Christmas morning in the states. It was so nice to talk to everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas!
It was a unique way to spend our Christmas this year. (It was nice to at least see some Christmas decorations and a tree in the hotel we stayed at in Delhi.) This trip has been such a great opportunity and time for all of us. But we can still remember why we celebrate this holiday even though we are halfway around the world and that everyone over here celebrates the giving of gifts for Christmas (instead of also Christ's birth). We remember the eternal gifts that we have through Jesus.
Also...pictures will be coming later after everyone compiles all of the pictures we've been taking! Oh, and it would take me forever to upload to this 4G internet connection I have in the middle of the jungle :)
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