This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from December 1 to 7. We visited Jaipur, Karauli and Agra on our tour of India’s Golden Triangle with Intrepid Travel. The tour ended in Delhi on Thursday, when we flew to Colombo, Sri Lanka. We spent one night in Colombo before heading down the coast via train to Galle on Friday afternoon.
Favorite thing we ate: I think Jonathan wants to eat butter chicken and garlic naan for every meal for the rest of his life [pictured above left among other delicious dishes]. We ordered this combination too many times to count in India (though I promise we tried other foods, too!). Megan’s favorite meal of the week was brunch (surprise) at an adorable cafe in Galle, especially the fritters with beetroot salad [above right, dish in the rear].
Favorite thing we drank: Jonathan enjoyed the lime juice served throughout India, and Megan loved her banana shake at Pedlar’s Inn Cafe in Galle.
Favorite thing we did: Jonathan’s favorite activity from the week was visiting the Taj Mahal: one of the “new” seven wonders of the world [pictured above left]. It’s an iconic Indian landmark and he was glad to see it lived up to the hype. Megan preferred exploring the Amber Fort in Jaipur [Hall of Mirrors pictured above right] and Red Fort in Agra because they each contained several different architectural styles and building materials in one complex. Also, she had never heard of these palaces before visiting India (she always equated Jaipur with Hawa Mahal and Agra with Taj Mahal), so she had no expectations going in and was blown away by both locations.
Biggest splurge: In a continuation of last week’s biggest splurge, group tours are expensive! But we definitely thought this one was worth it. Our 8-day tour with Intrepid cost $935 USD each. This included all lodging, transportation and activities but excluded most meals.
Biggest oops: Our tour guide recommended we arrive at the Delhi International Airport 3 hours ahead of time, but all airports say that, so we ignored it. Big mistake! The lines were crazy, and not only were the lines long and slow, but so many people were just cutting in front because their “flight is leaving in 10 minutes!” Lies. In fact, most of the tickets we saw showed boarding times after our departure time. We didn’t miss our flight (we had plenty of time), but it was really frustrating to have multiple groups leaving an hour or more after us loudly pushing their way to the front of the line and airport security allowing it to happen. Especially because the lounge had great Indian food and we barely had time to scarf down lunch. (Pinky-up problem, I know.) So if you ever fly out of Delhi—get there early! 😉
What we’re reading: Megan finished Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and listened to Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston on the long bus rides in India. (Highly recommend!)
Total walking distance: 27.45 miles
Up next: Exploring more of Sri Lanka.
Featured image: The gorgeous entrance to the middle palace inside the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India
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