2 weeks around India

So in 2 weeks I saw ALOT!!! India is an amazing country with so many beautiful places to see!
I'll try to get it all in! :-)

First we took a 2 night train ride, and from there a 5 hour train ride in a toy train up the mountains to a city called Shimla, it is a city in the mountains that are as high up as Mount Washington! It is beautiful there! The weather was cool, and monkeys were EVERYWHERE!Walking around is a little tiring since you have to walk up like 90 degree hills to get places! We visited a few places around there. Driving was neat, the roads twisted and turned and zig zagged around the mountains! 1. We took a donkey ride up to the Fagu Temple and we could see the mountains of the Himalyas in the distance. 2. We went to a wild life park and saw some deer and bears, unfortunalty the snow leapard was sleeping. 3.We then hiked up a little ways to a forest with super tall pine trees. 4. then we went to the Jaku Temple... it is the temple for the monkey god... and it really is... there were waaaay more monkeys than people, we had to rent sticks to scare the monkeys away because they try and grab onto people and take their things... one monkey alomst got my leg, but thanks to my "cat" like reflexes, he just missed me!

We then went to Manali, where it was much much colder!! There we drive to Rotang Pass and went as far as we could since it is closed in theiwnter season. We pulled over and went to go look at the Himalyan mounatains!!! WOW! They are incredible! We were looking at the straiight on, they were so beautiful! Honey mooners were everywhere playing in the snow, it was really cute!
Around Manali we also saw a natural hot spring where the local people bathe in and went to Hadimba temple. it was a stone and wooden temple surrounded by pine trees. We then went to a local monestary and spun the prayer wheels.

HAPPY HOLI!!
we got to celebrate Holi, which is the coming of spring, it may be my new favorite holiday!
we were heading to a temple that is in the middle of a hot spring. On the way we went to Nagger Castle whoch was so pretty, it was made of wood with intricate carvings. That was where we got our first "happy holi" The men working there had their faces covered in the colorful powder, so we aksed for pictures and they gave us pink dots on our foorheads. From there the drive to the temple was interrupted by grounds of colorful men blocking the roadway, the only was to get past was to pay them, or get colored... so of course we got colored! We went to the temple and bathed in the hot spring. The women and men had different areas... the men had one that was outside, I really wanted togo in that one! The women's was inside. We went into the temple area and tons of peple were celbrating Holi. We got absollutely covered! It was so fun! People were dancing and playing music, everyone was just so happy, and of course they loved getting the forgieners covered in the powder! :-)

Then we went to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple! It was stunning! It is a golden colored temple (the dome is gold, the rest is copper) in the middle of a large pool. It was so pretty!
In Amritsar we also went to Jallianiwala Bagh Memorial.

Then we went to Agra!
We went to Agra Fort which was HUGE and so pretty! We explored the whole place. Then we went to the back side of the Taj Mahal and went into the garden and say there staring at it until sunset, we then walked on to the beach that is behind the Taj and got some pictures.
The nect dy we went to Chini-Ka-Rauza which is the tomb of Afazal Khan. It was pretty, we didn't staythere long, it was a small building. I got tricked into wearing botties and had to pay for them, when I could have just gone in bare foot! Then we went to Itimud-Ud-Daulah a.k.a the Baby Taj. This building was stunning it was made of marble and covered with enlayed stone work!
Then we went to the TAJ!! for like 5 hours! It was unreal to be there, you hear so much about it, it felt like a dream. We walked around and saw every inch of it, then we went inside and saw the tomb area, we werent allowed to take picures but the tomb is surrounded by cared marble and enlayed stone work, it was really pretty. We then found a nice shaded spot to sit and stared at it until sunset. I took a million pictures!! It lives up to its expectations.
The next day we went to Fatehpursikir which is an old palace compund. The first part we were hasseled by merchants, but once we got in it was really neat, we explored that for awhile,. it was huuuge! We then went on a nature ride on a rickshaw in a national park and saw lots of birds.

The trip was fabulous! I am so happy I got to see so many amazing places!!
I will have pictures up soon of my trip, its just not working right now!