Today, I'm posting my last group of photos from our amazing trip to India! If you haven't seen any of the photos from our trip, go check out parts one and two! :)  

Although much of our time in India was spent interacting with people...

We were able to take a few days and do some sight-seeing! This is Jal Mahal; the "Water Palace". :)

Camels are big 'ol wrinkly fellows in person.

This is Amer Fort fort, and it's over 3,000 years old!!

To say that this view was EPIC would be a sad, sad understatement.

It was simply breathtaking.

Right next to Amer Fort (further up the mountain) is Jaigarh Fort - home of the largest wheeled cannon in the world.

Also home of the sleeping security guards. :)

In India, elephants are commonly used during wedding festivities!

We got to watch them decorate an elephant in preparation for someone's big day. :)

Then it was time to RIDE! :)

Vivek was the only one lucky enough to climb up the elephant's trunk - the rest of us used the stairs in the background. :)

Then we were off into the jungle!

For some, giving elephant rides is a profession. They eat with, sleep with, raise their children next to, and do life with their elephants in their homes.

I RODE AN ELEPHANT! Yay! :)

Making friends with the little kids was easy. All you had to do was smile - and they giggled at you. :)

Trains! In all of our internal traveling, we took two long train rides.

This is Rajan's coconut. I like to call him Wilson.

For some, cow pies make fantastic fuel.

If you love history, and kingly drama, read up on the history of the Agra Fort. Ironic and fascinating! :)

From it's windows is a beautiful view of the Taj Mahal.

Across the river from the big Taj Mahal is a similar, miniature structure, the Tomb of I'timad-ud-Dauluh. (No, I have no idea how to pronounce that!)

Look, mom! The Taj Mahal!

We visited the Mehtab Bagh gardens at sunset, which are situated right across the river.

Can't imagine anyone I'd rather travel with. :)

The next morning, we woke up at 5 and went to see the Taj at sunrise. And even in the early morning, there were still a million people there! :)

Words cannot describe.

It. Was. Beautiful.

The entire building is inlaid with semi precious stones like jade, jasper and yellow marble.

And we got to wear cute little booties on our feet. :)

From that day on it was a mad dash to finish all of our sight-seeing, shopping and visiting!

In the capital city of Delhi, we visited many of the political and government buildings.

Sometimes, there are special perks for foreigners who sing Indian songs to the guards. You get to go up close to the gate to take pictures like the one above. :)

Everywhere we went, my father-in-law was giving marriage advice to all the young newlyweds. (I - of course - couldn't understand what he was saying, but it was something along the lines of, "Marry a sweet girl, and don't be afraid to do the dishes!") This strange Indian with his white family always drew crowds of people and plenty of stares. :)

After our last day of sightseeing in Delhi, we packed up and left for America at 11pm. I got sick on the flight home, so I didn't feel like taking many pictures after that (I WAS thankful that I didn't get sick until the way home - what a blessing!).

However, this is still one of my favorites from our trip: My other family + the Taj Mahal. Not really sure it gets much better (or more Indian) than that. :)

I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone that prayed so faithfully for us while we were traveling. It was a miracle that none of us got really really sick (although we all had our moments of icky-ness), and we were SO thankful for all of the safe travel (8 flights and 2 trains later). It was definitely the trip of a life time, and the memories that were made are some I will never forget. I hope you've enjoyed the photos! :)

Have a lovely Thursday! :)

India. If you haven't read part one about our trip to the other side of the globe, I suggest you start there. :)  

The second week of our India trip, we flew to Chennai and stayed with family.

It was SO wonderful getting to meet all of these cousins and aunts that I'd never met before. :)

Chennai was full of amazing sights to see...

And - of course - crazy English signs here and there.

We found Santa in the basement of St. Thomas's burial place. It made for a good chuckle. :)

People in the vehicle next to yours are only too willing to wave at the massive camera pointed their way. It was delightful. :)

These two are brothers. We called them Peter Pan and Chancho... just for fun. :)

While we were at someone's house...

We had the AMAZING opportunity to go swimming in the Bay of Bengal!

It was FANTASTIC!

This is One Meter Coffee. You mix your coffee by pouring it back and forth into your two cups/bowls. Apparently, it mixes better if you can pour it a whole meter long without spilling. And also... it tastes better at 1:30 in the morning. :)

The shopping malls in India were a small taste of home - with some of the sames stores!

Here's the ONE thing you need to know about Indians. They feed you. Constantly. And if you don't eat - they're insulted. ;)

Speaking of eating... we went with our cousin one morning to see where they get their food - the market.

Fresh chicken... (it was gross and I almost threw up)... Mmmm.....

Tasting FRESH coconut is SUCH a unique experience!

Especially when the man wearing the skirt (it's a lungi... but it looks like a skirt) hacks it open with a machete. DAY. MADE.

On to the meat market!

Goat stomach, anyone?

Believe it or not, the smell of fish was a welcome, familiar smell (after the goat stomach, that is).

After staying in Chennai for a week, we went to Jaipur.

The hotel we stayed in was right on a fairly busy street that we had to cross quite frequently. Believe me, you've never REALLY feared for your life until you've crossed an Indian street.

Maybe it's cause I was white. Maybe it's cause I was white AND I wore Indian clothes. Maybe it's because I had a big 'ol camera. Maybe it's all of the above...

Regardless of the reason, wherever I went, people stared. And stared. And stared some more. (Did I mentioned I'm SUPER thankful I have a husband?)

The palaces, forts and buildings that we visited in the various cities were SO stunning.

This is the BEAUTIFUL City Palace. You can read more about it here. :)

When you walk the streets, there are people EVERYWHERE. Also, there is no such thing as personal space. One man's sidewalk is another man's bed.

In India, elephants in the street is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, we found that out after we told the whole neighborhood that THERE WERE ELEPHANTS IN THE STREET! Those foolish Americans. :)

Never mind chairs! These people were more than willing to sit on the floor in a tiny little space just to praise Jesus together.

One hundred and twenty people fit in this house. You should see the pile of shoes outside. :)

This is the part where Sunil's dad is explaining to them that I really look nothing like Justin Bieber. (Ok, so I don't remember what he's saying here... but they really thought I looked like Justin Bieber!)

If I fit anymore pictures into this post, I do believe it will explode! I'll save the last week of our trip for my next post. And my favorite photos of... the TAJ MAHAL! WOOT! :)

Have a wonderful week! :)