Re: Visited India last month

4
I've never been. I know the Taj Mahal is a tomb but isn't also a mosque, with the minarets?

So many mosques are built on the plan of, of all things, a cathedral--the Church of Saint Sophia, or, the Hagia Sofia. True, Hagia Sofia is a magnificent building, but the Taj goes its own way and is stunning!
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: Visited India last month

5
YankeeTarheel wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 7:37 pm I've never been. I know the Taj Mahal is a tomb but isn't also a mosque, with the minarets?

So many mosques are built on the plan of, of all things, a cathedral--the Church of Saint Sophia, or, the Hagia Sofia. True, Hagia Sofia is a magnificent building, but the Taj goes its own way and is stunning!
The Taj Mahal is not a mosque, although it does have minarets.

However, there is a mosque adjacent to the Taj. Here is a picture of it.

Image

Re: Visited India last month

8
Beautiful photos, Mustang. You must’ve used a nice camera to capture those shots.

I still remember the echos inside the main chamber of the Taj with its ornately decorated collage wall of marble. Oh, and the Indian transvestites who sauntered about in groups wearing bright saris and not shy at all about making eye contact and smiling at befuddled tourists. Transvestites apparently have always held a special place in Indian culture and perform certain ceremonies in their society. In a similar way that Sadhu’s, holy men who renounce all worldly pursuits, are still respected and given money/food to support their single-minded spiritual endeavors. It is our Western culture which demonizes people who don’t toe the cultural line in away that actually seems somewhat aberrant compared to other cultures in the world at large.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Visited India last month

11
Bisbee wrote: Sun May 05, 2019 3:58 am Beautiful photos, Mustang. You must’ve used a nice camera to capture those shots.

I still remember the echos inside the main chamber of the Taj with its ornately decorated collage wall of marble. Oh, and the Indian transvestites who sauntered about in groups wearing bright saris and not shy at all about making eye contact and smiling at befuddled tourists. Transvestites apparently have always held a special place in Indian culture and perform certain ceremonies in their society. In a similar way that Sadhu’s, holy men who renounce all worldly pursuits, are still respected and given money/food to support their single-minded spiritual endeavors. It is our Western culture which demonizes people who don’t toe the cultural line in away that actually seems somewhat aberrant compared to other cultures in the world at large.
Thanks, Bis.

I'm using a Sony DSC-HX50V. It is an older "point and shoot", that was well thought of when it first came out. I like it because it has a 30X optical zoom and takes 1080 video, while still being relatively light and small. It is starting to show its age, feature wise, however, and I may replace it before our next trip.

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-HX50V-2 ... B00CDIK48U

Re: Visited India last month

12
MaxwellG wrote: Sun May 05, 2019 11:11 am All the way to India just for a Curry?
Looks like you had a nice time - good photos.
Thanks, Max.

We did get a few extras other than the curry food ;)

We had a great time. Our routing from the west coast was through Beijing, so for a few hundred extra dollars we stopped off on the way home for a few days in Beijing and visited Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall. We spent some time in China a few years ago and had seen these sights before, but for such a little amount of money, it seemed like a great deal to see it again. It also broke up the 20 hour plane ride a bit.

Re: Visited India last month

14
I can live in some of those countries doing absolutely nothing other than reading books and learning about the culture and people for less than I can living and working 9-5 in Los Angeles. Little wonder why so many Americans choose to receive their retirement checks in Thailand, Mexico, Costa Rica...
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Visited India last month

15
lurker wrote: Sun May 05, 2019 5:13 pm we need to take up a collection so poor homeless mustang can give up his vagrant ways and stop wandering aimlessly around the globe. first it's inca, now it's indian indians. for the chill'uns! i'm in for a dollar!
LOL---thanks for the thought, lurker.

Our travel to India was fairly inexpensive. We traveled the so-called "golden triangle"...Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Saw a number of other interesting sights and stayed in decent hotels (Marriott, Hilton, etc) which were clean, cheap and safe. Each hotel included a western-style breakfast buffet and cleanliness and sanitation standards befitting Hilton and Marriott hotels.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... adesh.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... sthan.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Revie ... Delhi.html

One thing took a little getting used to...every time we returned to our hotel (not just on initial check-in) we had to go through a security screening that would have made the TSA blush. No incidents at any of our hotels, however.

Re: Visited India last month

16
Bisbee wrote: Sun May 05, 2019 8:10 pm "It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi
Speaking of Gandhi, one of the places we went on our trip was the Gandhi Smriti.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest