Delhi is Maddening

November 30th, 2007 | By Lee | 3 Comments »

If Goa is heaven in India, then Delhi is almost certainly hell. Delhi is maddening in all ways that a city can possibly be. Delhi will sharpen your wits and numb your senses. Delhi will come at you in full force from all directions at all times of the day and from all walks of life. Delhi will make you long for the “slow paced” life of New York City because compared to Delhi, everywhere is slow paced. Delhi will make you scream and yell and start to act in ways you would never dream toward other people and wandering animals. Delhi is the trip of all trips and you can get sky high from your own sensory overload.
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Thanks to India

July 9th, 2007 | By Lee | 2 Comments »

I just wanted to say thanks to all of the people of India who sent me such nice emails and made comments about the Taj Mahal being a new 7 wonder of the world. It is very worthy and I am very happy for all of the people who have a lot of pride in their country and their iconic Taj Mahal. The people make India great. Thanks again and congratulations!

New 7 Wonders Profile-Taj Mahal, India

May 23rd, 2007 | By Lee | 23 Comments »

Everybody knows the Taj Mahal and everbody has seen the same pictures of it. It looks amazing in pictures but seeing the same pictures all of your life cannot possibly do it justice. When you see the Taj in person, it is breathtaking. It will stifle you in your tracks and make you just stare at it. It is the worlds most beautiful building, hands down and a sure fire new 7 wonder of the world.
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Laundry in Bombay

April 30th, 2007 | By Lee | 2 Comments »

If you want your laundry done in Bombay, this is where it can get done. For just pennies, your dirty laundry can get washed in dirty, stinky, filthy water so it can actually come out looking even dirtier and smellier than it was before. The washers will step barefoot into the laundry holes and wash your clothes while they stand in the water contributing to the filth with any germs and whatnot they may have on their feet.
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Goa

April 3rd, 2007 | By Lee | 6 Comments »

The state of Goa in India is a place lauded by many and experienced by few. It is far from anywhere, especially other states and cities with India. Goa is the polar opposite of everything that is India. It is a relaxed paradise of sorts. It’s not a paradise for all but certainly a paradise for some. Its nightlife radiates all day and night, making up for what the beaches do not satisfy. During the day however, there are many alternatives to lying on dirty beaches crawling with stray dogs and those were my finest memories of my week in Goa.

The first decision in Goa is at which beach you should stay. As I finally came up with North Goa and the town of Anjuna Beach, I set out from the airport in search of a paradise that I had heard so much about around the world-wide traveling circuit.

I arrived at my guest house, Villa Anjuna, and plopped down at the very nice pool. After thanking God that I was no longer in the sweltering filth of Mumbai, I enjoyed myself at the pool and bar with a few Kingfisher beers.
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Delhi

April 2nd, 2007 | By Lee | 28 Comments »

If Goa is heaven in India, then Delhi is almost certainly hell. Delhi is maddening in all ways that a city can possibly be. Delhi will sharpen your wits and numb your senses. Delhi will come at you in full force from all directions at all times of the day and from all walks of life. Delhi will make you long for the “slow paced” life of New York City because compared to Delhi, everywhere is slow paced. Delhi will make you scream and yell and start to act in ways you would never dream toward other people and wandering animals. Delhi is the trip of all trips and you can get sky high from your own sensory overload.

I never dreamed of a place as crazy as Delhi. I have been everywhere from Cairo to Bangkok to Johannesburg to Rio de Janeiro and most people describe those places as wild, crazy and in your face. They clearly haven’t been to Delhi because I never thought any of those places were even half bad.
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Taj Mahal

March 28th, 2007 | By Lee | 2 Comments »

The Taj Mahal is the most beautiful building in the world, period. It’s funny because you have seen the same picture of it a thousand times and it always looks the same. When I was on my way to go see the Taj for the first time, I figured it would be all hype and wouldn’t be such a big deal. As a jaded traveler who has seen a lot of things and most of the worlds great sites, it takes a lot to impress me.
I am a big list guy. I love to rank things. One of my great criteria to ranking great sites is “shock value”. Meaning the way you are in awe of something when you first see it. Examples of this are the Pyramids or Petra where when you see them for the first time you feel very insignificant in the history of the world. The Taj is like these. When I walked in, I was blown away. The photo above was my first view of the Taj Mahal and in my opinion the best picture I have ever seen of the Taj. I spent hours in the park just staring and touring around the Taj. It is rare that I will find something that can do this to me. I was in awe and still am. Everytime I look at my pictures from Agra, it puts me back there and the initial shock still gives me goosebumps.

Sri Lanka After the Tsunami

March 28th, 2007 | By Lee | No Comments »

I was in Sri Lanka in October 2005. It was always a place that I had always wanted to visit because of its remoteness and mystery. When I hear about all of the violence that is going on now it makes me sad because of all the trouble and hardships that the people have had to endure in the past few years. Sri Lanka was affected greatly by the massive tsunami that slammed into Southern Asia at the end of 2004. The southern part of the country was devastated and thousands were killed and displaced. International aid failed to reach the people who needed it most and they have basically been swept under the rug and forgotten about. It is very unfortunate to me to know this but from my experience most Sri Lankans have a much more positive and upbeat attitude about the whole thing. They have rebuilt and moved on. They are strong people and have passions for many things. The biggest national passion is cricket. I was fortunate enough to attend a test match when I was in Colombo at the national stadium. I enjoyed my time there and I know this much; I am rooting for Sri Lanka in the current Cricket World Cup. The picture above shows a barren and deserted resort beach south of Colombo that was once thriving with vacationers and tourists. The picture below shows the national cricket team practicing at the national stadium. To read more about my trip to Sri Lanka, click here.