Ajanta Caves

The last site I visited was the Ajanta Caves which contain Buddhist religious sculptures, paintings, and shrines built as early as the 2nd century.  The caves were hidden for sometime until accidentally discovered by the British during a hunting party in the early 1800s.  The site is set up in a semi circle and contain 28 caves:

 

Before entering any of the caves we were asked to remove our shoes and if we were to take photos not use the flash feature.  The caves were dark and so beautiful to explore.  Here are a few pictures from just outside the caves

 

 

Cave 9 was my favorite - I think it was the entrance that got me!

Inside the caves were amazing sculptures and paintings - a few caves even had 3D paintings!  I was so impressed at how greatly preserved they were.

On our way back to Pune we stopped off at a small roadside stand to enjoy fresh sugar cane juice.  Throughout my trip I've seen these trucks packed high with sugar cane (pardon the blurry picture):

 

 

These are the machines used to make the sugar cane juice and a picture of my glass:

 

It was very sweet and I was surprised by the color!  I'm glad I was able to try it while I was here!!  So that sums up my last weekend in India.  Special thanks to Srikanth and Sachin for taking me around and showing me all these great and exciting places - I had a fantastic weekend!

Devagiri Fort & Bibi Ka Maqbara

I was fortuate to see a few more sites during my last weekend just outside of Aurangabad was the Devagiri Fort.  This for was situated on the top of a hill and considered one of the most powerful forts during the medieval period.  The main entrance (below) has spikes through the door to prevent elephant attacks! 

Here's a few pictures from inside the fort - after a hike I was able to see the most amazing view from nearly the top of the fort:


Just outside of the fort there are tons of fruit stands among other vendors - I had to take a picture of these:

While exploring the fort I came across a few monkeys, their tails were like 2 feet long - wish I could have taken a closer picture but didnt want to disturb them :)

The last stop for the day was to the Bibi Ka Maqbara (a replica of the Taj Mahal).  This site was built by Aurangzeb's son as a tribute to his mother.  The Taj Mahal in the city of Agra is made of marble and twice the size!  Here's a picture of the entrance   

 

The architecture was stunning I couldn't stop taking pictures of the amazing detail and design elements.

I'm so glad I was able to visit these sites and can't wait for my next trip to India to return for a visit to the original Taj Mahal!  Tomorrow I'll share the last of my weekend adventures!

Ellora Caves

My last weekend in India was spent exploring areas outside of Pune.  The main site I visited was the Ellora caves in Aurangabad (about a 4.5hr drive from Pune).  It was so amazing to see these carvings and structures that were built throughout the 5th-10th centuries.  There are a total of 34 caves all vary in size and religious temples (Buddhist, Hindu and Jain).  Here are a few photos from the first cave we visited.  I'm still in shock in the scale of these structures and the detail in all of these carvings!

Look at how big these sculptures were - I had to take a few pictures just for size comparison!  These caves are built into the hillside.  Here's a few pictures of the entrances to the caves and temples 

In order to see the majority of the caves I was able to ride in a rickshaw!  I mentioned the taxis in another post but I am so happy I was finally able to ride in one.  The driver had put in neon lights and was even playing music at one point while we rode around the sites - not typical for most rickshaws.  Here's a quick  photo a took of my view in the cab.  I'm suprised Sachin, Srikanth, and I were all able to fit in one!

The last cave we visited is the most famous and had many levels.  Here's the view from the top level.  It was so beautiful and neat to see at the time of day, it was late afternoon so the sun was beginning to set and it made viewing this last cave so amazing!

I know I mentioned how impressive the details in these caves were but at the last cave there were even two walls that had carvings of an entire battle story!   

This day was amazing and I'm so glad I got to see these caves!  Tomorrow I'll post more about the other sites I visited over the weekend!

Days 10-14

During the week I have stuck to a particular routine since work hours are a bit different here. I usually wake up around 10am and get ready for the day. After breakfast and some time at the gym I'm able to send a few emails. I leave the hotel around 2pm for work - this past week I've been conducting interviews so I've been getting to the office a bit earlier. By 5pm its time for a short tea break in the food court. After finishing my chai tea (so good!) it's back to work. Dinner time is around 8-8:30pm and by the time I return my coworkers in LA are just arriving in the office. I'm able to have a few hours of overlap before I head back to the hotel just after midnight.

This weekend Sachin, Srikanth, and I spent some time exploring areas outside of Pune. I'm still sorting through all my photos - stay tuned this week I will detail all of the great sites I visited!

Camel crossing

The rest of my weekend was spent relaxing and doing some shopping.


I also came across a few of these guys - one even casually crossed the street in rush hour traffic!!

Weekend in Pune

This weekend I was able to explore Pune with a few coworkers! The city center is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel. The first stop for the day was to a fort - it was so neat to walk in and look around! It is situated smack dab in the middle of the city and offered a great view from the lookout points.

Can you believe that it cost approximately $400 to build this?!?

I was even able to catch a few of the locals playing a game of cricket in the field just outside the fort.

Our next stop was to the palace where Gandhi stayed while in Pune. The palace was beautiful - everything was made of marble!

In one of the rooms they displayed the shoes he wore (it would take lots of practice to get used to walking in shoes like these!).

In the courtyard they had a meditation area situated next to the shrine that held Gandhi's ashes.

Just before lunch time we stopped at the Osho Ashram. We weren't able to go inside because you must be a member but what I saw seemed very peaceful!! Everyone is required to wear a maroon robe during their stay. A day at Osho starts with morning prayers and then members are able to participate in meditation or just simply relax within the facility.
 
By 1pm we were ready for lunch at ABC Farms - it was so good!  I had another great meal:  started off with some Tandori chicken and mushroom appetizers and then shared among the table a lamb dish (below) and a paneer dish (cottage cheese and red sauce). 

After tasting these great dishes, it was time for dessert - this is a famous dessert called Gulab Jamun.  It is served warm and is similar to a donut hole with sugar syrup. 

Stay tuned - tomorrow I'll post the rest of my weekend adventures

Days 4-5

After a few more days in the office I can finally say I've adjusted to the time change!  My favorite part of the day is seeing the city during my ride to work.   It's so neat to see the Infotech area as more and more companies are moving here and the city is growing with the industry.  Also, during my rides to work I've been planning my weekend activities - I can't wait to see more of Pune (the temples, shopping centers, and restaurants serving the local food). 

Although my time in Mumbai was short - I can't stop thinking about all the beautiful sites I got to visit and explore.  Here are a few pictures: 

The cabs here have 3 wheels and are much smaller than cars - which makes getting around easier.  But they are also the cause of the majority of the accidents/traffic in the city.  I noticed that traffic rules in Mumbai are somewhat non-existent, dealing with LA traffic seems like a breeze now!

Here are a few pictures from the Taj hotel - I love the architecture and the view looking up the staircase is beautiful!!

And right next to the Taj hotel is the Gateway of India - I wasn't able to get a photo because it was so crowded with the Republic Day festivities so here's one during the daytime:

Day 3

Today was my first day at the office. My work hours are from 2:30pm - 12:30am to allow a few hours of overlap when my coworkers in the US are in the office. I think this was my hardest day but I hope that my sleep schedule normalizes now that I'm getting into a routine.

I woke up this morning still dealing with the time change and was able to have breakfast and time for a quick workout. The gym is situated so you can look out over the pool while you're on the cardio machines. Little did I know while I was doing my workout would there be a traditional India wedding ceremony taking place only 20 feet from me (a glass wall was the only thing that separated me from the ceremony). I guarantee I made a few appearances in the background of their wedding photos!!

After my surprise at the gym I was able to relax for a bit in the hotel before heading off to work. The work site is about 15-20 minutes away from the hotel. After the short car ride I arrived and began the security process. Everyday I have to go through a metal detector and have my bags scanned. I then check into the security desk and sign in (women must sign in and out at each security point they cross during the day). In order to enter the UB secured room I have to scan my badge and the pass a finger print scan. There are about 10 individuals currently allowed access in the secure room and about 3 that I will be closely working with during my time here.

I was shown around the building - it is huge and reminded me of a university. It currently holds 20,000 employees and is the company's second largest campus. There is a food court that serves traditional Indian meals and a large courtyard for employees to use during their breaks. Everyone usually has there dinner break around 9pm. Once midnight rolled around (I barely made it - by 11pm sleep was all I could think about) we all started to pack up for the day. I survived my first shift and can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!

Day 2

I woke up early Sunday morning, still not adjusted to the time change - but eager to get on my way to Pune. After checking out of the hotel, a car service drove me to the airport. Im so glad I got to see the area during the daytime - I took a video of it from the car and hope to upload it on the blog. Anyways, my flight to Pune was extremely short (it's only 100 miles from Mumbai) so the flight was not even 25 minutes long!

Srikanth, another one of my colleagues, picked me up from the airport and dropped me off at the hotel. The drive from the airport was interesting - there are fewer people than Mumbai but more scooters and taxis zipping along the roads. I'm shocked about how people drive around here!! Pune is not as urban compared to Mumbai and the weather is a bit cooler (only 85 during the day and 65 at night). All the shops line the main roads and tons of people are walking along the streets - seems very lively.

Once I got settled in my room I went to the hotel lobby to watch a cricket match for the first time. It was lots of fun to watch with some of the locals! The match was very exciting and I found out that this one was a 1 day match (most of them are over 5 days) and this one was just over 8 hours long!!! I stayed for a few hours and I think I get the game, its somewhat of a mix between baseball and bowling. I'm sure I will be watching more matches while I'm here - so I can better understand the game.

Day 1

I've finally arrived in India! After a 16 hour flight to Dubai, a 3 hour connecting flight to Mumbai and getting through the airport I made it to my hotel. Let me tell you - it is beautiful! The architecture and decorative accents make my room so luxurious. I absolutely love the ornate details and use of color.

After catching up on some sleep I was ready to explore the city. Today is a holiday in Mumbai 'Republic Day' and the city is celebrating with lots of parades! Satish, one of my colleagues that I will be working with, picked me up to show me around. During my tour of Mumbai I was able to see the Gateway to India and walk around the streets. The city center reminds me so much of my time in Madrid, especially with all the people selling little things along the street. I wish I had taken pictures but it was a bit chaotic (I thought it was going to be crowded but not that crowded!)

Satish also showed me the hotel that was subject to the bombings a few years ago and I didn't even recognize it. It had been fully renovated - it looked beautiful - everything about that place was stunning, especially the spiral staircases leading up to the rooms and the magnificent crystal chandeliers hanging throughout the lobby. I'm so glad I was able to walk through and see it!

After our walk around the city center we stopped for dinner - my very first authentic Indian meal. It was around 7pm when we walked in and the restaurant was empty (everyone usually eats dinner around 9-10pm). I was grateful he ordered for both of us because the menu was overwhelming. The entire meal was phenomenal. It wasn't too spicy but he warned me that local cuisines (like in Pune) are much spicier. We had a lentil soup, some vegetarian dishes, and ended the meal with a sweet dessert. I can't wait to try the local cuisine and see what Pune has to offer!

Tomorrow I leave early in the morning to Pune - looking forward to seeing where I will be spending the majority of my time in India.