Camel trekking across the dunes of the Great Thar Desert was the best activity I did when I was in Jaisalmer. Located about 70 miles from the Pakistani border, the Thar desert stretches to the western horizon of India with shifting dunes of golden sand. Now, riding on a camel is not one of my favorite things to do. Not exactly comfortable to sit six or eight feet off the ground on top of an...

We left Manali before the sun came up, thinking we would reach Leh about 17 hours later. In fact, it took something like 40 hours and was the worst experience of my entire time in India. Only an hour outside of Manali, a landslide completely blocked the highway north into the Himalayan region of Ladakh. Something like seven hours later, a bunch of guys with picks, shovels, and caribau arrived to...

Known as the 'Blue City', Jodhpur is one of Rajasthan's top destinations in Western India. Most of the houses surrounding the Mehrangarh Fort are painted a brilliant shade of blue. Visiting Jodhpur was one of my favorite stops of all the time I spent in India in 2006. I found the people to be very friendly and welcoming, especially compared to the standoffish-ness of the Jaisalmer people. This...

After spending a few days exploring the Himalayan region of Leh in Northern India, Kris, Kristen, and I wanted to catch a glimpse of daily life in a Ladahki village. We asked around in Leh and decided that the Tibetan village of Likir would be the best choice. Several Tibetan families in the village offer homestays, and this sounded like the best way to experience a little bit of Tibetan culture....

The Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur dominates the city, located strategically at the top of a steep plateau. Today the fort no longer fends off attacking raiders, but it is the center of tourism for Jodhpur and exploring the palaces, courtyards, and panoramic views from the tops of the high stone walls is one of the best ways to spend a day exploring Jodhpur. This gallery covers all of the highlights...

Built in 1156 AD by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, the fort at Jaisalmer is one of the largest forts in the world. Today the Jaisalmer Fort is a top destination within India's Golden Triangle and a popular launch pad for camel trekking tours of the Great Thar Desert near the Pakistani border. I spent almost a week in Jaisalmer exploring the old sandstone havelis of the Fort, this gallery...

After exploring the Jaisalmer Fort, I wanted to experience more of the Rajasthani culture of this desolate desert region. I spent some time talking with Jaisalmer locals such as Ghassi Ram, a Rajasthani ravanta player who invited me to visit his family's mud hut for some music, chai, and homemade chapati bread. I also visited a tiny Thar Desert village with a cluster of mud huts huddled togethers...

The panoramas of Ladakh in Northern India are dominated by snow-capped Himalayan peaks. Towering mountain ranges such as the Stok range near Leh draw visitors from all over the world. Catching a view of the Himalayas was the reason Kris, Kristen, and I suffered through our jeep trek from hell, and, after catching a Himalayan sunset from the Shanti Stupa in Leh, I think it was worth the suffering....

Jodhpur was my favorite city in India on my visit in 2006. I spent several days there exploring the old 'Blue City', the Mehrangarh Fort, and also visiting some of the small Rajasthani villages located just outside the main city. This gallery includes more of my favorite highlights from around Rajasthan's best city: Jodhpur.

I connected to New Delhi from Kathmandu with a Druk Air direct flight. Druk is the national carrier of Bhutan and to me it is the nicest airline from a developing country that I've ever experienced. Anyways, I traded the chaos of Kathmandu for the chaos of New Delhi, India. I didn't spend too much time in Delhi, but while I was there I managed to visit some of the highlights, including Connaught...

The Ganges River passes through Varanasi--one of the world's oldest cities--in Eastern India. As India's most sacred river, the Ganges is the destination for millions of Hindu pilgrims every year to bathe at dawn on one of the many 'ghats' located along the muddy banks. To close out my first trip to India, I visited Varanasi and experienced a Ganges River sunrise. I still am a bit shocked at how...

Visiting the Taj Mahal is mandatory for a first trip to India. Yes, Agra is a charmless tourist hell-hole, but catching a Taj Mahal sunrise can put a bit of shine even on gritty Agra. After all, the Taj is the first thing I ever knew about India so it seemed fitting to see it in person on the first trip to the Subcontinent. I spent the day in Agra, catching the Taj at sunrise and then taking a...

Shimla is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. Located in the Himalayan foothills of Northern India, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in 1864. I learned about it while talking to another traveler on the trip to Leh, I was first drawn to the idea of visiting the city because of the Shivalik Express train which travels a scenic route from Shimla to Kalka. Aside from the...

Seeing the Klu-kkhyil Gompa and Tibetan monastery was the reason we chose to visit Likir over the other Ladakhi villages near Leh. Located in Northern India and built centuries ago, the monastery has an amazing view of its surrounding Himalayan valley. Kris, Kristen, and I spent an afternoon exploring the village and talking with some of the Tibetan Buddhist monks who live and study there. This...

After narrowly escaping the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama and his entourage were granted asylum in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh. I had already planned to visit Dharamsala during my first trip to India, but while I was in Manali I heard that the Dalai Lama would be giving a teaching in person at the main Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Dharamsala. Not wanting to...

The Shivalik Express Toy Train from Shimla to Kalka was the main draw for my visit to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. The train winds through the green Himalayan foothills of Northern India as it heads south towards Delhi. It's certainly a slower route than taking one of the more modern trains in India, but the old-fashioned experience of the Shivalik's coaches was well worth taking the extra time on...

Varanasi is the most chaotic city I have ever seen. Cows, bicycle rickshaws, autorickshaws, a bull, overflowing street markets and the occasional monkey all fight for their bit of space as they go about their day. In hindsight I'm really glad that I waited until the end of the trip to see Varanasi because I don't think I could have handled it when I first arrived. Dealing with the sheer mass of...