Introducing "Mr. Bonnie"

At Oklahoma State University, faculty leading a study abroad course have the option to bring a “support companion.” They must pay for their airfare, any hotel differential, food, any activities they plan to join, and OSU’s approved travel insurance for the trip. For our course in Milan, we had three official faculty leaders each with their companion, our on the ground liaison and 23 students. 

Not only is it great to be able to share these experiences with someone you care about but also they really do provide valuable support. While a fun experience for everyone, these are work trips for the faculty. We are managing a large group made up of many first-time travelers, navigating a foreign city and teaching a university course along the way. 

It’s nice to decompress with your person and have someone to keep you company during the students’ free time. It’s also great to have a few extra chaperones, even if they are serving in an unofficial capacity. With a group of 23 students, we tended to keep one couple in front leading the way, a second couple midway to keep the group together, and the last couple at the back to ensure no one got separated. We were navigating busy streets, hopping metros and making train changes. We needed all hands on deck. 

This was John’s second time to join me on a study abroad, and he really found his groove and enjoyed his role. I describe his job as being open to chats and an occasional question and standing by being vaguely dad-shaped when needed. With 23 young women in a foreign country, it is surprisingly handy to simply have a couple large men stand with you. 

Around the second day, we were breaking up into groups and some of the students announced, “We’re going with Bonnie and… um… Mr. Bonnie.” We had a chuckle, I introduced John to the group, but the nickname stuck and honestly it seemed to be a term of endearment. Even students who knew him called him Mr. Bonnie and by the end of the day he was answering to it without even thinking.

It’s Tuesday, it must be Switzerland: Epic views and life-changing fondue in Lugano

While Milan is an amazing and beautiful city, and there are still lots of things we hope to see the next time we visit, it’s also a great hub. Throughout this visit we took three day trips. For our first, we hopped a train to Switzerland and spent the day in Lugano. 

The town of Lugano sits on a lake nestled in the mountainside of the Alps. We stepped out of the train station to some stunning views. We began the trek downhill to the Old Town, which was filled with boutiques and vintage luxury shops. After a quick orientation, we set the students loose for the morning and began our own stroll through the cobblestone streets. 

The timing was perfect for us to grab an hour-long ferry ride of the lake. If we thought the views from the hillside were awesome, the views from the center of the lake were stupendous. Snowcapped mountains stretched in every direction and adorable villages dotted the shores. It was just a commuter ferry, no tour or guide, but we were wowed. It was definitely a great way to spend the morning. 

Upon our return, we stopped at a nice cafe that touted a fondue menu on their sidewalk chalkboard. This was another great spur of the moment decision. It’s no exaggeration to say this fondue is in the running for one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. My co-faculty, Lori, and I split a fondue pot and by the end of the meal, we were only half joking as we planned our next study abroad to Switzerland so we could eat fondue this good for a solid week. 

We sent the husbands off to explore the casino while we did some window shopping. Lori was seriously tempted by some vintage handbags, and I was pulled in by some handmade pieces at the local boutiques. 

After a guided walking tour, the group began the trek back to the train station. Half took the funicular, and I took the brave cohort that decided to walk. It was much, much further than I had remembered from the way down. We turned a corner that I thought was nearly the end only to discover we were less than halfway. After 6-8 blocks of steep stairs, we reached the station a bit winded but proud of our efforts. Our guide was astounded by how quickly we made the walk. He said he’d planned an hour to get us back; we’d made it in less than 20 minutes. 

One thing that surprises and tickles me on these trips is how tired the students get in comparison to the faculty. This day was a perfect example as nearly every student passed out on the train ride back to Milan. 

To guide learning, I gave the student a few framing questions each morning. On this day, I asked: 

• Lugano blends Italian language and lifestyle with Swiss order and affluence. How could influencers use that duality to position Lugano as a distinct kind of luxury lifestyle, different from both Milan and classic Switzerland?
• Unlike Venice or Lake Como, Lugano’s luxury shows up in more subtle ways like the lakeside promenades, arcades on Via Nassa, parks like Parco Ciani, and café culture. As you walk, consider what small, everyday moments here could be framed as “quiet luxury” in influencer content?

The Duomo welcomes us to Milan

We landed in Milan two days late and 46 miles from our original destination (a story for a later post). Somehow, we sped to the hotel just in time to drop our bags, smear on some sunscreen and run to catch my students as they embarked on the first major activity of the trip, a climb to the roof of the Duomo. 

If you are looking for pictures of Milan, chances are good that the Duomo will dominate the results. The Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary is the largest church in Italy and one of the largest in the world. It took about 600 years to complete and features 135 spires, more than 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures.

What a welcome to Milan. The cathedral is nothing short of breathtaking. The view from the plaza is impressive, but the climb to the roof brings you face-to-face with the intricate architecture. 

A short elevator ride brought us halfway, then the series of staircases began. I quickly found an opening the students overlooked in a narrow passageway. No gates, ropes or signs indicated it was closed to the public and with that we found ourselves standing on the literal roof. Needless to say we were all immediately thrilled with the detour. 

We took our time climbing the stairs and exploring every nook and cranny we could fit ourselves into. From the roof, we had panoramic views of Milan. The day was so clear, we could see the Alps from our perch on top of the city. 

John and I have an inside joke that we have to visit the tallest structure in any city we visit, so that trip requirement was checked off quickly this time. The Duomo did not disappoint, and it was clear why this is a must-see stop for any trip to Milan. 

To guide learning, I gave the student a few framing questions each morning. On this day, I asked: 

• After walking the fashion district and standing on the Duomo terraces, how has your sense of where luxury influence comes from in Milan shifted? Do you see it more in specific brands, in the city’s overall atmosphere, or in the way visitors and locals express style in these spaces?
• If you were guiding an influencer through this same day, what three content moments would you insist they capture to tell a richer story about Milanese luxury?
• How does moving between commercial/luxury space (Quadrilatero della Moda) and sacred/historic space (the Duomo) affect your thinking about the line between cultural experience and branded experience in influencer communication?

More than a field trip, less than a semester abroad: Faculty-led study abroad, the Goldilocks of education travel

Rooftop stop on the Duomo.

When I was a college student, “study abroad” meant you spent one to two semesters living and taking courses in another country. It was a big, costly undertaking and honestly something that never seemed accessible to me. Today, Oklahoma State University (and many more I’m sure) have added another option that has opened global experiential learning to a wider audience. Enter the faculty-led study abroad course.

I recently returned from leading my second such class where two fellow professors and I took 23 students on a week-long spring break trip to Milan, Italy. The trip, of course, is the foundation of the course, which also includes both pre- and post-departure class meetings, presentations by the students, on-the-ground assignments throughout the week, and a final paper. Our students are earning three credit hours for “Influencer Communications in Luxury Spaces.”

Students enroll in the course, pay the associated tuition and fees, and purchase their own airfare. The fees are naturally higher than your average college course because they include the hotel, some meals and all the activities the faculty have planned around the learning objectives of the course.

These study abroad experiences have two big appeals for both students and their parents. First, I’ve found both the students and their parents feel much safer knowing students will be accompanied by professors who serve as instructors, guides and support throughout the week. For many of our students, this class is their first time leaving the country. Having access to faculty, especially ones you have a relationship with from prior courses, feels like a safety net (and it is).

The second draw is the financial support. Students can apply their existing financial aid, and OSU offers a number of scholarships designated specifically to study abroad. The Provost, College, OSU Global and our home department all have scholarships, and I’ve seen students awarded over $2,000 specifically toward their study abroad.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have great student groups and wonderful faculty collaborators. So far, teaching these courses has been fun and enriching. I’m already making mental plans for the next learning adventure.

A quick street lecture before we begin our day's adventure. 

My First Uber

SxSW is all about new things and serendipity. Interesting conversations with complete strangers yield surprising new connections and discoveries. On the last day, I "discovered" Uber.

Of course, I'd heard of Uber, but I'd never had a reason or even the opportunity to try it. A random chat with the guys waiting for the shuttle found its way to the topic of Uber. Our fellow shuttler was a big fan and said he'd found himself regularly skipping the shuttle wait and just getting an Uber ride.

He was singing the praises of Uber, demoing the app, touting all its great features, and then suggested, "Hey, let's just take it. It's on me." What did we have to lose?

The app showed five Uber drivers near us. Our self-appointed Uber ambassador clicked a button and our ride was on the way. We saw the driver's name and car description along with an ETA. Three minutes later (no lie!) our ride was there.

The car was spotless and our driver seemed way safer than any cabbie I've ridden with. The final tab was $13.50. We hopped out, then rated the driver and paid through the app. No tipping and no card or cash needed. Bonus: similar cab rides were running folks $30.

My initial understanding of Uber basically being AirBnB for rides was spot on, and my first impression was very favorable. I'll definitely be downloading the app and looking for good opportunities to try it again, but only when I have my husband or another trusted rider in tow.  

Travel Must Haves: Airplane Edition

I'm taking a weekend break from the SxSW updates to blog something a bit more personal. John and I are in countdown mode for our next trip (Ecuador!), and being the organizing geek that I am, I already obsessing over what to pack.

We're 25+ countries in to our mission to see the world, so you'd think I have this down by now. But every place is different, and we learn something new about travel each time. I was looking for posts on "Travel Must Haves," and I was a bit disappointed. I just kept thinking, my existing list is better than these. So I thought I'd share.

The complete list is pretty long, so I'm breaking it up. Here are must haves for the plane. I think you'll see my themes are stay warm and hydrate.

• Snacks: Depending on the length of the flight, I pack a couple granola bars to sandwiches and sides. I get hunger-rage, so keeping my blood sugar level is vital to a happy flight. Seriously, if I got hungry enough the flight marshals would probably get called in. Rules are always changing, but typically you can get your food through security no problem as long as it's not a liquid. 
• Water: Dehydration is what makes you feel icky after a flight. You won't get a bottle of water through security, but you can buy it after the checkpoint (or fill up your own at a water fountain) and bring it on the plane with you. I've had some international carriers prohibit this, but it's always worth a shot. 
• Fuzzy Socks: Even on the shortest flights, I bring a thick pair of sock to change into. Those planes are cold! Fuzzy socks keep me warm and comfy. 
• Neck Pillow & Blanket: Sure they'll provide these, just try not to think about where they've been. For longer flights when I know I'll want to sleep, I bring my own. I like an inflatable neck pillow (to save room in the bag) and a small throw-sized fleece blanket. 
• Hand Wipes & Hand Sanitizer: Have I mentioned that planes are dirty, groody places? I wouldn't recommend washing your hands in the lavatory, much less your face. Hand wipes and sanitizer are a must to feel good and stay healthy. Use them before eating anything and any time you start feel grimy. 
• Lotion, Moisturizing Spritz & Lip Balm: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, any way you can. These are essential for longer flights. I have this wonderful moisturizing aromatherapy face mist, I can't fly without it. Add some lotion and lip balm, and you can exit a 14 hour flight without feeling like the cryptkeeper.
• Reading Material: Just duh. Don't underestimate how much you can read on a flight/trip. I once plowed through 8 books in a 2 week trek across India. E-readers are great for packing an assortment of books and magazines without bursting your carry on (or your baggage weight limit). 
• Earbuds: Again, where have those prepacked headphones been? Answer, you don't want to know. Bring your own. Pro tip: pop them in with or without music to get the guy next to you to stop talking to you. 

So what am I missing? What are your must haves for the plane?

Getting Lucky in Budapest

As I mentioned in my first Budapest post, we arrived in Hungary in the evening, but our luggage unfortunately did not. By the following afternoon, I had resigned myself to living out of the backpack for the week. Viva la adventure!

Our trip was mostly, self-led sight seeing, but I did book at least one guided tour in each city. In Budapest we took the "Hammer and Sickle Communism Tour." It was great. There was only one other couple with us, so it was basically a private tour.

Our guide showed us all over Castle Hill, on the Buda side of the river. And, as the name implies, the tour focused on the history of Communism in Hungary. Since we had such a small group we were able to ask really detailed questions about anything and everything Hungarian. We even ended up having a surprisingly candid talk about the short-comings of the US education system.

For me, one of the highlights of the tour, was getting an up close look at this Budapest landmark.

Equestrian statues are very popular in Budapest, but this one is particularly popular, especially with the students of the nearby university. Notice a particularly shiny spot on that horse? 

Legend has it, if you rub the horse's balls, you'll have good luck. Our guide offered any of us the chance to try it. I figured we'd all take turns, but it soon became apparent that I was the only taker. 

It was much higher than I initially thought, but I scrambled up there and gave that statue a good grope. Our little group got a nice kick out of it, especially John. But you know what? Our luggage arrived that night.

Hello, Budapest

We landed in Budapest at 6 pm. We didn't want to waste a minute, so as soon as we were settled (easy with no luggage!) we hit the streets.

On our first evening out we

• Bought passes and figured out the Metro
• Found a restaurant with nothing but an address and a map (we’re claiming victory here, but Google Maps failed us, as it often does abroad, and the addresses and street names are bizarro)
• Saw Heroes Square, a landmark monument, lit up at night
• Stumbled across a live concert where they release hundreds of balloons filled with glow lights
• Talked to actual Hungarians while waiting for the train
• And, most importantly, found our way back to the hotel in the dark.

Adventures in Travel

One of the secrets to a good trip is to keep doing things you can well and just try to not care too much about anything else.

One thing I've gotten pretty good at is packing. In fact this time, I hardly planned at all. I just pulled out the list I use every time and tossed everything in our bags. We’re hitting Eastern Europe with one suitcase, one carryon, a backpack and a small purse. At least we thought we were.

Two things you can’t control: flight delays and lost luggage. Our original flight out of Dallas was delayed two hours due to lightening. We landed at Heathrow at the exact time we should have boarding our connection to Budapest, but we were saved by the delay. Our connection was an hour late, which put us right on time.

We landed in Budapest right on time. Except our luggage, that one suitcase didn't  It was last seen in Heathrow according to the database. So we filed a report and celebrated how little we had to carry to the taxi stand.

This is when I surprised even myself with my packing savvy. Because even though we had next to nothing in the backpack and purse, we ended up in Budapest with

• 8 pairs of socks and underwear each (recycling clothes everyday doesn't sound so bad as long as you have clean socks and drawers)
• Our camera, laptop, kindles (loaded with guide books), chargers and plug adapters
• 2 pairs of clothes each (if you count our travel clothes)
• All our prescriptions and a stock pile of Tylenol and ibuprofen
• Hats and sunscreen
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste
• Maps, itineraries, and tickets
• And of course, the only two things we really need: passports and credit cards. 

Holy smokes, we’re traveling across Eastern Europe with nothing but the clothes on our backs. And it’s fine. We have until Tuesday morning for the no show luggage to make it to the hotel, or I suspect they will reroute it to our home. Worst case scenario we need to buy deodorant (we’re very European today) and a brush, maybe a couple spare tee shirts. 

A Jessica Rabbit Moment

How often do you get to lay on a blue piano and sing Elton John songs in front of people who won't "boo" you? Evidently, at least once. Among a number of super fun things that happened at my sister's wedding was an invitation to do just this.

We had the reception in the piano bar with our very own piano player. I cracked a joke about laying on the piano and he said, "Well, get on up there." You do not have to tell this girl twice. Embarrassing video of me butchering "Tiny Dancer" is forthcoming. 

Then we sang "Summer Loving" together. Not my pick, but Mike, the piano player, said, "Don't worry, I don't know all the words either." Well, you can't argue with that. 

After my turn, I offered some sage, sisterly advice to Em. "We only regret the things we don't do." And when I turned around, she was up on the piano, too. It was that kind of party. 

When Sarah returned from taking photos, we all climbed up there again for a quick sister picture. It was so nice of Carnival to paint the piano to match our dresses, don't you think. 

Parasailing! Why Not?

A few weeks before we left on the wedding cruise, John and I got in our heads that we should go parasailing. I'm not quite sure what cemented the idea for for us. Probably just they fact that it occurred to us that we'd never done it.

Hahaha, look how much fun we're having and we haven't even started. 

It's a cross between skydiving and water skiing. It requires no training and no athletic ability, a perfect vacation activity, right? And sure, people die occasionally. People die in the bathtub, but that doesn't keep you from showering. And sure, there's the added thrill of doing this on a Caribbean island where safety regulations are known to be a bit loosey-goosey. That just adds to the adventure, right?

Obviously, I'm here to tell the tale.

They hook you up right on the boat. They release the parachute and zip, up you go.

I'm not sure how high we went exactly. It was high enough to see across the island (Grand Cayman) and have a good view of the opposite shoreline. They told us, "Don't worry. Worst thing that can happen is the line breaks and you parachute to the water." Um, no. Actually, worst thing is the harness strapping us to the chute breaks, and we crash to our deaths. But who wants to argue on vacation. 

You don't even have to get wet, but we did. We had the driver slow down enough to dip us in the ocean before they landed us back on the boat. 

Day 11: Last Stop Mumbai

A pre-dawn flight lands us in Mumbai, the last city of our Indian adventure. After a short nap we’re back on tour bus for a whirlwind of Mumbai highlights. I’d thought Mumbai would be like Delhi, a big, dirty, brown dump full storage building-style store fronts. I was so wrong.

Mumbai is colorful, with beaches and islands, skyscrapers and slums, museums and gardens. Mumbai is what you picture when you picture India, and with good reason. Mumbai is home to Bollywood, which churns out more movies each year than the rest of the world combined. Its largest slum was also the site for “Slumdog Millionaire.”

One of the most striking things about Mumbai was the contrast. We drove down one street where to the left was the richest area in the city, high-end shops, luxury apartments and five star hotels. On the right was the largest slum in Asia.

Day 9 & 10: Udaipur

I got behind with the from-the-road blog posts. So I cut my loses and decided to jump ahead. I didn't want to slight Udaipur, though. So here are some highlight photos.

We decided to roam the grounds at the Royal Retreat where we were staying. We found actual stables! With horses! 

This carving was right outside our door. How sweet, that lion wants to play him. 

At the gates of the city palace. 

We took a boat ride across Lake Pichola. The views were beautiful and we saw so many people swimming, bathing, and doing laundry along the shore. 

We took a break from the boat to stretch our legs at this floating building called Jagmandir Ghat. 

She looked so pretty, set up with her little water stand. We snapped a picture, but decided to stick with our bottled water. 

Day 8: A Night in a Palace? Don’t Mind if I Do

We had a single night in Kota. It’s a pretty little riverfront town, but the highlight of this stop was actually our hotel, the Umed Bhawan Palace. Throughout India, they have what are called “heritage hotels.” Each state still has a Maharaja, although they are merely figureheads now. The Maharajas still own the family palaces and properties. Many properties have been converted into museums, and some are now hotels and restaurants.

Our suite at the Palace was definitely the largest of any we’ve stayed at, ever. It was bigger than the first apartment John and I shared, nearly as big as our house. It was easy to imagine decades of Maharaja guests having the identical experience we were.

As we arrived, we were greeted with marigold garlands. 

At this point in the trip we were so exhausted and these beds were so comfy I slept for  about 10 hours straight. It was the best night's sleep I got the whole time. 

The flatscreen and AC unit were a little out of place, but everything else was quite authentic. 

View from our interior porch. 

The upper floor was closed because the royal family still lived there, but we were free to roam the first floor, courtyard and grounds. 

Day 7: Tiger Spotting in Ranthambhore

There are 41 tigers living in the Ranthambhore National Park and Tiger Preserve (according to our park ranger), and we spotted two on our safaris through the park. We went out twice, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. We were lucky enough to spot a tiger each time.

The ranger told us Ranthambhore staff had recently given this tiger a lifetime achievement award. She's had seven cubs so far and each has lived. That's a remarkable mothering record, even for a tiger in the preserve. 

We toured the park in an open-top cantor vehicle. Both times the tigers strolled along less than 20 yards from us. You’d think they would shy away from the big jeeps full of people, but they could care less about us. They didn't even give us a glance. I guess a 550 lb predator isn’t scared of much.

The tigers are certainly the big draw for Ranthambhore safaris, but the park is full of other wildlife as well. Dozens of bird species, monkeys, sambars, mongoose, barking deer and crocodiles all made the safari a worthwhile excursion even if you didn’t see a tiger like we did.

Sanbar eat water plants in the drier months when there is less foliage. The building in background is now referred to as the Tiger Palace because the cats like to hang out there. Our ranger said you can often see them in the windows. 

Baby crocodile sunning himself on the large flat rock at the water's edge. 

Day 6: The Real India

Today we hit the road for Ranthambhore. Raj told us Delhi, Agra and Jaipur make up the “Golden Triangle of India” (the must-see sightseeing spots), but now we head to the real India. Finally, we’re seeing the kind of India I imagined, and finally, it is beautiful.

Each city seemed to have a specialty. In Ranthambhore, it was handmade textiles. 

Our hotel is the Pugmark and it is definitely my favorite so far. Five stars it is not, but what it lacks in amenities it more than makes up for in beauty, charm and authenticity. The grounds are covered in flowering bushes and mango trees. Monkeys are everywhere, and lizards slip in the door with you at night.

I loved the Pugmark Hotel. The grounds were beautiful; staff were working in the gardens constantly. 

The staff is sweet and helpful; I think they are as interested in us as we are in the tigers (Ranthambhore’s main attraction). Waiters will stop and have entire conversations, patiently answering our questions about their life and families. They even threw us an India barbecue.

Our room is small, but comfy. There’s a single wall unit air conditioner, but it does the trick. The power shuts off periodically and in the three to five minutes it takes for someone to flip on the generator the temp in the room shoots up almost immediately.

Fortunately, we were only menaced from a distance by the small, but naughty, black-faced monkeys. One man in our group was surrounded by a gang of four-foot tall monkeys who, evidently, were interested in mangos.

Cheeky monkey. 

Day 5: Elephants and Amber in the Pink City

We started our day with an elephant ride to the mountaintop Amber Fort. Our elephant was one of the biggest; the boarding platform almost wasn’t tall enough for us the scramble onto the saddle.

The first few minutes were terrifying. But, after I accepted that we probably, most likely, well maybe weren’t going to fall to our death, it was so fun. We hung on for dear life and took in the amazing views of the city wall snaking up and down the mountainside.

We saw so many amazing things in Jaipur—the pink city gates, the Amber Fort’s maze of steps and hallways, a working observatory built in the 1600s, the world’s largest sun dial, and the current Maharaja’s palace residence—but the elephant ride was definitely a highlight for this stop.

Day 4: On the road again

Our fourth full day in India was another long travel day. Six hours in the bus again, at least this time we’ve put in enough distance in to really start to see a chance in scenery. There were patches of Easter egg-colored neighborhood amid the sea of brown dust, larger homes and apartment buildings, and mountains (well Oklahoma-style mountains) as we entered Jaipur.

Today we broke up the trip with a stop at the deserted city, Fatehpur Sikri and a delicious lunch at an air conditioned café in the middle of nowhere. It made the trip much more bearable to stop and have a little fun in the middle.

Raj, our guide, added a driving tour of Jaipur to the evening’s itinerary. I think he wanted to show off his home town a little. He even had our bus driver take us to the market for a quick shopping trip. Jaipur’s market was the first we’d seen. I expected more marketplaces.

We only had 30 minutes to wander the streets and shops, but it was fun. The sidewalks were crowded with merchandise and shoppers. The store owners called out as you passed, “Free to look, cheap to buy!”After the violently pushy vendors in Egypt, Jaipur’s market was like a stroll through the mall. We left with an arm full of bangles and dozens of photos.

Day 3: Taking in Agra

Agra is best known as the home of the Taj Mahal. And that was our first stop of the day. It was “not crowded” by Indian standards, and we were all thrilled to discover that the “high priced tickets” foreigner are forced to buy (it’s nearly free for Indians to enter) basically equaled a Taj fast pass.

The line for Indians to enter the grounds was hundreds of people deep, but we walked straight through the “high price ticket entrance.” Our tickets also included a bottle of water and shoe covers, so we didn’t have to go barefoot on the blistering hot marble.

The Taj Mahal was much smaller than I imagined and just as impressive as the structure itself are the grounds surrounding it. The gardens are original, not recreations. So the flower beds, tree placements and fountains are all just as the original designers intended.

Next door to the Taj, we toured the Red Fort. It was every bit as remarkable as its famous showy neighbor. The fort covers more than a square mile and has never once been completely taken. It featured gates large enough for elephants to enter, corridors where acid would be poured onto invaders, chambers for the emperor, his wives and his concubines, meeting areas for the parliament, and a prison where the emperor who built the Taj was ultimately imprisoned by his son.

Day2: Travel at the Speed of India

According to the tour itinerary on our second full day in India we travel by private coach to Agra and spend the balance of the day at leisure. What the itinerary did not hint at was that while it’s a mere 235 kilometers to Agra (that’s about 145 miles, I did the math) it takes six to seven hours “depending on traffic.”

Back home that might take you two and a half hours, but here road conditions and traffic—automobiles, bicycles, pedestrians and livestock—make what we assumed to be a quick trip into a day-long affair.

Typically traveling across a new country, whether it be by bus, train or boat, is fascinating. You get to watch the landscape change, see the people living their daily lives, and take in the diversity of the urban and rural areas. Maybe we haven’t seen much because we really didn’t travel that far, but so far India all look pretty much the same, gray, dirty and covered in heaping piles of trash.

The neighborhoods of million dollar flats look identical (at least from the outside) to crime-ridden poor neighborhoods. Maybe the dreary backdrop makes the beautiful things we’ve seen seem all that more spectacular. Just when I start to think the entire place is one massive landfill, it surprises me with something so pretty I gasp.