Happy Holidays from India

Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our Father,
brothers *(and sisters) all are we,
Let me walk with my *(family),
in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,

To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.

Words by Jill Jackson & Sy Miller, circa 1955
* (modified by Michael, circa 2007 :o)

Rockin the Taj

One of the highlights of any travel to India is, of course, visiting one of the original "7 Wonders of the World", the Taj Mahal--a mausoleum in Agra, India (a few hours out of Delhi), that was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In one word, the Taj Mahal is AMAZING.

Luckily, I had traveling companions on this fun-filled and eventful weekend, Jenn and Doron, two of my teammates from the Minneapolis Headquarters of Target. Jenn & Doron were here for the past two weeks conducting some rockin' merchandise training for our Target India team members and they were an hit! Well, YEAH--if you knew Jenn and Doron you'd be nodding your head (just go ahead and nod with me... okay... there ya go :o) So as soon and Jenn and Doron knew they were coming to India for two weeks, they asked me if I wanted to go up to Agra to see the Taj. What else could I say but, "Absotootly!"

We flew up to Delhi on Friday night, stayed at the wonderful Shrangri-La Hotel, and then took a 4-hour road trip (each way) to Agra on Saturday to see the Taj. The road trip was a journey in itself starring monkeys, camels, elephants, donkeys, chickens--you name it (check out the slide show). On the way out of Delhi I'd never experienced such extreme conditions, especially the air quality--oh my--in some areas it felt like dusk the entire time. Be thankful for your clean air, clean water... it is not so clean in other parts of the world (this picture is the sun rising in the morning... and that's not fog--quite a difference even from Bangalore)

So the whole experience was amazing--I can't even begin to explain it. Check out the slideshow and let me know what you think--post a comment! Don't be shy.

Okay, so now that the vacation's over--back to work. Thanks Jenn & Doron--you guys totally rock! What a great traveling team we make... hope you made it back home to the Winter Wonderland safe and sound.

Namaste.

My favorite shot.. check out the water from the fountain!