There are many times when we interact with a company and every thing goes as expected. You make your selection, money changes hands, you take your commodity or experience, and then move on. Those experiences seldom stick in your head unless one of two things happen, the experience is supremely extraordinary or things go terribly awry. Think about it, how many times have you told a story about that restaurant that screwed up your steak 3 times versus all the average acceptable meals you’ve had where you didn’t utter a peep about it? Or the opposite, how many times have you told the tale of that super salesperson that remembered your name, and your kid’s name when you went back the store a second time. Occasionally though, there’s a third circumstance that occurs which trumps both of these. When something goes terribly wrong that was out of everyone’s control and the company goes above and beyond their scope not only to fix it, but to delight you. This is the tale of such a company in a place notorious for scamming foreigners and taking advantage of tourists. This is a tale of delight. This is the tale of Great Wide Open adventure travel in India.
Category Archives: Asia
The Many Colorful People of India – Photo Essay
We spent a month in India. The country was everything we expected it to be, old traditions and older buildings. It was hotter than hell (we went in June/July). There was fantastic food and interesting wildlife. The thing that will stand out forever in our memories though, are the people we met along the way. India’s people are so colorful and vibrant. They are full of such a subtle flair that can only come from centuries of doing things a certain way. This is a small collection of the many colorful people of India we came across in our travels.
Laxmi Narayan (Birla Mandir) Hindu Temple, New Delhi – A Photo Essay
India is a land filled with multiple religions and a healthy dose of mysticism and it’s capitol is a melting pot where they all run across each other. Because of this, New Delhi is filled with Churches, Temples, Mosques, and Gurudwalla’s representing India’s wide range of religious beliefs. However, because Hinduism is still the countries’ largest religion, you’ll find many Hindu temples (from tiny single rooms to palace sized compounds) dedicated to the vast number of gods and deities they worship. There is one Hindu temple that stood out to me though, not just for it’s beautiful architecture but because it was built with a core principle in mind that was quite radical for it’s time. The Laxmi Narayan (Birla Mandir) in Delhi is the only temple in India you’ll find that was inaugurated by Ghandi for one reason, it’s open to every caste level and was not restricted to only Hindus.
Indian Street Food – A Guide for the Hungry Traveler
One of our favorite things to do in a new country or city is visit the local street food vendors. It’s the only version of fast food that I will endorse. Indian Street food is a perfect way to sample India’s vast cuisine and culture. You get to stand around a food cart and watch the magic of vendors slinging ingredients together to make their local delicacies. You get to see the love and attention that goes into food and food consumption. A good street food vendor will consistently be surrounded by loyal consumers. It also gives you the chance to stand around and chat with the locals whom you already have something in common with… a love of good Indian street food!
Taj Mahal – (Part II) Proving the Power of Love in Stone
Visiting the Taj Mahal was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Strangely, it took me weeks of pondering to figure out why. I’ve seen beautiful buildings before and I’ve seen natural marvels that absolutely blow the Taj Mahal out of the water with their sheer size and magnitude. What makes this place so special? Then I had an epiphany. It finally dawned on me why I froze in my tracks with goose bumps when I first saw it: it’s the only man-made creation I have ever seen that fully embodies what it means to truly love someone. When I talk about love I don’t mean that Shakespeare style Romeo and Juliet, “star-crossed teenager I’m full of hormones and I just met you a week ago love crap” I mean the”I love you with every ounce of my being so I’m going to create something so powerful and beautiful people will fly half way around the world to see it” kind of love. The kind of love that makes a man “employ” 20,000 people and almost empty his entire royal coffers just to build something that the woman he loved wouldn’t ever even see. Once I put it in that context in my mind, it’s obvious why I (a self-proclaimed rambler) found myself speechless (and wordless) for weeks after seeing one of the greatest feats of architecture in the world. The Taj Mahal truly does prove the power of love in stone.