"Get it India!"

The tour marches on, at somewhat of a glacial pace, but I have made it to the halfway mark and that is quite an accomplishment, if I'm allowed to say so myself. The Taj Mahal was lovely at sunset and then we left Agra the following morning for a small town called Chanderi which is very much off the tourist circuit. There we enjoyed some ruins (we've been to A LOT of ruins) and one of the highlights of the tour so far, dinner at the home of Kalle Bai, our Chanderi-based guide. His wife cooked us some of the best Indian food I've ever had and we ate outdoors my starlight in the courtyard of his home. Yesterday morning we left Chanderi on a somewhat harrowing two and a half hour public bus ride. We were at the back of the rickety bus which was speeding along the not-so-paved road, sending us flying off our seats on multiple occasions. Add to this the loud talking of the Indian men around us, and one occasion of a passenger getting sick out the window and having drips of vomit come flying back at us through the open windows. Needless to say, we were happy to arrive at our hotel here in Orchha, another small town (with more ruins) where I sit using dial-up Internet.

I have become close with a lovely Australian girl, Beth, who is my age. We managed to facilitate a room swap so that we are now roommates and this has already made the trip oh-so-much better. Before she left Australia, Beth's friends coined the expression, "Get it India," which is a play on a popular Australian expression, "Get it into 'ya." "Get it India," has become the motto of our trip, and whenever something happens that is slightly off-putting we simply say it and smile. It was said numerous times on our bus journey and I can only imagine that it will be uttered many a time to come.

Get it India!