One of the benefits of living abroad is for the travel opportunities. That being said, everyone has ideas of places they want to visit and for many, this is prioritized as the length of stay abroad is often unknown or a set period of time. You always want to get to your top places, which can vary depending on the time of year and often can shuffle after hearing stories from your friends of their recent trips.
I recently had the
pleasure of going to see the Taj Mahal. I say pleasure, and no, I'm not being sarcastic, at least not now. If you asked me prior to my trip, I was not very excited for it. It is not that I don't like visiting new places, but I was intimidated by India and it definitely was not high on my wish list. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, and this definitely was proof to continue to live by that saying.
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| Tandoor kitchen |
The Taj Mahal was breathtaking. It ranks among my favorite places that I have been. I was also pleasantly surprised by the variety of Indian foods that I tried. No, I did not try any street food, and was extremely cautious with everything I put in my mouth - I stuck to the hotels for every meal, except one was eaten at a high quality restaurant. Looking back, it does seem that we tend to stick to more or less the same dishes when we go to Indian food, so now I know a few more dishes and can branch out a little more when we go out.
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| Chillies at the whole sale spice market, Old Delhi |
In the end, it is a good reminder to start off the new year, to try new things, even if they are beyond your comfort zone. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised.
