India: The Golden Triangle & Rajasthan

India is loud, busy and colorful, and it can be a lot at first. We started with a cycle rickshaw ride through the lanes of Old Delhi, past spice markets and stalls frying parathas, and by the end of the first morning even the most nervous travelers were laughing.

The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, which we knew, so we planned around it and arrived at the east gate for sunrise on a Saturday. In the early light, the marble went from gray to pink to white. Nobody said much. A woman from Austin who'd wanted to see it since she was a little girl stood on the bench for photos for half an hour, and then just sat and looked.

Ranthambore was the gamble. It's one of the best places in India to see wild tigers, but nothing is guaranteed. On the first safari, we saw deer, crocodiles and a leopard track. On the second, a sloth bear. On the third and final drive, our guide stopped the jeep, killed the engine and pointed. A tigress walked out of the grass, crossed the track right in front of us and lay down by a lake. Everyone was trying not to breathe.

Jaipur, the Pink City, was all forts and palaces. We visited the Amber Fort, watched the Hawa Mahal glow in the morning, and spent an afternoon in a village where families still hand-print fabric with carved wooden blocks. There was a lot of shopping. The group's final tally was thirty-one saris and scarves.

We ended in Udaipur, a city of lakes and palaces, with a sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola. And for the record: two people had upset stomachs over two weeks. That's well under the average. Our rule about bottled water and well-cooked food is working.