August 1st, 2009:

Today I left for my trip to India. I have just boarded my flight from Logan airport in Boston and it is 4 A.M. On my way to New Delhi, we are going to switch flights in Paris, France. After we stop in Paris, I am continuing my flight to New Delhi, India. The flight should land around 1 A.M. Indian time on August 2. Because of the time difference, I will lose one day due to travel but I will be ready for sightseeing after I catch up on my sleep upon my arrival.

Tomorrow, I am planning to see Humayun’s Tomb and drive to Agra, India where the Taj Mahal is. I am sure tomorrow will be a lot of fun.

I have found a few pictures of Humayun’s Tomb and the Taj Mahal. Here they are:














Humayun’s Tomb Taj Mahal


August 2nd, 2009: Today I am going to see Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi. It looks very interesting and beautiful from what I have seen online. I am going to eat an early brunch at Connaught Place, the hotel that I am staying at and then leave.

My first Indian brunch was great. It consisted of many vegetables as well as bread and rice on the side. Indians do not eat beef because cows are sacred in the Hindu religion.

When I got to Humayun’s Tomb, I was awestruck. The architecture was stunning, especially for Mughal times. When we went inside, I was even more amazed. The room was immense, but still very beautiful. In the middle of the floor was Humayun’s resting place. One other thing that surprised me was that there were monkeys hanging around the tomb. Here are some more pictures of Humayun’s Tomb:














When I left the tomb, I decided to drive to Agra so I could visit the Taj Mahal tomorrow. The drive took about 5 hours because of traffic congestion. I decided to stay at the Agra Inn, another hotel, and view the Taj Mahal in the morning. After I view the Taj, I am going to drive back to New Delhi so I can catch my flight to Saudi Arabia.

August 3rd, 2009:

Today, I am going to visit the Taj Mahal. I will leave the Agra Inn around 8:00 in the morning so that I have ample time to view the Taj Mahal.

When I got there, I was astounded with the size and the beauty of the Mausoleum. Inside the Taj Mahal, we got to see so many amazing things. One of the most amazing things we saw was the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal was Emperor Shah Jahan's wife. Before Mumtaz Mahal died, she asked her husband to build a mausoleum that was more beautiful than anything any one had ever seen. One year after Mumtaz Mahal’s death, the emperor began to build the Taj. I was very surprised with the amazing end result of the Taj Mahal. Again, here are some additional views of the Taj and its surrounding areas:












Before I left, I got a miniature version of the Taj Mahal. It is a souvenir so that I will never forget visiting the Taj.


Now I am going to drive back to New Delhi to catch my flight to Saudi Arabia. I hope this drive will be less tiring then the one here. When I get to Saudi Arabia, I am going to visit Riyadh and the Muslim holy city of Mecca. I am sure that Saudi Arabia will be very interesting.

After a long 6 hour drive back to Delhi, I boarded my flight to Saudi Arabia. I am going to land at 11:00 P.M. tonight. Then I can sleep and get ready to visit Riyadh and fly to Mecca. Here are some pictures of Mecca and the Masmack fortress.












August 4th, 2009: Today, I am going to go to visit the Masmack Fortress. After that, I am planning on flying to Mecca. Today should be enjoyable.

Once I got to the Masmack Fortress, I was surprised at how well the fortress was built because it was built out of mud and clay. A fun fact that I also learned there was that the Masmack fortress played a large part in Riyadh’s history. Riyadh was once free until 1902 when they were recaptured at the Masmack fortress by Al Saud, an exiled Kuwaiti. After I saw the outside of the fort, I decided to enter the fort. Its Palm Tree gate had a door in the middle that was incredibly small. It had only enough room to let one person through at a time. Here are some more pictures of the Masmack Fortress:











After I left the Masmack Fortress, I went straight to the airport and flew to Mecca. I plan to watch the pilgrimage tomorrow and learn about the Muslim religion. Since it is late, I am going to get some rest at the Makkah Hilton Hotel and enjoy lamb for dinner. I really enjoyed my day in Riyadh and I am sure that I will learn a lot about Mecca tomorrow.

August 5th, 2009: Today, I visited Mecca. I saw the Muslims worshipping facing Kaaba (black building that is the most sacred site in Islam). I also saw the Muslims walking around the Kaaba as another part of the pilgrimage. While I was there, I learned that the pilgrimage to Mecca is known as the Hajj. It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world and it should be tried by all able bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime. Here is another picture of the pilgrimage to Mecca.














Another important pilgrimage is to Medina. Medina is the place where Muhammad rests. This place is also known as Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi and the Mosque of the Prophet.

While I was at Mecca, I decided to buy a miniature sculpture of the Kaaba. It will always remind me of this trip. Tomorrow I leave for Egypt to see the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza.

August 6th, 2009:

Today I am going to fly to Egypt after lunch It should take about an hour and a half to get there. Tomorrow I am going to go and visit the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. It should be a lot of fun. I am really interested in the pyramids because I never would have expected people to work together to make a giant pyramid.

Once I got to Cairo, Egypt, I had my dinner. Something cool I learned was that if you are important enough you have the choice to have the people slaughter a sheep for you. I find that interesting because I have never seen any other culture do that for any one before.

It is very hot here so I am exhausted. I am ready to go to bed. I can’t wait for tomorrow. It is going to be awesome seeing all of the pyramids.





August 7th, 2009:


Today, I went to visit the pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. When I saw the pyramids, I was awestruck. While I was looking at the Pyramids, I also saw the Great Sphinx to the east of the pyramids. I also learned from another tourist that the Great Pyramid was one of the only 7 wonders of the world left. Here is a photo of the pyramids:










After I looked at the pyramids, I walked over to get a better view of the Great Sphinx. What I noticed was that the Great Sphinx was missing his nose. I decided to ask a few people about what happened to its nose. What I found out was that it was unknown. I heard many stories like “The Mameluke Army used the Sphinx for target practice” and “It fell off when Napoleon’s archeologists were studying it”. The most reasonable answer I got was that it was removed sometime around 800 A.D. by someone using a chisel who thought that it was a Blasphemous Idol. Here is a picture of the Great Sphinx:


















While I was on my way back to my hotel, I decided to buy a little statue of the Great Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza. They were very interesting and I thought that it would be a great souvenir to let me remember this amazing trip.


August 8th, 2009:

Today I am going to fly back to the United States. I definitely enjoyed this trip and I can’t wait to come back again sometime in the future.