Safely back home

After an early breakfast at the German Bakery on Main Bazaar, we got taxis to the airport.
There was another shopping opportunity at departures, and plenty of time for a Costa coffee and a McDonalds!

The flight went quickly - watching films and playing "Who wants to be a millionaire".

Our bags arrived very quickly, with nothing missing!  Then we went through to meet our welcome party, where there were lots of smiles and more photos.

We all had an amazing time in India and I'm sure you'll hear much more about our travels.

Back in Delhi

Hi

We've now arrived back in Delhi for a final day of shopping!  We're staying at the hotel we first stayed in, so it's like coming home.

Wednesday 3rd August - The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was breathtaking.  It was amazing to see.  Definitely a highlight of the trip.  We stayed there until sunset, but unfortunately the sun set behind some cloud, so we didn't see the orange glow.

Tuesday 2nd August - Teej festival and Amber Fort

We dressed up for the occasion at the Teej festival in Jaipur, which is a ladies festival.  When we got there, some local ladies helped to rearrange the saris!  The festival was an experience.  At times, our group had more onlookers than the festival itself.  There was a procession of coconut-decorated towers, followed by elephants, camels, dancers and bands.

We travelled by elephant up to Amber Fort.  It was a bit of a bumpy ride but an experience we will not forget.

Hope you have all enjoyed hearing about our World Challenge expedition to India.  There will probably be one last entry.  See you tomorrow!

The India team.

End of project

Hi
We're back in Jaipur after successfully completing our project at Sharda Primary School.  We helped to build a boundary wall and dug around 50 holes for planting trees, as well as weeding over 6ft tall weeds!  The temperature was almost unbearable at times, but we were lucky to get a 3 hour break from 12 to 3pm, when we could go back to our camp and cool off in the pool.  We worked from 8am to 6pm.  Our food was cooked for us by a chef from our hotel in Jaipur, and we learned how to make masala tea and chapatis, so look forward to some when we return!

So, we're now officially on R&R.  We're relaxing and shopping today, going to Amber Fort tomorrow for an elephant ride, then going to the Teej festival in Jaipur, travelling to Agra on Wednesday with some sightseeing en route and seeing the Taj Mahal at sunset, then off to Delhi on Thursday/Friday for more shopping.

Just a reminder that our flight is on Saturday 6th August, flight VS301 which arrives at London Heathrow Terminal 3 at 1755.  We should be through customs/immigration by 1830 at the earliest.  See you there!

Drinking masala chai at breakfast.

The end of our project - sweaty and tired!

Collecting drinking water from the well.

Building a boundary wall, with the "mechanic" (Builder!)

Enjoy more photos!