OFF THE BEAT

Happy hour

Food fight!

So the story goes that the rats that live–and are the object of worship–at the  Karni Mata Temple (rat temple) in Deshnok, India, are reincarnated human storytellers from centuries ago.

It’s considered good luck to spot a white rat at the temple, and it’s  supposed to be auspicious if one of them scurries across your feet.

I, on the other hand, I feel lucky that none of them touched me. Rats aren’t that cute or cuddly.

By the way, Deshnok is lovely this time of year.

Top: A vendor sells vegetables in the bustling village of Fatehpur Sikri, about 35 kilometers outside of Agra.

Middle: A couple youngsters appear to be pulling a generator down the street of their town, about halfway between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.

Bottom: A cart driver waits for his next fare. Or perhaps he’s just hanging out.

To the west of the Taj Mahal stands a quiet, lesser-visited mosque. Its architecture and peaceful setting made it one of my favorite parts of seeing the Taj Mahal site. It didn’t hurt that the early morning sunshine was bright and warm.

We were among the early crowd waiting to see the Taj Mahal, and were treated to a tremendous sunrise. Taj pics coming soon.

On Sunday, Kate and I returned from a 11-day trip to India to visit our good buddy Adam Jadhav, a freelance journalist living in Delhi. Thanks to Adam for serving as our tour guide (a.k.a. guide wallah!)

Today marks the first of many postings of photos from the trip. I will try to go chronologically, but may skip around depending on the collection. This first post is from our first day in Delhi, when we visited Qutab Minar tower, the world’s tallest minaret built hundreds of years ago.