Home Sweet Home - aka Serenade of the Seas

Following one final [i]Nameste,/i]we departed the hotel in Agra and headed back to the airport in Delhli, India. Many Americans first encountered the word 'namaste' when reading about the newly independent India during the mid-20th century. The Sanskrit phrase namaste is formed from namaḥ, meaning “bow, obeisance, adoration,” and the enclitic pronoun te, meaning “to you.” The noun namaḥ, in turn, is a derivative of the verb namati, which means “(she or he) bends, bows.”

The 4-hour ride back to Delhli was entertaining, to say the least. Attempting to sleep on the bus was futile due to the number of horns beeping on the congested roads. However, we saw some unbelieveable sights along the way and, of course, as always Jeff found some horses.

Check out the detailed artwork on this truck we photographed while at a rest area stop. It was only one of many similarly painted trucks that we observed on the highway but I especially like the mustache on this one. At the same rest area, we were amazed to observe a clever monkey who retrieved a bottled beverage from a trash can, unscrewed the cap, and enjoyed a drink - quite an unusual sight!

After some travel challenges, I was relieved that our suitcase was waiting for us when we arrived at the Delhi airport. I was more than ready to change out of the clothes I had been wearing for three days straight. I also happily added to my starbucks collection with a souvenir INDIA mug! We took a chartered flight from Delhi to Goa, enjoying another delicious and spicy Indian meal during the journey. It was a welcome sight to see the Serenade of the Seas, which felt like home, docked in the Goa port. However, our time in Goa was short-lived, as we soon set sail for Mumbai, the final stop on our incredible Indian adventure.