India

This time last year I was boarding a flight to Mumbai with my client and friend Chef Shannon Smith, I was nervous, but so excited because I knew it was going to be a trip of a lifetime — and I was going to eat some incredible food. We spent two weeks visiting Mumbai, New Delhi, and Jaipur. We had an amazing food tour in Mumbai and then spent the next week in New Delhi where Shannon taught sewing and jewelry making in a women’s shelter (I even got to teach a short photo class!). We then headed off to Jaipur - known as the pink city for all its terracotta buildings. We toured palaces, bustling markets, but one of my favorite stops was actually a quiet food court where I tried tandoori chai. For the last couple of nights we stayed in a 14th century fort near Ranthambore in Rajasthan where we went on a Safari in a nearby national park, and saw tigers!! The cities across India are busy and loud, and the best way to experience them first hand is by riding in rickshaws - in every direction you look there was something interesting to see. Honestly it was overwhelming at times because I wanted to photograph everything - the colors, spices, architecture and people. I learned so much and became even more fascinated with India, I hope to travel there again someday and see the more southern part of the country as well.