As my final days come to a close in India, I end on a high note. The beautiful city of Bombay (Mumbai) has so many amazing sites and some great food to offer.
Mumbai is a fantastic city in the middle of the country and is the first real start of what feels like South India. There are cleaner roads, more shops, less beggars, great food and some nice beaches.
Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester
Udaipur is another amazing city within Rajasthan. They say it's like the Venice of the East, and with all of the lakes you can understand how it got that name
Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester
The street food across most of India is very impressive, but there was something about this Samosa shack in Jodhpur that really caught my interest. They were the best Samosa's and Kachori I've ever had.
Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester
We ventured out of town with our local guide Praveen, into a small village outside of Jodhpur where we saw local artisans hand spinning pots, hand weaving carpets and a truly fascinating opium ceremony with a Bishnoi caste member.
Jodhpur is another amazing place, and pretty different from the rest of India that we've seen so far. The people seem calmer and more friendly, certainly the sales people are less aggressive. Our hotel, Ajit Bahwan, is one of the finest places I've ever stayed.
Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester
Possibly the best views of the Taj Mahal are from locations outside of the walled monument. The Agra Fort is always a favorite place of mine to visit, and it gives some dramatic and different views of the Taj Mahal.
Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester
You can't visit India and not visit the Taj Mahal, its the most magnificent tomb stone ever built. It's not easy to get an interesting image of the building that hasn't already been taken.
Experiencing the funeral ceremonies at the burning Ghats on the holy river Ganges is an unforgettable experience. You can't really photograph them as its not deemed polite, and they watch very closely.
We saw record snow fall in Shimla, with almost 14 inches landing overnight the day before we arrived. Thankfully the roads cleared and we could see the center of town, and we were fortunately upgraded to the Oberoi, and had a fantastic room in the old British building.
