Visiting a temple and tiny dancers

Hello world! We had a leisurely morning today. We ate breakfast and left the hotel around 9:30 a.m. to visit the Akshardham Hindu temple. The temple did not allow cameras or pictures which is unfortunate because words fail to describe the immense beauty of this incredible place. The temple is centered around manicured gardens, beautiful sculptures and large ponds. We entered the main temple and were all speechless. All of the sandstone, marble, and jewels that adorned the walls, ceilings, and doors were all hand carved without the help of any machinery. We walked around and appreciated the beauty which Inshira said would "put Michaelangelo to shame". 

            After we had lunch we headed over to the village of Tuqlakabad. We walked through the trash filled streets to an after school program for children in grades 3-8 run by NGO Sisters of the People. The boys and girls we met were ages 10-14. They all warmed our hearts with the many dances they performed for us. They were so precious and full of energy. They pulled us out with them and taught us their dance before we performed a dance of our own. Their happiness was so genuine and made us all very giddy. We are going back and visiting them tomorrow and we are all so excited to see our new friends again. 

We are heading back to the hotel now to meet our home-stay families. We hope that they don't think we are always this sweaty and gross. 

p.s. We saw our first elephant

-Claire M.