#24 - Taj Mahal and Rajhasthan, India

The Taj Mahal is a beautiful and unique site, although it is overpromoted and in Agra, a city of petty criminals. It can be visited in a day in a quick trip by train from Delhi. Checkout Fatehpur Sikri nearby where the Taj creator was imprisoned by son, and has a great view of the site. There have been a number of great, and less common, photos taken in the water behind the Taj Mahal.


The state of Rajasthan on the other hand is the true India experience. There are centuries-old palaces and forts, lavish color everywhere, wonderful food and a culture that celebrates much. The city of Udaipur within Rajasthan was a princely state that was never taken over by the British and became an artist haven, and that is strongly reflected today.

The best time to visit is in the winter and one could easily spend several months in India and never be bored.


Udaipur has several centuries old palaces, and this is one of hundreds of antique windows at Shiv Nivas Palace on Lake Pichola.

Best Time to Go: North American winter
How Long to Stay: 2 weeks - 1 day at the Taj and 2 weeks in Rajhasthan
General Costs: Medium to low
What To Do: Quickly visit the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra by train, Udaipur palaces, Jaipur city, Jaisalmer forts, Jodhpur forts and history
UNESCO World Heritage Site? Yes for Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri
Weather: Hot to very hot
Language: Hindi, English, Dialects

#11 Coolest Place - Registan in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Samarkand is one of the oldest cities in the world and home to one the most amazing sites. Registan was built here about 600 years ago as a major stop on the Silk Route and was later the blueprint for the Taj Mahal. Samarkand is essentially a city of blue domed, mosaic-filled Taj Mahals. It has an exceptional culture, people and history - it is worth spending a week here and Bukara. Some of the the best carpets in the world are avaliable here.

We almost crossed the border to buy carpets in Afghanistan, but ran out of time, as we needed to fly out of the capital Tashent, to meet our girlfriends in Istanbul. It was very fortunate as that was the day the Taliban made it over the mountains, and killed several hundred people and virtually every westerner.

Ulug Beg was the ruler here in the 1400's and built this astronomical observatory in 1428. He was responsible for the most accurate star catalog of the time. The roof of the onservatory is painted with constellations (above).