India 2013 part 2

Taj Mahal, Agra (from across the river)

For a slideshow of my photos scroll to the bottom of this entry (you can click on the slideshow there to open in Picasa for a larger sized view)

Road to Udaipur

30 minutes to descend from the mountains and back on to main highways to head to Udaipur. The temperature seems to have warmed up a bit from the previous chill - and that is quite nice. Our route continued for the most part as the drive into Mt Abu. Then we started to head into and through other mountain ranges that rose from the flats that also became more noticeably farmland. Udaipur itself is set nestled into several hills built around three lakes and dominated by the hill containing the massive City Palace.

Udaipur

After checking into the fort like Ramada Resort we headed out with our driver for our first views of Udaipur.  And then came the central streets… I should actually say alleys as it was unbelievable how our driver was able to get through these streets without scraping a building or a car or a jeep or a motorbike or a bicycle or a camel! First up was to Moti Magri Hill with its memorial to the 16th century warrior Maharana Pratap and his warhorse Chetak. The memorial contained miniatures of what Udaipur looked like in olden times along with the sites of famous battles held here. Next we drove along the banks of the Feteh Sagar Lake and also took a short boat ride to the island in its centre. On to Sahelion-Ki-Bari Gardens built in the 18th century as a retreat and containing ornamental fountains, pools and sculptured gardens. Then to the Shilpgram Artist Village with reconstructed huts from the regions of India and artists showing and selling their handicrafts. We finished the day with dinner at a local restaurant.

Our second day in Udaipur began with the City Palace.  This is a combination of Rajput military architecture and Mughal-style decorative techniques. It has a fortress-like facade which is topped by a profusion of graceful balconies, cupolas and turrets. One wit described it as a plain cake topped with fabulous icing. Fresco painting, glassware tiles, enamel, marble and carved sandstone are everywhere in the palace. The palace is indeed massive and has commanding views over Lake Pichola and the city. Onwards to Lake Pichola where we boarded one of the small boats to tour around the lake. The lake contains a few islands that have become high priced hotels and is dotted with picturesque havelis and temples, and lined with gnats (terraced steps) with people doing their washing and bathing. The afternoon we spend pool-side (water was quite chilly here but I managed 30 minutes before having to get out). We returned to the room and I turned on the television and actually got caught up in the all channel broadcast live from Delhi of the "Beating the Retreat" performances from the Vijay Chowk celebrating the end of the annual Republic Day celebrations (which occurs on January 26th).

Road to Pushgar

We caught the sunrise this morning before heading down for breakfast and then to be out on the road to Pushgar by 8:30.  The day had finally dawned with pretty much complete cloud cover. This road trip in really sunk in how a big contribution to the feeling of the country being poor was owing to the dirt and garbage. No matter if we are on national highways or city or village streets in seems that everywhere from the paving to the fences, walls and buildings in is dusty dirt and gravel. Some of the dust of course is due to this being winter and therefore dry season but it leaves the dirt which would probably become mud and gravel. In very few places were there any paved sidewalk or paved parking areas. The contrast is even greater when put against the colour of the painted vehicles, painted buildings (many with logos and signs), traditional dress that many Indians still wear, and decorated camels and horses.

Out we go and soon after leaving Udaipur we hit miles of marble / granite manufacturers / wholesalers. Truly amazing the quantity of marble along the sides of the road in block form, in cut plank form, and carved into intricate items. Then we started doing a switch back climb out of Udaipur and through the mountain range to exit into another lengthy stretch of more marble / granite manufacturers.

Pushgar (and Ajmer)

We drove through the city of Ajmer to reach Pushgar thinking that our hotel would be in Pushkar (as advertised by my travel company). But no the hotel was actually 50 km away back through Ajmer and on the road to Jaipur. Since we were in Pushkar we rearranged the schedule and had a lovely wood fired three cheese pizza for lunch as it was that time of day. While having lunch the clouds started dissipating and were almost completely gone by the time we finished. Then we headed out on a two hour camel ride through the desert adjacent to Pushgar and then through the market streets and along the lake. Only one break to stretch our legs (really needed) at around the halfway point. The camel's gait does take a bit of getting use to with the strain it puts on your hips and knees as you sway forwards and backwards. I was startled the first time a camel gave itself a drink… it seems to extract the water stored in its hump with a loud gurgling sound and then consumes the water into its belly.

After the camel ride we headed out to check into the hotel, passing again through Ajmer. An hour later we were there and drove the car in through veils of colourful silks (a wedding party was in full swing). Next morning we checked out to loud music being played live just outside the hotel with tens of ladies in beautiful saris dancing (another wedding party was starting). Once again the day was cloud covered.

Before heading to our next itinerary destination we re-traced our path back to Ajmer to visit its famous Mosque: the Suni Mosque called Dargarh Sharif which is the tomb of a great Suni saint. No cameras were allowed (by foreigners) inside the complex so I have no photos to "bore" you with. In was an interesting hour as a local Suni artist, Aslam Manzil, attached himself as our guide as we wondered through and he actually took us into areas that I would not have gone on my own as they were quite crowded and busy. We also spent another half hour exploring the market street leading to the mosque and then on the return leg as we headed back to the car.

Road to Jaipur

It is only 150km but it took over three hours with the road traffic and diversion we hit along the way. The worst was when we were actually in Jaipur, capital of Ragisthan, as there are major works underway to build elevated highways throughout the city. 

Jaipur

Finally a late arrival at our hotel, Clarks Amer, and a bit of a rest. In the evening we headed out to the Chokhi Danni ethnic village. We had dinner with "musical" entertainment and also took in some of the cultural activities going on in the village nearby the restaurant area. (I say "musical" in quotes as it was not so much to our liking!)

The next morning dawned with clear blue skies once again making it a great time to head to the Amber Fort. We reached there by passing through the "pink city" portion of Jaipur (more a little later).  The fort has a lake at the base and is built on a mountain top and surrounded by miles of fortress walls that are built on the surrounding mountains and valleys. The ascent to the fort was made on elephant back (aboard a howtah). Many of the elephants were chalk painted on their faces trunks and legs. It all made for a colourful parade heading up and down the road to the fort.   Built in 1592 this fort palace was the capital of the region until 1727 - but after the capital moved to Jaipur it remained important as successive rulers returned for the blessings of the family diety, Shila Devi. Most outstanding was the Ganesh Pol - three-storeyed gateway and the garden (Aram Bagh). The fort offered fantastic panoramic views of MAota Lake, the old town, and the walls built over the surrounding mountains and valleys to enclose the fort. Within the palace the intricate carvings, inlays, and detail work are in outstanding good repair.

Back to valley level heading back to the city we made a quick photo stop at the Water Palace built in the middle of a lake and, even in raj times, was only used as an occasional day stop when royal hunting parties were on the hunt. Into the area called the Pink City - which is actually coloured terracotta. The buildings are all to comply with the colouring rule or fines are levied (Royal Palace excluded). The area is a labyrinth of bazaars, palaces and historic sites. It is called the pink city as its prominent buildings are washed in the colour (again actually terracotta colour).

Onwards to the Royal Observatory, Jantar Mantar, with its many (working) constructions to show the time, constellation positions, zodiac sign, the ascendent house (refining the zodiac sign), the longitude and latitude of the sun amongst other astronomical and astrological measures. Astronomers and astrologers still use the facilities today.

Across the street we entered the Royal Palace. That is the section open to the public as a museum (the other larger portion is still home to the Royal Family of Jaipur and closed to the public). The palace here has been home to the Royal Family since the 18th century. It is a sprawling complex with open airy Mughal style public leading to private apartments. The museum section's treasures include miniature paintings, Mughal carpets, royal costumes and weaponry. Being royal the buildings here include a lot of yellow instead of the terracotta of other buildings in the Pink City.

We had a guide again so that meant we had a couple of "mandatory" crafts / artisan shop stops. Actually once again OK as we headed up buying slippers, sandals, and a bedspread.

Road to Agra

The day dawned to fog and overcast skies. The sun tried to poke through but only managed brief periods before the fog closed back in again. Not quite as bad as a Canadian Maritime fog as visibility was out quite a ways. We had a couple of in city stops (Mom to look for a leather handbag, and to restock our rum supply). Our drive took us once again through the Pink City before heading into a long tunnel through a pretty large mountain. The other side brought us into a straight highway section and a more verdant landscape as much of the land appeared to be farmland (canola a major sight).

Later that afternoon we were finally approaching the environs of Agra and made a stop at the Fatehpur Sikri palace with the adjacent mosque. The car could only go to a parking area and then it was a 1.5km Tuk Tuk ride up to the palace area at the top of the small mountain. The fog at this time was still hanging around but more into the background so we had grey skies. This site was at one time the Moghul capital and blends Hindu and Islamic styles. The complex was built from a reddish sandstone and following customs really had no interior furnishings except for the extensive use of carpets for floor and wall coverings and related cushions for resting on (none of which are now in the palace). The Emperor Akbar governed following a secular style and went to far as to marry three wives: 1 Hindu, 1 Muslim, and 1 Christian. Each had a house within the palace but the Hindu one was at least ten times larger than the other two (she bore the Emperor his only child!).

Adjacent to the palace is the complex containing the Jami Masjid and the tomb of the Sufi mystic, Salim Chrishti. This area remains popular with Indians today and is still an active mosque, teaching school, and pilgrimage site. One common activity here is making a wish in the tomb building and tiring a small cotton thread on the screen around the tomb (the story is that the Emperor's Hindu wife bore his only child after the prediction by the Sufi mystic).

Agra

we left the nice highway and entered into narrow congested roads to reach our hotel. The palatial Wyndham Grand. It has to be one of the most opulent hotel I have entered. That evening we headed out for dinner at a more reasonable priced location…

Up early to head towards the Taj Mahal at 6:45 - our hotel was near by and we were there in minutes. But once again the day was fogged in. We stood in line to enter the gates when they opened at sunrise time of 7:03 and that took about 20 minutes for us to get inside the complex. Glimpses was all we could initially see until the fog dissipated a bit but not for long as it closed in.  The sun was a bright red spot behind the fog at times, and at other times not visible at all. 500 kilos of gold, tons of marble (much inlayed and intricately carved), and huge amounts of precious and semi-precious stones went into the construction (20,000 labourers took 12 years to complete it in 1643). All this for the Emperor's third wife who died at the age of 39 giving birth to her 14th child. With the fog it was a bit chilly this early in the day - but it was surprisingly warm inside the tomb chamber. The weather actually made it easier to see some of the telling features of marble (translucent so that when you hold up a light to one side you can see the glow through the other), and the precious stones (glow almost like flame when a light is directly shone on them). Sections never did show through the fog but it did make for some interesting photographs. We gave up waiting for the fog to lift at around 9:00 and headed back to the hotel for breakfast.

Breakfast and then the fog lifted a bit for photographs around the hotel property. It looks old and well maintained but apparently it was only built within the last 10 years!  Off again to see the other sites of Agra.  First up is the other major attraction, Agra Fort. The huge complex has had a portion made into a museum but the remainder is still an active fort for the Indian Army. Built of red sandstone in the late 1500's it forms a crescent shape along the river front. Inside all is not military with courts, mansions, government meeting area, mosques and a palace with dungeons and a harem house. Once again intricate carvings and inlay work is in abundance. Another shopping trip was next looking at marble carving and inlay and then precious and semi-precious gemstone jewelry (can't seem to get away from having to attend these "showings"!) 

At this point our guide left us but we still have several hours before catching the train to Varanasi.  So we headed off to the other side of the Yarumba river to a garden that overlooks the Taj Mahal, The Mahtab-Bagh (Moon Garden). An unmentioned (in our guide book or by our guides) bonus as it presents views that I have seen but did not realize way they were the photographs were taken from. Still on the hazy side with a very high cloud cover. Still I was able to see more of the Taj Mahal and we saw earlier in the morning. It was also a quite garden to sit and relax in - even more so seeing how many tourists were now within the Taj Mahal complex itself. 

Still more time so we headed over to tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah - described as a "jewel box in marble". The tomb is a combination of white marble, coloured mosaic, stone inlay and lattice work. Stylistically it marks the transition from building robust, red sandstone architecture to refined marble and granite works. And to close out our time we headed to a local theatre to watch a production of the story of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's love for his third wife and how following her death he had the Taj Mahal built and then is overthrown (after passing on duties to a daughter; and appearing to be less than in full command of his senses).

Train to Varanasi

OK we arrived at the small parking area to unload our luggage to get to the train tracks - a chore that would not have been possible without a porter as there were extensive steps involved and our luggage at this point are quite heavy. So far so good. Then it was discovered that our tickets were only waitlisted! What! The train had arrived and we only had 20 minutes but he managed to get me to the office (once again over the multitude of steps) who then sorted through there papers and assigned us seating. Phew! OK now we board the train. This was not one of the special service trains. Yes we had flip down beds to sleep on but the separation was only curtains. The train was air conditioned and that was actually a bit too cool by the time we arrived in Varanasi. Our sleeping area included a young french couple but there was not much interaction as we all retired not too long after the train pulled out. Departure was only 10 minutes late at 21:30. After resting / sleeping through a lot of the night the landscape brightened and we watched flat countryside with many farms chug on by. Arrival was 70 minutes late at 9:45 - and we were told that was remarkably great timing (3 to 4 hours late being more the norm).  

Varanasi

Our hotel in Varanasi is the Radisson and they managed to get us checked in very early at 10:30. We managed to get breakfast while the room was being made ready and then had the day until 17:00 when we head out for a river cruise on the Ganges River. It was actually dark by the time we were on the ghats of the river - with city traffic being a regular Indian nightmare, and the kilometre walk that we had to make followed by 30 or so steps! We boarded a private rowboat to head out onto the Ganges and went downstream to a nearby ghat, Manikarnika, where wood burning (sandalwood) cremations occur 24 hours a day 7 days a week. From there it was back to the Dashashwamedh Ghat where Hindu priests (7 of them) under bamboo parasols perform evening "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) using song, chants, water, fire, flowers, bells and horns. It is a central point where most tourists and pilgrims make there way to. We hooked up in a bit of a flotilla just off the banks and watched the performance. Unfortunately small mosquitos kept us company. Once that was complete we caught a tuk-tuk to take us back to where the car had to park - a worthwhile decision with the pedestrians jostling in close proximity with cattle, push-bikes, pushcarts, motorbikes and the occasional special privilege car. Still we only got so far before being completely stopped for 30 minutes as either and accident or police directing traffic shut down our side of the road.  Dinner was then after 8:00pm making for a very long day!

We had a 9:00am pick up to head back to the Ganges. This time to take a longer boat ride to see more of the ghats and the bathing, clothes washing and cremations to occur. Even though it was approaching 10:00am there was still much activity. The previous fog was still around but more in the background so it was fairly easy to take in everything. The breeze was just enough to keep everything fresh. No insects this time - only gulls and other birds. The banks of the Ganges were indeed busy as was the boat traffic out on the river. Once again a bit of shopping… this time essential oils (which proved to be an interesting story of their making and use), and a small fabric factory.

After lunch at the hotel we headed out once again but soon realized that we were finally "templed" out so only stayed for 1.5 hours before heading in to stay by the pool, and for Mom to eat her grapes that we bought (and she scrupulously cleaned before consuming - all except one that she had to taste right after collection from the road side cart!).

End of story

Wednesday, February 6 we fly to Delhi; spend 1 night and then on February 7 fly back to Bangkok and Phuket.

If you are planning a trip some recommendations…. choose hotels in city centres so you can explore on your own in the evenings. In Varanasi choose a hotel on the banks of the Ganges (if you can find one). Have plenty of Rupees 10 notes on hand (washrooms, shoe attendants when leaving your does outside religious places). Bargain! Don't start a price negotiation unless you really mean to buy; but also be prepared to walk away if you cannot get the price you want. Harden yourself for the continuous stream of beggars (especially very young children and moms holding infants). Take time for yourself and don't overdo it.