Slideshow of our trip

I can't resist adding a few more photos to the blog of our wonderful trip. Enjoy - and let's return to India soon.

Sunday, November 30th, 2008 - Arrived Home Safely

 

 

 

 

Sunday, November 30th, 2008 - Arrived Home Safely

It's a rainy Sunday in New York and I'm finishing up my diary entries for the trip. Here are a few more photos for the heck of it. Me and my "tikka". Ferris with Virender Panday who escorted us to the airport in Delhi. Another photo of the Golden Temple (with me in front). And a photo of a Sikh bathing at the temple with a dagger in his turban (Sikhs must always carry a dagger).

I hope Cliff and Cathy are having a great time during their final day in Delhi. I'm going off to check their blog and see what they're up to. http://ccnorthinida2008.blogspot.com/

Saturday, November 29, 2008 – Amritsar, Delhi, New York

 

 

 

 

Saturday, November 29, 2008 – Amritsar, Delhi, New York

We honestly thought that Amritsar had no more to offer besides another trip to the Golden Temple, but we were so wrong. Our guide suggested that we go first to see a Hindu Temple (Mataka Mande?) which we described as a “cave”. I was a little nervous about this as I get claustrophobic in caves so I asked Cliff to be sure to bring his special flashlight. The joke was on me because not only was the temple not dark, but it also wasn’t really a “cave”! It turns out there is a real cave containing a Hindu temple in Jammu, but since local people can’t get to the temple in Jammu they’ve replicated one here in Amritsar. If only Doshi and Mary Campbell could have been with us; they would have adored this temple. I took as many photos for them as I could without getting hopelessly lost from my mini-group.

Then we returned for a daytime look at the Golden Temple. We had a chance to see Sikhs taking purification baths in the holy water (still wearing their requisite daggers). We also toured the kitchen where anyone is able to obtain a hot veg meal, 24/7, free of charge. Before we could leave we insisted upon finding a CD of the lovely chants/prayers we’d heard the night before. I’m looking forward to listening to mine on the flight home later today!

I am now writing back in Delhi at a nice hotel that we are able to wash up and repack in before heading to the airport at 8pm. Our flight leaves for the US after 11pm. Ferris and I need to reorient our thinking and dig out warmer wear for standing in line waiting for a taxi at Newark Airport. What a dreadful thought. I learned on the drive to the hotel from the airport that what I thought was a “bindi” that was applied to my forehead this morning at the Hindu Temple is in fact a “tikka”. Bindi is a term that refers to something fashionable whereas a real mark on the forehead given by a priest in a temple is a tikka. I am quite fond of my orange colored tikka which Vijay (our driver) explained to me is supposed to give one extra insight and vision regarding one’s life. I have never needed this more.

Needless to say we are sad to leave India. Cliff, Cathy, Ferris and I are already planning a new itinerary for Fall 2009! We’re talking about a zig-zag around India to take in stops missed on this trip, including Pushkar, the Buddhist caves at Elora and Ajanta, a return trip to Jaipur, a first time trip to Goa and perhaps other stops in the south. Good thing I got a 10 year India visa. I’m already ready to return.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008 / DELHI TO AMRITSAR

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008 / DELHI TO AMRITSAR

Or, “famisched, fermented and faschimmeled am I”

Did nothing in the am but go to the airport and take a flight to Amritsar which is in the Punjab. Punjab means the place of Five Rivers. Amritsar is a place that Cliff and Cathy learned about from an LA friend who told them that the Golden Temple was not to be missed. This has certainly turned out to be true. Amritsar looks very much like Varanasi or many of the other villages we’ve been to, although Amritsar is home to over 3 million people so it’s hardly a village. Amritsar is home to 60% Sikhs, 30% Hindus, 5% Muslims and 5% Christians. The large Sikh population makes for a very colorful scene on the streets; white, blue, pink or saffron turbans are everywhere and women wear brightly colored sarees.

The area is very agricultural but we saw no oxcarts or camel carts like we’d seen in Rajasthan or Gujarat; instead there many pony and horse carts. Major crops include rice, wheat and mustard seeds. But the general chaos and mayhem of the traffic and streets is exactly the same as anywhere else in India. Our Sikh driver – Mr. Singh - was particularly aggressive and probably never let up on his horn even for a minute.

We were distressed to find that the terror in Mumbai had not ended when we got up this morning and were (at least I was) somewhat nervous about heading to the Pakistan border. After checking into the hotel we honked our horn all the way to the town of Attari, about 28km north of town. We went to see the lowering of the Indian and Pakistani flags at sunset. We weren’t really prepared for the similarity the event would have to a football game between two rival teams, complete with people in the bleachers cheering and girls and boys dancing (ok here they dance to Bangra music and not Brittney Spears). There were border police who strutted and paraded like something out of a Monty Python Department of Silly Walks skit. They were high-stepping “peacocks” with either a red or blue fan on top of their heads (depending upon your “team”; red for India with khaki uniform and blue for Pakistan with blue uniform).  Here is a wonderful YouTube video documenting this daily ceremony http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC9NeJh1NhI.

Then we honked our way back into town and drove from “new” Amritsar to “old” Amritsar. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two. Suddenly the van stopped and we were told to get out, deposit our shoes, cover our heads – we had arrived at the Golden Temple. From the outside you really couldn’t see much, but suddenly we walked though a gate and a glistening gold structure appeared before us, reflected in a large pool of water (symbolic of nectar), and it was all like something out of a dream; magical and gleaming.

I haven’t seen anything so golden and special since the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. But with this temple, unlike the Shwedagon, visitors can enter inside. There are three different levels where priests are reading from sacred texts and people are sitting silently on the floor in prayer. It was amazing. All the while priests are chanting lovely prayers that are amplified so everyone in the area can hear. It was so lovely that we asked our guide to find CDs of the chants for us to purchase the next day. I can’t describe how beautiful and special this place was. The temple is square in shape and we all thought it reminded us of pictures we’d seen of the Kaaba in Mecca. But the gold color of the building and the fact that it sits far away in the middle of huge square are of water that reflects the gleaming building, and the fact that pilgrims are walking around and around the temple, and the sound of the chants, all made it incredibly gorgeous.

No one seemed to mind that we toured the temple as they prayed and chanted. We could take photos outside but not inside the temple itself. I think Ferris said it best that the temple made all the textiles arts of India we’d seen on our trip come together for her. We climbed stairs to the roof and watched people touching large golden bells. We saw priests reading from sacred texts and saw large white yak-tail fly swatters (picture a large Japanese calligraphy brush).

After this mind-blowing experience, it was time for some Punjabi food and we went to NARULA’S (5 Taylor Road, The Mall, Amritsar) for a delicious dinner.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH – DELHI / “It’s a dry Friday”

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH – DELHI / “It’s a dry Friday”

We woke this morning to the horrifying news that the Taj Mahal Hotel that we stayed at in Mumbai just 10 days ago was under siege. Somehow terrorists have stormed the hotel and taken hostages (they’ve also attacked 9 other locations) and we’re really shocked and a bit unsure what we should do. We met at breakfast to discuss our plans; I called the US Embassy and asked about travel safety – and at the end we decided to continue as scheduled and head north tomorrow to Amritsar in the state of Punjab to see the famous Golden Temple.

We met our guide, Pushkar, at 10 and went to see a Mughal Mausoleum HUMAYUN’S TOMB inside a peaceful garden. We arrived early enough that we were almost the only people there. We had an enjoyable walk around and were able to take photos to our hearts content.

Afterward we toured an excellent site that is a memorial to the great Mahatma Gandhi (called the Place of Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom or “GANDHI SMRITI”) because it is the place where he spent the last 144 days of his life before being assassinated in 1948. You follow Gandhi’s footsteps through the site until you reach the exact spot where he was killed. There are signs all around with quotations from Gandhi and details about his life and you realize was an incredible man he was.

Then as a last hurrah to Delhi, we went to the SANTUSHTI SHOPPING COMPLEX for lunch and (you guessed it) more shopping. This is a highly recommended stop; shops include the marvelous OGGAN (don’t miss designs by SONAM DUBAL www.sonamdubal.com) and ANOKHI (wonderful block-printed clothes and bedding).

Back to the hotel (with visions of cocktails dancing in our heads) only to discover that because of upcoming local elections on Sunday, no alcohol could be served at the hotel after 5 pm. But Cliff and Cathy had a flash of brilliance and decided to try calling room service to see if wine were available via back-channel, and voila, a bottle of red and white wine – plus dinner – appeared. The perfect sustenance for yet another night of “textile tsunami”, which is our name for pulling everything out of the bags and repacking, again, this time for a one-night jaunt to Amritsar.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH – DELHI DAY

 

 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH – DELHI DAY

Delhi is an interesting city because it is far more modern than any other place we’ve been – I suppose it’s the Paris of India – yet it still has many of the same characteristics that make it India. When we arrived we immediately saw the wide boulevards and majestic buildings and knew we were in a different kind of city. Yet we’ve flown through Delhi many times and every time it has been shrouded in a haze of (what?) smoke or pollution; I’m not sure. The locals call it “smoke”. We saw the pollution control vehicles. Delhi is preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games so I suspect they’ll be on a program to clean the air like Beijing did this year.

We headed off to “old” Delhi in the morning and stopped at the Jama Masjid, a lovely mosque built by our friend Shah Jahan (completed in 1658). Just outside the mosque was a lively market area, so we hired pedal rickshaws to maneuver us through the impossibly crowded and narrow streets. We saw shops selling items for weddings, general textiles, sarees, stationery and other paper goods, food, shoes – just about everything. It was a blast and again I tried to video what I saw because no on photo can possibly capture it.

We also visited the Qutb Minar, a lovely tower built to proclaim the arrival of Islam. Did I mention that India is filled with lovely green parrots? They were everywhere at this site.

In the evening we took a taxi to a posh restaurant for dinner. We knew it would be unusual when they brought us enormous bibs and told us there would be no utensils for eating – just fingers. The best part was the taxi ride home where Cliff was joking around with the driver and he tried to convince him that Ferris, Cathy and I were his three wives. The driver kept saying to Cliff and laughing – “you CRAZY man”. That about sums it up. Cliff you are "crazy man".

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH 2008 – AGRA AND THE TAJ

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH 2008 – AGRA AND THE TAJ

We got up at an ungodly hour to reach the Delhi train station in time for a 6:30 am departure. Even though we were in the capable hands of “our man in Delhi”, Virender Pandey, the train station was still a confusing and overwhelming experience. As we made our way through the dense crowd, I became aware that the long gray “lumps” I was stepping over were actually people sleeping on the ground, wrapped from head to toe in woolen blankets. I suppose they are either waiting for trains, or work at the station, or ???

We waited on the platform and watched the cleaning process for the overnight sleeper car still on the track. Every few minutes someone threw from each door along the train a pile of sheets and red blankets onto the train platform. The piles grew larger and larger as we waited. I would love to know (or maybe I wouldn’t) where all of these sheets and blankets were headed to be cleaned. I had visions of women “breaking the rocks at the river” (as Mark Twain said) with those sheets. We had reserved seats in a first class car and were served Nescafe and a light breakfast before arriving in Agra two hours later.

I hadn’t really realized how much there is to see in Agra beyond the Taj Mahal so we were thrilled by our day. We had a terrific guide, Assam, who recommended that we visit the Taj first before it got too crowded. We were a little skeptical about how we’d react to the Taj, having seen so many photos of it and it is such an iconic place, but as we approached we were shocked by the building’s beauty and pristine whiteness. We were also touched by the romantic story of love that Emperor Shah Jahan had for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, for whom this mausoleum was built upon her death in 1631 (it was not completed until 1653). Our guide gave us an in-depth tour of the inside of the Taj and taught us about the intricate inlay work of semi-precious stones. He shone a flashlight on the marble and on the cornelian inlay to show the translucence of each material. He also happened to be a pro at photography and posed each of us at strategic spots. Thanks to him we have a few people photos. Thank you Assam.

Then to the Agra Fort and best of all, “the baby Taj”, aka by its proper name Itimad-ud-Daulah. This is another tomb built between 1622 and 1628 which is Persian influenced and is decorated with exquisite inlaid stones and designs. Many of the design elements foreshadow the Taj Mahal, but in many ways the “baby Taj” is even more beautiful.

At sunset we drove across the river and walked along a funky dirt path to reach the opposite side of the river from the “big” Taj. There we got a gorgeous view of the Taj reflected in the river at sunset. As an extra bonus, a cremation was taking place downriver and the smoke filling the air and sounds of people make the moment seem alive and enchanting. From the sublime to the ridiculous was a drive back over the river across a narrow two lane bridge filled to capacity with auto-rickshaws, ox-carts, bicycles. I videoed almost the entire ride across because it was the quintessential face of India. Amazing.

We were exhausted by this point and our guide dropped us off at a nice hotel where we could freshen up and cool off at the bar. Then off to the train station at 8pm for a return two hour trip back to Delhi. You know you’ve been in India a little too long when for amusement (mixed with a bit of horror) we watched an entire rat family eating some kind of meal that was being fed to them on the railway platform. These rats were too horrible looking; they looked more like big mice, but still! If they weren’t Ganesha’s conveyances I wouldn’t have been so tolerant.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH 2008 – JAIPUR TO DELHI

 

 

 

 

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH 2008 – JAIPUR TO DELHI

More frantic shopping in the early morning before leaving for Delhi. The best event of the day was a trip by jeep to Jaipur’s AMBER FORT (not to be missed). Again it’s really hard to choose one or two photos to show off this gorgeous place.

On the way to the fort I was delighted to have the chance to touch the trunk of a beautiful elephant whose face was decorated in pastel colors. What amazing creatures they are with intelligent, soulful eyes. Do you think my super would notice if I brought one home? They could be very handy lifting things.

Just before leaving for the airport we made a quick detour to the Taj Hotel for a cocktail. We hopped a 7:50 pm flight and landed in Delhi 40 minutes later. The exit from the airport was interesting; we had to maneuver our luggage carts through an unpaved parking lot filled with huge craters in it to reach our taxi. My cart completely toppled over spilling everything into the dust – great fun to manage at 10pm after a long day of travel.

Our expert driver, VIJAY SINGH, was completely unprepared for the amount of luggage the four of us had and we watched with great concern as our prized purchases were loaded onto the top of the jeep. We spent the entire ride to the hotel nerviously looking out the back window checking to see if any bags were rolling down the highway. We soon learned that Vijay was a complete pro and we had not reason to be concerned about luggage or anything else. He knew every spot in Delhi and the very best and quickest route to take to get there.

His partner in crime was our logistical guru, VIRENDER PANDEY, to whom we owe special thanks for helping cut through all the red tape in various airports, hotels and train stations so we could travel with ease.

We arrived at the lovely Taj Hotel in Delhi at around 11 pm. Just in time to catch four hours of sleep in order to be ready to board an early train to Agra tomorrow morning for a full day of site seeing.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 – JAIPUR

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 – JAIPUR

Yesterday was an agonizingly long 12 HOUR DRIVE to reach Jaipur through flat, dusty terrain with low scrubby trees and not much to describe. Generally though the entire process of riding on Indian roads is both fascinating and fear-inducing. You pass every conceivable kind of vehicle (ox cart, donkey cart, auto rickshaw, bicycles piled high with mattresses, water jugs, 50 lb sacks, it could be anything – there is no limit on the creativity and ingenuity of the Indian man with a bicycle. We passed through a town that specializes in marble cutting (more about this when we reach Agra) and stopped in a primitive village that specializes in block printing. Otherwise…the entire day was a long bus ride, so there is no special posting for Saturday.

By the way, later we realized that we could have flown from Jodhpur to Jaipur – so for anyone reading this who might be planning a trip to India, you really must FLY.

The good news is that when we finally reached Jaipur we saw it was worth the wait and effort to get there. Throughout the trip we’ve been told “don’t buy (fill in the blank) until you get to Jaipur” so the group was eager to reach shopping heaven. More about that in a minute.

First we visited the interesting Jaipur Observatory built in 1728 (aka Jantar Mantar) which is in the center of the City Palace. It looks more like an outdoor art installation than what it is. Next we toured the palace itself where I took so many photos that it’s hard to choose only one or two to show.

The rest of the afternoon was shopping ecstasy: gold, precious and semi-precious stones, carvings, clothing and textiles. Jaipur is everything we’d heard; a shopper’s paradise. Thanks to Cliff who assisted me in tense negotiations over some gold bangles by telling the clerk several times to “sharpen his pencil”, I emerged with an array of bracelets and a lovely ring that will always remind me of Jaipur and of India.

Then back to the hotel to cram all of our purchases into duffle bags before running off to our farewell dinner! Tomorrow is our last “group” day. Then Ferris, Cliff, Cathy and I head off on a four-person four-day extension.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21st, JODHPUR

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21st, JODHPUR

Jodhpur is famous for the blue color of many of the old homes in the heart of town. We learned that the reason some houses are blue is that members of the priest class paint their homes blue because blue is the color of Krishna. And only members of the priest class may do this. The other main attraction of the town is a spectacular fort on top of a mountain. It’s made entirely of stone despite the fact that some of the windows are so intricately carved that you would swear they had to be wood (think Egyptian mashrabeyas carved of stone). As an added treat we got a lesson in turban tying and I’ve attached a photo of our model, Cliff, wearing his. Turbans are made of 9 meters of cloth, so how many feet is that anyway? A lot.

We had a lovely lunch at a posh Taj Hotel and by the time it ended the afternoon was half over. Indians seem to eat lunch very late by our standards; they begin at 2pm, so the afternoon can disappear quickly. After lunch the group went in search of whatever goodies Jodhpur had to offer. We didn’t find much that we hadn’t seen in other cities but the jewelry quality is much improved I think because of our proximity to Jaipur. We are all eager to reach Jaipur.

Our hotel is interesting; rather like a sprawling tented camp. Ferris’ and my room is far from the lobby and each time we go back and forth we struggle to find the required turns. At one point you have to go through an opening in a wall (impossible to describe but imagine a complicated maze) and if you miss that zig you could wander in circles for hours.

We had a low key dinner at the hotel and packed yet again to be ready for an early departure tomorrow and another seven hour drive on the crazy (no driving rules here!) Indian roads. Jaipur here we come.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20TH – Jodhpur continued…

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20TH – Jodhpur continued…

I must write about the insanely over the top dinner that we had tonight. First we took auto rickshaws deep into the old part of town and got off at what looked like an enormous castle. We walked up a long incline and at the top were musicians and dancers of all sorts (including a guy in a horse costume) performing for us. We were ushered to tables outside and treated to champaign and hors d’oevres where we lingered for quite a long time, assuming that dinner would follow. But no. We then met the owner of the castle who took on a tour of the home.

We climbed lots of winding stone stairways and went through game rooms and sitting rooms and I don’t know what else. The best way I can describe what this experience was like was touring Elvis’ Graceland with a Mughal Indian twist. There were leopards and swords and flatscreen TVs and slipcovers on the sofas. Crazy stuff. Then up to the roof top for dinner. We sat on the floor Indian style and again the dancers wearing sparkling red sarees twirled and balanced things on their heads and walked on drinking glasses. No I don’t understand what that was about.

And the piece de resistance was our own personal FIREWORKS show which I captured on video but don’t know how to upload it to the blog. The whole evening was a spectacle and tons of fun.