India, Jodhpur

India, Jodhpur

The plane circles Jodhpur for 30 min due to bad weather and I feel nausious. My driver greets me at the airport (after driving all night from Jaipur) with the local tour co representative. Ajit Bhawan, is another hotel owned by a Royal family member (picture 5). Again I am given a room next to the noisy generator, and when they move me to another room, I realize I am next to the storage room which employees are going in and out of while talking.
After 1 hr unpacking and snack, my driver takes me and the local guide to the Sadar market, full of wholesalers. I am taken to a store that is a wharehouse with 4 floors of exceptional hand woven, embrioded, and stitched fabrics. I purchase 2 large, two sided, hand woven, very fine wool shawls/bed covers, made from the hair of a Yaks neck and belly. I keep thnking I am not going to buy anything else but India has so many spectacular expensive things to buy.
Jodhpur is a dry port recieving 8200 containers of goods per day. It is a major exporter of fabrics, furniture and handicrafts. Jodhpur with 1.5 mil people is somewhat more organized and less hectic. The main streets are wide and actually have sidewalks to walk on. Most of the buildings are solidly made of cement, brick, and stone.
I am taken to a factory known for uncut diamonds called Gems and Art Plaza. Unfortunately I already paid retail for an uncut diamond ring. I am looking for small hoop earings but most of the jewelry made in India is very large flashy pieces.

Jan 24
I wake up feeling like I am getting a cold. After exercising, breakfast, and being upgraded to a suite with a great view, I depart the hotel at 11am to visit the Memorial to a Maharaja Jaswart Singhj built by his wife (picture 1). It is made of 6 in thick marble which is transparent. My guide explains to me the Hindu beliefs about death and burial. They believe that the soul is reborn 8.4 million times, only once as a human. That is why they treat cows and dogs well. It still amazes me to see the cows and bulls roaming freely everywhere in the cities, expecially in the middle of traffic.
After the death of a parent, the eldest son is responsible for burning the body, making a whole in the scalp to help it burn faster and to break from the memories of this life, and taking the ashes to the Ganges river. Cremation uses the 5 elements; water, sky, earth, fire and air. My guide comes from a tradional family and had an arranged marriage and did not meet his wife or see her face until after the wedding ceremony 7 years ago. He says his parents did a good job in choosing him a good match. The average wedding costs the family about $12,000 with 1000 to 2000 guests. At weddings, opium is offered as a drink. For 30 days after the wedding, one of the family member hosts a dinner party for the other family members every night.
There are 4 castes. The lower caste (Shudra), the business class (Vaishya), the military (Shatriya), and the priest caste (Brahmins), with people marrying within their own caste. Only in the big cities is this begining to change. The government offers a free elementary education to the children of the lower caste, and their parents are given money to motivate them to send their children to school.
We then explore Fort Mehrangarh sitting on a 400ft cliff rock. It was built over a period of 100 years, due to the intricately carved red sandstone exterior, to the detailed painted interior walls (picture 4). The stone wall which surrounds the city is 14 kilameters long. From the Fort I have a great view of the blue buildings of Jodhpur, which is why it is called the blue city (picture 2). There was a museum which included eleborate silver carved elephant seats (picture 3). Some were for fighting, hunting, prosessions and elephant polo! It was the custom until the British band the practice 200 years ago, that the wives of deceased husbands would be burned alive. There is a passage way containing 40 hand prints of these wives on their way to their death.

India, Jaipur

India, Jaipur




Jan 21

At 6:30pm I arrive at Samode Haveli Hotel in Jaipur, a mixture of Muzhal and Razput style boutique hotel with curved arch ways, marble columns and floors, waterfalls, beautiful flowering plants, many birds, and great service. This heritage hotel, (picture 2) was originally the residence of a member of the Royal family, who continue to occupy the top 3 floors.
As with all of the Heritage hotels in India I have been fortunate to stay at, the government offered loans without interest to the Royal family owners to renovate their properties to promote tourism. Everyone benefits in that it provides income to to the owners, money to maintain the properties, gives tourists an opportunity to stay in these unforgetable places, employment to the local population, and business to the local businesses.

Unfortunately, the front of my room opens onto the open patio restaurant and bar, and has the noise of the hotel parking lot behind it. They will move me to a suite tommorrow.

Jan 22
India has 28 states with 1618 languages spoken, of which Rajasthan is the largest and wealthiest with 65 million people. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan with a population of 3 1/2 million. It is the most well organized of the cities I have been in India, with mostly solid stone and cement structures. I exercise at 6am, and look forward to a hot bath, but the water only trickles out. It takes 30 min for the suite to be cleaned so I can bathe there.
I visit the Amber palace, which has white marble painted with crushed precious stones including emerald and ruby, to give it vibrant colors which lasts for centuries. (picture 3) It is also decorated with pieces of Italian mirror. The Aravali Mt Range, which can be seen throughout Rajastan, provides the backdrop. We drive past a manmade lake of the 16th century, which was used to collect rain water. The summer palace in the middle provided a cool respite during the hot summer months for the Royal family. On the main street of the old city stands the Palace of the Winds, a stricking, 5 story, pink sandstone building with 593 intricately carved windows made of stone screens for Royal women to look out onto the activity of the street without being seen.
Every 3rd house in this Gem city is in the jewelry business. Hand made handicrafts including carpets, textiles, and jewelry are of the highest quality and good buys here. I purchased a small silk carpet, with 1800 knots per sq in., and designed a set of 12 silk place mats (Indigo Textiles Store). Artisian skills are passed from one generation to the next. My guide was a stone cutter from the age of 10 to 15 years old.
The people of Jaipur are of the sun dynasty and worship the Sun God. The people of Jaiselmer are of the moon dynasty and worship the Moon God, and the people in the south part of Rajasthan are of the fire dynasty and worship the Fire God .
The Observatory shows the high level of knowledge of Astrology centuries ago. There are Sundials which provide the accurate time, and zodiac signs with their ascending star, which can be determined by the birth place, time and date. Indians will not choose a date for any major event, including marriage and new business contracts, without consulting an Astrologist.
Jan23
I love my large suite with inlaid marble floors and after a good night sleep, force myself out of bed at 8am. My knee is much better, and the swelling is gone since I started using the stationary bike and eliptical machine everyday. After exercising, a hot bubble bath, breakfast, the delivery of the placemats that turned out fantastic, and time on the internet, I leave this beautiful hotel and head to the airport for my flight to Jodhpur.

India, on the way to Jaipur

India, on the way to Jaipur

On the way, we stop at Abaneri Fortress and Temple, an 8th century stone complex which is very unique. It is built in a rectagular shape around a water well with 3 walls of stone steps leading 300 ft down to the well. A pump system lifted the water up to the living area.

India is a country of extremes. I realize I am focusing on pictures depicting the every day life of the villagers and townspeople. I am enjoying the artistic creativity of it. The long drives are a harrowing, jostling experience. I just close my eyes for the really tight manuvers, ie when a bus was coming straight at us on our side of the road at a high speed passing an ox driven large load coming toward us on the other side.

Hinglish is the new word I have made up to describe Indians speaking Hindu with many English words mixed in. (like Spanglish, Spanish with English words mixed in)

India, Bharatpur

The 200 year old Bagh hotel in Bharatpur is special place. I was amazed by the serene and peaceful feeling it possessed. The white sandstone buildings, inlaid marble floors, open verandas, hand made furniture, Mughal architecture, and 10 acres of exceptional gardens, chirpping of birds, and excellent vegetarian restaurant made we wish I was staying longer.
After exploring the grounds and an hour rest, I was met by my guide, who studied the ecosystem here for 15 years, and walked 2 hours around the World Heritage listed bird sanctuary of Keoladeo Ghana National Park. It was amazing to see so many birds, deer, and other animals every ten feet. (picture 3) There are 350 species of birds, and 5o species of mammals. We stayed for the sunset which was reflected on the ponds with so many animals and birds in the foreground (picture4). What a day!!!!

Feb 21
Depart at 6:30am to return to the National Park for the same walk which is different in the light of the sunrise (picture5) . Return to the hotel for breakfast and a hot bath. At noon leave for the 6 hr drive to Jaipur, the pink city.

Since I am changing hotels so often, I have a system of putting my things in the same place at each location in order not to loose things.

Agra, India

Feb 19
The 5 and 1/2 hr drive to Agra was crazy! My driver, whose driving I am confident of, will be with me for 12 days. We weaved in and out of overcrowded buses, motor rickshaws made for 4 passengers with up to 10 people (they use them like we use taxis), bicycles, bicycle rickshaws carrying huge amt of weight in cargo (sometimes carrying a whole family), motorcycles, pedestrians, cars, trucks, and even bull and ox driven carts. There was dirt and dust everywhere.

Along the way I saw a brick factory, oil refinery, and huge fields planted with mustard, wheat, and sugar cane. Vegetables including eggplant, califlower, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, peas, corn, and the best tasting rose colored carrots are also grown. Grapes, apples, bananas, and papaya are offered at every stand. . At the restaurants, mushrooms, brockley, and asperagus is also available. Animal dung is made into flat, round cakes, dried in the sun, and stored in large piles under grass huts for use in the rainy season for cooking fuel and fertilizer (dung cakes).

At the hotel I am greeted by my guide and take a horse drawn carriage through the congested narrow lanes of the old city. Again there is the constant noise (the horn blowing never stops) and movement of goods, people and animals. We walk through even narrower lanes of shops, where most shop owners wait and recieve customers sitting on the floor. This is a wholesale market and there is a flurry of buying and delivering of goods. On most of the streets I am concerned about getting bumped into by one of the many chaotic moving modes of transportation. Most stalls offer a specific and limited variety of goods, with certain streets offering the same kind of product, ie kitchen supplies, spices, bangles, medicinal herbs, etc.
We visit "Baby Taj" built by Shah Jahan's wife where her father, mother, and daughter are buried. It is built of white marble intricately inlaid with precious stones. At Mehtab Bagh I saw great sunset views of the Taj Mahal from across the river.
I am taken to a store/factory where beautiful hand made products of marble with inlaid stones using the same designs as seen at the Taj Mahal are for sale. From $20,000 spectacular marble table tops, to $70 small plates (I buy one).

Feb 20
I will never forget the experience of sunrise at the Taj Mahal. Whow! It is truly like being in a fairy tale. Built out of solid white marble with intricately inlaid presious stones the Taj is one of the wonders of the world. The changes in the sunlight from the rising sun changes the hues of the white marble. The peaceful gardens filled with birds, the misty fog, the reflections on the ponds, and the rising sun creates a spectacular visual experience.
I return to my hotel to exercise and have a huge breakfast. We leave for Bharatpur, stopping en route to visit Ratehpur Sikri, a 16th century muslim fortress of red sandstone palaces and mosques which were abandoned after only fourteen years when the local wells went dry (picture 1 on next blog).

Varanasi, India

Feb 17
After flying into Varanasi I enter an outdoor bathroom where I encounter a woman squating on the floor washing her laundry next to the porcelin, hole in the ground toilet. Varanasi is a city of 2 1/2 mil people with no traffic rules, and constant horn blowing. It strikes me as dirty, rundown, dusty, and congested. It is an old city founded at least 3000 years ago and considered a holy place by Hindus who believe they should visit here at least once in their life for a holy dip in the Ganges River. I arrive at the Tag Gangesj, a 25 year old, elegant, busy hotel with friendly servioe on 40 acres of garden. I settle in for an hour, and with my guide and driver go to Sarnath, one of the four greatest Buddists holy site, where the Buddah first preached his message of enlightenment.

I visit the Sarnath Archeological Museum, the Temple, and the Dhamech Stupa. The swastica is a sign of good luck when in the clockwise position (the Nazis used it in the counterclockwise position), and is found outside every home. Bicycle rickshaws carry huge weights of cargo of raw materials and often whole families.

Bulls and cows are believed to be related to the God Shiva, the God of fertility, and therefore considered to be holy (Hindus do not eat cows, and when they die, they are treated the same as a humas corpse and brought to a river and cremated)
We drove as far as we could and then walked about 1 mile through unnerving traffic of bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, 1000's of pedestians, relentless horn honking, and cows, goats, and monkeys (swinging on the buildings) roaming freely through the crowd. Arriving at the Ganges River I am surrounded by so much activity of local people, religions pilgrims, sightseers. Boats, flower offerings, and filth fill the Ganges River. After a while of watching, we walk back to the car through almost unbearable commotion. I return to the hotel exhausted and go to sleep at 7pm.

Feb 18
I wake up at 2am and work out in the gym. I am picked up at 6am to see the sunrise at the Ganges. A ritual cleansing in the holy waters of the Ganges at Varanasi absolves the believer of all sins. Devout Hindus hope to be creamated at the stepped riverbank, in order to insure the release from the cycle of rebirth. From a private rowboat I witness (with at least 50 other rowboats) the worshiping of life and death. 100's of people peforming the ritual cleansing with a purple hued surreal sunrise, and 2 cremation ceremonies at the 2 outdoor crematoriums.

I am driven to an ATM machine where the attendant has a shot gun, I assume to protect me from being robbed. After purchasing a pashmina shawl at a store where they primarily sell products made out of hand woven silk from their factory, we take a ride through the "newer" part of Varanasi. This part of town is less hectic and the people here are comparatively more well off. I see many young uniformed students walking, biking and being driven in rickshaws to school. By 9:30am I return to the hotel for breakfast and a nap. At 1pm I am on my way to the airport to return to Delhi.

Delhi, India

Feb 15
Flying First class on Luftansa airline was a fantastic experience, and it will be difficult to go back to flying coach. I land in Delhi at 2am. and arrive to the Hotel Claridges at 4am. After very little sleep, I work out, and am picked up by my driver and guide at 10:30am We drive past the Presidential Palace, Parliament Building, India Gate, and Government ambassidor neighborhood on our way to the beautiful recently completed Askshardham Temple Monument to World Peace. It has intricately carved red sandstone on the outside and marble on the inside by 11,000 craftsman in honor of Swami Narayan, believed to be the reincarnation of Vishnu . It was very busy with at least 1000 students visiting. There is very tight security and I was patted down twice before entering.
India, the largest democratic republic in the world has over 1 Billion people with Dehli, the capital, having a population of 16 mil.

We then visited Old Delhi, walking around the Chand Chowk area of narrow streets and vendors who sit on the floor of their small stalls. Each street sells a different product, wedding decorations and supplies, bread, cameras, bicylcles, etc. I was approached by a very charming dirty 9 yr old street girl named Sonita who I bought post cards from. It is too bad she will never go to school because she could become successful if she had an education. We walked through Raj Ghat park where Gandi was creamated. Upon seeing me, many young female students waved, smiled, said hi, and came to shake my hand. I was taken to the Cottage Industry store in Connaught Place and saw carpets, jewelry, pashminas, and great mens cotton shirts for under $50.

Calvin, friends of Pete and Heather, arranged for his parents to pick me up and take me out to dinner. Their driver took us to Hotel Marina, one of their family owned hotels with a great restaurant. They were so accomodating and gracious, and I truly enjoyed being with them.

Feb 16
With my guide and driver I visited the Bahai Lotus Temple made of white Italian marble in the shape of a Lotus, surrounded by 9 water pools on 23 acres of beatiful gardens. It is architecturally very interesting both inside and out. Again many of the female students say hello, run up to me and shake my hand. My guide suggests it is due to my being a caucasion woman wit curly hair.

Next drove by Qutub Minar, a tall tapering 240 ft tower built in the 12 century and the first Islamic architectural building.

Went to Ansal Plaza to see live Indian music in outdoor courtyard with perfect weather (sunny yet cool breeze) . In this Mall there were many foreign chain stores which were twice as expensive as in the US. At Amrapali, a jewelry store in the Khan market, I bought a victorian antique style uncut diamond ring and a pair of silver earings. This store had many large, flashy pieces of jewelry which Indians seem to prefer. We walked to the Ambassador hotel to see its eclectic bar and cafe. The traffic is slow and congested with cars weaving in and out. I returned to my hotel to sit in the relaxing garden.

I was invited again to have dinner with Mr and Mrs Kohli and 2 of their daoughter-in-laws (Anu and Bebe). They took me to another family owned restaurant(actually 5 great rest. in one building). Mr Kohli then took me to see his Club. They all make me feel like a part of the family.