Day nine - Alsisar

It was time to say goodbye. Our group split into two with half heading north to hopefully see tigers in the wild. Our party of 11 headed further west to the small town of Alsisvar, a village of 8000. It was an opportunity to meet the people and see first hand how they lived. 

The trip started on a four lane highway and ended with us walking the last 200 hundred yards on a very narrow lane way to our hotel. We travelled on every size and style of roadway which we shared with every type of transportation vehicle you can imagine; from overloaded busses, to motorcycles, to camel carts, to tuk tuks (the small three wheeled vechicles) and the occasional group of temple goers heading to pray.

The village of Alsisar was settled in the fourteenth century and is a far cry from the hustle of the big city. The temperature on a arrival was about 26 c and very sunny. There was an elderly man sleeping on the cart having his afternoon nap. Elderly folk around the world all have the same thoughts on a warm sunny afternoon when a cool breeze blows.

After checking in to our rooms, We made our way to a local school. What a terrific experience to meet the kids, listen to them sing their national anthem and have a chance to talk with them and show a bit about where we came from. Most take English from an early age and Donna couldn't resist to show them what snow was like on the iPad.

We stayed in a very well maintained haveli, which means "private house". These 150 year old homes are beautifully decorated and extremely spacious. We were greeted and blessed.

Although most are in decline you can still see how beautiful the wall painting is.

The pool looked inviting so with a nice gin and tonic and a swim in the pool we ended the evening early. The view from our bed above us was interesting,

Namaste 

Day eight - Jaipur

What an amazing day!!  Jaipur is a city of of almost 4 million. We started the day following a full nights sleep and a good breakfast. Our accommodation is terrific and the weather is sunny with a high today of 25.

A short bus ride after breakfast we arrived at the fortification that surrounded the city. 

Founded in 1727, by Maharaja  Sawai Jai Singh II, Jaipur is the cleanest of any city we have visited. And like the Maharaja, we entered the main gate of the fort in style.

The fort not only served as a defence but also as living quarters for the Maharaja and his several wives. The surroundings are spectacular a few hundred years later. I can only imagine what they were like back then.

We had spectators watching our every move as we exited the fort.

Lunch was under a canopy back in the old city, complete with entertainment. This young lad sang, and danced with moves that Jaggar wouldn't attempt.

The afternoon was a time to visit the current Maharaja's palace. As I toured the grounds and several rooms including the throne room, I couldn't rationalize the spread in wealth between these walls and the people on the other side. The guards demonstrated the wrapping of the turban.

A group of us wanted to go shopping before we went back to the hotel. It was an exercise in haggling, crowd pushing and an experience I could describe as frenetic. But everywhere we notice that the people are happy and all dressed very well. The ride back to the hotel was crazy wild with three of us in the back of a tuck tuck. I had several gin and tonics when we arrived.

Dinner was uneventful compared to the day. As they say in Australia we were knackered. 

Day seven - Jaipur

We are getting familiar with India and it is a fascinating country. The evening at Agra was very enjoyable complete with a wedding in the street, fireworks, parade and a band.

Although rich in history, the forts and palaces we visited were primarlily from the 1500-1700 period, the Mughals. Originally from the Afghan region, the seven rulers built lavish palaces and fortifications. The architecture was a combination of Hindu and Moslem.

 This next picture shows a room where the Ruler would stand in the middle column and have conversations with his four top ministers.

We are not the only tourists. There are many different cultures, dress and languages. Donna fits rights in.

The last Moghul fortification we visited was outside Agra enroute to Jaipur in the Rajasthan state. It was built in 1503 and used only for 14 years when they ran out of water and relocated to Lahore. 

Visiting these sites and seeing how they lived brought the inevitable question on "how the toilets worked". Squatting was the appropriate stance and water flushed every hour. Curtains for privacy but it was usually a communal affair.

 

You just can't visit India without seeing a snake charmer. I wanted Donna to hold the python but she declined.

As in many rural countries, the kids go off to school with the backpack and a school uniform. Schooling is available to everyone, however there are groups or classes which are neglected usually at their own choice.For the untouchable class education is still difficult. We saw small children begging in the traffic. Their parents encourage begging to assist with income.

Mahatma Gandhi once said to get to know India, one had to travel outside the big cities and meet the people. Have you ever played chicken on the major highway? That is what we did for hours as we drove from Agra to Jaipur.

We arrived in Jaipur about 7:30, and have been booked into the Hotel Mandawa Haveli. This was previously the home of the Royal Family of the state until the mid 1980's when the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi stripped them of their powers. 

Our tour guide is Hindu. He is very thorough and has introduced us to a few Hindu words and symbols. This one you will recognize which is for good luck as you journey through the four stages of life, each 25 years. He didn't exactly know what the ages 75-100 signified as the life expectancy is usually 68. We told him we would let him know. 

Day six - Agra

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India is such a a land of contractions. It is a country of 1.2 billion, the largest democracy in the world with an emerging economy. At the same time, 60 % of the population lives in adjunct poverty.

We had no illusions in visiting India. We wanted to experience a culture, a land and a people that are totally different from what we know and live. We achieved our goal. As we drove east out of Delhi, a city of 17 million people, it was obvious why the area was attractive to the first nomadic tribes. The countryside is rich in soil and fields of crops stretch for miles. 

The highway we drove on was a super express toll road. However we passed settlements of brick makers using camels for transportation and little enclaves that dried the cow dung which is used for heating and building. Something that has been done for centuries.

Our destination is Agra. A city of 2 million which is the home of the Taj Mahal. The city has been labelled the City of Love. Agra is a very polluted city on the Yamuna river. The traffic is worse than Delhi and there are cows, dogs, and as our tour guide said "society" everywhere. 

I am writing this at the Taj Mahal. There are thousands of people here and I managed to find a quiet spot while Donna visited a museum. The Queen entered through the west gate, the King through the east gate and the remaining entourage through the south gate. 

The structure was built as monument to the King's wife who died giving birth to their14th child. It took 22 years to complete finished in 1653 at a cost of 41 million rupees. It is made completely of white marble. There are two adjoining buildings which served as a mosque and a guest house.

It is considered a sacred place and as such no shoes. (Shoe covers were provided). The gardens are well maintained and no sign of cows or dogs as we saw just outside the entrance.

It is almost time for sunset at the Taj Mahal. 

This is a sample of the diversity of cultures here.

I am getting used to the selfie.

And finally, a fitting tribute to the City of Love and the Bollywood film industry.

This leading man didn't have a very good voice but who would with a couple hundred people listening.

 

Day five ...Delhi

Breakfast came at 7 including a briefing for the days schedule. Weather started cloudy with a very early rain. Apparently the rain is unusual for this time of the year. Speaking with other tour members, the weather everywhere is different this year. More heat in Australia, too much rain in the UK and in southern Switzerland, there isn't any snow.  But nothing compares to the cold in Winnipeg. Trust me, you have the sympathy of the world.

The Red Fort was built in the mid 1700 under the Rule of the  Islamic Moghul Empire.The grounds are enormous. Several buildings inside included the King's private baths, his Mosque and two buildings for the affairs of state. In 1837 when the British took over control of India, the Fort was used as a military base and barracks for the army.

Then it was off to the the main Mosque built at the same time as the Fort. The Mosque is a working environment and can manage 20,000 worshipeers. It is made of marble and two spires; one used for the call to worship and the one opposite for symmetry. Shoes weren't permitted and women had to cover up by wearing a very colourful garmet. No cameras were permitted unfortunately. Donna looked pretty bad in her coverup.

We travelled by rickshaw through the narrow streets of Old Delhi. The maze of streets and electrical wires was amazing. I really can't imagine what would happen in a power outage.

Our next visit was to the memorial to Ghandi 

then to the original site of the City of Delhi which was built  as a centre of commerce in the 700's AD and then conquered by the Afgans in 1192. The tower that you see below was constructed from the rubble of 27 temples on the original site at that time.

Back to the hotel to clean up and out for a traditional Indian dinner. We leave Delhi at 8 tomorrow morning.

Travel day . . . .

Our drive to the airport was early which was good because the airport was extremely busy at 6 am. I did not check in the nite before and we almost got wait listed due to over booking. The next flight was 12 hours later which would have messed our schedule.

Weather in Delhi is coolish. We are not complaining knowing that it's -25 back home.Drive from the Delhi airport was an experience all by itself. They certainly know how to use the horn.

The hotel we are booked in for two nights is a boutique style and is quite cozy. Once settled we decided to go exploring. We hopped on an auto rickshaw and spent the next hour in and out of traffic and one small local shop.

Dinner at the hotel was good but spicy. My system seems to be able to handle it but it is still early in our travels. Tomorrow starts the first full day in India.

.....

Day three - the beach

Today is a relax day . Was slow getting started. We fly to Delhi tomorrow so we choose to go to the beach today.

Weather is great. Sunny and 29 c. The Jemeirah beach park is only a 20 minute bus ride from the hotel. The park is very well equipped with BBQ pits, volleyball courts, clean washrooms and sandy beaches that go for miles. The park is on the Perisan (Arabian) Gulf, with Iran, some 60 km directly across the Gulf and Qatar to the west. 

Friday is the holy day in Dubai so was impossible to find a bar open before dinner. We settled for a pizza. The hotel bar is open at dusk which is officially at 7.

Our limo comes at 6:30 tomorrow morning so we will have to be good tonite although I am thirsty for at least one gin and tonic.

Garry