Thursday, November 27, 2008

Temple Mania


After the heat and dust of the deserts of Rajasthan we move north to Amritsar, home to Sikhism's holiest shrine since the 16th century, the glorious Golden Temple. Tim takes in the deeply spiritual temple as the sun reflects on the holy waters (yes, he realizes his temple head covering isn't his best look).


Every late afternoon, just before sunset, the Indian and Pakistani military meet at the border to engage in an extraordinary 20-minute ceremony of pure theatre. The border-closing ceremony elicits machismo and posturing from the proud young soldiers on both sides, but also, despite the two countries uneasy relationship, a stunning display of harmony. Preceded by a kick so high the soldier looks in danger of concussing himself, the high-octane march to the border is vaguely reminiscent of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks sketch.


We leave Amritsar for a day-long drive to the British hill station, Dharmasala, the home of the Dali Lama and the base for his government in exile from Tibet. The location, close to the foothills of the Himalayas at 1800 meters, mimics Tibet to some degree. Sandi dons four layers as the temperature drops to 12 centigrade. We tour the Tibetan Museum to gain insight into the suffering of Tibetan people under Chinese domination. Our accommodation, Chonor Guest House, has rooms themed after aspects of Tibetan culture. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling with murals painted by local Tibetan artists as in the photo above taken in our room.


On to Shimla, the preferred summer mountain escape (2150 m) of the British Raj. It was here that the British ruled India for six months of the year for 50 years until India was granted Independence in 1947. We toured the mansion formerly known as Viceregal Lodge, built in 1888 at the request of the first British Viceroy. It remains an architectural testament to the power of the British Raj.


Aboard the romantic toy train, the Himalayan Queen, which chugs it way to Kalka at an average sleepy speed of 17 mph along spectacular ridges offering incredible views of the surrounding countryside. It travels through 100 tunnels, numerous bridges and sharp curves taking in picturesque views of green forests and meadows, distant snow covered mountains and red-roofed homes. In 2008 it was designated Unesco World Heritage status.


Back along the Ganges River in Rishikesh (a town close to the source of the Ganges) with its collection of sadhus, hippies and backpackers all seeking spiritual enlightenment. Rishikesh was made famous by the Beatles and the Maharishi Mahesh yogi in the 60s. It is here that they found inspiration for their Sergeant Pepper's album. The town is a spiritual Disneyland of concrete ashrams bedecked with gaudy statues of the hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva as in the photo below.



We search out the Maharishi's ashram where the Beatles chilled out. Since the Maharishi's death in 2007, the property now lies derelict due to legal battles for his 6 million dollar fortune.


Sniff, sniff. Is that smell from the Ganga or old ganja? This must have been John's pad.


Along the sides of India's backroads are large piles of neat "mud pies" that Sandi thought looked like big chocolate chip cookies but our driver explained they are a combination of cow dung and straw used for fuel to cook and heat homes in winter. Holy (cow) shit! Sandi bolts to find a loo to wash her hands after this photo was taken.


After northern India we stop briefly in Delhi to catch a flight to Mumbai (back to the warmth!) where Tim lashes out for an expensive hotel, the Marine Plaza, Mumbai's third best hotel after the Taj Palace and Oberoi group. Among the main sights we tour are the beautiful Victoria Terminus train station (photo below), the Taj Palace Hotel (seen on the left in the photo above) and lunch at Leopolds Café, all locations where 24 hours later Pakistani terrorists indiscriminately open fire on Indian and foreign tourists killing 125 to date. It is being described as India's worst terrorist attack. Luckily we took a flight to Aurangabad the day before and were safe from the horror. We feel incredibly blessed to have avoided this tragedy and our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Mumbai and India.



From Aurangabad we hire a driver to take us to the ancient cave temples of Ellora which are rated amongst the finest historical sites to be found anywhere in India. The 34 rock sculpted temples, created between the 4th and 9th centuries, were literally chiseled out of the hillside by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains with simple hand tools. The highlight is Cave 16 (two photos below), a dazzling visualization of Mt. Kailash, the mythical abode of the god Shiva in the Tibetan Himalayas. It took 150 years to create and was worked on by more than 800 local artisans. We are speechless.




During the 2nd century BC a long curving swathe of rock was chosen above a river bed as a site for one of the most important chapters in the creative history of Buddhism. For the next 700 years Buddhist monks dedicated their life to carving out prayer halls and monasteries using little more than hand-made tools. The caves are ornately decorated with magnificent sculptures and murals depicting the life and times of Buddha and were mysteriously abandoned in the 9th century and discovered by chance by a British hunting party in 1819. The site is arguably the best preserved Buddhist site in India.


Don't try this at home.




This chap has had a little too much paneer (high cal Indian cheese dish).


Finely detailed tempera paintings once covered entire surfaces of some of the temples—now only fragments remain such as this close-up of a charming scene of a thousand buddhas.


Born to be wi-i-i-i-ld. Tim can't resist a spin on our driver's brother's motorbike on the way back from the caves. Tonight (28 Nov) we fly from Aurangabad to Mumbai for an overnighter then on to Panaji, Goa for 15 days of R & R on some of India's finest beaches.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Rajasthan Wrap Up


The marble Jain temples at Ranakpur are jaw-droppingly beautiful with exquisitely detailed relief carvings covering every square inch of the exterior and interior. Built in 1446 by the Jains, the most orthodox of Hindus who are strict vegetarians and walk with care to ensure no insects should die underfoot and even wear permanent masks to protect the tiniest bug from being ingested.


We now reach the city of Jodhpur, nicknamed The Blue City, and where the jodhpur pant originated. It is the second largest city in Rajasthan and boasts the best fort, Mehrangarh (meaning majestic). Among the highlights is the gorgeous royal chamber, seen here, where the Maharaja entertained his 30+ wives, not counting the concubines. Don't you love all these fascinating facts?


A happy local invites us for a snort from his hookah pipe ensuring us the palace will look even more beautiful after a couple of puffs. We decline his generous offer having seen the low railings and the 400 ft. drop to the cliffs below.


The Umaid Palace in Jodhpur built in the early 1900s has 347 rooms and even a cinema. It was at that time the largest private residence in the world. A vivid reminder of the decadence the Rajput rulers enjoyed during the British Raj. It took 3000 labourers 13 years to complete. The current Maharaja of Jodhpur inhabits a portion of the palace but the other half has been converted to a 64 room hotel run by the Taj Group. It was here that British model/actress Elizabeth Hurley and her Indian husband, Arun Nayer, celebrated their wedding reception. If it's good enough for Liz it's good enough for us so we put on airs and receive a private tour.


Sandi takes a moment to relax at a haveli on top of Jaisalmer's golden fort, Sonar Killa, reputed to be the oldest living fortified city in Rajasthan from the mid-12th century. Jaisalmer is located in the Thar Dessert on the far western border of India, only 34 miles from Pakistan and famous for its camel safaris into the sand dunes...



Who are we to resist a tourist trap? We arrive at dusk to board our camels for an hour-long ride to the dunes. To cap it off Tim arranges a romantic dinner alone in the desert—a magical experience as we are serenaded by the stars, big ugly beetles, and gypsy musicians. We use the occasion to taste our first bottle of Indian wine. The shock only came the next day when Tim got his "Extras" bill for $80 worth of wine—about 3 bottles. Did we really drink that much? The vague recollection of being rolled back to our tent in the back of a camel cart and waking up the next morning with throbbing heads probably means, yes.



It's difficult to get photos of locals going about everyday life because as soon as we try everyone, from the most remote villagers to the urbanites, expects a tip as Tim discovers as he snapped these local women carrying water and proceed to come running from a far distance.


We love staying in old havelis, which are traditional, ornately decorated residences owned by the wealthy merchants and nobles of Rajasthan. Havelis that have been converted into hotels are one of Rajasthans best bargains. Here, in Bikaner, we are at Bhairon Vilas, a 300 hundred year old haveli, now run as a hotel by the grandson of the Prime Minister of Bikaner. The city only became part of India following Independence in 1947. We get the Maharaja Suite full of hunting trophies and wonderful faded photos of a bygone era for only $35/night.


We shuffle around Shekawati in search of some of its frescoed havelis, a unique feature of the region. Here we spend the night in Mandawa, a subdued little merchant town settled in the 18th century and fortified by dominant merchant families and stay at yet another gorgeous haveli, the romantic Mandawa Haveli, one of the most beautifully painted in town.


A charming painting on the wall of an historic haveli in Mandawa.


Tim surprises Sandi with two nights at the stunning Neemrana Fort Palace Hotel (above), purchased by two historians who spotted the ruin while researching a book on Rajasthan and sensitively and painstakingly restored it. Kate Winslet has a favourite room here which we sneek a peek at. We sip wine and dine under the stars stuffing ourselves with the best food we've had so far in India ending the glory with matching headaches and Buddha bellies.

Fashion Find
After three months living out of a backpack Sandi was feeling the need to femme it up and just in time, there it was... the most beautiful silver, tribal antique jewellery from the Rajasthan region. Darlingest Mr. Tim surprises her with this exquisite pendant (below photo) and, always wanting more, she sets out on a mission to find and bargain hard for a bracelet too.


Friday, November 7, 2008

Rajasthan Continued


After Rathambore we set off for the far eastern corner of Rajasthan to Bundi (est. 1241) (photo above), a village well off the beaten track rarely visited by those on the classic 2-week Rajasthan tour. Most homes are painted blue as it is believed to keep mosquitoes away. Bundi is a haven of tranquility with no hustlers and hawkers chanting, "Please come see, looking is free".


Garh Palace described by Rudyard Kipling as the work of goblins, is one of the few examples of pure Rajput style. The exterior is astounding but sadly the once-glorious interior is falling apart.


However, if you search around there are some beautiful hand-painted murals in remarkably good condition as in this photo of Krishna and his worshippers.


Happy Diwali! We spend a night on a rooftop drinking beer and nibbling Indian sweets in celebration of Diwali with our driver, Pappu. Diwali is a huge country-wide Hindu celebration of light lasting for five days involving the giving of gifts and the lighting of fireworks. Sandi joins in, albeit pensively.


Then onto Bijaipur where we stay in a 16th-century castle. The castle has been inhabited by the same family since it was built. The present owner has made it into a magnificent heritage hotel with a fabulous pool. At $55/night including breakfast it's a real bargain. The agile 61-year old owner, Rao Saheb Navendra Singh, gives us a private yoga lesson at 7 a.m. on the rooftop. He is remarkably fit as he sits in the lotus position and stands on his head with ease while Tim walks funny the next day.


The goat herders are a common sight along the back country roads to Udaipur. The colourful turbans of Rajasthani men denote caste and status.


The famous Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, known as the City of Sunrise, is often described as the most romantic city in India. We agree! Unfortunately our budget doesn't stretch to the required $800/night rate but those staying there don't get magical photos like ours, taken from the rooftop terrace of our $70/night hotel, the Raj Niwas, a converted haveli with just three rooms.


The Lake Palace Hotel by night.


A detail from the City Palace in Udaipur. The palace is adorned with 17th century mosaics and the worlds best crystal collection originally purchased from England in 1877 where we drooled over beds and chairs made entirely of crystal.


As we leave Udaipur we stop briefly at Kumbhalgarh Fort built in the 15th century—one of the most impressive sights Rajasthan has to offer. The impenetrable walls snake 22 miles along 13 mountain peaks making them the second longest unbroken walls after the Great Wall of China.


We walk through the tiny village of Narlai and are met by a family who thought Sandi would succumb to purchasing a piece of silver if they got her in the mood by dressing her up like a local.


A local woman from the village of Narlai. We'll post the final leg of our tour of Rajasthan in a few days. But now we're heading back for tea then a sumptuous buffet dinner at our fabulous heritage hotel, The Neemrana Fort-Palace before heading to Delhi tomorrow to catch the train to Amritsar.