Day 11 – Jaipur – a whiff of Royalty

Jaipur, affectionaly referred to as the Pink City because of the pink walls and buildings of the old city, lures visitors with its stunning remnants of a bygone era. The most popular Jaipur attractions and places to visit are the ancient palaces and forts, with their elaborate architecture that serves as a resplendent reminder of their royal heritage
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We drove to Amber by jeep, since the travel agency is against tourists riding on elephants (and rightfully so) . Amber is truly a fort like one out of a fairy tale. It is set on a hill top overlooking Maota Lake. It was the original home of Rajput royalty until Jaipur city was constructed. It contains a number of breathtaking palaces, halls, gardens, and temples. Inside, the elaborate mirror work and the glass coming from Belgium (!!!) adds to the grandeur. Just imagine the royals living in such a beautiful place – a lot of history happened here.

After such beauty, we had another adventure waiting for us… In the middle of crazy rush hour, our bus broke down 😱😰

But, our very creative tourguide Jai, immediately resolved this minor issue in his very professional way. He stopped some tuk-tuks and they took us to a professional jewelry factory.  Nice to see some exquisite gems, but I was happy just looking – feeling totally zen in the sparkling light of these diamonds…

We were lucky enough to visit the City Palace, where the Maharadja still lives in his private quarters and where Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy have been wined and dined.  Here you can imagine the true love story between the beautiful Princess, Gayatri Devi and the handsome Polo playing Maharadja, Jai Sing. There were tales of Rolls Royces won and lost at the gambling tables of Monte Carlo, of millions of pounds spent to maintain dozens of residences and hundreds of servants, of promiscuity and reckless, gilded bohemianism. This was a time when modernity, independence and internationalism were swiftly replacing tradition, colonialism and provincialism. I’m now reading the memoires of Gayatri Devi – what a fascinating woman! (http://www.goodtimes.com.pk/memorable-romance-maharaja-sawai-man-singh-ii-mahrani-gayatri-devi-of-jaipur/ )

 

 

Day 10: From Jodhpur to Jaipur: the Pink City

 

On our way to Jaipur,  I  encountered my prince on his white horse 😜. Hooray –  finally!!!! For 5 minutes, I was able to talk to him and his family. If he agrees – we can be married 😱 OMG, just imagine – poor guy :). I’m just kidding… we were actually passing a wedding ceremony, where the husband was riding to his future wife’s house. We were invited to dance with them and take lots of selfies – a real party! People are so nice here.

Arriving in Jaipur, I loved the pink and terracotta colored walls. In the city it’s all flower markets, turban stalls and painted everything, from frescoes to trucks to elephants.

Since it was late, we had a lovely dinner at our heritage hotel ‘Mandawa Haveli’ and went to sleep – I wanted to dream about the Maharadja’s who still owned ‘tis hotel – I even put my pink pyjama’s on 😉. (http://mandawahotels.com/hotel-group-mandawa/)

 

 

http://mandawahotels.com/hotel-group-mandawa/

Day 9: Jodhpur -The Blue City

Today we visited Jodhpur, the blue city. In case you were wondering, yes, this is where jodhpurs got their name from! These unusual pants were designed by the Maharaja of Jodhpur’s son, Pratap Singh, and worn by his polo team when visiting the Queen of England in 1897.
Jodhpur is famous for its blue buildings, which were originally painted to signify that they were occupied by Brahmins (the highest caste in India).
The walled city of Rajasthan, with its 1,5 million habitants, is the second largest city of the state and is located on the edge of the Thar Desert. The chiaotic by-lanes, the inviting smell of the Kachori and Jalebi, people dressed in their colorful traditional attires, the towering clock tower and the unmissable ´Sri Misri Lal Ki Lassi’, tells us that we are indeed in the most vibrant part of Jodhpur . I loved the Mehrangarh Fort, all made of first class marble, with the stunning views over the Blue City.
We also visited the manificent Umaid Bhawan Palace, completed in 1944, it was one of the last great palaces to be built in India. The royal family of Jodhpur still occupies a section of it. Most of the remainder has been converted into a luxurious palace hotel and unfortunately, it’s off-limits to anyone who’s not staying there. If you can’t afford 800 euro per night for a room, you can still get a glimpse inside the palace by going to the museum store.

I also went shopping for the very first time on this trip 😱. Some might read this and think “shopping isn’t soul searching” !
Well… if you think that, then you’re not doing it right. Just kidding 😉, sort of; I find shopping peaceful and finding gifts for myself and others makes me extremely happy! So- this was a perfect day for my soul 😜.

We are staying at the Polo Heritage Hotel, a hotel that has a rich history of polo, judging by the pictures on the wall. Now it is a bit old and worn out and it could use a lik of fresh paint. Ralph Lauren or Scapa interiors should make this one of their renovating projects 👍.

Day 8: Udaipur – the city of lakes

Waking up with a bit of a fever and a nasty cold today 😰 Thanks to my lovely new friend Corina, who took me to a local pharmacy to get the necessary drugs, I felt a lot better in the afternoon.
Udaipur is the “white city” of India, also called the “Venice of India”. It’s a small city built around four lakes, with Lake Pichola being the most popular, and it has many Ghats around (stairwells to the lake with people swimming and doing laundry).
The city has become a very popular destination for marriages , thanks to all bollywood and hollywood films that have been shot here. The luxuriously isolated Taj Lake Palace seems to float on the tranquil Lake Pichola, offering guests a secluded haven – and a licence to ‘chill’ 😉. This iconic venue was used for filming the 007 movie 🎥 ‘Octopussy’ in 1983. The city is truly traveler’s paradise. Frankly speaking, Rajasthan had been on my bucket list ever since I read about it in my history books. Fantasizing about the royals, their heritage and cultural vibrance, I always wanted to experience the royalty of Rajasthan.
We visited the City Palace. The palace symbolizes the Rajput military architecture and Mughal-style embellishment built by 22 different Maharanas between the 16th and 20th centuries. Much of it is now a museum. A funny note is that at olden times  the ruler was weighed on his birthday and his weight in gold distributed among his subjects. Yeah talk about royalty ;).

In the evening we went to Lake Pichola. Pichola Lake is one of the most beautiful and picturesque lakes of Rajasthan. The Jag Mandir is located majestically on an island on Lake Pichola. The only way to reach Jag Mandir is by boat ride. This 17th Century architectural marvel is very famous for weddings and is a very popular spot for film shootings. The striking feature of this architectural marvel is the spacious courtyard with black and white marble tiles and gardens on the east side filled with flowers.  In the entrance, there are eight life size marble elephants.
Also located on the bank of Lake Pichola, is the Oberoi hotel. The hotel is unique amongst the other luxury hotels in Udaipur. It stands on the 200 year old hunting grounds of the Maharana of Mewar and is spread over fifty acres, which includes a twenty-acre wildlife sanctuary with deer and wild boar.
With the old part of the city tightly wrapped around the crystal clear Lake Pichola, the Venice comparisons flow deeper than just leisurely boat trips. The author Rudyard Kipling was one of the first to coin the phrase when discussing Udaipur in his 1899 work Letters of Marque. “If the Venetians owned the Pichola, they might say with justice, ‘see it and die’,” he wrote. That’s a slightly crude way of saying the place is impossible not to fall in love with… After this charming boat trip, we visited an art school in miniature paintings. We ended this lovely day with a delicious evening meal on the rooftop terrace of our hotel. Tomorrow up at 6.30 am for a 230 km long bus ride to Jodhpur…

Day 7: Jojawar and the Maharadja’s quarters

We arrive at the Rawla hotel in Jojawar. This 300 year old landhouse belonged to one of the many Maharadjas. Now it belongs to the landowner, Sir Vikram, who lives in his private quarters at the hotel. As for the rest he just sits (yoga style) in the entrance, talks to his guests and poses for pictures. He told us that Kate Moss has stayed there some time ago. (and that she absolutely adored the opium milk 😱🙏) The landowner has 2 landhouses in Jojawar. His  sons have 6 hotels in India and his grandson is now studying in Great Britain. Definitively not a poor gentleman! With the Jeep we do a tour in the forestry surroundings of Jojawar. We take a public train. Nice with the with Arracalli mountains surrounding us. In all honesty, my preference would be
‘Palace on wheels’. Our guide Jay says that Palace on wheels costs 14.000 euro for 1 week! So, I will need to save some more rupees (this is for my friend Fabienne…just so you know 😉)

The outside of the hotel is still very authentic – a delightful peaceful heaven in a dirty and loud city – In my opinion however, the rooms could use an upgrade to the 21st century. If they want this to be a luxurious palace, they would need to adapt, put in a TV, Wifi, a phone, and a bathroom and slippers.
That is what my advise was to the GM, but he just smiled and bobbed his head….
I decided to join some of our group to celebrate the Holi festival. The Holi is the celebration of the end of the harvest. After all the hard labor, people celebrate by throwing very lively colors on all the passersby and they drink a lot.
I turned around after 5 minutes, since this really was not my ‘cup of tea’ – I like to stay clean 😁. Instead I had a glass of wine with my 2 new friends Judith and Mieke. Judith is a professional violin player 🎻 and Mieke has a lifetime of stories. Just perfect. When the others came back, I was happy that I returned on time. The pictures say it all….Tomorrow the White City of Udaipur. The Venice of India…

Day 6: Pushkar – the spiritual life in Rajasthan

Another long drive to Pushkar. Pushkar Lake – around which the town is formed – is said to have been formed when a lotus flower fell from the hands of Lord Brahma. It’s also the only place in India where you can find Brahma temples. We visited the holy Pushkar lake, where lots of people come to pray for forgiveness and healing. Some go in the lake entirely and some only sprinkle themselves with some holy water on the eyes and ears. Aside from the odd temple visit, there’s not a huge amount to do in Pushkar, which I found to be one of it’s charms. Seeing it as a Hindu Pilgrimage Town, it is a great way to experience some of the spiritual way of life in Rajasthan. You can find lots of hippies here…The hotel is a charming resort with small guesthouses and a nice swimming pool. The hotel is preparing for the Holi festival tomorrow…Looking forward to it…

 

 

Day 5: Ranthambore National Park – Backyard of the Bengal Tiger

There is a saying by the Indonesian journalist: Mochtar Lubis: ‘To hunt the tiger, you must first hunt the tiger in yourself, and to do that, you first make certain that the tiger is not hunting you.’

Ranthambore is one of the world’s great National Parks. A veritable fantasy-forest where wild tigers roam around the remnants of a forgotten kingdom. It is renowned as the best place in the world to watch wild tigers.
Poaching has decreased here, but in the 1980’s, there was a growing demand for tiger bone for traditional Chinese medicine. The bone is is used to cure a range of illnesses. Beside bone, body parts are eaten as delicacies and tiger penis soup is a very expensive aphrodisiac favored by rich, inadequate males across Asia. This medicine, besides causing the murder of thousands of tigers, had been scientifically proven to have absolutely no effect on people. In the Krugerpark in South Africa women called ‘the black mambas’ to protect the animals against poachers. Maybe an idea for India…
This morning we were so extremely lucky, because we saw 3 tigers! Mum and her 2 cubs – and we saw them twice! Eating their prey…As our tourguide Jay Sing said: When you see a tiger, it is always like a dream. Today I was catapulted back in my childhood, I felt like Mowgli and Shere Khan in my favourite child Disney movie…https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zBUOBkQLHvEth

After that pure excitement, we visited  the village of Ranthambore, giving pens to the local school and talking to the children and their teachers. People have so little luxury here – but I can’t stop wondering if they might be happier than we are. Those kids do not have big dreams about having a fulfilling job, a big house and a fancy car…They dream about a nice family, quality time with their friends and helping their community.  They do not strive for more – they are content with what they have- they do not want to have our hectic, stressy and crazy lives…With that thought in mind, I spent a lazy afternoon at the pool, still dreaming about tigers – roar 🐯

Day 4: Fatehpur Sikri and Jungle villas

This morning we left at 8 am for a long bus drive – 320 Indian kilometers (whatever that means – up &down or from left to right :)). From Agra to the Ranthambore National Park. Driving through small villages and Indian farms, stopping from time to time for a cow, a goat or a pig on the road…(or for a supermarket- not easy to find here). Our first visit was Fatehpur Sikri, the old Moghul capital, built by Akbar for his son. Because of lack of water, the capital moved after 14 years. The walled city is a beautiful example of Moghul architecture. We visited the Jama Mashid mosque 🕌. Little kids came running up to us to sell their junk. I gave one cute little girl my magic pen (the one that has 4 colors), only on 1 condition – I told her to go to school (school is free here in India- even the uniform and the books) She promised me that she would go to school – but she was more interested in chewing gum and lipstick 😰…

We had a fantastic lunch in a beautiful garden route hotel for only 9 euro. Just in time for ‘high tea’ we arrived at the luxurious ‘Jungle Villas Hotel ‘  in Ranthambore National Park. I spoke with a Hawaiian girl, who traveled with a US-Canadian group and they did not see a tiger, on their safaritour, but they did encounter a bear 😱👍. I’m very excited, since I absolutely love safaris. But we do have to get up at 5am and it takes 20 minutes before the shower gets warm 😲An inside joke for my son Max: I did turn the lights off in the bathroom this time (remember Kruger-our snake encounter 😬!)

 

Day 3: Agra and the Taj Mahal

 

Today we left Delhi for the lively city of Agra, near the Yamuna river. We visited the impressive Red Fort with it’s high red sandstone walls. The Red Fort has several palaces and mosques. It was built in 1565 by the Moghul emperor Akbar and is now on the UNESCO heritage list. We then had a nice buffet lunch in a lush Indian garden.

After the lunch, we were ready to admire one of the 7 world wonders. By horse carriage we rode to the entrance of the Taj Mahal …undoubtedly the most beautiful building in the world! Taj, aptly called a ‘dream in marble’ – a true declaration of love 💗. Shah Jahan and his great love Mumtaz Mahal were inseparable. When she gave birth to their fourteenth child, she fell seriously ill. It is said that at the time of her death, Mumtaz expressed her last wish to the Royal Emperor: to build a beautiful and incomparable monument over her grave as token of their worldly inseparable love…The completion of it took 20 years to build and some twenty thousand laborers to work on it. The Taj is a perfect fusion of Indian and Persian architecture. For every hour of the day, the Taj has its own color values, from the soft dreaminess at dawn, and the dazzling whiteness at noon to its splendor in the moonlight. Yet, none of these effects can equal those few fleeting moments when, softly illuminated by the brief Indian after glow, it assumes the enchanting tint of some pale and lively rose…
Still in awe of all this greatness, we went to our lovely hotel Orange in Agra, where I dreamt about this great ever lasting love 😍(a white marble palace would do just fine 😉 a few of those charming young Sikh hockeydudes that I met could not hurt either 🤣)

 

Day 2: Exploring Old and New Delhi

 

Waking up in Delhi reminds me of NY. Never ending traffic, ambulances, the honking of horns, the shouting…this is one crazy bustling city of 19 million people! Cows are aimlessly  wandering the busy streets, unchallenged.  They are regarded as sacred and considered as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.  However, ironically,  they have become a major factor in the traffic and road accidents. These creatures have the complete liberty to do what they want on the roads, which have now become their home.  Apparently you can only blow your horn at the wandering cows, but you cannot touch them.  Considering how congested the roads are in Delhi, we have a hard time comprehending the rationale behind this attitude. Holy cow! Indeed 🙂
Finally we made it to our first destination – Baga i, a house of worship that is inspired by the lotus flower, the exquisitely beautiful flower and symbol of purity that is inseparably associated with worship and religion in India. The Baha’i faith is a new, independent world religion whose purpose is to unite all the races and people all over the world in one common Faith. 1 odd basic is that they offer a spiritual solution to the economic problems 🤣 I’m sure that our world leaders will love this! Second on the list: India gate, a significant memorial site. (very much like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris). This is nothing less than the pride of India. The two massive columns have been carved with the names of Indian soldiers of the British Army who were killed during the First World War and Afghan War.  Recently, it has been converted into a war memorial.
We had a lovely late lunch: murg tandoori with rice, massala and naan bread – 😋 ! Third: Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.

 

In the afternoon we visited ‘old Delhi’ by rikshaw, we saw the Red Fort, the Presidential Palace (decorated with Canadian flags, since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited last week – according to the Indian press a not very successful visit 🤔). We ended with the
Jama Masjid mosque – the biggest mosque in Delhi where more than 2000 people get a free meal every evening. We visited the kitchen with volunteers preparing food in huge pans. After this busy and fascinating day, I showered off the dust and went to sleep😴…