After an early breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the Railway Station to board the Shatabdi Express train to Gwalior. We are met on arrival and transfer to the hotel. This afternoon we visit the Gwalior Fort. The fort’s walls and buildings were constructed by different generations of rulers. The most notable are the Suraj Kund, a tank built in the 8th century AD, two 11th century temples known as Sas Bahu ka Mandir, dedicated to Vishnu; the 16th century Gujri Mahal Palace and the Hindola Gate, which houses a small archeological museum. Later visit Jai Vilas Palace and Museum, located in the city. The enormous Jai Vilas Palace, built in the 19th century, has a pair of the world’s heaviest chandeliers in the Durbar Hall and a crystal staircase. The dining table is fitted with an electric train made of silver, which carried brandy and cigars around the table after dinner, ( see if I can fit this into our dining living room).

The train ride was uneventful in that it took only a short time and not really a lot to see. Comfortable though and a real nice break from the bus. When we arrived the new bus, (pronounced “different bus” since it was not nearly as nice as the last one) will be with us for three day and we are going to have to get use to it’s little idiosyncrasies, seat backs in the permanent inclined positions, very dirty and unkept, etc.

After a nice long lunch break we visited the fort and the temples; we walked down the road to view the Jain statues and as you can see by the photos they were huge! Time for a little fun that was provided by Norm, Barb and Maggie.

We depart for Agra. En route, stop at Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted sandstone city, which was the glorious but short-lived imperial capital of Akbar, the greatest of Mughal emperors. Lying on a rocky ridge, it is today a haunting complex of empty palaces, forts and mosques. A variety of architectural styles are found, since craftsmen representing many schools were employed.

The highlight of your trip will be a visit to the Taj Mahal, the greatest monument to love and one of the wonders of the modern world, constructed by Emperor Shah Jehan as a mausoleum for his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal. Completed in 1652, skilled craftsmen from Persia, Turkey, France and Italy and some 20,000 labourers worked for 17 years to build this edifice. You have time to explore the bazaars and craftsmen’s ateliers, where you can watch the ancient art of marble in-lay work.

No words can describe the feeling as you approach the Taj Mahal and catch a series of glimpses of the mausoleum through the openings above the walled area.The anticipation made me want to rush forward from the group to experience the full breathtaking structure. Sometimes anticipation is more than the actual site and you become underwhelmed as the real is dewarfed by the mental impression but not this time. It is spectacular!

Afterwards  we visited Agra Fort and observed the various structures, one of which faced the Taj Mahal. There is the rooms where Sham Jehan spent his last days under house arrest. He could still look across the river and see his magnificent creation.

This afternoon we explore Jaipur, one of the best-planned cities in India, built of rose-pink sandstone by the great astronomer-king Jai Singh II in 1727. The City Palace stands in the centre of the city. Part of it is still the Maharaja’s residence, while most of the complex has been developed into a museum containing rare manuscripts, fine specimens of Rajput and Mughal paintings, royal apparel and an armoury. Jantar Mantar observatory was built by the founder of Jaipur, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. The huge stone instruments were devised to study the movements of the sun, moon and planets and are incredibly accurate. Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is the landmark of Jaipur. Built of pink sandstone with a delicate honeycomb design and rising five storeys high, it is composed of semi-octagonal overhanging windows, each with its perforated screen, which allowed the ladies of the court to look onto the main street without being seen.

Today  visit Amer Fort (also sometimes written “Amber”), the capital for 6 centuries before Jaipur was built, 11 km north of Jaipur. Rising majestically on the slopes of a hill, this 11th century fort and palace complex is a blend of Hindu and Muslim styles — the earlier constructions in the inner apartments designed by the Hindu founder are austere, while later constructions abound in the rich flourishes characteristic of Muslim influence. Experience the thrill of riding up to the fort on gaily decorated elephants, in the manner the Rajputs of old made their royal ascent centuries ago.

After visiting the Wind Palance we went up to Forr Amer where we mounted the elephants and rode to the top. After visiting Fort Amer, which is gigantic, we took a Jeep back to the bus and the elephants, who had finished their shift, we are the same street. One came up to the back of our Jeep and was against it with her trunk, surprised the hell out of us! Just for an understanding about the elephants day, they only go up and down 5 times and then return to their home.

Today is Monday and we checked out of our hotel this morning with a resolve to force the manager to accept our old money. What we had failed to understand was the the 500 and 1000 Rupee notes were no longer legal tender. Somehow we had all thought they were good until the end od December…wrong! They were worthless unless you exchanged them at a bank. The lineups were unbelievable !

After breakfast we depart on the drive to Pushkar. On arrival check in at the resort, set amidst orchards of Indian gooseberry and fields of roses. (As Pushkar is a holy town the resort serves no alcohol or non-vegetarian food, though a wide variety of vegetarian delicacies from around the world are on offer here.)
In the late afternoon we visit the Brahma temple. This town boasts of the only temple dedicated to Lord Brahma in the world. Lord Brahma is the Creator in the Holy Trinity of Gods. You get a chance to walk through the winding lanes of Pushkar before reaching the lake, which is magical at sunset.
An aarti (Hindu prayer ceremony) is arranged specially for you at the banks of the lake today. After the ceremony we enjoy a cup of tea on the banks of the lake before starting our journey back to the resort. Enjoy a traditional thali dinner at the resort.
Chaos is define as utter confusion and disorder and that is what the market place in Pushkar looks and feels like, seriously overwhelming. But in spite of the original impressions you begin to feel a sense of rhythm and purpose to this apparent madness. The shopkeepers, merchants, camel drivers, tractors, motorcycles, jeeps all seem to work in harmony much like when you watch an anthill in action. There is serious poverty for sure but we also observed happiness at a different level. We are solitary by comparison because, as in the rest of India, family and friends provide wealth that we seem to have lost sight of. The Hindu prayer experience was good…not necessarily great…yet we would not have wanted to miss the ceremony for anything. Participation provides insight that observation alone cannot provide.
The tents where like camping but they are at least 5 KLM away so we were transported in a trailer pulled by a tractor, on the way back it was a camel cart. I hope the pictures gives a sense of the dust but we are in a desert after all.

As many of you already know most Indian marriages are arranged. Seems rather foreign to us but after it was explained I can appreciate the custom.

The arranngement is primarily made by parents but other relatives can, and in many cases do, get involved in the process. As Subash, our main quide, explains it; when partners are considered the birth information is given to the priest  to chart the astrological alignment  to determine if the two are compatible. If so each is given a picture of the other and in some cases the male is given several women to chose from.

After the male has chosen, or accepte, the possible candidate the process begins.

Our guide MAnish, might not be the right spelling, told us about his marriage and here is his story as I heard it:

” When I was 25 my father approached me with a picture of a women that he had arranged for me to marry. I insisted that I meet her first since, as I explained to my father, I want to make sure she isn’t crippled or speechless. After a lot of argument he agreed and it was finally arranged. When we got to her house her father was sitting between us. I wanted to speak to her alone but her father would not let me. I said if I can not spend a few minutes alone to talk to her I am leaving and the wedding is off. That seemed to break down the barrier and I was given 5 minutes alone, (although the father watched from behind a curtain).

The first two minutes I sat staring at her, sweating and nervous because I had not had this situation before. Finally I asked three question:

1. Can you cook? A quite nod… yes

2. Do you like me? Again a nod…. yes. Now I start to worry because maybe she can’t talk so last question:

3. Do you speak? She shyly replied ” yes I do”.

So we got married and now she talks like a radio and you can’t turn her off! Like a parrot!”

Of course much is lost in the recap because it was hilarious. Never the less marriage is  a very big thing in India and a lot of money is spend on it. They were setting up in the City Palace courtyard and on Jag Mandir for a wedding that will cost in Canadian dollars around $600.00. Have s peek!

As the world watched the election in United States; India made a bold move to curb the money laundering that has plagued this country and financed the terrorists that move between India and Pakistan.  Essentially the 500-1000 Rupee notes will be worthless in two months. Together they comprise about 85% of the circulated currency.

We are caught up in all of this as most of us brought a serious amount of Rupee rather than use the  ATM machines here. Now almost all the retailers do not accept these notes even though they can still be deposited in their bank accounts. Everyone is allowed to exchange the old for new up to a maximum of 4000 Rupee a day, about $80.00 Canadian, so there are line ups at all of the banks.

So as you read about this current situation in India, we are living it and it is very interesting!

Our morning sightseeing in Udaipur includes a visit to the City Palace, which stands on the crest of a ridge overlooking Lake Pichola. The largest palace in Rajasthan, it was built at various periods but still preserves the harmony of design, enhanced by massive octagonal towers surmounted by cupolas. Now a museum, it is a labyrinth of courtyards richly decorated with inlaid mirror-work, galleries covered with frescos, temples and roof gardens, which afford a wide panorama below. The Jagdish Temple in the old town was built in the mid-17th century and has a remarkable bronze statue of Garuda, the mythical bird, facing his revered master Lord Vishnu. Sahelion-ki-Bari (Garden of the Handmaidens) is a good example of the Hindu art of landscape gardening on a princely scale. Ornamental pools with finely sculptured cenotaphs of soft black stone are surrounded by a profusion of fountains. The afternoon is at leisure. The shops and craftsmen’s ateliers in the narrow streets of the bazaar justify endless walks. In the evening take a boat ride on Lake Pichola. The steel blue waters of the lake, artificially created in the 14th century, reflect the white phantom Jag Nivas Palace, now the Lake Palace hotel which was built in 1746 as the summer residence of the rulers, and Jag Mandir said to be built by Maharana Karan Singh for his friend Prince Khurram, who was later to become emperor Shah Jehan. Huge seamless stone slabs of translucent thinness where used. The rooms were embellished with inlaid stones — onyx, jade, carnelian, jasper and agate.

There was a big wedding going on so we had to change our tour of the City Palace and did the lake trip early. Interestingly,  Lake Pichola was the setting for 007 Octopussy with Roger Moore and equally interesting is that the The Most Exotic Marigold Hotel also did a fair bit of recording here.

En route, we visit the famous Jain temples of Ranakpur which lie buried in a shady glen and cover a vast area. The central temple is called Chaumukha (four-faced) and is the most complex and extensive of Jain temples in India, covering an area of over 40,000 sq. feet (3600 sq metres). Its 29 halls are supported by 1,444 pillars, none of which are alike. Subsidiary shrines in the shape of side alters throng around in all directions, including a temple dedicated to the Sun God which displays erotic carvings.

We stop at a small village, first we look at the simple means of irrigation which is a water bucket wheel. Interesting and with a little effort from Steve and Subask were able to get the water flowing pretty good.

Just in time for school! We had the opportunity to be there for the mourning prayer. As always when we see this it is a wonderful experience.

The Jain temple was a great interesting and we took a lot of photos but in the end the temple experience seems to run into each other yet I would not have wanted to miss it.

Finally we arrive in Udaipur and we will be here two nights…laundry time for us!

After breakfast, we will visit the Bishnoi village by jeep. The Bishnois are a fascinating community which follows the 29 (bish-noi) tenets laid down by the 15th century Guru Jambeshwar. They fervently believe in the sanctity of animal and plant life so all animals live near their villages without fear. When a Bishnoi dies, he is sometimes buried in the sitting position and often placed at the threshold of the house or adjoining cattleshed. A Bishnoi believes he will later be reincarnated as a deer, hence the herds of blackbuck often seen near their villages.

The nature excursion was interesting, catching a glimpse of two Blackbucks fighting and some of the local birds. More interesting was the people and the simplicity of their lifestyle. The women were busy making bread and cooking on the cow dung fueled stove. That takes a little getting use to but when you are here it is important to respect and admire how they live and enjoy their simple life as farmers. Water and electricity are still unavailable to most of the rural areas but the government is working hard at making this happen. The water is capture and put into a cistern plus of course they use wells. They enjoyed our visit, especially the kids when Norm was showing off his grandchildren. Having said all of that we looked for and found their little solar charging station for their cell phones.

From here we went to another village a watch a potter making different pots etc. but I think the main event was the visit to a local making opium. Did we try some you might ask? Well you decide, do you think we did? After that he have us a demonstration on tying a turban, which is very interesting…get this 27 meters of cloth! Of course he picked one of us to model the finished product, yes indeed it was me, but of course of us fine men got our own for pictures, LOL.

Finally a mountain resort to finish off our day,  we had a ” little” sing song around a fire plus some dancing! Great way to finish a fabulous day!