Thursday February 1 / Rickshaw ride, Jama Masid Mosque
We started the day with an orientation reception to meet our fellow travelers. There were roughly 30 of us. An interesting change of pace from our usual private tours. Sharing guides with others took getting use to. But having companions to share touring and especially spare time with was great. Especially this group. Everyone was interesting and stimulating conversationalists.
Following the reception was our first lecture by Professor Tim Duane titled "Water, Climate Change and the Monsoon". Much of what you might expect but regarding India the key point is that they depend on the Monsoon, especially from an agricultural perspective, BUT the Monsoon is no longer dependable.
Then we were off to lunch at Machan Restaurant. One of many decent buffets. Indian food does lend itself to buffets but we still prefer a la carte.
Next up, a tour of the Old City. Along the way we passed the India Gate, a war memorial and the Red Fort. The Red Fort, made of red sandstone was built for Shah Jahān, a noted patron of Islamic architecture whose most famous work is the Taj Mahal. It was originally red and white, Shah Jahān's favorite colors. Large parts of Red Fort are used by the Indian Army today.
Note: Our cute facecloth friends greeted us daily on the return to our room.
We took pedal rickshaws for a tour of the old city. Aside from the excitement of being peddled though busy streets, passing through the wedding shop district, with shops loaded with colorful dresses and wedding accessories, was impressive.
Our rickshaw tour took us to the Jama Masid mosque, India's largest mosque. Built in 1650-1656 for Shah Jahān, its open courtyard can accommodate 25,000 worshippers.
It is apparently one of the most sacred mosques in India. For other mosques we needed to take off our shoes or wear "temple socks" to cover them. We are familiar with taking off hats and covering shoulders & knees in churches in Europe but for the Jama Masid, in addition to all that, ladies all needed to wear a cover-up. Lord forbid, no make that Allah forbids, that someone notice that ladies have legs!
Friday February 2 / Qutb Minar Mosque, Gandhi Smriti, Humayan's Tomb
Up and out early on a foggy morning for a tour of the Qutb Minar Mosque complex with its tall elaborately carved minaret. It was difficult to capture the minaret in the fog. The foundation of the minaret was laid in 1192 by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, the first Sultan and first Muslim ruler of Delhi, for use of the Muezzin to call the faithful to prayer. It was completed in its current form in 1368. Qutb Minar is the tallest masonry tower in India, measuring nearly 240' high.Then on to Gandhi Smriti where Gandhi was assassinated. It is now a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Displays represent his life in different media including words, photos, graphics, and dioramas. We learned that Gandhi effectively used the ideas of peaceful, passive resistance while spearheading statewide campaigns to eradicate poverty, promote women's rights, establish religious and ethnic unity, and abolish the evils of the caste system and contributed a significant part in liberating India from foreign dominance.
A path of footsteps commemorate the last steps Ghandi ever took.
As a sidebar we had numerous animal sightings. The presence of cattle wandering the streets, monkey hanging out observing life, and impressive birds are everyday occurrences. Below: A macaque, Rose-ringed parakeet, and a Black Kite spotted in Delhi. A steer pulling a wagon on the way to Agra. Chipmunks in Agra Fort. Cattle relaxing in a median strip on the way to Sawar Madhopur (Ranthambore NP).
And more cattle throughout our tour. Top left clockwise Barangar, Kalna, Sawar Madhopur, on the road to Jaipur, Matiari, and Sawar Madhopur.
We had to pass by Rashtrapati Bhavan Government Offices and President's official home. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Modi was on the move and traffic was blocked off on every route he might possibly take. It was a slow drive.
We had to pass by Rashtrapati Bhavan Government Offices and President's official home. Unfortunately, Prime Minister Modi was on the move and traffic was blocked off on every route he might possibly take. It was a slow drive.
For background: the president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Only the president can declare war or conclude peace, on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers headed by the prime minister. The prime minister heads the government and controls the selection of members of the Union Council of Ministers, as well as allocation of posts to members within the government.
Humayan was the second Mughal ruler of India. He ruled from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to 1556. Humayan's Tomb represents the earliest existing example of the Mughal scheme of the Garden Tomb, with causeways and channels. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal. In todays vernacular, it is the center of a large urban park.
For dinner we returned to the Captain's Cellar (We learned it was a new concept for the hotel and only recently opened. Good timing on our part.) We chose a Chablis based on our friend's recommendation. It went well with Salmon Rösti (Flaked salmon, crisp potato, sour cream) and Patatas Bravas with pimento cream.
Saturday February 3 / To Agra, Sunset at Taj Mahal
Photos taken on the way to Agra (CW): Sunrise in Delhi. Stacks of bricks drying. An impressively large Buddha. The decorated wall of the highway in Delhi...one of many freshly decorated to impress visitors to the G20 meeting. Carriages prepared for rental to wedding parties.
The Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel is located near and has views of the Taj. Hotel is only a short golf card ride away from the Taj.
The Taj was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahān in 1631 in memory of his third and most favorite wife, in fact a soul-mate, Mumtaz Mahal who was a Muslim Persian princess. She died while accompanying her husband in a campaign to crush a rebellion after giving birth to their 13th!!! child.
We had a "sunset" visit to the Taj Mahal. It actually closes at sunset so we left shortly before. But it was pretty hazy and there wasn't much of a sunset anyway.
The first view of the Taj as you walk through the gate is quite magical. Everything is symmetric. To the left is a red mosque. To the right is a matching red structure, but it is only a copy of the real mosque.
We returned for the sunrise visit. It opens at sunrise. There were fewer visitors and it was easier to get shots without people in them (except that one couple below.) There were also many "guides" willing to show you the best shots with with reflections and such (for a small fee).
Sunday February 4 / Agra Fort, Shish-Mahal
Agra Fort served as the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638, when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi. The 94 acre fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.A love story that led to the creation of the Shish Mahal aka Palace of Mirrors. According to folklore, Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahān's adored wife, wished to float in the stars as she had seen in her dreams. To make her desire come true, Shah Jahān had the Palace of Mirrors built for her in Lahore. The pavilion is in the form of a semi-octagon, and consists of apartments with gilded cupolas and intricately decorated wit stone marquetry (pietra dura) and convex glass with a mirror mosaic (ayina kari) with thousands of small mirrors. The decorative features also include stucco tracery (munabat kari) and carved marble screens with geometrical and tendril designs.
Lunch was another buffet, this time at Riao Restaurant (actually served at our tables). It came with entertainment, two dancers that after their performance encouraged the group to join them. That is our tour leader Morgan joining the ladies.Shish-Mahal
The tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah is a Mughal mausoleum in Agra. Often described as a "jewel box", and sometimes called the "Bachcha Taj" or the "Baby Taj". It is often regarded as a draft of the Taj Mahal.
We also stopped at Akbar International, a marble-inlay workshop. The Artisans demonstrate their art as honed nearly 4C ago on the Taj Mahal. There are many objects, including a model of the Taj, available to admire or purchase.
For a change we ordered Italian for dinner (Sun-dried tomato pesto risotto, Spinach and lamb ragout pappardelle) with a nice Indian wine (The Source Cabernet Sauvignon) from Sula. All quite yummy.
Monday February 5 / Fateh Sikri, Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge
Enroute to Ranthambore National Park we stopped at Fateh Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri was founded to commemorate a battle victory in 1527. Babur established a garden and a water palace. His grandson Akbar moved the court from Agra to Siri to be near the Sufi Saint Chisti who lived in a nearby cavern. Sikri was the first planned city of the mughals with planned open spaces and an efficient system of drainage and water-supply. Akbar moved to the Punjab in 1585, owing to political reasons, and Sikri was practically deserted by the Mughals.Along the way we also passed colorful trucks and lots of tractors which seem to be used on the road more than in fields.
We were staying at Taj Sawai Madhopur Lodge a former British compound near Ranthambore NP, a tiger preserve. The locks on the hotel doors were rather novel. The owl was on our neighbors' door. Ours was a camel. We assumed there would be other animals, but in fact all the others were camels. Moral of story: Don't draw conclusions on a sample of 2.
Some other observations around the locality: Music at the traffic circle. When the bus gets full just get on the roof. Milk delivery by motor bike.
Tuesday February 6 / Ranthambore NP
Ranthambore National Park is one of the biggest and most renowned national parks in Northern India. The park is located in southeastern Rajasthan. Once considered as one of the famous and former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, today the Ranthambore National Park is a major wildlife tourist attraction.We had three tours of the National Park scheduled, two mornings (cold) and one afternoon (pleasant). We saw a variety of animals, deer, birds, monkeys, a crocodile but no tigers. The ride through the park was very bumpy and everyones' pedometer apps said we all totally blew away our goals just sitting. For instance: Activity 1035 (goal 510), Exercise 168 (goal 30). Estimated steps 22866, distance 16.95 km, flights of stairs129). Pretty good for sitting in a bus / tour vehicle.
We took a pass on the morning tour (It was still cold, still a rough ride, still no tigers and less wildlife than day before). But we got to sleep in! And enjoyed some cute waffles for breakfast.
India has a population of close to 3000 Royal Bengal Tigers which is approximately 75% of the world's tiger population. Royal Bengal tigers are among the largest of all tiger subspecies. They can measure up to 10' in length and weigh up to 500 pounds or more for males. And this is what we dreamed of seeing:
We soon headed off to Jaipur. We passed the usual colorful trucks, cattle in and along the road, and an appealing market stand along the way.
The OIberoi Raj Villas rates as The Hotel of the trip. The rooms are spacious room and comfy. We had two patios, one equipped with a large sunbed. We had two peahens as visitors. There were two fine restaurants and spectacular enormous grounds overseen by a flock of peahens and peacocks. We chose to eat at Surya Mahal Restaurant. The Grover Cab Shiraz worked well with the gnocchi and pasta. The Raj Mahal is known for it's fine Rajastani food, but we gave it a pass.
Amer / Amber Fort with 12km of walls around the palace and along the hillsides. It is constructed of red sandstone and marble and it overlooks Maota Lake, which is the main source of water for the Amer Palace.
The opulent palace is laid out on four levels, each with a courtyard. It consists of the "Hall of Public Audience", the "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal / "Hall of Mirrors" (see below) and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace.
Partially under water, Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace") is in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, The history of Jal Mahal is unknown (by whom or when it was constructed). However, it is widely accepted that Jal Mahal was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as a hunting lodge for his duck shooting excursions.
Another photo stop was at the Palace of the Winds, aka The Hawa Mahal. Completed in 1799 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's one of India's most recognizable buildings. Inside are large chambers with different colored marbles, inlaid panels and gildings. Entry is through a large imperial door that leads to a fountain-laden courtyard, enclosed by double-storied buildings. And each floor has a temple. We saw only the outside.
Another photo stop was at the Palace of the Winds, aka The Hawa Mahal. Completed in 1799 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's one of India's most recognizable buildings. Inside are large chambers with different colored marbles, inlaid panels and gildings. Entry is through a large imperial door that leads to a fountain-laden courtyard, enclosed by double-storied buildings. And each floor has a temple. We saw only the outside.
The City Palace Complex was conceived and built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. A beautiful fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture, the palace is still home to the last ruling royal family which lives in a private section of the palace.
"Jantar Mantar" means "instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens". The Jantar Mantar Observatory is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments. It features the world's largest stone sundial and is one of the world's most accurate pre-modern observatories. It was built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur. It reflects eighteenth-century efforts to improve understanding of planetary and other cosmic movements.The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.
The group then went shopping. Pat and Bill to Gems Paradise. Bill needed to replace his wedding ring which was lost in Thailand. He found an elegant replacement ring (gold with a small square diamond) for Bill. Pat found some gorgeous sapphire earrings.
Later, the Indian Ocean sea bass and Souk-style baked aubergine went very well with the sparkling wine at Surya Mahal Restaurant (at the hotel).
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