|
India is a beautiful country, or sub-continent divided into many states,, quite different than any other place that we have visited. We began our travels in the state of Rajasthan where we were greeted by traditional women in colorful saris, sacred cows, hindi writing and our good friend Paul Mongomery and his traveling buddy, Mike Squires. We had a fabulous time with Paul and Mike as we visited the sacred lakes of Pushkar and trekked through the Thar desert on our own camels. Shortly after leaving Paul and Mike, we visited the State of Uttar Pradesh, home of the infamous Taj Mahal and the Ganges River, the sacred river of Hinduism. In between, we crossed back over into Rajasthan to see the beautiful birds in Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Choose any of the destinations below to read about our adventures. DELHI - March 4, 2000 (just a quick stopover. No journal entry) THE STATE OF
RAJASTHAN: THE
STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH: THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN:
THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH:
Monday, March 6, 2000 Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and is known as the "Pink City" for its pink buildings and palace in the Old City part of town. We arrived into Jaipur as it was getting dark. We were going to meet our friend, Paul Montgomery, who we met back in Costa Rica. He reserved us a room at the "Diggi Palace", so we took a motor rikshaw to the Diggi. Paul happened to be sitting in the large reception area, and we were very happy to see him there waiting for us with open arms. We just met Paul in December, but we consider him a very good friend as we traveled with him for a week and experienced many wonderful things together, like sending baby turtles into the sea. Paul is a very entertaining chap, so we know that our week together in India will be a great time. Paul has been traveling through India with his friend Mike. Although Paul has had good things to say about Mike, we did not know what to expect. However, after only one day, I believe that Mike is a great guy. Like Paul, he makes me laugh constantly. Today has been a full one. Rich and I began our day with a walk through the Old City. We were met with an instant attack to all five of our senses. There were bright colors for the eyes from the colorful clothing to the colorful fruits and flowers in the markets, smells of curry and other spices emanating from street side food stands, sounds of motorbike engines and horns and mooing cows sitting in the street medians among other cultural delights. We could have spent days just taking in the Old City, but we had promised to meet Mike and Paul back at the Diggi Palace at 1:00 pm to spend the afternoon exploring the forts outside of the city . Our history lesson began at the Amber Fort (built around 1592) and ended at the Nahargarh Fort (also known as the Tiger Fort and built around 1734). Our rickshaw driver dropped us of at the base of the large hill on which the Tiger Fort sits. It was a long haul up to the top. However the breathtaking views and ice cold beers were well worth the effort. Rich, Paul, Mike and I had a great time hanging out at the fort until well after dark. We had a difficult time finding our way down in the dark, but we eventually made it. Down in the city we stopped at a traditional Indian wedding and at a road side stand where men were enjoying betel nut, a red tobacco-like substance wrapped up in a banana leaf which is supposed to be chewed and spit out onto the street. Betel is supposed to give you a little bit of a buzz (it is legal) and can be addicting. Chewing it is a a very popular pastime and the red spit can be seen all over the streets and sidewalks. Paul and Rich tried the betel. Rich looked really funny as he chewed on the large chunk, but I was proud of him for giving it a try. After all, when in India.... By the way, did I mention that Mike got kicked in the leg by a giant elephant? He did.
PUSHKAR: A BEWITCHING LITTLE TOWN Wednesday, March 8, 2000 Yesterday, Mike and Paul took their first bus ride through the countryside of India. Although they survived, I do not think they will do it again. Mike expressed his feelings about the drive very well when he said while on the bus, "Kelly, when you are done with that plastic bag, please give it to me so that I can put it over my head". After a rather scary drive up and down mountains and along narrow passes, we arrived to Pushkar. Although the Lonely Planet described Pushkar as a bewitching little town, our first impressions were that it was a dumpy and dirty little town. We were proven to be very wrong. Mike and I were appointed to be Co-Directors of Accommodations. We spent over an hour looking at dumps, until we found the beautiful Pushkar Palace which sat right along the sacred lake and overlooked white stucco buildings and ghats (stairs which sit along the lake and serve as a place for pilgrims to sit and bath in the holy water). Our room reminded me of my Grandma Brown's house. It was very classic with unique crown moldings and antique furniture and had that distinctive smell of mothballs. I was very happy with our palace. We spent the evening in the courtyard of the palace which overlooked the lake and ghats, watching the sun set. Pushkar is a bewitching little town indeed. Today, we walked through the busy streets of Pushkar and shopped until we dropped. We found great little Indian gems. Of course, Rich and I were cheap and only purchased a few beautiful, colorful boxes and some bangles. However, Mike came strutting down the street at the end of the day with a big bundle of souvenirs, including a large picture frame. Our only mandatory task of the day was to find a car for hire to Bikaner, our next destination. Mike and Paul were not up for another bus ride, and we were happy for the break as well. We almost arranged a ride with a man on the streets. However, when he arrived with his old looking jeep with bologna skin tires, we declined on his offer. He became very angry and called Paul a "bastard". The man is crazy. We hope that we do not run into him again. We decided to rent a car and driver from our hotel, even though it was a little bit more expensive. We ended the day with a beautiful trek up a nearby mountain to see the sun set from a temple on top of the mountain. Again, the scenery was well worth the effort. Thursday, March 9, 2000 Our car has arrived. It is the dirty old jeep that we rejected from yesterday. We have demanded that the hotel travel manager get us another one. We will have to wait at least an hour. The crazy man gotten the last laugh.
BIKANER: RAT TEMPLE AND CAMEL TREK Monday, March 13, 2000 We waived goodbye to our good friends Paul and Mike this morning. We are very sad to see them go. We had a blast together. My stomach still hurts from laughing (or is it gas from all of the spicy food?). We arrived into Bikaner Thursday night after a long drive through the desert. We found a great hotel and had a delicious Indian dinner on the rooftop. The next day was spent arranging a camel trek and visiting the Karni Mata Temple, a/k/a the "Rat Temple", where hundreds of thousands of holy rats live a life of luxury. These worshiped rats are visited by hundreds every day. Some come to bring food and milk for the holy rats and to pray, while others like us come out of curiosity. One of the rules for the temple is that you must remove your shoes. You can imagine how we felt walking around the palace, trying to avoid stepping on rats and their droppings. We were not always successful, as there were a lot of both. Definitely a "rat"-ical experience. The camel trek was amazing. Never in my life did I ever think I would be riding through the desert on a camel. The four of us were escorted through the desert by 5 camels, 2 guides and 4 camel men (or more...they just kinda popped out from nowhere from time to time). We only spent one night out in the desert. It was, however magical. Our camp was located in the middle of beautiful sand dunes that were untouched until we went running through them. We watched the sun set over the desert. Our trek organizer, Vinod brought out his whole family and 20 of us (including the camel men and the camels) sat around the campfire. They sang Indian folk songs and danced around the fire. It was a genuine experience, as they were having a great time and, obviously not just trying to put on a show for us. After a full day and night, we slept under the stars. We woke up the next morning to see the sun rise up over the sand dunes. Rich had to ruin my breakfast experience. You see, as the camel crew began waking up, they took turns walking over the sand dunes with a bottle of water. I did not think anything of it. Then Rich said, "Kelly, we would be walking over those dunes with a roll of toilet paper". Of course, that is Indian culture and they find nothing wrong with it. Given that there were not proper washing facilities in the desert, I chose to skip breakfast. The camel experience was a wonderful and memorable one. If any of you out there have an interest in camel trekking in India, call Vinod. He is in the Lonely Planet India book. Thursday, March 16, 2000 Today was a nice day; however I did not feel too well. I think that the Indian food is starting to get the worst of me. I did manage to get up the strength to visit the Itimad-ud-dualah, a/k/a the baby Taj Mahal, a beautiful marble tomb which was built just before the Taj in 1628. We also visited the Agra Fort which was very large and beautiful. Friday, March 17, 2000 Happy St. Patricks Day. Nobody celebrates it in India, so I had to say it here in my Travelogue. We just came back from visiting the Taj Mahal. We woke up early so that we could watch it at sunrise. The benefit to this early morning visit is that you can watch this spectacular marble monument change color as the sun rises into the sky. Furthermore, the crowds are very small in the wee hours of the morning, so we were able to enjoy it in a peaceful atmosphere. The Taj Mahal is actually a mausoleum which was completed in 1653 and constructed by the heartbroken Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife who died during child birth. He wanted to build a second Taj, but in black, as a mausoleum for himself. However, his son believed that his father was being to extravagant, and so he threw his father into the Fort Amber which provided the Shah with a perfect view of his wife's glorious tomb. Can you believe that his own son would do that? What a jerk! Anyways, the Taj lived up to every expectation that we had. Seeing it is definitely a big highlight of our journey. BHARATPUR: AMAZING BIRD SANCTUARY March 17, 2000 Today must go down as one of the best and fulfilling days of our trip. After spending the morning at the Taj, we came back to our room and after a quick journal entry and some lightening quick packing, we jumped on a local bus to Bharatpur. Located in Rhajasthan, but still very close to Agra, this small town is home to Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a sanctuary for over 415 species of birds and also for many mammles, such as panthers. We rented some bicycles and rode through the park with a guide from the National Park by the name of Raj Veer Singh. There were birds everywhere, both large and small, colorful and bland, rare and plentiful. Our two favorites were the white breasted kingfisher and the mallard duck. We also saw gray, purple and night herons, indian and purple moorhens, a small spotted owlette, two very rare lucky horn owls, many types of eagles, many types of storks, and countless other types of birds. Rich, the newly self proclaimed birder, was in paradise. We also saw a python and many deer running through the marsh. The sun set was beautiful as it came down over the marsh. After a great afternoon at the park, we came to our gem of a hotel, the Birders' Inn, and ate a large and delicious St. Patrick's Day dinner. To think that we started today with the Taj Mahal, ended it with a great dinner at a wonderful hotel and in between visited a world famous bird sanctuary makes me realize how lucky we are. Back home, my family is mourning the loss of my Uncle, Gordy Goodrich. He was a wonderful, fun loving and caring person. I know that the family is heartbroken over the loss of such a great man, especially his wife, my Aunt Pam. I am shocked and sad that I cannot be there with the family. However, I am thinking about Gordy and all of the wonderful memories of him that I feel fortunate to have and will always cherish.
VARANASI: THE SACRED GANGES RIVER AND GHATS March 20, 2000 Varanasi is an amazing place. Yesterday, we took a boat on the Ganges River and watched Hindu people bathe in the holy, yet kinda dirty, water. We also saw a cremation Ghat and a hospice, where the sick go before they pass on and are cremated.
|
|
2 Go Maps / 2 Go Actual Itinerary / 2 Go Photos / 2 Go Home Page
PLEASE E-MAIL US. . . WE WOULD LOVE 2 HEAR FROM YOU!
©1999-2001 Kelly and Rich Willis. All rights reserved. |
