India Tour 2017

It was tough saying goodbye to Giridhar, our companion and driver. A lovely warm human being, with whom we were comfortable and safe. Incredible India, exceeded our expectations.

It was a long day, but worth it. On reflection, we probably needed 2 days to cover today’s agenda half the time today was taken up by going from Point A to B. Woke up to a typical (so we have been told) Delhi morning with the air not conducive to taking good photos but that didn’t’ stop us from trying; followed by a fabulous breakfast. One thing about Giridhar, our driver is that he is very punctual and today was no different as he picked us up at 9am. First on the agenda was to pick up our guide for the day and that’s all we will say about him and his tip at the end of the day reflected his performance. A quick whistle-stop tour of the Secretariat and other Government Buildings ensued followed by India Gate. A lot of people were relaxing in the lovely clean parks on either side of the wide road connecting these monuments. New Delhi has a lot of greenery. Next, off to the Red Fort, which didn’t do a lot for us. It’s more impressive to look at from the outside; as there is not a l...

Not in any rush today so took it easy with breakfast; called both kids for a chat before taking cab to the airport for a 1.00pm flight to Delhi. Waiting for us on arrival at Delhi was our trusted driver, Giridhar. It would have taken him a couple of days driving from Udaipur to Delhi. God bless him, he has taken such good care of us, we were all a tad emotional farewelling him in Udaipur. Anyway, it was good to see him again. After a couple of hours rest in our very corporatised Pullman hotel, we were off again to enjoy an  Indian Musical, ZANGOORA, The Gypsy Prince. And ENJOY, we did. Didn’t understand all of the dialogue however it was a lavish Bollywood style production full of energy, colour, costumes and stage props that took our breath away. The actors were beautiful and as good if not better than what one would see in a Bollywood movie and I have seen a few (with English sub titles so I could understand the plot). Loved it.  The theatre complex, Kingdom of Dreams is...

Udaipur - city of lakes, known as the Venice of the east. A small town of approximately 500k people in a mountainous region with seven man-made lakes. Met our guide for the day; first stop was to the east bank of Lake Pichola to visit the Maharana’s Palace. (the complex is a massive series of palaces built at different times from 1559) We actually saw the Maharana who was driving out as we were driving in through the gates. The guards on the gates stood to attention with a salute; there I was thinking that it was for our benefit but alas not. The Palace uses the same model as the one in Jodhpur, divided into 3 parts, museum, hotel and the residence of the current Maharana’s family. The location was stunning, overlooking the lake on one side and the city on the other. Located opposite in the lake was the Hotel Taj Lake Palace used in the James Bond movie Octopussy. It was one of the better museums visited, interesting, well preserved art effects with lovely gardens. Next up was a...

Tough leaving our hotel today (not used to such luxury). Took the highway out of town; the turn off to Ranakpur to visit the Jain Temple took us through interesting villages. They never cease to amaze us; village life here is so different from city life. Health and Safety is non existent judging by the crews doing hard Yakka on the road. The road was a shocker but the drive was worth it, to experience the beauty of the Jain Temple (definitely worth a read in Wikipedia). We don’t have the words to describe it but that temple was one of the highlights of our trip. it was beautiful. Taken several photos including one of a cow who came in to fill up at a petrol station) and am hoping that they do it justice.The rest of the journey to Udaipur was through mountainous countryside until we got back on the highway. We made our way to our hotel, which is centrally located in Udaipur, the city of lakes. Visited our first shopping mall in India which is interconnected to our hotel. L...

Another foggy start to the day with quite a chill in the air; shame really as it doesn’t make for good photography. Met our guide (can’t recall his name) for the day who gave us an overview on the city. It’s called the sun or blue city; major industries are textile, craftwork and tourism, (refer to Wikipedia for more info). He also informed us that India has the 2nd largest army in the world, boohoo. The 3 main touris attractions in Jodhpur were the Fort (every town has one, like we have pubs/churches and/or Masonic halls), the Crematorium (it’s beautiful) and the current Royal Palace. Proceeding through unusually quiet streets, came across a field where women were using the traditional method to dry large dyed textile sheets by spreading them on the ground with a stone at each end. Let me get to the fort; one has a choice, to climb to the top or take a lift; I’ll leave it to you to guess what we did. Another magnificent monument built on a hill by the then maharajah during the ...

Woke up to a clear sky for a change. Ursi wanted to take advantage of the clarity to take more photos of Lake Gadisar in Jaisalmer and remembering that a happy wife is a happy life, duly obliged a stopover. Followed by a visit to a silver maker to buy a couple of trinkets. After the couple of detours, we finally left Jaisalmer. As was the case on our way into the city the way out had a heavy military presence with lot of army trucks on the road; along with the odd herd of camels and goats. Approaching Jodhpur, sandstone quarries are seen on both sides of the road along with a small number of villages. Once inside the city limits, scores of children in their school uniforms (a legacy of the British influence during the days of the Raj) were seen making their way home judging by the time of the day and the smiles on their faces. This town has a major military base which is openly on display with patriotic slogans. We were blown away on arrival at our hotel, WelcomeHotel (tha...

This as far west as we go; another foggy start to the day; my cold slightly better. Met by Dhaniram, our local guide for the day. Short of cash, ATM was the first port of call. Took advantage (whilst Ursi was milking the ATM dry) of taking a few photos of locals getting ready for the start of day. Loaded with all that cash, our next port of call was to an entry free Man made Gadisar Lake. Said my prayer 🙏, donated some money and the Guru said a prayer and pasted the holy orange paste on my forehead. Happy days. Next up, to the Fort that towers over the town. The walls inside the Jain temples in the Fort are the best works of craftsmanship with intricate patterns and fine eye to detail seen to date. Apparently, it’s the only inhibited Fort in Rajasthan. Our guide tells us that 60% of Fort population are Brahmins with 40% military. Came across a very odd couple living there, running a B&B and a cafe. He a middle aged local and she a  Norwegian. Bless his heart, he brewed...

It actually rained last night which is very unusual at this time of year, here. Another foggy start to the day. Were held up for a few minutes on the outskirts of the city at a railway crossing followed by the usual mayhem once the gates blocking the road were lifted. My holiday wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t fall ill; this time with a cold; pretty sure, caused by aircon. As today was all about the drive, I slept most of the way. Ursula informs me that I didn’t miss anything as the landscape was very flat and sparse with a few camels and goats here and there as we passed through villages. I was awake approaching Jaiselmer and noticed that there was a heavy military presence with trucks full of soldiers and the odd fighter jet flying through by now a clear sky. The locals tell us this is due to the close proximity to the Pakistani border. Driving into town, one can’t help but notice the Fort on the hill towering over the town not unlike Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. ...

Another superb dinner at a local restaurant last night, a 5minute walk from our wonderful palace. Come to think of it, we almost always eat at local restaurants (rather than in our hotel) on the recommendation of our wonderful driver, Giridhar. Today, our guide Benti met us on the steps of the palace under a very heavy fog/smog covered sky as we made our way to our first stop, the Temple of the Rats; reincarnation of goddess Durga. There are hundreds if not thousands of them openly running around the temple; fed (as a gift to the goddess) by the people who come to pray. Not a site for the faint hearted, we were very conscious of where we stepped. Next on the agenda was a visit to the magnificent Junagarh Fort, built between 1589 and 1594. It today houses a museum, displaying the heritage of the rulers of Bikaner. It was also pleasing to see scores of visiting local school students, occasionally getting a tad out of line, much to the annoyance of the escorting teachers. ...

Not many opportunities to take photos because today it was all about driving until we got to our hotel, Laxmi Niwas Palace in Bikaner and a palace it is. The long drive gave us pause to reflect on the contrasting India, with its rich history, heritage and people with their religion, tradition, culture, colors and customs on the one hand and poverty and disregard for the environment on the other. Some of what we have seen is just like it is in the holiday brochures but the true India is somewhere in between that and the poverty on display. There is very little regard and care for the environment, with poor sanitization, squalor and cows, donkeys, pigs, monkeys and dogs rummaging through the rubbish on the streets. For a country so rich in history, culture, business, technology science and medicine, there is still a vast population that lives in poverty. We have been warmly welcomed and love it here for all the good and the bad it has to offer. It is not our intent to sit ...

Today was a chill day – limited ourselves to visiting a couple of attractions, a Hindu temple and the Albert Museum. I can’t say that I am a religious person but for some reason I find myself praying in temples here and get very teary, wishing my mum and dad were with me, especially my mum, as she was a very spiritual and godly person. It was no different in this temple; a side of me that I didn’t know exist. Next stop was a visit to the Albert Museum (refer to Wikipedia).  An interesting place with lots of relics from various parts of India and even Egypt, displayed in this architecturally magnificent building. I also observed that there is a different entry price for visitors compared to Indian nationals. This is a fair reflection of affordability. I think it’s a good thing that the locals are not priced out from enjoying their history and heritage. As is customary in most towns visited, the next two stops were to a jewellery shop and a clothing shop, showing the...

India is a country of contrast, more on that tomorrow and days to come. Today was a pretty full day; started with the best breakfast (quality food and spoilt for choice) and ended with a very welcomed trip back to our hotel. Starting at 9 am, we were met in the lobby by our guide for the day, Babu (it was his real name), a very well informed and knowledgeable elderly man; driven to various points of interest by our wonderful driver Giridhar. Both deserve a mention. Being Saturday, we thought the traffic would be less chaotic but sadly no. The traffic is relentless with usual chaos on the road but with Giridhar behind the wheel, we feel very safe. First on the agenda was a visit to the Amer Fort via the pink city (long story, decreed by a maharajah, read up on Wikipedia) that is now considered by the locals as old Jaipur. As the name suggests, most if not all, the buildings are pink in colour. Babu (he likes talking for sure) was in full flow by now sharing his knowledg...

First an update on Day 5 activities that occurred after posting yesterday’s blog. The hot water came on at 10pm for some guests including us whilst others didn’t come on at all. They were still working on it when we left for Jaipur today at 10am. Patience is a virtue in India. Not much to write about today about our journey, it was more of the same until we got to the highway nearer to Jaipur. Noticed that It had a wide enough shoulder for bike riders and there were a few. It’s been a while since I was on a bike. I do miss it. Entering Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan presented the usual challenges for our driver to manoeuvre through which he took in his usual stride. We arrived at our hotel 4 hours later in the central district providing a sanctuary that is always welcomed at the end of the day in India. Today was all about the drive from Ranthambore to Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan. Not many photo opportunities, except for the one of our dinner in Jaipur tonight. What a dinner too; fo...

It is 6.45pm, the hot water is off and we are pretty dusty from this arvo’s safari and what a safari it was. After driving couple of hours in the National Park in search of a Tiger, well there it was majestically sitting 7 meters in front of us. It was a pretty big unit and have it on good authority from our guide that it was a 250 kg male tiger. We were also lucky enough to get a few good photos ... We were also fortunate to have two lovely German couples in the Jeep with us sharing travel experiences. Talking of German, I also had good news from a mate in Sydney who got himself a puppy German Sheppard after the recent death of his beloved Rommel, another German Sheppard. The morning safari wasn’t as productive in search of a Tiger, however, we saw many other animals, Antelopes, Deer, Monkeys and a variety of Birdlife including Kingfishers and an Owl that also reside in the National Park. The landscape in the morning safari was more like the Savanna of Africa whilst ...