Pretty self explanatory photo, which I took upon arrival in Delhi. I'll add this new airport is very nice.
After a restful night's sleep, the majority of the group arrived the next day. Here we are goofing around at the house before heading out for some lunch: Nick, Me, Jonathan and Nehul.
Some of the lunch we ate that first full day, including a dosa (southern Indian crepe) in the center and some kulcha (northern Indian naan-like bread) to the right. Delicious.
A bunch of the lunch crew at a Haldiram's restaurant in Delhi. We're pretty hungry at this point and ready to chow down.
After lunch, we went out to shop for some traditional Indian clothing that us "foreigners" could wear to one of the wedding days. Here Priyanshu and I show off some of the colorful fabric that we looked at as the ladies browse for a stylish sari.
So much color, patterns and embroidery to choose from.
Maegan checks the group's opinion on this sari (which she eventually chose).
After spending a significant amount of time supporting the women during their browsing, the guys decided to quickly take care of our own clothes. Here Nick is sporting a stylish Kurta pajama and stole (Nick eventually did not choose this particular style).
Me in my Kurta pajama sans stole (I did end up choosing this dashing style).
Ankit and Priyanshu showing off some of the more formal male offerings. They both already had chosen clothing for the wedding so this was just to try on some other styles for fun.
By the time we left that store, the sun had set and we were off to another shopping district to sort out some custom tailoring for the women.
And we were getting just a little bit peckish so we grabbed a bit of street food as well. These, from what I can remember, are little fried balls of dough made of corn flour. Yum.
The next day, Myself, Jonathan, Kristyn and Robert set off to do a bit of sightseeing. That also included our first of many auto rickshaw rides.
Quite a harrowing experience weaving through the predictably unpredictable Indian road traffic. I will say, though, that it is something you get used to.
First stop on our whirlwind day in Delhi was a stop in Chandni Chowk, the famous street/market in Old Delhi.
"Tall" Robert, Jonathan and Kristyn in front of the impressive Red Fort (aka Lal Qila).
Looking at the walls which give the Red Fort its distinctive name/color.
A group of colorful school children taking a group photo sitting down in front of Diwan-i-Aam, the hall of public audiences.
Peeking into the Rang Mahal (Palace of Colors) where the emperor's principal wife would live. You can see a worker resting with his fit within the Nahr-i-Behisht ("Stream of Paradise") water channel that runs down all of the buildings in this row.
A close-up of the intricately carved marble along the outside edge of the raised area on which these buildings were built.
Looking within the Diwan-i-Khas or hall of private audience. In the center of this building, used to sit the famous Peacock Throne.
Some of the inlay work on the pillaring of the building.
A kit (yes that's the proper collective term...I looked it up) of pigeons soaring over the Dimam-i-Khas.
A group photo of "Team Pre-wedding" as we infrequently referred to ourselves. That was our nickname for our group because the four of us we traveling on the same schedule and had planned to sightsee together prior to the wedding festivities.
We ate lunch in Connaught Place and had an unpleasant experience where a "official" tourist office tried to convince us to change all our pre-arranged plans for train/plane/hotel travel. It was a waste of a couple hours and I caution those of you who visit India to beware of these tricksters wherever you go (though especially near "CP"). Anyways, after that ordeal, we walked over to see the majestic India Gate (to the right) and the accompanying canopy (to the left). We caught it just as the sun was setting and it gave us some really interesting lighting for our photos.
"Team Pre-W" (as I'll call our group shots from now on) with India Gate in the background.
India Gate is a memorial to Indian soldiers who lost their lives defending the empire. It (like the Arc de Triomphe which it was inspired by) is also the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
On our way back to our hotel, we caught the Delhi Metro and stopped off at Khan Market (a nice shopping district in the more affluent South Delhi neighborhood) for some dinner. Here's a picture of the artwork in the Khan Market Metro Station.
The next day, we hopped on a train which took us to Agra in order to see the amazing Taj Mahal. Unsurprisingly, someone at the train station tried to con us and the train arrived late at Agra station. Regardless, in this instance, the destination made the journey worth it.
Team Pre-W and the Taj Mahal in the background (viewed from the famous southern side).
The level of detail in the marble inlay was quite remarkable.
I was most impressed by the black marble inlay of passages from the Quran along parts of the exterior. I must say that out of everything (non-wedding related) I saw on this trip, the Taj Mahal would've been the thing I attached the highest expectations to and seeing it in person, up close exceeded those expectations particularly in terms of beauty and level of detail.
Plant carving along the exterior of the Taj.
Looking northeast along the Yamuna River, with a towering minaret on one side, you can (maybe) make out the silhouette of Agra Fort in the distance.
Additional inlay patterns seen along the exterior of the Taj. So many little details that all those shots of the Taj Mahal from a distance don't do proper justice to it.
Another Team Pre-W shot with the Taj Mahal behind us. This time, a view of the western side.
Another view of the beautiful Taj Mahal (again from the south) flanked by two plumeria trees. Well, I think they were plumeria trees.
After seeing the amazing Taj Mahal, we hopped on to rickshaws and headed across the Yamuna River...
Here's a view of the bridge crossing where you can see, to the right of center, I'timad-ud-Daulah's Tomb aka the "Baby Taj".
That's precisely where we were headed to see this smaller, but similar tomb which predated the Taj Mahal and provided a transition point from the earlier architectural style of the Red Fort structures towards the later domed style of the Taj. This building is also known as "the Jewel Box" for reasons you'll see in a moment.
The intricately carved marble screen windows as seen from the outside (L) and the inside (R).
A shot of the yellow marble tombs in the central chamber.
Looking more closely at the carved marble flooring at the corner of one of the yellow tombs.
A pic of the ceiling of the central tomb chamber and an indication as to why this tomb is known as "the Jewel Box" due to the highly colorful semi-precious stone inlay. It was quite dark inside so this photo, optimized for the lower light, is able to more fully show the spectacular ceiling decoration.
After a long day of tourist activities, which began when we left our hotel at 5:00 am, we hopped on the last travel leg of the day: a bus ride (no less than 6 hours long) from Agra to Jaipur. I'll note that there are some truly amazing things to see in Agra (e.g. the things we saw such as the Taj Mahal and I'timad-ud-Daulah's tomb, in addition to things we didn't see like Sikandra, Fatehpur Sikri, etc.) but the city itself is fairly unremarkable and teeming with the negative things that tourist centers tend to attract. I personally was glad to be moving on to Jaipur where we would be spending the next two days.
Nothing like a good night's sleep after a long travel day. Well, then there's the bonus of waking up to this view from the rooftop. On the hill overlooking Jaipur, you can see Nahargarh Fort, one of the three forts which used to protect the city from invaders.
A plumeria flower from the tree planted atop the roof of the hotel.
Our humble hotel - Jas vilas - in Jaipur. Great accommodation and even friendlier staff.
A shot of our first stop of the day: Amber Fort.
A photo of a goat munching on some tree leaves in the garden below Amber Fort and beside Maota Lake.
We took the touristy route up the hill to get to the fort...
The aforementioned route...
Robert and I atop our ride.
Yeah, we rode elephants like the colorfully painted one you see here. As I said before, quite touristy but very fun.
After walking through the main gate (Suraj Pol aka the Sun gate) and up past the main courtyard, you reach Amber Fort's Diwan-i-Aam (if you remember the earlier translation from the Red Fort, this is the hall of public audiences).
Beside the Diwan-i-Aam stands the Sattais Katcheri (meaning 27 court in reference to the 27 superintendents that supervised governance of the kingdom).
Ganesh Pol or Ganesh Gate (in reference to Ganesha, the elephant-headed God seen prominently in the central arch). This is the fanciest gate in the fort and leads into the royal apartments.
A group of schoolgirls felt compelled to take photos with Kristyn who got a taste of the "rockstar lifestyle" here in India.
The courtyard at the center of the royal apartments known as Aram Bagh.
A view outside of the fort, back down the hill where you can see Maota Lake and the private garden (where I believe saffron was once grown for the Maharaja).
Maintenance work, probably just cleaning the mirrors, of Sheesh Mahal (the Mirror Palace) which served as the Diwan-i-Khas or hall of private audiences within Amber Fort.
A peek within Sheesh Mahal to see where the king would meet his guests.
A photo of the last and oldest section of Amber Fort: the palace of Raja Man Singh I. At the center of the courtyard is the baradari (12 pillars) where queens would enjoy music and dance performances. The apartments surrounding the courtyard, called the zenana housed the women folk (all 12 of Man Singh's wives and concubines).
A view behind the Amber Fort at Jaigarh Fort above and part of the surrounding Amber Village below.
Next stop of the day: Jantar Mantar (a collection of architectural astronomical instruments) in the heart of the "Pink City" in central Jaipur. Here's the samrat yantra (giant sundial) at the center of the complex. It happens to be the world's largest sundial (at 27m tall) and can be used to calculate the local time in Jaipur with an accuracy of 2 seconds.
A smaller instrument pointing to my zodiac constellation: Gemini.
One hemispherical half of the Jai Prakash Yantra (Mirror of the Heavens). The other half has complementary surfaces such that the two instruments combine to cover the entire sky. It was used to mark date/time/zodiac symbol primarily for determining auspicious days for marriage. P.S. You can see the photographer of the photo (i.e. Me) towards the right with my arm at 90˚ (and throwing a shaka, though you can't really tell).
An astronomical instrument which I can neither remember nor identify. It might be a sundial, but I recall taking the picture because of its Stonehenge-like appearance.
The Jaipur Textile Emporium near Jantar Mantar and the City Palace. A nice quaint shot of Jaipur in my opinion.
Street vendors selling vegetables. Such a vibrant, colorful country.
Me and Hawa Mahal (the Wind Palace). It represents an excellent example of why Jaipur has been given the name "the Pink City", due to the red/pink sandstone construction of many of the buildings within the city walls. The intricate latticework of the windows allowed women within the palace to observe people on the outside without being seen themselves (a religious practice).
A view from the other side of the Hawa Mahal.
Jonathan, Kristyn, Robert and I practicing our dance moves inside the Hawa Mahal.
A beautiful view of Jaipur with Ishwar Lat (Heaven piercing minaret - used as a watchtower) seen on the left, Jantar Mantar at the center, the City Palace to the right and Nahargarh Fort in the hills to the right.
A closer shot of Ishwar Lat, which was the tallest structure within the walled "Pink City".
Street vendors selling an assortment of colorful flowers.
A snack to feed the hungry travelers: vegetable pakoras (delicious) from the Indian Coffee House (a cheap drink/breakfast/snack chain throughout India).
We walked around a bunch more and did some shopping (including purchasing some traditional footwear to go with our traditional clothing). Afterwards, we walked down the road to find a place for dinner and agreed on dining in a restaurant called the "Copper Chimney" (it was mentioned in 2 out of our 3 guidebooks). We noticed, funnily enough that the majority of the patrons were foreigners (hat tip to the guidebooks?) but we didn't mind too much as the staff was quite friendly and the food ended up being good. Top and bottom dishes are aloo pyaz (potato and onion curry) that Jonathan and I chose. Kristyn's dish, on the left, was a regional (Rajasthani) specialty called gatta curry which had gramflour dumplings. And Robert's dish on the right was a malai kofta (like veggie meatballs).
The next day, we did a bit more shopping by heading over to a UN sponsored (i.e. fair trade) shoe store called Mojari. Jonathan and Kristyn looked at a lot of shoes before deciding on some to buy as souvenirs for family.
We then walked over to Central Park to enjoy the good weather. Inside the park, we saw this sculpture entitled "In The Path Of The Sun And The Moon: Universal Being". It was designed by a French artist and created with the support of local Jaipur sculptors using local materials. There are 13 rocks arranged in a pattern similar to the constellation of Capricorn.
One of the stated goals of the sculpture was to incite a feeling of being questioned (and also being protected). We decided to give our best Team Pre-W effort at a "questioned" look.
After lunch, we walked across the street to a very well known and well regarded establishment known as Lassiwala for some freshly prepared and very tasty lassi (sweet yoghurt drink). With the warm sun shining, it sure hit the spot!
Finally, we journeyed to the Jaipur Airport International Terminal (with an accidental detour to the old "domestic" terminal where we were told we were at the wrong location) and awaited our plane from Jaipur back to Delhi (which was late of course). Here's a bit of the artwork on display at the beautiful, modern Jaipur International Airport Terminal.
So that takes us through the second phase of the journey. Next up, we're headed back to Delhi for the wedding of the year! Until next time...
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4 comments:
Jaipur looks awesome. Wikipedia tells me it's one of the best planned cities in India. The air looks cleaner and the attractions more pleasant than Delhi. If Delhi is anything like Bangkok I'll be sure to forgo that city.
The grey formal jacket that Ankit tried on is pretty slick. Was your attire bespoke/custom or just ready-to-wear? How much for an outfit?
There is cool stuff to see in Delhi. It isn't all bad. I'd say Agra was my least favorite city (though it had probably my most favorite attraction in the Taj). Jaipur definitely was a lot of fun though and I felt a lot better there than anywhere else.
The traditional clothing was custom tailored from ready made sizes. We went on the lower end of the spectrum on cost and it was just under $100. There were so many options and it would've been so easy to drive up the total cost!
my favourite parts: the saris + whatever the male indian clothing is called, the curries and pakoras, and RIDING AN ELEPHANT. especially that last one - so amazing! how do you get up to the elephant's back? how much did it cost to rid an elephant? do elephants wander around jaipur like giant pigeons?
do you still have your indian outfit? from your comments here, it sounds like you bought it right? not renting.
taj mahal looked very pretty. do you get to walk around the inside? i'm slightly confused though, so i require some education. i thought most of india was hindhu/bhuddist, but it looks like all of agra is muslim? thought that's why the brits created pakistan. just wondering.
~priscilla
I have been to India too and your pictures brought back beautiful memories.God bless you.
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