India Part 3

The dreaded bug caught up with me in Jhodpur.  Luckily it struck in the evening after all the sightseeing had been done.

I cancelled my visit to the Kumbalgarh Fort and we made it straight through to Deogarth. This stopover was just for one night to break the journey and I spent the whole day in bed. I felt a lot better the next morning and was eager to go to Raknapur, our next stop to see the temple.
First I thought – please not another temple – but this one was different. It is not a Hindu temple, but was built for the Jain religion.
There are 2 buildings on the site, a small one and the big main one.

This temple houses 1444 columns, all made of marble, all are beautifully carved, each one with a different pattern.

There are 4 entry gates, one on each side, but only one is open. To enter I had to put a pair of long trousers on, because my shorts did not cover the knee.
We were not allowed to photograph the images of their gods, but we could take picture of everything else.
I was most impressed by these magnificent buildings.
Lunch was on the way to Udaipur in the Maharani Bagh Resort and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was sitting in a little roofed Rotunda and a couple of Chipmunks thought that my lunch looked too good to be ignored. So we shared the pappadams and bread after which one of them decided it was all too much and had a little rest.

The remainder of the road to Udaipur was BAD. And I mean BAD. I have never in my life driven on roads like it. I was shaken from pillar to post and felt quite ill.
The Sheraton in Udaipur, situated at one of the artificial lakes, made up for any discomfort and I soon was o.k. again.
After a good night’s rest my guide picked me up for the ride through town to lake Pichola near the City Palace. This palace too has been converted into a hotel, with the current Maharadja still living on the premises.

Another part of the palace is a museum which I visited with hundreds and hundreds of other tourists.
The founding Maharadja of this City Palace is a favourite with the Indian people.
A story is told about him and his horse and his body armour is on display in a small room, approx 3 x 3 metres. Every Indian who visits has to see this armour. The room was filled with people when I arrived.
So I waited for them to leave.
And they did. They filed past me, 10, 20 then more came out, and more, and still more – there must have been about 50 or 60 in that small room. I just stood there with my mouth open!
Nothing special my guide told me, 25 people in a Jeep is about right!  
I had a boat ride on the lake and it was nice to see the city from the water.
It was here in Udaipur that I said good bye to Mr Singh, my faithful and very good driver.
I had one night in Delhi, and naturally, sightseeing was included. I saw the India Gate and some of the buildings the British built, then we drove to view the Qutab Minar, the oldest mosque in India. These are spectacular buildings indeed.

I did enjoy a beer by the pool on my return, but had to get ready for my long flight home the next morning.
India, I really enjoyed my visit!

India, Part 2

We are on our way to Jaipur, and because I am always on time Mr Singh has a special treat in store for me. On the road to Jaipur is a place called Abhaneri and it is famous for the stepwell (Chand Baori) and the Harshat Mata Temple.

These wells were used as storage for drinking water and are a sight to behold.

We made it safely to Jaipur which is called “The Pink City” because most of its buildings are the colour of rich terracotta.
One outstanding example is the “Palace of the Winds”.  It is one of the prettiest buildings I have seen, front and back.

The back faces the street and the palace complex is so large, it even features a small lake.

A very impressive site is the Observatory which houses the world’s largest sun dial. And yes, I did read the time – correctly!
What I liked best in Jaipur were the markets. India is famous for its colours and now I could see why.

Our next stop was the Amber Fort where I had my elephant ride. It was not very comfortable, but better than walking up the steep hill.

The fort looks very ordinary from the outside, but the inside is very impressive indeed.

I had my encounter with fame at the Khimsar Fort. A Bollywood movie was being filmed here and when I stepped out of the elevator this gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous girl was waiting to come inside. She gave me the biggest smile, her eyes and face saying “Yes, it is me, aren’t you lucky” and all I said was “Hello” (does that sounds familiar somehow?) Anyway  I would not have known her from a bar of soap. But she was the star of the movie as I found out later.
The next stop was the adventure bit. I was going to stay overnight  in a desert camp. Mind you, this was a 5 star desert camp, but who is complaining.

When we arrived all was set out for us. White Mattresses with bolsters on the sand for us to recline on and watch the entertainment. Delicious savouries were served, it was sooo good.
With 7 very enthusiastic musicians and 2 dancing girls, I had a ball.

The Manvar Desert Camp was definitely a highlight of this tour.
Jodhpur and the Merangarh Fort was our next stop. The Fort is quite an impressive building set high up on a mountain, but nothing, nothing prepared me for its magnificence. It is made from pink sandstone and pictures speak louder than words.

The carvings look like delicate filigree work, I was captivated!

There is going to be a third instalment of my fantastic time in India.

India, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort

I have a bucket list. India was not on it. The Taj Mahal was, but India as a Country? Forget it. Who wants to go to India?

Well!!!!! Let me tell you.
The reason I chose to go to India in the first place – I had some frequent flyer miles, which I had to use or they would expire. Not enough for Europe, but enough to fly to Delhi.
So off I went, not expecting too much from this trip. And then I fell in love! With India! Hook, line and sinker.
I do not know exactly where it happened, it must have been when I visited the Taj Mahal. I looked around me and I was in love.
But let me start at the beginning.
There was drama! My friend who was going to share the holiday with me had an accident and could not go. Poor thing spent the next 3 months in hospital. So I went by myself.
It was an organised tour, but I was on my own.
I would have a driver with me for the whole trip, picking up a local guide in the places I visited.
I was duly picked up from the airport and introduced to Mr Singh, my driver. When I asked him what I should call him, he said: “You may call me Mr Singh.” 
So I did. The 5 hour drive to Agra was my introduction to Indian traffic. The first hour or so I could not take my eyes off the road, having a couple of heart attacks as we went. But one gets very blasé after a while and Mr Singh was an excellent driver. 
I was so blessed with the weather. It was early October, the rains had gone, the skies were clear, no pollution. It was hot, yes, but bearable
Approx 15km outside Agra is Sikandra, a mausoleum built for King Agkbar which is very pretty.

It was here that I met my lovely guide for Agra and the Taj, Rachna.
We drove the last stretch to Agra and I was settled into my hotel for the next 2 nights. It was the Jaypee Palace and it was spectacular.
Rachna suggested instead of going inside the Taj for the sunset, to go across the river and view it from the back. As the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical it does not matter from which side it is viewed.

We stayed for a couple of hours, thoroughly enjoying the balmy evening and the magnificent view of the Taj. When I’ve had enough, I was very tired after the long flight,  Rachna took me to a small museum which housed an exhibit of embroideries. As I am very interested in handicraft, this was the place to go. I saw some beautiful pieces on display and could not resist a small purchase.
No, not this one. This is made with precious stones and not for sale.

!

I slept well, but had to get up early for the sunrise at the Taj Mahal.
I must honestly say that this was a bit of a fizzer as the sun was well up by the time we were let in.
The Taj Mahal is everything I expected it to be and more. This monument to love, made out of the most beautiful translucent white marble, is something to behold. It took my breath away.

The Agra Fort was on the programme for the afternoon. It is a very imposing building, but having just been to the Taj it somehow paled in comparison.

The rest of India in my next post.

Torres del Paine

The flight to Punta Arenas was uneventful, but the landing a bit rough. There was a gale blowing in this city.  

Punta Arenas is pretty town, situated on the strait of Magellan, named so after Ferdinand Magellan who searched for and found a way from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean without going around Cape Horn.
It was from here that we were making our way to Torres del Paine and and a few days later to board the Via Australis for our trip to Ushuaia around Hornos Island, Cape Horn.
We had settled in for the night in a very nice hotel, but then decided to go for a walk before dinner. We had a look at Magellan’s statue in the town square, looked in the shop windows, having a good time, when one of those really, really handsome Chileans caught my eye. Walking past us, he looked at me and smiled. I said to my friend, “I tell you something, there are some good looking men in this town!” He turned around and gave me another dazzling smile. He obviously understood english and was pleased with my remark. Slowly we made our way back to the hotel and there on the street corner on the other side of the road was my ‘friend’. He gave me another dazzler of a smile, bowed and waved.  I was smitten.
The trip to Torres del Paine took 5 hours. Three hours in the local bus, very comfortable, to Puerto Natales, then another 2 hours in a private car.
When we arrived in Torrres del Paine it was raining, and we had no view of the famous  mountain range.
We stayed in the Hotel Lago Grey which allowed us a full view of Glacier Grey.
The first question we asked at the reception was – What is the weather going to be?
The answer – unpredictable, we do not know.
We booked our trips for the next 2 days, one that was suggested to us by the staff of the hotel. It had only been done once before and they were not sure if they should take it up into the programme again. The idea was to go by boat on the lake towards the glacier, then being taken ashore by Zodiac, walk up the mountain until we are directly above the glacier.
This sounded absolutely perfect to us.
It was still raining hard when we went to bed, but when we woke up the sunshine was streaming through the window. We had a hearty breakfast and then set off.
There were 6 of us plus our guide.
We were duly put ashore, had a last “pitstop” and then started to climb. We had to cross 6 waterfalls, some easy, some not so easy, but when the glacier was finally below us, it was a view to behold.

George our guide had brought lunch for all of us, including coffee and tea. We had such a good time, I am sure this trip has been put back into the programme.
On the way back we were picked up again by Zodiac and we could now experienced Glacier Grey close up from the lake. It looked fantastic. So different to San Rafael.

For the next day we had booked the “Waterfall Tour”. Again we were blessed with sunshine galore. This time it was only our driver, guide and the two of us.
We drove all around the mountains, had a delicious lunch at one of the lakes, looked and photographed all the waterfalls, watched Condors and baby Llamas close by, and saw all kinds of other animals.  Again it was a wonderful tour. 

I loved Torres del Paine.  Southern Patagonia, Chile is one of the most beautiful areas I have visited.