Personal Space in India

There is none.

Agra to Delhi - Bathrooming

Every time we travel, our friends are interested in the bathroom situation.  For the most part, we have experienced western style toilets with only a few "squats."  Our hotels have been five star extravaganzas.  Nothing really to report.

In Agra, we stayed at the Courtyard by Marriot Hotel.  It has been the most "American" of our venues with a few quirks.  One of the quirks is the view from the picture window right outside our room.

This photo is shot through the dusty window, but it gives the sense of a charming village scene.  Actually, there is a construction site to the left of the tents, and this is where the workers are living.  At night, it's somewhat charming with bonfires, but keep in mind exotic weddings are happening all around it.  Follow the path near the bottom center of the photo.  It leads towards the hotel.  Right beneath our window people are doing their bathrooming.  I felt it was too intrusive to take a photo, so you will just have to imagine it.

The next bathroom story has no photo so you will once again have to use your imagination.  We stopped our van at a road side rest stop half way between Agra and Delhi.  I went into the restroom with my two fellow female travelers and boy were we shocked and awed. There must have been 60 women in a restroom with 8 stalls.  No one was line, everyone was pushing and shoving to get to a stall.  The women were mostly short and sari clad, from Sri Lanka.  There were a few muscular Buddhist nuns thrown in.  We quickly realized we weren't going to get to use the toilets unless we also started pushing and shoving.  You cannot imagine the chaos.  In order to get to use a toilet I practically had to go into the stall with the woman who was using it before me.  Women were also pushing and shoving on the way out.  The odd thing was, I could feel myself being pushed, but when I turned around to confront the pusher she was so short I couldn't find her.

When we finally emerged, the three men couldn't believe how long it had taken us to do our business, and that we were so disheveled.

 I wish I had taken a photo, but I was afraid that if I got jostled and dropped the camera I would be trampled while retrieving it. There was  no such thing as personal space in there.

Here's hoping that was a once in a life time experience. 

Happy Thanksgiving

from the Taj Mahal

The front gate

Surprise!  The Taj Mahal isn't all white.  It's covered with semi precious stone inlay.

I still can't believe I stood right here!

View from the mosque built right next to the Taj for the 20,000 workers who built it.

Wedding Season in Jaipur

Jaipur is a wonderful city, home to the Amber Fort and many other attractions. However, I think we will always remember Jaipur as our introduction to wedding season.  Did you know there was such a thing? 

The Amber Fort, built in 1592.

Watching elephants climb up the hill, and into the fort was quite amazing.

A guard led us, by ourselves, through a labyrinth of dark halls and stairways to the very top of the fort.  We were the only people up there.

The view looking down on the fort intrigued me.

We are staying at the Jai Mahal Palace.  It is a 267 year old former home of maharajahs and the prime minister of Jaipur. It is now a hotel, but it retains its beauty with 18 acres of beautifully landscaped Mughal gardens.

I can't believe I only took one photo  of the hotel.  This is a photo of  a pre wedding party.   They are waiting for the groom to arrive on a white horse.

Because the hotel is so beautiful, it is a perfect spot for weddings.  We were here for 3 nights and there were two weddings and a sit down dinner for 350. The first night we heard drumming and excited voices.  We assumed that it was the hotel dance show that is performed every night.  Boy were we surprised to find the commotion was a full blown wedding on the lawn, around the corner from our room.  Unfortunately we missed the groom arriving on his white horse, and the bride being carried in a sedan chair by 8 young men.  By the time we went down on the lawn to see what the activity was, the ceremony was happening.  As we stood on the side lines watching, waiters brought us a beverage and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

After the serious portion of the wedding was over, the guests began to go through the buffet line and the music cranked up.  It was fun at first but the techno music got louder and louder as the dancers moved to the dance floor.

We never thought we'd sleep, but precisely at 10 p.m. the music stopped.

In the morning the gorgeous decorations were gone and you never knew a wedding had taken place.

Last night, right in front of our window a dinner for 350 international bigwigs took place.  We watched the set up, and worried about the decibel levels. We were amazed at the beauty of the decorations, the army of wait staff, and we enjoyed listening to the band warm up. It was a lovely event, complete with dancing girls.  It was easy to go to bed listening to the traditional Indian music.

Tables set for 350 bigwigs.

Wait staff getting their orders.  I think there were as many waiters as guests. That's the hotel in the background.

The band.

An army of waiters in their pink turbans.

The chefs are ready.

Tonight is our last night in Jaipur and another wedding is unfolding under our bedroom window.  This time I have the presence of mind to check it out and take photos.  We will probably miss most of the activity since we will be dining at the home of a Rajasthani family until 9:30.  Here's what this modest wedding for 100 guests looks like so far. As I write this, the brass band has already started.  It's going to be a lively night.

The buffet line with a waiter, prepared for the guests.

Modest center piece at each table.

Decoration on the walkways.

The guests will watch the ceremony from these couches.

Setting up the floral decor.  This will all be gone in the morning.

Last minute prep at the buffet line.

There were 4 of these big drums.  

Drummers having a pre wedding meeting.

Each wedding is unique.  The second wedding  started with a traditional brass band.  It was in full swing as we were driving out for our dinner engagement.  We saw the groom on his white horse, and just as we were leaving the hotel grounds there was an elephant!!! On top was a beautiful bride in her red sari.  Our guide, Naveen, explained that the bride was probably an American, as no Indian bride would ever ride in on an elephant.  That is definitely not part of the culture.  But it was a thrill for us.

I am happy to report that we got home from our dinner at 9:30 and the dance music was over by 10:30 so I got a good night's sleep.  I understand, though, that the party moved indoors to a banquet hall and the raucous party continued long into the night.

Whirlwind Tour of Delhi

Today is our second day in Delhi.  We met our guide Suresh at 9:00 am and began our whirlwind tour.

We're on Capitol Hill, surrounded by government buildings.

India Gate commemorates the 90,000 Indian soldiers killed in WWI and the Afgan Wars fighting alongside the British.

We had a breathtaking bicycle rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi.  These alleys were originally the silver trading lanes on the Silk Road.  Mughal emperors once shopped here.  It's a little different now days.

We were on a rickshaw just like this one.  I felt sorry for the driver, having to haul 2 well fed Americans through the alleys.

We visited Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in Delhi, built in 1656. Cameras weren't allowed inside so you can't see how attractive I was in my full length flowered polyester robe covering me from neck to toes. Note: Jews are not allowed entry.

Lodi Gardens is the Central Park of Delhi, only it's bigger.  It's filled with ancient tombs.  It's the place where the wealthy come to jog in the morning, and young couples come to get some privacy among the trees and hedges.

This is one of many tombs in Lodi Gardens

The Lotus Temple, designed by the architect for the Sydney Opera House is magnificent.  It's a Bahai temple.

Our final, and my favorite stop of the day, was Qutab Minar.  This is a Mughal mosque built from recycled stones from the Hindu temple that was originally on this site back in 1199.

 

Notice the intricate carvings.  Mughal architecture doesn't normally have carvings this elaborate.

The minaret is 239 feet high. It is the highest brick minaret in the world - built in 1199.

Note the lady in yellow lounging among the ruins.

We were lucky enough to be leaving Qutab Minar just at the sun was going down.

What a day! Suresh was an excellent tour guide, and we happily went back to our hotel to enjoy a few beers and bask in the memories of the wonders that we saw today.

Shimla

Prior to 1815, the area where current day Shimla is, was mainly cedar forests with a few small hamlets.  It probably looked like this.

Then the British figured out that this area was much cooler in climate than Calcutta where the Raj ruled.  In 1864 they declared Shimla the summer capitol of British India.  They spent 4 years building the viceregal lodge and the village turned into a city.

Viceregal Lodge. It is now the Indian Institute.

The city of Shimla.  Christ Church is at the top, still standing proud. Population 171,817.

There are several lively markets.

We stayed in a lovely hotel, built at the same time as the Viceregal Lodge.  We had a room with a view, and a monkey on the balcony.

And, we had a relaxing lounge to share a beer at the end of the day.

None of this, of course, is the real India.  But it's the India the Raj created.  Shimla was a great place for us to recover from our journey here and to start our tour of India.