#2: Jaipur, Ranthambore, Abhaneri, Agra, Lucknow
Two nights in Jaipur: Lemon Tree Premier,10/30 – 11/1
After a six-hour drive from Delhi, we arrived in Jaipur, also known as “The Pink City,” as much of its architecture features that color. Then we grabbed some lunch and enjoyed some unscheduled time. While others chose to rest in the hotel, Sara and I joined with Vinny on a recommended visit to an Open Bazaar. It was a large city street lined with shops open onto the sidewalks, which are also claimed by vendors on the sidewalks and in the roadways, also filled with cars and motorcycles. Hundreds of people make their way through the crowded street which seems to go on for at least a kilometer. You could buy almost anything here: food, spices, clothing, artwork, even appliances, both small and large. The crowds and chaos made it difficult even to walk down a sidewalk. Since I never like crowds, this made me feel uncomfortable. Sara enjoys the chaos. But this is India.
Home-Hosted Dinner with an Indian family: For another OAT experience, our 16 travelers were broken into smaller groups, of five or six, to enjoy dinner and an evening with a middle-class Hindu family. We were welcome warmly and treated as honored guests. Our primary hostess, the lady of the house, was the most communicative, but we spoke with at least three generations in a typical extended Indian family. We saw their “shrine” featuring the Hindu deities, and the young son proudly showed us his drawings. And of course, the meal was terrific. Our tour had us traveling India during Diwali, the joyous annual Hindu Festival of Lights. As we left the apartment to await our ride back to the hotel, our hosts invited us to join them with sparklers for the Diwali celebration.
Visit to the Amber Fort-Palace: This huge 16th century hilltop fortress served also as a palace. It’s another UNESCO World Heritage Site, well-preserved with several beautifully decorated courtyards. Once it was home to the Maharaja (Indian Prince), his family, his servants, his courtesans, and his army. Today it’s the major tourist attraction in this area. It was very crowded on the day of our visit. We rode up to the fortress in jeeps, while others were riding on elephants – quite controversial since PETA and others have expressed concern over the mistreatment of elephants. But the ride is apparently a highlight for many tourists.
Birla Temple: Back in Jaipur for the evening, we visited this beautiful Hindu temple built in 1988 with all white marble. Within the temple are impressive images of the goddess Lakshmi and the god Vishnu, for whom the temple is dedicated. Sara posed for a few pictures here at the request of Indian women.
Carpet & Textile Warehouse: We visited a Jaipur Textile Warehouse where another Mr. Singh demonstrated the process of “blocking” images onto fabrics. This also included a store featuring so many colorful clothes and fabrics.
Two nights in Ranthambore: Nahargarh Hotel, 11/1 – 11/3
After another five-hour drive, we arrived at Ranthambore National Park and Preserve, known for its Tiger population. Our fabulous hotel was within the National Park. It was a huge and gorgeous complex, where we all felt like Maharajahs visiting our favorite hunting lodge. They served great meals in a lovely courtyard every morning and evening. Attentive servers wore traditional costumes. One evening they provided a documentary to inform us about Tigers in the park.
Our Afternoon Safari: We traveled in open back Jeeps large enough to hold 12 to 16 of us. Known for its Bengal Tiger population, visitor’s hope to site these magnificent creatures, but they must often settle for seeing lots of birds, deer, boars and the occasional crocodile. When visitors do see tigers, they’re usually sleeping, (the tigers, not the visitors).
But this afternoon in Zone 3, we were so lucky. First, we saw two young tigers sleeping. But then they awoke and began playing. Before long we had the mother and others, five tigers in the wild. They showed no concern over the trucks that had gathered to observe them, and they strolled nonchalantly by the vehicles, within 10 feet of us, ignoring us as if we weren’t there. Our guides assured us that this was a most unusual and special experience. Needless to say, we watched for nearly an hour and took LOTS of photos.
The next morning, we set out on another safari in a different zone. No tigers this time, but we saw lots of birds, some monkeys, crocodiles, wild boar, and lots of deer. Not quite as exciting as watching the Bengal tigers, but a beautiful morning in the nature preserve, nevertheless.
A Day in the Life: OAT trips always include at least one “Day in the Life” experience that brings travelers directly into the lives of the people and their culture. We visited a small local village within the Nature Preserve. We brought the food and began our visit by preparing breakfast for the villagers. Later in the day, the villagers prepared our lunch and ate with us. Our guides translated when necessary, but some of the teenage girls in the village spoke English pretty well. They took us on a short walk to see their village, including the water system built for the village by Grand Circle / OAT. (They regularly give back to help the communities they visit.) Some invited us into their homes, quite modest and simple to our eyes.
During our visit we laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Some of us played soccer with the young boys; the girls painted our hands with henna, and we learned more about their culture. These young girls looked forward to a marriage arranged by their family. They don’t understand why some girls in the city would prefer a “love” marriage rather than an arranged marriage. We learned to better understand why family is so important in Indian traditional culture. Where we look at marriage as between two individuals, Indians see it as a joining of two whole families.
The Dhonk Cooperative: Not far from our hotel/ maharaja hunting lodge, we visited the Dhonk Cooperative, designed to help women develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills. This is another thriving project supported by Grand Circle / OAT. We enjoyed shopping in their store full of lovely cotton textile products and learning about how the project has helped local women to succeed.
One night at the OAT Camp / AAGMAN India Camp near Abhaneri: 11/3.
After another 5-hour drive, we arrived at this nicely appointed camp. We spent just one night here, to break up a long drive, but the camp was set up beautifully. Our “tent” was a big room, with a full private bath attached. We would call this Glamping .
We had yoga lessons in the large grass area, surrounded by our tents. Later that night before dinner, we were entertained by 6-8 local farmers who sang, played their instruments, and danced for us. Then they recruited and enticed some of our trip members to dance along with them. It was all great fun.
The next morning, we drove to the village of Abhaneri to visit an ancient baolis, also called a Stepwell. It’s a remarkable piece of architecture, believed to have been built in the 8th or 9th century. It’s geometrically designed, about 30 meters deep, with 3500 steps leading 13 stories deep into a huge well at the bottom. It’s well described as an upside-down pyramid designed to collect and provide water. As the images show, it’s an amazing structure.
We shopped a bit at the market in Abhaneri before hopping on the bus for another long drive, this one to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.
Two nights in Agra: The Radisson Agra, 11/4- 11/5
Mohabbat the Taj Show. Our leader Deependra recommended this Bollywood style play featuring lovely costumes, music, and lots of dance, while it tells the tragic love story of Shah Jahan and his beloved 3rd wife, Queen Mumtaz Mahal. From 1631 to 1653, Shah Jahan mourned his beloved wife and built the fabulous Taj Mahal in her honor. The show was entertaining – and we had an English soundtrack on headsets so we could follow it all. It was great preparation for our visit to the most popular tourist site in all of India, the Taj Mahal.
Visit to the Taj Mahal. We spent hours, along with hundreds of other tourists, at the Taj Mahal. It truly is beautiful and appears on some lists of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” The day was quite hazy when we arrived, but it slowly cleared to make our photos much better. With the story of Shah Jahan and his beloved queen in mind, we appreciated his years of devotion, not to mention the expense of building this tremendous mausoleum. We hope the images can provide at least a glimpse of its beauty.
The Sheroes Cafe: “Sheroes” is run by women who have been victims of acid attacks perpetrated by rejected suitors and angry partners. Unfortunately, such attacks are a thing in India, illegal of course, but nevertheless on the rise as attackers are seldom convicted. The cafe is warm and pleasant, where visitors are asked to pay just what they wish, with no fixed prices. They also shared a brief documentary about women who have been attacked with acid, and they sell artwork, T-shirts and merchandise, all made by the women. The cafe has provided a home and helped these women to re-gain their confidence and their self-worth.
Visit to Fort Agra: This huge Fortress / Palace was the seat of power for four generations of Mughal emperors from the 16th century until British rule began in the 1800s. As he aged, Shah Jahan was imprisoned here by his own son who had taken over the leadership. It’s a huge fortress featuring typical Mughal / Muslim architecture, mostly in red stone.
Two nights in Lucknow: Novotel Lucknow 11/5-7
Another 5-hour drive took us from Agra to Lucknow the capital city of India’s Utter Pradesh region. Lucknow appeared to be a modern and vibrant city. Lucknow is known especially for its cuisine. In community 65% Hindu vs. 25-30% Muslims live in harmony.
Our highlights here were:
Visit to La Martiniere College: Now a day-school for most, but a boarding school for some. It’s admired and exclusive. The campus tells a story about, Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800), a French officer who joined the British East India Company. The school was founded in his honor using an endowment from Martin long after his death. The campus is admired for its French architecture.
Visit to Imam Bara: In the area of “Old Lucknow,” we visited a large historic site including a mosque and an 18th Century architectural wonder called the Imam Bara. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this was the seat of power for ‘Nawabs,’ the regional Muslim rulers of the Mughal Empire. Today it’s used by the Shia Muslims who mourn the death in 680 CE of Imam Husayn ibn Ali. The Imam Bara, built in 1784 features a central hall believed to be the largest vaulted chamber in the world.
Visit to Chetna’s home: For a lunch, Deependra brought us to the middle-class home of a local professor, Chetna, who welcomed us warmly and taught us how to prepare and cook Kebabs, a local specialty. Once the cooking was done, we enjoyed sharing a delicious lunch and a discussion about the incredibly wide range of Indian spices.
