India's Golden Triangle

For Chinese New Year 2010 we made the decision to visit India. Pazi had been wanting this trip for some time after visiting with our Indian friend Anithya. She frequently tells us stories about the great sites, food, and shopping in her home country. When Pazi found out that all this can be done with just a few hundred dollars, she was hooked.

As it turned out, three single ladies that work with us at school were planning basically the same trip and asked if we wanted to join them. The advantage of this was the ability to rent a private vehicle and divide up the cost to make the trip even more affordable. We agreed and so our group had Ms. Penny and Elaine from the U.S., and Dang from the Philippines.

We left on February 10th from Guangzhou at around 6:00pm. After the time change and fairly smooth flight, we landed in New Delhi at 10:00pm. After arriving at the airport, we were met by our hotels shuttle. It was actually a very disorganized man that kept making us wait until finally we separated into two small cars to get to the hotel. The three ladies went in one and we got in the other. It just so happened that our car had another passenger, middle-aged woman from Seattle, riding with us. She told us how she imports Indian goods to her business back home and visits Delhi frequently. She was a pleasant lady and made our ride to the hotel pass quickly.

After arriving at the hotel at closer to 11:00pm, we noticed that north India was a bit colder than we anticipated. Then we said our goodbyes to our new acquaintance and met up with our colleagues to check in. Our plan was to have a short night's rest and be up and out the door by 6:00am to catch a train to Jaipur, the first city on our itinerary.

The next morning we got up and made our way to the nearby train station. Little did we know that the ticket counter would be impossible to locate as foreigners are not allowed to use the same ones as locals. To make matters worse, as we searched several men came up to us and tried to get us to use their travel services. Eventually we found a man that worked at the train station but he informed us that we could not make the train we hoped for and gave us an address to a government-run travel agency to make arrangements with.

At the office of the travel agency it took us nearly an hour but we ended up leaving with a great itinerary and at a reasonable price. We agreed to pay $375 dollars each to have a private SUV and driver take use to six locations over almost seven days. This would mean that our trip would have to be very efficient, but we agreed. The accommodations would be covered and be no worse than a three star hotel. Our travel agent Latif even agreed to give us a free elephant ride at Jaipur's Amber Fort and that was icing on the cake. Finally at almost 10:00am we were off!

Jaipur--A Woman's Delight
The trip from New Delhi to Jaipur is supposed to be about four hours. Well, for us it took more like eight! It seemed that our driver Sonu was able to hit every road block, traffic jam, and sheep crossing that came our way . Adan was not complaining as the scenery was excellent to take snapshots of the towns we passed. India's highway system is just a series of lanes that are sometimes two, sometimes four in number and lacking off ramps. You simply get off the road, and because of this motels and roadside restaurants are sprawled out every which way.

Once in Jaipur, we checked into a nice and cozy hotel. The sun had just set so we decided to drop off our things and go out to dinner. We decided on the Copper Chimney. The restaurant was a pick of the Lonely Planet guide book and it did not disappoint. The prices were a little bit high, but well worth it. This was our first, but nowhere near our last great authentic Indian cuisine. Pazi ordered a great Tandoori Chicken dish. After some debating, Adan decided on a Lal Maas. This traditional northern Indian dish is a red curry with lamb. The red derives from the abundant amount of chile in it. In fact, when Adan ordered it the waiter at first refused to give it to him, but finally gave in. Then after the order came out, all the cooks and waiters came out to watch Adan eat it. Although it was very hot, in a pool of sweat he finished the dish and gained the respect of the restaurant staff.

After dinner we walked the streets a bit and browsed a smaller market area. At the time the ladies thought the items were pretty good, later we would find out this was nothing in comparison to the other market spots. From here Sonu picked us up and drove us to our hotel. With a good meal and a little shopping, we salvaged a rough travel day. Our next day would begin at 7:00am so it was off to bed.

The next morning we had a simple breakfast of toast and Indian Chai tea. Pazi would come to enjoy Chai tea more and more with each passing day in India. We met up with a tour guide who took us to Jaipur's original City Palace, also referred to as Amber Fort that dates to the sixteenth century. The grounds here were phenomenal. We even got to ride an elephant all the way up to the top of the fort since it sits on a small cliff. When we reached the top we were treated to the filming of a "Bollywood" movie.

Following this visit, we made our way to the new City Palace in downtown Jaipur, whereas the original was built some 11 kilometers outside of the city. The newer more modern palace is where the current king resides. Our guide told us that for 2,500 rupees (around $55) we could have Chai tea with the king. Going with the theme of being Jaipur-"the Pink City," the palace is predominantly filled with pink structures. Although we spent a nice afternoon strolling around the facilities here, it was rather uneventful.

After the visit, the group decided to break up. Adan really wanted to take pictures of city life in Jaipur. We took off and mixed this in with shopping since you cannot go five feet without seeing shoes, or saris, or shawls, or something exquisitely handcrafted for sale. We made our way to the Hawa Mahal, also known as the Palace of Winds. This amazing structure built in 1792 appears to be a luxurious palace with depth, but in reality it is a facade made up of 953 small windows made for viewing. The windows down with lattice work were intended to allow royal ladies to view outside without showing their face, since doing so was considered taboo.

Pazi really liked how the sun began to set in the background of this beautiful location. We spent the next four to five hours browsing nearby shops and snapping pictures. In our observation of the street scenes two things stuck out as being very peculiar to us. First, there was an immense amount of trash that covered sidewalks and street corners everywhere, and second was how holy cows are to the Indians. The cows are free to roam where ever they please and no one bothers them. It's a very different culture here.

On Our Way to Udaipur
The next day we hit the road early. Sonu had us on the road by 8:00am. We were in for a long ride since the distance to our next city Udaipur was about 400km. We took one detour about six hours into the road trip and stopped in an area called Chittorgarh where we witnessed seeing the largest fort in all of India. Perched some 600 feet high on a plateau of covering nearly 700 acres, this fort dates back to 1568. We had no idea we were going here but Sonu made it a priority to come visit. The site did not disappoint.

While here we visited palaces, towers and a reservoir. Adan really enjoyed the scenery and took many pictures of the location. Many of the ladies in our group felt like staying outside of the sites and captured a much different experience. Pazi recalled at one spot where a group of school boys gathered up enough courage to talk with the foreign women. Soon after this many locals began to socialize. In total we only spent about four hours here but it was definitely an awesome historical site worth visiting.

It took another five or so hours before we would reach Udaipur. When we arrived things seemed destined for disaster when our hotel canceled our reservation. But give Sonu credit, for he resolved what seemed to be serious problems with our hotel booking. Whatever hotel we were supposed to stay, it was a blessing we did not go there. Our new hotel was fabulous. It had an amazing rooftop restaurant with a view of the Lake Pichola. With the beautiful floating palaces and architecture surrounding the water, it is no wonder this city is dubbed, "Venice of the East."

Since we were in such a romantic area, it was only fitting that Valentine's Day fell on our second day in Udaipur. Adan really wanted to get up for a sunrise at the Monsoon Palace, while the ladies decided to sleep in. Adan got a great treat. After Sonu was able to persuade the guard to let him in early, the two enjoyed the sunrise without any other tourists. In fact, the only other people at the palace were the maintenance man and his son. They were very hospitable and offered morning Chai to Adan and Sonu.

Back in Udaipur, the group had a wonderful rooftop breakfast before going out to shop. The ladies shopped until they dropped. Adan decided to wander about visiting two elaborate temples and the city palace. Everything in this city was so inviting. It's no wonder that Travel and Leisure Magazine named it one of the world's top cities of 2009. Another interesting fact is that the James Bond film Octopussy was also filmed in this neat city.

On the Road Again to Pushkar
Unfortunately our stay in Udaipur ended up being short. Later the same afternoon we headed off for a small town called Pushkar. We really knew nothing about this location and in fact did not choose to travel here. Our travel agent suggested we stop here on our way to Agra to break things up a bit. Little did we know that this town would be a strange place to visit.

As it turns out this area is one of the five sacred sites of Hindu pilgrimages. During our one day here we happened to see several foreign tourists visiting to take part in religious practices. Another interesting note is that Pushkar does not allow any alcohol or meat within the town and all the meals are made from local grown organic goods. Additionally, we noticed that Pushkar had many "Bob Marley" and "yoga spiritual centre" fans. It did not take us long to know whose company we were in.

Nonetheless, Pushkar had a bit of charm. We decided to all get up early and visit the town attractions. We started by making our way to Pushkar Lake. Unfortunately it was still dry, but we did get to see the ghats, bathing areas for pilgrimages, that surround the lake. There are fifty-two in all and each has been given a sacred name. We also visited an extremely rare Brahma Temple from the 14th century, named after the Lord Brahma. Also, the ladies did some more shopping (imagine that!). After this, we made our way back for a late breakfast at the hotel. The food was spectacular. Since it was all fresh from the hotel's garden we ate some type of curry couscous with potatoes, pomegranate grapes, coconut, anise and other spices. It was excellent!

From here we decide to take off for Agra and things really get tricky. It seems that Sonu had no clue that we had intentions to see the Taj Mahal at sunset and during sunrise. Thus, when he learned about our wishes it meant that we were about an hour and a half behind schedule. He quickly rounded us up and we took off practically burning rubber. We traveled the small back roads to get us to the highway since Pushkar was a good hour away. Unfortunately when we approached the highway Sonu was pulled over for speeding. He was fined 1,000 rupees ($20). He would later say that this was about two days worth of money for him. Things were not looking rosy at the time.

Journey to the Taj
It took us over eight hours and Sonu drove like a maniac, but at 5:30 we pulled into parking area of the Taj Mahal in Agra. As it turns out the ticket window closes at exactly 5:37--yes 5:37. We are not sure why, but those seven minutes allowed us just enough time to snag tickets to see sunset at the Taj complex.

Breathtaking, amazing, unreal... the list of adjectives can go on forever to describe what it is like to be in the presence of the Taj. It is one of the major wonders of the world! We spent just one hour there that evening but it was memorable. The colors casted by the sun were magnificent. It was so intimate when maybe a couple hundred other tourists at most were there with us. We stayed until security kicked us out. We were a little disappointed but knew that in the morning we would be back.

We spent the rest of the evening at a restaurant near our hotel. It was nice, however it was a bit pricey. The food was good but nothing stuck out as being incredible. Adan did have one funny moment. A fellow teacher named Luke at our school told us that we had to try Gulab Jamun, a famous Indian dessert of fried milk balls in syrup. He said it was the best thing he had ever tasted. Well, our group ordered some, and the other girls at some point assumed that Adan did not want some. Well, he did and when he realized none was left, he gave our Cynthia a hard time. She felt so guilty. Adan did tell her he was joking. Guess that means we have to go back to India again.

The last day of our trip began with a sunrise at the Taj. Adan wanted rooftop pictures so he went off to a hotel that had good views according to the guidebooks. The rest of the gang went off and took shots within the complex again. Adan was gone for about an hour and a half and got some pretty good photos. He thought it was comical that we go to India for Chinese New Year and when he reaches the top of the hotel roof to take pictures he is in the company of about three Chinese couples. Go figure!

The morning came to a close with everyone snapping pictures inside and out of the stunning grounds. The opportunity to visit the Taj twice was very rewarding. As we look back at the photos we took, the whole experience seems a little surreal actually. Nevertheless, we plan to visit again someday.

With that, we headed back to New Delhi for our flight home. It was a bit disappointing that we were not able to visit much of Delhi. When we reached this city we realized how massive it is. Pazi really saw a lot of similarities with Beijing. Delhi is a city that sprawls out over kilometers and kilometers. The traffic here is horrendous, and pollution is definitely a concern. Even though these were some of our first observations, we also saw some charm in the city. We shopped at the quaint Khan Market in a very attractive neighborhood and passed by several beautiful landmarks. New Delhi is a vacation in its own right, and we will try to get back to this city as well.