INDIA 2011: Delhi to Jaipur

I have returned to India for the second time in two months, with this trip being my third within this time period. Our three week itinerary takes us around the Golden Triangle or tourist circuit, Delhi to Jaipur and Agra, then into the foothills of the Himalaya for the final week. The bulk of the first two weeks occurs the wonderful colorful state of Rajasthan. Actually Rajasthan is an arid state situated within the third largest desert in the world, but as one might expect, this is the worlds most populated desert!

Being an arid landscape full of earth tones this Land of Kings, which is the meaning of Rajasthan, is spiced up with wonderful vibrant colors, particularly in the form of extremely colorful saris that the women wear to go about their daily business.

I met John, Jessica, Craig and Carol at Newark airport for our 14 hour non-stop flight to Delhi. We arrived to find that this part of the country was experiencing a very cold spell, barely staying above freezing – even I had to bundle up! As is the case for anyone visiting this country for the first time, the sights, sounds and senses are overwhelming and everyone one looks there is new image to take in. On this nippy foggy morning as we head south to Jaipur, passed fields of wheat and mustard and through towns and villages, the smell of wood burning fires fills the air.

It is tough to take ones eyes off the hordes of people and various forms of transportation that access the road out of the capital – vendors pushing carts, motorbikes (just the driver might be wearing a helmet, but never the rest of his family he is carrying), camels, cows, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, decorated lorries, tractors, cement wagons, steam rollers, massive moving haystacks (above)…….and what is up with just stopping on the side of the highway (actually the edge of the inside lane as the hard shoulder barely fits a bicycle), and getting out to pay a road tax, three lanes over? While it might be bewildering to us to see a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road, it all seems to work – if everyone is paying attention!

By lunchtime the sun is peaking out and much to our delight not only are we warming up but we have reach Jaipur! We take advantage of the light and stop to admire the Amber Fort (above) and some of the elephants that have finished the morning shift to the fort.

The lake at the base of the fort holds a small group of Dabchicks, officially called Little Grebes, White Wagtails, Plain Martins and it gives us a chance to discuss the differences between the Common Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilts (above)  from this part of the world, and the similar Spotted Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilts that we are familiar with in the New World.

We had a tasty buffet lunch at the Samode Haveli, outdoors…. because the temperature indoors was too cold! That was fine with us as it turned out to be a beautiful day. The sky was cloudless, and we were entertained by a colorful Rajasthani musician playing a sarangee, whose handlebar mustache could not match John’s (above). “That’s not a mustache, this is a mustache!” Impressed, the musician willing yielded his pagadi to the newly anointed Maharaja!

Our guide here in Jaipur was none other than Rattan Git. That can’t really be his name can it? “Just don’t call me Git.” Anyway, he is anything but, being very personable and informative. Having entered one of the seven gates (above) that lead into the walled “Pink City”, we begin at the Observatory. Built by the Maharaja of Jaipur in 1728 this is 5th of his outdoor observatories and the largest.

All instruments have different functions for day and night; working out eclipses; the position of the sun; telling the time and of course since it important to this culture, knowing your horoscope. It is also here that the world’s largest sundial is located (above).

Adjacent to the Observatory lies the City Palace, ancestral home to the Maharajas. Converted in 1970, it is now half museum and half residential palace. Our visit coincided with a Bollywood production (above) being filmed in the courtyard! Since rarely do foreigners get a part in these films, we watched for a few moments and spent our time visiting the textiles, art gallery and arms collection museum, all of which were very impressive.

In the waning afternoon light we alighted at the Jah Mahal (above), the gorgeous Water Palace just within the Jaipur city limits. What a setting – a palace in the middle of a lake! Here we walked along the promenade getting to grips with Little and Indian Cormorant, Little Egret and ubiquitous Indian Pond Herons, as well as White-browed Wagtail, Ashy Prinia, River Terns and Dusky Crag Martins swooping down to get one last drink for the day.

As we wound our through the city towards our hotel, it was full of people running errands and going about their early evening business. We made a brief stop at the Palace of the Wind (above) to admire the lit-up facade and its stain glass panels. A fitting end to a great start to our trip.