Last Stop--Delhi (Again)

I left Darjeeling early, and it was lucky I did. The car started having some troubles an hour out of town, and needed over an hour of repair. A steep short cut down the mountain helped gain some of the lost time back, and I managed to catch my flight to Delhi.

There is so much to see in Delhi, that I ended up spending about six days there. I had been pretty lucky staying healthy up to that point, but I lost two days to a rough stomach. I spent those days in my hotel room, though I did get to watch "Kull the Conqueror" and "Undercover Brother". Still, I was able to see things like the Lotus Temple--a Baha'i House of Worship. The Baha'i religion emphasizes the concept that all religions are manifestations of the same divine being. The temple itself is a marvel of engineering and innovative techniques were developped to build the 27 petals which make up the stucture.

Although it is not immediately visible, Humayun's Tomb and the Taj Mahal are remarkable similar. Although they are proportioned differently, the symmetry and basic structure are nearly identical. It is said that Humayun's tomb, built in 1565, was the inspiration for other subsequent monuments, including the Taj Mahal. In contrast to the Taj, Humayun's Tomb was built by a wife for her late husband, a Mughal Emperor. The Taj was completed in 1631, and was built by a Mughal Emperor for his late wife.

Delhi was the final stop in my 8 weeks in India. In the early hours of Ferbruary 22, 2010, I flew out of India on my way to Canada. The next day, I attended my nephew's second birthday, and for the first time met my week old nephew, Peter, and my month old neice, Emma. India was a once in a lifetime trip, and I managed to see and learn a lot. The best part of any trip, however, is the people. I was very fortunate to travel with the people I did, and to meet the people I did.

The Beat Goes On--Darjeeling

I had made a New Year's resolution. In 2010, I was not going to swear more than once per week. Well, by February I was well into my quota for October. Most of my allotment was used in traffic.

After a four hour delay in my flight from Gaya, and a three hour delay in my connecting flight from Kolkata, I was two hours into a car ride up to Darjeeling. I was going to ride on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway--a world heritage steam train over 100 years old, affectionately referred to as a "toy train" due to it's small size. It was one of the main reasons for going to Darjeeling. Well, fourteen hours into the trip to Darjeeling, with an hour to go, the driver's phone began to ring. It was my travel agent phoning to say that the train would not be running on the one day I had in Darjeeling. My allotment for December vanished.

My morning in Darjeeling started at 4:00am, despite my arrival late the night before. It was the coldest weather I'd met with in India, and it was still dark, but I put on as many layers as I could and headed out to meet my driver. We took the short drive out of town to Tiger Hill, and I made my way with a hundred other tourists up to a medium sized building on the top of the hill. Finding an open spot on the deck, I watched the sun rise. It was a clear day and the sun slowly lit the clouds below us, and Mount Kanchendzonga behind us. It was a beautiful sight to see.

As the crowds began to leave, I asked one of the staff members which mountain was Everest. I had heard that on a clear day you could see it. He pointed out the window to a tiny grouping of three mountains. Everest was the middle one, and I was now able to cross an item off my list of 30 Things to Do in My 30's--I had seen Everest with my own eyes.

From there, I went to see Darjeeling's War Memorial, a monastery, Zoo, Tea Garden, and Art Gallery. Another highlight was seeing the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which displays gear used in the first ascent of Everest.

Darjeeling was an unexpected treat, and I was lucky to have missed my train.

The Beat Goes On--Bodh Gaya

Bodh Gaya is the home of the Mahabodi Temple, which marks the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment. A very informative media centre near the temple gave a great history of the area, Buddhism, and the temple itself. The tree under which the Buddha sat has long since died. However, while it was still living, sapplings from the tree were taken and planted elsewhere. When the original tree died, a sappling from one of these trees was returned to the temple and planted there.

Many countries have set up monestaries near the Mahabodi Temple including Japan. The Japanese monestary houses a 25 metre tall statue of the Buddha which is a large tourist draw.

The Beat Goes On--Varanasi

Yesterday started off with a four hour car ride at 2:30 am, followed by two flights and another car ride for a total of ten hours of travel by early afternoon. I managed to grab an hour nap, then headed off to the Ghats of Varanasi. I was a little cranky to start, and a cab driver who had no idea where he was going did not help. I made it to the edge of the Ganges and walked along it's length.

Varanasi is one of India's holiest Hindu cities. It sits along along the Ganges and has a series of buildings with stairs leading down to the river. These are called Ghats. On the shore of the Ganges at Manikarnika Ghat, cremation fires burn. There is such an odd mixture at this 3,000 year old site that it is hard to describe. There are tourists watching cremations; there are cows walking up stairs; there are barbers offering to give you a shave; there are people bathing in the river next to funeral pyres; there are limbless beggars; and there are shop owners who introduce themselves, shake your hand, then won't let go asking for 20 rupees for a hand massage. Between the travel and the surreal Ghats, I called it an early night and planned to visit the near-by Sarnath in the morning.

Sarnath is home to 1,500 year old monument called the Dhamekh Stupa. It is built on the site where Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Around the stupa are the remains of several old monestaries. Sarnath is also the home to an archaeological museum. Here, in an unexpected treat, was an "Ashokan lion capital". An impressively polished sandstone carving, it once stood on Ashokan pillar. These pillars, roughly 2,200 years old, recorded an ethical code, and they were places all over Ashoka's empire.

Next stop: Bodh Gaya

The Beat Goes On--Mt. Abu

Well...where to start on this one...Before leaving for Mt. Abu and the Jain Temples, I was thinking about how much the idea sounded like an Indiana Jones movie. Then Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull was on TV the night before I left. So, I was getting pretty geared up for some interesting sites. Mt. Abu, however, decided to protest recent changes to laws governing how long shops could stay open by staging a strike. So all the shops and restaurants were closed and Mt. Abu was something of a ghost town.

The Jain Temples displayed some amazing craftsmanship. Unfortunately, the upkeep didn't compare with other monuments, so those 1,000 years or so were really beginning to show. Again, no photos were allowed

The second day in Mt. Abu, I made a trip up the mountain overlooking Oriya. A road takes you most of the way up, and there is a short trail to take you to the top. Now there is a small temple at the top, painted orange and white. There was a gentleman (whom I believe was a monk or priest) by the temple dressed in an orange robe. In behind the temple was a mid-sized tower with an antenna. Part way up the antenna was impaled a headless blue robot. Now, not speaking the language, I have had some difficulty in making myself understood on some fairly simple matters. I therefore was hesitant in asking, "Why did the little orange man impale the little blue robot on the tower behind the temple?" I finally did ask another man who spoke some English, and he had two explanations. Firstly, that the robot was a means of communication with God, and secondly, that the little robot arm pointed the direction to God (this will be more clear when I post the photos).

My day in Mt. Abu wrapped up at Sunset Point. Sunset Point sits on the side of a mountain, and looks out over miles of low lying land. Several people head out there to watch the sun set, and it was a beautiful clear evening. Mt. Abu is home to several curious monkeys, and one tourist made a point of feeding one at Sunset Point. This made for some great photos, but he almost had his sunglasses taken right off his face by the monkey. Undeterred, he continued to feed the monkey (even when the monkey started showing his teeth) and I continued taking pictures.

I met my driver this morning at 2:30 am, and now after a 4 hour car ride and two flights, I have arrived in Varanasi. The end of the trip is rapidly approaching, and I will head home in less than two weeks. I hope to update the blog with some photos by the end of the month.

The Beat Goes On--Udaipur

Well, I wrap up my quick stop in Udaipur tonight. It seems to be the time of year for weddings, and there were fireworks displays last night and again tonight.

Today included a boat tour of Lake Pichola. Apparently Jag Niwas or, "The Lake Palace", was used in the James Bond film Octopussy. I didn't feel much like Roger Moore, though...alright, maybe a little. I also toured the City Palace which boasts the longest continuously running monarchy in the world, dating back to the mid 500's AD. After that was some time relaxing in the shade at Saheliyon ki Bari--a garden in which everything seems to be blooming right now, and with the lowest admission price of anywhere so far (5 Rs).


Tomorrow is a 9:00am trip to Mt. Abu and the Jain Temples (almost sounds like an India Jones movie).

The Beat Goes On--Jodhpur

Although still pock-marked in spots from receiving cannon ball fire, the Mehrangarh Fort is another fort that has never been conquered in its 500 year history. The fort has seven fortified gates, cannons lining its ramparts, and a collection of weapons, palloquins, and paintings. It was an amazing sight to see.

Although I was not able to tour more than just its museum, the Umaid Bhavan Palace is Jodhpur's second main landmark. Starting in 1929, the palace was built in 15 years by 3,000 workers. It reportedly fuses Rajput, Jain and Art Deco styles (like I would know the difference). The size and grandure of the palace were truely impressive. A portion of the museum houses a dozen or so clocks which were very creatively styled. I will try to post pictures when I'm home in a couple of weeks. It really doesn't work describing them.

I reached Udaipur this evening, and hope to see the City Palace tomorrow.

The Beat Goes On--Bikaner

The Junagarh Fort in Bikaner is unique in that it was not built upon a hill top. It sits inside the city of Bikaner, and has been repeatedly expanded in 400 year history. The has never been conquered, and is in excellent condition.

I was excited at the prospect of seeing Laxmi Niwas Palace. The photos on my itinerary showed a tall, slender and uniquely styled building. It looked like a strong variation on other styles seen around Rajasthan. On arrival though, I had to circle the building and ask around for the building I had seen in the picture. The building seemed to be no more than 3 storeys tall, and the photo showed something I thought was between 5 and 7 storeys. I slowly realized what had happened. The photos had been stretched to match the amound of text in the itinerary. It was still beautiful, but not at all what I had envisioned.

Next stop: Jodhpur.

The Beat Goes On--Jaipur

Sunday morning I went down to the airport to catch a flight to Jaipur. I showed up quite a bit early, and the airport didn't appear to be open, so I decided to go for a walk. I saw a sign on a building near the airport saying "Airport Canteen", and since it was approaching noon, I decided to grab some lunch. Now, every now and then I get the impression that I am heading where white people usually don't go, and this was one of those times. The guard was very helpful in pointing me to the canteen, and the gentleman there was very insistant on seating me. Then, chairs started getting moved and tables starting getting rearranged. The room then quickly filled, and I soon found myself accidentally attending a retirement party. Oops. Well, it was a free lunch anyways.

Jaipur is home to one of five places in India called a Jantar Mantar. The Jantar Mantar is an observatory from the early 1700's, and Jaipur boasts one of the largest and best maintained facilities. The thought, skill and craftsmanship that went into building the place are truely amazing. It is visually stunning, and still entirely practical.

After viewing the Jantar Mantar, I visitted the City Palace Museum, which boasts displays in textiles, artwork, and weaponry as well as the largest silver urns in the world.

Finally, the Hawa Mahal or "Palace of Winds" was built to allow ladies of the harem to look out to the streets below without been seen themselves. From what I read, I expected it to be much smaller, but it is larger than I was lead to believe. It is almost like a 5 storey maze, and it was fun just to watch adults popping their heads out of windows and stairwells like we were in an oversized jungle gym.

Tonight is another night train, and tomorrow is Bikaner.

The Beat Goes On--Amritsar

Friday night I boarded a train and arrived in Amritsar by morning। I checked into the hotel, and to my amazement I found pancakes and maple syrup (...oh boy...).

Amritsar is home to the Golden Temple--the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion। Guilded in gold and surrounded by a large pool, the temple was an amazing place to see. Not far from the temple is Jallianwala Bagh--the site when hundreds of unarmed demonstrators were fired upon by the British in 1919. Bullet holes are still visible in some of the walls surrounding this park.
My final visit in Amritsar was to the India-Pakistan Border at Wagah. Here the two countries flags are lowered at the end of the day. Before this ceremony begins, there is blarring music and the crowd dances in the street. Then the bleechers are filled and ceremony begins. A man in semi-formal wear begins getting the crowd going in a manner that would fit a rock concert or monster truck show. He doesn't let up for the full half hour while the guards march and goose step on either side of the border. Each side performs the same routine so it is almost a mirror image of the pagentry.