Click on the Image for the travel map of our journey in Northern India
Monday, October 11, 2010
Incrediable India, overview
If we had to describe India in one single word, we would probably say: Yes, this is really an "incredible" land. To sum up in a few words how you can fully enjoy India without losing your mind: "To fully enjoy it, you should not think". You can’t question things here and shouldn't let yourself get affected by the poverty or chaos all around ... you just have to accept that that’s the way it is, even if it makes no sense at all. You should see, take notice, but don't let it affect you to such a degree that you don't enjoy its beauty anymore. India is really like another world, and we are so glad that we had the chance to taste this amazingly intense, spiritual, contradictory and overwhelming country. India's people might be financially less wealthy than the "western world" but they are by no means poor, their culture and their religion is between the richest we've seen and India being the 35th country we visited, we have seen quite a few!
Click on the Image for the travel map of our journey in Northern India
Click on the Image for the travel map of our journey in Northern India
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Delhi
After traveling around in Rajasthan, we flew to the last city of our far-east tour, the capital of India, Delhi. Even though Delhi (metro) has a population of about 20M, the traffic did not seem that bad and driving was probably more civilized than what we would expect.
At the time we were there, the city was in high alert due to the Commonwealth Games taking place. The results of the extensive beautification project could be well seen in the city center, the downtown being very organized, clean and green
We started the tour of Delhi around the India Gate and the governmental area
but the increased security measures we unfortunately could not enter any of these buildings.
However at the same time the Games gave the city a very pleasant atmosphere,with athletes everywhere
and the main venue of the games looked quite impressive as well
We then went to explore the many "classic" sites of Delhi, starting with the Humayun's Tomb, which served as a model for the Taj Mahal, the resemblance being quite apparent (except for the materials used which is red sandstone in this case and not white marble):
Our next stop was at the Jama Masjid mosque, the focal point for Delhi's muslims, its courteyard accommodating up to 20,000 people:
The climb up to one of the minarets rewarded us by magnificent views of the mosque and of Old-Delhi
For a change we decided for a different type of transportation
which allowed us to ride through "little Pakistan"
After this adventure it was time to return to our hotel for a rest but not before a delicious Indian dinner
We started the next day by visiting Qutb Minar, another UNESCO-Heritage site, the world's tallest brick minaret with a height of 72 meters.
The Qutb Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutb complex. And it is not only its size that impresses but the level of detail and beauty of the carvings found all over the complex:
BTW did we mention it was a little HOT in Delhi? So we decided for a relaxing hour in the shade of the trees in the "Garden of five senses", a garden designed to stimulate our five senses with its beauty and attractions and give us a chance to touch, smell, hear and see our natural surroundings
and to taste of course as we were getting hungry at this time of the day
Fully rehreshed and our hunger issues solved, we headed for the Lodi's Tomb in the Lodi Gardens:
And then with a little sad feeling in our heart we enjoyed the last sunset of this amazing journey at the Lotus temple of the Bahá'í faith:
saying goodbye to the friendly people of India:
and the beauties of this amazing country:
All our pictures from Delhi
At the time we were there, the city was in high alert due to the Commonwealth Games taking place. The results of the extensive beautification project could be well seen in the city center, the downtown being very organized, clean and green
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
but the increased security measures we unfortunately could not enter any of these buildings.
However at the same time the Games gave the city a very pleasant atmosphere,with athletes everywhere
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
We then went to explore the many "classic" sites of Delhi, starting with the Humayun's Tomb, which served as a model for the Taj Mahal, the resemblance being quite apparent (except for the materials used which is red sandstone in this case and not white marble):
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
Our next stop was at the Jama Masjid mosque, the focal point for Delhi's muslims, its courteyard accommodating up to 20,000 people:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
The climb up to one of the minarets rewarded us by magnificent views of the mosque and of Old-Delhi
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
For a change we decided for a different type of transportation
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
which allowed us to ride through "little Pakistan"
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
After this adventure it was time to return to our hotel for a rest but not before a delicious Indian dinner
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
We started the next day by visiting Qutb Minar, another UNESCO-Heritage site, the world's tallest brick minaret with a height of 72 meters.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
The Qutb Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutb complex. And it is not only its size that impresses but the level of detail and beauty of the carvings found all over the complex:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
BTW did we mention it was a little HOT in Delhi? So we decided for a relaxing hour in the shade of the trees in the "Garden of five senses", a garden designed to stimulate our five senses with its beauty and attractions and give us a chance to touch, smell, hear and see our natural surroundings
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
Fully rehreshed and our hunger issues solved, we headed for the Lodi's Tomb in the Lodi Gardens:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
And then with a little sad feeling in our heart we enjoyed the last sunset of this amazing journey at the Lotus temple of the Bahá'í faith:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
saying goodbye to the friendly people of India:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
and the beauties of this amazing country:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Delhi |
All our pictures from Delhi
Friday, October 08, 2010
Rajasthan - Udaipur, the city of lakes
From Jaipur we took once more an Indian overnight train to Udaipur, the city of lakes.
Not that we expected otherwise, the trip was a little adventurous - starting with a little 4-5h delay...
However, we did arrive quite well rested to Udaipur, where we checked again into our lakeside Palace, a very nice hotel, with direct view (also from our room) on the Pichola Lake:
After a short rest we headed to explore the city, starting with the Hindu Jagdish Temple,
a great example of Indo - Aryan architecture with its marvelous sculptures:
We then visited the City Palace. Standing on the east bank of Lake Pichola, it is a massive series of palaces built at different times from the mid 16th century.
Inside the palace the way leads to a series of courtyards, overlapping parations, terraces, corridors and gardens:
For some relaxation we headed to a nice park, where Gulliver could freshen up:
Refreshed, we decided for a boat ride on Lake Pichola, with wonderful views of the city:
-the white marble Lake Palace
- and Jag Mandir also called Lake Garden Palace,
known for its garden courtyard:
and wonderful garden
where we enjoyed a nice and cold long coffee with marvelous views...
followed by one of those amazing sunsets one never forgets...
we then finished the day with ***** while enjoying the lake view from our room on Lake Pichola:
All our pictures from Rajasthan
Not that we expected otherwise, the trip was a little adventurous - starting with a little 4-5h delay...
However, we did arrive quite well rested to Udaipur, where we checked again into our lakeside Palace, a very nice hotel, with direct view (also from our room) on the Pichola Lake:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
After a short rest we headed to explore the city, starting with the Hindu Jagdish Temple,
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
a great example of Indo - Aryan architecture with its marvelous sculptures:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
We then visited the City Palace. Standing on the east bank of Lake Pichola, it is a massive series of palaces built at different times from the mid 16th century.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
Inside the palace the way leads to a series of courtyards, overlapping parations, terraces, corridors and gardens:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
For some relaxation we headed to a nice park, where Gulliver could freshen up:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
-the white marble Lake Palace
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
- and Jag Mandir also called Lake Garden Palace,
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
known for its garden courtyard:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
where we enjoyed a nice and cold long coffee with marvelous views...
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
followed by one of those amazing sunsets one never forgets...
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
we then finished the day with ***** while enjoying the lake view from our room on Lake Pichola:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
All our pictures from Rajasthan
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Rajasthan - "The Pink City" of Jaipur
As we were approaching Rajasthan, camels and all sorts of animals and means of transportation were to be seen more often on the 'highway':
We arrived to Jaipur late afternoon and decided to start exploring 'the land of the Maharajas' at Choki Dhani, an ethnic village with typical Rajasthan-style setting and evening shows, offering also a uniqe experience of Rajasthani-style dining:
We have no idea what was on the menu, but typically there was something (a weird combination of spicy and sweet dishes one after the other) served on our plates every 2-3 minutes... we could hardly keep up with eating it all! But had a great time and it was definately a unique experience.
We found Jaipur in general a dusty, crowded, but colorful Indian awesomeness. The roads were congested with bicycle, camel or human pulled carts, motorcycles, rickshaws,
a scattering of cows in the middle of roundabouts, elephants, pigs and camels, many market stalls, colorful spices and nice and friendly people:
We were told by our guide that in 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him. Most of the downtown area is still pink and gives the impression of a 'planned' city, where the streets are are much wider and seem to be more organized – but only at first sight, since they are all extremely crowded with people and animals all around (perhaps this is due to more room equaling more congestion).
There are many forts and monuments in Jaipur that are worth seeing. First, we stopped in the Old Town at the "Palace of Winds", a beautiful building with its famous 953 small windows, which was built in such way to allow the the ladies of the palace to enjoy the festivals in the streets from the privacy of the palace, without being seen from outside.
Next, we traveled about 10 km outside the city to Amber Fort, made of white marble and red sandstone, which has a military look on the exterior,
trying to hide the beauty and impressive decoration inside. There are courts, pavilions and individual palaces that reflect the royal wealth and glory of the Moghul times, which undoubtedly captivates tourists with its minute mirror works, artistic quality and delicate design.
The best part of our visit to Amber Fort was of course approaching the front gate on elephant back, like the Maharajas of Rajasthan once did. Our "little Maharaja" in his red Swiss shirt enjoyed the ride so much that since then he only wants to travel on elephant back ;-)) (eh, difficult wish to fulfill, especially after returning to Switzerland!)
In the afternoon we visited the astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar (an expression of the astronomical skills of the court at the end of the Mughal period), with its huge instruments to measure time and space, which easily raise the interest of school children:
Right next to the observatory we visited the City Palace, where one can get a glimpse of Rajput and Moghul style of architectures. The palace complex consists of a set of buildings, courtyards and museums, connected through beautifully decorated white marble archways.
Since Maharaji still live in the inner parts of the palace today, some areas of the palace complex are off limits to the public. The taller white colored building in the background is the current personal residence of the Maharaja royalty:
....
After a long, dusty and extremely hot day in Jaipur we took some time to relax in the pool of "our palace", followed by a dinner & evening show at the rooftop restaurant - to get us ready for the night train to Udaipur...
All our photos from Rajasthan
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
We arrived to Jaipur late afternoon and decided to start exploring 'the land of the Maharajas' at Choki Dhani, an ethnic village with typical Rajasthan-style setting and evening shows, offering also a uniqe experience of Rajasthani-style dining:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
We have no idea what was on the menu, but typically there was something (a weird combination of spicy and sweet dishes one after the other) served on our plates every 2-3 minutes... we could hardly keep up with eating it all! But had a great time and it was definately a unique experience.
We found Jaipur in general a dusty, crowded, but colorful Indian awesomeness. The roads were congested with bicycle, camel or human pulled carts, motorcycles, rickshaws,
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
a scattering of cows in the middle of roundabouts, elephants, pigs and camels, many market stalls, colorful spices and nice and friendly people:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
We were told by our guide that in 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him. Most of the downtown area is still pink and gives the impression of a 'planned' city, where the streets are are much wider and seem to be more organized – but only at first sight, since they are all extremely crowded with people and animals all around (perhaps this is due to more room equaling more congestion).
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
There are many forts and monuments in Jaipur that are worth seeing. First, we stopped in the Old Town at the "Palace of Winds", a beautiful building with its famous 953 small windows, which was built in such way to allow the the ladies of the palace to enjoy the festivals in the streets from the privacy of the palace, without being seen from outside.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
Next, we traveled about 10 km outside the city to Amber Fort, made of white marble and red sandstone, which has a military look on the exterior,
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
trying to hide the beauty and impressive decoration inside. There are courts, pavilions and individual palaces that reflect the royal wealth and glory of the Moghul times, which undoubtedly captivates tourists with its minute mirror works, artistic quality and delicate design.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
The best part of our visit to Amber Fort was of course approaching the front gate on elephant back, like the Maharajas of Rajasthan once did. Our "little Maharaja" in his red Swiss shirt enjoyed the ride so much that since then he only wants to travel on elephant back ;-)) (eh, difficult wish to fulfill, especially after returning to Switzerland!)
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
In the afternoon we visited the astronomical observatory Jantar Mantar (an expression of the astronomical skills of the court at the end of the Mughal period), with its huge instruments to measure time and space, which easily raise the interest of school children:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
Right next to the observatory we visited the City Palace, where one can get a glimpse of Rajput and Moghul style of architectures. The palace complex consists of a set of buildings, courtyards and museums, connected through beautifully decorated white marble archways.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
Since Maharaji still live in the inner parts of the palace today, some areas of the palace complex are off limits to the public. The taller white colored building in the background is the current personal residence of the Maharaja royalty:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
After a long, dusty and extremely hot day in Jaipur we took some time to relax in the pool of "our palace", followed by a dinner & evening show at the rooftop restaurant - to get us ready for the night train to Udaipur...
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Rajasthan |
All our photos from Rajasthan
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
The Moghul city of Fatehpur Sikri
After our early-moning visit to the Taj we set off to visit the deserted Moghul kingdom of Fatehpur Sikri. An interesting story stands behind the 'ghost' city: Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of Akbar, the third and greatest of the Moghul emperors in the 16th century. He was unhappy because he did not have an heir and visited many holy men to pray for a son. In the village of Sikri he was told by a sheikh that he would have three sons and when the prophecy was fulfilled, Akbar was so impressed that he raised an entire new capital on the hill where the sheikh lived. However, the palace complex was deserted after a short period of 10-12 years, probably due to the failure of water supply.
We approached Fatehpur Sikri from the Royal Palace complex...
Inside the Palace complex, well preserved red sandstone buildings with fine decoration: Halls of Public and Private Audiance, Akbar's private chambers and of course houses of his several wives... one can tell from size of the palaces, which belonged to his 'favorite' wife. Akbar, though being Muslim, was open to Buddhism, Christianity and the Hindu faith and in Fatehpur Sikri it's visible the integration of different decorative elements from all religions.
But not only favorite wives deserved to be rewarded with grandious structures.... Akbar has also built an unusual stone tower to commemorate his favorite elephant:
Outside the Royal Palace complex, we visited the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. Already the gates and archways are impressive with their rich decoration in Persian and Hindu design:
The interior of the Jama Masjid is home of the tomb of the sheikh, a masterpiece in brilliant white marble, looking unique in an otherwise completely red sandstone complex. The tomb is mainly visited by childless women who tie a red ribbon and pray at the saint's shrine hoping for the parenthood Akbar was blessed with.
The Jama Masjid is also home of numerous local kids, begging for money, which is one of the saddest experiences in India... Since we knew that probably begging was carried out in 'organized' manner and most of the money would be taken from the kids anyway, we decided to encourage one of the small, 4-5-year-old boy to offer a 'service' in return to the money. We faced him with a challenge, promising to give him a few rupees if he would guess which country we were coming from... well, we were amazed to hear how many countries this small kid was able to list in just seconds!
--- Some Americans could definitely learn from these street kids in India... when making statements like "India is just like Egypt" (but that's another story) ---
Despite the numerous countries he knew, Hungary seemed to be a little too tough for the small boy. However, as we mentioned the name of the country, he was almost instantly shouting "BUDAPEST!" ... And we felt this was worth to be rewarded!
The sun started to be brutal at this time of the day and we went back to our car to continue our trip towards Rajasthan where our story continues...
All our photos from Uttar Pradesh
We approached Fatehpur Sikri from the Royal Palace complex...
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Uttar Pradesh |
Inside the Palace complex, well preserved red sandstone buildings with fine decoration: Halls of Public and Private Audiance, Akbar's private chambers and of course houses of his several wives... one can tell from size of the palaces, which belonged to his 'favorite' wife. Akbar, though being Muslim, was open to Buddhism, Christianity and the Hindu faith and in Fatehpur Sikri it's visible the integration of different decorative elements from all religions.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Uttar Pradesh |
But not only favorite wives deserved to be rewarded with grandious structures.... Akbar has also built an unusual stone tower to commemorate his favorite elephant:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Uttar Pradesh |
Outside the Royal Palace complex, we visited the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. Already the gates and archways are impressive with their rich decoration in Persian and Hindu design:
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Uttar Pradesh |
The interior of the Jama Masjid is home of the tomb of the sheikh, a masterpiece in brilliant white marble, looking unique in an otherwise completely red sandstone complex. The tomb is mainly visited by childless women who tie a red ribbon and pray at the saint's shrine hoping for the parenthood Akbar was blessed with.
 |
| From ASIA - INDIA - Uttar Pradesh |
The Jama Masjid is also home of numerous local kids, begging for money, which is one of the saddest experiences in India... Since we knew that probably begging was carried out in 'organized' manner and most of the money would be taken from the kids anyway, we decided to encourage one of the small, 4-5-year-old boy to offer a 'service' in return to the money. We faced him with a challenge, promising to give him a few rupees if he would guess which country we were coming from... well, we were amazed to hear how many countries this small kid was able to list in just seconds!
--- Some Americans could definitely learn from these street kids in India... when making statements like "India is just like Egypt" (but that's another story) ---
Despite the numerous countries he knew, Hungary seemed to be a little too tough for the small boy. However, as we mentioned the name of the country, he was almost instantly shouting "BUDAPEST!" ... And we felt this was worth to be rewarded!
The sun started to be brutal at this time of the day and we went back to our car to continue our trip towards Rajasthan where our story continues...
All our photos from Uttar Pradesh
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