If you close your eyes and dream about going to India from Africa......it might become a nightmare!
It begins at 8:30 am leaving our hotel in Johannesburg (which happens to be next to the airport), to catch our 11:00 am flight to Nairobi. Finding it cancelled - although they tell you it's just delayed, we would miss our connecting flight from Nairobi to Mumbai, India. We finally got a flight leaving at 1:00 pm-but it was delayed until 2:00 pm. The flight took 4- 1/2 hours to Nairobi, then we waited 5 hours for the next flight to Mumbai (which was delayed another hour), flew 6 hours to Mumbai, waited in the airport for 3 hours for our flight to Udaipur, India. (We were supposed to spend the night in Mumbai, but with delays we missed a full night). It was a 1- 1/2 hours to Udaipur, then picked up at the airport and driven 40 minutes to where we caught a short boat ride to our amazingly beautiful Oberoi Hotel set on Lake Pichola. It is a palace and a welcome site. That was a 24 hour ordeal. India has it's own time change across the whole country and we are 12 1/2 hours ahead of USA mountain time.
We have come to India the last two weeks of the projected monsoon season so it is not quite tourist time yet (which helps on the cost of our hotels). The hills are green and beautiful in the countryside and the people have a pleasant aura about them.
Around the towns and temple areas there are masses of people but it seems to be a harmonic chaos. There are cars, tuk tuk's, camel carts, donkey's, cows, dogs, kids, and even some elephants all using the roads. If you are walking-don't stop, as the traffic around you predicts where you are going and flows around you. Horns honk at each and every passing (on the right, left, or middle, it doesn't matter) as a courtesy- "I'm here" and not "Get out of my way". It is like a pebble flowing down a river-taking the path of least resistance.
We have hired a car and driver to take us around the cities and drive us between cities. (Since it is not high season the flights are not running this time of year). Our driver's name is Anis (say Ah nees). He is 30 years old, married, and has 2 children. He will drive us from Udaipur to Jaipur (5 hours), to Agra (6 hours), to Delhi (4 hours), as well as on our touring.
Udaipur has been called the other Venice. There are many man made lakes dating back to the 16th century, with palaces and lush gardens and towns built around them. The Oberoi Hotel is on Lake Pichola and is a copy of the palace. We are in an amazing suite with its own swimming pool and butler.
There are three palaces owned by the royal family, the City Palace, the Monsoon Palace and the Summer Palace. The Winter Palace or City Palace is in the main town, the Monsoon Palace is high on the hillside and is used during the rainy season, as it is above the clouds, and the Summer Palace (also known as the Pleasure Palace) is out in the middle of the lake. The royalty of Udaipur, the Mewar, have been in control for many centuries. They were never conquered but had to make a couple of treaties in order to survive. The royal family is figure head only but has much respect and honor. The Maharaja recently won first prize in the Concourse d Elegance in California for one of his Rolls Royce. The James Bond movie Octopussy was filmed in Udaipur and used cars from the the Maharaja's family collection.
Morning yoga at the hotel begins the day, and then we are off to explore. The City Palace has part of it in use as the Palace, part of it is a hotel, and the other part is a museum. The doors into the courtyard have large spikes part way up. They were to deter ramming elephants from getting inside.
The Monsoon palace:
The Pleasure Palace or Summer Palace:
There are 33,000 Hindu Gods. The main Hindu Gods are Braham the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Shiva is a good God. He destroys evil.
The Shiva Temple was alive with sounds and bright colored sarees as they all came to give offerings. We removed our shoes and walked through the Temple.
A drive to the countryside to see the real life of the Indian people is an eye catching experience. The confusion seems overwhelming but everyone makes their way without accident. The things you can see along 100 feet of roadway are: barbers cutting hair; people pressing clothes with heavy old fashioned irons, tailors sewing; fruits and vegetable vendors; and of course, wall to wall people, cows, camels, donkeys, cars, bicycles, and motorbikes. These sights and sounds leave a colorful mosaic etched in your mind. Women doing hard construction labor in their sarees while most of the men are relaxing and chatting in small circles. Women seem to be in charge of goat tending, hauling water and other freight on top of their heads.
The Temple located in Nagda was built in the 10th and 11th cenuries and is 25 kilometers outside of Udaipur. There are 108 temples. We went to the Sas-Bahu temple totally carved out of marble. It was dedicated to the God Vishnu, the preserver. The carvings both inside and outside are incredible, and they only had a chisel available to them at that time. There are lots of erotic carvings here.
The small village of Kailashpuri dates back to the 8th century and we bought offerings of flowers to give to the priest at the Eklingji Temple. Alive with color and sounds, we watched offerings and people rubbing henna on a sacred cow, all for the Shiva God. As a sign of respect the people will often bow down and touch the ground as a sign of respect for the Gods and their Elders before they enter the Temples.
A folklore performance was performed in a courtyard near the river in the evening. They had music, dancing and a puppet show.
It begins at 8:30 am leaving our hotel in Johannesburg (which happens to be next to the airport), to catch our 11:00 am flight to Nairobi. Finding it cancelled - although they tell you it's just delayed, we would miss our connecting flight from Nairobi to Mumbai, India. We finally got a flight leaving at 1:00 pm-but it was delayed until 2:00 pm. The flight took 4- 1/2 hours to Nairobi, then we waited 5 hours for the next flight to Mumbai (which was delayed another hour), flew 6 hours to Mumbai, waited in the airport for 3 hours for our flight to Udaipur, India. (We were supposed to spend the night in Mumbai, but with delays we missed a full night). It was a 1- 1/2 hours to Udaipur, then picked up at the airport and driven 40 minutes to where we caught a short boat ride to our amazingly beautiful Oberoi Hotel set on Lake Pichola. It is a palace and a welcome site. That was a 24 hour ordeal. India has it's own time change across the whole country and we are 12 1/2 hours ahead of USA mountain time.
We have come to India the last two weeks of the projected monsoon season so it is not quite tourist time yet (which helps on the cost of our hotels). The hills are green and beautiful in the countryside and the people have a pleasant aura about them.
Around the towns and temple areas there are masses of people but it seems to be a harmonic chaos. There are cars, tuk tuk's, camel carts, donkey's, cows, dogs, kids, and even some elephants all using the roads. If you are walking-don't stop, as the traffic around you predicts where you are going and flows around you. Horns honk at each and every passing (on the right, left, or middle, it doesn't matter) as a courtesy- "I'm here" and not "Get out of my way". It is like a pebble flowing down a river-taking the path of least resistance.
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| Tuk tuk's are the local taxi's |
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| Camel in the road |
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| Masses of people |
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| Donkey in the road |
We have hired a car and driver to take us around the cities and drive us between cities. (Since it is not high season the flights are not running this time of year). Our driver's name is Anis (say Ah nees). He is 30 years old, married, and has 2 children. He will drive us from Udaipur to Jaipur (5 hours), to Agra (6 hours), to Delhi (4 hours), as well as on our touring.
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| Barb with Anis |
Udaipur has been called the other Venice. There are many man made lakes dating back to the 16th century, with palaces and lush gardens and towns built around them. The Oberoi Hotel is on Lake Pichola and is a copy of the palace. We are in an amazing suite with its own swimming pool and butler.
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| Our first view of the Oberoi Hotel coming in on a boat |
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| From the garden |
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| The private pool for our Suite |
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| Barb at our suite |
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| The candle room at the hotel |
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| Barb and Scott |
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| Barb coming from workout |
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| Our Suite |
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| Our bathroom in the suite |
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| Bedroom |
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| Dinner in the restaurant |
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| Swimming in the hotel pool |
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| Scott at our private pool |
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| Night view |
There are three palaces owned by the royal family, the City Palace, the Monsoon Palace and the Summer Palace. The Winter Palace or City Palace is in the main town, the Monsoon Palace is high on the hillside and is used during the rainy season, as it is above the clouds, and the Summer Palace (also known as the Pleasure Palace) is out in the middle of the lake. The royalty of Udaipur, the Mewar, have been in control for many centuries. They were never conquered but had to make a couple of treaties in order to survive. The royal family is figure head only but has much respect and honor. The Maharaja recently won first prize in the Concourse d Elegance in California for one of his Rolls Royce. The James Bond movie Octopussy was filmed in Udaipur and used cars from the the Maharaja's family collection.
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| With the MG |
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| Scott had a 1957 MG in high school. The interior of this '47 MG is the same as Scott's '57. |
Morning yoga at the hotel begins the day, and then we are off to explore. The City Palace has part of it in use as the Palace, part of it is a hotel, and the other part is a museum. The doors into the courtyard have large spikes part way up. They were to deter ramming elephants from getting inside.
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| The spikes on the upper part of the gates of the city palace were there to deter elephants from ramming the gate |
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| Scott at the winter palace or city palace |
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| There are lots of paintings on the walls |
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| Inside the city palace |
There are horse stalls at the city palace (made out of marble), and in the center of the courtyard there are actually places made for the elephants to rest with raised edges so it is easier for them to get up. Big metal rings with chains are in the marble floor.
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Their horses are a different breed with funny hooked ears.
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Marble horse stalls
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The Monsoon palace:
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View of the Monsoon palace
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| Monkeys at the top of the Monsoon Palace |
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| The monsoon palace |
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| View from the top |
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| Nursing monkey-that looks like it might hurt! |
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| The Pleasure palace-out on an island in the middle of the lake |
The Shiva Temple was alive with sounds and bright colored sarees as they all came to give offerings. We removed our shoes and walked through the Temple.
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| Large crowds going to the temple |
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| Wormen sell flowers for offerings |
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| Beautiful carvings |
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| Erotic carvings seem to be on all temples |
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| Very colorful |
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| Scott |
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| Women walk around temples clockwise |
A drive to the countryside to see the real life of the Indian people is an eye catching experience. The confusion seems overwhelming but everyone makes their way without accident. The things you can see along 100 feet of roadway are: barbers cutting hair; people pressing clothes with heavy old fashioned irons, tailors sewing; fruits and vegetable vendors; and of course, wall to wall people, cows, camels, donkeys, cars, bicycles, and motorbikes. These sights and sounds leave a colorful mosaic etched in your mind. Women doing hard construction labor in their sarees while most of the men are relaxing and chatting in small circles. Women seem to be in charge of goat tending, hauling water and other freight on top of their heads.
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| Typical Tuk tuk (taxi) |
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| Cows everywhere |
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| Barb with the BMW and the cow |
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| The wormen are hard workers |
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| Hard worker |
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| Pressing clothes with an old heavy iron |
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| Yes, this is a barber shop |
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| Women tending the goats |
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Women doing the work
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Women doing the washing
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| A lemon with peppers on a tail pipe brings good luck |
The Temple located in Nagda was built in the 10th and 11th cenuries and is 25 kilometers outside of Udaipur. There are 108 temples. We went to the Sas-Bahu temple totally carved out of marble. It was dedicated to the God Vishnu, the preserver. The carvings both inside and outside are incredible, and they only had a chisel available to them at that time. There are lots of erotic carvings here.
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| We passed water buffalo along the way |
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| Small erotic carving |
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| Erotic Carving |
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| Interior carving |
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| More carvings |
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| Completely carved from marble |
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| Scott |
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| Ancient carvers appreciated the beauty of the female form |
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| View of temple |
The small village of Kailashpuri dates back to the 8th century and we bought offerings of flowers to give to the priest at the Eklingji Temple. Alive with color and sounds, we watched offerings and people rubbing henna on a sacred cow, all for the Shiva God. As a sign of respect the people will often bow down and touch the ground as a sign of respect for the Gods and their Elders before they enter the Temples.
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Going into the temple in the village
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| Women carry everything on their head |
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| In the village |
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| They rub the sacred cow with henna |
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| School boys in the village |
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| Selling corn in the village - notice she is sitting on the table - I wish I could do that! |
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| Village life |
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| Enjoy some water or lunch |
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| Women in their sarees going to the temple |
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| Dancing with 12 clay pots on her head |
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| The music for the performance |
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| Folklore dancing Now we are off to Jaipur. |
