India in Photos Continued: Chittaurgargh, Udaipur, & Return to Delhi

Chittaurgargh Fort

The drive from Pushkar to our next destination, Udaipur, was our longest stretch of highway of the entire tour.  Thankfully we had a stop planned at the beautiful Chittaurgargh Fort on the way to break up the journey.  We piled into motorized rickshaws that drove us up to and around the fort, stopping at various sites within the compound.  Our first stop was a Hindu temple for Krishna with architecture similar to Angkor Wat.  Just outside stood the smaller Meera Temple, both with ornately carved facades.

Our next stop was the Victory Tower, which celebrated victory over an invading Mughal army.  A few of us climbed to the top through a sort of ancient spiral staircase, detailed carvings following us the entire way to the top, where we enjoyed a nice, cool breeze and a view of the surrounding landscape.  

We also stopped by a small palace and a Jain temple, which included an ornate tower similar in design to the Victory Tower, during our visit.

And zipped by a local woman carrying a bundle on her head, as we made our way back to the bus in our rickshaws.

Udaipur

That night we arrived in Udaipur, my favorite city of the tour, staying in a quaint hotel called Mewar Haveli, with a beautiful rooftop patio overlooking the lake.  The next morning we explored the town with our guide, first stopping by another beautiful Hindu temple of Vishnu, complete with more intricate carvings, including quite a few elephants.

We spent the next few hours at the City Palace, a sprawling complex with stunning architecture and views of both the lake and the city.  Many of the rooms were decorated with paintings - both frescos and actual canvas - and many were filled with period furniture.

The streets of Udaipur were fun to explore on our own - the winding alleys in the center of the city are too narrow for cars, so it was much quieter than other cities we had visited.  Instead, the roads were full of the ever-present Indian trio:  motorbikes, rickshaws, and cows.

The following morning, we set off on a day trip to Ranakpur, passing through sprawling farmland and a number of small villages en route to an astoundingly beautiful Jain temple.  Built in 1460, the temple was constructed on 1444 pillars, each completely unique.  A massive structure of white marble, I was blown away both by how large the exterior was, and how incredibly gorgeous and detailed the interior was.  Our guide wasn't allowed to enter with us, so I spent a full hour slowly wandering through the cross-shaped floorplan of the temple, taking in the long corridors, intricate columns, ornate ceilings, and delicate details of the marble structure.  It was one of my favorite stops of the entire trip, well worth the long drive, and I could have easily spent much longer than the allotted hour exploring!!

The following morning, we packed up our bags to be sent to Delhi, and ventured through the City Palace to catch a boat for a leisurely ride around the lake, enjoying the blue skies and cool breeze.  As we cruised around, we saw the city palace, a large pavilion where boats would have launched for the Maharanas, kids swimming and splashing near the shore, and even a few locals doing laundry and bathing on the opposite bank.  We stopped by the Lake Palace to explore for about half an hour before piling back onto the boat to return to have lunch and prepare for our departure.

We had an overnight train ride booked to Delhi, which was an experience in and of itself.  We were definitely not in first class, as a group of eight of us were given seats in a car surrounded by locals, with seats in groups of six (three on each side) with a pair of opposing seats on the other side of a narrow walkway.  When it was time to sleep, we flipped up the platforms to sleep, three on each side in our small open compartment.  The beds didn't have a curtain (though the compartment as a whole did), and paper bags with basic sheets were passed out by the train workers.  Sleeping was a bit rough as the train jerked about all night, and as we all sat in fear of the tiny roaches running around, that they might scurry over us in the night!  And the next morning, instead of nice scenery in the early morning light, we mostly caught views of piles of trash and local men doing their business, squatting next to the tracks.  

Delhi

Back in Delhi, we explored Humayun's Tomb, an impressive structure that looks like a smaller version of the Taj Mahal, constructed in sandstone and marble.  (And rather than built by a husband for his wife, this was built by a wife for her deceased husband, and also utilized as a tomb for other members of the same family.)  The geometrical shapes and symmetry of the mausoleum were beautiful to explore.

Just around the corner, we also visited Isa Khan's Garden Tomb, a much smaller structure with a white central dome, surrounded by smaller blue domes.  The interior ceiling of the structure was spectacularly decorated in beautiful detail.

We spent our remaining time in Delhi exploring local markets and having a lengthy group dinner at a nearby restaurant called R2Square, where we had celebrated our arrival just over a week before, sipping beer, sharing small plates, and reminiscing about the journey as Bollywood music videos played in the background.  Over the next few hours, members of the group slowly departed, some that evening, many the next morning, a few the following afternoon, back home, or onward to our next destinations...

For me, that destination would be Nepal :)

India in Photos Continued: Jaipur, Pushkar, and the Holi Festival

Jaipur

We packed a lot of sightseeing into our brief time in Jaipur.  We stayed at a heritage hotel, the Mahal Khandela, a gorgeous colonial home, well-furnished with patios that wrapped around an interior courtyard.  After a late arrival from Agra, we woke up early to swing by the Palace of the Winds for this stunning view of the unique architecture in the morning light.  Most of the buildings in the interior section of Jaipur are the same light coral color, earning it the nickname the "pink city".

While the Elephant Festival we had been promised was cancelled for the year, we were able to take a ride to the entrance of the Amber Fort on the backs of these beautiful creatures, who were decorated in bright colors and patterns for Holi.

The Amber Fort was one of my favorite places on the entire tour - between the architecture, the beautiful light, and the opportunity we had to simply explore the expansive grounds on our own.  The facade of the entryway was beautifully decorated with colorful paintings of Ganesh, flowers, and organic designs, and the windows above were covered with geometric latticework, which allowed the women of the fort to see out without being viewed from the outside.

After departing the fort, we visited a rug and textile shop, allowing our tour group the opportunity for some shopping.  We were given a demonstration in the block printing and rug making process before being given an elaborate sales pitch for the rugs themselves.  Yes, I bought a rug.  Yes, it is beautiful.  

We also explored the textile shop, many members of the group buying beautiful scarves, bedding, and saris.  I was too exhausted from haggling for my rug to go through the same effort for a sari, but I did at least try one on

Following a much-needed lunch break, we paid a relatively quick visit to the observatory, an outdoor area with dozens of structures used as sundials and for various other celestial measures.  It was brutally hot and packed with tour groups, so we didn't stay long, but we did learn a bit about the importance of astrology in Indian life:  marriage dates are carefully chosen based on the positions of the celestial bodies and the birth dates of the marriage candidates.  

A visit to the nearby City Palace included an exhibit of royal clothing, a film set for a Bollywood Music video, and a group of men in brightly colored yellow turbans dancing and playing music outside, pulling in members of the crowd to join in the celebration.

As we drove through the streets of Jaipur nearing sunset, we noticed elaborate set-ups of wood, covered with strings of cow dung and flowers, being carefully tended to by women in brightly colored saris.  These were actually pyres being prepared to celebrate the start of Holi, and as soon as the sun set, we could see the fires being lit and smell the smoke filling the air.

Pushkar - Holi Festival

We awoke before dawn, dressing all in white to begin our journey to Pushkar, where we would actually be celebrating the Holi Festival.  We stayed at the Majestic Palace Hotel, which had a beautiful interior garden, a tasty vegetarian restaurant, and even a pool, and we were given beautiful strands of flowers upon arriving.  Our tour organizers had set up a very safe, sheltered Holi experience for us, bringing in some local performers, piles of colored dust, and buckets of water for the five groups to celebrate with.  

While we had a great time "playing at Holi" with our fellow tour group members, we weren't satisfied to have the segregated experience, and our group made the long walk into the center of town to see the real thing in action.  The first thing I noticed was that all the local women and children were safely in or just outside their homes - from a local perspective, this was a male-only celebration.  The only women walking around were westerners.  So this is my disclaimer:  I would definitely not recommend participating in Holi in India as a solo female.  Be absolutely certain that you have at least a small group and at least some men with you.  We did unfortunately see one young woman who was by herself who had been molested by a crowd of men.  Luckily she didn't appear to have been physically hurt, but it was a sobering reality of the festival going on around us.  

However, as a whole, it was fascinating to see the "real" Holi experience happening around us.  Surprisingly, the main celebration - happening inside a central square - seemed much more like a rage than anything.  Everyone was covered in bright pink and purple paint, jumping and dancing in a mass to blasting house music.  Any men that entered the crowd had their shirts ripped off immediately (thankfully they didn't touch the women), the remnants of fabric tossed onto overhanging power lines.  We wove through the crowd briefly, just to see it, then sat down nearby to have cups of chai, watching the celebration before heading back to rest and get cleaned up.

Another note:  make sure to cover your body and hair in coconut oil before participating in Holi.  We weren't ever given the warning, and many members of our tour group (particularly the women who already color-treated their hair) left India many days later still sporting green and purple hair, and it took me a couple of days and many, many showers to get the dye off my skin!