In the interest of not having to write a cohesive narrative (and my readers’ diminutive attention spans, no offense) I’ve decided to keep this post, covering my holiday travels with my family, to a series of themed bullet points and photo collages.
Animal Related Highlights –
Attack of the Monkey Man – Stopped at a toll plaza, while our driver was conveniently inside doing paperwork, our car was descended upon by several leashed monkeys, including a momma who just happened to be breast feeding (see photo). The monkeys’ owners then demanded baksheesh, and when we did not immediately pay up, started banging on our windows and pulling the (fortunately locked) door handles. I know these guys were harmless – they do this routine many times daily to tourists – but let’s just say my Dad was just a little shaken up by the spectacle.
Elephant Ride – An enjoyable twenty minute ride on one of over a hundred elephants in a massive procession up the wall of Jaipur’s Amer Fort. “Now give me my tip” the elephant driver politely demanded when we arrived at the top.
Tiger(less) Safari – Two beautiful “tiger” safaris from an electric, open-topped jeep, one in the late afternoon and one at sunrise. Absolutely stunning scenery; no cats but we did see a variety of other animals like jackal, sambar deer, antelope, many gorgeous birds including wild peacocks, and the severed head of a cow that wandered from a nearby village into tiger territory.
Andrew, the Snake Charmer – I know that they’re defanged, but they’re still fun to watch, especially after Andrew sat down and played music with them.
Attack of the Holy Bees – Fatehpur Sikri was, at one point, the capital of Akbar’s Mougal Empire. Mystery surrounds why Akbar built –and deserted – this small town within a period of twenty years. One certainty remains though: the massive, gorgeous façade of the main mosque, at the top of an enormous staircase overlooking the city below, is absolutely swarming with bees. And souvenir salesmen.
The Pile of Puppies at Lal Ghat – A family of brutally adorable street puppies at the dock on Lake Pichola near our hotel in Udaipur. All seven were subsequently named, visited often, and (perhaps after one too many New Years Eve cocktails, at 1:30 in the morning) hugged and coddled.
Food Related Highlights-
Breakfast Metropolitan Hotel – I arrived in Delhi on the early AM train, but the family’s flight didn’t get in until late that night. So with 16 hours to kill and no real other option, I reluctantly threw on a bathrobe and ordered room service: potatoes, paranthas, yogurt, coriander chutney, Indian pickle, banana lassi, a cup of coffee and a Bloody Mary.
Andrew’s Homemade Beer – Quite possibly the most relevant Christmas gift ever. Andrew imported (smuggled?) for me a holiday five-pack of his latest homemade brew. The two Amber Ales were delicious – the three American Pale Ales are still bottle conditioning… should be ready soon, can’t wait.
Bread Alligator – I thought about putting this under the animals category. Not quite sure why, but this little fellow popped up at hotels all over Rajasthan.
Christmas Dinner – Christmas Dinner is more memorable when the waiter brings four funky-smelling bottles of Kingfisher beer, each with the expiration date carefully scratched off on the label.
Side trip for lunch in Bundi – We stopped for lunch during a long drive to Udaipur across Rajasthan in a sleepy little town called Bundi. At the base of a mountain situated around a lake, Bundi was a great respite from the pressure and chaos of the typical tourist-track. We enjoyed some delicious home-cooked Indian food; in fact, they never even took our order. They just brought us what they had ready in the kitchen, served it family style, and when we finished, brought more!
Rajasthani Daal Bati – Watching my family eat this typical Indian dish with their hands was quite a treat. Messy for them, funny for me.
Home Cooked Food – My worlds collided when my host family met my birth family, but things went really well and we had a great time. The Sclama’s joined the Dodia’s for lunch at their home, and after two weeks of hotel food, it was great to have some of Jyotsna’s home-cooking again!
Miscellaneous Cultural Notes
Raj Palace Hotel – This award winning heritage hotel in Jaipur is absolutely gorgeous, meticulous, perfect. Christmas Eve on the lawn was great, especially when they literally trumpeted and announced our name when we arrived for dinner… even though we were the only ones there at that point. Then they almost burned the place down with misfired-fireworks.
The Taj Mahal – There’s no denying it, this place deserves the reputation it has. Incredible, stunning, and serene. We were there for sunset and it was truly beautiful….the translucent marble just absorbs and radiates the hues of the setting sun.
Derailed and Mangled Train Next to the Highway– This is NOT what a foreigner planning to live and travel in India for 7 months wants his parents to see on the side of the road (see photo).
Bassi Fort Palace – Rajasthan is full of heritage hotels, basically mansions of former princely states rendered powerless when India got its sovereignty in 1947. Some are dilapidated, some are incredible. We found one roughly midway along that spectrum, in the small town of Bassi (at the last minute, due to a cancelled train reservation). Run by the nineteenth generation of family owners; photos of tiger hunts lined the walls, huge rooms decorated with authentic artifacts; sat by the firepit outside in the courtyard sipping cocktails….all for less than I paid for my room at the Howard Johnson in Kentucky last July.
Also Noteworthy – Mom dressed in a Sari. …Spending 4 hours on Christmas Day in a rug factory at Mom’s behest… spending New Years Day in the ER when Mom scratched her cornea (she’s ok now)… hmm, these all seem to involve Mom….
Lastly, Failed Experiments in Perspective Photography:
January 21, 2010 at 11:31 am |
These are jsut great and I want to go back NOW!!