our trip to agra (in words)

this was a short trip, 2 days, but we packed a lot into those 48 hours. belu picked us up again...(he had driven us to jaipur as well), really early in the morning and we drove 4 hours on the 'highway' between delhi and agra. 40 kms outside of agra is a place called fateh pur sikri (pronounced fah-tee purr seek-ree), which was the mughals' capital city for 10 years in the mid 1500s under akbar the great. inability to get and maintain a water supply forced them to abandon the city and move to agra, where they then built the agra fort. yeah, totally abandoned the city...it's bizarre. i mean, it was a huge structure...the guy had a mosque, a musicians' platform, a human sized chess board where his harem would dress up and play the pieces, summer and winter bedrooms, etc. it must have been a bummer not to get water...unfortunately he didn't realize it's in a desert, much like vegas. oops.

the next morning, bright and early...6:30 am, we were at the taj mahal. we went that early for 3 reasons: 1...the light is beautiful on the white marble, 2...it's far less crowded, and 3...it's not sooo frickin' hottttt that early in the morning! so, the taj...never in my life did i really ever imagine seeing it. very surreal. it is beautiful and inspiring and unbelievable. it is a mausoleum which was built in the mid 1600s by shahjahan for his favorite wife, mumtaz who died in childbirth. he was completely devestated and wanted to build the greatest tribute ever. it took over 1,000 elephants and 20,000 laborers and artisans 22 years to complete. it's earthquake proof and has  endured several invasions and wars. this was the first time white marble was used to create such a structure and if built today, would cost in the trillions of dollars. everything in the grounds is symmetrical except for shahjahan's tomb which is offset to his wife's centered remains. it's worth reading up on if you don't really know the story. he spent so much money on this and other forts and buildings that his son imprisoned him so his inheritance wouldn't be depleted. he was confined there for 7 years and shahjahan died in his palatial prison which is at the agra fort. he had a great view up the yamuna river of the taj and his wife's memorial. rumor has it that before he was imprisoned, he started building another mausoleum across the river in black marble where he was to be entombed. we went to the park to see the foundation and happened upon a pakistani music star filming a video for one of her songs. that was fun to watch, but more impressive, considering how incredibly hot it was and how much we were sweating! surely she must also have been perspiring in her jeans and long shirt... all in all, it was a great day spent around one of the world's most recognizable monuments...not a bad way to pass the time...  : )   hope all's well with you. love, j

our trip to agra

the "pink city," jaipur (in words)

the first few pics are of the drive to jaipur from delhi. it was a little hilarious cause i thought...huh...260 kms, the speed limit's 90...we'll be there in 3 hours with a potty break. hmm, i forgot to take into consideration all of the other 'traffic' on the road! i don't think we ever reached 90 kmh. driving into jaipur we saw the lake palace that no one really knew the name of. someone at least told us that it was being restored and they hoped to open it to the public sometime in the near future. that's one thing i love about india...there's something architecturally ancient and/or amazing around every corner, but most people shrug their shoulders as to what it is or for what it was built. 

the next series of pics are from the amber fort. before getting there we read up on it in our 'lonely planet' book and knew that elephants were used to cart tourists up and down the long ramps leading from the main road to the fort entrance. we also read that they are out of their elements, aren't treated very well...like not enough water, are overworked and burn their feet on the pavement. well, that's all it took for me to not want to ride them, but on the bright side, an activist organization is stepping in and building a better home for them and trying to regulate their working hours. i didn't want the handler of the baby in the photo to know i was taking a picture otherwise he would have asked for money, like the snake charmers and people with monkeys that do tricks. that part makes me sad, but one of indira ghandi's daughters-in-law is heavily involved in animal advocacy and is significantly reducing this kind of exhibition in india. hooray!! so, ...where was i...the amber fort...huuuge! this citadel was primarily built in 1592, with additions and renovations taking place over the subsequent 150 years until the then capital was moved to jaipur. royalty lived here which accounts for the mirrored palace that could be well lit by a single candle. 

up on top of the hill is the even older jaigairth fort. they're connected by underground tunnels and are largely considered one fort with the external walls surrounding both edifices. although it seems quite close, it took us 20 minutes to drive the winding road upwards. it houses the world's largest wheeled canon that was made within the fort's own armory. the view was amazing and that was before i spotted a huge troop of monkeys in the trees nearby. the fort was cool and all, but monkeys rule! on our way out we saw a few touristy things and despite having to pay 10 rupees to take the photo, i wanted one of the snake charmer because the two boys seemed as if they were the ones in a trance. poor snakes... and further down i saw the camel and his handler. he let us pet his camel and it was very sweet to see it gently rubbing his head on the man who couldn't help but smile.

we stayed in old jaipur which is actually the "pink city" part of jaipur. during the 1870s, the prince of wales visited the city, and in his honor, the prime minister made everyone paint all the buildings pink because he thought it was a happy, welcoming color. the tradition has continued all of these years and despite the dirty and run down feel to the old town, we were assured annual fresh coats of paint are applied. hawa mahal palace is the 5 story tiara shaped facade with over 100 peep hole windows for royal women to see what was happening in the streets below without being seen. along the streets every morning we'd see huge piles of greens and vegetables/fruits put out on the sidewalk or edge of the street for the cows roaming around. i have never seen that in delhi or kathmandu...people actually feeding and taking care of their livestock! wow. and another pic shows a guy making fried cakes in the blazing heat...not a job i covet...but i did think his halter top was cute. the only other notable about jaipur was all of the elephants and camels working on the streets. they were hauling loads of whatever, wherever, but right along side cars and motorcycles and mopeds and bicycles. again, a little disturbing, but we also saw horses, bulls and buffalos hauling carts as well. 

the last set of photos is of the bizarre place jantar mantar. emperor singh built 5 such astronomical units all over the indian state of rajasthan from 1727-1733. the one in jaipur is the most impressive and massive, housing the world's largest sundial, astrological doo-hickies, planet whatcha ma doodles, eclipse thinga ma bobbies and lots of other fascinating and incredibly accurate mechanisms. if you're interested to know more, it can all be at your virtual fingertips with a google search. considering i have a few more sets of pics to post, you may want to choose your favs... : )  hope all's well and i hear from you soon. love, j

the "pink city," jaipur

a few 'hot' delhi sites (in words)

these photos are from the first week i spent in delhi. our friend, lydia, came out for a long weekend and we toured a few places. more importantly, however, that weekend, was that we spent a lot of time at the air conditioned western mall, ate really good food from different ethnic restaurants and saw 'sex in the city' on the big screen...again, in air conditioning. did i mention delhi was reeeeeally hot?! one day it reached 46 degrees celsius (114 F) ...shocking, i know. but, we made the most of it and endured the heat so we could site-see with all the indians (they tend to travel on the off (monsoon) season cause it's cheaper, as well). so, first, there are a few pics of the sandstone red fort which is masssssive! it's a unesco world heritage site and was mostly completed in 1638 (with later additions) by emperor shahjahan and the mughals. during the mid 1800s the british claimed it and used it as a military post and housed many soldiers. now, it's a tourist site and the place where the prime minister of india traditionally addresses the nation every august 15th, independence from britain day.  from there we wandered across the street to the jain's bird hospital. the jain religion is such that they are vegetarians and won't even eat potatoes or other tubers and root vegetables because digging them up kills insects and worms. they go to great lengths to protect and convalesce all animals and have this large hospital with tons of re-cooperating avifauna. it was something to see...tons of feathered friends with casts on their wings, bandages on their heads and bodies, etc. as you can imagine, the majority were pigeons, but plenty of parrots, canaries and birds of prey. 

from there we went to humayun's tomb which is both another unesco world heritage site example of mughal architecture...the first, actually, in india. emperor humayun's wife had the mausoleum built for him in 1562 and it took 8 years till completion. it's the same style as the taj mahal, but not so extravagant. it's part of a huge complex that which began construction in the 1200s, but under different rule. they all had water tanks and irrigation systems with summer and winter living areas based on utilizing the cooling wind and sun's warmth.

then you'll see a few snapshots from lodhi gardens. this place is also from the 16th century. it's one of a few remaining examples of muslim architecture within delhi from the pashtun, lodhi muslim dynasty. there are a few mausoleums and mosques and people used to live in these grounds up until 1936, but then the government relocated them and turned it into a park. joggers and strollers love it as it's navigable by nice blacktop pathways and is loaded with fantastic old trees and lovely flowering bushes and plants. it was really quiet and somewhat of an oasis from the crazy city din. ...except that it was hotter than hell... lol! 

next are pics of the lotus temple which was built by people of the baha'i religion, took about a dozen years to complete and was finished in 1986. this expressionist architectural design is comprised of 27 marble clad petals in clusters of 3 to create 9 peaks with 9 entrances and 9 pools which were designed to cool the temple when the air off the water comes in through the vents underneath. it's won all sorts of awards and is one of the most visited sights in the world attracting 4 million visitors a year, or 9 a minute. (did i say i love 'wikipedia?') it is beautiful with a very simple interior and sprawling green exterior. i must say though, we had to take our shoes off quite a ways away from the temple and, despite a wet canvas runner placed on the sidewalk, it was still really hot on our tender, pink feet...yeeouch! afterwards there was a very interesting museum we browsed explaining the origins of the religion and the different temples around the world. there's one in wilmette, illinois, on lake michigan. 

just a taste of our trip...i experienced and saw so many amazing things...i'll post more pics soon; it takes a while to load and describe. take care and i hope your summer's not been as hot as delhi's... love, j

a few 'hot' delhi sites

ahhh, the ocean!

so we're in goa, which is down the indian coast on the western side...south of mumbai (bombay) on the arabian sea. it's so beautiful and quaint and the people are so laid back. we wanted to spend a week on the beach and are fortunate enough to be doing it. now, when i say beach, that means walking along because it's monsoon season here and the waves are quite heavy and undercurrents very strong, but it's the ocean and beach none-the-less, so i'm soaking up as much of it as i can before heading back to land locked nepal on sunday. we rented a scooter and have been cruising all around spending time on different beaches and checking out some local sites. 9 months out of the year, this place is really hopping with trance raves and crazy beach parties with people from all over the world. fresh tropical fruits and cashews and lots and lots of seafood are on every menu. most places are closed up for the season now, so it's pretty quiet, but that is just fine with me! we got off season rates and are staying in this fabulous portuguese villa for the week. it only has 6 rooms and we're up in the spacious penthouse surrounded by a big garden of gorgeous tropical flowers, wild pigs in the distance, geckos on our walls and lots of peace and tranquility. also something you don't find in kathmandu. we've been told the garbage strike is still rendering the 'du 'stanky' and political woes continue. christy's a little more excited to return than i am, but she's been away much longer than i have. we get back on sunday and i have lots of photos to post from our travels. we've seen some amazing things, but sorry, no photos of the cantaloupe sized testicle...for those of you who asked! : ) i just wanted to say hi for now, but will write more later.

the pink city

jaipur was nice, but definitely a new tourist experience for me. we got picked up from our guest house in delhi, were driven the 5 hours in an air conditioned car, had an english speaking tour guide while in jaipur, were driven all around, up to sights and taken to restaurants. after a day and a half of driving through the city ...in ac, we wanted to walk ...in the heat. with that said, we did see some pretty old and amazing things: forts, palaces, astronomy sites, temples, the old city, our hotel, monkeys, camels and elephants. it had a much more rural feel to it than delhi, but very interesting none-the-less. lots of cows and goats in the streets and people would lay down big piles of greens to feed them in the morning. there were camels and elephants pulling carts on the streets and used for tourist attractions. this made me very uncomfortable, until i saw one man nuzzling with his camel. i have pics, but can't load them until i get back to kathmandu. i'll only be able to get a couple on, if i'm lucky and the internet cooperates. while in jaipur, we also went to a late night bollywood movie in a decadent theater. it was packed and it was fun to see the dynamics of it all. now we're back in delhi and will head to agra to see the taj mahal on wednesday. i'll try to update more again soon. hot and sweaty greetings to everyone. love, j

i'm in delhi...and it's really hot!

yeah, africa was hot, but this is hot aaaaand super humid. a lovely combination, but non-detouring in our endeavors and sightseeing. albeit, we may just do them a little more slowly...and still sweat immensely, ...but we still do it! the first couple days i was here with our friend, lydia, from our kathmandu digs. she said she was pleasantly surprised that what she had remembered of delhi several years ago seemed significantly different now. it used to be referred to as 'smelly', but now, it's so much better than kathmandu...partly because there's a garbage strike there now, but still, it has a lot of air pollution! so, delhi is quite clean comparatively. the streets were relatively clean, the buses and rickshaws have all been switched to compressed natural gas and have no emissions, and relative to asia, things seemed more tidy and well kept. very few times a day do i see a motorized vehicle spewing exhaust. more often do i smell the sweet scent of gardenia or jasmine, or even, the spicy aroma of indian food being cooked...not pollution. we've eaten at nice restaurants, seen 'sex in the city' (although we're sure it was 'asia editted'), had yummy home made ice cream, shopped at a mall, and all in all, had a nice time. lydia went home a few days ago, but christy and i have continued our pursuit of western niceties which have included chocolate molten cake, chai and doritos...not all together, though, cause that'd make me sick. : ) we take 3 wheeled motorized rickshaws all over town and they are cheaper than taxis in the 'du. while waiting at stop lights...which doesn't happen in the 'du, usually kids and ailing people will come up to the open side of the rickshaw begging, selling trinkets/books/magazines/calculators/light up pens/etc. well, the ailing ones just ask for some rupees. it's hard to decipher who needs it and who doesn't. christy has a rule about giving to older women, but we both agreed that the man who walked around the stopped vehicle and entered our line of vision while wearing no pants so as to make sure we saw the cantaloupe sized testicle he was baring, deserved a few rupees. geesh. some things you see here are so beautiful and majestic and even heart warming, but then you turn your head and there's something equally as disturbing or heart wrenching. i've never seen a place of such extreme, in your face contrasts before...and in such numbers. there are a lot of people in india! so, this is quick, but i wanted to post, for those of you who are checking. i will try to add some photos soon. tomorrow we are heading to jaipur, 'the pink city', for 2 nights; we'll return to delhi on sunday. take care, love, janice

read'em and weep

...ok, well, that's what i did! if the visa processes for both the indian, multiple-entry, 6 month visa on the left and my nepali work visa on the right hadn't have been so ridiculously complicated, i wouldn't feel the need to post them. but, since it was, i feel like this is my victory lap cyber-style! now the real test comes...i actually have to use them to enter india and return to nepal...wish me luck!!! : )  i'll let you know how that goes. love and never happier to have 2 friggin' stamps in my life, janice