(Note: I found and LOVE Flickr…Here are few pics to describe a few of our sites and I’m working on posting all of them.)
We just spent a fabulous week with Mark’s sisters, Julie & Kathleen this past week. They arrived to Delhi last Saturday night in great spirits and we spent Sunday touring around Humayan’s Tomb, India Gate and the Presidential Palace then headed to Khan Market for some lunch and shopping. They had a little jet lag but plowed right through.
Mark, Julie & Kathleen
On Monday morning, we woke very early to take the 6:15 train to Agra to see Fatehpur Sikri which is about an hour away and of course, the Taj! Agra is not the most pleasant city and the train timings are spread out which is why we thought Fatehpur Sikri would allow to spend a little time outside the actual city – and what we’ve heard, it’s a very neat site. We also booked reservations at the Oberoi for cocktails to help cushion our afternoon. We got to the station right as the train was pulling up and settled into our 2 hour ride…however the terrible dense fog had different plans for us. We got in three hours late and had to skip Fatehpur Sikri because of time. Our driver, Mr. Laal, informed us that if the train is late going south, it will be late coming back north. He offered a driver to take us back to Delhi that evening and to help us with refunding our return train tickets. In the end, it worked out.
Just one of many...
This is the second time that Mark & I have visited the Taj Mahal (we’re lucky!) and the weather was fantastic. Sun & blue skies but no matter the weather it’s always a stunning building.
After the Taj, we headed over the Agra Fort in search of some monkey business. After some wandering around and snaps (Julie & Kathleen met some local students and teachers) we finally found a few…Best shot was one Julie took of a monkey eating an ice cream cone.
Time for drinks at the Oberoi! Mmmm…lush surroundings; view of the Taj; a couple of delicious drinks…all to soften the 4 1/2 hour drive back to Delhi…at least we were in a SUV-type car!
Sunset at the Taj (Kathleen's pic)
Tuesday morning – up bright and early for our 9:30 flight to Udaipur, in Rajasthan. Fog was not too bad except when we pulled into the ramp up to the departure area…couldn’t see the nose on our faces…another delay of four hours. Boo fog! The papers said it was the worst fog since 2003. The flight finally took off at 1:30 – it was a cinch; the driver picked us up and we arrived at our beautiful hotel…just exactly what we were all looking for.
Mark, Kathleen & Julie’s Aunt Patricia and cousin Katharina visited Udaipur in November and stayed at the Lake Palace Hotel (in the middle of the lake) which was the summer palace for the King and his family. Patricia was very kind to make dinner reservations for us. A little boat is the only way to get there and the property (what we saw of it) is exquisite. Dinner was at a sunken table where the Royal family occasionally dines. We feasted on delicious tandoor quail, spicy prawns, dal makhani, among other traditional Indian dishes.
The lily pond at Lake Palace
Wednesday…slept in and lounged by the pool for a little while before heading to Devi Garh Hotel, a converted fort, for lunch. It’s in the mountains and the landscape is very much like Arizona or New Mexico – dry with brush. This hotel is like an oasis of green and pool – lovely for lunching. Later that afternoon we had a tour of the City Palace Museum which was originally part of the royal residence (converted to museum in 1984). It was fascinating with lots of decoration, mirrored rooms (the kings did have more than one wife back in the day…) and rooms full of paintings. Girish, our guide armed us with a lot of information about the families and way of life of the royal families.
Family Photo
Intricate Glasswork
We ended our lovely day with a lovely dinner on the hotel rooftop in a little turret lined with white cushions and candles overlooking Udaipur at night.
The next morning, Mark & I headed to Ranakpur which is home to a Jain temple which has 144 pillars – all hand-carved marble and all different. Not only were the pillars a work of art, there were several domes, windows, and walls which . It was truly a breathtaking site and one of the prettiest temples we’ve been in. The girls were seeking some R&R, shopping and serious spa treatments and their day was just as fulfilling.
Columns
Our last day in Udaipur, we walked around the city, went inside the Vishnu temple and then to the City Palace Museum and shopped for a few souvenirs before we headed back to Delhi that afternoon.
We wrapped up our trip in Delhi with more shopping, good eating and a few laughs. It was an incredible week with Julie & Kathleen and I’m so glad to have spent so much time with them.
Stefan and Elise are coming in a couple of weeks…we’ve just finalized our itinerary and made reservations for a few days in Jaisalmer which includes a camel safari and night in the desert. And then, my sister Beth comes…plans are coming together for a trip to the Himalaya foothills and girl trip Udaipur.
Delhited 