Monday November 10 finds us in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Yesterday we did the highlight of our India trip (or anyone's), presumably, the Taj Mahal, in Agra. The morning was quite hazy, and our initial distant views of it were disappointing. (I initially ascribed the haze to pollution, but a day later, far from Agra, I can see it is more haze than smog). As we neared and the haze burned off a bit, the views improved considerably. And the Taj is even more impressive up close, in detail. The minute work, the marble, the inset precious stones, the changing colors, the symbolism, all are incredible. One pretty much forgets the crowds of other visitors. Our guide, Bob (I swear...but he did not share his religious views with us nor attempt to proselytize), gave us the usual farcical romantic story of it all. Romance or not, it is singularly impressive.
Another highlight of the day was our first genuine, real, Western food in some six weeks. Vicki spotted a Pizza Hut en route to the Taj and instructed Bob to take us there for lunch. While most of the toppings were Indian, sort of (would you believe pizza tika masala?), we succeeded in getting a real pepperoni pizza. (See illustration). Even I enjoyed it immensely (although I am really enjoying the Indian dishes we are having, especially the the paneer butter masala, the murgh masala, and the garlic nan, etc.
In the afternoon, we visited Agra Fort. Forts here are fortified cities or palaces, generally dating from the 16th or 17th centuries. Akbar the Great seized this one, I think, and Mughalized and enlarged it. His grandson Jahan was builder of the Taj. One of the sites within Agra Fort is the “cell” (itself a small palace) where the imprisoned Jahan pined for his beloved Mumtaz (not the fiords) and gazed at her memorial, the Taj Mahal. (Actually, others say, he overdosed on opium and aphrodisiacs, enjoying the sexual extravagances of a Mughal (ex-)emperor till age 72). Whatever. Both edifices are impressive in their own ways.
Today was a 240km car trip from Agra to Jaipur. Seeing the countryside close-up is always interesting. Mostly it is flat, agricultural land, occasional hills and hillocks, trees here and there but increasingly dry, temples and monuments and ruins dotting the expanse. And villages and towns. Indian driving makes Chinese driving look organized, coherent, serene. The horn is used here more amply, as a courtesy to let the other person know you are over-taking. Everyone is trying to overtake someone else, so far as I can tell. Tuk-tuks are everywhere in the cities and elsewhere. Fortunately, our drivers these past two days were very, very good (by my lights), arriving on time, patiently dodging all the obstacles, trying to answer my occasional questions. I sat in the passenger seat both days—allowing Vicki to stretch out in the back—and I am sure both cars have dents in the floor-boards where I was desperately trying to brake. The road today was fully paved all the way (once we got out of Agra and unlike the road from Khajahuro to Jahnsi), even 4-lane divided highway in places. Unfortunately, the Indian notion of an interstate or super-highway does not include limited access, and even on the divided/4-lane one is constantly dodging feral animals, vehicles going the wrong way, etc, albeit at a much higher rate of speed. As one gets into Rajasthan, camel-drawn carts become quite plentiful. In Jaipur, a city of 3 million, you can add elephants to the road mix.
En route we spent a couple hours at Fathepur Sikri, the famous “ghost town.” Akbar the Great (ecumenical Akbar, who tried to synthesize the prevalent religions of the time) built a fortified city there and made it capital of the Mughal (not to be confused with Muggle) empire—celebrating a resident sufi master's foretelling of the birth of his heir—and then abandoned it permanently 15 years later, in 1585. It is very largely intact, architecturally, acre upon acre, scores of great buildings, all walled and fortified, palaces, mosque, women's residences, etc. He allegedly had some 5,000 wives, concubines, dancers, slaves, and other lady friends. The official line is that he abandoned Fathepur Sikri because it had water problems; others say he moved his capital to Lahore to put down/ a Punjabi rebellion, then returned the capital again to Agra. Anyhow, it was impressive to see what a Mughal emperor could build in 15 years out of largely red sandstone, adorned with the usual precious stones, paintings, etc.
We are in Jaipur for two nights, in a nicer “heritage” hotel, then off again via auto to Pushkar--“Pushkar Kings of Kings,” where Brahma convened all 900,000 Hindu celestial beings--the full November moon, and the annual camel fair, which attracts some 150,000 people, etc. We'll be staying in a tent on the edge of the desert, eating veg. This is all Vicki's idea.
Another highlight of the day was our first genuine, real, Western food in some six weeks. Vicki spotted a Pizza Hut en route to the Taj and instructed Bob to take us there for lunch. While most of the toppings were Indian, sort of (would you believe pizza tika masala?), we succeeded in getting a real pepperoni pizza. (See illustration). Even I enjoyed it immensely (although I am really enjoying the Indian dishes we are having, especially the the paneer butter masala, the murgh masala, and the garlic nan, etc.
In the afternoon, we visited Agra Fort. Forts here are fortified cities or palaces, generally dating from the 16th or 17th centuries. Akbar the Great seized this one, I think, and Mughalized and enlarged it. His grandson Jahan was builder of the Taj. One of the sites within Agra Fort is the “cell” (itself a small palace) where the imprisoned Jahan pined for his beloved Mumtaz (not the fiords) and gazed at her memorial, the Taj Mahal. (Actually, others say, he overdosed on opium and aphrodisiacs, enjoying the sexual extravagances of a Mughal (ex-)emperor till age 72). Whatever. Both edifices are impressive in their own ways.
Today was a 240km car trip from Agra to Jaipur. Seeing the countryside close-up is always interesting. Mostly it is flat, agricultural land, occasional hills and hillocks, trees here and there but increasingly dry, temples and monuments and ruins dotting the expanse. And villages and towns. Indian driving makes Chinese driving look organized, coherent, serene. The horn is used here more amply, as a courtesy to let the other person know you are over-taking. Everyone is trying to overtake someone else, so far as I can tell. Tuk-tuks are everywhere in the cities and elsewhere. Fortunately, our drivers these past two days were very, very good (by my lights), arriving on time, patiently dodging all the obstacles, trying to answer my occasional questions. I sat in the passenger seat both days—allowing Vicki to stretch out in the back—and I am sure both cars have dents in the floor-boards where I was desperately trying to brake. The road today was fully paved all the way (once we got out of Agra and unlike the road from Khajahuro to Jahnsi), even 4-lane divided highway in places. Unfortunately, the Indian notion of an interstate or super-highway does not include limited access, and even on the divided/4-lane one is constantly dodging feral animals, vehicles going the wrong way, etc, albeit at a much higher rate of speed. As one gets into Rajasthan, camel-drawn carts become quite plentiful. In Jaipur, a city of 3 million, you can add elephants to the road mix.
En route we spent a couple hours at Fathepur Sikri, the famous “ghost town.” Akbar the Great (ecumenical Akbar, who tried to synthesize the prevalent religions of the time) built a fortified city there and made it capital of the Mughal (not to be confused with Muggle) empire—celebrating a resident sufi master's foretelling of the birth of his heir—and then abandoned it permanently 15 years later, in 1585. It is very largely intact, architecturally, acre upon acre, scores of great buildings, all walled and fortified, palaces, mosque, women's residences, etc. He allegedly had some 5,000 wives, concubines, dancers, slaves, and other lady friends. The official line is that he abandoned Fathepur Sikri because it had water problems; others say he moved his capital to Lahore to put down/ a Punjabi rebellion, then returned the capital again to Agra. Anyhow, it was impressive to see what a Mughal emperor could build in 15 years out of largely red sandstone, adorned with the usual precious stones, paintings, etc.
We are in Jaipur for two nights, in a nicer “heritage” hotel, then off again via auto to Pushkar--“Pushkar Kings of Kings,” where Brahma convened all 900,000 Hindu celestial beings--the full November moon, and the annual camel fair, which attracts some 150,000 people, etc. We'll be staying in a tent on the edge of the desert, eating veg. This is all Vicki's idea.
1 comment:
Ha! I love that grin as you devour the pizza! I hope you are having a good time in India--maybe we can skype when you are in Delhi.
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