March 2006
Rajasthan, India
From 3 to 22 March 2006 we traveled around Rajasthan in India. We saw the Taj Mahal in Agra, bicycled around Keoladeo NP at Bharatpur, saw tigers at Ranthambore NP, played Holi in Jaipur and saw many forts and palaces.
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1/73 On our first day in India we picked up our train tickets at New Delhi station and visited Jama Masjid (The Friday Mosque). This is the view from the front steps of the north entrance steps.
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2/73 This is inside the mosque. In the afternoon we went to the Digambara Jain Temple, where we visited the bird hospital.
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3/73 On our second day we took the 2-hour Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to Agra. From the rooftop of Hotel Kamal we had this great view of the Taj Mahal.
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4/73 In the afternoon we walked around the Taj Nature Walk, a supposed 'mini-wilderness', but we didn't see any wildlife. We had lunch at the garden restaurant across from the park.
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5/73 Pigeon fanciers, called kabootar baz, exercise their birds as the sun goes down. From the rooftop of our Taj Ganj-area hotel, we saw several flocks flying acrobatically above the houses. The baz control their pigeons with a code of high-pitched whistles and calls that are a feature of Muslim districts like Taj Ganj.
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6/73 The next day we got up early to see the sun rise at the Taj Mahal, which opened at 6am. Our visit lasted three hours, as we walked around the expansive grounds along the Yamuna River.
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7/73 A parakeet behind the Taj Mahal. Other wildlife we spotted while at the Taj were common myna; Egyptian vulture; three-striped squirrel; egret and black-winged stilt (in the Yamuna); rhesus macaque; and jungle babbler.
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8/73 This building to the east of the Taj Mahal, the jawab, is identical to the mosque on the west-side, but was built mainly just for symmetry.
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9/73 We hired a rickshaw to bring us to Akbar's Mausoleum and Agra Fort. Here we are in front of Akbar's Mausoleum.
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10/73 The grounds of the tomb are inhabited by blackbuck deer, and hanuman langurs like these, sitting in the cool shade.
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11/73 Akbar's Mausoleum is a huge monument which commemorates the greatest Mughal emperor. Here is a detail from the tomb.
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12/73 Here is a room in Agra Fort, which was begun in 1565 by Akbar. The fort is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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13/73 For dinner we went to Yash Cafe, which was just around the corner from our hotel.
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14/73 The following morning we hired a car to bring us to Bharatpur. On the way we stopped at another UNESCO site, Fatehpur Sikri, 40km west of Agra.
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15/73 Emperor Akbar built Fatehpur Sikri to be the new capital of the Mughal empire, but the city was abandoned after only 14 years due to water problems. The site is now a fortified ghost city.
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16/73 In the afternoon we hired two bikes and had our first visit to Keoladeo National Park, an important bird sanctuary.
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17/73 After our four hour visit on the 7th, we spent the entire next day in the park. This is the main road which bisects the park, with wetlands on either side.
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18/73 So long after the monsoon, the population of birds was still impressive and we saw many different species, including lots of storks, cranes, egrets, pelicans, ducks, geese, raptors, etc.
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19/73 Here is a group of Spotted Deer in a dry part of the park. We also saw Wild Dogs (Dhole) and a Small Indian Mongoose in the park.
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20/73 Here is a Nilgai, or Blue Bull. An ungainly creature, the Nilgai is India's largest antelope.
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22/73 Over two days we had three jeep safaris in the park. This photo was taken at a checkpoint inside the park. Rangers are stationed inside the park to prevent poaching.
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23/73 On our second safari we saw two tigers cross the road right in front of our jeep. No one had seen any tigers in the park for a week, so we were very lucky.
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24/73 First the mother, pictured here, crossed the road. A few minutes later her one-year-old male cub crossed to join her. A female cub remained hidden in the grass.
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25/73 The park is full of animals and birds. Besides the tigers we saw many other creatures, including this female Sambar.
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26/73 High on a ledge above the road we saw this Common Leopard. Our guide told us that since they are shy, nocturnal animals, they are seldom seen by visitors, on average just once per month.
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27/73 Our fantastic guide, Satish, also pointed out many birds to us, including this Spotted Owl.
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28/73 Here a male Sambar comes out of the water, sporting a Cattle Egret on his back.
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29/73 This is a Rufous Treepie, an orange version of the Magpie. Treepies were common in the park and begged for food at various checkpoints.
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30/73 Our next stop was Kota, where we stayed at the Palkiya Haveli in the old city. Here is a picture of the courtyard, taken from our room.
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31/73 In Kota we visited the City Palace and Fort. Here Arthur stands in front of one of the gates. Inside we looked at the Rao Madho Singh Museum.
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32/73 We took a rickshaw to Chambal Gardens, where we saw this Pond Heron. The park was full of locals enjoying the mild day.
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33/73 We took a boat ride on the Chambal River, hoping to spot some Gharials, long-snouted crocodiles.
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34/73 Unfortunately the Gharials were all hiding. We did see lots of birds though, including this pair of Egyptian Vultures on their nest.
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35/73 After a four-hour train ride on Sunday the 12th, we arrived in Jaipur, the pink city. In the afternoon we walked from our hotel, Arya Niwas, to the city gate.
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36/73 A public restroom in our hotel had this half-Western/half-Indian toilet.
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37/73 In the morning we went to the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds.
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38/73 The intricate lattice work windows were created so that the royal harem could watch what was happening in the city without being seen themselves.
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39/73 Here is a view of Siredeori Bazaar, the road running in front of the Hawa Mahal.
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40/73 Two days before Holi, street vendors were already selling colored powder to be used in the festival.
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41/73 We visited Jantar Mantar, one of five observatories begun by Jai Singh in 1728. Of the five, this was the largest and best-preserved, and includes the world's largest sundial, shown here.
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42/73 Next we visited the City Palace and the many museums inside. The Maharajah of Jaipur still lives in the complex.
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43/73 Late in the afternoon we went to see two temples: Galta and Surya Mandir. Surya Mandir is the Temple of the Sun God. Galta, the Monkey Temple, attracts hoards of macaques at sunset, when they are offered food by the faithful (and tourists).
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44/73 That evening we went to the Raj Mandir cinema. We saw Malamaal Weekly, a broad comedy. The house was packed.
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45/73 The next day we went to see the Elephant Festival. First there was a procession through the city, featuring dozens of decorated elephants.
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46/73 The pachyderms walked from the Ram Niwas public gardens into the pink city, ending up at Chaughan Stadium.
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47/73 In the evening there was an elephant polo match. The game ended in a tie between teams from Amber and Jaipur.
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48/73 Wednesday, 15 March was Holi, the Hindu festival of colors to mark the end of winter. We walked through the city and 'played colors' with the locals.
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49/73 We sat by the Choti Chaupar roundabout with our bags of color and watched the activity around us. People came up to us to wish us a Happy Holi and color us with their powder.
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50/73 The next city we visited was Bikaner, where we felt like royalty staying in the magnificent Bhanwar Niwas Haveli.
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51/73 Dinner in the haveli dining hall was fantastic, with attentive staff catering to our every need.
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52/73 Here's Arthur enjoying the good life, in his Indian kurta.
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53/73 The next morning we took a stroll in the city and saw these street dogs sleeping in a rickshaw. Notice the dog on the right has some Holi colors on him.
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54/73 In Bikaner we visited the fort, Junagarh, with a guide.
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55/73 This is the Badal Mahal, or Cloud Palace, inside the fort. Typical of desert Bikaner, the walls are painted with a storm motif, complete with clouds and lightening bolts.
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56/73 In the afternoon we drove to Deshnok, to visit the Karni Mata temple, also known as the Rat Temple. Notice the netting above the main courtyard, to prevent raptors from hunting the holy rats.
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57/73 Rats are the reincarnated relatives of Hindu god Karni Mata, and are sacred. They roam freely in the complex.
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58/73 Before returning to the haveli, we stopped at the Bhandasar Jain Temple, built in 1468.
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59/73 This is the courtyard of the haveli. The morning we left, a group came as part of a tour.
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60/73 Our next stop was Jodhpur, the blue city.
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61/73 From Jodhpur we visited some villages in the countryside. We saw some wildlife, like this little Chinkara antelope.
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62/73 We visited a memorial at Khejadali village, which commemorates the 1730 sacrifice of 363 villagers who lost their lives protecting sacred khejri trees.
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63/73 We also visited this Bishnoi family. The Bishnoi live in traditional housing with extended family.
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64/73 In another village we visited a potter's workshop. Arthur tried his hand at the wheel.
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65/73 We saw these camels walking in the desert.
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66/73 At the weaver's shop Amy asked to use the bathroom. First the water buffalo had to be shooed away...
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67/73 In the afternoon we took a walk in Jodhpur's old city, and had a drink at the Sarvar rooftop restaurant.
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68/73 The next day we toured Meherangarh, perhaps the best preserved fort in Rajasthan. Admission included a fantastic audio guide.
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69/73 We had a nice view over Jodhpur from the fort's ramparts.
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70/73 On the 20th we took the Mandor Express night train from Jodhpur to Delhi.
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71/73 In Delhi we visited the Gandhi Memorial Museum, close to Raj Ghat. In one room was a selection of spinning wheels and other cloth-making paraphernalia.
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72/73 We took the new Delhi metro to the Central Secretariat. We walked along Rajpath, a wide boulevard flanked by green parks.
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73/73 In the afternoon we visited the National Museum. Afterwards we made a mad dash through Connaught Place and the bazaars of Panharganj for some last minute shopping before heading to the airport.
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