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Post-Trip Summary
Day 1 - Monday 10/4/04 - Travel Milwaukee to New York City to London
Day 2 - Tuesday 10/5/04 - Travel from London to Delhi
Day 3 - Wednesday 10/6/04 – Delhi
Day 4 - Thursday 10/7/04 – Drive by Bus from Delhi to Jaipur
Day 5 - Friday 10/8/04 – Jaipur
Day 6 - Saturday 10/9/04 – Travel Jaipur to Agra by Bus via Fatehpur Sikri
Day 7 - Sunday 10/10/04 – Agra
Day 8 - Monday 10/11/04 – Travel Agra to Khajuraho by train and bus via Orchha
Day 9 - Tuesday 10/12/04 – Khajuraho
Day 10 - Wednesday 10/13/04 – Morning in Khajuraho. Fly to Varanasi in Afternoon
Day 11 - Thursday 10/14/04 – Morning in Varanasi. Afternoon Flight to Kathmandu
Day 12 - Friday 10/15/04 – Kathmandu
Day 13 - Saturday 10/16/04 – Kathmandu
Day 14 - Sunday 10/17/04 – Fly Kathmandu to Delhi
Day 15 - Monday 10/18/04 – Fly Delhi to London to New York to Milwaukee
Post-Trip Summary
Here are my journal and photos from my 2004 trip to India and Nepal. I left October 4 and returned October 18.
I traveled with my friends Vicki and Vicky from Arkansas. We met a year ago while on a tour in Egypt. They were a lot of fun to travel with then, so this should be fun too.
The happy travelers, Vicki, Chris and Vicky across the river from the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, October 9, 2004:
We spent the first few days and the last day of our trip in Delhi. In between, we traveled to the Indian cities of Jaipur, Agra, Orchha, Khajuraho and Varanasi, followed by a few days in Kathmandu, Nepal where one of the excursions was a mountain flightseeing tour around Mt. Everest.
We were part of a tour group of 22 people organized by Gate1 Travel. During the trip, we saw all the major religious and cultural sites, and had plenty of free time to explore the towns and villages, and meet the people. Both countries have amazing cultures and history, but are very poor by American standards.
The weather was hot and humid in India with daily temperatures in the 80s and 90s. It rained once or twice. Kathmandu, Nepal was a little cooler due to the higher elevation (4,400 feet above sea level).
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Day 1 - Monday 10/4/04 - Travel Milwaukee to New York City to London
6:40 am CDT: Taking taxi to MKE airport for Midwest Express flight to New York La Guardia Airport. My driver appears to be an Italian race car taxi driver since he is driving fast and erratically.
7:35 am: Flight left on time. On way to New York. Nice day and great views of Milwaukee from aloft.
Milwaukee:
Statue of Liberty, New York City:
Ellis Island, New York City:
10:40 am EDT: Arrived at LGA on time. Taking bus to JFK. Takes 30 minutes and costs $13. Nice day here in New York too.
11:45 am: Having lunch. Got here at 11:15 am. My flight to London/Delhi leaves at 8:10 pm, so have all day to kill with nothing to do.
5:23 pm: Boarding in 1-1/2 hours. Long day. See a bunch of people from my Gate1 India tour group. They’re not as old as the people on my Grand Circle tour to Egypt last November.
6:08 pm: It’s going to be a long overnight flight to London (6-1/2 hours). A few more tour group members arrived.
6:11 pm: Our Air India plane has arrived from Delhi.
6:56 pm: Some lady in my tour group brought 15 disposable cameras with her. Air India security made her take a picture with each one to prove they were really cameras and not bombs or something. Lots of smelly people again. They smell like mothballs and Ben-Gay. There are many Indians and Americans on board the plane. It’s not full so will be able to spread out and get some sleep along the way.
7:27 pm: This plane has a rancid odor. It smells like a combination of a subway station and a locker room.
8:10 pm: We’re on our way. 6 hours to London and 8-1/2 to Delhi.
9:14 pm: They’re doling our Indian snacks and drinks. My cornflake-peanut-potato-cashew-spinach snack is spicy. It's called "Mo-Pleez" and made in India.
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Day 2 - Tuesday 10/5/04 - Travel from London to Delhi
7:09 am: London Time (2:09 am in New York): We’re 400 km from London. Actually slept several hours. I feel good.
8:20 am: In London.
8:45 am: Had to get off and reboard in London.
9:18 am: Reboarding. One lady smells like rotten cat food. Or is it tuna fish?
9:36 am: Back on plane. Met a guy from Philadelphia who’s in my tour group (Charles).
11:14 am: On way to Delhi. More curry for breakfast. Also had a spicy curry lamb dinner last night.
2:15 pm: Still en route. It's 6:45 pm in Delhi.
6:45 pm: Changing time to Delhi. 4 hours to go.
7:21 pm: We flew over Europe, Greece, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tehran, and the Caspian Sea to get to India.
7:15 pm: I still cannot get over fact that most Indians don't use toilet paper. Use left hand, which is why it is considered unsanitary to use left hand for anything.
8:51 pm: Less than 2 hrs until we arrive in Delhi. Had fish for dinner. Still no roasted beetles or chilled monkey brains like in Indiana Jones movie.
9:48 pm: 45 minutes to go. Probably will be midnight by time we get to hotel.
10:57 pm: Arrived in Delhi. I got lots of sleep on the way. With a short layover in London, it took 15 hours to get here from New York. They sprayed plane to kill bugs before we disembarked. I thought it was air freshener to kill the foul smell in the cabin. This was the smelliest plane I was ever on. I see Vicki and Vicky’s plane from London has also arrived. They were in a London for a few days with Sharon from our Egypt trip last year and came to Delhi on British Air.
11:50 pm: We’ve been waiting for luggage for an hour now. Very slow. I can see Vicki and Vicky over at the other bag claim area. They didn’t hear me yelling at them or see me waving my arms at them so will have to go over there.
11:55 am: Luggage is here. Went over to talk to Vicky and Vicki. Got $100 worth of Indian rupees. That’s 4500 INR, or roughly 42 rupees to the dollar.
11:59 am: OH MY GOD - some guy named Paul in our group did not get an India visa before leaving the US, so he was denied entry and will be sent home on the next plane. He’ll probably forfeit the entire cost of his trip. How could someone overlook something as important as this? Our guide is Bonnie, a New Yorker who lives here 8 months a year.
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Day 3 - Wednesday 10/6/04 – Delhi
Weather: 90+ Degrees F & Sunny. It was like this everyday in India, so I am not going to repeat this everyday. I never sweated and drank so much water in my life. Although I didn’t think it appropriate to wear shorts, I broke down and did so most everyday except the first day where I just toughed out the sweltering heat. Delhi and the region in India we visited are on latitude similar to New Orleans.
Activities: Transfer to Park Hotel in New Delhi from Airport. Tour of Old and New Delhi. Sites included India's largest mosque Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Memorial of Mahatma Ghandi (Raj Ghat), Mausoleum of Humayaun, India Gate, Birla Temple, drive by former Viceroy's Palace and Parliament House.
About Delhi: Delhi is in the north central part of India and stands at the western end of the Gangetic Plain, bordered on the eastern side by the state of Uttar Pradesh and on the other three sides by the state of Haryana. Travelers to Delhi get two cities for the price of one. 'Old' Delhi, the capital of Muslim India between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries, is full of formidable mosques, monuments and forts. It's a lively area of colorful bazaars, narrow streets and barely controlled chaos. In contrast, New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj, is composed of spacious, tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings, and has a sense of order absent from other parts of the city. Delhi is the political capital and third largest city in India after Bombay (Mumbai) and Calcutta) and has a population of 14 million people.
More on Delhi from Fodors: Sophisticated, energetic Delhi became independent India's capital at midnight on August 14-15, 1947. It had been the capital since 1911, when the British shifted their center of power from Calcutta to Delhi. It was the ultimate prize, a place where the British could create the perfect imperial Western city. They did exactly this by building New Delhi, a carefully executed grid of roundabouts and well-organized streets -- in wild contrast to Old Delhi's hectic alleyways. The British left behind a stubborn, strange legacy, a mishmash of East and West in which village life flourished among the fancy new bungalows and wide, tree-lined avenues.
Delhi had always been prized by India's rulers -- after all, the city played a crucial role in the country's volatile history. What was originally a Hindu Rajput outpost (Rajput warriors governed the kingdoms of northwest India) became a Muslim capital when Muhammad Ghori from Central Asia invaded and defeated the ruler, Prithtviraj Chauhan, in 1192. The "Slave Dynasty" that ensued was replaced by other Afghan and Uzbek dynasties many times over the next 300 years, during which time Delhi was both capital and outpost. During the reign of the Moghul Empire -- founded in 1526 by Babur, also from Central Asia -- the capital shifted between Delhi and nearby Agra until 1858. After the Delhi-based Sepoy Mutiny, a rebellion against the East India Company in 1857-58, the British overthrew the mutineers and Indian garrisons who had seized Delhi, and took the throne.
After Independence in 1947, when the subcontinent was partitioned into West Pakistan, India, and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), there was a massive influx of refugees. As the long-standing seat of power, Delhi was ground zero for India's political transformation. The British were gone, and the princely kingdoms defunct, and India, finally coming into its own, was centralizing its power in Delhi. When Rajiv Gandhi (grandson of Nehru) began to liberalize India's centralized economy in the mid-1980s, Delhi experienced tremendous change. With land scarce in Bombay, and Calcutta mired in leftist labor disputes, massive amounts of commercial growth took place in Delhi. Former Prime Minister Rao then launched economic reforms in 1991, and further liberalized India's economy. This attracted substantial foreign investment: over the years, as foreign companies arrived and set up shop, land prices skyrocketed. Residential enclaves cropped up everywhere, along with new commercial centers and industrial development areas. Villagers from rural areas descended on the capital to seek their fortunes -- they moved into small open fields, narrow strips along the road, or unused neighborhood pockets, and built shanties that quickly became overcrowded slums. Since then, pollution and the suburban commute have become increasingly aggravating concerns.
Delhi rewards the determined sightseer with more than a thousand monuments and two old capital building complexes -- including the present seat of the government, designed by the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (born 1869-1944). Cosmopolitan hotels, shopping, and fine restaurants abound. Delhi also offers a glimpse into the real India: the labyrinthine street bazaars of Old Delhi, and the temples and monuments of India's checkered colonial past. In the deepest sense, from Old Delhi's Red Fort and Jama Masjid mosque to New Delhi's chic art galleries and nightclubs, Delhi is a profoundly Indian city.
Turbaned shepherds still lead goats and sheep through ravines in Delhi's remaining open fields and near the airports. In Delhi's golf course, Muslim monuments share the fairways with peacocks. Eunuchs sashay past shops that sell Western products on Connaught Place. Rajasthani women in bright saris and men in lungis (skirtlike wraps) work with outdated tools on construction sites while executives work out on computerized equipment in health clubs. By day, temples are packed with the devout, and by night, hotel discos are packed with the affluent. You'll see sadhus (Hindu holy men) walking along the streets while young men zoom around on motorcycles.
Delhi is a city on the move -- it's the gateway to the northern regions, and the seat of India's government. You can say a lot of things about Delhi, but you can't accuse it of being a humdrum town.
12:00 am: Finally got luggage and boarded bus for hotel. We were greeted outside the airport by a giant cockroach—about the size of my hand. Vicky almost stepped on it. I couldn’t dig my camera out so missed a good photo op.
1:16 am: Luggage loaded on bus from a door in rear like a car. Weird and inefficient. Got a lei made of marigolds.
1:25 am: Driving to Park Hotel in center of New Delhi. It’s dark. They drive on the wrong side of the road like in England. Trucks and cars are driving without lights on. People are sleeping on side of road and in the parks.
1:45 am: Checked into the Park Hotel. Very nice hotel and room, but lots of remodeling going on. I can hear jack-hammers even at this hour of the morning. Took a shower and recharged Palm Pilot. I torched the adapter so will have to keep my log on paper and pencil. Have to brush teeth with bottled water again since tap water can be hard for foreigners to stomach.
9:25 am: Had breakfast at 8:00 am. Slept well. Hotel is nice.
9:30 am: Ready for sightseeing! 22 people in our group. Frank and Charlyn from California, Sean Macleith from Chicago, Charles from Philadelphia, Jason Roseman from New York, Dotty from New Hampshire (our token crazy person--there’s always one in the group, Herbert and Pat from Atlanta, Elsie, Eva from New York City/Romania, Ruth and Carlos from Puerto Rico, Clay from St. Louis, Vietnamese Paul and Ann from Canada, Allen from Virginia, Fred and Michelle, Elizabeth from US/Poland, and of course, my travel companions from last year’s Egypt trip, Vicki and Vicky from Arkansas.
9:45 am: Visiting Jama Masjid (The Mosque of Friday). It was built from 1644 to 1658 in the reign of Shahjahan. The mosque measures 215 yds by 40 yds. Its courtyard in front of the mosque is 109 yds on each side. This is the largest and most important Islamic structure in India. Lots of beggars and street vendors here. Saw ladies in saris washing feet in a fountain outside the temple. We had to wear shoe covers to walk on the grounds. This place is mammoth. Erected in the middle of the 16th century by the wife of the Moghul emperor Humayaun, this tomb launched a new architectural era that culminated in the Moghul masterpieces in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The Moghuls brought to India their love of gardens and fountains, and left a legacy of harmonious structures, such as this mausoleum, that fuse symmetry with decorative splendor.
More on Jama Masjid from Fodors: An exquisite Islamic statement in red sandstone and marble, India's largest mosque was completed in 1656 by 5,000 laborers after six years of work. It was the last monument commissioned by the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan. Three sets of broad steps lead to two-story gateways and a magnificent courtyard with a square ablution tank in the center. The entire space is enclosed by pillared corridors with domed pavilions in each corner. Thousands gather to pray in this courtyard, especially on Friday, which is why the Jama Masjid is also called the Friday Mosque. The mosque is characteristically Moghul, with an onion-shape dome and tapering minarets. But Shah Jahan added an innovation: the novel stripes running up and down the well-proportioned marble domes. The whole structure exudes peace and tranquility -- climb the open minaret to see how finely the mosque contrasts with the commercial streets around and beneath it. Look inside the prayer hall (which you can only enter after a ritual purification at the ablution tank), for the pulpit carved from a single slab of marble. In one corner is a room where Shah Jahan installed the marble footprints of the Prophet Mohammed.
12:00 pm: Visiting Raj Ghat, the Memorial to Mahatma Ghandi (1869 Bombay-1948). Really a beautiful and tranquil place. After Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu fanatic on January 30, 1948, his body was cremated here on the banks of the Yamuna River. This site is now a national shrine to the Mahatma. Indian tourists and pilgrims stream across the peaceful lawn to pay their respects to him. At the center of a courtyard is a slightly raised black-marble slab covered with flowers. At its head are an eternal flame and an inscription of Gandhi's final words, "Hai Ram!" ("Oh God!"). The sandstone walls enclosing the shrine are inscribed with various passages written by Gandhi, translated into 13 of India's 16 official languages, as well other languages. Raj Ghat was also the cremation site for two other assassinated heads of state, Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv.
The Life of Mahatma Ghandi: Throughout history most national heroes have been warriors, but Gandhi ended British rule over his native India without striking a single blow. A frail man, he devoted his life to peace and brotherhood in order to achieve social and political progress. Yet less than six months after his nonviolent resistance to British rule won independence for India, he was assassinated by a religious fanatic. Gandhi was one of the gentlest of men, a devout and almost mystical Hindu, but he had an iron core of determination. Nothing could change his convictions. This combination of traits made him the leader of India's nationalist movement. Some observers called him a master politician. Others believed him a saint. To millions of Hindus he was their beloved Mahatma, meaning "great soul." When he was 19 he defied custom by going abroad to study. He studied law at University College in London. Fellow students snubbed him because he was an Indian. In his lonely hours he studied philosophy. In his reading he discovered the principle of nonviolence as enunciated in Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," and he was persuaded by John Ruskin's plea to give up industrialism for farm life and traditional handicrafts--ideals similar to many Hindu religious ideas. In 1891 Gandhi returned to India. Unsuccessful in Bombay, he went to South Africa in 1893. At Natal he was the first so-called "colored" lawyer admitted to the Supreme Court. He then built a large practice. His interest soon turned to the problem of fellow Indians who had come to South Africa as laborers. He had seen how they were treated as inferiors in India, in England, and then in South Africa. Thousands of Indians joined him in this civil disobedience campaign. He was imprisoned twice. Gandhi's writings and devout life won him a mass of Indian followers. They followed him almost blindly in his campaign for swaraj, or "home rule." He worked to reconcile all classes and religious sects, especially Hindus and Muslims. In 1920 he launched a non-cooperation campaign against Britain, urging Indians to spin their own cotton and to boycott British goods, courts, and government. This led to his imprisonment from 1922 to 1924. In 1930, in protest of a salt tax, Gandhi led thousands of Indians on a 200-mile (320-kilometer) march to the sea to make their own salt. Again he was jailed. Gradually he became convinced that India would receive no real freedom as long as it remained in the British Empire. Early in World War II he demanded immediate independence as India's price for aiding Britain in the war. He was imprisoned for the third time, from 1942 to 1944. Gandhi's victory came in 1947 when India won independence. The subcontinent split into two countries (India and Pakistan) and brought Hindu-Muslim riots. Again Gandhi turned to nonviolence, fasting until Delhi rioters pledged peace to him. On Jan. 30, 1948, while on his way to prayer in Delhi, Gandhi was killed by a Hindu who had been maddened by the Mahatma's efforts to reconcile Hindus and Muslims. In January 1997, nearly 50 years after his assassination, the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were spread in the Ganges River during a ceremony honoring his memory in Allahabad, India.
12:30 pm: Stopped at Red Fort
1:00 pm: Stopped for lunch. Vicki, Vicky, Elsie and I ate at a Chinese restaurant.
2:00 pm: Visiting the Mausoleum of Humayaun. Humayaun’s Tomb is one of the best-preserved and beautiful examples of Mogul architecture in Delhi and is often seen as a forerunner of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Building started on the tomb in 1564 after the death of Humayaun, the second Moghul emperor; it was overseen by Haji Begum, his senior widow and the mother of Akbar. The tomb is an octagonal structure capped by a double dome that soars 125ft (38m) into the sky and is set in a formal Persian garden. In the grounds are some other monuments, including the Tomb of Isa Khan. Lots of photo ops here.
More on Humayaun’s Tomb from Fodors: Erected in the middle of the 16th century by the wife of the Moghul emperor Humayaun, this tomb launched a new architectural era that culminated in the Moghul masterpieces in Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. The Moghuls brought to India their love of gardens and fountains, and left a legacy of harmonious structures, such as this mausoleum, that fuse symmetry with decorative splendor. Reminiscent of Persian architecture, this exquisite structure of red sandstone and white marble rests on a raised podium amid gardens intersected by water channels and enclosed by walls. The design represents India's first "tomb-in-a-garden" complex, and the marble dome covering the actual tomb is another first: a dome within a dome (the interior dome is set inside the soaring dome seen from the exterior), a style later used in the Taj Mahal.
Besides Humayaun, seven other important Moghuls are buried here, along with Humayaun’s wife, Haji Begum -- who lies in the octagonal shrine outside the gateway -- and possibly his barber. As you enter or leave the gateway, stand a moment before the square, blue-domed structure to enjoy the view of the entire monument framed in the arch. The building's serenity belies the fact that many of the dead buried inside were murdered princes, victims of foul play.
3:30 pm: Visiting India Gate, a colonial-style war memorial built to commemorate the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I. There’s a young boy here with monkeys trying to entertain the people. There are a bunch of kids swimming in some disgusting colored water next to the Gate. Half of them are naked. I can see their clothes piled up on the grass next to the water. Some Japanese tourist lady came to take a picture of the kids swimming. The little kids jumped up out of the water as she was taking the picture, exposing their “manhood” for all of us to see.
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4:00 pm: Drove past the Parliament building and former Viceroy’s residence. Nice, but not allowed to stop for pictures for security purposes.
4:30 pm: Visiting Birla Temple, a major Hindu place of worship. This red and yellow temple was built over a six year period (1933 - 1939) by the industrialist B.D. Birla and was opened by Mahatma Gandhi. It is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and good fortune, and is commonly known as Birla Mandir or Lakshmi Narayan Temple. The temple is an important prayer site and contains idols of several deities. Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the temple and was also a regular visitor to it. No pictures allowed inside. It’s really beautiful, especially the statue of Vishnu. The god of bachelors has a monkey face.
5:00 pm: There seems to be a competition here between two ladies in our group to see which one can strike the most glamorous pose of themselves in front of each monument. They look like their posing for a fashion magazine spread.
6:00 pm: Back at hotel. Went for a walk. Some swami with a turban tried to cajole me into letting him take me to the Red Light district in his motorized rickshaw. The hotel is in a shopping area. I was left alone for a while, but as the crowd got bigger, I was constantly harassed by street vendors.
8:00 pm: Back at the hotel bar drinking an Indian beer called King Fisher, which comes in a 22 ounce bottle. They also have a beer called Sandpiper. Talked to a man who taught Indian history at University of Arizona in Tucson. He insulted the waiter by telling him he was the worst one he had ever seen. I didn’t think he was all that bad. I excused myself out of embarrassment and went to bed.
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Day 4 - Thursday 10/7/04 – Drive by Bus from Delhi to Jaipur
Activities: Long day of driving to Jaipur followed by leisure time to explore on our own. Went jewelry shopping in Jaipur with Vicki and Vicky.
8:30 am: Had breakfast with Dotty. She’s a retired school teacher (30 years) who is now in nursing.
9:00 am: On way to Jaipur. It’s 63 miles southwest of Delhi. We are driving through some really dodgy areas of Delhi. Lots of beggars. Some are small children carrying babies standing out in the middle of the busy street. They make a hand gesture towards their mouths to indicate they want money for food.
10:15 am: Stopped to take a picture of a snake charmer with two cobras in baskets.
10:30 am: Cows are sacred, so have the right of way. McDonald’s has no hamburgers, just chicken and fish burgers.
11:30 am: Stopped for lunch. Had wonderful fresh lime soda again. They squeeze lime juice in a glass. Them you mix it with seltzer. You can also add sweetener to it (or salt), which comes in a separate vessel and really foams up the soda when you pour it in (as demonstrated by Vicki, whose soda overflowed the glass).
12:00 pm: Having grilled cheese with chicken sandwich. The waiter used his dirty fingers to open up Vicki’s sandwich to see if it was what she ordered. I loved the look on her face. She did not eat that part of her sandwich.
2:00 pm: On the road to Jaipur again. Dotty wants to take a picture of a camel pulling a cart. She has wasted tons of pictures because she can’t aim her camera in time to get the shot. Her digital camera also is not working properly.
3:00 pm: Arrived in Jaipur. It’s bustling. I think I saw every kind of farm animal imaginable, and then some, on the way here—cows, sheep, goats, pigs, camels and elephants. Lots of grimy little towns as well. They have a huge garbage problem here, especially with plastic which seems to strewn about everywhere you look. I also saw a lot of animals eating garbage along the way, even though there was grass to eat.
3:30 pm: Stopped to take a picture of a palace surrounded by water. There was an elephant in an obvious state or arousal.
4:00 pm: Sheraton Hotel in Jaipur we’re staying at is superb.
4:30 pm: Got a cab and went jewelry shopping with Vicki and Vicky.
7:00 pm: Vicky and Vicki are on a shopping spree. Vicki is buying for her daughter’s shop and is getting wholesale prices for a bunch of jewelry. We’ve been to a couple of shops. One shop owner says his children will have ice cream tonight. Another shop owner gave me some ceramic elephant figurines to give to Vicky and Vicki out of gratitude for the amount of money they spent in his store. I just stood in the back rolling my eyes as they shopped. The same guy also gave me the grand tour of his shop.
7:30 pm: The taxi cab driver who brought us here waited outside the entire time we shopped. We told him he would only have to wait 1 hour, but we went over that by two hours. I’ve just been standing. The drive back to the hotel was chaos with all the traffic. It’s amazing someone doesn’t get killed. I could never drive here.
8:00 pm: Had dinner at the hotel with Vicky and Vicki. Bonnie our Program Director joined us. She mixed some of my beer in her lime soda. Ick.
9:00 pm: Had a beer with Clay from my group and went to bed. Had a long day of travel and shopping.
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Day 5 - Friday 10/8/04 – Jaipur
Activities: Morning excursion to Amer Fort where we rode on the back of an elephant to the top of the hill and back down again in Jeeps. On the way to the fort, drove past Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), the architectural keynote of the city for photo opportunity. In the afternoon, toured Jaipur including visits to the Observatory of Maharaja Jaisingh and the museum at the Maharaja City Palace.
9:00 am: Stopped at Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) for photo op. Hawa Mahal has become a symbol for Jaipur all over. Built in 1799 AD, this five story building along the main street of the old city is full of semi-octagonal and delicately honey combed sandstone windows. The monument was originally conceived with the aim of enabling ladies of the royal household to watch the everyday life and royal processions of the city. Once the ladies entered, they never left the confines of the palace grounds.
About Jaipur from Fodors: The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, popularly known as the Pink City, was founded in 1727 AD by one of the greatest rulers of the Kachhawaha clan, the astronomer king Sawai Jaisingh. The pink color was used at the time of making to create an impression of red sandstone buildings of Mughal cities - and repainted in 1876, during the visit of the Prince of Wales. Jaipur owes its name, its foundation and its careful planning to the great warrior-astronomer Maharaja Jaisingh II (1699-1744), who took advantage of declining Mogul power to move his somewhat cramped hillside fortress at nearby Amber to a new site on the plains in 1727. He laid out the city's surrounding walls and its six rectangular blocks with the help of Shilpa-Shastra, an ancient Hindu treatise on architecture. Today Jaipur is a city of broad avenues and remarkable architectural harmony, built on a dry lake bed surrounded by barren hills. It's an extremely colorful city and, in the evening light, it radiates a magical warm glow. The city has now sprawled beyond its original fortified confines, but most of its attractions are compactly located in the walled 'pink city' in the northeast of the city. All seven gates into the old city remain, one of which leads into Johari Bazaar - the famous jewelers' market. The most obvious landmark in the old city is the Iswari Minar Swarga Sul (the Minaret Piercing Heaven) which was built to overlook the city, but the most striking sight is the stunning artistry of the five-storey facade of the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds. The palace was built in 1799 to enable ladies of the royal household to watch street life and processions, and is part of the City Palace complex which forms the heart of the old city.
Palace of the Winds:
9:05 am: Translation of Jaipur: Jai = the Maharaja’s name + Pur= Old City.
9:15 am: Saw the local milk market on way to Amer Fort. Holy Cow!
10:00 am: Visiting Amer Fort, a complex that stands amidst wooded hills overlooking the Delhi-Jaipur highway, with its forbidding ramparts reflected in the still waters of the Maota Lake below. One of the finest examples of Rajput architecture, it was the ancient capital of the Kachhawah rulers. The original palace was built by Raja Man Singh and additions were made later by Sawai Jaisingh. Within the palace are the Diwan-e-Aam or the "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas or the "Hall of Private Audience" and the Sukh Niws where a cool breeze blows across channels of water for the purpose of air-conditioning. Here are the private chambers of the queens with windows having latticed screens so that the ladies could watch the proceedings of the royal court in privacy. There is also the Jai Mandir or the "Temple of Victory", with its famed Sheesh Mahal, the scintillating "Hall of Mirrors".
10:30 am: Taking the elephant ride up the steep mountain to the Amer Fort in the searing 95 degree heat. I’m riding with Vicki, Vicky and Clay. Had to buy a hat to protect my head. The poor elephant is struggling with the weight, the steep incline and the heat, but the driver just keeps kicking it behind the ears to get her going. Our elephant’s Ruby. She is 18 years old and new at this job. There are photographers taking Polaroid pictures of us as we go up the hill. They will try to sell them to us later (I actually bought a couple later).
12:00 pm: The Fort was cool. Lots of monkey’s there and nice views. We rode down in jeeps. Some Indian guy jumped on the back of the jeep in front of us and made a siren sound.
12:30 pm: We’re going to a carpet making demonstration. Some kid got on our bus and is doing lame magic tricks for money.
12:35 pm: We watched an inking demonstration before the carpet making demonstration. They dip the wooden stencils in ink, then press them on the fabric and hit it with a rubber hammer to set the ink on the fabric. Then they dip it in salt water, which brings out the color of the ink. The fabric is left to dry before the next color is added.
1:00 pm: We watched people at the carpet factory weaving, washing, and cutting the loops on rugs. They burn the back of the rug with a blow torch to finish it. It doesn’t harm the rug though.
1:30 pm: Vicki bought two rugs. Clay bought a couple too.
1:45 pm: Having lunch.
2:15 pm: Visiting the Jantar Mantar (Observatory) of Maharaja Jaisingh. Jaisingh's astronomical observatory may look like a giant playground for grownups, but in 1734, the year of its completion, it was the last outpost of medieval science. The observatory's eighteen fixed observational instruments are sighting devices which measure the position of the sun, stars and planets. Some are built entirely of masonry, others are engraved metal rings and plates set into masonry foundations. During the day, masonry sundials cast the sun's shadow on a suitably engraved scale. A sundial has two functional parts: a gnomon, which is the part that casts the shadow, and a scale, from which the measurement is read.
2:30 pm: The guide showed us how to tell time with the instruments. We had to add a half-hour to the indicated time since the device was created before India set its clocks to the half-hour within its time zone (India does not observe daylight savings. As a compromise, its standard time is set to the midpoint of the time zone. Thus, India is 10-1/2 hours ahead of Milwaukee time during daylight savings time in the US). Also saw 12 structures that point to each sign of the zodiac in the sky.
4:00 pm: Visiting the City Palace. Got a nice frisking by the guard when I came in. It’s weird to be touched by a stranger. This is the former royal residence built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. The palace houses a museum with a collection of costumes and armory of Rajputs and Mughals. The palace also has an art gallery with a collection of miniature paintings, carpets and rare astronomical works in Arabic, Latin, Persian and Sanskrit, acquired by Sawai Jaisingh II to study astronomy in detail.
5:00 pm: Did some shopping at a gallery on the palace grounds staffed by the artists themselves. Also saw a little dwarf Indian guard who was posing for pictures for money. His fellow guard was about twice as tall.
6:00 pm: Got caught in a major traffic jam. Lots of bikes, rickshaws, motorized rickshaws, motorcycles, cars, trucks and packed buses.
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Day 6 - Saturday 10/9/04 – Travel Jaipur to Agra by Bus via Fatehpur Sikri
Activities: Visited the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri on way to Agra with its perfectly preserved buildings, including Panch Mahal Palace and Jama Masjid. Had evening tea in Agra at a restaurant with a view of the Taj Mahal.
9:00 am: We’re on our way by bus to Agra. It will take 6-1/2 hours. We’re traveling through farm country the whole way.
12:00 pm: This is a scary ride. The road is two lanes, and very narrow. It’s crowded with traffic (cars, tractors, camel-drawn carts, people walking and biking, and assorted herds of farm animals. I’m sitting in the back of the bus so I don’t get nervous as we narrowly avoid head-on collisions while were passing slow-moving traffic.
12:30 pm: Have passed through a lot of small towns. Pretty dirty. Saw some guy shitting in the river. They just drop their drawers and crap wherever they want. People are also bathing outdoors. Apparently they don’t have running water.
2:00 pm: Visiting Fatehpur Sikri about ½ hour from Agra. Fatehpur Sikri, a deserted city due to water problems, was built by Emperor Akbar to commemorate the birth of his son Jahangir, who was born with the blessings of Sufi Salim Chishti. Built during the second half of the 16th century, Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.
4:15 pm: Fatehpur Sikri pretty amazing. There was a large water reservoir in the complex with green algae flowing on top. Some kid offered to dive in the reservoir for money. One second he was fully dressed and the next he was stripped down to his red boxer underwear ready to jump 15 feet down into the slimy water. An older brother and father were standing nearby watching. Must be really desperate.
4:30 pm: Stopped at the roadside where some guy had a bear on a leash. The owners break out the bear’s teeth and put a metal ring in his nose that the owner pulls on to make the bear stand on its hind legs. See the picture above. Cruel.
6:00 pm: Stopping for sundown tea at a restaurant with a killer view of the Taj Mahal. Took a horse-drawn carriage to get there. Got mobbed by street vendors hawking their wares. This has become a daily occurrence.
7:00 pm: Checked into the Sheraton, another 5-Star hotel with a view of the Taj Mahal. Will get up early to take sunrise pictures of the Taj Mahal.
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Day 7 - Sunday 10/10/04 – Agra
Activities: Morning visit to the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, built by Emperor Shah Jehan as a mausoleum for his beloved Queen Mumtaj Mahal. Visited Agra Fort, started by Emperor Akbar and completed by three different Mughal Emperors, where we strolled the palaces, mosques and Halls of Public and Private Audiences.
About Agra: Agra has a rich historical background, which is amply evident from the numerous historical monuments in and around the city. Though the heritage of Agra city is linked with the Mughal dynasty, numerous other rulers also contributed to the rich past of this city. Modern Agra was founded by Sikandar Lodhi (Lodhi dynasty; Delhi Sultanate) in the 16th century. Babar (founder of the Mughal dynasty) also stayed for sometime in Agra and introduced the concept of square Persian-styled gardens here. Emperor Akbar built the Agra fort and Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Fatehpur Sikri remained his capital for around fifteen years after which the city was left isolated in mysterious circumstances. Jahangir beautified Agra with palaces and gardens despite spending most of his time in Kashmir with which he was passionately attached.
Agra came to its own when Shahjahan ascended to the throne of Mughal Empire. He marked the zenith of Mughal architecture, when he built the Taj in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. In his later years, Shahjahan shifted his capital to the new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi and ruled from there. Shahjahan was dethroned in 1658 by his son, Aurangzeb who imprisoned him in the Agra Fort. Aurangzeb shifted the capital back to Agra till his death. After the death of Aurangzeb, Mughal Empire could not touch its peak and many regional kingdoms emerged. The post-Mughal era of Agra saw the rule of the Jats, Marathas and finally the British taking over the city.
6:00 am: Got up early and took beautiful sunrise pictures of the Taj Mahal from the 5th floor deck of the hotel. It was kind of far away, so had to zoom in. I’ll have to learn how to take better pictures with my camera as I only have one good picture from the 20 I took.
9:00 am: Visit to Taj Mahal. Took the electric buses to the main gate. Absolutely breathtaking. Security pretty tight. Got frisked really good by the male guard. It was almost like going to the doctor where you have to turn your head and cough for a hernia check. I think this would qualify as second-degree sexual assault in the US. Anyway, if the guy ever becomes a masseuse, he’ll make a good living.
About the Taj Mahal: When his wife died, Emperor Shah Jahan vowed to honor her with a memorial of unmatched beauty. The result stands before you today: a massive, delicately carved white marble jewel. Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world, and some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. The Taj is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India. Taj Mahal is built entirely of white marble. Its stunning architectural beauty is beyond adequate description, particularly at dawn and sunset. The Taj seems to glow in the light of the full moon. On a foggy morning, the visitors experience the Taj as if suspended when viewed from across the Jamuna River.
Taj Mahal was built by a Muslim, Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife and Queen Mumtaz Mahal at Agra, India. It is an "elegy in marble" or some say an expression of a "dream." Taj Mahal (meaning Crown Palace) is a Mausoleum that houses the grave of Queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu. In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan's real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.
Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees. The construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time. The documents contain names of those employed and the inventory of construction materials and their origin. Expert craftsmen from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, and Multan were employed. In addition, many renowned Muslim craftsmen from Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara worked on many specialized tasks.
The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and symmetry of architectural elements.
Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet.
It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The entire mausoleum (inside as well as outside) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper. The main archways, chiseled with passages from the Holy Qur’an and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern, give a captivating charm to its beauty. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.
The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it. The large garden contains four reflecting pools dividing it at the center. Each of these four sections is further subdivided into four sections and then each into yet another four sections. Like the Taj, the garden elements serve like Arabesque, standing on their own and also constituting the whole.
9:30 am: Had a group photo taken and several personal photos by our photographer. Had one photo taken on the famous bench where celebrities (Bill Clinton, Princess Diana) had their photos taken.
10:30 am: Interior of the Taj is rather plain.
11:00 am: Met a nice Indian family at the Taj. The mother encouraged her daughter to practice their English with us. The girl was 11, and the third best English student in her class. Her English was really good even though she has had only one year of lessons. The boy was 13, and tenth in his class. The parents were rather quiet, but the family lives in Jhansi (where we’re going by train tomorrow) and the father works for the railroad. We gave the kids one-dollar bills to “prove they met some Americans.”
12:00 pm: Went to shop where they make inlaid table tops. Vicki looked really excited sitting there with her soda and straw. Dotty bought a small table top that she will now have to lug around for the rest of the trip.
2:00 pm: Had lunch and now at the Agra Fort. Agra Fort is another dimension to the city that attracts tourists in hordes. Built by Akbar in Red Sandstone when he was through with the consolidation of his power after accession to power in 1654, Agra Fort worked both as a military strategic point as well as the royal residence. Many of the palaces inside the fort were later added by next generations of Mughal Emperors like Jahangir and Shahjahan. Most of the buildings within the Agra Fort are a mixture of different architectural styles. The assimilation of these different styles has given the buildings within the fort a distinctive look. For instance, the Jahangiri Palace built by Akbar is a good blend of Islamic (Persian) and different local Hindu styles. Other buildings either have a mixed style or conform predominantly to the Islamic style.
3:00 pm: The man who built the Taj for his departed wife was exiled to the Fort when his son overthrew him. He chose the Fort because it has a view of the Taj.
3:15 pm: Charlyn is AWOL. The guide went back to find her. She had a stupid smirk on her face when she boarded the bus. Jeez.
4:00 pm: Stopped at a strip-mall for cheap textile shopping. Haven’t bought anything yet. Clay is walking back to the hotel from here. Brave sole. It’s going to rain too.
7:00 pm: Had dinner with Vicki. Vicky went back to the room to watch DVDs.
9:00 pm: Just got a knock on the door. Vicky and Vicki dropped by to spray my bed with lavender linen spray. Smells nice. I should sleep well tonight.
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Day 8 - Monday 10/11/04 – Travel Agra to Khajuraho by train and bus via Orchha
Activities: In morning, boarded Shatabdi Express train for Jhansi and continued via bus to Khajuraho via Orchha on the River Detwa.
About Orchha: Orchha's grandeur has been captured in stone, frozen in time; a rich legacy to the ages. For, on this medieval city, the hand of time has rested lightly and the palaces and temple built by its Bundela rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries retain much of their pristine perfection. Orchha was founded in the 16th century by the Bundela Rajput chieftain Rudra Pratap who chose this stretch of land along the Betwa River as an ideal site for his capital. Of the succeeding rulers, the most notable was Raja Bir Singh Ju Deo who built the exquisite Jehangir Mahal, a tiered palace crowned by graceful chhatris (domes supported by pillars). From here the view of soaring temple spires and cenotaphs is spectacular. Strewn around the area are little shrines and memorials, each with its own poignant history, each contributing to the nostalgic beauty that is Orchha.
6:15 am: Up early to catch the Shatabdi Express train from Agra to Jhansi. The family from the Taj Mahal yesterday was from Jhansi.
7:30 am: Bonnie the Program Director had to secure porters to transfer our luggage from the bus to the train platform and purchase cheap locks for people who did not have them on their luggage. It’s a rule in India that luggage must be locked. While waiting, there was a lady breast-feeding her child in front of us. She could not have been more than 15 years old. Then the baby, who had no diaper, just started peeing. The mother’s sari was wet, but she managed to hold the baby away from her until it was done doing its business. Good thing it didn’t have to go #2.
7:45 am: When we got off the bus, shoe shiners came up and started rubbing polish on the shoes of some people in our group without asking. Herbert had to do a little dance to get rid of one guy.
8:08 am: On the Agra train station platform waiting for our train. It’s running on time. This place really smells. Some kid just pissed off the platform onto the tracks. There are workers down on the tracks with brooms, which they are using to sweeping debris from the track to keep the drains from clogging. They’re wearing flip-flops! And their feet are all dirty and covered with whatever solid and liquid waste is down there.
8:20 am: The train has arrived. The rush of air it kicked up as it entered the station took my breath away because it was so rancid. Vicky held her nose. I got a good picture of that. The group is in one car (C-4).
8:25 am: We’re on our way. Despite being a “nice” train, the passenger compartment is kind of dank and dirty. We’re getting complimentary coffee, tea and snacks. Eeeeewwww!
10:45 am: Arrived in Jhansi. Very clean. A few street vendors.
11:00 am: On our way by bus to Orchha to see the Palace of the Rajah Jehangir Mahal and have lunch. Nice countryside. Saw a huge herd of cows blocking the road along the way.
11:45 am: At Palace of the Rajah Jehangir Mahal. It is gigantic and impressive. Lots of photo ops here. Interesting looking holy man in orange robe sitting at the entrance. Beggar children also following us around. One boy is there with his little sister. I got a good photo of them and gave them some money. There’s an interesting hotel on the grounds. The upstairs bathroom was just a hole in the floor. The women used the bathroom in one of the guestrooms instead. The guide had one of the guards open a locked room so we could see some centuries-old paintings of the god Vishnu. The scenery views from the third tier of the castle are amazing. Some of the walkways around the outside perimeter of the palace have fallen away. If you’re not careful where you’re walking, you could fall right out of the building onto the ground 100 feet below.
About the Palace of the Rajah Jehangir Mahal: It was built to commemorate the visit of Emperor Jahangir to Orchha. The most notable of the Bundela kings, Raja Bir Singh Deo, built it in the 17th century. Construction began under the reign of Rajah Rudra Pratap but was stopped by its death into 1531. The palace is organized around two courtyards and contains splendid paintings.
2:00 pm: Having lunch at a local restaurant. Our luggage did not make it on the train. It is on the next train from Agra, so we have to wait here in Orchha for it to arrive.
2:30 pm: Went for a walk around the hotel. Some neat Hindu temples surround the restaurant.
3:00 pm: Ran into some local school boys playing cricket next to one of the temples about a ½ mile from the restaurant. They came over to see what I was doing. They wanted their picture taken. They we’re so excited to see themselves in the digital display that they wanted a whole bunch taken, and they started to ham it up a bit. They also wanted to take a picture of me with them, but I was afraid they would run off with my camera.
3:10 pm: I can see Charlyn walking up the road towards me. She turned to head back to the restaurant, so I ran up to catch her. Luggage arrived in Agra and is being brought to us in Orchha. It will take another ½ hour for it to get here.
3:30 pm: Charlyn and I walked about a ½ mile in the opposite direction from the restaurant. There are some interesting buildings and holy men (the same one from the palace is now way over here) along the river.
3:45 pm: Our luggage arrived. It is raining a little. We have to travel 4 hours by bus yet to Khajuraho.
4:00 pm: Eeekk! These roads are bumpy, narrow and clogged with animals, people walking or riding all forms of transportation (bikes, cars, farm tractors), and commercial truck traffic. The roads are wet too from the rain.
4:15 pm: The people riding on the right side of the bus near the front look a little scared (including Vicki and Vicky). The driver is playing chicken with oncoming cars as he passes slower traffic. There have also been several close calls with trucks coming from the opposite direction since the road is pretty narrow. I’m sitting in the back on the left hand side. It’s really raining and water is coming in the air conditioning vent. Charles is wet. So am I.
4:45 pm: As you go from one state to another, the trucks are required to pay a tax. There are guards at the border who collect the tax. There is a crossbar across the road that has to be raised manually to let traffic through. We’ve seen several so far, but the one we just saw was different. The guards put stones on the counterweight so that it would raise “automatically” when they slackened the rope being used to hold the crossbar down.
5:30 pm: It’s getting dark already. We turned off the main road due to a detour and are now traveling down some wet, narrow, steep, windy back road, following a tanker truck loaded with something combustible.
5:45 pm: Back on the main road again. Saw a big hydroelectric dam. Had to stop on the bridge for a photo op. Still raining.
6:15 pm: Getting dark. Stopped at a rest stop for snacks. Looked like a state-owned shop. Gouging on prices too.
7:00 pm: It’s dark now and still raining. We are still a few hours from Khajuraho. This road is really dangerous, but the bus driver seems very experienced.
7:30 pm: We have passed through several small towns. ¾’s of India’s one billion people live in rural areas. The towns are pretty bleak. There were quite a few tent cities. There were quite a few cement-block homes without windows or permanent roofs. The roofs were either corrugated sheet metal or blue or yellow tarps with crap thrown on top of them to keep them from blowing away. Many homes were candle-lit, so there appears to be no electricity. I also saw people crapping and bathing in the local pond and pumping water from local wells, so they don’t appear to have indoor plumbing or hot and cold running water. I’m also amazed by the number of small children near the roadside as the bus roars by. You would never see this in the US. Also, lots of cows milling about the roads, towns and fields—this place is “udderly” amazing.
8:30 pm: We almost to Khajuraho. Actually saw one town that could pass for American since it was rather modern by India standards. Bonnie, our guide, says most people fly, rather than drive, from Agra to Khajuraho. So we’re getting a glimpse into India life that most people don’t see. This has been a long, scary, dangerous drive, but worth it I think.
9:30 pm: We arrived at the Holiday Inn hotel. It’s the worst 5-star hotel so far. Pretty hot—they haven’t turned on the AC.
10:00 pm: At the hotel with Vicki and Vicky having dinner. Zoo-bar, our waiter just explained to Vicki how their French onion soup on the buffet is made. Zoo-bar says you start with “French” onions, chop them up, and mix them with stuff ….” Vicki could not contain her amusement with the waiter’s explanation since there is no such thing as “French” onions. The restaurant help doesn’t look very experienced, since they keep trying to get us to go the buffet rather than place a kitchen order. But they’re probably happy to have a good job in this rural area of India.
10:30 pm: Zoo-bar gets a big tip for his sheer entertainment value.
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Day 9 - Tuesday 10/12/04 – Khajuraho
Activities: Morning tour of the Chandela Dynasty Temples (Western Temple group). Among the intricately designed buildings, with many religious, secular and erotic images are the Chaunset Yogini Temple of Kali, the Bharatji Temple with it's 11-headed image of Vishnu and the Vraha Temple of Shiva. Went shopping in Khajuraho in the afternoon. Attended a music and dance cultural event in the evening.
About Khajuraho: Situated in the heart of Central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is a fascinating village with a quaint rural ambience and a rich cultural heritage. The fascinating temples of Khajuraho, India's unique gift of love to the world, represent the expression of a highly matured civilization. It is one of the top tourist places of India. The shops in Khajuraho sell a lot of handicrafts and some of them are really good and reasonably priced.
9:00 am: We’re off to the Chandela Dynasty Temples in the heart of Khajuraho. Lots of pesky street vendors were waiting for us. Another nice day.
9:45 am: These temples are awesome. The stone carvings that adorn the outside of the temples are full of images of people having sex in various ways. The guide showed us the one carving of the elephant laughing at two people having sex in the carving next to it. Also, one of the statues is of a woman with a scorpion on her leg to signify women are not easy. There was also one of guy doggy-styling what looked to be a horse or similar type animal. I got lots of pictures.
About the Chandela Dynasty Temples: Khajuraho temples were constructed between 950 and 1050 A.D. during the reign of Chandel Empire. Khajuraho derives its name from the Khajur tree (the date palm tree) which can be found in abundance in the area. These temples are considered the "high point" of Indian architectural genius in the medieval period.
Originally there were 85 temples, of which only 22 still exist. The amazingly short span of 100 years, from 950 AD - 1050 AD, saw the completion of all the temples, in an inspired burst of creativity. With the wane of the Chandela Empire, these magnificent temples lay neglected, and vulnerable to the ravages of Nature. It was only in this century, that they were rediscovered, restored and granted the recognition that they justly deserve. The temples depict the life and times of the Chandelas, and celebrate the erotic state of being. They not only testify to the mastery of the craftsman, but also to the extraordinary breadth of vision of the Chandela Rajputs under whose reign, these temples were constructed. Their style of architecture was also rather peculiar to their times. Each structure stands on a high masonry platform with a distinct upward direction to their build, further enhanced by several vertical projections to simulate the effect of an overall lightness.
The creators of Khajuraho claimed descent from the moon. The legend that describes the origin of this great dynasty is a fascinating one: Hemavati, the beautiful young daughter of a Brahmin priest was seduced by the moon god while bathing in the Rati one evening. The child born of this union between a mortal and a god was a son, Chandravarman. Harassed by society, the unwed mother sought refuge in the dense forest of Central India where she was both mother and guru to her young son. The boy grew up to found the great Chandela dynasty. When he was established as a ruler, he had a dream-visitation from his mother, who implored him to build temples that would reveal human passions, and in doing so bring about a realization of the emptiness of human desire. Chandravarman began the construction of the first of the temples, successive rulers added to the fast growing complex.
More on the Chandela Temples:Yet another theory is that the erotica of Khajuraho, and indeed of other temples, had a specific purpose. In those days when boys lived in hermitages, following the Hindu law of being "brahmacharis" until they attained manhood, the only way they could prepare themselves for the worldly role of 'householder' was through the study of these sculptures and the earthly passions they depicted.
If the temples of Khajuraho can be said to have a theme, it is woman. A celebration of woman and her myriad moods and facets- Writing letters, applying kohl to her eyes, brushing her hair, dancing with joyous abandon playing with her child. Woman - innocent, coquettish, smiling - infinitely seductive, infinitely beautiful. Depicted in a wealth of detail, sharply etched, sculpted with consummate artistry. The philosophy of the age dictated the enjoyment of the delights of arth (material wealth) and kama (sensual pleasures) while performing one's dharma (duty) as the accepted way of life for the grihastha (householder). Hence, the powerful combination of the visual and sensual pleasures combined with the duty attributed to the worship of the Deities brings about a powerful transformation of the body and the soul. To include all of these aspects of life in one's early years makes it easier to renounce them without regret or attachment as one moves on to one's next stages of life toward moksha (liberation).
Look at all those bats clinging to the inside of the dome:
11:30 am: The guide explained that the Hindu wedding ceremony lasts 10 days. The wife makes 5 promises to the husband, and the husband makes 7 promises to the wife. We’ve been given some free time to explore the temples, then the guide is going to turn us loose in the town to do some shopping.
12:00 pm: The street vendors are quite eager to do business with us. The rickshaw drivers are also shadowing us looking to give us a ride. The local boys are also swarming around us looking for shampoo and pens. Stopped at an ATM for a cash infusion. Bought a picture book on the Kama Sutra. Just what I need.
12:15 am: Many of the shop owners have sent scouts out to get us to come into their shops. They are relentless. Vicky and Vicki are already buying jewelry. There’s a lady who makes copper rings hawking her wares on the street. She polishes the copper rings by rolling them around in sand.
12:30 pm: We walked all the way through town and are having Pizza lunch at the Mediterraneo restaurant, which is up on the second level of a building overlooking one of the main shopping streets.
1:00 pm: At the Internet Café across from the lunch restaurant. Vicki and Vicky went jewelry shopping and are nowhere to be seen. #7 rickshaw driver is waiting for me outside, as are several of the local boys looking for more shampoo and pens, neither of which I have. The Internet is slow and a waste money.
1:45 pm: OK, this town is weird. Everyone seems to know we are here and where we are. I asked the rickshaw driver where the two ladies with the blond hair went (Vicki and Vicky). Five street vendors and the rickshaw driver all started jumping up and down and pointing down the street. I walked 6 blocks down the street. The rickshaw driver pointed down some nasty side street and said they were at a shop “down there.” I couldn’t imagine Vicki and Vicky would go down some scary looking street, but sure enough, there they were in one of the jewelry shops. I recognized one of the scouts I saw earlier standing in the back of the store.
2:30 pm: OK, Vicki is driving a hard bargain. The owner wants $875 for all the jewelry. Vicki talked him down to about $525. The funny part was when she offered less than that and the store owner balked about it. Vicki said she that if he didn’t want to cut her a deal, she could walk out of the store as easily as she walked in. As she started to pack up her things to leave, the owner said something like “Look, I am a business man. You can hit me in the back, but don’t stab me in the heart.” Vicki told him to turn around and she slapped him in the back before they eventually reached a compromise on price and closed the sale. Vicky also bought some jewelry, so it was a good day for the shop owner. Owner paid for taxi to take us back to hotel. Rickshaw drivers were not too happy about this.
3:30 pm: Went with Dotty by motorized rickshaw back to town. Dotty bought some metal box for 150 rupees. She wanted her change, but the owner kept selling her more stuff until there was no change left. Good business man. Went to Internet Café while Dotty ate at Pizza restaurant. Rickshaw driver waiting for us. I gave him 100 rupees ($1.40) for taking Dotty and me two miles into town. 20 rupees is average price.
5:00 pm: Back at hotel. Paid motorized rickshaw driver another 100 rupees to take Dotty and me back to hotel. We took the pleasant back roads to the hotel. Saw an interesting statue of Mahatma Ghandi. Going to native dance show tonight
8:00 pm: Back from dance show. It was held at the same place we shopped for textiles earlier this afternoon. Almost fell asleep at the show several times. Very colorful though. The dancers were accompanied by a live band with four musicians playing drums and various stringed instruments. The dancing looked like an aerobics class.
8:30 pm: Back at the hotel. The jewelry salesman from this afternoon is at hotel waiting for us. He was supposed to bring some stuff he made to the hotel for Vicki to look at and bring a ring Vicky wanted made. The ring is not ready. He wants to take us back to his shop rather than conduct business at the hotel. Sounds like were being played.
9:30 pm: We’re back at the jewelry shop. More jewelry being bought. Looks like a good day for the shop owner.
10:00 pm: Shop owner got taxi to take us back to hotel at his expense.
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Day 10 - Wednesday 10/13/04 – Morning in Khajuraho. Fly to Varanasi in Afternoon
Activities: In morning, transferred to the airport for flight to Varanasi. Arrived and transfer to hotel. Drove to the city of Saranth, where Buddha gave his first sermon and viewed the ruins, the stupa, the Buddhist Temple and museum with artifacts found in Saranth. Went to a bathing Ghat (a landing place along the riverbank) on the Ganges River by rickshaw, then boarded a rowboat to observe a nighttime religious ceremony being held on the Ghat.
9:00 am: We leave for Varanasi this afternoon so have time to go back into Khajuraho to shop and poke around. Charlyn, Frank and I took motorized rickshaw into town—it’s the same guy I’ve been giving 100 rupees to each time he takes me to town. A bunch of rickshaw drivers and taxis are waiting outside the hotel gate for us.
9:15 am: It’s a mob scene. Everyone recognizes me from yesterday and we’re being followed by all the street vendors, scouts and kids looking for shampoo and pens. I have a whole bunch of stuff I stole from the housekeeping cart to give them.
9:30 am: Frank, Charlyn and I are walking around. A boy about 12 with a school bag claiming to be a student is following me around. When Charlyn asked why he wasn’t in school, he said it didn’t start till noon.
9:45 am: Charlyn and Frank are shopping for wood carvings and clothing. I’m sitting outside the shop they’re in while the boy who has been following me does multiplication problems for me in his notebook. The older boys tell me I am a fool because my little friend is not really a student and that he is trying to trick me into giving him money by doing math problems.
10:00 am: I think those older boys are right. My little friend has made it clear he does not want shampoo or pens. He wants money because his father is out of work and they are poor.
10:05 am: Walking past the private elementary school Frank and Charlyn visited yesterday. I can hear children reciting numbers in English.
10:30 am: As I walked past the classroom, the teacher invited Frank, Charlyn and I to come in. It was a small, cramped, hot, windowless room with 56 kids sitting on mats on the floor. No lights or desks or chairs. I got to lead the class in their lessons: Chris: 3-1, Thirty-One, Class: 3-1, Thirty-One, on up to 40. One kid in the back was smarter than the rest and said the numbers before I could. The principal walked in and all the kids stood up in their cute little uniforms and said in unison: “Good Morning, sirrrrrrr.”
10:35 am: The principal showed me around school. Visited the English teacher’s class where two older kids were writing sentences on the black board. Visited the principal’s office. The school has 354 students in the first through fifth grades. I donated $30 to the school so the principal could buy more fans for the classroom. He also gave me the schools address in case I wanted to donate some computers. The only one they had was donated by an American last year and was pretty old. I also visited the library, which had no books really, just the work books kids used in their lessons. There were a bunch of kids sprawled out on the sidewalk in the bright light doing their homework.
11:00 am: I see Vicki and Vicky down street. I just gave away a bunch of shampoos, soaps and pens I had to the same kids who followed me around yesterday. They know my name is Chris even though I’m not wearing my name tag today. They’re pissed with me because I won’t give them any more stuff. They just fight over it anyway. Besides, I don’t have any stuff left.
11:05 am: Vicki pulled out some cookies for the kids to share, but one kid grabbed the whole bag and took off running, pursued hotly by the other boys. A local man eventually got the back of cookies and rationed them out so all the kids got something.
11:10 am: Word must have escaped that Vicki and Vicky are back in town spending money because the scouts and street vendors are swarming all over us.
11:45 am: Vicki and I have been at a shop buying deerskin purses. The owner was quite happy because he not only kissed Vicki once on each cheek, but me too. The motorized rickshaw driver I overpay is waiting outside. He seems to know I’m in town and where I am.
11:50 am: Met Vicky back at the jewelry store again (the same shop as before, a real pattern is developing here). She’s driving a hard bargain for some more jewelry.
12:00 pm: Time has run out. We have to get back to hotel to get ready to leave. The jewelry salesman took us back to our hotel in a cab. He made us pay this time. I don’t how the three of us squeezed into the back of the cab with all the shopping bags. It was pretty amusing. Vicky left one of her earrings at the shop. I think she called the shop to have them bring it to her.
1:00 pm: We’re at the airport waiting out front for Bonnie to get our boarding passes for the flight to Varanasi. Zoo-bar, our waiter from the hotel, is here to meet guests and take them back to hotel.
1:30 pm: The jewelry salesman is here. I thought he was here to see us off, but he’s just trying to get arriving tourists to come to his shop. He apparently didn’t get the message about Vicky leaving her earring at his shop. He said he would try to go get it for her and bring it to the airport. The salesman then took a running start, jumped over some tall bushes, and dove into a waiting cab and took off. His brother, who works in the tourist business, was there and said he is too old to do what his brother just did.
1:40 pm: The rest of our group has gone inside. Vicki, Vicky and I are still waiting for jewelry salesman to come back.
1:45 pm: He’s back--with Vicky’s earring. Vicky posed for a picture of the salesman and his driver before saying goodbye.
1:50 pm: Got another good frisking by airport security.
2:15 pm: We’re flying to Varanasi. It’s a 25 minute flight. By road, it would take 16 hours.
3:00 pm: We’ve arrived in Varanasi, the most sacred city of the Hindus, home of Buddha, one of the incarnations of the Hindu Vishnu.
About Varanasi: Varanasi is probably one of the most ancient living cities in India. From time immemorial it has been a great religious center for Hindus and one of their most sacred places of pilgrimage, being visited by millions of people every year.
4:00 pm: We’re going sightseeing before going to the hotel since it’s getting late. The guide says many Hindus move here when they get old so that they can be given a traditional Hindu creation and have their ashes scattered in the Ganges River. Creations are typically only allowed during daytime, except in Varanasi where it is allowed 24 hours a day due to the large number of cremations done here.
5:30 pm: We’re in the city of Saranth, where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. Here he revealed the eight fold path that leads to the attainment of inner peace, Enlightenment and Ultimate Nirvana. We viewed the ruins and the stupa where Buddha first preached (birthplace of Buddhism). We went to a museum where ancient artifacts found in Saranth are kept. In front of the museum was a long row of ladies dressed in colorful saris cutting the grass with little knives. Meanwhile, two men with a lawnmower cut the grass on the other side of the complex. Poor women.
6:00 pm: We’re driving to the Radisson Hotel in Varanasi where we’ll be staying. There is a big festival starting here in the next day or so. There is lots of bamboo scaffolding holding up the displays.
6:15 pm: We are on the bus headed to one of the major bathing ghats (landing place along the riverbank) on the Ganges River to watch a nighttime Hindu religious ceremony.
6:30 pm: This town is utter chaos. We got off the bus and got a dozen manpowered rickshaws to transport us to the bathing ghat. There are people, cows and traffic everywhere!!! And it’s dark. We went right down the crowded main drag, right through the main shopping area. Whenever we stop, the street vendors try to sell us something.
6:45 pm: We got out of the rickshaws, walked to the ghat and went down the steps to the river where our group got into a big rowboat and out onto the river to watch the ceremony. People kept coming up trying to shake our hands. I didn’t want to because you never know where those hands have been—especially in India.
6:50 pm: Geez, you can’t even get away from the street vendors in the boat. They have their own junk-laden rowboats. They come up along side trying to sell you something.
7:15 pm: The ceremony has music and dancing. It’s hard to see though. We all got a floating candle with a marigold inside that we lit and put in the river after making a wish.
8:00 pm: We’re back in the rickshaws heading back to the bus and hotel.
8:45 pm: Back at hotel having dinner in the restaurant. Have to get up early tomorrow in order to make it back to the ghat before dawn so we can watch Hindus bathing in the river.
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Day 11 - Thursday 10/14/04 – Morning in Varanasi. Afternoon Flight to Kathmandu
Activities: Took early morning boat ride on the Ganges. Passed the bathing Ghats, where Hindus come to immerse themselves to purify their souls; and the burning Ghats, where bodies await cremation so their ashes may be scattered in the river. Continued to the airport for a flight to Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. Arrived and transferred to the hotel. Went for a walk through Thamel, the main shopping district in Kathmandu.
5:15 am: We’re on our way back to the ghat to watch the Hindus bath and to see the burning ghat where they are created. Vicky and I were the last ones to make it to the bus where everyone was waiting for us. I ran ahead of Vicky at the end so I wouldn’t be the last one on the bus.
6:00 am: The Ganges River starts in the Himalaya Mountains 500 miles north of Varanasi and ends in Calcutta.
6:15 am: We’re back in the row boat being followed by the vendors in their boats. This is so weird seeing all these people bathing in the polluted water. There are also people washing clothes by hitting them on the rocks. I wonder if this is where my hotel laundry was done.
6:30 am: We’re going past the burning ghats where cremations occur within hours of death. We can’t take pictures, but I can see the wood piles and a cremation taking place. The body comes to the ghat on a stretch and is accompanied by the men of the deceased’s family. No women or children are allowed. Men and widows are draped in a white shroud. Women are covered in a red shroud. The body is dipped in the river, then surrounded by 500 pounds of wood, then doused in ghee (clarified butter) and sandalwood powder to promote burning. It takes three hours for the body to burn. The ashes are them put in an urn for the family. Being cremated at the burning ghat is more expensive than an electric cremation, but people prefer the traditional form of cremation here.
7:30 am: We’re walking through the Varanasi streets. It’s dirty and smelly. Lots of farm animals running around. Saw some puppies sleeping under a stoop and a stray cow here and there. I saw a lady dump her trash on the street in front of her house. We are being harassed by the vendors. We went to visit the Monkey Temple (yes, there were monkeys running around there). Since cameras were not allowed, we left them in a box with a trusted vendor outside the temple. Afterwards, the group came back to the vendor to shop for silks, which took a long time because the silks were so nice and plentiful.
8:30 am: Back at hotel having breakfast.
10:30 am: We’re at the Varanasi airport on our way to Kathmandu. Got yet another thorough frisking by the male security guard. I thought I heard him say, “Turn your head and cough.”
12:00 pm: We’re on the way to Kathmandu. It’s only 45 minutes by air from Varanasi. The mountains are pretty cool. Kathmandu has an elevation of 4,400 feet above sea level.
About Kathmandu: Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal. It is the cosmopolitan heart of the Himalayan Region. It is the gateway to Nepal. It has a glorious history going back two thousand years, and a refined culture that ranks among the highest in Asia. It is also a modern financial and business hub, exotic tourist destination, and a sacred goal for pilgrims.
More about Kathmandu from Fodors: Kathmandu wears its past like a proud diva showing off a string of pearls. It is home to dozens of shrines and temples and a citizenship rightly proud of their glorious, artistic past. Artisans still create beautiful woodwork, metalwork, and handicrafts using ancient tools and techniques.
For hundreds of years Kathmandu was one of three rival royal cities of Nepal, along with Bhaktapur and Patan. Kathmandu has been the sole capital city since Prithvi Narayan Shah unified the country in 1768. Today, home to 700,000 people, it is a painter's palette of brilliant, colorful saris, and a cacophony of languages and dialects holding trading matches at top pitch, while motorcycles, trucks, buses, and cars zoom past. Each street smells of a different curry, a new incense. It is a vibrant valley of life, where you can stand on any city street and watch a hundred mini-dramas unfold around.
According to legend, Kathmandu was founded by King Gunakama Deva in the latter half of the 10th century. In a dream, the goddess Mahalakshmi told the king to build a city where the Vishnumati flows into the Bagmati. The new city was named Kantipur and built in the shape of a kharg (the goddess' sword), which was a symbol of enlightenment. The king moved his palace from Patan to Kathmandu and established the city. The Mallas would later build temples in this city, but it was not until Prithvi Narayan Shah came along that Kathmandu really took charge. A wide street, Kantipath, was constructed, with palaces, schools, and barracks built off this road. More palaces were built by the Ranas in the 1900s, but many were destroyed in massive earthquake in 1934. New Road was constructed after the earthquake, linking Kantipath with Old Kathmandu, a route taxi drivers still use to get to Durbar Square.
Kathmandu, for many travelers, is also the gateway to the Himal. These mountains have inspired, crushed, awed, and subdued mountaineers from around the world, and are perhaps Nepal's greatest asset. Home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, the Himal dominate Nepal. They fill the rivers with life-supplying water, yet crush villages with the slides that often follow storms. When clouds shroud the peaks, locals seem to slump into a depression, as if a faithful friend has gone away. When the weather is clear, visitors who curse at alarm clocks at home are up before dawn, awaiting the sun's first beams to give them a glimpse of the stone giants.
1:00 pm: Nepal is so much nicer and cleaner than India. I love it already. The airport certainly is nicer than anything I’ve seen in India. You can even see the Himalaya Mountains from the airport. It’s really beautiful here, and cooler (upper-70s).
1:05 pm: We met our guide, Nee-raz, at the airport. We’re on our way to the Radisson. Nepal has 23 million people. 3 million live in Kathmandu and surrounding valley. 11 languages are spoken in Nepal. The main language is similar to Hindi. 80% of the population is Hindu.
1:20 pm: Had to set our watches ahead 15 minutes to account for the time difference from India.
5:00 pm: I have been strolling the Thamel district of Kathmandu. This is one awesome place. The Nepalese are very nice looking people. I have never seen so many shops. There seem to be several mile-long shopping streets running up and down the district. Everything is really cheap. There are 72 Nepalese rupees to the dollar. Trying to do conversions from Indian to Nepalese rupees (Indian rupees X 1.6 = Nepalese rupees) will take some getting used to.
5:15 pm: Bought some postcards and stamps and am heading back to hotel (about a 20 minute walk), with a stop at an Internet café along the way.
5:20 pm: Saw Vicki, Vicky and Clay near the hotel. They’re on the way to Thamel to shop.
6:45 pm: Internet connection is slow. Talked to some people from work on Instant Messenger (it’s 8:00 am in Milwaukee).
8:00 pm: Having dinner at Splash, the restaurant on the 5th floor of the hotel. It has a killer view of the city and Himalayan Mountain range. I sat in an area where I had to take off my shoes and sit on pillows on the floor at a table only a foot or two high. Had a couple Everest beers in a 22 ounce bottle while eating a water buffalo steak and chatting with a group of Norwegians who just returned from several days of trekking in the mountains.
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Day 12 - Friday 10/15/04 – Kathmandu
Activities: Drive to Durbar Square, with more than 50 palaces, pagodas, temples and monuments showcasing Nepalese architecture and dominated by the Taleju Temple. Visited the temple of Machhendranath and the great stupa of Swayambhunath, with the eyes of Buddha painted on all four sides. Went power-shopping with Vicki and Vicky in Thamel.
10:00 am: Going to see the Monkey stupa of Swayambhunath. It’s in the mountains overlooking Kathmandu. It’s a beautiful day.
10:30 am: We’re at Swayambhunath. It was a long hike up the hill to get to it. There are monkey’s and street vendors all over. The views of Kathmandu from up high are fantastic. The stupa has these mesmerizing eyes on all sides. There are all kinds of religious ceremonies are going on. There was also a large group of young Buddhist monks in training.
More on Swayambhunath Stupa: The golden spire of the 5th-century Swayambhu stupa is adorned with a colourful fluttering of prayer flags; it crowns a hill overlooking the Kathmandu Valley and offers fantastic views over the city of Kathmandu. Swayambhunath is one of the most recognisable symbols in Nepal and the painted eyes of Buddha watch all who ascend the worn stone steps. It is a World Heritage Site and one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal, and is at the source of the Valley’s mythical beginning. Legend has it that the history of the Valley began with the draining of an ancient lake by an Enlightened Being to reveal the Valley and a lotus flower was transformed into the hill and the shining light became the stupa itself. Swarms of pilgrims and red-clad monks circle the complex, spinning the prayer wheels, while the scores of monkeys that give the temple its nickname, Monkey Temple, prance about in irreverent groups. Interestingly the temple complex is scattered with shrines and statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities and the assortment of pilgrims from both faiths characterises the country’s unique religious harmony.
11:30 am: We’ve driven down the mountain back into Kathmandu and are now at Durbar Square, which has some amazing pagodas. There are also lots of street vendors who are quite persistent. Vicki is shopping up a storm.
More on Durbar Square: Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Durbar Square is the religious and social heart of Kathmandu’s old city and is a complex of palaces, temples, shrines, statues and courtyards built between the 12th and 18th centuries by the ancient kings of Nepal. The square is a queer assortment of the old and the new - elaborately carved architectural features and curving roofs provide shelter for cows, beggars and weary tourists; Brahman priests and painted Sadhus perform rituals and pose for photos, while souvenir sellers and rickshaw drivers compete for attention among the crowds. Stone lions guard the gates to the Old Royal Palace that contains a number of courtyards and several museums. Set into the palace wall is a 17th-century stone inscription written in 15 languages; it is believed that milk will flow from the spout below if anyone deciphers the entire inscription. On the other side of the square, the Kasthamandap temple is an open pavilion topped by a pyramidal tower, said to be created from the wood of a single tree. It is purportedly the Valley’s oldest building, and the city of Kathmandu derives its name from this ancient temple.
12:02 pm: We went to this inner courtyard in Durbar Square to see this “living goddess,” or Kumari, make here daily appearance in the window three stories up. Just before she appeared, a man came to the window and told us to put our cameras away. Then the Kumari appeared for 10 seconds. She wore colorful robes and tons of make-up. She looked kind of gruesome if you ask me, and she had real attitude as she looked down upon us. She was selected to be the Royal Kumari as a small child and will hold the title until she reaches adolescence, which will be a few more years, after which another girl will be selected. She was chosen because she has 32 perfections virtues symbolizing all that is good about Nepal. She had a real attitude though when she appeared in the window, all dolled up in robes and make-up.
More about the Royal Kumari: Kumari, or Kumari Devi is a living Buddhist goddess in Nepal. Kumari means literally virgin in Nepali. A Kumari is a prepubescent girl selected from the Shakya caste of the Nepalese Newari community. Although the Kumari is Buddhist, she is revered and worshipped by the country's Buddhists and Hindus alike.
While there are several Kumaris throughout Nepal, with some cities having several, the best known is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu. The selection process for her is especially rigorous, and she lives in the Kumari Ghar, a palace in the center of the city. The current Royal Kumari, Preeti Shakya was installed on 10 July, 2001 at the age of four.
A Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju until she menstruates, after which it is believed that the goddess vacates her body. Serious illness or a major loss of blood from an injury are also causes for her to revert to common status.
More on the Kumari: Once Taleju has left the sitting Kumari, there is a frenzy of activity to find her successor. Some have compared the selection process to the process used in nearby Tibet to find the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama. The selection process is conducted by five senior Buddhist Vajracharya priests, the Panch Buddha, the Bada Guruju or Chief Royal Priest, Achajau the priest of Taleju and the royal astrologer . The King and other religious leaders that might know of eligible candidates are also informed that a search is underway.
Eligible girls are Buddhists from the Newar Shakya caste of silver and goldsmiths. She must be in excellent health, never have shed blood or been afflicted by any diseases, be without blemish and must not have yet lost any teeth. Girls who pass these basic eligibility requirements are examined for the battis lakshanas, or 'thirty-two perfections' of a goddess. Some of these are poetically listed as such:
• A neck like a conch shell.
• A body like a banyan tree.
• Eyelashes like a cow.
• Thighs like a deer.
• Chest like a lion.
• Voice soft and clear as a duck's.
In addition to this, her hair and eyes should be very black, she should have dainty hands and feet, small and well-recessed sexual organs and a set of forty teeth.
The girl is also observed for signs of serenity and fearlessness (after all, she is to be the vessel of the fierce goddess Durga) and her horoscope is examined to ensure that it is complementary to the King's. It is important that there not be any conflicts as she must confirm the King's legitimacy each year of her divinity. Her family is also scrutinized to ensure its piety and devotion to the King.
Once the priests have chosen a candidate, she must undergo yet more rigorous tests to ensure that she indeed possesses the qualities necessary to be the living vessel of Durga. Her greatest test comes during the Hindu festival of Dashain. On the kalratri, or 'black night', 108 buffaloes and goats are sacrificed to the god Kali. The young candidate is taken into the Taleju temple and released into the courtyard, where the severed heads of the animals are illuminated by candlelight and masked men are dancing about. If the candidate truly possesses the qualities of Taleju, she shows no fear during this experience. If she does not, another candidate is brought in to attempt the same thing.
The fearless candidate has proven that she has the serenity and the fearlessness that typifies the goddess who is to inhabit her. Only a small test remains. She must be able to pick out the personal effects of the previous Kumari from an assortment of things laid out before. If she is able to do so, there is no remaining doubt that she is the chosen one.
Once the Kumari is chosen, she must be purified so that she can be an unblemished vessel for Taleju. She is taken by the priests to undergo a number of secret Tantric rituals to cleanse her body and spirit of her past experiences. Once these rituals are completed, Taleju enters her and she is presented as the new Kumari. She is dressed and made up as a Kumari and then leaves the Taleju temple and walks across the square on a white cloth to the Kumari Ghar that will be her home for the duration of her divinity.
12:45 pm: We were given some free time to explore Durbar Square and shop. I passed on buying a singing bowl, which is a metal bowl with a wooden stick you rub along the rim of the bowl to make it resonate, or “sing.” Vicki has been buying embroidered purses and jewelry, so is surrounded by street vendors.
1:00 pm: We’re at a Tibetan Monk shop looking at some really inexpensive, but very nice rugs.
2:00 pm: We’re at the famous Yak & Yeti Hotel having lunch.
4:30 pm: Shopping in Thamel again with Vicki and Vicky.
7:00 pm: Another successful shopping trip. Vicki bought a bunch of stuff. Having dinner at the Third Eye restaurant. According to the Buddhists, the third eye is not physical organ like your eyes, but an organ of inner vision and the centre which commands the body of energy within you. Your two eyes are receivers, or what you see. The third eye is the perceiver - the inner sight -one which sees the truth, and sees the past, present and future.
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Day 13 - Saturday 10/16/04 – Kathmandu
Activities: Morning mountain flight to Mount Everest. Then toured Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Bhaktgaon. Went shopping (again) with Vicki and Vicky.
7:00 am: Going on Mount Everest mountain flight. It's in a small plane. Costs $135. Take one-hour in total. Everyone gets a window seat. Everyone gets a turn going up to cockpit. You fly along the Himalayan range. You get a map of the peaks so you can identify them as you fly by. Mount Everest is 29,035 feet high. The front half is in Nepal, the back side is in Tibet (China). We will stay on the Nepal side.
7:30 am: It is an excellent day. We met a British couple who got married several months ago and who are traveling around the world. They've been trying to go on this flight for a long time, but the weather lately has not cooperated. Looks like we lucked out. Some people in my group questioned whether it was worth taking the sightseeing tour or not. How could you come all the way to Nepal and NOT see Mount Everest. This is a must do thing.
8:00 am: We're on our way to Everest. The scenery is awesome, especially the Himalayan range. 8 of the 14 highest peaks in the world are in Nepal. I can see a bunch of villages situated high up in the mountains. Wow!
8:30 am: Went up to the cockpit. Mount Everest is straight ahead! Hard to distinguish from the other peaks, but it is the highest one on the horizon.
8:35 am: We are really close to Everest now. Everyone is crowded to one side of the plane for a glimpse. I got the British (Paul and Caty) couple to take a picture of me out the plane window with Everest in the background.
9:00 am: We're back at the airport in Kathmandu. That was a great excursion. Going back to the hotel for breakfast, then on to Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Bhaktgaon temple sites in the out Kathmandu area.
10:30 am: On way to Boudhanath. Little boy with puppy was cute. Got harassed by lots of vendors along the way to temple.
More on Boudhanath from Fodors: After you enter the stupa gates, which are flanked by salesmen and beggars, you approach the massive white dome that dates back to AD 600. You can climb up onto its base and sit and look out at the mountains or the devout doing kora, walking round the stupa praying. Their chants are an ever-present murmur in the background of life in Boudha. As with most Buddhist structures, the stupa's base is shaped like a mandala, a symbol of the universe that serves as an aid to meditation. The five elements appear in its design. The base, earth; the dome, water; the central tower, fire; the umbrella, air; the pinnacle on top, ether. There are 13 rings from the base to the pinnacle, symbolizing the steps to enlightenment, or "Bodhi," hence the stupa's name. There are 147 niches around the outer wall; each one houses four or five prayer wheels. There are also 108 forms of Buddha sculpted into the base.
11:30 am: Boudhanath was cool. Climbed on the roof for pictures of the square it sits in the middle of. I’m becoming addicted to the chanting monks music all the shop owners are playing, so bought one for $1. It’s actually a rip-off CD. Dotty bought one of the “originals” for $2, but I saw shop owner swapped it for a $1 copy off the shelf in the back when he went to get her a bag.
12:00 pm: We are at the crematorium site of Pashupatinath. There is a body burning and another being prepared for burning. Lots of monkeys running around.
More on Pashupatinath from Fodors: Contains the Temple of Living Beings. Dedicated to Shiva, Pashupatinath is the oldest and most holy Hindu temple in Nepal. It sits on the banks of the sacred, but polluted, Bagmati River, a tributary of the Ganges. Historians believe people worshiped here as early as the 3rd century, and there are signs that there was a temple structure here as early as the 5th century. However, much of the present complex was built in 1696. Legend says that Shiva wanted to escape his heavenly work, so he turned himself into a stag and escaped to the forest here. When the other gods chased him down here, they broke off his horn, which became the Pashupatinath lingam (phallus). It is said the lingam was discovered by a cow. Although the main temple is open only to Hindus, you can get a good look from the far side of the narrow river. Cross the bridge; as you climb the path, take the first set of stairs on the left. At the end of the terrace, notice the head of Shiva (its nose is missing) carved on a 5th- or 6th-century lingam. From this terrace you can see the walls and the intricate metalwork of the silver doors surrounding the lower level of the two-tier Pashupatinath, which is crowned with gilded roofs. Within the building is a huge Shiva lingam, and outside stands an equally large gilded bull, Nandi, Shiva's mount.
1:30 pm: Nee-raz our guide says that Nepal has arranged marriages. In the mountains, a woman can have many husbands. There are no free schools in Nepal. There are private public schools. Have to pay. Not obligatory.
2:00 pm: At Bhaktgaon. Short tour. Just amazing. Beautiful pagodas with a Himalaya Mountain backdrop. Had lunch. Bothered by the entrepreneur boys (teenagers) who befriend you, try to show you around and point out good photo ops for money. One wants me to come to an art school. We go. I took a picture of a man working in his metal shop. When the flash went off, he yelled and gestured for money.
More on Bhaktgaon from Fodors: Bhaktapur—locally known by Khwopa—is world renowned for its elegant art, fabulous culture and indigenous lifestyle. For its majestic monuments, colorful festivals and the native Newars best known for their long history of craftsmanship, the ancient city is also variously known as the "City of Culture", the "Living Heritage" and "Nepal’s Cultural Gem". Given such unequaled opulence in ancient art and culture, Bhaktapur is more like an open museum, and the ambiance here is such that it instantly transports visitors back by centuries the moment they step into its territory. Bhaktapur has its gem in the Durbar Square—a World Heritage site listed by the UNESCO. Strewn with unique palaces, temples and monasteries best admired for their exquisite artworks in wood, metal and stone, the palatial enclave has bewitched pilgrims and travelers for centuries. Yet, they are not all though. Adding to the mesmerizing environs is the holy Himalaya that makes the backdrop of the city. Stretching all along the township, the panoramic Himalaya levitates in the skyline as if to keep vigilance on the city’s enviable beauty and splendor. Bhaktapur, at 1,401 meters above sea level, spreads over an area of 6.88 square kilometers. It grows from a collection of villages strung along the old trade route between India and Tibet. The capital city of the Greater Malla Kingdom till the 15th century AD, Bhaktapur was founded in the 12th century by King Ananda Malla, but it was only in the early 18th century that this city took its present shape. It was at that time that many of Bhaktapur’s greatest monuments were built by the then Malla rulers.
3:30 pm: Will skip the optional afternoon excursion since the town is the one I would have gone to for a view of Everest had we not taken the mountain flight this morning. Will go back to Thamel to shop with Vicki and Vicky.
4:45 pm: Back in Thamel shopping. Vicki bought a bunch of scarves and other clothing accessories at one shop. The guy running it made me model some ladies pant outfit. Then served us some Chai tea. He is married. Wife does not work. He makes $30 a month and pays rent on a small house of around $14 a month.
7:00 pm: Having dinner in Thamel at the famous Rum Doodle & 40,000-1/2 Ft Bar. We’re sitting on an outdoor deck on top of the building. A hiking group that just finished its mountain trek is next to us celebrating. The Rum Doodle & 40,000 1/2 ft Bar is a hang out for mountaineers and trekkers. Rum Doodle is famous for the Everest Summiteer's Club and has a large collection of Everest Summiteers signatures. Everest Summiteers like Sir Ed. Hillary, Messner, Tabei, Ang Rita, Rob Hall, Garry Ball and many of the famous climbers have all left their footprints behind. Trekker groups autograph a giant cardboard cutout of a Yeti’s foot (abominable snowman) and tack it on the walls upon completing their climb.
8:30 pm: Taking cab back to hotel. It's a small car and we have lots and lots of shopping bags.
9:00 pm: Back at hotel. We fly back to Delhi tomorrow afternoon so will have time in the morning to do some souvenir shopping. I need a T-Shirt from Nepal. There are lots of souvenir shops on the street outside the hotel.
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Day 14 - Sunday 10/17/04 – Fly Kathmandu to Delhi
Activities: After breakfast, transferred to the airport for flight to Delhi. Transferred to hotel. Went shopping and out to eat.
6:00 am: Got up early and did my bookkeeping. I will spend about $3,400 total for this trip including the 16-day tour package, roundtrip flight between New York and Milwaukee, taxis and other ground transportation, Everest Mountain flight, meals, souvenirs adn tips. Spend a couple hundred on tips alone for the Program Director, tour guides, bus driver and his assistant, restaurants, hotel maids, bartenders, bathroom attendants, etc. People in India and Nepal live on tips here due to low wages. The tour package alone was $2,300, so the extras will add up quickly. I'm thinking of tipping Bonnie the Program Director about $5 per day, which is $65. I think that's more than fair. Unlike our program director in Egypt, she did not impart a lot of knowledge about the people, culture and history of India and Nepal during those long bus rides we've endured on this trip. The local tour guides we picked up in each town only told us about the sites we were going to see. Of course, being the observant person I am, I did get a feel for the country during my long walks, shopping trips and guide books.
7:00 am: We leave at noon for the airport to fly back to Delhi. I've enjoyed it here. I'm down to my last few Nepal rupees so will have to watch what I spend but make sure there is nothing left but a few coins.
9:30 am: I'm out wandering the streets. Went ot the shop to buy some snacks, which were much cheaper (90% cheaper) that at the airport snack shop. Some kids asked me to buy them some milk. Just a ploy. They get it cheap then try to sell it for more and pocket the cash. The guy who hand-embroiders souvenir T-shirts is upset that Vicky and Vicki have not come back to buy more T-shirts from his shop. I can't believe he does all his T-shirt embroidering by hand. He's very good, and fast. I bought a Kathmandu, Nepal shirt last night.
10:00 am: Went to see Vicky and Vicki in their room. Oh...my...GOD they've got a lot of extra bags. They must have 8 duffle bags between them. They even left 2 big pieces of luggage behind at the Park Hotel in Delhi where we'll be checking back into later this afternoon.
11:00 am: Vicky is shopping for a picture to hang on her walls at a shop down the street from the hotel. She bought it.
11:45 am: Boarding bus to go to airport.
12:00 pm: We're at the airport. The flight leaves at 2:40 pm, but there's a lot of security checks to go through since it's and international flight.
12:15 pm: Got another good frisking by the airport security guard.
3:00 pm: We're enroute to Delhi. Goodbye Nepal. I hope to come back someday.
2:45 pm: Setting watch back 15 minutes to get on Delhi time.
3:15 pm: We've landed in Delhi (50 minute flight total.
4:00 pm: Waiting for bus to take us to hotel. Vicky and Vicki's luggage cart is overloaded.
5:00 pm: We're back at the Park Hotel in Delhi. We have a 2:15 am wake-up call for our flight to London. I gave up my room to Bonnie, our Program Director, who was going to go look for a cheap hotel somewhere else. Apparently Gate1 doesn't pay her and she lives on tips only. So all the hotels we've stayed in, she has had to negotiate her own room. She got to Delhi 2 days before us. She will be here 8 months, so needs to find a place to live. I will sleep a few hours in Clay's room.
6:00 pm: It's a holiday in India today. There is a huge market going on across the street. Vicky, Vicki, Clay and I are going to see what they have, then go down the street to a nightclub called DV8 market for a few drinks and dinner.
7:00 pm: The street vendors at the market were aggressive. The guys selling wooden snakes, wallets, hankerchiefs and drums were really annoying and followed us around and would not leave us alone. Vicky and Vicki are staying an extra 2 days in Delhi to do some last minute shopping. Don't know how they're going to get all their purchases through US customs.
8:00 pm: We wandered the streets trying to find DV8. We ended up back outside our hotel. One of the hotel employees recognized us as guests of the hotel and walked us down to DV8. I would have never found it on my own. There was no sign out front, just a man in a uniform guarding the door. On the way to DV8, we ran into Charlyn and Frank.
8:30 pm: Having some drinks and snacks at DV8. Nice little place.
10:00 pm: We're all tired so went back to hotel to catch a few hours sleep before the 2 am wake-up call.
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Day 15 - Monday 10/18/04 – Fly Delhi to London to New York to Milwaukee
Activities: Transfer to the airport at 2:45 am for departure flight home.
1:45 am: Woke up early and took a quick shower before Clay woke up.
2:00 am: Porter is here to pick up bags.
2:15 am: Waiting in hotel lobby for bus, which is due here at 2:45 am.
3:00 am: Bus was late. Bonnie is staying in the room that was assigned to me. She charged a few phone calls and liquor from the mini-bar. The hotel thinks I'm trying to leave without paying my bill. I got it taken care of and we're on our way to the airport.
3:50 am: Got my last grope from the airport security guard.
6:45 am: Sat in the airport getting bored for the past few hours. I'm tired. Should sleep well on the plane to London. We just left Delhi.
11:00 am: London Time (4-1/2 hours behind Delhi): We just arrived at Heathrow. That was an 8-1/2 hour+ flight. I slept quite a bit. We don't have to get off the plane this time. They'll just clean the plane while we're on board. They sprayed the cabin with bug killer again before we landed.
12:30 pm: We're on our way to JFK. It's another 7-1/2+ hours to New York.
3:30 pm: We've arrived at JFK.
3:40 pm: New York Time (5 hours behind London): I carried on luggage, so am through customs already. It's a record. Will wait for Sean, Herbert and Pat to get luggage. We're all going to La Guardia. I have a lots of time before my next flight, so we'll take shuttle bus together.
4:00 pm: En route to La Guardia.
5:00 pm: Lots of traffic. Finally made it to La Guardia. Very long line at security.
7:25 pm: Flight just left La Guardia for Milwaukee. Turning watch back another hour.
8:50 pm: Milwaukee time (1 hour behind New York, 6 hours behind London, 10-1/2 hours behind Delhi): Just landed.
9:15 pm: Just walked in the door. It's 10:45 am tomorrow in Delhi, which means I've been en route from Delhi to New York for 28 hours. Glad to be home.
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