Advertisement
Published: October 13th 2008
Edit Blog Post
I’m still in catch up mode as I attempt to highlight what I can from the past two weeks of adventures.
Shekarwati and Rajput Castles
Agra and The Taj Mahal
Not so far from the US plummet
Two weeks ago we had a three day field trip to Shekarwati -a Ragistani province that is known for its Rajput Castles and Havelis (mansions). After spending the first day at an organic farming NGO, we spent the night in a preserved castle where we enjoyed every royal comfort including a real shower. I think I used more water in that one bathing session than I have in all my bucket showers combined. The next day we toured the intricately painted mansions of the area, and visited both a large and small organic farm. It was interesting to see the techniques that we were shown the day before at the NGO, such as drip filtration, worm farming and organic pesticides, being used with success on farms of different sizes. The second night we stayed in mud huts at a resort where we slept mosquito free thanks to the manure that was mixed in to the dry mudded walls. Our final educational session was had
massive road towing
we never did figure out what it was with a former Bollywood play-write and theater director at his childhood home…it was a castle. We sat in the main room below the royal paintings and décor as he told stories of his childhood as the son of a Rajput King during the rule of the British Raj. His stories presented an intriguing perspective into what was going on in this period of India’s history. Yet another amazing fieldtrip had with MSID.
The weekend of Aug. 30th was spent at and in route to Agra. Eight of us crammed into an air-conditioned mini SUV on Friday afternoon headed for Agra to see what every traveler to India hopes to see. Three of us road in the trunk and enjoyed the comforts of little air and leg room. After a six hour journey, we stayed at a government hotel in a small town just outside Agra for the night. Dinner was had at a nearby restaurant where we had best chowmein of our lives. We woke up bright and early the next morning to visit the famous bird sanctuary that was within walking distance from our hotel. There we rented bikes and toured the swamp covered grounds for two hours.
Although we did see birds, I think it should have been called the monkey sanctuary rightfully with all the long tailed critters covering the paths. For those who are wondering, when face to face with a monkey, never smile or show your teeth to avoid any sort of regrettable confrontation. My favorite birds we saw were the giant storks that perched about the trees. Their wing span was incredible. All in all I really enjoyed the bird sanctuary, though I wish I hadn’t chosen the bike with the broken seat. Ouch!
Next was Agra…to the Taj! We tried to get the Indian entrance fee with our Indian residency cards…it didn’t work. Instead of paying 20 rupaye, we blew 750 each to get in. Our entrance into the grounds of the Taj Mahal is a story in itself which I will spare you with (for now). It was a hot, hot Sunday packed with Indians on holiday. We entered the gates after much pushing and shoving and yelling, and through the main garden….there it was. In my opinion, they aren’t lying when they say that the Taj is the most impressive demonstration of architectural beauty in the world. Stunned I was.
We took tons of pictures from every angle before entering the tomb. For those in question, the Taj Mahal is actually a tomb that was built by Mugal king Shah Jahan for his wife after she died during his rein. Later, he was also buried there. To enter the complex you either have to take off your shoes or wear these ridiculous white booties over your shoes. I opted to go shoeless, soon regretting the decision when the white marble began burning my feet. Luckily I discovered a line of shade about two inches thick that extended to the entrance. I was now being laughed at by the people wearing the booties as I tight-roped my way to the door. Indiside was cool and tranquil. I couldn’t get enough of the engravings and jeweled lotus plants lining the walls. It was magnificent. Pictures, pictures, pictures… what more can I say. And once we were done taking our pictures Indians who passed us by insisted on getting snapshots with us in it. Strange…I can’t figure it out. Eli and I pose on a nearby bench and count the number of people who pass to take pictures of us…the strange foreign people.
Some even try to coax their small children to pose with us. Usually the kids refuse and end up crying and running away. It’s the young men who love getting snaps. Generally they will only approach the boys in our group, asking permission for pictures of the whole group. I’ve gotten used to men refusing to address me and am pleasantly surprised when they shake my hand after finishing a conversation with eitherJesse, Erik or Eli. Certainly there have been times when I’ve been shot down completely. The worst is when you go up to cheers someone with no reciprocation. I guess there’s a first time for everything. So back to the Taj it was beautiful and certainly a clash between the area surrounding the Taj that is filled with the most insistent vendors I have yet to bare witness to. On our way back to the car we were followed the entire way by a boy and girl duo selling souvenirs. They impressed us with their linguistics abilities…reciting their marketing spiel in various different languages. I purchased a mini Taj snow globe key chain from one of them. Still they wouldn’t leave us alone. Nobody would. Thankfully we reached
the car and after fighting with the little boy to let me close the door we were back on our way home to Jaipur. I didn’t have to ride in the trunk this time.
As my fingers grow weary from typing, regrettably I have not succeeded in my goal of completing a wrap up unto the present. So much has been going on here and certainly at home! It’s a weird feeling knowing that your country is going through so much mayhem while you’re miles away from it all. I depend on my snippets of information gathered from the Indian Newspapers to tide me over…a far from satisfying overview. What is interesting on my end is to witness the effects that the US market bust is starting to have on this part of the world…the plummet of the Indian stock market three days ago being one of them.
Now truly I must end in hopes that another post will be coming soon. cheers!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 57; dbt: 0.0642s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb