Elephant Ride in the Pink City

After Mari and I made quick work of the Taj, we loaded into the car and took a 4 hour drive to Jaipur. I had heard so much about Jaipur from the people I work with. I was told there were bazzars (small shops) everywhere. I was told you could buy bengals, fabric, jewelry, and a host of other things. While we did find some places to shop, much of our time was taken up by the tour we went on.

We arrived into Jaipur around 6pm and got checked in an settled before heading to a different hotel to meet Daniela for dinner. The following morning we woke up around 7:30 and headed down to have a little breakfast before our tour. There was a great buffet set up and the food looked great. The only reason I am mentioning the breakfast is because of one item they had out. Pancakes. Mari went crazy! They were mini pancakes and Mari was so happy. As it turns out, they don't do pancakes in Tokyo... whoda thunk it?

Daniela and the car picked us up around 8:30 and we were off on the tour. Our first stop was a huge fort called, the Amber Fort that was on top of a hill.
*Pro Tip, the B in Amber is silent

To get up to the fort, you could either take a car, walk, or take an elephant ride... I will let you guess which one Mari and I chose. For a mere 900RS (<$18) you could get a two person ride on an elephant. We boarded our elephant and slowly (and uncomfortably I might add) made our way to the top. The entire way we were bothered by hawkers and others trying to sell us worthless trinkets, but since we were a solid 10-12 feet above them it mattered little.

The view from the top (as usual) was beautiful. After taking some pictures and listening to our tour guide we made our way inside. The fort is a maze of court yards, small rooms, and even smaller passage ways. If we were not with someone who knew where to go, I can guarantee we would still be wandering around this massive fort.

All of the color on the wall in the picture is from paint that is made by crushing semi precious gems and stones and mixing them with a milky like paste. Those walls have not been repainted in over 400 years.

Once inside the fort, we wandered around and saw many different rooms before we stumbled into the "third courtyard". This area of the fort is also known as the Mirror Palace. The walls and ceilings are covered in mirrors. The mirror were small and convex shaped. When dark, and a candle held in the right spot, the whole area would light up. Really ingenious if you ask me. Across the courtyard from the mirror palace was a primitive form of air conditioning. There would be a huge wall of moss hanging over and blocking air flow into the garden area. Water was the pumped (naturally I might add) into the moss. So when the breezes came and hit the wall of moss, it would cool the air before it came into the garden area. This place would have been incredible to see in working order.

As I said before, the Amber Fort had LOTS of rooms. The Maharaja that designed the fort made the "fourth courtyard" for his wives, concubines, and mistresses. The Maharaja's room had a passageway that led to a common corridor that then branched into each of the 12+ rooms individually. The king was able to visit any one of his ladies without the others know which one it was. I can not begin to fathom how difficult it would be to keep track of it. "Damn it, I'm in Jessica's room, I meant to go to Carla's room... I guess Carla will have to wait till tomorrow".

On our way out of the fort we came across something I had been looking forward to seeing... a snake charmer! It was really cool. The guy had a couple little baskets, and once someone put their money down he took off the cover and began playing. And what do you know... there was a cobra! Our tour guide told us that if we paid 20RS (<$0.40) we could go and touch the cobra while the charmer played. None of us had the courage... even after we were told the cobra had its fangs removed. Maybe next time...

Next up, the Jal Mahal, which means the Water Palace. They are currently doing renovations on it so we were unable to actually go to the palace, but it was really pretty to see from shore. We also had a pretty decent view of it from our hotel room.

We then stopped at this fabric store that was really cool. They did something called block printing. Which consists of dipping a wood block, with a negative carving in it, into ink and pounding it onto fabric. After the demo we went into the store and did a little shopping. Mari got a custom dress made from silk with block printing on it, and I went to the custom tailored blazer and shirts. Overall a really good stop.

Next stop was the City Palace. No cameras were allowed inside of the palace, so I only have one picture of this one. There is a whole bunch of history and plenty of stories about this palace... I honestly can only remember two. The first is about a mysophobe of a king. He was so worried about his drinking water when he traveled that he made a huge urn out of silver that he took with him when he traveled. To each his own I guess. The other is about a huge king. This king four feet wide, over seven feet tall and weighed over 550 pounds. Oh, and he had 108 wives...

Our last stop in Jaipur was the Jantar Mantar. This is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments built by a king... who apparently always needed to know what time, season, and astrological sign it was at any given second. He built 14 different instruments including a sun dial (pictured below), star tracking and elipse predicting devices, and a device for individual constellations. So when your child is born, you are supposed to check this place to find their astrological sign.

Apparently the "small" sundial was not accurate enough for this king, so he had a larger one built. This one stand 90 feet tall and is the largest sundial in the world. It could actually be smaller in size, the reasoning being "The scale to which they have been built has been alleged to increase their accuracy. However, the penumbra of the sun can be as wide as 30 mm, making the 1mm increments of the Samrat Yantra sundial devoid of any practical significance."

With just a car ride back to Delhi (worst in my life), our trip was coming to an end. Once back in Delhi, I took Mari on tours I had already done and what I thought she would enjoy (Old Delhi, Lotus Temple, etc, etc). This brought us to Friday... the day Mari left. A sad day indeed, but her visit was so much fun and provided a much needed break from the monotony of the internship. 

Next up, a post on a "rain party" and a weekend trip to Chandigarh with Dinesh! Should post that tomorrow. 

Mari and I Take the Taj

AAAHHHH!!! Mari came to visit me! That is right, she took a week out of her busy REAL world life and flew to India.

After some confusion (my fault of course) I successfully picked her up from the airport and we made our way back to my flat. After a shower, a snack and a quick pep talk from me about kicking jet lag in the teeth, Mari and I went out that night to a YPO/WPO event. It was their year end event where they give out awards and have a party. It was a lot of fun, they had some famous Bollywood guy come in and sing. This of course caused all the girls to rush to the stage and fawn over him as he serenaded them. They had cuisines from four or five different nations (Mari sprinted for the Indian while I wavered around Italian and Chinese) that was absolutely superb. And to top it off, they had a top shelf open bar.

The following day, we set off to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. It was a fairly simple three hour drive that was handled by a hired driver. Upon arriving we were talked into taking a tour of the Taj that day because apparently there was some holiday the next day and it would be impossible to see it. The tour was good, it was hotter than Hades... like I should have thrown my shirt away hot. But it was nice to see it up close and hear about the history and all that nonsense. And of course we got plenty of pictures.

The next morning we were set to take another tour of the Taj. This time a sunrise tour. Everyone I spoke to told me that it was a must, so I got that set up through the hotel and we were off. It really was worth it. If you ever get a chance to visit the Taj, please take the tour at sunrise. Even though we had to get up at 4:30am, it is so pretty and brings a whole new view to the building... also it is much cooler.

The Princess Diana bench

After the Taj we took a tour of the Agra Fort. It was built by the same guy who built the Taj, which is where he was later imprisoned by his son. Two thirds of the fort is still being used by the military and therefore off limits to civilians, but the 1/3 we were able to see was pretty cool.

The view from the old kings room. At least his son was nice enough to let him view the Taj from his prison room.

So we were told that this was known as the pleasure garden. Apparently there were naked women wandering around here and the wine was endless

This was my favorite part. This is a double mote. The first mote was filled with water and had crocs and other terrifying water animals. The second mote was filled with wild animals like lions, panthers, and other ferocious beasts. I want to have a double mote one day. I think that is the definition of success.

We finished our trip to Agra and prepared to make our way to Jaipur. That post will follow in the coming days. We had a blast in Agra and I highly recommend going if you ever have the opportunity. Also, look at this UNREAL view we had from our hotel room.

And here is Mari looking like a model in the hotel pool. Seriously, look how beautiful she is.

A Drink With a Billion Souls

As I promised in my post about the drinking culture in Ireland, here is a post about the drinking culture in India.

I was shocked to find out that there actually was a drinking culture here. I was expecting most people to not drink at all, seeing as that is the stereotype that I have come to know about Indians. Like most, this stereotype does have some grounding, but it does not encompass the true culture. Drinking culture is divided into the north and the south of India. In the north, they drink, in the south, they don't. Simple as that. Thankfully I am living in the north, so I am able to imbibe on occasion. I have gone to some bars and many restaurants and I have had my fair share of booze while here.

There are some stark differences I noticed while enjoying my ice-cold beer (which came as a true godsend in this awful heat). I will start with something that shocked me, the drinking age here is 25. Yes, you read that right; the US does not have the highest drinking age. The enforcement of this law leaves something to be desired though. I have never once been asked for my ID or asked how old I was for that matter. As a matter of fact, I didn't find out about the drinking age till about two weeks ago.

I have been invited to some "parties" while here. While I have always had a good time, the parties are always 100% male. There was once that a guy's girlfriend joined us, but she did not drink at all. It is highly unusual for me. At these parties, they call drinks "pegs" and they rarely use mixers when they are having liquor. They will use water or soda water or ice (if any survived) to dilute the alcohol. They were blown away when I made a mixed drink like we have back home. When they do get drunk, they do not call it "being drunk", they call it "being high". So you can imagine my confusion when I first heard someone say they were "so high". My first reaction was "Where did you get it?"

In an effort to decrease the amount of reading you would have to do, I am going to just list a couple other things I have noticed while drinking here.

The drink of choice here is beer or whisk(e)y, which I have little problem with. 

When not at a restaurant, they drink to get drunk. I saw someone down three drinks in the time it took me to enjoy one. 

The hangovers are hell here no matter what kind of booze you drink. I think it is because of how dehydrated you are all the time. All I know is that some of my worst hangovers have taken place here in India.

Liquor stores (wine shops) close at midnight. But if you are in Gurgaon or Delhi (where I am) and it is after midnight and you are still thirsty, all you have to do is knock on the window and tell them what you want and they will get it for you for an extra charge of 40-80rs ($0.80-$1.60) depending on the booze. 

Their beer comes in 12 oz bottles or 23oz bottles. Weird, I know. Also you buy them individually. No 6 or 12 packs... just single bottles. 

I do believe that is all that has surprised me. I figured I would post something before I have a revolt on my hands over lack of posts. I should have my pictures from Agra (Taj Mahal) and Jaipur in the coming day or two, and I will be sure to get a post or two up about that journey. 

A Beach Paradise During Monsoon Season

This past weekend I took a trip to Goa with Daniela. Originally a Portugese colony, Goa is now the smallest state in India, and is known for its beaches. Daniela wanted to visit Goa while here, and I had many people tell me that Goa is a must see while in India. So, I packed up my overnight bag and boarded a plane headed for Goa.

We stayed at this wonderful little hotel called Sonesta Inns. There was NO ONE there. With the exception of an Indian family and what looked like a couple on their honeymoon, the hotel was empty. Upon arrival at our hotel around 7 pm we checked in and tried to figure out where we were going to eat. I was given a huge list of great restaurants in Goa by a friend of mine, so we figured we would scour over that. As it turns out, monsoon season is their off season (imagine that) and every place we called was closed.

Upon dropping us off at the hotel after dinner, the cabbie suggested we go to a spice plantation the following day, seeing as we had not found any touristy stuff to do, we happily agreed and made our way to our rooms. The next morning we had breakfast and hopped in the cab headed out for a little sight seeing. First on the list was a very old church, if I remember correctly it is the Church of St. Francis.

If you were wondering, the thing above the two cherubs heads is the body of St. Francis... he died in 1552. I can only imagine how bad that thing would stink if it was opened. Sorry... I digress

And I also must say this was the most burtal crucifix I have ever seen. 

After the church we made our way to a hindu temple that was beautiful, but overall not that exciting. 

Once we walked though the temple we jumped back in the cab and made our way to the spice plantation. Initially I had no idea what we were in for, I figured it was just going to be a big spice market with a couple of trees here and there... I was quite wrong. This plantation was 150 acres and had spices growing in every corner of all sorts of different plants. The tour was surprisingly impressive, we walked around two acres of the property and the guide explained the purpose and importance a whole bunch of different spices have to the Indian people. When the tour ended, they had some ritual of pouring water down your back signifying that you were "cleansed" or something like that. It was quite uncomfortable and I do not care to do it again.

After that we had a lunch buffet provided by the spice plantation. It was really really really good. They also gave us an opportunity to try fenny (it reminded me of the Slovakian plum brandy I got sick on many times). 

Daniela and I decided to play it safe with the food that night, so we found a nice Italian place and had a nice meal before calling it a night. The day we were meant to leave, we decided to go for a walk around the area, only to find liters of petrol being sold out of old water bottles and makeshift pharmacies were lining the street. We retreated back to the hotel and made a break for the beach.

As you can see, it was quite dreary. Alas, we were in a vacation destination and walking on the beach, so we kept our complaints to ourselves. Overall, Goa was a great trip, with the exception of the copious number of mosquito bites I now have, I am glad that Daniela asked me to join here.

Next up: Mari arrives on Saturday evening and we make our way to Agra and Jaipur. Be prepared for a couple posts on her visit. 

Dull week before Chaos

Not much has been going in the past week. The only exciting update that I can give you is that I spoke far to soon when I said "Worry you not, even after many more street food vendors in Old Delhi, I can happily report that I have not experienced 'Delhi Belly'".

The Fourth went off without a hitch. I enjoyed some delicious American made Jim Beam Bourbon with some Coca-Cola. I was going to have a cigar but it was just too damn hot out to sit outside comfortably. I had (sadly) a big Indian dinner and called it an early night after pestering Christina Thomas online for a little bit. 

The following day is when things took a turn for the worst. I am aware that some of my pain was my hangover. But I will say that I took my Ibuprofen and had quite a bit of water. By noon my head ache was gone, but my stomach was wrenching like no other. I finally got home around 6pm, I had no dinner and even more water. I went to bed at 7 because I knew I had to take a tour of a Ferno distributor the next day. The tour was not till 1pm... I slept till 11am. I felt much better when I woke up. The tour went great, and I felt fine the whole time... until I got back to my flat that evening. Thankfully the weekend was here and I could sleep. Anjali Rai (daughter of the YPO member at the university) was kind enough to send over some medication to help me feel better. It helped so much. Sunday rolled around and I was almost 100% back to normal.

So that was my exciting past week. Much of it was spent in bed or in the bathroom... Thankfully, the next 2 weeks are exciting.

This Friday I am flying to Goa with Daniela to have a little weekend get-a-way. Goa is like a big beach city with a couple tourist attractions. I plan on being 1 of 3 places at any given time this weekend... the beach, the spa, or my bed. I know, sounds rough, but someone has to do it. So I should have a post up on Goa come Monday or Tuesday, but no promises. 

Next weekend is the weekend I am looking forward to more than any other... On Saturday the 21st Mari will be flying in to spend a week with me. I am giddy with excitement. I have already booked the hotels and all the activities we will be doing while she is here. So that is a post you should be looking forward to. 

Until then, please take time to enjoy some of the music I have had to endure while here.

Old Delhi Tour

This past weekend, Daniela and I finished the second half of the tour that was mentioned in this previous post. We did change it up a little bit by booking with a different company called "When In India". They were quite a bit more expensive, but as it turned out, worth every penny.

We began our tour meeting outside of the Red Fort at 5:30pm. Thankfully the rickshaws were easy to spot because this intersection was a nightmare.

We met our tour guide who thankfully spoke english very well. We then loaded up into the rickshaws and prepared for this three and a half hour adventure.

The tour began at a huge Muslim mosque called Jama Masjid. We were supposed to be able to go inside and have a look around, but as it turned out, the head master muslim priest of all muslims in India was in town, so they had to follow all the rules at the mosque. That meant that no non muslims were allowed inside. Oh well, I don't think I missed much, it seemed to just be a huge walled in area with a podium at the front.

After the disappointment at the mosque we made our way down some of the narrowest and most crowded passageways I have ever seen. Our first stop was at this corner restaurant shop.

And they served these miniature elephant ear looking things. They are very good and considered a desert here. They were super gooey and sticky but crazy delicious. As it turned out, they were also my first "street food" experience in India. Worry you not, even after many more street food vendors in Old Delhi, I can happily report that I have not experienced "Delhi Belly".

We continued down the streets to our next street food experience but were quickly slowed by a huge traffic jam... and by traffic jam, I mean no one was moving and everyone was honking. I feel as though their governing transportation body is run by children who all think they should be first in line. It is terribly aggravating and time consuming.

Once we made our way though the traffic jam we visited a jewelry market, spice market, and wedding market. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of these areas, but Daniela did, so once I get the pictures from her I will update this post. I got some great spice mixes at the spice market, found some nice bangles for Mari at the jewelry market, and thankfully bought nothing at the wedding market. 

Our second to last stop was at this chain restaurant that serves some delicious food. I have no idea what I ate, but I do know that it was all delicious.

And for desert we had something called stic kulfi. I believe it was frozen milk curd with saffron and other spices in it. Again, it was delicious regardless of what was in it.

To finish off the tour, we headed back to the Red Fort to watch the Light & Sound show. Which as it turned out, was more of a Sound & Story show. The lights were unimpressive, but the story associated with the show was extremely informative. It told the story of the throne located at the Red Fort. I will give you the short version with just the highlights.

The Red Fort was built by the same guy who built the Taj Mahal. He also built two other forts and a couple other places, he is known as the Architect of India. When he was older, he got super sick and his three sons started killing each other in an attempt to claim the throne. The son that won imprisoned his father and basically ran the kingdom into the ground. After he destroyed the kingdom, there were a couple uneventful leaders that came after him, until finally the British came in and dethroned a drunk leader and claimed India as their own.

Fun fact about the throne (known as the Peacock Throne), it once held the largest diamond on earth. Originally the diamond was 186 1/16th carats and valued at over $128 million in todays money, but it has since been cut to 105.6 carats to increase its brilliance. The throne was looted in 1739 and the diamond then ended up in the hands of the British and ultimately the Queen of England's crown, which is where it now resides. Below is a drawing of the throne in it heyday.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I hope the massive number of pictures makes up for it! Enjoy, I will update again soon.