Bits and Pieces of Holiday - North India (2)

I've been back for 2 months and am still talking about that holiday in India. So many pictures to share and stories to tell. This is the last though. Hope you've enjoyed the sights of  North India  through my eyes.

Our guide directed us to THIS bench, popularly known as ' Princess Di's Chair'. She sat on this bench during her state visit to India in 1992.

Back and front, this elephant  was adorned from tusks to tail! It was the Elephant Festival and were we over the moon, when we landed in Jaipur to find it happening. It was a colourful and riotious day, a memorable day with the jumbos. They even played Holi.

At Sheraton in Jaipur, this man entertained us while we breakfasted. Such a colourful character as he moved from table to table playing some traditional tunes. Rajasthan facinates !

Would you believe I went shopping  for saree material with 2 men - my hubby and a  friend ( translated Hindi for us) in choosing saree materials in Jaipur. I was shown so many and I shook my head, 'no, no.no' again and again - I did not fancy the fanciful designs with the glitter. So plain Jane was quite happy with this!

Women power at work - at the Golden Temple, Amritsar. A happy lot of volunteers, conveyor -like, cleaning  the bowls  used for serving food to the countless visitors.

In Agra, marble craftsmen are a familiar sight. This master craftsman of inlay marble acknowledging my camera.  I am astounded by the sheer hard and oh so painstaking skill of  the craftsmen. Each piece done is a labour of love. That's what the Taj Mahal stands for - love unbounded and eternal for Mumtaz. 

Fancy meeting Dr Abdul Majeed, batik specialist who was so happy to have visitors in his house to talk briefly about batik. Here he's showing hubby some bits of info.

BOONDHI!  Little golden balls  being tossed into a big wok . Now as I pop some into my mouth  for the odd snack time, the puffy balls reminds me of the market place in Udaipur.

Another day at the market for  a mother and her baby. I didn't hear her cry. She was watching the the ins and outs of the constant weaving.

I never fail to visit crafts shops whenever I have the opportunity. It is part of my itinerary! My hubby and I were shown how a block print  is done, stage by stage.

Her name is LAXMI.  As the rickshaw circled a  roundabout in Udaipur, I snapped a picture of her. I love these animals.

A pit stop for the washroom and a cuppa on the bus to Agra. My hubby got talking to this man . He turned out to be a professor who was on his way to a remote village in Ahmedabad to continue his work with the villagers in the traditional art and crafts . He was full of praise for the food he enjoys in the villages - full of the good earth, so to speak.

Bits and Pieces of Holiday - North India

Still posting pictures of our holiday in North India. Here's some random pictures to tell a tale or two. Enjoy!

Thinking 'style' midst the Dabbawallas?  Forget about it!  They are really a cool lot. Consider  this - getting the tiffins  from the person's home , on time to office, school, with nary a margin  of error , on their bikes in the chaotic Mumbai traffic. They are the city's daily icons.  I had to see them in person. I was late for  most of them had moved off on their bikes on another day's work of efficient delivery.  Their system of business astounds even  big corporations. They have got it worked out  to perfection!

He 'regulates' your visit to the Jama Masjid, Delhi.  Friday prayers were on and we waited, then we left our shoes outside and entered the huge courtyard which  can hold 25,000  people.

Cave No. 3, the most impressive of the  Kanheri caves in this complex, located deep inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park,  Mumbai. Out of the solid basaltic rocks, the Buddhist monks carved viharas ( monasteries) and chaityas ( temples)  between  the 2nd and 9th centuries

In  Kamala  Nehru Park, Mumbai an old Mother Hubbard's shoe stands. No children in sight but  in a school nearby, their lively noises can be heard.

A gem of a museum - the Mani Bhavan  Museum, Mumbai. There's much to captivate us learning about the live of  Mahatma. It was here that Gandhi stayed during his visits to Bombay from 1917 - 1934.

Upon approaching this building, Valsa commented, 'It looks like a haunted house!'. We laughed. It looks it! A creepy script  would be just right! We were told it has garnered some publicity in a magazine. But  up the stairs and into one of the rooms, things changed, godly and friendly.  We wouldn't have imagined enjoying a Sunday church service among people from Baltimore in USA, Singapore, India, Australia. Alleluia !

The famed  Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat  ( municipal laundry) of Mumbai.  Forget about any manner of Electrolux or Hitachi machines. Get  slapping those clothes on the stone slabs of the open - air troughs.

Stop by for a quencher of sugar cane drink by this vendor in Mumbai.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

After the wonderful visit to Fatehpur Sikri, we 'winged' our way to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary now known as Keoladeo National Park. I was looking forward to it as this would be an eco experience to enjoy so far.

Late morning into noon wasn't the best time of the day to watch birds but we wanted to see what  this place has to offer. The migratory season was on. That made me think of the Raptor Watch at Tanjung Tuan  back home which I had to miss. But the haven did not disappoint us for we saw a good number of birds to make it memorable.

Our guide cycled and we sat in a rickshaw pedalled by a staff. No motorised vehicles are allowed.  Eyes roving, what was interesting did not escape Bhim Singh Rana's keen sense. I remember a few birds : the bee eater, long-tailed shrike, Indian moorhen, greater egret, ibis spoonbill, common coot, painted stork, white -breasted kingfisher, greater cormorant. He got excited when he spotted the Sarus Crane. 'That's a rare sight,' he said of the largest and tallest bird of the Indian subcontinent. It is an elegant  grey bird with a bright red face and neck sporting a white cap .

This interlude before Jaipur was a welcome experience. The sun did not deter us. Truly my heart beat must have slowed down to a nice pitter patter just admiring the birds and asking questions! The natural surroundings of dry grassland, swamps woodlands and wetlands  makes an ideal home for  resident and migratory birds.

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal needn't be in my dreams any more.We booked a room in the hotel with a view of the Taj. So that was a loverly treat !

Security is tight at the Taj Mahal and we were already advised by the tour guide. So come as light as you can without holding back the queues as checking is very thorough.

It was definitely an early start to see the icon of India. Dawn at the Taj gave us a memorable  wonderful sight. Love reigns eternal at the Taj Mahal so does its beauty.