Incredible, Impressive India Lives Up To All the Hype!

Hello long lost audience!  Now that I've left Rwanda, I'm not sure how many, if any, people are still checking my blog, but for those few faithful readers, here's an update: I'm in India!  After leaving the Eolian Islands, I traveled to south-eastern Sicily near a small town called Noto, about 30 minutes south of the ancient Greek city of Siracusa.  It was mostly a lazy, relaxing week spent at the villa, resting from what proved to be an amazing but exhausting life in Rwanda.  Here are some pictures from the few trips outside the villa in and around Sicily, where my father's grandmother was from, immigrating to Louisiana in 1890.

Siracusa

Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Visiting Bisacquino, where my ancestors were from, about 20 km from Corleone

The Catholic Church in Bisacquino where my grandmother's 

uncle and aunt were likely baptized

Cathedral in the medieval town of Ragusa

Noto

Noto's annual flower festival, as luck would have it!

After successfully securing my Indian visa, I traveled to India with none other than my friend Sanjeev, who has spent the past several months in India among family and friends.  I couldn't have asked for a better person to introduce me to the sights, tastes and people of Northern India.  We spent a few days in Mumbai where I tried a lot of new foods including pani puri, daal, rus, chole bhature and fresh sugar cane juice, to name a few.  We went to a few of the local malls where I bought lighter Indian-style clothes to combat the intense heat and humidity.  Everywhere we went, we were repeatedly told - this is the worst time to visit India!  Although the heat has been intense, I have had such an amazing time I barely mind the temperature which reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit in some places!  Plus, it is mango season in India and the fresh mangos and mango juice have been sublime with nearly every meal.  I saw many of the famous Mumbai sights - the Taj Hotel, the Gateway of India, Chowpatty Beach, the Queen's Necklace, the Haji Ali and Hanging Gardens.  Such a crowded and dirty yet elegant city, it truly was a great introduction to the country of contrasts.

Reunion in Mumbai with Kartick and Garima, friends we met in Egypt

After a few days in Mumbai, we made our way to Aurangabad, a short flight from Mumbai, where we visited two architectural masterpieces: the Ajanta and Ellora caves.  The Ajanta caves were constructed from around the second century BC until around the sixth century BC and feature intricate paintings on the inside walls of the Buddhist caves, each depicting vedras, or mythological stories of Buddhism enlightenment.  The caves are carved into a rock face in front of a horseshoe-shaped river.  The usual gushing waterfalls over the tops of the caves were bone-dry as it was the last few weeks of the hot, dry summer season before the monsoon rains come in early June.  Even without the waterfalls, the caves were magnificent and elegant and I especially enjoyed watching the monkeys!  The Ellora caves were equally impressive - a compilation of Jain, Hindu and Buddhist caves built from 600 to 1000 AD - with stories told in sculptures and carvings out of solid rock.  The Kailasa Temple is the largest monolithic structure in the world, more than twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens!  Although extremely hot and dry, both caves were worth the trip.

Ajanta Caves

Hundreds of monkeys greeted us at the caves

Most famous painting in Ajanta Caves

Outside Cave 10 at Ajanta

Kailasa Temple at the Ellora Caves

On right, see the huge rock from which Kailasa was chiseled

Carvings on the outside of Kailasa, a Hindu temple,

depict stories from Hindu sacred texts

Shiva, the destroyer of evil, was so strong he defeated an army with one toe, 

according to Hindu mythology

One of the Buddhist caves at Ellora

Sculptures at the Jain temples of Ellora

More Jain sculptures, similar to Buddhist, but with legs folded on top instead of crossed

Next, we flew to New Delhi where we saw many impressive sights including the newly constructed Akshardham Temple, the chaotic winding streets of Chandni Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Ghandi's memorial, the Lotus Temple, Presidential Palace and tranquil Lodi Garden.  Again, combatting the heat was a challenge, solved by lots of water, breaks in the AC and a big floppy hat.  The capital city is much more spread out and harder to navigate than Mumbai, from my initial impression, and the temperature much more arid than humid Mumbai.  I rode in my first rickshaw, both motor and cycle, as well as ate at the famous kabab-restaurant, Karim's, such a treat.  Interestingly, many locals asked to take my picture or have my picture taken with their children - supposing I was a celebrity, I was told.  I relished my few moments of fame for a few days before traveling west to Rajasthan.

Presidential Palace

Outside the Red Fort in Old Delhi

Lodi Garden at dusk

From Delhi, we drove about 4 hours to the city of Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan.  Jaipur, the pink city, is known for elephants, jewelry and textiles.  I was fortunate to see all three: we rode elephants up the hill to reach famous Amber Fort, an impressive ornate structure a few miles outside of Jaipur, and I bought some bangle bracelets at the world-famous store Amrapali and also some Rajasthani prints at the local bazaar for friends and family.  We also saw the Hava Mahal (Wind Palace), ? Mahal (Water Palace) and City Palace.  At City Palace, we saw artists making beautiful textiles as well as royal dress worn by the maharaja and maharani (king and queen) of years past.  A friend of a friend invited us to his home one night in Jaipur, where we had a lovely dinner followed by a trip to the local movie theater (which he owned) for a Bollywood flick starring Rithick Roshan, one of the most popular actors in India.  All in all a very satisfying few days in "traditional" India.  Next stop, Agra.

Amber Fort

Elephant transport up the steep driveway to the Fort's Gate

Ornately decorated Hall of Private Audiences inside the Amber Fort

Hava Mahal

Water Palace

Shopping at Bazaar in Jaipur

Traditional Rajasthani food

On our drive to Agra, we saw a herd of camels before we stopped at the incredible Fatepur Sikri, very different styled architecture and nearly deserted due to the off-peak season.  Fatepur Sikri was built by a Mugal Emperor for each of his favorite wives, one Hindu, one Christian and one Muslim.  

Herd of camels along the highway!

Beautiful Fatepur Sikri

Fatepur Sikri, now deserted, was built during the Mughal Empire

Once in Agra, we woke up at 5 am to watch the sun rise over the impressive Taj Mahal, a Wonder of the World.  The story of the Taj Mahal is actually a love strory - the monument was built by a heartbroken king for his queen who died in childbirth.  The Taj is worth all the hype.  It is peaceful yet mammoth, an architectural masterpiece yet surrounded by nature.  After a few hours strolling along the grounds, before the heat, we had probably close to a hundred pictures.  Here are a few:

The Taj Mahal at Dawn

Such a peaceful sight, truly a wonder of the world!

The outside decor of the Taj was inlaid into the marble, not painted, using precious stones

View of the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort.  Sadly I forgot to take a picture with 

my Clemson paw (sent with love by Steph) while at the Taj itself!

That afternoon, we took off for a long 7-hour drive to Khajuraho for a look at more temples.  Seven hours turned into over ten due to the horrible condition of the rural roads connecting Agra and Khajuraho.  That plus the night driving and cars and motorcycles on the wrong side of the road made for a stressful drive.  I am sure our driver, Niresh, won't be volunteering for another drive to Khajuraho anytime soon!  We arrived late but safe and made our way to the Kama Sutra temples of Khajuraho the next day.  We got some really great pictures, despite facing the hottest day of the journey, mostly R-rated.  Here are a few rated G:

Incredibly well preserved temples at Khajuraho

The Hindu temples are famous for their external erotic depictions of Kama Sutra

These elephant sculptures are representative of the art found on all the temples

Khajuraho, our last stop in Northern India.  We did it!

Back in Delhi, Sanjeev left India just in time before an expired visa, and I caught a flight to the southern Indian state of Kerela, just in time for the monsoon.  I arrived at dusk via a small boat that meandered throughout the backwaters to reach my hotel - Coconut Lagoon.  There are birds, butterflies, dragonflies and even a rare species of cow on the property and I have enjoyed myself just drinking in the beauty of God's creation.  After such a jam-packed few weeks, again it is sleep, rest and relaxation for Erin.  I am blessed.

Reception of Coconut Lagoon, where I am now in Kerela

I went on a Butterfly walk...

And spotted some birds...

And ate some fresh seafood - yum!

Today I canoed through the backwaters of Kerela, just gorgeous