Week 10 – India – Amritsar to Srinagar

On Monday morning we caught a rickshaw to the Golden Temple complex. The rickshaw dropped us off at the entrance near Jallianwala Bagh, a park commemorating Indians who were massacred by the British in 1919. We walked through the park briefly before going to the temple complex and joining the queue across the bridge to get into the Golden Temple. The top part of the temple was gilded with gold and the lower part was white marble panels decorated with marble inlaid flower and animal motifs (pietre dure like the Taj Mahal). Inside the temple were priests who were chanting continuously and this was broadcast throughout the temple complex through loudspeakers. We walked around each of the three levels and managed to get a few clandestine photos from the top. We left and did another circuit around the Pool of Nectar (Amrit Sarovar) taking in the scenery of people constantly moving and the Golden Temple changing as you moved around it. Then we visited the Sikh museum housed in the clock tower. It was a very bloody display of paintings and then for more recent incidents, photographs of various defeats and victories, and atrocities against the Sikhs. The major struggle seemed to have been with the Mughals who had tried to convert them to Islam.

The next afternoon we caught a bus to Jammu (Kashmir). Thankfully it was air-conditioned and it was really good – the only issue was that the seats we had been allocated were broken – so we were stuck in the full recline position for the entire journey. We dozed a little, read and watched the scenery change from dusty dry plains to wheat fields, mango orchards and rocky river beds. Suzie opted not to go to the toilet when we stopped about three hours into the journey – an action which she was to regret about 90 minutes later. When we finally arrived at the Jammu bus stand, she had to leap off the bus and find a dark corner to pee in (just like the Indians)!! It was late when we arrived at Jammu and we checked into the best of the grim hotels near the bus stand.

We woke up late on Wednesday morning, and headed down to the hotel lobby to have breakfast and use the WiFi. We ordered from the menu and they started to write it down for the waiter because he couldn't read the menu. After a while, they worked out that they were using the wrong menu and a new menu was produced. We ordered our items but when the food came the cornflakes came with hot milk and when the cheese and veg sandwich came out it came out without the veg. It was like an episode from Fawlty Towers!

We walked up the hill from the hotel and through a series of winding bazaars selling coal, dried fruits and nuts, cricket bats, jewellery, clothing including saris, shawls, pashminas, dental services, food stalls etc past a large temple until we eventually reached the Mubarak Mandi. This was the palace complex of the Dogra rajas and it was in a state of collapse although there was some restoration underway. We walked around and took some photos of the crumbling architecture. It was a pleasure walking in the cooler overcast conditions and we had an occasional small shower.

At dinner time we walked to the Jewel Gate and had "chicken fry" (whole chicken cut into small pieces and fried on a flat plate with onions, green capsicum and tomato) with rice at one of the street side Dhabas. It was so good that we had two servings – or two whole chickens (pigeon sized). We decided that it was one of the best dinners we'd had in India!

On Thursday morning, we travelled in a tempo (12 seater mini-van) to Srinagar. It was a shared vehicle so we had to wait until the tempo filled up before we could leave. We sat in the front of the tempo for over an hour watching a steady stream of people getting on and off buses and beggars walk past us. We really appreciated the scenic drive from Jammu to Srinagar – up the mountains and then down into the green lush Kashmir valley after the heat, dust and parched Indian landscapes that we've seen over the last 4 weeks. We wound through increasingly large mountains scarred by landslides and forested with large pine trees and other conifers. At one stage we passed a group of vultures on the ground and later we saw vultures floating past us on the air currents. The volume of traffic on the road was amazing with army convoys figuring prominently. We went past a couple of truck accidents which created traffic jams as one lane disappeared. Periodically we saw families walking along the road with various goats, sheep, and horses. Always there was a river in the valley below, sometimes we were driving along next to it and sometimes we were high above near the mountain tops. In one section there were large boulders, the size of houses strewn along the river bed illustrating the power of the floods from the melting snow. It rained in the latter half of the day and the mountains became markedly cooler and greener. Once we got through a 3km tunnel there was a Titanic viewpoint over the Kashmir Valley below but the view was obscured by cloud. When we reached the valley floor it was like a garden of Eden with beautiful rice fields and green trees everywhere. On both sides were large mountain ranges with snow ribbed on their flanks. The traffic seemed to get worse as we got closer to Srinagar, so we didn't arrive until 6.30 pm. It was really cold and this was the first time that we were happy to check into a hotel room without air-conditioning!

We had a restful Friday and spent some time walking around the lake and tourist area of Srinagar. When we left the hotel a lot of the shops seemed to be closed. We walked to the Tourist Reception Centre and at the market place there was a stand-off between police in riot gear and a crowd of youths. We found out that all the shops were closed because there was a hartkal (general strike).

On Saturday morning, we walked to the Kashmir Government Arts Emporium on Residency Road. It had an Oxford like gate house entry. We spent quite a bit of time there looking at beautiful Kashmiri silk carpets. Then we caught a rickshaw to the Khanqah of Shah-i-Hamadan – a muslim meeting hall in the old city. It was painted in really garish gloss colours. We saw a man beating some puppies there – he chased one under a set of stairs and beat it until it bled. Then we walked to Pir Dasgir Sahib – a shrine to a sufi saint. This was also painted in really garish gloss finish paint. After that we went to Rozabal – supposedly the shrine's crypt contains the grave of Jesus Christ. Naqshband Sahib was the next mosque that we visited – it was beautifully proportioned and uncoloured with alternating layers of wood and brick to dissipate the force of earthquakes. There were carved wooden bells hanging from each corner of the eaves. On the way to the Jama Masjid, we saw that some young people had blocked off some roads using stones and logs and were chasing any motorised vehicles who attempted to use the roads with large cudgels. However, we walked into the mosque complex without any trouble. It was a large enclosed courtyard with a pool in the middle. There were 378 roof support columns, each fashioned from the trunk of a single Deodar (Cedar) tree. Monumental brick gatehouses marked the four cardinal directions. We went and had lunch at a bakery and while we were there we saw the police chasing a crowd of youths who were throwing stones at their vehicles. After lunch we walked to the Makhdoom Sahib shrine below the Hari Parbat fort. We walked through the shrine past the ruined mosque of Akhund Mullah Shah built in 1649. Then we caught a rickshaw to Hazratbal mosque which supposedly holds a beard hair of the prophet Mohammed. We walked through the bazaar area on the banks of the Dal Lake with fantastic views across the lake of the snow capped mountains on the other side.

On Sunday we were both feeling pretty tired so we decided to have a rest day today. We had breakfast in the garden because it was sunny and warm. It felt quite strange because a few days ago we were doing anything to avoid the sunshine and yet now, we were actively seeking it. After breakfast, we chatted to a couple of tourists and then we went with Farouk (the hotel owner) in a car to have a look at some carpets but they seemed to be lesser quality. Some of the roads had been blocked off so we had to go through some narrow alleys. In one of them we had a real issue as there were large buses and sedans going in the opposite directions that were not able to pass. We ended up having to pull over in a bay while the drivers organised themselves. We got dropped off right near the Mughal Darbar where we had some morning tea/lunch of chicken patties, walnut brownie, and macaroons and then we went to a supermarket to buy some toiletries and food. We walked through the bright, colourful Sunday market on Residency Road and went back to the Government Emporium to have another look at the carpets we had selected. Then we collected our laundry and walked along the Boulevard trying to tee up a couple of tourists to share the day trip to Naramarg Valley, one of four valleys in Kashmir and it felt like it was trying to rain. The mountains in the distance still had sunlight on them and the snow looked spectacular against the dark mountains with storm clouds all around.

Week 9 – India – Jodhpur to Amritsar

On Monday, because Suzie was sick during the night with vomiting and diarrhoea, we stayed at the hotel until it was time to catch the night train to Jaisalmer. In the afternoon, Keith walked to the Udai Bhawan Palace which was a huge palace hotel built in 1929. It was built from Jodhpur sandstone and had some great murals inside, particularly the Mughals fighting the Rajputs with Jodhpur fort in the background. Keith walked back past an Indian army desert forces base including a Victory tank from the 1971 war with Pakistan.

We arrived at Jaisalmer station at 5 am on Tuesday morning in a bleary state but we were picked up by a van from the hotel which saved us negotiating with a rickshaw driver. We breakfasted on muesli and tea in the rooftop restaurant – which had great views of the honey coloured sandstone Jaisalmer Fort. After breakfast we walked around the fort walls to the first fort gate. We walked around inside admiring the elaborately carved sandstone buildings and temples. There were slightly different designs and great views from the fort walls. The fort was a little different because there was actually a small town within the fort walls. It was a maze of alleyways, shops and houses. We walked down to Gandhi Chowk and had a look at a couple of restaurants from the Lonely Planet. We ended up eating at the hotel – where we enjoyed the sunset view of the fort from the rooftop. For our food industry friends, Jaisalmer is in the middle of the Thar desert which is where guar gum comes from.

The next morning we set the alarm for 7 am and headed out to the fort after breakfast. Our first stop was the Fort Palace Museum. We walked up several sets of stairs with interesting rooms on each floor and beautiful architectural style, including one room containing exquisitely carved temple sculptures, until we reached the roof which had spectacular 360° views over the old city and beyond the city walls. After that we walked to the interconnecting maze of seven yellow Jain sandstone temples. We visited the first two of the temples in the complex. The carving was similar in style to the other Jain temples that we had seen with beautifully carved Buddhas, apsara dancers, Ganeshas, musicians, and toranas (architraves) – but they looked quite different as they were in the soft yellow sandstone. The Jain artists had fled Muslim persecution. Their carving in the Jaisalmer sandstone was superb in its detail and complexity. As the other temples were closed we walked out of the fort gate to the Salim Singh-ki-Haveli. At the top of the mansion was a large sandstone pavilion with arches that were intricately carved with peacocks. We walked back into the fort to view the remaining Jain temples including a library established in 1500.

Then we walked to Patwa ki Haveli, a large building built over an arch and along a laneway. Its many levels had intricately carved screens, balconies and doorways. Then we walked to Nathmal ki Haveli constructed by two brothers who made the two sides of the facade different in small ways eg elephant on one side inset and on the other protruding etc. After lunch, we retreated to our air conditioned room after walking back along the fort wall – the heat was intense. It seemed to build all day so that even after the sun went down the sandstone radiated heat for hours afterwards. Keith went out to take a walk around the other side of the fort. He caught a rickshaw to the railway station to find out about the trains to Bikaner and then to the Gadi Sagar Lake. The lake used to be the water supply for the city but was pretty dried up and he saw the Indians feeding the catfish and the geese. There were lots of small temples and shrines around the lake and the Tilon-ki-Pol, a gate that straddles the road to the tank and rumoured to have been built by a famous courtesan.

On Thursday we caught a train to Bikaner. Unfortunately there was no AC class on the train to Bikaner so we had to sit in sleeper class which was pretty hot and dusty. We saw camels, goats, black face sheep, small antelope, bee eaters and several dead animals – just skin and bone left. It was very flat and sandy with large areas of small lavender tinged stones. There were small shrubs and some trees but many were dead. There were signs of smaller animals, possibly rodents, from many holes around the shrub roots. There were many signs of agriculture with furrows in the ground and some areas with water irrigation burst into green, but for the most part it was a hot dry wasteland with occasional dust devils whipping up the sand. It was so amazing to see small antelope crouched in the shade of a large shrub, or some goats standing on their back legs to feed, or some mud huts with people and camels every now and again. The water we bought cold on the way actually heated up to the point it was hot to drink. We also saw plenty of Indian Army activity and many tanks at one stage.

We arrived at Bikaner and the rickshaw drivers went mad so obviously there are no tourists around. We checked into Bhairon Vilas and got an enormous heritage suite with amazing decor including a genuine leopard skin, flags, guns, deer skin, cobra design candle holders, antique furniture, lamps, four poster brass bed and 6 metre high ceilings! We rested awhile before wandering out to look around the hotel grounds. We found a friendly boxer dog, a 1934 Chevrolet, immaculate grounds and reception area before heading out through the impressive front gate to wander around Bikaner Fort and Palace in the sunset. We also saw the large water tank and some good statues opposite the fort entry.

We had a really good sleep in our luxury accommodation and woke on Friday feeling refreshed. We caught a rickshaw and then the bus to Deshnok and the famous Karni Mata rat temple. At the temple there were some good carvings in white marble at the entrance and also some fine pictures in the silver metal doors. Inside were rats everywhere, hundreds of rats. They were mostly eating, drinking and sleeping but we did see a couple fighting. Some may have been dead but it was hard to tell and we certainly didn't want to touch them! In the centre was a small temple with deity and good metalwork around it. Locals were constantly arriving and leaving and some were prostrating themselves on the ground in front of the deity despite the rat poo everywhere! It was quite something to see but it made us feel queasy and we were happy to leave. When we got back to the hotel we washed our feet and our shoes!

We woke up with a jolt at 1.15 am on Saturday, grabbed our bags and went to reception to meet the rickshaw driver who was taking us to the station. It was still pretty warm and a couple of the hotel staff were sleeping on beds set up outside. The streets of Bikaner were surprisingly busy with people sleeping in the streets. We saw some men pouring something flammable onto a dead animal and we saw some men holding a metal post over the railway tracks for some unknown reason. The train arrived on time at 2.15am and we found our seats and fell into a fitful sleep. We woke up at around 10-30am and the countryside had changed. We crossed a couple of large rivers, saw hundreds of beehives along one stretch of track, saw lots of ripe wheat in fields, and much more greenery and trees. There were predominantly Sikhs as we were now in Punjab and their temples, or gurdwaras also dotted the countryside. When the train arrived at Jalandhar after 1.00 pm, Keith went to buy a ticket for our onward journey to Amritsar. When the train to Amritsar arrived we managed to upgrade our General Class ticket to an Air Conditioned Chair Class ticket which was a relief because the heat was really oppressive. At Amritsar, the hotels were really average but Keith found a hotel which had satellite TV (with English channels), air conditioning and WiFi. Just before dinner Suzie could feel the start of a cold sore on her lip so we went to a pharmacist. He tried to sell us an Ayurvedic remedy and insisted that Aciclovir cream was not appropriate (because he didn't have any) as herpes didn't occur on your lips – only on your back!! We went to another pharmacy within a medical centre and they insisted that we consult a doctor before they would supply the ointment. Finally at the next pharmacy we found and purchased some which at Rs 45 (AUD 1.10) is six times cheaper than in Australia – let's see if it works!!

We woke up late on Sunday and had a leisurely morning reading the paper, watching BBC World and catching up on emails. After a late breakfast, we went to the front of the railway to wait for the free bus to the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple is to Sikhs what Mecca is to Muslims. After a while two small buses packed with people returning from the Golden Temple arrived and there was a huge rush for the buses. People were even trying to get on before people had finished getting off. By the time we got on, it was standing room only and just when we thought the bus was full, the door opened and four more people got on. Thankfully it was only a short (but steamy) ride! At the Golden Temple we walked past a huge noisy hall from which emanated loud metallic clashes, to the shoe drop off. We worked out later that this was the free communal dining hall and the metallic clashing was the sound of the dirty metal thali dishes being banged together to remove food remnants before they were washed. The main feature of the complex was the Golden Temple which was set in the middle of a holy lake/tank with a single bridge for access. The queue across the bridge into the Golden Temple was massive and didn't seem to be moving so we decided to try and visit the temple early tomorrow morning and just walk around the temple complex instead. There were lots of Sikh men and children bathing in the holy water, their modesty shielded by a thin cotton square of cloth. We noticed that a few of the Sikh men and women had small curved daggers and large curved swords strapped to their waists.

We left and signed on for a trip to the India – Pakistan border closing ceremony. We were stuffed into a tiny van with a couple of Dutch girls and three German guys who were living in India. We drove for an hour to the border at Wagah and then walked to the border post. We had to queue for a security check and the police had great trouble controlling the rampant Indian crowds. We made it through to the stands and the atmosphere was festive. People were running up and down in front of the stands carrying the Indian flag. Loud Bollywood music blared from the speakers and young Indians came down from the stands to dance. Past the border gates a similar crowd in the stands watched and cheered from their side. The border guards were immaculately and colourfully dressed. Marshals also tried to get people in the crowd to sit down. After the dancing the border guards marched out and with great pomp and ceremony the gates were closed and the flags taken down. There was much goose stepping and serious marching amidst loud shouting of orders with a microphone. The Pakistan guards were barely visible but appeared to be in a darker green style of dress. The crowds on both sides were loud and enthusiastic. Afterwards we returned to the van and drove back to Amritsar.

Week 8 – India – Jaipur to Jodhpur

On Monday morning we caught a rickshaw to the Amber Fort. It was painted a Rajasthan yellow and perched half way up a mountain. Above was the Jaigarh Fort on the summit, with huge walls, that ran along the crest of the mountain and down into the valley and up the mountain on the other side enclosing the Amber Fort and an enormous area including the old town which was once the capital of Rajasthan. We walked into the small garden complex with its lovely pavilions, two were painted and the other two red sandstone, and through a couple of gates to commence the climb towards the Amber Fort entry. On the way up was a procession of elephants carrying tourists, and then coming down empty. We noticed some of them blowing water onto themselves with their trunks on the way up in an attempt to stay cool. We walked up and entered the fort through a large gate into a courtyard where the elephants were unloading their cargo. As we walked into the fort, there were some musicians (unseen) playing drums and some sort of Indian wind instruments in the gallery above us. We checked out the small Siladevi Temple with very beautifully carved white marble and remarkable painted green banana plants with bunches of brown bananas on either side of the door to the deity. Goats were sacrificed here until 1980! From here we took the main steps to the upper courtyard where there was a Diwan I Am or Hall of Public Audience with rows of red sandstone columns and latticed galleries above. We went through a beautifully painted gate to a higher courtyard with a garden and the Jai Mandir or Victory Hall with thousands of mirrored pieces and some white marble carving of plants with cartoon like insects as well. The women's quarters (Zenana Mahal) surrounded another large courtyard with central pavilion but this area of the palace was the oldest and the most ruined. The higher you got the better the views of the surrounding walls, mountains and town below and the imposing Jaigarh Fort above. The mountains were steep and almost completely empty of any life – there must have been a fire because the few trees were black and dead and there was no green to be seen, just rock and soil and baking heat. In the distance on one side was the water palace.

We left from the gate we had arrived and took a sharp turn around the Amber Fort and climbed up the mountain to Jaigarh. We entered through another gate and were taken for a tour around the palace complex which was much larger than we had expected. The best features were the incredible views and a courtyard at the very top which had a lovely garden and water features with fountains etc (now dry). However the garden was irrigated from the tanks in the fort and it was lovely and green. The top was peaceful and quiet – not that common in India! We wandered round the walls, saw the huge cannon on wheels and the cannon foundry before heading down. We drove back stopping for a photo at the water palace (Jal Mahal) - a large building sitting in the middle of a lake. Finally we stopped at the Royal Gaitor (the site of the Royal Cenotaphs) just outside the city walls. These monuments were made of different shades of marble and were intricately carved with flowers and musicians.

The next day was our last day in Jaipur and we had a sleep in and spent the morning catching up on a few chores. We'd had some issues with our Indian SIM card so we went to the office where we found out that our SIM card and phone number had been suspended because the reseller had not submitted the paperwork. We also found out that we paid too much for our SIM card! We decided to write this off to experience and not to worry about getting a replacement SIM. In the afternoon we visited the Government Emporium to look at the Kashmiri and Rajasthani handicrafts. We were particularly excited about the carpets and spent quite a long time looking at a selection of pure silk Kashmiri carpets. At 11 pm in the evening we caught the overnight train to Udaipur. One of Udaipur's great claims to fame is that Octopussy was filmed there.

At 5.30 am on Wednesday morning, we arrived at Udaipur station and caught a rickshaw straight to Poonam Haveli where checked into the "suite" – extra large room with a bathroom and a rather crusty tired looking spa. It didn't have TV or air conditioning but a rather noisy evaporative air cooler. We had breakfast on the rooftop restaurant where we had glimpses of the lake and the Hanuman Ghat on the other side. After breakfast we walked to Pichola Haveli and Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel with spectacular views over the lake from the rooftop restaurants. We walked up and down Jagdish Temple Road and saw the City Palace and Jagdish Temple. We walked across the bridge to Hanuman Ghat and saw the great views from the other side of the lake at Ambria Restaurant. We saw a whole heap of Indian men harassing a scantily clad European woman in the street – they were offended by her lack of clothing but were still compelled to take photos of her!

It was almost 6 pm when we finished using the internet and when we went back to our room it was really hot because the Western sun was shining straight through the windows. We turned on the air cooler but it really didn't seem to do anything so we decided to go and check out the rooms and prices at Pichola Haveli before meeting some friends for dinner. The room at Pichola Haveli was really beautiful (with satellite TV and air conditioning) and it was also the same price as our room at Poonam Haveli so we decided to move the next morning. We went to the rooftop at Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel for a pre-dinner drink of Kingfisher beer and enjoyed watching the sun go down over the Ghats and the Lake Palace Hotel. After that we walked over to Hanuman Ghat for dinner at Ambria Restaurant.

We had a pretty poor night's sleep because our room was so hot and we were also bitten by mosquitoes, so we were happy to be checking out on Thursday morning. We carried our packs around to the Pichola Haveli where we checked in and then headed out for the day. We visited the Jagdish Temple which was supposedly the largest Vishnu temple in North India. It was very similar to the other temples we had seen with detailed carvings of apsara dancers and musicians on the outside and relatively plain on the inside. We walked into the City Palace complex through the picturesque Tripoliya Gate with three arches. We went to the City Palace Museum. This was made up of several palaces including the Mardana Mahal (Palace for the Royal Men) and the Zenana Mahal (Palace for the Royal Ladies), courtyards and gardens. From the windows, pavilions courtyards and gardens there were panoramic views over Pichola Lake and its island palaces. Some of the chambers in the palaces had elaborately painted murals of court scenes, battle scenes and religious festivals. Many of the rooms contained exquisite miniatures, and paintings and photographs of the royal family. There were rooms with coloured panes of glass and patterned tiles, and some were decorated with glass and mirror inlay work. The most impressive courtyard was the Mor Chowk (Peacock Courtyard) – this had a richly decorated glass inlay balcony with three peacocks made out of blue glass and mirrors. After we left the palace we walked out of the tourist area through a local bazaar which seemed to be divided up into sections – fried snack foods, saris, jewellery, shoes, fruit and veg etc – and out of the Dehli gate in the hope of finding a carpet warehouse. From there we walked to the Elephant Gate where we caught a rickshaw which took us to another tourist shop. This shop had the largest selection of Kashmiri carpets that we have seen to date. However it was much more expensive than the government emporium that we visited in Jaipur and most of the carpets we were shown were silk on cotton and had less knots per square inch than the ones we saw in Jaipur. We spent quite a bit of time there looking at the carpets before taking a walk through the Sajjan Niwas park nearby and then walking back along Lake Palace Road to the Lal Ghat area and our hotel.

On Friday morning we walked to Kashan Carpet Industries where we looked at several beautiful carpets. They had a huge range to choose from. After that we walked to Sunset Point on Pichola Lake where we could see Jagmandir Island in the distance.

At 5.30 pm we went to meet our Canadian friends at Shashi's Cooking School. Shashi was a really interesting lady who started the class by telling us about herself and how she came to be running cooking classes. She was from the Brahmin caste and was married at 19. She had two sons and her sons were 7 and 9 when her husband died in 2001. She had to spend 45 days inside the house in mourning and money became a real issue because as a Brahmin she couldn't work, she had no education and her husband's family were not supportive. Her sons collected laundry from guest houses in secret and she would wash dishes early in the morning to earn some money. Then she met a tourist and after tasting her food he suggested that she start a cooking school. With a little help from various tourists over a period of time, she learnt to speak English, had her recipes typed up in English, French and German, and had a website set up – and so her cooking school evolved.

The first thing she showed us how to make was Masala Chai. Then we moved on to pakora, masala sauce/paste, naan, tomato chatni, paneer with garlic and pepper, Kashmiri pulao and cauliflower, potato, tomato and pea curry using the masala sauce. Then we rolled and cooked naan, chapatti, potato paratha and coconut paratha. We had a good time and a spectacular feast before getting back to the hotel at 11pm.

The next morning we caught the bus to Jodhpur. It left at 8am and arrived in Jodhpur at 3pm – 2 hours later than expected. The bus climbed initially and we passed a lot of dry stone walls, then wound through a mountain range and followed a dry river bed for a long way. There were lots of large trees growing in the river bed but the mountain slopes were covered with dead, grey tree skeletons. We saw langurs, black faced sheep and a couple of peacocks. On the other side of the small mountain range it was noticeably hotter and the people were dressed in vibrant turbans and saris in various shades of orange, pink and yellow. We noticed that some of the ladies had numerous large white bangles on their upper arms. The bangle just above the elbow was quite a tight fit and secured the other bangles above the elbow. The other bangles gradually increased in size thereafter until they reached the armpit. We saw a different antelope – looking like a brown cross between a horse and a camel with no hump. Eventually we reached Jodhpur and checked into Devi Bhawan. It had a pool and a beautiful room for Rs 1,800 ($45AUD) so we took it and went for a swim which was magic because the heat was so intense.

On Sunday morning we caught a rickshaw to Mehrangarh Fort, a red sandstone fort standing at the top of a perpendicular cliff behind the old city. The second gate we walked through was scarred by cannon ball hits. Beside the third gate and covered in red powder were the tiny handprints made by the widows of Maharaja Man Singh as they left the palace for the last time and threw themselves on his funeral pyre in 1843. The fort contained a museum, the intricately screened Rajput palace complex and a network of courtyards. We visited the Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) so named because of the pearl like sheen of the plaster (made from crushed sea shells), the Sukh Mahal (Pleasure Palace) with its beautifully decorated gold inlay ceilings and the Phool Mahal (Flower Palace) which was decorated with a combination of gold leaf, glue and cow's urine. In the main courtyard was a small marble seat that was used for coronations. We saw some howdahs (elephant seats), palanquins, exquisitely embroidered tent canopies, a small armoury containing amongst other things, swords decorated with gold inlay and rhinoceros hide shields, ivory cosmetic chests and other collectibles. From the windows and the courtyards, there were views of the old city with its indigo coloured buildings. Apparently the indigo colour keeps the mosquitoes away. After visiting the palace complex we walked along the ramparts where there was a display of cannons and you could look over the edge to see the sheer drop below. We left the fort and walked to the Jaswant Thada which was a white marble Cenotaph for the Rathore rulers of Jodhpur-Marwar. From there we decided to walk to the old city – it was a gentle downhill walk along the road and then down some stairs into the centre. The city centre was really busy – there were a number of floats containing Hijras, young men and women in costume and they were all playing very loud music. We walked around the bazaar next to the clock Tower before catching a rickshaw back to the hotel for a swim and a rest.

Week 7 – India – Chitakrut to Jaipur

On Monday morning we checked out of the hotel and caught a tempo to the train station, where we planned to catch the 10.38 am train to Gwalior. Keith bought the tickets and we sat on the platform to wait – 11 am came and went and then we found out that the train wasn't coming until after 1 pm. Then 1 pm came and went and we found out it was coming at 2pm! We watched a couple of general passenger trains come in. On one of them there were women with big bundles of sticks perched precariously between the carriages. When the train stopped, they jumped off and with difficulty extracted their bundles of sticks. Then they placed a roll of fabric on their heads and with a little manoeuvring and help hoisted the bundles on to their heads and carried them out of the station. We sat and watched the pilgrims washing themselves at the station pump, mangy station dogs and the monkeys foraging on the tracks. Reached Gwalior at about 10 pm and checked into the Hotel Mayur where the toilet paper had to be purchased, the toilet was black and the shower and sink taps were broken!

We had a lovely breakfast at the Indian Coffee House where the waiters were dressed impeccably – with wonderful turbans complete with a starched concertina fan. After breakfast we caught a rickshaw to the Urvai (Eastern) Gate of the Gwalior Fort. We could see the fort on a plateau atop a hill as we drove around. There were some impressive Jain carvings on the valley walls as we climbed the valley road. Jain carvings of the Buddha are easily identifiable because they always show the Buddha's genitals. Many of the faces and genitals had been defaced or removed by Babur's Muslim army in 1527.

When we reached the top we took the right turn to Tel Ka Mandir, the oldest temple on the plateau from the 8^th century. It was still in pretty good condition – a stone gopuram style construction with a wagon top. We visited the large white gurdwara, or Sikh temple. Took a couple of photos of tiled ceiling and the large pool outside before leaving via the avenue of green shrubs and trees which formed a lovely approach with some stone carved peacock seats in the garden. The Sikh temple was very clean, calm and friendly.

Then we walked to the Man Singh palace along a section of the fort wall with impressive views of the wall snaking around the contours of the plateau, sheer drops down the rock and steep hillside, periodic onion dome lookouts to provide sentries with shade and the town buildings stretching out like a carpet below. The palace had impressive (but fading) tile work of elephant, tiger, ducks, trees and geometric patterns in yellow and blue. Inside were a couple of large courtyards with beautiful carving of different geometric designs and some blue tile work. Downstairs were two levels underground with large rooms containing circles of immense columns. We walked around outside seeing many ruined buildings, tanks and towers and some great views off the walls. Then we headed out the eastern gate right next to the palace. From here a small road snaked down very steeply to the town below. After checking out of our hotel, we caught our train to Agra. At only 2 hours, it was mercifully short – nothing like the epic journeys that we have already had. At Agra we got a rickshaw to one of the many hotels lining Fatehabad Road and Suzie sat in the lobby of one of them while Keith looked around and viewed some rooms. We settled on a room at the Grand Casa Agra – it was small but relatively modern and came with Satellite TV and miracle of miracles – WiFi!!

We had a rest day on Wednesday. We spent a little bit of time in the room catching up on emails and reading the guide book before heading out to walk around Agra and the Taj Mahal. We had lunch on a roof top in the Taj Ganj – and got our first sight of the Taj Mahal. We walked around the Taj complex through some narrow alleyways and down through a urine stained staircase to the Western Gate. We walked through a garden to the Yamuna River which was absolutely filthy. Piles of rubbish lined the banks and the water was fetid and black. Back at the Western Gate we checked out the Mosque and then walked 2 kilometres to the Agra Fort. We walked around the imposing red stone walls of the Agra Fort and then caught a rickshaw back to our hotel. The touts in Agra are really persistent – they don't seem to accept no for an answer!

On Thursday morning, we got up at 6 am and caught a rickshaw straight to the Eastern Gate of the Taj Mahal which led into a large outer courtyard bounded by massive red sandstone walls. From there we entered the complex on the south side through a free standing red sandstone gate which was decorated with verses from the Koran and floral pietre dure on white marble on both sides. In front of us were some ornamental gardens with rectangular pools at the centre. The Taj Mahal itself was located at the northern end of the gardens on a raised marble platform with four minarets at each corner and the Yamuna river running behind it. We've seen many pictures of the Taj – but what the pictures fail to show is that every single surface is decorated with carving, pietre dure and calligraphy and it is all symmetrical. Each of the four sides of the Taj are identical. To the West stood a red sandstone mosque and to the East an identical building (the Jawab) built for symmetry. Inside the main chamber below the main dome, behind exquisitely carved marble screens lay the two false tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Their real tombs are in a locked basement below the main chamber – which is not open for viewing. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the gardens and visiting the Mosque, the Jawab and the huge red sandstone gate. Afterwards we caught a rickshaw to the red sandstone Agra Fort – where Shah Jahan spent the last eight years of his life after being imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. The fort was protected by two moats. The outer moat was wet and the inner moat was dry. It contained a maze of buildings – marble and red sandstone palaces, towers, mosques, audience halls and a couple of beautifully manicured courtyards. After visiting the fort we caught a rickshaw to the busy Kinari Bazaar where we found the Jama Masjid – a once striking red sandstone mosque which was undergoing renovations. Back in the Bazaar again, we found a rickshaw to take us to Akbar's Mausoleum at Sikandra, a ten kilometre ride away. We entered the courtyard through yet another beautiful red sandstone and white marble gateway. The mausoleum was also constructed of red sandstone and white marble with decorated inlay panels inside. A dark tunnel led to Akbar's tomb inside. The mausoleum was surrounded by green lawns on which deer/antelope were grazing. We went back to our hotel – exhausted but happy – we saw so many beautiful things today!

On Friday morning we boarded an extremely ram shackle local bus to Fatehpur Sikri. The exterior of the bus was more painted over "bog" than bus. On the inside all the panels (roof, walls and floor) were loose because the rivets had fallen out and one of the seats had completely collapsed onto its back. The vibrations from the bad road meant that the bus was gradually being shaken apart! Thankfully it was only a short (1 hour) journey. Once at Fatehpur Sikri, we had to walk though a busy bazaar through a maze of old streets to climb up a flight of stone steps to the Jama Masjid. We entered the mosque complex through the 54 metre high red sandstone Victory Gate built to celebrate Akbar's victory in Gujarat. Inside was a large courtyard with a small pool in the centre. Directly in front was the mausoleum of a famous Muslim saint built from white marble with ebony wood doors. Adjacent was another red sandstone structure containing other tombs. Around the entire courtyard was a covered terrace of red sandstone so we walked around. Inside the white marble mausoleum was some excellent carving, Quranic writing and floral inlay work together with the huge mother of pearl tomb.

We walked out the side of the mosque to the palace buildings. The first and largest building was the Jod Bhai with enclosed courtyard and a couple of roof sections still with some Persian blue tiles. The rest of the complex was set around the large ornamental pool with four walkways onto the central platform over the water. There were small but beautifully carved palaces for each of Akbar's three wives and his own palace complete with huge stone bunk bed. The Hall of Private Audiences had a magnificently carved stone central column and the Panch Mahal was a five storey pavilion with each storey decreasing in size. We also saw the large stable building with stone rings for tethering the horses/camels. We had a late lunch on the edge of the bazaar before rushing off for another bone jarring encounter with the bus to Agra.

We checked out of the hotel on Saturday morning and caught a bus to Jaipur. After our bus journey to Fatehpur Sikri yesterday, today's bus (even though it wasn't air conditioned) felt like pure luxury. It was reasonably cool provided the bus was moving. The bus obviously had decent suspension because although we took the same road yesterday, it felt a lot smoother. We saw working camels harnessed to carts along the highway and one section with many smokestacks baking bricks made from mud and the straw from the wheat fields. Rajasthan was even drier and hotter than the other states we had been to.

We arrived in Jaipur at 2 pm and settled on a spacious marble floored room at Sajjan Niwas in a heritage building with coloured panes of glass and beautifully painted ceilings and walls. We had a rest in our room before catching a rickshaw to Panch Batti to begin our walking tour of the old city. We walked through a series of busy bazaars, past marble craftsmen, textile artisans with pots of dye, stores selling metal tools and kitchen utensils, silver jewellery and resin bangles. We walked past the Hawa Mahal palace and past stores selling bright, sequinned, tie dyed fabrics, clothes and bedding. It was quite difficult walking through the bazaars because the pedestrian and road traffic was so heavy. We had to keep stepping over and around people, gypsy beggars, bicycles, rickshaws and scooters.

On Easter Sunday, we walked into the old city though the Ajmeri Gate. We had a short climb to the top of Iswari Minar Swarga Sal (Heaven Piercing Minaret) where we enjoyed sweeping views over the old city. From there it was just a short walk to the observatory, Jantar Mantar. At first sight this looked like a modern art sculpture exhibition, but on closer inspection turned out to be a series of sun dials and other astronomy instruments which were totally beyond our understanding. Next to Jantar Mantar was the City Palace which was a complex of gardens, courtyards and buildings surrounded by an outer wall. There were some remarkable displays of textiles and royal costumes, arms and weapons, and two 1.6 metre tall silver vessels in the Hall of Private Audiences (used to take water from the Ganges to England). In the armoury and the Hall of Public Audiences, the ceilings were decorated with stunning gold inlay and floral paintings. There was a courtyard (Pitam Niwas Chowk) with four gates representing monsoon (peacock), summer (lotus), winter (rose petals) and spring (green). We walked to the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) which was a five storey honeycomb sandstone palace with views over the City Palace and Jantar Mantar.