June 23 - 30, 2008. Anniversary & Golden Triangle

Jenny inside of the Amber Fort in Jaipur.
The Taj Mahal - almost as photogenic as Jenny.

Jenny and I at the Taj Mahal.

Jenny and I celebrated our 2-year wedding anniversary last week. We talked about what we remembered from our wedding day, and how we’re still enjoying the other’s company as much as we did (or more than) when we were first married. Anniversary gifts included an Indian pillow, soap made out of a berry unique to the Himalayas, incense, and a stone incense holder in the shape of a lotus – India’s national flower. Kaitlyn & Nancy bought us a fruit tart that was reminiscent of the one that keeps me going back to Gastronomy joints. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been married for over two years!

We left on Friday for the former Rajput stronghold, Jaipur. Jaipur is located on the western edge of the state of Rajasthan, which is famous for traditional Indian desert scenery. The pink coral paint that is used in Jaipur is a mix of calcium and the red sand found in the surrounding area. The Maharaja, in 1876(?) ordered that all of the buildings on the main streets be painted pink for a visit from the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). The buildings are still painted pink, and the current Maharaja regularly plays Polo with Prince Charles.
The influences of English colonialism, for better or worse, are some of my favorite things to think about in India. The Taj Mahal, for instance, is an example of Mughal architecture, but the surrounding gardens were constructed during the British reign and are modeled after the elaborate gardens in England. The fact that a Rajput Maharaja in the Indian desert and the heir to the throne of England regularly play Polo together is another interesting result of colonialism.

Jaipur is known for its shopping, and our first stop was Rajasthali, an emporium of clothes, pottery, jewelry, and random handicrafts. I bought an Indian shirt that looks more Hawaiian than anything else. Jenny bought bangles and a silver necklace. After a long car ride, and an hour of shopping, we were famished, and decided to refuel at the Om Tower, revolving restaurant. While the motor that moved our floor around was quite jerky, and the four of us all became nauseous at some point in the meal, we did enjoy the panoramic views of Jaipur and the paneer masala with garlic nan. Masala is one of the spicier sauces in India, and paneer is a kind of cheese that doesn’t melt when heated.

We stayed at the Krishna Palace in a residential neighborhood on the far end of Jaipur. Imagine if your neighbor remodeled his or her house to resemble a 6 story, yellow Hindu temple, and then threw spotlights up in the street to display the building at night. Add a rooftop restaurant, and that’s what the Krishna Palace is like.

In the morning we left at 8:30 to spend the morning at the Amber Fort, Jai Singh’s temporary residence, built in 1728. Jai Singh was the Maharaja at the time, and put a number of really cool features in the fort. One feature is the aqueduct system, which brings in rainwater from the surrounding mountains. The first rain of the monsoon season clears out the debris and flows into the “unclean water” reservoir. After that the rain flows into the “clean water” reservoir which has a capacity for 6 million gallons.

Another cool feature was the fort’s cannon. Here are its stats:
It is the largest wheeled cannon in the world
It requires 4 elephants to turn it
It weighs 250 tons
Each shot requires 100 Kg of gun powder
The ball weighs 50 Kg and is made of solid iron
In the lone firing of the cannon - a test run - the ball flew 22 miles. The man who lit the fuse blew out his eardrums, despite running 100 feet from the cannon. Because the Rajputs were such good diplomats with the Mughals the cannon was never needed.

The fort also had an extensive collection of elephant saddles, and was inhabited by dozens of monkeys and a rather arrogant camel. We enjoyed walking around the maze of gardens, courtyards and hallways, and were even treated to a live puppet show. One of the more interesting rooms was the Maharaja’s bedroom, which contained one double-California king size bed, and was open to a courtyard where actors and musicians used to play. From the walls of the fort, we enjoyed spectacular vistas of the surrounding landscape, and watched mother monkeys run back and forth, their babies clinging to their chests.
From the Amber Fort, we went back into town and visited the Hawa Mahal, one of Jaipur’s signature buildings. The Hawa Mahal, which is five stories of honeycombed holes and shuttered windows, was built by a Maharaja so that women could observe the goings-on in the city without being seen.We sat in the air-conditioned LMB restaurant for Lunch and ate masala, cheese nan, and vegetable kofta, which are balls of mashed potato and vegetables. After lunch we walked up and down Johari Bazaar. We bought Jenny a sari, and a turquoise and silver necklace, as well as some elaborately decorated, rustic looking silver coasters. We stopped in for ice cream at the LMB one more time, and then Jenny and I walked to the top of a minaret that looked out over the entire city of Jaipur.

We left for Agra in the late afternoon. The sun was setting over endless fields, and it would occasionally highlight a woman walking slowly through the bright green, wearing a dark purple sari, or carrying a terra cotta pot on her head.

One of the roads had flooded, and traffic was backed up. I took the opportunity to grab a picture of the quirky semi trucks that carry coal or wheat, or linen all over India. Indian semis are decorated much differently than American semis. The Indian semi is a little more…playful than its American counterpart. The vast majority of Indian trucks are covered with bright drawings of country scenes or baby cows rubbing up against their mother. Many have symmetric decorations on the front, or stars painted on the sides. This weekend I saw a semi with something like Gerber daisies tied to its windshield wipers. I couldn’t help but wonder if any American truck drivers have Gerber daisies on their windshields. I know that my Mom has thrown the idea around of becoming a truck driver when she retires from her law practice someday (she swears she’s not kidding), and I could actually see her with Gerber daisies on her windshield wipers.

If the term “no frills” had a face, that face would be the $20-a-night Hotel Sheela in Agra. By “no frills,” I mean no soap, no shampoo, no toilet paper, and no blanket. The one thing that the Sheela has going for it is that it is located 100 feet from the gate to the Taj Mahal, and that was good enough for us. We rolled out of bed on Sunday, at 5:30, to catch the last bit of the sunrise over the Taj.

The Taj Mahal is, without a doubt, the most photogenic building I’ve ever seen. Every side offers spectacular views. We walked in and out of the buildings and parks on the side of the Taj, and around the Taj itself, and I kept thinking about how incredible the place was. Built between 1631 and 1653 (which is debated), the Taj was a memorial and gravesite for Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb, and spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Agra Fort, where he could see the Taj Mahal out of his window.

As we were travel weary, and had spent the last two nights in budget hotels, the four of us decided to dine at the Bellevue, inside of the Oberoi Amar Vila. The Oberoi is one of the nicest hotels in India, and its rooms range from $800 to $5000 a night. The hotel is one that you would probably find in the “Top 100 Hotels” edition of Conde Nast Traveler. The entrance to the grounds is all cobblestone, and is lined with palm trees. There is an entryway that leads to an enormous courtyard with symmetrical fountains, and a small meeting area with large wooden chairs covered by plush, starched-white cushions. Little marble basins, filled with water and floating pink flowers, are scattered around the premises, and the only sounds are soft classical music and the trickling fountains. Doormen and greeters welcome you at each turn. At the risk of sounding too American, I felt like saying, “Hey, I’ll get my own door, I’m just here for the buffet.”

The Oberoi’s brunch buffet is a little more affordable than its rooms. At $13 per person, it was a highly touted bargain in our travel books. We ate platefuls of European pastries and quiche, yogurt with mangoes, pineapple, plums and pomegranate, and several bowls of cold cereal. Afterwards, we looked around the hotel, asked to see one of the rooms (which all have views of the Taj Mahal), and shopped at the hotel’s boutiques. Jenny and I came away with a large, painted, rocking-elephant that I originally named Ernie. Jenny said that we needed to christen him with an Indian name, so we’re calling him Ravi for now. We’re still open to suggestions.