My journey thought India started with a scary and eye opening experience in New Delhi. I took a sleeper train across India, although I cannot say that I actually slept. However that train ride took us out to the incredibly beautiful Bandhavgarh National Park. This is where we were left out in the in the middle of the jungle. If you haven’t read A Journey Through India: Part 1 be sure to check it out.
Leaving Bandhavgarh National Park left me feeling sad. We did not see a tiger but our group was headed to Ranthambore National Park. Ranthambore was back towards the other side of India, meaning another long train ride.
Our lodge was around a two hour car ride from the train station. We arrived as the sun was going down and the entrance was overpopulated with homeless locals begging for help.
Our group had been warned to not give out unopened food. It was well known that the children were told to beg for food and then the parents would sell the food for other items. Items that you and I might not see as crucial to the children’s survival.
I cannot tell you enough how wonderful our guide was –Raghu. However, when our van arrived at the train station before the others we decided not to get out until we had a translator with us. Raghu and the rest of the group arrived shortly after us and we embarked on another long train ride.
Our Journey Through India:
Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore National Park is closer to a city than Bandhavgarh. Because of this, we stayed in a more populated area and would take long drives out to the safari locations. While we all missed being out in the wild, it was nice to be close to some shops. In between safaris we were given some time to explore the area.
Just down the road from our hotel was a group of shops in large tents. We got to see a man create tapestries out of hand carved stamps and ink. The shops included hand crafted jewelry and crafts. Then to complete the experience we saw a decorated elephant, just walking down the street. It was nice to enjoy the small town and give back to some of the locals.
Safaris
We had another few safaris before moving on to a new location. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to India was to see a wild tiger. Unfortunately, they are on the endangered species list. While we have seen improvements in the tiger population, they are still sparse. At one point we were given the opportunity to go on a safari or take a yoga class. While most of the group decided on yoga, my mom and I wanted another chance on a safari.
Unfortunately, we did not see a tiger. Our group saw foot prints and were told by the warning sounds of other animals that there must have been one close. While I was disappointed, the safaris as a whole were fantastic. We saw lots of colorful birds, monkeys, a jungle cat, lots of deer and other animals. It was not a total loss in the slightest.
When it came time to leave Ranthambore National park, I was a little disappointed knowing that unless on the extreme off chance that a tiger would wander into a bigger city, we would not be seeing that illusive wild tiger. Not only that, but our journey through India was now taking us into larger cities. New Delhi had left me less than thrilled with the more popular area.
Our Journey Through India:
On to Bigger Places
Our form of transportation shifted to a small, private bus. What a relief. Our group set out to visit a temple nearing the top altitude of that area. As a girl from Indiana (it is very flat here), I would say a mountain but it was probably more like a large hill.
This temple was primarily a large, outdoor, open spaced area The Ranthambore Fort, with a small temple. The open area was full of cows and monkeys. There were people selling leis of real flowers. We later discovered that the monkeys quite liked the flowers and would steal the leis if given the opportunity.
The small temple was to honor the god Ganesh (the elephant god). We entered the temple to receive a bindi and a blessing from the god. While waiting for our blessing, the Indian man behind me rung the large bell then laid face down on the floor to pray. I don’t know what he was going through but I sure hope that he got what he was praying for.
A Dinner Worthy of the Royals
Having prayed or wished for a fantastic trip to follow, we left the temple feeling hopeful. That evening we asked Raghu if we could go for a nice dinner. In India the water quality is quite poor, we could not even brush our teeth without bottled water. Because of that, it is ill advised to eat anything that has been washed in their water. That left us with a banana being about the only fruit to eat and mostly hot meals.
Raghu set us up with a lovely meal at a nearby, very nice hotel. This hotel was where and royal visitors would stay. They had filtered water for washing their foods. This allowed us to eat the salad and fruits along with a gourmet meal and desert. It was all buffet style and we even had a private band to serenade us through our visit. While experiencing the culture and food is a big pull to new countries, it was nice to have a nice, worry free meal together.
A Journey Through India
Tordi Sagra
The next morning we hopped on our bus to go to Tordi Sagra. Tordi was a small village and the main hotel, which we stayed at, was owned by the Prince and Princess. We each had nice rooms and meals on the rooftop terrace. We were greeted with leis, a bindi and a local soda (which we were given the ok to drink since it came from a bottle). After we settled into our rooms, a few of the local village girls came over to give us all henna tattoos. The cost per henna design was $1.50 and they were incredible.
Many of us got two tattoos and tipped generously. If you have never had a henna tattoo, they are applied in a heavy clay like substance. The henna dries and cracks off leaving a yellow/orange color of your design. By the next day the dye darkens and stays for several weeks. It might seem like a little thing but our whole group was really looking forward to getting our tattoos.
Dinner on the Dunes
That evening we took a camel cart out to the outskirts of the city to the large sand dunes. The hotel/palace packed us all dinner to eat as we watched the sunset on top of the dunes. Our carts reached the bottom of the dunes and we were given two options to get up to the top… The almost vertical short climb or the switch back zig zag, longer way to the top.
By this time we has established the young one and the older ones of the group. The younger group, including myself, decided to run to the top via the vertical climb. We did not take into consideration that the sand would sink and move as we ran, making progress difficult.
We reached the top well before the others, giving us time to catch our breath. One of the palace workers came with a large picnic basket of food and drinks. We were told to relax and enjoy. We ate dinner as the sun went down and rode through the town at night. It was a wonderful time to reflect on our journey though India so far.
Before heading out the next morning we toured the little town. We encountered a clay maker who allowed us to try out our skills on his hand spun table. We noticed hearts with initials painted on some of the buildings. Raghu explained, that was a way for the town to announce a marriage that would be taking place. It was a little town full of lovely people. However, it was time to move on to Jaipur.
Our Journey Through India
Jaipur
Jaipur was our first real experience in a tuk tuk. What’s a tuk tuk you ask? A tuk tuk is one of the main forms of transportation in India. They are little 3 wheeled vehicles that swerve in and out of the most unorganized traffic I have ever seen. The drivers seemed to enjoy our reactions. All too often, the driver, any driver would wait until it was almost too late to stop. Right when we would all begin to panic, the driver would say, “we stop… now.” Laughing as we would jerk forwards and slam back into our seats. They were slightly terrifying.
In Jaipur, we got to visit the Amber Palace. Our bus pulled up to the drop off spot. Raghu explained that we would have to walk to get to the gate. We were instructed to put our sun glasses on, look forward and not to talk to the salesmen. They would be trying to sell us cheap goods that would not last the journey home.
We started to walk and my mother really struggled to be what she saw as rude. One man followed us almost up to the gate. My mom had told him “maybe later”, that’s mom speak for “no”… everyone knows that right? Would you believe that that same salesmen found us on our way out too? We did not buy anything but we learned an important lesson on avoiding being hassled.
The Amber Palace
The Amber Palace is in what they call “the pink city.” This area gets its name from the pink color scheme from the terracotta. The two main entrances to the Pink City are clearly marked with massive terracotta archways. A good portion of Jaipur is made from terracotta and the Amber Palace was no exception.
This palace once housed Royals. You could see the appeal with it being high on a hill and overlooking the main water source for the city. We learned of many secret passageways and connecting hallways. This was designed for the king to use to discretely make his way from one wife to the other. How scandalous!
It was at the Amber Palace that I started to realize just how different I was to the locals. Many of the tourist attractions have active places of worship. Because of this, it was not uncommon to share space with the locals. Raghu had hired a tour guide (helping the locals fund). We all were standing in a circle when a young Indian child, around 2 or 3, broke away from his parents. This child weaved through the crowd just to get to me. He proceeded to just stand and marvel at this strange new specimen… that was me.
An Unsettling Encounter
While it was a sweet moment my next reminder came all too soon and was not as sweet. After our group got the rundown of the Amber Palace, we were given some time to explore on our own. By this time we had been asked to take a few picture with people from time to time. So when two young men asked to take a picture with me nothing seemed out of the normal.
Per usual, I placed one hand over my passport that was around my neck. Unfortunately, one of the men decided to take that opportunity to grab my hand. Not entirely comfortable with the situation, I tried to pull my hand away. He grabbed tighter and refused to let go until he was satisfied with his photo opt. From then on, I was not keen on having my photo taken with people. While I am sure most of the people were harmless, that particular man left me feeling unsafe in an very unsettling turn of events.
The City Palce
We stayed in the pink city but made our way to the City Palace. The City Palace is incredible. Full of grand archways, elaborate doorways and relics. There was a fascinating armory, a room of royal costumes and chariots from different areas. This is what I thought our Journey through India would be like everywhere. If you find yourself in India, do not miss the City Palace! The City Palace finished construction in 1732 and has sustained all of its beauty. As a whole, this was probably our favorite place to visit in a big city.
Hawa Mahal
We finished out our day by seeing the Palace of Winds or the Hawa Mahal. Unfortunately, due to time limitations we only got to marvel from outside. A brilliant piece of Indian architecture. This honeycomb structure contains 953 windows. While being in a big city certain had its crowds and scary moments, exploring these beautiful buildings made for an interesting journey through India.
Be sure to check back for the final chapter on my journey through India. Part three will cover our time in a traditional Indian cinema, Delhi belly, the ever anticipated Taj Mahal and our final farewells.
