The Taj Mahal: Man’s Greatest Monument to Love

The Taj Mahal could be considered man’s greatest monument to love. For the more cynical among you I would also like to point out that it is indeed a tomb. 

Happy Valentines Day to the lovers and cynics of the world.

Staircases From Around The World

Sometimes a staircase is just a way to get you where you need to go. But staircases can also be pieces of art, archaeology and places to meet.

How about climbing a stairway to nowhere in a surrealist sculpture garden built in the Mexican jungle by an eccentric Englishman? 

Cascading down the sides of one of India’s oldest and deepest step-wells, Chanda Baodi, are steep stairs you’ll have to navigate with care.

Most who travel to Rome will at some point walk by and perhaps even sit and watch the world go by on the Spanish Steps.

This post was inspired by a piece in Travel & Leisure on the World’s Coolest Staircases in which the image of Las Pozas above was featured.

Palaces From Around The World

How many times when traveling have you wandered the grounds of one of the world’s palaces and wondered what it must have been line to live there? Built for nobility they have little in common with the much more modest and practical dwellings most of us call home.

You could easily spend hours wandering the large complex of Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness, in Seoul. Pictured here is Geunjeongjeon, the main palace pavilion.

Located on a busy street in Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan in India, the Palace of the Winds, or Hawa Mahal, allowed for its inhabitants to see out of its windows without outsiders peering in.

Close to Beijing China’s royals spent the hot months at the Summer Palace, the size of which is a small city.

The Presidential Palace in Warsaw Poland is located on Royal Way, of course. In 1955 the Warsaw Pact was signed in this 17th century building where the president lives today.

Kensington Palace is set in Kensington Gardens and still inhabited by royals. Its staterooms are open to the public for tours.

Passports With Purpose-Building a Village in India

The travel blogging community is once again uniting for Passports with Purpose. In 2009, 90 bloggers participated and raised almost $30,000 to build a school in rural Cambodia. In 2010 the goal is to raise $50,000 to build a village in rural India through a partnership with Friends of Lafti.

This is how it works: Each blogger has secured a prize for a raffle. I’m donating a $100 gift certificate to B&H Photo, which I will send anywhere in the U.S. Check out the Passports with Purpose home page to participate, for more details and a full list of prizes. Donors make a tax deductible donation directly to LAFTI International. For each $10 donated, you can be entered to win a prize of your choice. Winners will be announced December 17th.

LAFTI helps India’s untouchables, especially women, with projects that include land distribution, cultivation, adult training, youth housing and housing construction. For about $2,000, LAFTI can build a home. Passports with Purpose aims to raise enough money to build approximately 25 homes to create the Passports Village in Karunganni, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Travel bloggers Debbie Dubrow, Pam Mandel, Beth Whitman and Michelle Duffy founded Passports With Purpose in 2008 as a way to build community among travel bloggers and to give back to the places we, as travelers, visit.

Doors From Around The World

How many times have you wondered what is behind some of the more intriguing doors you come across when traveling?

This large wooden door of the Capilla de la Expiacion in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in Mexico City dwarfs the woman walking by.

This door with the American flag and handprints can be found in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico.

Certain countries consistently have the most beautiful doors. Morocco is one. The one pictured here is in the medina of Essaouira and features the perfect Moroccan blue.

India is another country that does not disappoint in the door department. Fit for royalty it resides in the City Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Which of the above doors would you like to open?

Street Scenes: Morning Commute Jaipur

This group of elephants was spotted on their way to work early one morning on the two lane highway leading to Amber Fort Palace in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, India.

Their job is not an easy one. They carry groups of tourists up the steep paved mountain road that leads to the entrance of the fort. The elephants are limited to four trips to the top daily.

What is your morning commute like and what do you typically see on the way?

Bollywood India

There is nowhere else on earth where the cinema is infused with a culture more than in India. Mumbai, formerly Bombay, the capital of the Hindi language film industry releases more movies per year than Hollywood. Approximately 900 films are produced annually.

Bollywood movies are typically epic musicals, lasting 2 1/2 to three hours on average, with elaborately choreographed dance scenes. The music of Bollywood films accounts for the majority of modern Indian music. Some Bollywood films are remembered more for the music than the plot.

The photograph above shows the Metro Cinema in Mumbai featuring the King of Bollywood with actor Om Puri. The Metro was built in the 1930s and is the grand dame of Bollywood’s red carpet theaters. It was turned into a multiplex in recent years but the facade still retains it Art Deco roots.

Jama Masjid Old Delhi

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s greatest contribution to Islamic architecture may be the Taj Mahal, but the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi isn’t too shabby either. Commissioned by the ruler and completed in the 1650s it can house more than 25,000 worshippers and is India’s largest mosque.

To enter one of its three gates you must first climb steep red sandstone steps, navigating a handful of snake charmers, post card sellers and trinket vendors. Once inside it’s easy to see how Jama Masjid’s vast courtyard can accommodate the population of a small city. On the edges of the courtyard are verandahs with gorgeous views of the Red Fort and Old Delhi. I like to stand here in the shade and listen to the sounds of the bustling markets and chaotic traffic below.

Like all mosques you are required to take your shoes off before entering. A caretaker will watch them. Bring a pair of socks if you don’t like walking barefoot outdoors (the mosque has a healthy pigeon population) or if you want to protect your feet from being scorched by sun-baked marble.

Appropriate dress is also required. Men should not wear shorts. Women should wear clothing that covers their shoulders and knees.

Jama Masjid is open to non-Muslims seven days a week in the mornings, 8:30 a.m. (earlier in the summer) until 12:15 p.m. It reopens at 1:45 p.m. and closes 30 minutes before sunset. If you plan to take photographs be prepared to pay a fee, about 100-150 rupees.

Jaigarh Fort Rajasthan India

Just outside of Jaipur is one of India’s most well preserved forts. Jaigarh Fort is also home to the world’s largest cannon on wheels. Legend has it that due to the devastation of its mighty blast the cannon has only been fired once in the 300 years since it was built.

Jaigarh, also known as Victory Fort, was built in the 1700s by Sawai Jai Singh. Perched high on a cliff its watchtowers provide a bird’s eye view of Amber Fort Palace below it and stunning vistas of the surrounding hills and valleys.

Within the walls of the sprawling fort are an armory, museum, gardens and residential structures. An army of cheeky chattering monkeys also populates the fort.

 It is easy to spend a few hours wandering the grounds. Jaigarh Fort is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is approximately 20 rupees for foreigners, more if you have a video or still camera. Admission is free if you have visited the City Palace in Jaipur the same day and present the ticket.

City Icons – Palace of The Winds Jaipur India

The Palace of the Winds or Hawa Mahal is probably the most photographed site in Jaipur, Rajasthan. But the majority of people who visit it on an organized tour of the Pink City participate in what could be considered a drive by shooting. Without the benefit of time they hop out of their vehicle, marvel at the Palace’s beauty for a few minutes, shoot some photos and move on.

The more adventurous may take an extra minute or two to dodge camel carts, rickshaws, buses, trucks, cars and the occasional elephant and navigate their way to the concrete divider in the middle of the city’s busiest street to get a shot with a wider angle.

If you find yourself in Jaipur make the time to get to know the Palace a little. You’ll soon learn her beauty isn’t just on the outside. You can enter the inside of the five story facade and peer out one of the honeycombed windows for a bird’s eye view of the city. The sandstone structure built in 1788 by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh was designed so that ladies of the royal household could view the outside world without being seen.

To enter the Hawa Mahal walk around the block to the back. Admission is 30 rupees and it is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Rickshaws From Around The World

Rickshaws are a quick, inexpensive way to get around some of the world’s cities. 

India has a few varieties. Cycle rickshaws are a good way to navigate the narrow lanes of Old Delhi.

But the yellow and green auto rickshaws are more suitable for New Delhi and for longer distances.

A rickshaw or tuk tuk ride up this steep hill in San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala would be welcomed.

Cycle rickshaws like this one parked in a Hutong in Beijing are pretty much used for tourists these days.

 In Kathmandu, Nepal cycle rickshaws like this one in Durbar Square are art on wheels.

Have you ever ridden in a rickshaw and if so where?

Shani Bhagavan Lord of Saturday

Shani Bhagavan is the Hindu Lord of Saturday and the planet of Saturn personified. In India devotees make offerings to him on Saturdays. We came across this makeshift street side shrine of Shani in one of Old Delhi’s narrow lanes.

He grants wealth and good fortune to those who do good deeds. If you aren’t the good deed type he’ll make you miserable.

Shani is typically shown in a dark color holding swords and arrows. Devotees often wear black on Saturdays to stay on his good side. The offerings you see pictured include fruit (in the plastic bags), flowers and mustard oil incense.

Portraits: Shaiva Sadhu, Jaipur India

India’s Sadhus are Hindu holy men who give up the material life to seek enlightenment. There are different sects of Sadhus and this man is part of the Shaivas, those who follow Shiva the god of destruction and creation.

Carefully painted on his head in red vermillion is an Om sign. The yellow lines, which were painted with turmeric, are worn by followers of Shiva. His necklace is also an Om sign.

The saffron color of his clothes represents renunciation or the fourth phase of Hindu life after studying, becoming a parent and a religious pilgrim. Saffron represents fire, which burns or eliminates worldly desires.

Paan: Indian Delicacy

Paan vendors are a common sight on the streets of India. Paan is an Indian chew and while ingredients vary it is often made with made with betel nuts, mixed spices (masala) and lime paste and wrapped in a betel leaf eaten whole.

Paan is usually eaten at the end of a meal. It is thought to aid digestion and also acts as a mouth freshener.

This vendor was selling Paan in Janpath market in New Delhi. What local delicacies have you tried when traveling?

Delhi Observations

A lot can change in a city in three years and Delhi, with a population of 14 million, is no exception. The central part of the city is in the midst of a revamp in the run up to the Commonwealth Games.

Connaught Place is getting a facelift. The iconic white facades and columns are being peeled back and restored.

The Metro is on track to be completed in time for the Games including a line that will take you to the airport. I didn’t get a chance to ride the metro this trip but look forward to doing so next time. It is no easy feat building an above and below ground train system in an ancient city.

A new, much needed state of the art Airport Terminal is also slated to be finished in time for the Games. Once completed Terminal 3 will be the third largest in the world after Dubai and Beijing.

All of the above is a tall order to be completed in time for the Games which will be held in October, a more climate friendly time of the year. April is the start of the hot season and temperatures reached 110 Fahrenheit when we were there.

Shopping mall culture has fully arrived. Massive malls the size of small cities feature U.S. and U.K. chain stores as well as well as coffee shop franchises with prices to match the West.

More cars, in particular Smart Cars, are on the road instead of motorbikes. The drivers of said Smart Cars still handle them as though they were motorbikes, weaving in between large trucks and all forms of traffic from four wheels to four legs. Auto rickshaws are still plentiful.

The cost of living has increased substantially. My husband noted that the price of food in the local market near where our family lives has tripled in the last three years.

Whenever I return from cities such as Delhi, Tokyo or Shanghai New York seems empty and calm by comparison. When this perception starts to wear no doubt I’ll book a flight. Do you perceive your home differently when returning from an overseas journey?

India Bound

I’m flying to India today for a few weeks. First stop is Delhi, my husband’s hometown. Looking forward to seeing our family and friends. It’s been three long years since we were there last.

We will also be heading to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan and will hopefully be fortunate enough to see India’s endangered tigers in the wild. A few day trips from Delhi are planned as well. I have posts lined up while I’m away and as always will have plenty to report when I return.

Pictured above: Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Presidential Palace in New Delhi.

Windows from Around the World

There is nothing like a window with a good view.

The shuttered windows of Jaipur, India’s City Palace keep out the heat and provide privacy from which to peer.

The colorful colonial architecture of Granada, Nicaragua has no shortage of beautiful windows.

It would be easy to lose count of how many windows there are in this enormous housing block in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Some windows are pure art like this one in Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy 2010. And may your window of opportunity for travel be wide open in 2010.

Previous Posts in this Series:

Graveyards
Beaches
Underground Metros

Forts From Around The World

Strategically perched on hillsides or along oceans and rivers the ancient forts of the world provide excellent vistas.

Jaigarh or Victory Fort in Jaipur, India presents many excellent views especially from the walkway of its Mughal Gardens.

Fort Skala de la Ville in Essaouira, Morocco sits besides the Atlantic Ocean of this coastal city.

The watchtowers of El Morro Fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico offered protection from would be enemies and the strong sun.

Now a museum, Castel Sant Angelo in Rome was once a fort and castle. To reach it you must cross the bridge of the same name, which is lined with statues of angels, and vendors selling knock off designer bags.

Ambassador Cars India

Among the many four and three-wheeled transportation options in India’s cities the Ambassador car is the flagship choice for style and an Indian icon. Manufactured by Hindustan Motors of India the cars were first rolled out in the late 1950s. While the design has evolved over the years the automobiles still keep their elegant vintage look.

Affectionately referred to locally as Amby’s the cars are used in a number of contexts. They are driven by Government officials (or their drivers) throughout India. Pictured above are Amby’s parked outside the Secretariat North Block, offices for government ministers in New Delhi. They also serve as taxis and can be hired with a driver to tour India. In Delhi Ambassador taxis are painted yellow on top and black on the bottom.

Hiring an Ambassador car for the day or longer is a comfortable and easy way to take in the sites of India’s cities. In Delhi charges are typically based on an eight-hour day or 80 kilometers within the city limits, whichever comes first. This will set you back approximately $23 with air conditioning and $21 without not including a tip for the driver.

Train Travel In India

Indian Railways is one of the largest rail networks in the world and the best and most economical way to travel long distances in India. And like most public transport it is an excellent way to converse with local people and see the diverse landscapes of the country.

I have fond memories of standing by the open doors and watching the endless mustard fields whiz by in north India. Dozing off in the sleeper cars you’ll often wake up to the sounds of vendors on the platforms touting their goods during the short intervals the train stops. Chai, chai (tea, tea).