Golden Triangle ... with Pita & Tasi

Taj Mahal ... really is spectacular!!

We have been in India for 13 days. I must confess we were very anxious about coming here ... we had heard some really nasty stories ... we met some people who loved India and some who did not but everyone had a rough story to tell. We were feeling comfortable in Nepal. We had no idea what to expect but we were bracing ourselves for the worst. To our surprise and relief we are enjoying India ... yes it is sensory overload ... there are cars tooting all the time ... there are people everywhere ... there are amazing colour ... there are some truly beautiful women here ... their wonderful brown eyes and colour of fabric they wear is breathtaking at times. There is plenty of pollution, dirt and rubbish. But there is so much life. So much history and the buildings are beautiful ... the Taj Mahal exceeded all expectations ... we were blown away by its beauty. Of course having Pita and Tasi to share in our experience for a few days was a treat as well. They are experienced travellers and are very good at saying 'No'. We have warmed up gradually to India ... Turkey, Nepal and then India, I think that has helped as well ... we have not come cold. I find it hard to describe India because everyone has such a different  response ... the best way to describe it is to suggest that people come and experience it. 

Here are some photos of our time with Pita and Tasi and visiting the Golden Triangle ... enjoy.

The biggest hazard on the roads are cows and water buffalo ... they wander all over the roads looking for food. They know their way around really well and they totally suit themselves. We have seen them walking on motorways into head on traffic, just cruising. While driving to Udaipur I saw a dead water buffalo on the side of the road being eaten by birds and it smelt. I am guessing that it will be there for a while.

Pete and I at Agra Fort ... we are a little over Forts at the moment. They are beautiful and huge.

One of the court yards of Agra Fort. The craftsmanship here is amazing! So many beautiful buildings, made from marble and carved and painted with such detail.

This is the Mosque in Agra Fort.

Take note of the detail here in the marble ... I never got sick of looking.

Pita and Tasi having a rest ... hard work being a tourist and Tasi is over 12 weeks pregnant, I thought she did very well.

We had a guide for the Taj Mahal ... he insisted on taking lots of photos of us in front of the Taj. We loved it here and spent quite a bit of time just wandering around and sitting and watching the light at the end of the day reflect off the building. The light in India in the evenings is beautiful. Here was no exception.

Again our guide wanted us to get romantic ... this  is how Pete & I look romantic.

Under instruction from our guide Pete went on bended knee to declare his love to me ... a little embarrassing as there are literally thousands of people walking around and many of them stopped and stared. I think our children might like this though ...

Pete really got into into it ... 

I love this photo of Tasi ... she looks so happy and in love with her man, Pita.

Did I mention how beautiful the evening light was here. We were here at the best time of the day, just as the sun was going down and the shadows of light on the Taj were beautiful.

The sun going down on the Taj Mahal. 

Big Pete ... Little Pete ... guess which is which? Bharatpur Fort on our way to Jaipur. 

A taste of some of their workmanship ...

I love this sign ... 

A truck at the other entrance to this bridge overpass had broken down, it was full of stones. The truck that you see in the photo was transferring stones from the broken truck into the back of this truck, using a stainless steel dish. Traffic was backed up on both sides of the bridge, there were no traffic police ... motorists just trying to get through at every chance ... our driver just kept pushing his way forward until we got through ... we must have waited for nearly an hour. It was mayhem. When the police did arrive they were yielding sticks to try and control the traffic.

Pita standing in front of one of the Indian ministerial cars ... practising for his future role as Ambassador, ironically the car model is Ambassador. Pita looks so much like Rob around the eyes.

We had a really good time in Jaipur ... we just walked around for hours visiting the sites and the markets. This photo is taken at the Jantar Mantar ... an observatory. I loved the shapes and angles at this site.

We visited the City Palace ... Pete standing in one of the doorways, under the peacocks. This palace was built in the 1700s. Peacocks are the national bird of India so can be seen in lots of the decorations  of historic buildings that we visited. I seem to have gone a bit crooked with some of my photos ... not sure what that was about ... probably not focussing properly.

This building is the Women's Room called the Hawa Mahal ... or Palace of the Winds. It was built in 1799 to allow the palace concubines to look out onto the street without being seen. It was lovely inside ... some really nice spots to sit and rest, just as well as they never left the building. Jaipur is referred to as 'the Pink City' ... there are a lot of pink buildings like this one.

Tasi wanted to vist this Step Well ... our driver had no idea where it was but we found it thanks to Tasi's GPS on her phone. We thought it was very cool. The local people used to climb down and draw water from this well. It is quite old and deep, the water is very dirty, I am guessing that no one uses it now.

We found a textile store just up the road from the Step Well and stopped off to do some shopping. These are some colours that were used in a block printing demonstration. Pita and Tasi bought a beautiful rug made from Yak Wool ... Pita is the master negotiator and had the seller on his knees.

Saying goodbye to Pita and Tasi as they head off in a tuktuk with all their luggage to catch a bus back to Delhi and heading home to Jakarta. Our driver Kamal is in the front seat. We felt sad saying goodbye ... we had such a fun time with them chatting about politics, family, religion, philosophers ... you name it and it was talked about. 

India ... Jewel in the Crown ... Delhi

Indias Gate

We are in India ... we arrived on Monday night. A fairly easy departure. Kathmandu airport was crazy! Not like other international airports ... but we did not get lost and managed to catch the right flight. We are staying in New Delhi and have a really nice hotel. Someone we met while in Nepal suggested we have good hotels to stay in because India can get intense, we took their advice. We are spending time with Pita and Tasi while we are here in Delhi. We have been very excited to see them ... it has been a few months since we have spent time with family. 

A few leaving kathmandu pix ...

Downsizing again. We sent this bag home with our woollen gear and some other things that we bought for our trekking. Pete wanted us to go carry on to India so we really trimmed back our bags ... we did it. It is official, we are carry on only now! We didn't have much to start with, now we have less. Wearing the same thing day after day after day!

We found it Rosie ... here is your bookshop. I was very excited to find this bookshop, we had looked everywhere and checked every bookshop. There is a juice stand right in front and they sell the best freshly squeezed juices. We tried freshly squeezed sugar cane juice there, we have never drunk sugar cane juice before ... quite nice.

We were lining up to check in for our flight to Delhi at Kathmandu International Airport ... trying to stay ahead of a group of Chinese tourists and along came  a couple of maintenance men with their ladder, to fix something in the ceiling ... this is how they set it up ... I felt very very anxious looking at this ... thinking surely they are not going climb up the ladder like that?! 

India ... New Delhi ...

Many, many years ago Marg & Grandma Gibson went on a world trip together and India was one of the places they visited. Marg loved India ... I think that is when India became a place I wanted to visit 'one day'. In the 80's there was a  BBC series, 'Jewel in the Crown', set around the end of the British occupation of India. Charles Dance was one of the male leads, I had a crush on him. I loved the series and became fascinated with India and here we are! 

Here are some photos of our first few days ...

Pete & I in front of the Bahai Lotus Temple ... taken by Tasi ... I think we will have a few photos of us together now that we have someone to take them for us.

We visited Humayun's Tomb on Day 2. I loved it here ... the buildings, the setting, I thought it was beautiful,

Look Up ... the decoration of temples and buildings here is a lot different to Nepal ... simple but very beautiful! The craftsmanship in the detail is stunning! Sometimes less is more.

Family ... wonderful to be with family for a while (taken at Humayun's Tomb). Tasi and Pita are well travelled, particularly in Eastern and Asian countries ... not intimidated at all by the crowds, noise or pollution. We are thrilled to be spending a few days with them and seeing some of the wonderful sites here in India. 

Tasi & I ... Humayun's Tomb.

I thought this looked like handmade lace. So beautiful.

Humayan's Tomb ... this reminds me of Jewel in the Crown.

Seeing these cars took me back to my childhood ... they look like Morris Oxfords. We also saw white ones that are used for Government Officials.

After our lunch these were put on our table. A mixture of aniseed, cumin seeds and sweets. Tasty.

I love the light in this photo ... we are at the Red Fort. This building is made from marble ... the detail is beautiful ... 

Did I say how much I loved the light on this building ...

I think the workmanship is beautiful.

We spent three days touring with Tasi while Pita was in Political Negotiations at a summit he was attending. I found it very stressful walking around the sites with Tasi ... men kept looking at her, some took photos without asking, some asked. I found it very stressful. Pete nearly assaulted a man at India's Gate who was taking a sneaky photo of Tasi. Whenever we noticed someone trying to take a photo we would walk in front of Tasi in an attempt to block them. It was really bad at the Red Fort. I started walking up to men taking photos of them taking photos of Tasi and they did not like it. Here is one of the photos I took as proof. Women would ask if they could have their photos taken with Tasi. It was like being with a celebrity or royal.

For the first 2 days we took a taxi and then we used tuktuks ... we found them much faster and  cheaper. We saw a family of 5 get out of one of these. The driving here is crazy, crazy, crazy!

Pete and Tasi at a Sikh Temple we visited. We had to cover our heads, we were not hassled here by people wanting to take Tasi's photo because they could not see the colour of her hair, we were invisible, just another family of white tourists. I think Pete looks like a biker gang member here.

The pool by the Sikh Temple.

The entrance way to a garden behind a Hindu Temple we visited. We think there may have been a wedding going on. There are quite a few wedding celebrations we have seen ... parades of people on the street singing and dancing a real celebration and they look so much fun. 

Kathmandu ... Last Days

We are of to India. We thought it would be a good idea to do a final post. We have grown to love it here in Nepal. The people are easy ... Kathmandu is a very interesting city with a creative energy to it and there is lots to see. We have had a great time here. We have met some interesting people, seen some interesting sites and done some interesting things. We both want to come back and do more trekking ... maybe  2016. Here are some highlights of our last days in Kathmandu.

I love this sign ... friendly but not quite grammatical. There are a lot of these Wel-come signs on teahouses through the Annapurna trek.

We will remember their apples ... there were fields of them on the Annapurna and through the Upper Mustang.

Old Kathmandu ... we loved it here. It is crazy busy. There are some very cool old buildings, like the one in the photo. Kathmandu was one of three separate Kingdoms, Bhaktapur, Patten and Kathmandu. They each had  their own Kings ... Kathmandu became dominant and eventually amalgamated the three kingdoms under one King. Each of these Kingdoms had a square with beautiful buildings, statues, monasteries and a palace for the King. The squares are called Durbar Square which was known as the King's Square. They still exist today and are wonderful to visit and walk around. They all have entrance fees and some of them quite pricey.

One of the streets in Old Kathmandu ... some of the buildings are incredibly old and historic but are still used as shops and living spaces.

We would often buy freshly squeezed fruit juice from these juice bars. They are very tasty. They set them out so colourfully. The bananas look awful but they taste yummy.

Pete standing beside a statue of nailed coins ... people that touch the coins have their teeth protected by the tooth god?? I wish!

We never got sick of seeing these beautiful old Monasteries and Hindu Temples. They put so much work and detail into them, they really are works of art. This one is now used as a fabric stand in the shadow of a modern city.

Another old building in Old Kathmandu ... used as a shop. Originally the Nepalese used wood instead of glass in their windows because of the cost of glass.

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I think I have mentioned how much I love the way colour is used in Nepal. This doorway is stunning, the design, the detail and the colour. Just one of many that we have seen.

Their wares ... 

Motorbikes are everywhere ...  with more than 2 people on them ... often one of these is a child. Here is a family of 4 ... 2 children and 2 adults on their way home. Those of you who have been to places in Asia will be familiar with this sight. I tried and tried to get a photo of a  family on a motorbike and this was the best I could do.

We went to the Monkey Temple ... there are monkeys all over the Temple/Monastery grounds. We saw this monkey sliding down the handrail and I was quick enough to get a photo. Some of the them look really mangey and unwell. They can be vicious. We heard of a tourist being bitten in the arm by one ... probably finished their holiday ... there was blood everywhere. Monkeys can carry rabies so I imagine that it would have been quite scary for the person that was bitten.

I went on a yoga/meditation retreat for three days at a Buddhist Monastery in the hills ... the monks didn't mind people taking photos so I went completely overboard. 

This was our yoga room ... I love these pieces of furniture ... the colours and the detail. They look better close up.

Another photo inside the Monastery ... upstairs. The detail is amazing. The fabrics they use are so colourful.

The main doors ... I love the shade of blue they use! All these walls are hand painted.

So many people ... this was early evening ... people on their way home ... space has a whole different meaning in Asia.

There was a big EQ in Nepal in the 1930s, killing thousands of people ... this building still stands, waiting to drop by the look of it. I wouldn't live in it or even work from it.

I couldn't not have a photo of Pete and a motorised vehicle ...

We hired a taxi for the day to get to some of the sites we wanted to see before we left ... this is our driver and his taxi. All taxis that we have seen are Suzuki Alto 800s. Our driver was very proud of his   taxi and how clean it was. You would be amazed at how much they cram into these small cars. 

Over the last week there has been a SAARC Summit here in Kathmandu. A lot of the roads have been resealed and lots of painting has been going on. Dressing up of some of Kathmandu's sites of interest. Quite a few pedestrian crossings have been painted and road markings ... the thing is that they don't know how to use pedestrian crossings or road markings. The cars just drive on through the the pedestrian crossings as usual.  All roads are one way until another  car comes in the other direction.There have been no power cuts for the whole week and we had really hot water every day. Cars with even numbers as their last two numbers on their registration were allowed to drive on even days and cars with odd numbers drove on the odd days and if you drove on the wrong day with the wrong numbers your vehicle was impounded by the police. The Government had gone to a lot of trouble to impress the officials that were visiting.

I will always think of Nepal when I see the colour Marigold. I am pretty sure that it is all through India as well. I  love this colour ... and it is everywhere ... their fabrics, their flowers. This shade of yellow became my signature colour after the CTV collapse. Not long after the Feb 2011 EQ I had a dream and the dominant colour in my dream was this shade of yellow. Yellow is meant to mean sunshine and happiness, that is how I would describe the Nepalese people that we have met while here.

We had one last visit with our guide GS and his family. His wife is the best cook ... her family say she has magic hands. We had a wonderful rice pudding that she made. We have really enjoyed meeting GS and his family. They are such nice people and we are looking forward to coming back and doing more trekking with him.