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For this blog:

Please do read through the blog for our narrative and the related photos.  But if you just want to look at the photos ...

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Animals
        Birds and Others
        Camels
        Deer
        Domestic animals
        Monkeys
        Tigers
Architecture
        Buildings
        Details
        Interiors
        Windows and Doors
Buildings
        Forts
        Palaces and Havelis
        Temples
Abstract
Art
Countryside and City
Flowers and Gardens
Markets and Shops
Meals and Menus
People
Signs

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     Links are at the end of the appropriate post.

Slide shows of photos in this blog (about 20 – 30 minutes each)

          Blog photos part 1

          Blog photos part 2

          Blog photos part 3

          Blog photos part 4

Flickr:  Our Photostream

Mon-Tue, Oct 19-20: In Transit to Delhi

Long flight to Delhi. 

Leaving New York:

Wed, Oct 21: Delhi

First day in India and we slept in.  It was a long flight and we were both really tired.  After breakfast we headed out on a walk to find an ATM to get some cash.  Along the way we visited with another gentleman out walking.  He asked if we had a car, and we said no, the rules were so different.  His comment was that there are no rules.  After a discussion of where we were going and why, he suggested an alternative where we could find International Bank ATMs.  His suggested location was a longer walk (with a much less clear location), but generally in the direction we were walking.

Fortunately there was a tuk-tuk parked nearby.  He talked with the driver about our needs and we headed out for our first tuk-tuk ride.  A tuk-tuk is a small open aired vehicle found all over Delhi and India.  You can ride for an hour for 60 rupees (about $1).  The tuk-tuk driver promptly turned around and headed in the opposite direction, but he took us to an ATM and then the India Art Center where we did a masterful job fending off the vendors.  We did a whirlwind walk through to see some of the art and then headed back to the tuk-tuk and a ride back to our hotel.

Lalit, our tour driver, was waiting for us.  We made a short stop at India Gate for a few pictures... 

and people watching, including a number of people cooling off in the large fountain,

and lots of vendors.

We then picked up Tara (our travel agent extraordinaire and knower of all things India) and headed to a crafts market to pick up a few kurtas (long Indian shirts), two for Paul and one for our daughter, Jessica, who will be joining us later. 

Then we headed to Tara’s favorite jewelry shop where she was having some jewelry made (apparently she had just traded in old gold jewelry for some new items).  Of course, Mary got into the spirit of things and bought a bracelet.  Then it was a walk through a warren of streets that constitute one of the major markets in Delhi. 

It looked like you could buy almost anything there.  We bought some fruit biscuits to take to Tara’s mother where we were having dinner tonight.  Two of Tara’s high school classmates were also at dinner.  Dinner consisted of a number of tasty Indian dishes, including a great fried okra dish and a yummy mystery root that has no English name and that is not available in the US.  The fried version of this was particularly tasty but the one in a curry sauce was also good.  The dinner party broke up pretty early as we were pretty jet lagged. 

Once back at the hotel it was time for a little repacking and then to bed.

Requirements for driving safely in India (as told by Lalit):

1.          Good Horn
2.     Good Brakes
3.          Good Luck

Ancillary rule – The white lines on the road are just for decoration.

Thu, Oct 22: Delhi to Chandigarth

October 22, Thursday – Delhi to Chandigarh

Today we drove from Delhi to Chandigarh as a midway point on our way to the hill stations in the Himalayan foothills.  As usual, we saw interesting modes of transportation.

Chickens going to market.

Chandigarh turned out to be a bit of a pleasant surprise as Tara had informed us that the sights were minor.  It was India’s first planned city with construction starting in the 1950’s. 

The first stop was Sukhna Lake, a manmade lake with an island, a long wide promenade circling the lake, and lots of colorful paddle boats.  

Other than a magnificent old tree that dipped from the promenade into the lake it was just an ok sight.

The real surprise was the Nek Chand Rock Garden that was described to us as being made out of “waste material”.  That sounded pretty uninteresting but was in fact pretty fascinating.  The garden had no flowers to speak of and very few trees.  What it had in abundance was arches, walkways, stairs, some fountains and water runs, and statuary galore…all made out of” recycled” materials. 

Most of the rocks came from the excavations when the city was built.  Many walls were tiled with pieces from porcelain bathroom fixtures, others with pottery shards.  You could even see cup handles and the manufacturer's stamps on the bottoms of the plates.  

Several walls were covered in porcelain electrical plug fixtures. 

The statuary was made of many types of materials including porcelain shards, rocks,

and pieces of the bangles (bracelets) worn by so many Indian women.  

Statues made from bangles.

And there was an entire “zoo” with many animal species made from the same types of materials.  It was really interesting.  Such creativity.

Following this we went to the Capital Complex.  Chandigarh is the shared capital of the Haryana and Punjab states with the border between the two states running through town.  The Capital Complex was one of the first areas built in the city.  The Open Hand Monument is 85 feet high and can rotate in the wind like a weather vane.  

We walked by the High Court and the Legislative Assembly building.  Both were closed for the holidays but were pretty impressive. 

Massive entrance doors to the Legislative Assembly Building.

The city was in the middle of celebrating the Dussehra Festival and we drove by a large field with hundreds (thousands) of people getting ready to celebrate.  The effigies in the field were the largest we had seen.

The last stop of the day was a visit to an orphanage, Bal Niketan, owned by one of Tara’s many (31) first cousins.  When we arrived the children greeted us with red roses and a warm welcome.  

We got a tour of the facility and then went out to the lawn to watch and participate in the Dussehra festival rituals.  On this day Lord Rama killed the demon-king, Ravana and rescued his abducted wife - Sita.  In other words, it signifies the triumph of good over evil. First we tossed seeds and foods on the effigy of Ravanna in thanks for all the good things that had happened during the year.  

The effigy was then torched, signifying the death of Ravanna, and also to cleanse the bad things that had happened the previous year.  Turns out there were firecrackers inside the effigy.  So it was a pretty spectacular event. 

Afterwards the children put on a show of songs, dance, and jokes.  And “graduates” from the home put on a dance. 

Watch video in new large window.  

Watch video in new large window.  

The orphanage is home to 45 boys and girls ages 4 to 18.  The program makes sure all of the children get a good education and many go on to get college degrees.  While the government does not allow the children to stay beyond age 18, the program supports them through college, makes sure they get jobs and helps them find spouses.  In India marriage is very important for success and security.  Since parents are traditionally heavily involved in helping select spouses, the home fills the role as parents.

We then had dinner, cooked by the school cook who has been with the home for over 30 years.  He and his one assistant work in a very small kitchen and make three meals a day for the 50 or so at the school (children and staff).  And the food was awesome.  It was a great way to finish the day.

Fri, Oct 23: Chandigarth to Shimla

Today we stopped to pick up Tara at her cousin’s home where she had spent the night.  We talked some more about the orphanage and then hit the road for Shimla in the Himalayan foothills.  

However, we first did a detour to the Yadavindra Gardens.  These were the gardens of a Maharaja that are now owned and maintained by the government. 

There were many pools, fountains and waterfalls although many were dry as they were being worked on and cleaned up.  

They were setting part of the grounds up for a party with lovely, vibrant fabrics.

Some of the ceiling tile work was exquisite.

Then it was off for a long drive through the hills

where of course we saw monkeys.

We ended up at the hill station of Kasauli to have lunch with Tara’s friend Lila.  Kasauli houses a military base and a research center.  Lila’s husband is a doctor and he works in a research lab there working on vaccines.

Their home was originally a British Hill Station home from the 1800's and had lovely old details.

We had a great lunch with views overlooking the valley,

saw more monkeys

did lots of visiting and hit the road for a long, windy drive high into the hills.  We saw a great sunset over the mountains and arrived in Shimla after dark.

Sat, Oct 24: Shimla

We got to sleep in today and had a late, mid-morning start.  

We are staying at an older Oberoi hotel with great views of the valley and a grand atrium.

Shimla is a fascinating town built on the side of several fairly steep hills.  It was the summer capital of the British Raj because the temperatures were much cooler at this altitude.  Mary was quite taken with Shimla, and how the city looked with the buildings looking as though they were stacked on top of each other as they climbed up the side of the mountains.

Our first stop was the Viceregal Lodge, built in 1888 as home of the Viceroy of India.  

The building is now an institute for higher learning in the humanities and social sciences, Rashtrapati Niwas.  Fortunately a few of the rooms were open so we were able to see a bit of the interior.  The exterior is built in the Scots Baronial style out of grey limestone and was very impressive, as fitting for the Viceroy. 

The lodge was set on a high hill overlooking the valley and mountains beyond.

And there were the ubiquitous monkeys.

The next two stops, the Himachal State Museum and the Army Museum and polo field, were a bust…they were both closed due to a Muslim holiday.  

But there were some great views of some of the Shimla hillsides.

Our local guide was no longer on Tara’s good will list.  The closed sights were followed by a stop at a “lovely green area with views of the valley and hillside”.  The site appeared to be used a lot by locals who had no qualms about leaving their trash behind.  It was lovely and wooded but trashy and so wooded it was nearly impossible to see the views.  Tara was even less amused than before.

We then went to the Woodville Palace Hotel for lunch.  The hotel is the former summer residence of the Raja Rana of Jubbal, a pre-independence kingdom of the Shimla Hill States. It is a heritage property and is owned and managed privately by the decedents of the Jubbal Royal family.  Tara was checking it out as potential hotel for her future clients so we all got a tour of the facility, including the Royal Suite. 

The décor was 1930’s art deco plus many photos of the Royal Family and famous guests.  We had fun checking out the celebrities who had stayed there, including Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Fred Astaire, and Katherine Hepburn.  It was a very interesting tour but the place looked in need of a face lift and the mattresses looked rather uncomfortable.  We had lunch in the dining room there and the meal was particularly tasty.   

We then drove “downtown” and took a series of elevators up to The Mall.  This is a shopping street, built by the British, containing lots of English looking buildings 

and a Gaiety Theater, built in 1887 and recently restored.  It is still in use for theater productions.

We also stopped in to see the Christchurch church.

We did a bit of shopping, including looking at “authentic, 100% pashmina scarves”.  Unfortunately for the shopkeeper, Tara knows her pashmina and she was adamant that they weren’t 100% pashmina wool.  So no sale.  She was also very unhappy with the guide, who should have known.  Things were really going downhill for the guide, who announced shortly after that he was double booked for the next day and wouldn’t be able to be our guide.  We all spent time trying to decide if he was really double booked or just didn’t want to deal with Tara’s demands for excellence and care for her clients.  Either way, we’ll have another guide tomorrow.

We opted to head back to the hotel at the end of the day rather than staying downtown for dinner.  We had warnings from the hotel about keeping windows closed because of monkeys.  And we saw quite a few in the trees around the hotel.

We ate at the hotel restaurant and had a nice quite meal with a wonderful view overlooking the valley.