Jaipur

Elephant ride at Amber Fort

Met up with Val & John on Saturday for breakfast at the Four Points Sheraton hotel. They had been traveling in India for a week and it was good to see them. Unfortunately John was suffering a bit and would not be joining us for sightseeing that day. We started our day at the Amber Fort, just outside Jaipur. As we waited for our elephant ride up to the fort, we had to run the gauntlet of the hawkers - lots of them and very persistent.  The elephant ride was great fun - Val & Sarah on one and I had one to myself. They slowly walked up the winding path to the fort. It is made of red sandstone and marble, and was built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I.  We spent about 2 hours wandering around the fort, with its courtyards, multiple staircases and ornate temple.

Our next stop was the Lake Palace, which looked like it was floating on water. By the side of the lake a young girl was practicing her tightrope walking - with about 5 pots on her head! We then stopped for some lunch at a multi-cuisine place. We had butter chicken marsala, rice & nan, washed down with a beer - just the ticket. On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a textile shop.  The owner showed us lots of bed covers - mainly made a block printing. They were nice, but we had to remind ourselves that we didn't really need any.

Hawa Mahal

The following day Val was not feeling good, so John came out with Sarah & myself. Our first stop was Hawa Mahal. I'd seen plenty of photos but to see it us close in the early morning light was amazing. The colors were incredible - such a unique piece of architecture. We made our way inside but it was clear  that John was still suffering. Combination of dehydration & lack of energy was getting to him.  He was driven back to the hotel.

Sun dial

Sarah and I were then taken to the observatory, or Jantar Mantar. It is a UNECO world heritage site. It's a collection of architectural astronomical instruments, made in 1727 by Jai Singh II. It includes the worlds largest sun dial, capable of measuring time to the nearest 10 seconds. It was a fascinating place to wonder around.

Rambagh Palace

Sarah & I treated ourselves to G&T at the Rambagh Palace - which is now an exclusive hotel owned by the Taj group. It was a great way to end the weekend.

Pench National Park

Our deluxe tent

I'd been looking forward to this weekend trip for a while. It is on my 'list' to see a wild tiger in India - this was my first opportunity. But I didn't kid myself - the chances were pretty slim, especially given  the decline of the overall population, plus that fact that the monsoon rains made sure that the jungle would be thick & green, with plenty of water around, making it even harder to spot the elusive cat. Sarah and I boarded a plane from Hyderabad to Nagpur. We were picked up by a driver at Nagpur airport and then embarked on a 2.5 hour road trip on very rough roads. We arrived at Pench Jungle camp around 1pm. At reception I noticed a photo of Ian Botham & David Gower, who had both stayed there, plus some signed cricket bats. We were in good company then! We were shown our 'tent' - which was very nice - overlooking a lake. The inside had been done very nicely indeed. However the first thing I noticed was a huge spider on the wall, which alas had to be dispatched on Sarah's orders. We had a quick lunch then headed out for our first safari into the park. The main entrance was not opening until the next day, so we had to drive for 1 hour to another gate. When we got there it was closed - and they would not let our safari jeep in - so we drove another 1 hour back to the lodge - not  a good start! Our guide was suitably embarrassed, and took us on a drive into the buffer zone, pointing out birds along the way - not quite what we thought we would be getting.....That evening as we sat at our table for dinner that we were in fact the only people staying at the resort (they only opened 1 day ago)! Needless to say the service (and food) was very good, even though we felt our every move was being monitored by the entire staff!

Spotted Deer

Indian Roller

We woke at 5:15am as our safari started at 6am - time only for a quick cuppa. We arrived at the park entrance (we were the 2nd jeep in line). This was the opening day for the park, so there was a lot of activity, including having our jeeps's photo taken. Formalities over (had to show passports), we entered the park. We were the only ones in the jeep, which could seat 7 plus driver and guide. We started scanning the dense jungle for any sign of orange and black stripes. At one point the jeep stopped as our guide had heard the distress calls of the Spotted Deer - clear signs that a predator was near by. We waited for about 20 mins but no big cat appeared (the park has about 100 leopards and 60 tigers). During our morning safari we saw a lot of wildlife - lots of deer (several types), Gaur - Large Indian Bison, several Jackals, loads of monkeys and amazing birdlife. After 3 hours of driving through the jungle we stopped at 'Central Point' where we stopped for a picnic breakfast - very posh! The morning game drive finished around 12:30.

Jackals

The afternoon safari started around 2:30pm. We saw a lot of the wildlife as in the morning - this park was obviously very healthy, with plenty of natural tiger prey on offer.  Even though I sensed this was not going to be our day for spotting a tiger, it was nonetheless exciting as you never knew if you may get lucky. To our amazement  there were groups of women cutting grass by the trails in the middle of the parl. Apparently since there is so much natural prey, the big cats do not see humans as food. Our driver chats to the women who say they had seen 2 tigers that morning - Sarah said we would have been better off helping them cut grass and get a tiger sighting! Although it was a shame that we came away without seeing a tiger, it added to the allure of this elusive, almost mystical animal.

Golconda & Charminar

On Sunday I had breakfast with Sumedha at the Westin hotel. He had a membership which allowed him to take a guest with him during the weekend. Tempted as I was to have another dosa, I could not resist a good British fry-up - bacon, eggs, sausage, tomato & baked beans - it was great! I enjoyed talking with Sumedha - a very cool bloke. He was originally from Sri Lanka but had worked in New Jersey and also Mumbai.  he told me about a place in NJ that they call 'Little India' - somewhere near Edison - will have to check it out when we get back.

Golconda Fort

Light Show

Later in the day Mazhur (driver) picked me up and we headed into the Old City - I wanted to visit Golconda Fort again. I'd been there a couple of times before, but  not on this trip yet. The fort dates back to 1143 - that's pretty old in my book. Seven Kings of the Qutub Sahi dynasty ruled over Golconda from 1518 to 1687.  The fort was built on a hill that overlooks Hyderabad. It's quite a climb in the heat of late afternoon, but worth it - the views are amazing. Halfway up there's a mosque, and then a bit further up is a Hindu temple - it's odd how often you see these two close together in Hyderabad. The place was busy, especially at the top - seems to be a common place for families to come on a Sunday. I waited at the top until the sun set, then headed back down the fort to the bottom. Once there I noticed that the walls were being lit up, creating a spectacular vision.

Golconda

On Tuesday evening after another long day at work, I asked Mahur if he could take me to see Charminar at night, since I had heard it would be lit up for the Biodiversity conference that was happening in Hyderabad. The traffic was unusually light, mainly because in Indian Prime Minister had visited earlier in the day and a lot of people had stayed at home fearing bad traffic! We arrived at Charminar and was astounded at the sight - yellow, green and blue lights had transformed the mosque. The colours produced an incredible image. I spent the next hour walking around the structure talking far too many photos.

Charminar

Chowmahalla Palace & Shamrock Bar...

Chutneys

This Saturday I met up with Venkata, Janice & Kiran for a days exploring Hyderabad. The plan was to have breakfast, then head to the Salar Jung Museum (which i had done already), then to Chowmahalla Palace & Golkonda (plus the Tombs if time) - I had my doubts if we would fit it all in. Breakfast was a Chutneys in Jubilee Hills - we had dosa marsala (my fav),  idly and puri. It all tasted great, but very filling. We were there about 1.5 hrs, so by the time we left it was already about 11am - but didn't mind as it was very enjoyable. While they took Janice to the museum, they dropped me off and I walked towards Charminar (best place in HY!). There's always so much to see, and everyone is friendly (the Hindus generally don't like walking around here, for obvious reasons).  I take loads of photos (again).

After getting my Charminar fix I walk towards Chowmanhalla Palace. Venkata calls me en route and we agree to meet inside the palace. This place was only opened to the public in 2005, and was where the Nizams lived and entertained. We spent about 2 hrs here - there was so much to see. They even had some vintage cars, including a very rare old Rolls Royce in yellow. Inside the main part of the palace there was this incredible room with amazing chandeliers and carved/painted ceilings -  this is where visitors were met and entertained. The Nizams clearly new how to live and how to throw big parties!

Chowmahalla

On the way to Golkonda we dropped Kiran off. The traffic was even worse today (normally weekends are not too bad). By the time we got to Golkonda we decided we would not have enough time to do it justice. We headed on to the Tombs (which Janice had not seen).  It was dark when we arrived, but some of them were lit up, which created a very eery atmosphere. There was nobody else walking around - just the 3 of us plus lots of dogs. The lighting made for some interesting photos.



Qutub Saha Tombs



We finished the day at the Shamrock 'Irish' Bar in Madhapur (my suggestion). Venkata had not been  there so it was a new experience for all of us. We entertained ourselves by seeing if we could find anything to do with Ireland - and failed, apart from the green walls. They did not serve Guinness (or any Irish beer) - only Bud (USA) or Corona (Mexico). On the menu  they offered traditional Irish bangers made from chicken(!), and a pot stew which we agreed we should probably avoid. Venkata and I ordered Corona and Janice hit the G&T. We ordered several appetizers from the menu. When we walked in the music was fairly loud, but you could still have  conversation. However, it soon increased to the point where I couldn't heard anything being said - showing my age! It was 'ladies night', so Janice's drinks were free (I think). There was a dance floor and the DJ was cranking up the music. After several more drinks we all hit the dance floor (Venkata needed some coaxing) - lot of fun!

Goa

My journey to Goa seemed simple. Flight from Hyderabad to Mumbai with a connection to Goa. But in India nothing is so straightforward. The flight from HY was delayed,so I missed my connection. Jet Airways were pretty useless, so I ended up paying an extra $100 on a flight to Goa with Air India. I arrived at Goa airport at 9:30, jumped in a taxi and headed off to my b&b place in Palolem, about 1.5 hrs away - right in the southern tip of Goa. I got there and was warmly welcomed by the owners of 'The Village Guesthose', Goran, from London,  and his wife Janet who was Irish. We had several beers together on the verandah of their fantastic house. We were later joined by Keith, from Texas who had lived in Bangalore for 6 years. There was also a German couple staying there. My room was very nice & clean.

Fishing boats - Palolem

Early on Saturday I went for a walk along the sandy, palm-tree lined beach - it was very idyllic and quiet. There were many local fishing boats but none were out since there had been rough seas the last few days. This morning was calm & sunny though. I was fascinated with the boats - many were brightly coloured, with out-riggers and fishing nets piled inside.  I returned to the Village for breakfast - bacon, eggs, tomato & bread - nice! I decide the best way to see the area was by scooter. Goran arranged one for me - 200 rupees for the day - about $4! I spent most of the day riding around the quiet roads visiting other beaches - it was a great time, and nice to be on a road with little traffic - world away from HY! Later in the afternoon/early evening I watched the catch being brought onto the beach - there must have been 30 people pulling the nets in. The amount of fish did not seem that great for all the effort - maybe 5 baskets of fish total. Aparently the fishing is not so good just after the Monsoon.

Palolem Beach

That night I went for dinner with Keith - we chose a place right on Palolem Beach. The food was good - had chicken satay. We were joined later by the German couple & had  good evening - plenty of beer was consumed. I'd noticed at lunch (when I had a very hot fish curry) that smoking marijuana  was done quite openly, even in the restaurants. Same in the evening - a couple of girls sat down next to us & lit up without any hesitation.

Bringing in the catch

Dolphin boat trip

Early Sunday morning I paid a guy 800 rupees to take me on a 1 hr boat trip to see dolphins & some other beaches. I had my doubts about the dolphins, but sure enough within 10 mins we saw 2 come very close to the boat! I enjoyed the trip - was nice to be on the sea. We saw a fishing boat pulling in their nets for squid, only to spend most the time taking out  jellyfish - problem around here.  After breakfast I wondered into town looking to get a massage. I came across a hairdresser who also offered head massages - perfect sine I needed a hair cut. He used only scissors and did a nice job. For 200 rupees I got the hair cut and the massage. He put some oil onto my head and gave it a right pounding - very invigorating!  I then took a river trip on another traditional boat - we saw kingfishers and eagles. We also heard monkeys but did see them. After that it was time to head back to the airport. I came back feeling very re-freshed and ready to face the heat & traffic of HY!

Qtub Shahi Tombs

Dosa at Cafe Nandini

This weekend was due to be a hectic one in Hyderabad. Saturday was the end of the Ganesha festival, with the idols being immersed in their final resting places, most notably Hussain Sagar Lake, where thousands of people were expected to gather. On Sunday there was due to be a planned demonstration in support of  a separate Telangana state - they were expecting trouble in the old part of the city and around Necklace Road.  Given all this I decided the best thing to do was play it safe, and go for breakfast in Madhapur. I found this great place called Cafe Nandini, where you could get a freshly made dosa and a coffee for 50 rupees! It was a real locals place, and the food was great - you could see it being made at the back. I stopped and bought some grocery supplies & headed back.

Idol on it's way for immersion

In the afternoon I went to the Inorbit Mall, close to work, and wondered around the shops - you could easily be in the US - so many shops are the same. I quickly got bored of the mall and decided to go back to Durgam lake to see if the large idol was being immersed. Turns out this wasn't going to happen until 6pm - another 3 hours. The lake was really horrible & smelly - can't see it every being clean even though there is a campaign underway. One my way back up to get an auto near the mall,  a group passed me covered on purple & yellow paint - dancing to a drum beat on their way to immerse their idol which was in the back of a truck.



On Sunday Venkata picked me up in his car and we headed to the Salar Jung Museum. It houses a large collection of ancient Indian paintings and artifacts from the Hyderabad area. The Salar Jung dynasty came from Iran and settled in this area. They became very rich on the precious gems found in and around Hyderabad, including the kohinoor diamond. We wondered around the museum for about 3 hours before was agreed we'd seen enough. Our next stop was the Qutb Shahi Tombs. This is the site of the tombs containing the founding rulers of Hyderabad. There are 7 tombs, and each are slightly different in size and design, but all based on the same Persian, Hindu design.  The day was grey and overcast but made for a great light for photographing them. We had a guide who showed us around, then got angry when Venkata gave him a 100 rupee tip - he wanted 350!

Qutb Shahi Tombs

Chutneys & Jayabheri

Wednesday I had dinner with Rajesh at Chutneys in Jubilee Hills. I like this place - good food and nice decor. Rajesh ordered the Poori - basically a large bread filled with hot air - a bread balloon. It was very tasty - dipping it in the chole - chick peas in  spicy sauce.  They also serve their special chutneys - some spicy and some cool (coconut). We then had a smaller batura - sweeter than the other one, but tasty. We finished off with an Indian filtered coffee. It was a good evening - my new driver was waiting outside, which made a nice change from haggling with the auto drivers.




On Thursday our group decided to go out for a social event.  I suggested starting with drinks at my apartment then going on for dinner somewhere. We ended up ordering some food from a local place and had it delivered to my apartment, so it was there when we arrived. Chandra was stuck in a meeting, but had a nice evening with Sanjay, Abhi & Venkat. The food was really good, and the conversation flowed (as did the beer!).  Enjoyable evening.