After our wedding in February 2009, this was the first visit to India. We decided that it is important to see as many places in India as possible. Normally, our visits would be to family members, which would consume all our vacation time. Since a cousin was getting married, I could meet all the family members in one place and forgo visiting each one in their city!
Our flight in to Delhi started with a semi-disaster. We had to transit in Chicago O'Hare, which is the unluckiest airport for me, when it comes to baggage transfer. Our checked bags were stuck in Chicago, and took over three days to reach Delhi.
Since one of us had to be home, my father and Lillian went shopping initially. She and I then took the opportunity to go sight seeing in Delhi, which she had never seen. As a good Bombayite, she had grown up looking down on Delhi (it is a mutually disrespectful relationship!).
Our first stop was to Rajghat, the tomb of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a serene place, and very appropriate for the Father of the Nation.
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| Delhi Red Fort - where the Prime Minister makes his independence day speech |
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| Rajghat - Mahatma Gandhi's tomb |
After Delhi, we headed to Rajasthan. I had always wanted to go there - it is the source of a large part of stories of chivalry, valour, defiance, tragedy, etc. We reached Jaipur after a four hour bus ride. Later that night I went and got a tour from Rajasthan Tourism. Now strictly speaking, as a foreign citizen, I could not get the Indian rates. But my accent was Indian enough, and no one questioned me!
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| Sisodia Queen Garden |
For dinner, we tried a Rajasthani speciality called Laal Maans (
weblink)). It was very spicy, and Lillian could have only one bite.
The next day a taxi came to take us to the city of Udaipur, about 450 kilometers (280 miles). On the way, we stopped at the historical fortress of
Chittorgarh. The stories of valour, especially the jauhar, the terrible moment where the Rajput women flung themselves into a fire, and the men charged at the enemy, when there was no hope for survival. Since Rajasthan was enroute to invading India, this happened often enough.
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| The balcony from where Rani Padmavati jumped into the fire (jauhar) |
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| Meera temple - where Meerabai prayed to Krishna through music |
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| View from the fort |
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| Jain Temple |
We proceeded to Udaipur. The day we arrived was
Muharram, the religious festival for Shia Muslims. The alleys leading to the hotel were crowded, so we had to disembark from the car and walk.
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| Ta'zia for Muharram |
The morning brought us to the rooftop patio in the Jaiwana Haveli
(weblink). It was a large four stories old mansion that had been converted to a hotel. It was run by two brothers with a royal lineage. The younger brother was totally under the thumb of his older, more royal brother! Another hotel of this type was the Jagat Niwas Hotel (photo below). We could see the Lake Palace Hotel, one of the best in the world, while having breakfast.
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| Lake Palace Hotel - one of the best in the world, according to Conde Nest |
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| Across Lake Pichola |
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Udaipur at night
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The next day we took a tour of the city. Udaipur (
weblink) is a very historical city for Rajasthan and India, especially during the medieval times. There is a syncretic mix of Hindu and Muslim culture here - a lot of the architecture has strong Mughal influence. Lillian and I grew up reading about the war like Rajputs, ready to die rather than be dishonoured. When the Mughal Emperor
Akbar decided to ally with the Rajputs, by entering into a marriage alliance with them, thus becoming the first Muslim ruler to do so, they became one of the military backbones of his empire. When Akbar's great grandson
Aurangzeb started prosecuting the Rajputs, they revolted along with the Marathas, thus helping to bring down the Mughal Empire, and which led to British Rule.
We then went and visited Lillian's ancestral state of Goa. it was my first time there, and I found a lovely blend of Portuguese and Indian cultures. This was notable in the architecture - I have have never seen Hindu temples in European style buildings. We also saw the famous church where Saint Francis is buried. His body has not decomposed, and is viewed once a year at a festival.
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| Baga Beach, Goa |
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| Britto's, at Baga Beach |
We had some amazing Goan food at
Britto's. This included
Pork vindaloo, fish recheado, the cashew wine
feni with Limca, and bebinca dessert. It is one of my favourite cuisines in the world!
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| Saint Francis of Assisi Church |
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| Saint Francis Church |
After Goa, we headed to my home state of
Kerala. Since Lillian had not really seen the province during our wedding, we took a tour of the backwaters.
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| Houseboat Dock |
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| Chinese nets - brought from China a few centuries ago |
Our next stop was the state capital of Trivandrum, where my grandmother lived. We spent a few relaxing days there, eating good Kerala food, especially seafood. We also witnessed a Kalaripayattu gymnasium, and the Padmanabhaswamy temple, which was reserved for the Travancore royal family till a few decades ago. A few years ago, jewellery, gold statues, art, etc. worth $18 Billion was found here, hidden in vaults!
We also took a getaway to Kovalam beach, which is outside the city of Trivandrum. It is a famous tourist spot, also filled with hippies and other international tourists. A well known center of Ayurveda and Yoga is nearby, so that brings in many people from around the world.
Our last stop in this trip was to
Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India. I had gone here as a teenager. It has multiple mythological legends associated with it.
While the tourist sites were nice, the streets could do with some more cleaning. The food was nothing to write home about, either, though we got good coffee on the way back to Trivandrum.
We then headed back to Calgary, with a couple of days of stopover in Dubai. But that is an another story!
