India 2019: Mumbai and Rajasthan

A land of contrasts, the big city of Mumbai and the magical state of Rajasthan

Michele and I are headed to India for our much-anticipated 3-week adventure. Michele read that statistically speaking, 70 percent of foreigners traveling to India get sick. We’re going to be prepared… suitcases are full of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer. Protocol is in place for food and beverage: eat nothing that isn’t cooked, no fruit that we can’t peel ourselves, and drink only from store-bought and sealed bottles. Protocol for brushing teeth: hold toothbrush in one hand and water bottle in the other and do not put either down until the process is finished. This prevents the possible slip-up of not remembering you can’t even rinse your mouth with water from the tap. Americans take for granted that tap water is potable as is fortunately the case within the US. So armed and prepared, off we go…

Incredible India day 0 – Mumbai
Exploring the neighborhood and getting a wardrobe upgrade so we “blend” a bit. Our strategy was to take little clothing with us except our traveling outfit then buy some India-appropriate clothing that we would then donate before flying back out… good idea in theory.

When you know you are visiting a strange, new, and wonderful place… not sure whether I was going to like the city of Mumbai (Bombay), but was surprised to find a great vibe, nice people, and an “up and coming” level of modernization along with the ragged and dilapidated buildings. The shopping was great, especially after getting a wonderful recommendation for Biba fashions for “kurti”. These are the Indian tunic and pants plus scarf combo… so comfy to wear and we will “blend” a bit better than if we wore our western garb. We each bought two outfits… a good start. Glad we had a full day before we had any plans. We walked quite a bit and enjoyed the local feel. We went to a textile market (would not have found it without local help), and looked for sarees. One simply must have a saree here, especially for touristy photos in front of the Taj Mahal!!!

Incredible India Day 1 – Mumbai
We started touring this afternoon and sights of the city included the Gandhi museum, Gateway to India, a stroll by the Prince of Wales museum and along the waterfront. The city is smoggy, dirty, loud, bustling, and traffic-congested with constant honking and chaos… it is also quite wonderful with some handsome architecture, a good vibe, very nice folks, busy colorful markets, tasty food and great chai. I’m loving the masala chai and our first days here!!!

We visited the Gandhi museum first, the house he lived in, and stopped at the “Gateway to India” arch which was where the British finally departed in the 40’s. Michele and I went back to the textile market to get our saree (sari) and so missed the elegant and decadent “high tea” at the Taj Hotel… better for our waistlines, even though the Indian kurta (loose-fitting tunic outfit) are “roomy”.

Incredible India day 2 – Mumbai
Markets, neighborhoods, city views, and a little shopping… we each bought a beautiful saree at the textile market and then spent hours trying to figure the thing out. Talk about an aerobic workout! Okay, picture 18 meters of fabric times two, both of us armed with a handful of safety pins. Yes, apparently that’s the trick to assembling these things… everything held together with about 20+ strategically-placed pins. Plus, we had earmarked a ton of YouTube video instructions!

Incredible India day 3 – Udaipur
We flew from Mumbai and the flight had some technical glitches. Well actually, I was the technical glitch. I forgot that I had packed my external mobile phone battery charger in my checked bag and it held up the entire process. Finally, so as not to miss the flight, we gave approval for them to remove it from my luggage. I didn’t care about the battery, but was sorry to see the little charger go. We arrived in time for a lovely sunset and then beautiful evening views of the old city. Just as I hoped, Rajasthan is magical! Tomorrow we explore!

Incredible India day 4 – Udaipur
It is every bit as romantic as we were told. We stayed at a lovely heritage hotel, where at least one scene from the “Best Marigold Hotel” movie was filmed!  Sitting on the terrace atop the hotel and by the pool, the views dazzled us as the sun set and myriad lights came on dotting the old city. Monkeys climbed on nearby buildings and the lake shimmered. The dinner of tandoori and naan was surprisingly good. The following morning, we made our way to the City Palace for a tour, then had a demonstration and instruction on how the master artists create the famous miniature paintings. The detail and work is quite remarkable. In the evening we attended a folk-dance performance given nightly. Though this isn’t normally my thing, it was quite good. The costumes were alive with color and sparkle. There were many Indian folks, not just tourists and it was packed… hard to believe when it’s a nightly gig.

Incredible India day 5 – Mount Abu

Before heading to Mount Abu (3-hour drive), we were treated to a cooking class and demonstration of how to make some basic Indian food… and then ate the evidence for lunch, lol! So much fun!

Mount Abu is one if the top honeymoon destinations in India but not too many international tourists wander in. We saw some elaborately dressed brides-to-be who were just lovely and sparkly. Us? No honeymoons, but on 14 Feb we have a romantic stroll in the desert planned followed by dinner. Stay tuned for pictures of our Valentine’s “dates”, hee, hee!

Incredible India day 6 – Mount Abu
A bus ride away, we traveled to Mt. Abu – elevation 12K ft. It is a popular honeymoon location for middle-class Indians but not many international tourists wander in. it has the feel of a frontier town – a little rustic, but with shops selling cheap glitzy costume jewelry for newlywed brides. We visited the Jain (pronounced “Jayne”) temple here with its magnificent and very detailed marble work. Unfortunately, no cameras allowed. The temple was built in the 12-13^th century and that makes it even more impressive. The hotel we stayed at was clearly set up for the honeymooners… a fresh rose in our room, big tub with glass walls so you could see out to the romantic hills beyond. All in all, very nice with a great breakfast buffet. This was the only place so far though, that I didn’t like the masala chai… too much ginger.

Incredible India day 7 – Bhenswara
Bhenswara is way off the beaten path but well worth the visit. We did a “home stay” of sorts, where a family of some nobility have converted their palace to accommodate guests while still maintaining their residence there. The place was lovely and the rooms have lots of original and updated character. We were treated to a jeep safari and visited two remote villages, one semi-nomadic (like me!) The people, and especially the kids, were as interested in us as we were in them. Lots and lots of pictures with everyone squeezing in! We then drove out to a lovely sunset point. We were at the edge of Thar desert and will be continuing further into it tomorrow as well. Once back we were assisted by the local experts in getting into our saree for the evening (much safer leaving assembly to the professionals). It is a complicated matter for sure. We looked like princesses once dressed up, and felt beautiful and glamorous. We decided during the process, that since we were both mechanical engineers, we should be able to figure out the dynamics of this assembly and we will be working on an “easy on – easy off” option for the next time.

Incredible India day 8 – Jaisalmer
The bus ride to Jaisalmer, the “Golden City”, was a long haul. 7 hours plus stops. Some was interesting and some was just barren, so got some reading in. The beautiful fortress is indeed golden and shimmered in the late afternoon sun when we arrived. We stayed at another family palace converted, which had a bit of the “best marigold hotel” feel to it, though in better shape… sort of. We rode in tuk-tuks up to the top of the fortress and had an orientation walk around. There was a lovely bazaar-like feel… lots of textiles, antiques, souvenirs, and more textiles to be found. Jaisalmer is pretty remote in the NW part of Rajasthan and only 40km from the Pakistani border. We stopped for a local “butter lassi”, which was excellent and we enjoyed a coconut cookie. It was so good we went back the next day just as they were getting a fresh batch brought out. We had a lovely dinner on the rooftop of the hotel, where we could view the beautifully lit fortress. My tandoori chicken was the best (so far)!

Incredible India day 9 – Jaisalmer
The next day, we were on a mission to find new kurti – we were running out of clean outfits. Beforehand, or on the way, we encountered a textile shop making patchwork items from old marriage and festival dresses from the local area. They were beautiful and Michele bought a table runner. I got caught up in the beauty of the fabric and had a jacket made. Unfortunately, although they measured me properly, the sleeves were still too long and shoulders still too big. I had some buyer’s remorse, as this thing is quite ornate and bohemian – a statement piece to be sure – but also heavy and impractical for my cruising lifestyle. Oh well, I’ll be happy to have it in Delhi, NJ, and going to Prescott. We had to get back by three for one of the highlights of the trip (for me, at least), the camel safari into the desert…

A romantic stroll in the Thar desert with my Valentine “Lucky”…
Having taken a good strong antihistamine, and equipped with a mask, tons of tissues and an inhaler, I hopped onto “Lucky”, my camel and my “date” for Valentine’s day – it was February 14^th. We rode for about an hour and then had a performance by gypsies before dinner. The women danced beautifully by the fire. Dinner was okay, but we were tired and didn’t want to hang around too long.

Incredible India days 10 – 12: Jodhpur
Called the “blue city” because of the periwinkle-blue wash on many of the buildings, Jodhpur is a bustling place yet cleaner than the other towns we visited thus far. The fort atop the hill is beautiful with intricate details carved on towers jutting from solid rock below. The markets surrounding the old clock tower were a riot of color, smell, and sound, where offerings ranged from cheap souvenirs made in China to upscale hand-block printed cottons and ready-to-wear clothing made locally.

We stayed at a very nice heritage palace hotel after deciding that our previously-booked accommodations were unacceptable – service in India is great but standards for cleanliness are not. I am not usually put off by much, but this was on the edge, and Michele has higher standards than I do in this respect. Our new place was outside the old city but only a short tuk-tuk ride away (I love riding in tuk-tuks!), and we appreciated the quiet and serene atmosphere. There was a lush garden with outdoor dining and talented local entertainment. The food was the best we’ve had thus far and the service was simply amazing. It was more than just great dining, it was a luxurious experience!

We relaxed and had the best meals of the entire trip with pampering service by Anop, our waiter at dinner and by Nape” our server at breakfast. The breakfast buffet was included and had plenty to choose from, but we need not have bothered as (unasked) Nape brought us one freshly prepared dish (dosa, and ?) after another. Perfectly prepared and just exactly right for the palate.

The first afternoon, after getting settled and having a bite to eat, we asked about shopping (of course) and were let to what Michele refers to as the “5^th Avenue of Jodhpur”, with upscale stores for clothing and jewels. We admired (but didn’t ask prices of) the “real deal” in costume and fine jewelry. We’re not talking about cheap costume, but rather semi-precious stones including rough-faceted but beautiful diamonds. We also found a little ice cream place with India-made gelato. We tasted lots of flavors and then settled on a single scoop each. We sat in one of the store-provided plastic chairs on the side of the road and thoroughly enjoyed our local experience.

After a wonderful night’s sleep and hearty breakfast, despite still being full from the previous night, we set out on our agenda for the day. Tuk-tuk to the old fort where we took some great photos. Michele has an eye for great location, and I for composition and photo detail (make sure clothing is draped smoothly and pose is flattering, especially after eating so much and so well, LOL!) Did Michele really think we would lose weight on this trip??? We were also looking for the camel-leather shoes, which we only found after our 3^rd trip back to the fortress. Then off to the clock-tower markets. I was looking for camel-milk chocolate (no success thus far) but the candy store owner chatted us up and suggested we go to the students market for good-quality and low-priced ready-to-wear cottons. I was looking for a jumpsuit like one I had seen, and sure enough, they had just what I was after. Michele bought a few dresses that are adorable. We both decided that we now look like vagabond, peasant, bohemian hippies… cool!

Incredible India day 13 – 14: Jaipur
The pink city is more of a rose color rather than true pink, so I clashed. 😊

How to select a Tuk-Tuk: We wanted to take a tuk-tuk into the pink city and City Palace. The experience of selecting our tuk-tuk after being mobbed by about 20 drivers outside the hotel was both comical and satisfying. How to choose? We didn’t want to… we wanted them to sort it out. They said they couldn’t. Then Michele had the great idea that instead of picking the driver, we would pick the tuk-tuk we liked, and whoever it belonged to would be our driver.

They cleared a path and we approached the herd of tuk-tuks parked in a cluster. We picked a clean and tidy one with little hearts on the seats. And so we met Kumar, our tuk-tuk’s owner. He is a lovely gentle soul… not one of the younger more assertive men who rushed at us, but well-mannered and with a wonderful aura about him.

Off we went to the City Palace. Kumar offered to take us the following day (all day) for a very reasonable price and we agreed. While at City Palace, we decided to have a quick look at the Palace Jewelers shop… just a look, since we assumed the prices would be sky high. They weren’t, and Sumil, the shop’s owner, was delightful. We were there for quite some time and left with a number of items we weren’t even thinking of buying, but were delighted to have.

The City Palace itself wasn’t nearly as dazzling as the fort in Jodhpur, but we still enjoyed looking around the pink city. We walked quite a while and then saw a stationary store where we bought colored pencils, pens and pads to send to the kids we had met in Bhenswara. They told us where we could get photos printed (so they knew who the gifts came from) and so we assembled a package and would ask Kumar to help us navigate the Indian post office the following morning. Dinner was at a highly recommended restaurant, but turned out to be pretty much touristy. After dinner, we went into two Ayurvedic skin care stores and bought some luscious skin-care products including the best night cream ever!!!

Incredible India day 15am – Jaipur
The Post Office Experience: We started our day with a unique Indian experience… the post office. Kumar, our most-excellent tuk-tuk driver assisted us. We would probably still be on line and clueless otherwise. We were told to go outside and see the guy under the big tree. What? The guy under the tree would prepare our parcel and then we were to come back in and stand at counter #6 to pay postage. Sure enough, there was a guy standing under the big tree out front. We handed over our envelope and thought he was just going to tape it up for us.

What followed was a 30-minute process in which he measured the package, cut a length of white fabric, and hand-stitched a custom-sized slipcover for it. He then sewed the thing closed, got out wax and a seal, and stamped over each end three times. He handed back the parcel for us to address on the cloth and then he took it back from us to completely tape up the entire thing. We were handed the final package, taped well enough to ship safely to a neighboring galaxy, and were directed back inside to counter #6.

There was already a line and everyone seemed to press in closely. The next package was being pushed through the window even as the previous customer was still in process. The next counter over from #6 was entitled the “Happy Counter” but there wasn’t anyone working there (or waiting there for that matter, lol). About $3 for the elaborate packaging and $1.50 to send to the kids. Once the package arrives, I estimate it will take them about 20 minutes with an all-out effort to get through tape, wax, stitching, cloth, and envelope, inside to the contents… exhausting!

Incredible India day 15 pm – Jaipur
In the afternoon, we set off for the Amber Palace and Fort. Camels waited on the sides of the road while elephants lumbered by (they are used to take tourists up the steep path).

Highlights of this journey were mouse and snake – tiny black mouse scampered across our path and I managed to get a photo of him. Snake (yes, cobra in a basket – illegal in these parts) was about to be charmed by his person when Michele got a glimpse of him and shrieked piercingly, running up the stairs at a shocking pace, while everyone stopped to watch. It all happened so fast, so alas, no photo of the also-started creature.

We saw more of Jaipur as we meandered through the pink city and then further afield in Kumar’s trusty tuk-tuk. The Amber Palace sits high above the city with stunning views of the even-higher fort and down below to beautiful English gardens. Elephants were walking along painted colorfully, and camels waited along the side of the road. We also saw a tiny adorable black mouse dash across the courtyard.

Towards the end of the day, Kumar asked if we would come to his house for dinner to meet his wife and family, and his brother who is running a great volunteer organization in Jaipur. We had a wonderful evening, enjoyed yummy food and the best masala chai ever (Sumil is an excellent cook!!!), and shared photos and conversation with such a warm and lovely family. Thanks Kumar! Then we all piled into Kumar’s tuk-tuk (8 of us plus Kumar driving, where normally 2 fit comfortably… don’t ask) and headed over to learn about “Cooperative Volunteers India” from Shiva and just like that, we decided we would come back to India and volunteer at some point.

Next stop the following day was Agra and the Taj Mahal! We found a great home-stay in Agra, and Kumar had a friend who could drive us there – yippee!!!

Stay tuned for the second half of our Incredible India adventures… Agra, Delhi and Varanasi!