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CECILIA
BRAINARD
IN
NORTHERN INDIA
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I had the wonderful
chance to visit Northern India in March just before the weather
became too hot. I was with some friends (Cynthia, Mila, and Vicky).
In Delhi, we had the privilege of staying with the Philippine
Ambassador to India (thanks again, Lulla!). There was a lot of
shopping in this trip and in Delhi we went to Santooshi, Khan
Market, Geshwant, and Rajani. Oooh, there are fabulous things
to buy in India so if you go there, plan on dumping your clothes
and other stuff there so you can fill your bag with newfound treasures
(textiles, clothing, shoes, bags, bedspreads, gems, leather goods,
spices etc. etc.).
In Delhi we did visit
the Red Fort, Tomb of Humayon, Gandhi's Memorial site, Parliament,
India Gate. Delhi is made up of Old Delhi, which is crowded, chaotic,
and interesting; New Delhi was designed by the British and it
has elegant wide tree lined avenues, and imposing government buildings
- lots of space and greenery, quite nice.
We took the Golden
Triangle tour from Delhi to Jaipur and Agra, back to Delhi. In
Jaipur, we saw the Amber Fort, Water Palace, Pink City, Hawa Mahal
(Palace of Winds), Jantar Mantar (observatory), and the City Palace.
And BTW, Jaipur is a great place to shop for jewelry. But here's
the thing - you have to haggle like crazy. It's imperative that
you start by halfing the price they quote. Further, you must act
disinterested. Any sign of weakness, and the prices go up. (Here
I should mention that the exchange rate was 43 rupees to a dollar
when we were there, and there really was no need to agonize over
50 or 100 rupees.)
In Agra we saw the
Taj Mahal at sunset when the bright white marble glowed a heart-stopping
golden. We also visited the Red Fort and the Tomb of Akbar. Unfortunately
we only saw Fatehpur Sikri from the distance.
We returned to Delhi
for a quick respite, then took off for Rishikesh. Along the way,
we stopped by Haridwar where we saw the temples along the Ganges
and numerous people bathing in the sacred Ganges. The place was
very crowded so it a relief to hurry on to Rishikesh which was
more tranquil. Rishikesh is at the foothills of the Himalayas,
and there are also temples along the Ganges. We attended an Aarti
(religious ritual) in one of the temples and were enchanted by
the floating lights on the Ganges.
Next stop was Amritsar
where we had a memorable stay in a heritage hotel, the Ranjit
Svaasa (www.svaasa.com), a 250-year old maharaja's mansion. Most
of the rooms have terraces and the gardens are beautiful. In Amritsar
we visited the Golden Sikh Temple (Sikh Gurudwara); entering the
Temple was like walking through the looking glass - enchanting
and out of this world!
On to Chandigarh
and I'm not sure I have much good to say about the place, except
perhaps for the Gaudi-like Rock Garden which is quite charming
and magical.
From there we visited
Shimla (Simla) which is a hill station, and a much cooler place
than the low lands. We saw the remnants of British Raj days -
the churches, the English buildings, the Woodville Palace now
a Heritage hotel.
It was a lovely visit
and I'd visit India again, perhaps the southern part next time.
It has a lot of history and culture, and hotel rooms, meals, everything
were great bargains. There's poverty, yes, and people invade your
space, but the positives outweigh the negatives.
Cecilia Brainard,
March 2005
Cecilia
in front of the Taj Mahal at sunset, Agra, India
Cecilia
in front Taj Mahal, Agra, India, before sunset
Mila and Cecilia in front of the Golden Sikh Temple,
Amritsar, India. You have to go barefoot and cover your heads.
Amber Fort, Jaipur, India - Vicky, Mila, Cynthia
and Cecilia
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Here
are a couple of pictures of the Ranjit Svaasa in Amritsar, India