India Day 2

After the long day on day 1, we started day 2 with a 5 am wake-up call.

With our schedule being reorganised due to the initial delay we are now visiting the Taj Mahal for sunrise instead of for sunset. This turned out to be a great move as we avoided the crowds normally seen at this monument. The temperature was also slightly lower than during the afternoon. The weather was overcast so there was no direct view of the sunrise and it di rain briefly during our visit but this helped reduce both the temperature and humidity for a brief period.

Once again security is much in evidence and we had to leave the busses some way from the entrance. Our tickets did include a ride in electric carts to the entrance and as we queued we could see the monkeys who live there climbing on walls, roofs and power lines.

The Tah Mahal did not disappoint in any way. Somehow the white marble seemed to pop right out of the background as if the building was not completely in this dimension. Many photos were taken, some by other members of the group and others by a professional photographer who took a group photo and then some individual photos which were delivered to the Hotel after we had returned for breakfast. Much editing and culling remains to be done but some good shots to select from.

Probably the best shot:-

All of the rest:-

After returning to our hotel for breakfast it was time to leave on our road trip to Jaipur

A five-hour bus trip was another adventure even on a duel carriageway. Large trucks hogged the right-hand lane and the left lane had a mixture of slower and faster traffic with cars, motor scooters and even horse-drawn carts. Frequent toll booths had to be navigated and in some cases where the highway passed through towns, there were roadblocks put up to slow down and restrict the traffic to one lane and give the pedestrians a fighting chance at the zebra crossings.

Around two hours into the trip, we stopped at a roadhouse for a comfort stop. An array of souvenirs was available including elephants in a range of sizes and some spectacular material. I stopped at the small stand near the entrance selling snacks. Passing up the tim-tams and also the more unfamiliar items my eye settled on a packet of hob nobs for 450 rupees. Recent temperatures in this area had hit 50 degrees and there was no sign of any refrigeration at this stall, still, I just had to have the Mcvitties biscuits. I can report that as expected the chocolate had severely denatured and melted into the biscuits the taste and texture were still delicious and well worth the price (if I knew what that was)

Another two and half hours on the road brought us to Jaipur (pop 3.1 million), the pink city. So-called because the city was plastered in terra cotta back in 1876 to welcome a visit by Albert, Prince of Wales. To this day the old city retains this colour and its unique architecture. None of which helps the traffic.

After a short stop at our Hotel (another huge bathroom) and some of the group were back on the bus and out into the traffic to go shopping. We joined the trip to the Jewellery Showroom. A short demonstration of gemstone cutting and polishing using hand-powered machinery was followed by a visit to a showroom where we were held hostage and offered a range of jewellery. Apparently, Jaipur is still an international centre for the cutting and polishing of precious and semi-precious stones using the skilled and cheap labour we had just seen. Kathy and Piney had a look at the wares and made a purchase so we were allowed a cold can of Coke before leaving.

Back to our Hotel for another meal with Russian Roulette played with chilli. I spied Butter Chicken and it was great but much hotter than the version I am used to. Almost reaching my tolerance levels. Still, there was ice cream again to cool things down before sleep.

Day 2 in India, The amazing Taj Mahal, more traffic and thrills on the road, a colourful city and jewellery shopping.