Day 10--Agra, the Taj, and Delhi

One of things I forgot to mention yesterday was the vast area of farm land we passed driving from Ranthambhore to Agra.  There were tons of structures like these to hold grain and food.

They reminded me a lot of the Monet Haystack paintings.

So, the Taj Mahal is everything people say about it.  It's really remarkable to be able to see it and walk the grounds.  I happened to be there on one of the 3 days of the year where they let you go downstairs to see the real tomb the King and Queen.  Apparently you usually only see the replicas  which are right above the real ones.

I think this is where I finally understood what a huge Islamic influence there is in India.  So many of the major structures have mosque-like features.  The inlaid stone work and Arabic calligraphy are amazing.

The photo below shows the palace (Agra Fort) where the royalty lived.  The shot is taken from the Taj.

The palace was built by the same group of Moguls and the King (who built the Taj as a tomb for his wife).  You can definitely see the influence.

We drove from Agra to Delhi, seeing a ton more of those haystack structures.  Ashok, my driver took me by the US Embassy so I could see where my Aunt Janis worked for so many years. You can't see much, but it was great to at least drive by.

We ended at the National Museum before the airport

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This was a great trip both for work and for seeing a very cool country.

Day 9-Afternoon Safari and Road to Agra

The afternoon safari didn't produce a tiger, but got to enjoy some wonderful wildlife.
Here are a pair of jackets, which the guide says is a fairly rare sighting.

There were tons of birds.

Aside from this peacock showing off, you see the Chital or Indian spotted deer.  They are very lovely and seen throughout the park.  When the tigers aren't hunting, it's amazing how many species hand t

This is the Sambar--also in abundance in the park.

Even though Egrets are everywhere, I loved this pair.

I sadly left my Indian palace hotel.  Even though it was a bit over the top, it was wonderful.

The road from Ranthambhore to Agra was a long one, but tons to see along the way.

Before we got to Agra, we stopped at a palace called Fatehpur Sikri that was built to honor famous Sufi.  The Mughal who built it tried to blend Hindu and Islamic styles of architecture, which I have seen a lot.  It was built in the 1500s, all of pink sandstone.

 This mogul was said to be very tolerant of all religions.  Not sure if they knew what they were putting up with this decoration.  :-) 

Arrived in Agra and this is the first western hotel I've stayed in the whole trip.  It's a very nice Doubletree with a view of the Taj, but it feels a bit sterile.  I guess this will get me ready for my return to the US late tomorrow evening.

Day 8--Safari in Ranthambhore India

Went out on safari this AM in Ranthambhore National Park.  It is one of tiger conservation areas of India.  I was on the drive with 4 other people.  Three of them were tiger stalkers.  They have gone on many safaris and are keeping track of tigers by name.  This lovely creature is Tiger 73, a five year old female.

If you want to learn more about her, here's her bio.  It seems that in trying to keep these beautiful bengals from extinction people are keeping track of their whereabouts.

https://www.ranthambhoreguides.com/tigers/shy-kachida-female

The amazing thing was, our guide took us to the spot where he thought we might find a tiger and there were none to be found.  It was on our way back that we spotted the wondrous animal.  I was wearing tiger earrings for good luck.

We say all kinds of other creature including a scops owl hiding in a dug out part of a tree.  There is not the abundance of wildlife that I saw in South Africa, but still pretty amazing.

I hope this afternoon is a wonderful!!

Day 7--Jaipur to Ranthambhore

It was an uneventful ride from Jaipur to Ranthambhore.  I forgot to mention that yesterday I went to a place where they made the famous Jaipur blue pottery.  It was really pretty.  Bought as much as I thought I could carry.

On the way to Ranthambhore there was lots to look at.  I surprised at the number of camel carts.

We arrived at the hotel and it looked like a palace.  Actually it was built to resemble one of the royal palaces.  I got upgraded from a standard to a deluxe room.  It is amazing.

The grounds are stunning.

Here is one of two swimming pools.  It struck me that it had the same structural elements as the step well I saw at the palace at the Amber Fort.  First is the Amber Fort step well and second is the pool at the Nahargarth hotel.

I am going to take it easy for today.  Tomorrow I have a safari at 6:00 AM.  Can't wait.

Day 6--Jaipur the pink city.

I had a really good guide today in Jaipur.  We started with the Amber Fort (which is fort/palace combo) before it got too hot.  Amber used to be the capital of Rajasthan before it moved to Jaipur.  There is a summer and winter place right in the same complex.

The winter palace is covered completely in mirrors--on the wall, ceilings, everywhere.

There were tons of animal sightings.  Here are a few.

Here's the Hawa Mahal.  A thin place where the women of the city palace could watch processions in the street with out being seen.  I saw tons of place that were shielded so women could watch, but not be seen.

The city place was also pretty spectacular with its own observatory for making very accurate astrological charts.  It is amazing how they accurate the tons of instruments are.  

Here are birds across the street from my hotel.

I'll end with a beautiful image of Ganesha.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Ranthambhore National Park.  Hopefully I'll see tigers.