B A C K T O T H E M A I N F E A T U R E
If you’ve just arrived … Part I of our adventures in India can be found in the previous blog Just Like Bollywood. The prequel can be found at India at Last. Meanwhile, here are the highlights from our last three cities.
Udaipur—The City of Lakes. We left Jaipur by car and stopped at the Impressive white marble Ranakpurjain Jain Temple. It was cavernous, with massive statues in every corner and elaborate carvings on every surface. By this time, we’d seen our fair share of temples, but we continued to be in awe of the artistic efforts of the legions of sculptures, painters, carvers, and stone masons.
It was a long day of driving, but we’re thankful we chose India Car and Driver to get us between cities. Our courteous and careful drivers made harrowing traffic seem like a Sunday drive. In the video below, you’ll get a sense of our journey.
This driver dropped us off at our first Airbnb of the trip - a room in a house with a fantastic view of Lake Pichola. Our hosts were a retired Army Colonel and his wife, who are Airbnb veterans. They were very welcoming and invited us to their country home for dinner one of the nights we were there. We were also treated to full Indian breakfasts each morning - which felt more like dinner. We finally cried, "Uncle," and brought our own breakfast cereal to the table.
Our hosts in Udaipur. They love having guests from around the world.
We took an extensive Free Walking Tour through Guru Walks, a company that offers walks worldwide, whom we trust. Michael and I were the only guests in this case - which was unusual. But our young guide, Tom, made it seem like he had all the time in the world for us. We saw so much that day - from deep inside the spice markets to intimate temples.
Snapshots of life in the center of Udaipur. There were so many people hustling and bustling with small businesses and street sales.
We watched artisans make everything from hand-painted water jugs to candles, jewelry, and even bowls made of pinned-together leaves, along with thousands of small terra cotta cups that will be filled with oil and a wick to be set out during the upcoming celebration of Diwali. More on that later. Tom helped me shop for spices to take home and the ingredients for Chai Tea.
The following day, we enjoyed an Airbnb Experience called Discover Udaipur. This time, we toured the impressive City Palace built over 450 years ago. It is still occupied by some of the now redundant royal family. Our guide, Mayank, told more stories than we could keep up with! After a delicious fish lunch, we boarded a small ferry to visit the Summer Palace on a man-made island in the middle of the lake.
We decided to attend the Dharohar Performance, highly regarded production of folk dance and music. It was an enjoyable way to spend the evening outdoors, and dinner afterward at a rooftop restaurant was perfect.
Jaipur—It's Diwali time! It was a rough eight-hour car trip from Udaipur to Jaipur, known as the pink city. Pink is the color of hospitality, and to commemorate Queen Victoria's visit in 1876, the Maharaja Ram ordered the town to be awash in vibrant shades of pink.
Our Airbnb apartment was part of this family compound. Our door is the one with the red mat. It was nice to be with a family.
We stayed in our second and final Airbnb of the trip. Again, our host was a retired military officer. He was a Commander in the Navy, and he ran a tight ship - lots of rules and regulations! His daughter was visiting for the Diwali celebrations, one of India’s favorite festivals, with her five-year-old daughter was looking forward to lighting the large stash of fireworks Grandpa had purchased.
Diwali is a five-day Hindi celebrating the triumph of good over evil. It is also known as the Festival of Lights. And almost every building in the city (all over India, really) was drenched in bright-colored cascading LED lights. We also discovered small shrines and hundreds of tiny terra cotta oil lamps everywhere on the streets and in homes. But the highlight is the last night when families gather to light fireworks. Lots of fireworks!
We had a lot planned for our four-day stay, including an invitation to experience Diwali at the home of the owner of India Car and Driver. His company became integral to our time in Rajasthan as we chose drivers over trains to move between cities. His team did a great job as competent drivers in some difficult traffic and as guides. He was intrigued by our story and wanted to host us for what turned out to be an extraordinary evening.
We arrived at Ramish’s apartment, where we met his wife, two young children, and a long-time British friend who reminded us of the British actress Maggie Smith. After dinner, Ramish and his brother grabbed two huge garbage bags filled to the top with explosives.
Celebrating Diwali at the home of the owner of India Car and Driver was such a fun evening. All of the building's residents were out lighting some of the most sophisticated rockets and dazzling fireworks we've ever seen outside of a professional show.
Outside in the courtyard, the menfolk gathered to compare Pyro-booty. It quickly became a game of "who had the biggest rocket." This was all-out, hands-on pyrotechnics, unlike Seattle, where you could be fined for lighting a sparkler. Small children were encouraged to handle flaming punts taller than they were - and to light as many rockets as possible. It was wild! And a privelege to celebrate with such a lovely family.
The next afternoon, things were calmer. I spent a few hours with an elephant at a well-respected sanctuary called Elefantastic. I know there is a lot of controversy around the treatment and exploitation of elephants in India. Still, this expansive, well-kept facility seemed to be a safe place where rescued animals are loved and cared for. I fed, bathed, and took a leisurely walk with Blinky, a one-eyed beauty. She was a pleasant, if docile, companion, and I loved every minute!
The donation required to participate included dinner prepared by the director's mother. I asked if I could take the meal home to share with Michael (who chose quiet time over elephant bonding, and she packed it all up to go. It was a delicious spread of crisp fried cauliflower, a fantastic lamb curry, Dahl, Naan, rice, homemade chutney, and oozy coconut and rice pudding.
On our final day, we booked an Airbnb experience called Jaipur All Day City Tour by Tuk Tuk (only it was by car) that took us to the elaborate Amber Fort, where every mirror tile available 500 years ago somehow made its way to the palace.
Then, we toured the expansive flower market. Who knew there were millions of marigolds? They are the "go-to" flower for any celebration, and with Diwali in full swing, there was a huge demand.
From there, we visited The Monkey Temple. Just say the word monkey, and I'm in! It is in fact a majestic monastery with sacred pools where dozens of believers enter the water fully dressed and crush shoulder to shoulder.
And, of course, there were a lot of monkeys. But they were so overfed by locals and tourists that a mere banana was scoffed at. I think they wanted money!
One of the most beautiful sights was the sea of Sari’s hung on fences and stone walls, drying in the sun.
This stop at Galta Ji Temples (nicknamed The Monkey Temple) was one of our favorite stops during our month in India.
Mumbai - Home of Bollywood. We flew from Udaipur to Mumbai, India's most cosmopolitan city. (I have decided not to delve into the hassles of flying in this country, but suffice it to say it is chaotic). Mumbai had a sleekness to it the other cities didn't have. It still had its fair share of smog, derelict buildings, and overcrowded slums. But if you focus on the business and financial districts, you could be in any thriving US city.
This was our last stop, so just as we did in the beginning, we booked a nice hotel called Le Sutra it was a very Zen space with a nice restaurant attached. It was also within walking distance of the famous Bandra Beach, where we were promised a seaside promenade and fresh salt air. Instead, we found a polluted stretch of muck covered with rubbish, with the sea barely visible in the smoggy distance. There were homeless encampments next to dilapidated playgrounds, and the atmosphere was just plain sad.
Not exactly the beautiful beach we were expecting.
We thought it might get better if we walked down a path closer to the water - but I slipped on the slimy tiles and bruised my butt, ruined a pair of pants, and scratched my iPhone. Luckily, there was a Starbucks across the street, and they did their best to clean me up and provide bandages.
Airbnb offers an experience called The Dhavari Slum Tour. We weren't sure we had the stomach to see a slum up close, but I am so glad we did. The word gets a bum wrap. A slum starts when creative individuals build basic housing outside the city parameters. They are almost always off the grid, but as time goes by and more and more homes are built, momentum fuels growth until they become a self-sufficient community. Up pops a school, health clinic, essential shops, and a handful of food vendors.
All ages live together in harmony in the slums of Mumbai.
Next comes small manufacturing facilities where residents weave baskets, make pottery, sew garments, tan leather, and sort recycling. Before you know it, the city is forced to provide a safe water source and electricity. The houses often don’t have plumbing, but communal bathrooms and kitchens provide those services.
We learned a staggering statistic: 52% of the population of Mumbai reside in slums. Of course, some are better than others. Our tour guide, Balaji, showed us his family's modest home as part of the Dhavari tour - it’s hard to imagine daily life in cramped quarters that flood in the rainy season and swelter in the heat. But the children were laughing and playing - and everyone seemed busy with work. We left, acknowledging we would never be able to understand that way of life. But who are we to judge?
Our second adventure was booked through a company called Reality Tours. It was an all-day Local Transport and Dabbawallah Tour. We met at the central train station and boarded a jam packed commuter train (ladies had their own cars). Before we were done, we traveled on two trains, several TukTuks, a city bus, a cramped transit van, and a taxi. It was fascinating!
A full day of travel on several different transportation modes took us across Mumbai.
A highlight was observing the Dabbawallah, the meeting place where hordes of men wearing crisp white uniforms and Ghandi caps arrive by bicycle to gather thousands of lunches prepared by mothers and housewives to be delivered to their menfolk at work - a tradition that dates back 130 years. It's true! There is a delightful Indian Rom-Com called The Lunchbox, which is about a mixed-up delivery that explains it all!
How these men keep everyone's lunch sorted and delivered is baffling. Do clink the link above for more on this unique trade.
But the best stop was at a bridge overlooking Dhobi Ghat, the world's largest outdoor laundry. It is hard to fathom how this works, but over 100,000 items are washed by hand every day of the week. There was a sea of blue jeans next to an endless number of dress shirts, bright white hotel linens, and every type of uniform. Electricity is limited, so there are no washing machines or dryers. Most vendors still use two-hundred-year-old stone baths and scrubbing boards, while others turned the cranks of giant washtubs with rollers. Then, everything is pressed by hand using steam irons heated with coal. It was another you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it moment.
Archaic laundry facilities stretched out before the modern skyscrapers of Mumbai's financial district!
There was some excellent shopping to be had in Mumbai. I try my best to replace a piece of clothing when I buy something new, but in this case, I gladly added weight to my suitcase! I fell in love with the Kurti look, all those loose linen pants and flowing tops, and more spices than I know what to do with, literally.
My best souvenir was four of these terra cotta cups made for drinking chai tea - the equivalent of our paper cups. You just drink your tea and toss the cup. Eventually, they get ground up for roadworks projects. The ultimate recycling story.
After a mind-boggling month, we flew home to Seattle with our journal and my iPhone filled to the brim with unforgettable memories. We definitely want to return someday and explore the southern region of this unforgettable country.
If you are reading this, thank you for your perseverance, and as always, thank you for following along!
Debbie and Michael Campbell