The joy of being friends with people who are eager to make the most of any time off, is that you find yourself going places you were too timid to explore on your own. For me, that place is ..... India!
But, in the company of Amanda, Jenna, Jessica, and Mark, I took off on a whirlwind tour of a small part of India - sort of a taste test. Well, not to give it away too soon, but this little tour did whet my appetite, and now I want to go back and see other parts of this intriguing country!
Our first day was spent seeing Delhi. Sort of. Turns out that the man who is president of the US currently was also there, and so much of what we had planned to see was closed. Just one more reason.... grrr. But we did catch a glimpse of some interesting vistas in the city.
And there were flowers everywhere!
We also visited a Baha'i temple: the Lotus Temple
Then it was off to see the Qutub Minar - a victory tower from the 14th Century
The Gate!
And more flowers!
I didn't capture a lot of the driving and walking around the cities, but here's a shot for reference:
...yeah.
After a lovely drive through the countryside, we arrived at the Amber Palace ~
I really love running stairs - (not) - so you can imagine how thrilled I was to come across one of these step wells!
I loved the use of mirrored mosaics ~
All of the architectural details were lovely ~
And we learned a great deal about traditional arts - like Batik!!
It was so cool to see the natural dyes being applied
They had to be so precise with block placement since each color is applied seperately
But the real magic happened after the blocking....
Ta-da!!
And we also saw some expert carpet makers tying knots - it reminded me of the Taiwanese carpets we saw being made when I was a child.
The Jaipur Mantar was so interesting! It's an observatory build in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.
The observatory at Jaipur is the biggest one in India. UNESCO inscribed Jantar Mantar Jaipur in the list of World Heritage in July 2010. Jantar Mantar terminology is derived from the word “Jantar” from Sanskrit word “Yantra” which means “Instrument” and the word “Mantar” means mysterious formulae for calculations.
But there was more art to enjoy. These paintings are done with tiny brushes, ending with a single hair for the most delicate work. Amazing!
Onwards to the Maharaja's Palace!
Coolest thing - we actually stumbled across a film set! They were filming a sequel to a super famous movie: Luka Chuppi
And of course the palace had it's own Hall of Mirrors - lit up by candlelight!
But, in the company of Amanda, Jenna, Jessica, and Mark, I took off on a whirlwind tour of a small part of India - sort of a taste test. Well, not to give it away too soon, but this little tour did whet my appetite, and now I want to go back and see other parts of this intriguing country!
Our first day was spent seeing Delhi. Sort of. Turns out that the man who is president of the US currently was also there, and so much of what we had planned to see was closed. Just one more reason.... grrr. But we did catch a glimpse of some interesting vistas in the city.
And there were flowers everywhere!
We also visited a Baha'i temple: the Lotus Temple
Then it was off to see the Qutub Minar - a victory tower from the 14th Century
And then we were off to Agra - Home to the Taj Mahal!
The Gate!
All we needed was breakfast, and then it was off to Agra Fort ~
And more flowers!
I didn't capture a lot of the driving and walking around the cities, but here's a shot for reference:
...yeah.
But the whirlwind tour didn't end there - next we were off to Jaipur. And I have to say, this was my favorite. It just felt more like... India
 |
| Palace of the Winds |
After a lovely drive through the countryside, we arrived at the Amber Palace ~
I really love running stairs - (not) - so you can imagine how thrilled I was to come across one of these step wells!
I loved the use of mirrored mosaics ~
 |
| I know, I know - but it was a new Panoramic View trick :) |
One of the joys of having a driver, is that you can stop for gorgeous vistas along the way - here is the Jal Mahal
And we learned a great deal about traditional arts - like Batik!!
It was so cool to see the natural dyes being applied
They had to be so precise with block placement since each color is applied seperately
But the real magic happened after the blocking....
Ta-da!!
And we also saw some expert carpet makers tying knots - it reminded me of the Taiwanese carpets we saw being made when I was a child.
So, so many gorgeous carpets!
Luckily we had some local moonshine to keep us going!
The Jaipur Mantar was so interesting! It's an observatory build in 1728 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II.
The observatory at Jaipur is the biggest one in India. UNESCO inscribed Jantar Mantar Jaipur in the list of World Heritage in July 2010. Jantar Mantar terminology is derived from the word “Jantar” from Sanskrit word “Yantra” which means “Instrument” and the word “Mantar” means mysterious formulae for calculations.
But there was more art to enjoy. These paintings are done with tiny brushes, ending with a single hair for the most delicate work. Amazing!
Onwards to the Maharaja's Palace!
Coolest thing - we actually stumbled across a film set! They were filming a sequel to a super famous movie: Luka Chuppi
And of course the palace had it's own Hall of Mirrors - lit up by candlelight!
Peacock-themed gates!!!!
Another fun trip with friends ~ So much to see, and serene places to rest and enjoy each other's company.
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