01/05/2025 – Let’s a’ Go, Throwaway, Yiiiipeee, Yeah, ha ha ha, Waha!, Here we go! Way to Go! We did it!
Well, this morning we say goodbye to Varanasi and hello to Agra. First, however, we must take the dreaded commercial flight. We asked to be picked up at the hotel early so that if any issues happen at the airport, we won’t be sweating the possibility of missing our flight. Our driver picked us up at 09:30 and the ride to the airport was uneventful and quick. We had determined that we were going to make it through check-in and to our gate without any (paid) help. Of course, new airport – new wrinkle! Before we could enter the airport, we had to show our boarding passes and passports, get our photo taken, and be issued a biometrics tag. From then on, we could just “look into the camera” and, abracadabra! The gate would open for us. (or is it “open sesame” in India?) Anyway, we are now seasoned Indian travelers since we made it through bag check-in, security checkpoint, (paper) boarding pass acquisition, and to our gate without any issues! Of course, that meant we were extra early for our flight, of course, or course, our flight was delayed meaning we were there extra, extra early for our flight! The flight was delayed because the plane was late arriving due to “fog conditions” (is what they call it). “Smog conditions” is what we smelled. Anyway, we arrived back in Delhi, picked up a quick bite to eat, and met our previous driver and guide for the 4-hour drive to Agra.
The drive to Agra was relatively painless; at least once we got outside Delhi. The time before we left the boundaries of Delhi, though, made us think we were in a game of Mario Karts. Dashing in and out of each other’s paths, honking incessantly, and careening around curves… we kept waiting for a banana peel to be thrown in front of us or a turtle shell to go whizzing by! By the time we left that video game world and traffic abated, it was dark, and this was our first time traveling at night, so that was a new wrinkle. We were traveling serenely on a 6-lane divided highway, when the 3 lanes going in our direction were closed due to construction. We were re-routed onto the 3 lanes going in the opposite direction. This happens in the US. What also happens in the US are concrete barricades to separate the lanes going in opposite directions. Not so much in India. Three lanes of playing chicken at highway speeds is what happens in India. A Mario Karts reprise! Fortunately, the construction area wasn’t too long and we made it through without any near-death experiences. We arrived at our relatively swanky hotel in Agra and are awaiting tomorrow morning when we will see the Taj Mahal! See you on the flip side!
01/06/2025 – Welcome to the Wow Mahal!
Another Seven Wonders of the World can be checked off of our bucket list! Morning arrived quickly and we collectively decided to go to the Taj Mahal first thing in the morning. It was a good choice. It was not busy. The beautiful complex was shrouded in a misty fog that gave the beautiful building a magical quality. We’ve seen pictures of the royal tomb of the wife of the Fourth Mogul Ruler, but in real life, up close, it was WOW! The marble was still gorgeous after 400 years, as were the precious stones painstakingly embedded in the marble. It was truly awe inspiring, as it was intended to be. After visiting this iconic landmark, we stopped by a marble workshop that is still being run by descendants of the families who built the Taj, and are using the same techniques to make precious stone-embedded marble products to this day. They were exquisite.
Next on the stop was the Red Fort, an actual working fort that is currently 70% occupied by India’s special military forces. The ancient building is still in excellent condition and we enjoyed walking through the area and learning about the history. This was the home of the same Fourth Mogul Ruler who had built the Taj Mahal. After his wife died, he was inconsolable. After a few years, one of his sons beheaded his older brother (and next in line to rule) and imprisoned his father in this fort. His father’s only request was that he be able to view the Taj Mahal from his room. It was barely visible today with all the fog/smog in the air.
Now, it is time to drive to Ranthambore National Park, a 4-5 hour drive through the countryside. After a relatively easy drive, we arrived at our new hotel – Ranthambore Heritage Haveli. This place is like an ancient Indian palace, with marble and decorative entrances. Even the individual rooms have old fashioned type padlocks which use skeleton-type keys. Breakfasts and dinners are very nice buffets with several staff on hand to get whatever we need.
Tomorrow we will experience our first two safaris in the park. Watch out tigers, here we come!
01/07-08/2025 – Leopards and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
We have spent the last two days going on 3 safaris inside Ranthambore National Park. The park is divided into Zones and we have been in Zones 2, 3 and 6. We did a morning and an afternoon safari yesterday, and a morning safari today. We did manage to see one tiger, although it was from about 100 yards away and through some scrawny trees – but, we did see a tiger! We were also fortunate enough to see things like spotted deer and Indian wild boars, Indian flying foxes (aka fruit bats), sloth bears (including one cub!), crocodiles, a jackal, a mongoose, macaques, several birds (including new Life-List birds like Asian Wooly-necked storks, peacocks, Rose-ringed parakeets, Pied kingfishers, Rufous Treepies, Red-Wattled lapwings, Taiga flycatchers, cormorants, herons, and 2 types of owls – the Indian Scops-Owl and the Brown Fish-Owl. Kathy was more excited about seeing owls than she was the tiger!), and – at the last minute as we were exiting the park – a leopard with 2 cubs, again from a distance. So, as Dorothy and the Scarecrow would say, we saw “leopards, and tigers, and bears, oh my!” (Okay, so we took a little creative licensing, sue us!) The trip to Ranthambore was definitely a highlight of our trip. The wildlife was awesome, but it was also the first time seeing blue skies above us! Delightful!
After our second morning safari, we drove about 5 hours to get to Jaipur, also known as the “Pink City”. After a stop at the Amber Fort, a magnificent fort/palace built in the late 1500’s, we arrived in Jaipur just in time for our scheduled dinner, complete with authentic music and dancing by locals. The food was traditional Rasthanjani food. Our guide, Joy, is from Jaipur and he can attest to its authenticity. After dinner, we were taken to our hotel to get some sleep before our very early hot air balloon ride over the Pink City. We can’t wait!
01/09/2025 – Up, up, and away in my beautiful balloon!
Up before daylight, we were driven an hour to where the hot air balloon will take off. We watched a beautiful misty morning sunrise as the crew readies the balloon for the 16 passengers. Then, it was up in the air and drifting with the breeze. It was so beautiful looking down at the changing terrain from plowed farms to houses to two different mountains. Many people below stopped to take our photos and we all waived as they waived back at us. It was serene and peaceful, a welcome respite from the regular hustle and bustle of India.
After the balloon ride, we toured the Pink City including the Royal Palace, which is still in use today, although the king who lives there no longer has any power (other than wealth, of course.) We also toured a gem and jewelry shop which makes all of their wares by hand in the same way as they have for generations. We saw huge rocks that, if we saw them lying on the ground we would just kick them down the trail, but were actually fist-sized rubies, emeralds, and amethysts. We toured a linen factory which made rugs from hand (in wool, cotton, silk, and camels’ hair), as well as bed linens, table cloths, and clothing. All very pretty, and all made painstakingly by hand. Dave even tried his hand at making a cloth with a 4-color display. It didn’t turn out too badly for a non-Indian with no artistic talent! He had a good Raja to teach him!
Well, tomorrow morning at 5:30 comes early, and that is when we have to leave Jaipur to drive to Delhi and catch our flight to Kathmandu. We will post some photos now from our phones. The best wildlife photos were taken by Dave’s SLR camera and will have to wait until later to be added to the website. Tomorrow, “We’re Going to Kathmandu!” as Bob Segar would sing.
