The Road to Octopussy's Palace

Rajasthani farmer gets off his bike
and poses for a photo

The drive from Jodhpur to Udaipur takes about five hours.  The road is reasonably good for a while and then it descends into an abyss of dried up riverbed, massive potholes and non-existent shoulder.

The Toyota Innova lurched and shuddered as we negotiated a particularly bad stretch of non-existent road.  Our insides suitably rearranged, I couldn’t help but worry that we’d get a flat tyre or the suspension would fail and we would be stuck in the middle of nowhere.  

We were headed for Udaipur and a luxurious stay at the Taj Lake Palace hotel and I kept thinking how sad it would be if we missed a single minute of it. Ratan our driver, our hero actually, persevered and eventually we hobbled out on to a paved road.  He muttered “thanks god” in his deep Rajasthani voice.  A sentiment we echoed.

Marble carving at Ranakpur's Jain temple

Several hours from Udaipur we stopped at Ranakpur in the wooded Aravalli Hills to visit one of India’s most prominent Jain temples. 

The 15^th century marble temple is a feast for the eyes. The carvings and decorations are absolutely beautiful and reminiscent of Angkor in many respects.

A short boat ride to the hotel lobby

A royal welcome

The drive continued.

There were more encounters with day to day life in remote villages. The red dust seemed enlivened by vibrant pink turbans and sparkling gauzy saris of lime green, turquoise, purple and orange.

The lily pond - an ideal spot
alongside for breakfast al fresco

Bhairo rooftop restaurant

A welcome bouquet of red
carnations delivered to our room 

One last ride to the shoreline -
Goodbye Lake Palace Hotel

Finally we reached Udaipur.

We stepped out of our vehicle at the Lake Palace Hotel's private dock.

A few minutes later we were whisked from the shore by motor launch to the 250 year old royal summer palace, now a hotel, which appears to be floating in the middle of Lake Pichola.

We were greeted on the shining marble by welcoming staff, cool drinks and showers of rose petals.

Today we enjoyed the luxurious elegance of this unique hotel. Its lush gardens, shaded walkways, restful seating areas, bougainvillea-shaded swimming pool and outdoor rooftop restaurant.

A welcome break from several long road trips and an opportunity to relax.

A frothy cappuccino in the open air library, fragrant lime in a perfectly made gin and tonic while Rajasthani dancers performed in the courtyard.  A fabulous dinner in the open air restaurant, each course elegantly served as the sun went down.

The secrets of Udaipur's history temporarily on hold.

Tomorrow another day.

Secrets of the Monsoon Palace

Udaipur's Monsoon Palace

The Monsoon Palace sits atop the tallest peak of the Aravalli Hills overlooking Udaipur‘s Lake Pichola.  A road snakes up the side of the mountain to the summit. As exotic as the Monsoon Palace appears, it is in fact an unfinished Maharana’s dream.

Maharana Sajjan Singh had intended to construct a much bigger palace but died before his vision was manifested. Part of his plan for the palace included an extensive order of crystal from F and C Osler in Birmingham - an order that included tableware, furniture and even a crystal bed.  The delivery arrived after his death and no one dared to unpack the boxes, fearing bad luck.  For over 100 years the packing crates languished until finally their contents were revealed.

A sparkling chandelier in the durbar
 hall.  Catch a glimpse of a crystal
4 poster bed from the crystal collection
on display beyond the upper archways

The problem was that much of the crystal furniture had arrived in pieces without assembly instructions.  The Maharana of the day sought out an expert in England to come to India to solve the puzzle - a former F and C Osler employee eventually arrived, even though he was well into his 80s. The task was tackled.

The massive waterfront city palace complex of the Uduaipur Maharanas is now divided into a museum and two luxury hotels with the remainder assigned as the current Maharana’s private residence. 

The ill-fated crystal collection is on display in hallways above the magnificent durbar hall, but sadly not in a way that does the collection justice.

Each garage door revealed
a new surprise

And then there are the Maharana’s cars - an eclectic collection with some unusual retrofits - like the Rolls Royce converted into a jeep!  

1934 Rolls Royce Phantom

The star of the collection is a 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom used in the James Bond movie Octopussy.

In fact Udaipur must have proved the perfect setting for the Bond yarn with its ghats, stately buildings and of course the Lake Palace Hotel that posed as Octopussy's palace.

The seemingly floating Lake Palace
Hotel from the city palace

The hotel was once the Maharana’s summer palace but this too has been divested on a 99 year lease to the Taj hotel group as new business opportunities are sought.

Udaipur waterfront from the
Lake Palace Hotel

And what a magical setting for this romantic hotel, with soft breezes coming off Lake Pichola, the sound of the birds, the striking pink bougainvillea and the sunlight bouncing off the honey coloured buildings ashore.

 
The neglected Monsoon Palace seemed like a melancholy sentinel from times past, watching down on the present day comings and goings of Udaipur.  

All Alone In The Palace

Another delay on the long and
winding road to Kota

The drive from Udaipur to Kota was not without its challenges. Despite being a four-laned highway, local traffic thought nothing of taking a detour the wrong way to get to their destination.

The odd tuk tuk was not a concern but the marble laden trucks swaying from side to side with their flowing decorations and honking horns were.

Putting one's head in the proverbial sand helped as we closed our eyes in the hope the scene would change soon.   But touch wood, everyone seemed to avoid one another unscathed.

A well preserved mural in
Kota's City Palace

The last few miles into Kota proved to be a chaotic tangle of vehicles, road works, construction, cows and people as we lurched over the dusty, uneven road. We were on the way to the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, spending a night en route in Kota where the main attraction was the City Palace and its artifacts, weaponry and colourful murals.

The sprawling
Umed Bhawan Palace hotel

Our Edwardian heritage hotel was formerly one of the Maharana’s royal residences set in large grounds frequented by monkeys, deer and peacocks. Our room could have been a waiting hall in a railway station, with its spacious layout, high ceilings and hard working ceiling fans.

The billiard room 

We walked the grounds and public spaces, including the impressive billiard room that sported a significant array of trophies from the Maharana’s hunting past. Tigers and deer peered down, frozen in time.

We appeared to be the only guests in the sprawling hotel and were conscious of the echos created by our voices and footsteps.  Our main companions were the pigeons who cooed and flapped, often flying through the arches of the open air corridors, even gaining entry into the former palace's durbar (or royal audience) hall, and unfortunately soiling the magnificent carpet which must have extended for at least fifty feet across the floor.

The hotel's durbar hall

We were asked if we would like a candlelit dinner in the courtyard.  Agreeing, we appeared at the appointed time to find one solitary candle-lit table set up in the middle of a tennis-court sized space surrounded by marble colonnades and potted palms.

A solitary candlelit dinner

It was as though the hotel had been forgotten and we had stumbled upon it by accident.  The echoing hallways and wide open spaces seemed to soften in our minds as a hearty dinner was served by efficient, friendly staff.  

Our night all alone in the Palace had had its upside.

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright

The elusive tiger

Its hard not to think of William Blake’s poem “The Tyger” when you are about to see (hopefully) tigers in the wild.  We were in the Ranthambhore Tiger Sanctuary ready to explore and even though there are few tigers remaining in the wild in India, this was our chance to catch a glimpse of these magnificent cats.

It seems ironic that the maharanahs and maharajahs took such delight in hunting tigers as sport, all to have their beautiful bodies preserved as dusty relics in what in many cases today are palmed off palaces serving as heritage hotels.

We did wonder what awaited us.  Our luck was in.  At 7:00 a.m. we spotted the beautiful yellow, gold, black and white markings of a tiger lying down behind a tree.  He was big and while it wasn’t much of a look it was enough to be wowed and rendered immobile with one's camera

Inquisitive Golden Tree Pye

The sanctuary has a plentiful supply of other wildlife too - beautiful birds, including fluffy owls, cooing peacocks, chatty golden tree pyes, showy kingfishers and soaring eagles.  

Spotted Deer keeps an eye out

Deer and antelope come down to the water’s edge to drink, their bodies reflecting in the shallow pools while sly crocodiles glide menacingly close.  Scurrying mongoose, inquisitive civet, playful monkeys and muddy wild boar are plentiful but nothing compared to a tiger sighting.

Delicious Garlic Naan

Meanwhile back at our hotel the star of the show was not a tiger but Mr. Anil Kumar who made it his life’s work to run from the outdoor tandoor oven into the restaurant to give everyone red hot naan to accompany their meals.  All with an enormous smile on his face - he positively lit up the dining room.

Two minutes to perfection!

At the tandoor oven, the cook expertly shaped the whole wheat dough to paper thin consistency, positioning each one expertly on the inside walls of the tandoor,white hot from the blazing hot charcoal below.  

Finishing touches added before
the dash to the dining room

Invited to "help out" we tried our hand at making naan, concluding that we needed a lot more practice.  The cook told us that he makes thousands every day for lunch and dinner.  Clearly we were not up to the job.

While the tiger sightings may not have lived up to their billing, our stay in the area was memorable, in part due to the kind hotel staff and the enthusiastic Mr. Kumar.

Holi in the Pink City

The Hindu festival of Holi is a time of happiness and anticipation for Spring and the coming harvest.  For hundreds of years the festival has been celebrated by the throwing of coloured dyes. 

Fresco from Kota Palace illustrating the
Maharajahs enjoying Holi with "the common man" 

In times past this practice embodied a sort of equality - if a shower of purple or yellow dye was coming your way it would cover you and everyone around you irrespective of caste or position in life. 

Holi was in full swing when we left Ranthambhore at 4:00 a.m. for the drive to Jaipur.  Entire families were on the road on their way to visit with friends although our driver explained that colour throwing and serious drinking would be well underway by 8:00 a.m. 

Fruit seller proudly poses to
show off his Holi colour

Still in darkness, the bumps in the road came up on us unexpectedly.  Now and again we spotted the orange flames rising from a tandoor oven and villagers brewing their chai, huddling around open fires.  It was cool and everyone was shrouded in blankets, including the toll booth attendants who took our money stoicly, their expressionless eyes staring at us hard from behind tightly wrapped head coverings.

We passed our first half built Holi road block without incident - its custodians were not ready for the onslaught.  A few miles down the road we were not so lucky.  Half a dozen children enthusiastically guarded their barricade of stones and tree branches demanding money before they would let us pass.  Our driver bargained with the ringleader bringing the “ransom” down from a 100 to 20 rupees - about twenty five cents.  

Kemal Mahal heritage suite -
could get used to this

We arrived at the magnificent Rambagh Palace Hotel shortly after 6:30 a.m. to a rose petal shower, sweet smelling garlands and bindis on the forehead.  An hour later we were installed in probably the most beautiful hotel room we have ever stayed in.  

About to ride in style

Cappuccino on the veranda in decadently upholstered rattan furniture overlooking the colourful gardens and strutting peacocks was such a treat.  

A drive in the Maharajah’s 1936 Ford convertible around the palace grounds ended a perfect - and colour free - day.

Behind the wheel

Elephants and Castles

The Amber Fort

Jaipur’s 16th Century Amber Fort was constructed from yellow and pink sandstone with lavish marble decorations, frescoes, mirrors and tiles. Courtyards within courtyards fringed by beautiful archways and ornate gardens provide visitors with a first hand look at what life must have been like in the many apartments occupied by the maharajah and his concubines.

Elephant Traffic Jam

The most popular way to ascend the hill to the Fort’s first gate is by elephant.  The ride only takes about ten minutes but from your vantage point swaying precariously from side to side above the elephant's mahout there is an incredible view over the surrounding countryside with fort walls extending in all directions.  Above the Amber Fort lies an imposing looking fortress designed as a “safe house” for the maharajah's entourage in the event the Amber Fort succumbed to an attack.

Palace of the Winds - Part of the
City Palace  complex

Back in the Old City of Jaipur its hard not to be charmed by the pink hues of its many buildings and city gates. The central building, the City Palace, is now a museum although part is still occupied by today’s royal family. 

The Water Palace

The Jal Mahal, or water palace, is another must see. Looking as though it is floating on water it was neglected for some years but has been purchased from the Government, refurbished and about to open as a high end restaurant. Despite its new purpose, the building remains a popular backdrop for photographs.

Beautiful bride poses with her new husband
in front of the Water Palace

The Observatory
A World Heritage Site

The Jantar Mantar is an observatory which comprises an odd collection of structures used for astronomical calculations. Built in the 1700s, at first blush they resemble odd sculptures but on further examination their real purpose reveals itself.  

Jaipur is a stop on the famous “golden triangle” tourist trail of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.  Tomorrow we head for Agra and a second visit to India’s poster child, the romantic Taj Mahal.

Teardrop On The Cheek Of Eternity

A sedate piece of road on the
way to Agra - a rare moment

We tore ourselves away from our wonderful palatial sanctuary in Jaipur for the drive to Agra and India’s most famous landmark - the Taj Mahal.  The roads were good although the four toll booths along the way were frustrating.  Lines were long and in true Indian fashion all and sundry positioned themselves to jump the queue, forcing their way in wherever they could.  It would have been difficult to slide a credit card between hood and bumper of the lined up vehicles.  Flocks of small birds waited at the toll booths to pick off a feast of dead insects plastered to the grills and bumpers of the idling vehicles.

Intricate sandstone carvings
at Fatehpur Sikri

An hour from Agra we visited Fatehpur Sikri, the sprawling red sandstone compound of Akbar and his three wives constructed in the 1500s.  Yet another impressive monument with alluring stories of its former residents.  


Resuming the trip into Agra the two-laned toll highway ended and continued as a single lane in each direction.  It was chaotic as tuk tuks, cars, trucks, camels, cows, motorbikes and tractors fought for position accompanied by a symphony of horns.  In some cases vehicles came towards us in the wrong direction and it only got worse as we entered Agra city.
  

Sunrise at the Taj Mahal on the bench
made famous by Princess Diana

Finally we reached our hotel with its sprawling pool area, colourful gardens and heart stopping view of the Taj Mahal.  We enjoyed the pool area in the late afternoon sun with a couple of Kingfishers (the liquid kind) as company. As the sun faded the sound of birds singing was replaced by the chanting from nearby minarets calling the faithful to prayer.

The next morning before sunrise we returned to the gates of the Taj Mahal to take in the atmosphere created by one of the world’s most famous love stories - a final tear shed as Mumtaz Mahal passed away and her husband, Shah Jahan’s promise to build a beautiful mausoleum that symbolized their love to the world and to future generations.

400 year old marble screen decorated
with semi precious stones

As the sun rose in the sky the domes and minarets of this semi-translucent white marble wonder positively glowed.  Semi precious stones set in gorgeous floral patterns sparkled like diamonds. It was impossible not to be touched by such an iconic memorial inspired by "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity".