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If I recall this moment, I had been looking out the window at the people sleeping in the mud, the outdoor pit toilets, and the general state of how people live. I started to tear up at one point. It can be overwhelming how people live – the squalor and poverty.
I wanted a photo of India’s ‘high speed rail’. I made some kind of mental error thinking that this train would be more like the Ave in Spain or the ICE in Germany. Oh no! It is express and fast by Indian standards, which means less than 60 MPH at the top speed. Please do yourself a favor and only take express trains and book first class.
Another photo that seems to capture what India is always like – people everywhere at high densities. I often found myself wondering where they think they will put more people as there isnt a lot of room for the ones already there!
We walked up on this cow eating a potted plant that it has knocked over. What you cannot see in this photo is that there are two of them, both nearly eaten. A lady came out of the store a moment later yelling at the cow for knocking over her plants.
This is the front view of the Palace of Winds or Hawa Mahal – the more traditional and recognized view.
This it my favorite photo I took in India. It is one of the gates to The Pink City in Jaipur. The beautiful architecture, a motor rickshaw, Hindu idol, Muslims, goats, birds, all capture what many street scenes were like. The lighting was great to avoid the colors washing out in the bring sun. Ah, looking at this makes me miss India!
This is in the heart of the City Palace. The building is called Diwan-I-Khas and was a private audience hall of the Maharajas. My favorite part is the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
Another UNESCO site, the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is an astronomical observatory. Here I am explaining something very complicated to Josh. Actually, I think I was giving him the finger because I was sick of him asking me to pose for photos. But he is a good guy so he just kept on asking and ignoring me.
A close up detail of some of the marble and inlay at the Amber Fort. This is a common theme in architecture from Jaipur and Agra. The details are stunning when you see it at scale.
Looking through one of the external facing archways you can see the ramparts and fortification that around the fort. These walls with there watchtowers run the length of every ridge around the fort. The fort is made out of red sandstone and is ornately decorated. This includes one room that is covered with thousands of tiny mirrors. A photo of that room didnt come out very well because of the lighting.
Interior shot of one of the many small sections of the fort. I am not certain this particular part has a name, but it was in the upper most section looking down onto the central audience and ball room. This scene caught my eye because of the various colors of the stone and the birds atop of the domes.
Josh doing his best Brenda Dickson’s Welcome To My Home impression. If you spend a little time with him you will see he can get this cross between Brenda Dickson and Vanna White.
This Jal Mahal is right outside Jaipur. Built of red sandstone and recently renovated it is a typical example of the Rajput and Mughal styles of architecture. Our cab driver didn’t seem to want to stop here and let us out. It was as if he didn’t think this was worth seeing. Shortly after this he tried to take us to a gift shop in this back alley which caused Josh and I to promptly reprimand him and demand he take us where we wanted to go. This is a common issue in India – it will happen to you.
A shot of one of the central halls of the Albert Hall Museum. The collection left me puzzled as to the thought behind it, but the building itself was spectacular and worth the entrance fee, which is higher for non-Indians and this is true everywhere. Each room at Albert Hall was a treasure with intricate carvings along the doors, painted walls, murals, marble, jaalis, and other ornamentation. It is a bit out of the way but worth a visit.
To browse the entire set of photographs from this trip starting with the photos of Jaipur please see my SmugMug album.