Day 12, Ajmer: Adhai Dinka Jhonpra, Ana Sagar Lake, Dargah Sharif

We did a little bit of sightseeing today. There really wasn't a lot to see, but the places we did go to were worth visiting. Our first stop was Adhai Dinka Jhonpra, an ancient mosque that was originally a Hindu temple. Dating back to around 1150, the architecture and splendor of the ruins are quite a sight, even if it is slightly dampened by the graffiti/vandalism that also exists. We walked through the busy, busy alleys of the marketplace to get here, but it is only a short walk from the main dargah entrance.

Heading to the site

Adhai Din ka Jhonpra

Still a functioning mosque

Details

I felt like I was inside of village...

Afterwards, we hailed down an autorickshaw and headed to Ana Sagar lake, which felt like a breath of fresh air! The dargah is surrounded by a crowded, dusty and bustling marketplace, and there are people and noise everyone; the lake provided a significant contrast, as I took in the greenery and tranquility. It's a nice getaway spot for anyone in Ajmer.

Green = sanctuary

My soul feels rejuvenated

I enjoyed this moment

Music Man

I loved the random yet impressive bits of architecture scattered throughout

We did a little bit of shopping (because you HAVE to shop with all these markets!) and I bought some gifts for family and friends back home. After a brief respite in the guesthouse, we made another trip to the dargah to pay our respects to the saint, to pray, and to listen to qawwali.

Walking back from Ana Sagar Lake

Inside the dargah, vendors sell flowers and sweets as offerings

A peek inside

AMAZING qawwali music!

Right outside of the tomb

Another Facebook Post From India

This was the second facebook post I wrote while in India


1. I've been getting ripped off everyday since I don't have the heart or energy for bargaining 
2. Indian guys love asking to take pictures with me 
3. Beggar kids will mob your vehicle for money, school kids will mob it for candy 
4. I think I should have aimed for veterinary school instead since it breaks my heart every time I see neglected animals scavenging the garbage to find food 
5. Which makes me wonder what kind of a human being I am since I have more sympathy for animals than people sometimes 
6. I thought I was being kind by leaving a pool of water for a tired dog 
7. It turns out I was being a nuisance since he got up and moved elsewhere 
8. I'm understanding the American mentality of not wanting to learn a second language since everyone around the world really does speak English 
9. I will probably start jay-walking back home since I have learned to fearlessly cross Indian streets 10. Bollywood has fed me lies all of my life 
11. After seeing slums, hustling and human degradation everyday, I've been doing a lot of soul searching 
12. I now understand why Bollywood is all about the good life - I'm dying to see a legit mansion.

Day 11, Ajmer: Dargah Sharif

Once again we headed back to the Ajmer Shatabdi, this time to head to the city of Ajmer for a pilgrimage. The dargah of the Sufi saint Moinuddin Chisti, aka "Gharib Nawaz" (Benefactor of the Poor), is there and it is a site where Hindus and Christians visit in addition to Muslims.

Posing with a cooli (a rail porter)

The Rajasthani desert on the way to Ajmer

Heading to the guesthouse

My aunt regularly donates to the dargah, and a couple of the dargah caretakers arranged transportation and a room for us in their guesthouse. It was all nice until we finally met the father/son duo in an office in the dargah. The first question they had for us was concerning how much we were going to donate. My mother and I were so put off by this question! We were of course going to donate, but we naively assumed that there would be time for that later, after paying our respects to the saint. After offering $50 or so (for the time being), the father told us that it wasn't enough! Honestly, it's so sad to see what a business religion has become in the world today. Anyway, we did get a good tour of the place and donated here and there throughout the day. The dargah complex is massive!

Buland Darwaza

Cameras are not allowed inside... so I whipped out my phone instead

Getting ready for prayer

The "choti deg," (small pot) used to cook meals to feed the poor

A peek inside the "bara deg," (big pot) where donations in cash and food are thrown in

Getting ready for evening prayer

The shrine lit up at night

Day 10, Jaipur: Hawa Mahal, Royal Albert Hall, Jantar Mantar

It's ridiculous how I came home from my travels in early February and I am STILL transcribing my journal/uploading my pictures. Maybe I am not cut out for blogging, since God knows that I had all the time in the world to do this. Where did the last 5 months go? And in a month and a half I'll be starting medical school so I really have no idea where the future of this blog is going.

Anyway, I'm going to take a shortcut now. I'm still stubborn about displaying my travels but too lazy to write everything out.

The iconic Hawa Mahal - The Wind Palace

We had bought a city pass the other day, and it covered the entrance fees for our tourist attractions today. We hired Moin again as our driver, because once you find someone dependable you will definitely want to stick with that person even if it definitely is pricier than hailing autorickshaws. Truth be told, it was nice to be driven around, especially since it was starting to become hot (even though it was still January!)

Inside of the palace

Peek-a-boo!

Moin told us that the palace contains 300 such windows, for all of the princesses to peek out of.

There was a dejected-looking dog in the parking lot of the Royal Albert Hall. He looked so forlorn and thirsty that I created a puddle of water right next to him. Rather than the dog greedily lapping up the water, he gave it a disdainful look, got up and walked away! Never would I have thought that I was being an inconvenience to him, and, to add salt on my wounds, passerby started laughing at me.

Ancient war relics

Strike a pose

A little oasis in the desert

We bought some nuts and hung out on a bench on the museum grounds

By the time we got to Jantar Mantar, it was really hot and the place is such a wide, open, and bright area. The heat and light made it hard to enjoy our time here, and even with the audio tour I had no idea how any of those instruments were created or what their purpose was - but I did marvel at the sheer brilliance of it all!

An ancient sundial

I still have no idea what this is

Old City gates

Mmmm I miss these flavors!

Day 9, Jaipur: Amber Fort, Jal Mahal, Chokhi Dhani

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here. 

We woke up early to catch the Ajmer Shatabdi at 6am, Delhi Station, to Jaipur. Even at that time there was so much liveliness and activity in the station. Once again we headed to the 1 AC executive chair coach compartments, which were mostly filled by foreigners and well-to-do Indians. They were quite comfortable (but by no means considered "executive" by Western standards) and we were served lunch, coffee, tea, snacks, water bottles and newspapers (all included in the ticket). With my ipod on and earphones in, I hardly noticed the 4+ hours fly by.

Passing by a Rajasthani village

The views of Rajasthan consisted of mostly desert with some greenery here and there. We also saw some villagers, men and women going about their daily business, and it looked like straight out of the movies. There were four young Spanish backpackers seated in front of me, and they thought I was Indian and asked me about Jaipur. I told them it was my first time there and my American accent helped to back that up. It was interesting to me how the Indians could tell right away I was a foreigner while the foreigners thought I was Indian.

As usual, there were beggars outside of the station and our rickshaw driver (sent by the hotel to pick us up, with our names written on a piece of paper) told us that school is free and giving out money only encourages children to beg. It was still painful to see a woman and child hound as all the way to the rickshaw and keep at it until the rickshaw pulled away. We made it to the Sundar Palace Hotel within 10 minutes and I have to say, it is a GREAT hotel! It's beautiful, well-kept, with wonderful staff and spacious rooms. I couldn't have been happier with my selection! We also hired a taxi through the hotel and our driver, named Moinuddin, was pleasant, professional and actually great company!

A common area inside of our "sundar" hotel. I met a nice British lady here.

Our first stop was the magnificent Amber Fort and we had to go through the old city to get there, as well as through lots of traffic and some narrow back alleys. On the way, there were so many interesting views that I could have spent the whole day in the car! Every city, anywhere in the world, really has a personality of its own. The views were especially spectacular as we got closer to the fort, which was the palace of the Rajasthani princess Jodhaabai's brother, Mann Singh. It was huge and well preserved and thankfully there were no aggressive hawks here, although our driver advised us to say no to everyone who asked us to hire them as a tour guide.

Passing through Old City traffic

Amber Fort

Inside of Amber Fort

Splendor graces every corner!

View of the city

Mirrors

Being a typical tourist :)

Western-style coffee shop inside of the fort

Afterwards, Moin took us to a textile factory when we told him we wanted to do some shopping. I had a feeling it was one of those things I had read about in guide books: driver takes you to a place, gets commission off of it, and you feel pressured to buy stuff. However, I was actually fine with it. I forgot the name of the place, but the guy there showed us how block prints were made, which was pretty cool, and I got to keep the elephant print. We did cut him off (which might have been rude, but time was limited!) and asked to see the merchandise. After lots of haggling, I walked away with seven beautiful pillow covers at 100 INR each.

We also stopped at the breathtaking Jal Mahal.

Jal Mahal - The Water Palace

The not-so-sublime surroundings of the Jal Mahal

For the evening, we booked Moin to take us to Chokhi Dhani. My mom complained from the beginning: the entire place is set up like a traditional Rajasthani village, so it was darker than she would have liked (the vibe was that of a night-time fair). She was also none too pleased with having to take her shoes off and sitting crossed leg at the dining area. I, however, did enjoy it - it was quite an authentic experience! Foreigners were few and far, the vast majority were Indian tourists there to have a good time in Jaipur. Going with the fair-like atmosphere, there were areas with live singing, dancing, puppet shows, elephant rides, bonfires and more.

The village-themed carnival that is Chokhi Dhani

Dancers and other entertainers abound

We were served a traditional meal

Day 7, New Delhi: Humayun's Tomb, Karol Bagh

I kept a journal during my travels and am going to transcribe those entries here.

We started the day by visiting Humayun's tomb, an elaborate and majestic mausoleum which later served as the model for the Taj Mahal. Since it was so close to the dargah, we ventured out on foot but on the way there we were accosted by a beggar woman. For better or for worse, I was resolved to not open my purse in the crowded alleys of the dargah neighborhood and I tried to ignore this lady; honestly, you feel a mix of pity and annoyance and heartbreak and slight despair after a week of facing beggars. If I were to reach for my bag, I would be mobbed by at least ten others and then followed out by another ten. If I were to ignore her, I would initially feel like a bad person but then would rationalize it: after all, I'm not a foreign bank. Anyway, I tried to ignore her but she was feisty and relentless, following us all the way out to the street and rapidly talking away the entire time. I was more concerned with crossing the street in one piece (Delhi traffic is most definitely not pedestrian friendly) and started to view her as an annoyance - so I angrily gave her 50 rupees to go away. Does that make me a terrible person? Like I said, after a week you start to get disillusioned with a lot of things. Begging is a damn business here, and it starts to feel like everyone is needy and in dire straits. There's a general feeling of powerlessness and you are faced with the realization that the world is a big place and you are but a useless little speck in it.

Back to the tomb.

After the terrifying run across the street, we felt like we were in a different world from the one we left behind, just a few meters away. The area leading into the tomb is shady and green, idyllic and serene. There are jarring contrasts like this throughout Delhi, and none so pronounced as a park or national monument juxtaposed with dusty, traffic-clogged streets. I feel like a broken record when rhapsodizing over the architecture, but it really is that magnificent; just beholding such monuments inspires awe, reverence and beautiful feelings. I noticed many similarities with the Taj Mahal, especially in the symmetry, domes and arches - but while I was completely wonderstruck with the Taj, I felt a more serene atmosphere here. There weren't as many visitors and there was much more greenery; we didn't feel rushed, and we walked around soaking up the environment.

Humayun's Tomb

Side view - take a look at that symmetry!

The stars are astrological signs

Various tombs are scattered throughout

Afterwards, we found an autorickshaw to take us to the neighborhood of Karol Bagh. It was about a twenty five minute ride, and adventurous as always! The neighborhood was as busy and bustling as Lajpat Nagar, but I felt much more comfortable now: I was making good bargains and cutting my way through the crowds like an expert (well, as expert as a foreigner can be!) There were still beggars to be found, but not as many, and I did hand out rupees discreetly here and there.

We had quite a shopping spree and I bought a gorgeous sari of magenta chiffon with silver/black border and sequins. We also found a McDonald's and I was excited to see what an Indian McDonald's menu looked like; being pescetarian, I wish we had McSpicy paneer sandwiches over here! It was delicious but spicy as hell!

DELISH!