Tin Amigos - Ranthambore and Tigers!

The distance from Jaipur to Ranthambore isn't great, but it takes forever and a day to get there over some of the worst roads I've seen in India. You're lulled into complacency by the fact that most of the way there, the road is wide and well-paved. But then, you get to a point, literally a fork in the road, where things begin to deteriorate, rapidly. The last few kilometers to Ranthambore are pretty rough, I think because they are working on improving the road. We were driving on a bi-level gravel bed that will eventually be a road, along with every kind of traffic that you can imagine - water buffalo, camel carts, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, and then some.

Despite a loooong drive, we arrived safe and sound at Dev Vilas just in time for lunch. The hotel was a pleasant surprise. Located just outside of the park entrance, it provided great access to Ranthambore, and the rooms were some of the largest that I've stayed in, in India. Although the accommodations were simple, everything was very clean, the staff was nice and the food was good. They have a small, but nice, swimming pool, and there's even a resident elephant that was part of the owner's mother's dowry.

We kicked off our stay with an afternoon safari, and finally, yes finally, saw.....TIGERS! We were really lucky and got a good guide and a good draw for a zone within the park. As compared to Corbett, Ranthambore is smaller in acreage and more densely populated with wildlife. They've also created some man-made watering holes near the jeep tracks, so your chances of seeing the tigers are better. At first, we spotted two tigers at a distance in some brush. We watched them for a while, but when they didn't seem inclined to move out into the heat of the day, we continued on into the park. However, on the way back we passed through the same area and this time the tigers had moved to the watering hole and were much closer. The pair that we saw were a brother and sister, about two years old, so not mature, but still very big cats. We hung out for quite some time, just watching them bathe and play with one another. The tigers are graceful, in the manner of a highly-trained athlete or prize fighter, and they're fascinating to watch. It's as if my tabby cat, Teddy, just got blown up to jumbo size - you have this odd urge to pet them, because they seem just like big kittens, at the same time that you realize you're observing a finely honed killing machine. It's eerie, and it definitely makes you understand how those stupid people who get too close to the animals at the zoo, or in nature parks, end up in such predicaments.

We were pretty thrilled with our safari and made our way back to the hotel on a high. We were really lucky as well, for although it seemed like tiger sightings were there for the taking, it had actually been over three days since any of the guests at Dev Vilas had sighted a tiger. The staff looked absolutely relieved that we'd had success. We spent our evening with a swim and cocktails under the stars, and concluded it with a lovely dinner in the dining room. We hit the sack pretty early so that we could be up and at 'em bright and early for our 6am safari.

On day two, we didn't have as much luck - no Tigers. We explored a different zone of the park, high on a ridge overlooking the area we'd been through the prior day. It was beautiful, and we again saw lots of wildlife - parrots, spotted deer, peacocks, and a golden oriole. I enjoy the safaris, but when they're not fruitful, you get tired of just looking so hard. I almost didn't believe it when we did see tigers, since it was my 5th try or so. However, all of the eye strain was worth it in the end, and despite the fact that we didn't see tigers the second day, the trip was definitely a success - whew! I felt somewhat redeemed as a tour guide, given all of the issues we had with the first leg of the Tin Amigos extravaganza. After our safari, we got cleaned up and had lunch, and then headed back to Jaipur for dinner and some turbo sight-seeing at the City Palace. Shannon and Kevin were ready to hit the road, but Lauren and I still managed a speed round of shopping that yielded silk dupattas for me and Mom, and a silk bed cover set for Lauren. Devindar, prince among drivers, was helping us negotiate to get the best prices. The coverlet seller was driving a hard bargain, and Lauren wasn't sure if Devindar was making any headway, in his polite way, so she stepped in and offered a new price of 2200 Rs. Little did she know that Devindar had already locked in a price of 1800 Rs. Devindar kind of shook his head and got a good giggle out of it, but moral of the story is - let Devindar do his thing, no matter how antagonistic or unproductive the negotiations appear to be.

With our Rajasthani road trip coming to a close, we headed back to Delhi and the bubble of home. The next day, I went back to work and the Tin Amigos headed to Amritsar for night-viewing of the Golden Temple and the show at the Wagah Border. On Friday, Devindar took Kevin, the girls, and a shopping list and ran errands in Delhi all day. I joined them for one last Indian dinner at Balluchi, and the we were off to bed. Eight AM, the Tin Amigos depart Delhi, leaving an exhausted and very-happy me, and a just-plain-exhausted Devindar in their wake.

Three cheers for friends who'll travel halfway around the world to see you - huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!

3 Amigos - Ranthambore

Tin Amigos - Agra

After one night's sleep in my Gurgaon bubble, we were on the road again, bright and early. This time we headed south to Agra, then on to Jaipur and Ranthambore - a proper Rajasthani road trip, complete with a mini-van and my ever-patient driver, Devindar.

Our first stop of the trip was Agra, about four hours south of Delhi. Agra is a paradise of Mughal architecture. I had heard from friends that it wasn't a very pleasant city, but I found myself liking it. Surprisingly green, the streets are lined with trees, and though there's the normal chaos of any Indian city, it seems to essentially be a normal, mid-sized town. We started off at Sikandra, with Akbar's Tomb. I hadn't even heard of the tomb before, but I truly loved it, and though it may be sacrilege, I actually preferred Sikandra to the Taj. It was largely empty, save a few lovebirds hanging out in the arcades around the tomb, and the colors are the deep, rusty red that is so common in Mughali architecture, as well as creamy whites and bold blue and gold. It's just beautiful, and you can go down into the crypt to the grave site itself. When we were there, one of the attendants was chanting prayers to show off the booming acoustics of the room. It's amazing to think the monument itself is well over four hundred years old, and yet still enjoys significant numbers of visitors and a degree of deference that is often not shown to more modern heroes.

After Sikandra, we headed to the main event, the Taj Mahal. To try and minimize the impact of pollution on the Taj, no fuel vehicles are allowed within a certain radius of the gardens and buildings. What this boils down to is that you have to pay a ridiculous fee for an electric golf cart or a camel cart to take you the last 200 yards to the Taj. But, it's still peanuts in the grand scheme of things, so we quickly got over it. Having left Delhi at 6:30am, we arrived at the Taj in the heat of the day. Even still, it was chock-a-block with Indian tourists, and everyone clambering over one another to get the perfect picture. We joined in the melee and took our turn taking pictures. The Taj is lovely. It's somehow smaller than I expected, but every bit as beautiful as it is storied to be. I imagine that Shah Jahan envisioned it as a serene place, but that's not true in the peak of tourist hours. When I go back, I would either like to try to get one of the special full-moon tickets, or go at dawn or dusk, when the air is cooler and the gardens more empty. After wandering through the gardens and inside the mausoleum with our guide, we were pretty beat. The Indian sun drains you quickly, and we very soon sought the shade of one of the arcades surrounding the garden, and admired the Taj again from afar.

Post-Taj, our guide took us to a shop where he claimed the very descendants of those who built the Taj continue to work. We saw a nice demonstration of how piedra dura, the precious stone-inlaid marble in the Taj, is made and then were expected to buy samples at truly exorbidant prices. I quickly made my escape, grateful for the edification, and for escapting with my wallet. We headed out of Agra on the Agra-Jaipur road, with Jaipur as our final destination for the evening. Along the way, we stopped briefly at Fatehpur Sikri, a city that the Mughals built and then abandoned after just 13 years. The city still stands, almost in its entirety, and the mosque is an active place of worship for both tourist and locals. Although it's beautiful, especially in the late evening light, there are more vendors, touts, and hangers-on per square inch in Fatehpur Sikri than anywhere else I've been in India. And, they do not leave you alone. Needless to say, it got old really fast. I was glad that we stopped, but even more glad to get on the road again.

Another four or five hours and we were safely ensconced in the Hotel Narain Niwas Palace in Jaipur. A former maharajah's palace, now turned Heritage Hotel, the Narain Niwas occupies a whole city block in downtown Jaipur. Though it could have been cheaper, and perhaps more posh, I really loved the garden restaurant, the quaint buildings, and the very accommodating staff. We had a good night's rest, and an ample breakfast before heading out to Ranthambore, by way of Lassiwalla, best lassi shop in Jaipur.

Tin Amigos - Udaipur

Udaipur is built on the banks of several lakes in northeastern Rajasthan, just a short hop from Delhi. Tiny streets wind through crumbling Rajput palaces down to the lakeshore, and the town is chock-a-block with artists' galleries. Thanks to the many expats who went before me, I had a great recommendation for a place to stay. Now, bear in mind that Udaipur is home to what is ostensibly the best hotel in the world, the Oberoi Udaivilas. But, I resisted temptation and was super-glad that I did. Instead, we stayed at the much smaller and wonderfully charming Udai Kothi. This was one of my best hotel experiences in India - the staff are great, the restaurant has really good food, the view is amazing, and the price is right.

We rolled into town on Friday afternoon and proceeded to have a very low-key two days. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was how great the rooftop restaurant was at Udai Kothi. After getting settled, we wandered upstairs to find a charming oasis right on the roof of our hotel, complete with a beautiful view of Lake Pichola and sittar players. The ambiance alone would have made it a fantastic find, but in addition, the Udai Kothi is home to the best ever cheese naan - I still haven't found it's equal, and trust me, I've been looking hard since we left - and really good Butter Chicken. So yummy!

We started our second day observing the troupe of monkeys that were cavorting through the garden of the hotel. Unfortunately, Delhi Belly claimed its second victim of the trip, and Lauren stayed in bed for the day. Shannon, Kevin and I made our way to the City Palace and spent a few hours going through the buildings, and enjoying the view over the city. On the way back to our hotel, we went through a few of the art galleries and Shannon and I negotiated for a traditional painting that depicts Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace. I'm pretty sure I got taken for a ride in terms of the price, but oh well. Converted to USD, it was still really affordable, and much as I hated to admit it, I did pick out one that was clearly better quality. That evening, we made a feeble run at creativity and ended up going right back to our lovely rooftop. This time, we got smart and reserved the cupola table with a mirrored ceiling which overlooks the lake. You could not imagine a more idyllic or romantic spot to have dinner. Just beautiful.

On our last morning in Udaipur, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then grabbed our cab to the airport. We budgeted time to visit the Monsoon Palace, Sajjangarh, which sits on a mountain overlooking Udaipur. When we got there, the palace was completely empty, so we had a leisurely stroll around the building and grounds, and watched a family of monkeys bask in the sun by a well. We wound our way down the mountain with plenty of time to spare and made a stop at a craft village called Shilpgram. The place was definitely touristy, but we had a nice guide who showed us buildings and handicrafts that were representative of Rajasthani tribal culture. And, Lauren got to pet a camel (and didn't get spit on), so we were good to go. A quick jaunt to the airport and we were rapidly bumping our way through some turbulence on our way back to Delhi - phase one of the journey complete.