I first heard about Jaisalmer from Mario Pinto, SFU’s VP Research who was born in Southern India. He said I must see it. Tony Lloyd told me the same thing. Unfortunately, the airport was closed due to its proximity to the Pakistani border, and so we had to take the train. I didn’t think this would be a problem since we had enjoyed out train trips in China.

Well, trains in India are quite different. We got to the station at 11, to board an 11:24 train. Unfortunately, we had changed our schedule, and could only get a 3^rdnd class AC sleeper. class Air Conditioned sleeper, rather than a 2 The train was late, and the platform was so full of bodies there literally was no where to stand, let alone sit. The stench from human waste was unbelievable. Parents were taking their children onto the tracks so they could ‘go to the toilet’. At 12:30 we were told there would be a further half hour delay. Finally we found a place to sit, but I was falling asleep from the heat and the smell.

Finally the train arrived, and we discovered that one difference between 2^nd and 3^rd class is a third row of beds, which meant there was nowhere to put our baggage. After much consternation, Sally climbed onto the top berth, and curled herself around her bags. I took the middle berth, since I was more likely to get up in the middle of the night. Next to us were three large Indian men, who removed their socks and started to have dinner. Across the corridor was an Englishman, who we later learned was heading into the desert to fix an oil rig. One of the Indians next to us was his guide.

The best thing about the toilets was that there were two: a regular style and western style. But gone were the amenities than we have become accustomed to find in the Business Class section of Emirates Airlines. There was no cologne, even though it was badly needed; no hand cream; no soap or toothbrushes; not even any toilet paper.

Sally and I did the only reasonable thing under the circumstances. We popped some sleeping pills and hoped for the best. But before doing so, we followed the locals and locked our luggage to the bed frames.

We pulled into Jaisalmer in the afternoon and immediately fell in love with the place. It was, as described by our guidebook, like a giant sandcastle. The entire town, including a 12^th century Fort, was constructed out of golden sandstone. A driver and local travel agent greeted us at the station, and took us to our hotel, Fort Rajwada, part of the Taj Hotel chain, which looked old, but in fact was built 7 years ago. We spent the afternoon having lunch and a sleep by the pool. At 5, our driver picked us up and took us to various sites around the town

After visiting a centuries old man-made lake, we were taken to an impressive collection of small structures at the top of a hill to watch the sun set. These charming ‘sand castles’ were marred by a large corrugated metal roofed structure in the middle, which seemed totally out of place. We could tell these were not homes, but weren’t quite sure what they were. We came across some foreign tourists and I asked “Where are we?” “The town crematorium” replied a very English voice. And there’s lots of good kindling over there for the next service.

Of course. How stupid could I be? The metal roof structure was the oven. Fortunately, it was not used while we were there.

We returned to the hotel for dinner. There were only a few people in the dining room, but next to us was an Israeli couple, sitting with some formidable looking Indians. No sooner had they sat down, but with great fanfare the lights were dimmed, and the waiters carried over a birthday cake and bottle of champagne. The Israeli was very nonchalant about the whole thing, and I glanced at the cake. It said “Happy Birthday Jacob Klein”. I tried to offer him birthday greetings in Hebrew, but he ignored me.

Sally discouraged me from trying to strike up a conversion. “I think he’s in the secret service” she said. So we left the dining room, and returned to our room where we watched Indian music videos and commercials on TV. They are wonderful, although what we see on TV seems to bear little similarity to what we see on the streets. But then, one might say the same about North American TV.

We wanted to have a good night’s sleep since tomorrow we were off on our camel safari.

Jaipur: Some Wonderful Sights

While the old town of Jaipur may be pink and parts are in decay, there are some wonderful amber buildings outside the town. One very impressive complex is the Amber Fort, which started construction in the late 16^th century, and served for a number of years as the ancient capital. You can walk to the fort, or take an elephant, but we went up in our car. This time, we had a guide and needed one, since the fort is an incredible maze of structures, with some wonderful viewpoints looking out over settlements more than 1000 years old.

The decoration on many of the palace buildings was quite impressive, especially since the guide insisted that some of the frescoes hadn’t been restored and were over three hundred years old. He also taught Sally how to distinguish the Hindu and Moghul arches, with reference to the design of her hands! As we viewed the Maharajas' apartments, we got a glimpse into the lives of these men and their courts. They enjoyed unfathomable extravagances. Many spaces within their living areas had the ceiling inlaid with mirrors, so that when the room was candle lit at night, it would seem like they were under the stars.

Another impressive sight was the City Palace that was built and expanded by a series of Maharajas. As one wanders through, they can learn even more about the lives of the Maharajahs, including Sawai Madho Singh. This fellow, like some other Rajasthan men, was over 2 metres tall. However, he also weighed 250 kg. and had 108 wives. After hearing all morning about their indulgences, it is not hard to understand why the government removed the Maharajahs' powers after independence. However, some continue to enjoy extraordinary wealth, and get to play polo with Prince Charles. Unfortunately, one very impressive Maharajah died of a heart attack while playing polo. As these photos will hopefully show, they had nice digs.

Near the palace is Jantar Mantar, an observatory which began construction in the 18^th century. It looks like the set of a science fiction movie, and is most impressive in terms of how precisely the various constructed devices could tell the date and time from the sun, hundreds of years ago. Different structures are designed for each sign of the zodiac, and our guide explained how important astrology still is today for many people. For example, before couples are married, the families bring in the astrologer to read the charts of the bride and groom. He measures their compatibility using a complex numerical system. If they are not sufficiently compatible, the marriage will be called off.

Based on what we were told, Sally and I should never have got married!

Jaipur: the Pink City

During the initial planning for UniverCity, I was intrigued with the idea of restricting the allowable materials and colours to create a more coordinated community design. The inspiration came from places like the Greek Isles, where all the buildings are white; and Jerusalem, where every building must incorporate golden Jerusalem stone. Now I can add the old city of Jaipur to the list of places that are remarkable because of their use of consistent colour and materials.

Jaipur owes its name and planning to a great 18^th century warrior-astronomer Maharaja Jai Singh II. In 1727, he laid out the city with its surrounding walls and rectilinear blocks according to principles set down in the Shilpa-Shastra, an ancient Hindu architectural treatise, conceptually similar to Chinese Feng Shui. All the main streets were very wide, with continuous arcades at street level, and dividing the city into neat rectangles. Each rectangle is devoted to a different craft: precious and semi-precious stones; saris and fabrics; shoes and clothing; jewelry, etc.

In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh had the entire city painted pink, a colour associated with hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). The tradition has been maintained. Today, all the buildings are various shades of pink, except for the occasional non-conforming site. The overall effect is impressive, especially at dusk when the town takes on what our guidebook calls ‘a magical glow’.

I write this having just spent one and a half days in Jaipur. Unfortunately, the buildings in the old city have generally not been well maintained. The public infrastructure is also decaying. We stayed in a ‘Heritage Class’ hotel called Alsisar Haveli that was hidden behind a high wall just off a busy commercial street. Not wanting to be cocooned in our hotel as we were in Agra, on our first night I begged Sally to venture out into the streets to find a restaurant for dinner.

It was like being in hell. The traffic was chaotic and noisy, and there were no safe routes for pedestrians. There was a permeating smell of urine and feces, and cows and the occasional camel blocked our way. Just as we were trying to adjust to all of this, it suddenly got very windy, knocking over bicycles and scooters and hurling sand and debris into the air. At this point I knew it was time to give up, and we returned to the hotel where we ate in the elegant dining room.

Over dinner, we joined up with a German couple who we had met earlier in the day by the pool. They had been hiking in the Himalayas and had now come down to tour some cities. We discussed our first impressions of India. We were both having difficulty enjoying the country, and were feeling guilty about it. While we were impressed with the magnificent structures of yesteryear, it was hard to enjoy Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

I told them that I was particularly upset with the decrepit infrastructure and buildings. I rarely see a completed building, and it is difficult to know whether they are going up or coming down. Sally thought that parts of these cities looked like they had been through a war.

Early the following morning, I did venture out for a walk around the old town. It didn’t last long. I was again overcome by the filth and stench, and the sight of thousands of people sleeping in the streets. The truck drivers who often passed us at high speeds were sleeping on top of their cabs. The tuc-tuc drivers were sleeping in their vehicles. People were huddled in doorways, on pieces of cardboard, or on the bare ground. Dozens of cows were roaming around. I was later told that some have been abandoned by their owners since they can no longer produce milk, but cannot be slaughtered.

Later in the day we went for a walk through the bazaars to see what was being offered for sale, and to enjoy the sights and smells. But after an hour, we had had enough of constantly being barraged by merchants trying to sell us things we didn’t want. Sally was particularly disgusted seeing men defecating in open public toilets along the road.

I suspect some of our dissatisfaction to date has been influenced by our poor experiences with Travel Agents, and a number of other people that we have met. We have often been conned and taken advantage off. The merchants try to overcharge us, and Sally is nearly always given the wrong change. We are also troubled by some of the beggars and hawkers who hang around the tourist sites, and just won’t leave you alone.

There have also been a couple of potentially foolish decisions on my part. Although a number of people told me to visit Jaisalmer, we never really discussed the time of year we would be traveling. It is often unbearably hot, and I’ve arranged for us to go to off to the desert for a camel safari! After that, we have to endure a 17 hour overnight train trip, and a 4 hour train trip to Chandigarh.

But, as Sally discussed with Isabelle and Laura, two lovely French ladies who we met in the pool, to enjoy India, you have to be ‘in the moment’. You need to cast aside many of your habits and values, and take things as they come. After our first 5 days, we do not think we will be back soon. But we are going to try and adopt a more positive attitude to whatever happens, in the hope that it will help us more fully enjoy our remaining time here. Who knows, maybe we’ll become like the charming couple we met at our hotel from California, who return here almost every year. But if things don’t work out, we will soon be heading off to Dubai and the Greek Islands, where we know it will be very different.

Agra to Jaipur, Rajasthan

Forty kilometers west of Agra we came upon the magnificent fortified ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri, today a World Heritage Site. It had been built by Emperor Akbar the Great as the capital of the Mughal Empire during the 16^th Century. Akbar had a wonderful attitude towards religion. He believed in peace for all, and counted Christians and Hindus amongst his many wives.

He built Fatehpur Sikri as a place where people of all religions could come together and live in a ‘perfect city’. He invented a philosophy known as Din-i-llahi (Faith of God) which tried to blend all the religions into one. At the same time, he built separate quarters for each of his wives, decorated in the style of their religion. Unfortunately, the city only lasted as the capital for 14 years and had to be abandoned after his death, since it was built to far from an existing river, and despite the ingenious irrigation proposals by his engineers, it wasn’t possible to meet the water needs of the city. Sort of like Adelaide!

We picked up a guide at the entrance. We weren’t too concerned about his abilities because our guide book cautioned us that the purpose of many buildings was uncertain, hence much of what the guides say is invented!

Like so many of India’s great monuments, it was a most amazing place. Equally amazing were the stories about Emperor Akbar and his court who resided in the city. I was particularly interested in a large area, where the court played a game not unlike chess. However instead of wooden or marble markers, the ‘pieces’ were beautiful maidens, who were moved about the ‘board’ in their colourful saris and musical jewelry.

Our guide was able to show us how the different religions did influence the design of different buildings in the city. The combination of the religions resulted in some very interesting details and spaces. It is a great shame that the city did not survive as the capital. It’s an even greater shame that Akbar’s concept of a single religion, which blended all the other religions didn’t survive either.

About 95 km from Jaipur, our driver turned off the road, and down some very rough roads, through rural villages and wheat fields. Eventually we stopped in Abhaneri, a very remote village to see one of Rajasthan’s most awe inspiring step-wells. I still don’t fully understand the purpose of these wells, but this one was built by King Chand who ruled the area in the 9th century. Unfortunately, there was no guide to explain what this was all about; just a very rough looking guy, and a very old man who kept talking to us in Hindi, and taking our money as I violated the no photography signs.

This structure had about 11 visible levels of zigzagging steps. It was an incredible geometric sight, about 20 m deep. At the bottom was a small amount of stagnant water covered in algae, which wasn’t surprising since it hadn't rained for months, and doesn’t start raining here until late June. The temperature was in the mid forties while we were there.

As you can see from the photos, it was a remarkable place. While we felt a bit vulnerable wandering around, since our driver took off and left us, and there was no one around who could speak a word of English, it was a most memorable experience, and one of the most interesting old structures I have ever seen.

After looking around at this well, and an adjacent ruin of a temple, our driver did return, and we told him we were ready to go directly to our hotel in Jaipur, where we could go for a swim in a proper pool. And so we did.

Delhi and Agra

Day One
On our first day in Delhi, we went down to the government’s Tourism Office in Connaught Place to try and book another tour. We were told there were no package tours at this time of year, but a very charming man proposed a private 10 day trip. It was only when we made the payment that we discovered that once again, we were not dealing with the government, but with yet another private Travel Agency. This time it was Exotic Adventures, and I now fear they may not be much better than the first company we were dealing with.

However, we are booked into the Ashoka Hotel for the night, and have an itinerary taking us to Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, (where we’re also going on a camel safari), then back to Delhi and up to Chandigarh, the planned city designed by Le Corbusier. We’ll be driving part of the way, and taking four train trips (two overnight), since someone told us that a bad train trip in India is still better than a good car trip. We’ll see.

We spent the balance of our first day being toured around various sites in the city. Some of the old monuments are most impressive, with very intricate carvings. There is a huge contrast between Old and New Delhi; with the latter having some very impressive streets and public places, while the former is just awful. After a day of sightseeing, we decided this is not a very pleasant city, and we look forward to leaving and seeing other parts of the country.

Day two.
Early this morning we met up with Sanjay, our new driver in his Toyota Innova SUV and set off for Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located. As we drove out of the city, it was disturbing to look out of the window since the view was so distressing. Tens of thousands of people were huddled under corrugated metal structures along the road, amongst piles of rubble and garbage. Roaming cows and water buffalo wandered between pedestrians, cyclists, and motor scooters. Then there were the tuk-tuks, the three wheeled motorized taxis with canvas convertible roofs permanently up in the 40 degree plus temperatures. Many of the tuk-tuks looked like they had spent the last few years in Iraq. Then there were the buses. While many are powered by CNG, most look like they too have spent time doing duty in war torn zones. Passengers were hanging onto the outside, and some were even on the roof.

There were lots of trucks. I liked how many of them had been decorated by their owners. There were also lots of cars; predominantly locally made Ambassadors and others that we don’t see in Canada. Almost all of them bore scars from trying to weave in and out of the congested traffic.

In addition to the rubbish and debris along the roads, there were piles of bricks everywhere, presumably stockpiled for future projects. Most of the buildings seemed to be either under construction, or being torn down, or falling down. As strange as it may sound, few seemed to be complete.

The scene outside the car windows was all the more disturbing because of two unbelievably extravagant functions at our hotel last night. The first was a wedding. We learned about it when he heard music and what sounded like a procession outside our window. We looked out and saw a golden carriage being drawn by two white horses, surrounded by joyfully dressed musicians and dancers. Later, hundreds of beautifully dressed men, women and children were partying just down the corridor from our room, while the bride and groom sat at the head table. In an adjoining ballroom, there was a ‘ring ceremony’ or what we call an engagement party. Another beautifully dressed bride and groom to be sat up on a stage, while well-wishers mingled below. We were told these were both arranged marriages, rather than ‘love marriages’. Apparently 85% of marriages in India are still arranged. Sally didn't think either of the brides looked particularly happy.

As we got out of the city, the scenery changed and the corrugated buildings were replaced by farmers’ fields. The tuk-tuks and trucks were often crammed with perilously balanced farm workers. Along the road were thatch roofed ‘huts’ that looked like they were built out of mud. In fact, we were told it was cow dung, being stock-piled to be used as fuel. Some of these structures seemed to have intricate designs impressed on the outside. At the border, I was greeted by another animal: a monkey that jumped onto the car window, and his owner who wanted payment for this photo.

Agra

We reached Agra in the early afternoon, after stopping off at a couple of very interesting sites including a step well and the first white marble temple. Despite being home to one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, Agra is a very, very ugly place. Fortunately, entering our hotel, The Taj View was like finding an oasis. We were presented with cold cloths and lime sodas upon arrival, and there was a lovely view from the lobby through the restaurant to an outdoor pool. True to the hotel’s name, our room had a full frontal view of the Taj Mahal. I turned on the TV, and amazingly, CNN was doing a story about the Taj Mahal needing a mud bath to bring back its original colour. As you can see, I needed to cool down!

Taj MahalWe set off with Sanjay and a guide to see the Taj Mahal around 4:30. It was quite a ritual getting there since cars are no longer allowed to drive up in an effort to prevent a further yellowing of the marble. We took a tuc-tuc, and then had to go through very strict security. Our guide was a bit strange, and seemed to be in too much of a hurry. We subsequently learned he was eager to take us to a marble carving studio and store, where he hoped we might buy a table so he could earn a substantial commission. But we were in no rush to leave. Sally has waited most of her life to see the Taj Mahal, and we lingered until the sun started to set and we were asked to leave the grounds.

As we wandered around, I came across this door which had been painted the wrong colour of white. I found it very disturbing. I told Sally it should either be toned down, to match the marble, or painted a charcoal colour, to match the inlay. Sally told me to relax, I was no longer at work!

It was particularly interesting to watch all the other tourists, mainly Indians, posing for photos in front of their national monument. A few of them also wanted to have their photos taken with us! I will always remember one family of about 12 people, including a beautiful little girl who, as she was leaving asked me “And what is your good name, sir?”

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to experience one of those golden sunsets you see in the pictures, nor could we see the Taj Mahal at night since this is now only allowed at full moon for ‘security reasons’. But it was wonderful to be there, and walk around the site.

While we said we didn’t want to visit the marble studio, it was in fact quite interesting. A row of scruffy young boys sat in front of grinding wheels, shaping tiny fragments of coloured marble which was inlaid in very intricate patterns into marble bases. It’s the same technique that has been used in Agra for centuries, ever since the Taj was built. Despite some very impressive salesmanship, and the turning on and off of lights to help us appreciate the translucence of the marble, we didn’t buy a thing.

That night, we decide to cocoon ourselves in the hotel. We just couldn’t face going out into the streets again.