Early in the morning we hiked across the valley up to the ruins of the family's 800-year-old palace.
En route we encountered a family of wild pigs.
A close-up of the ceiling in the mirror room.
A young boy in the village bathing.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Royal Indian Experience
Patan Mahal, a restored 200-year-old royal family palace.
We were very fortunate to stay at Maduban, a heritage home, in Jaipur for several days and meeting our hosts Mr. & Mrs. Dicky Singh. Our friendship grew to the point where they invited us to stay as their first guests at the family's royal palace that has been restored into a first-class hotel in Patan, which is a small town three hours south of New Delhi. The Singh family are royal descendants of both Nepalese and Indian aristocracy that once ruled Nepal and their kingdom in India.
The pictures speak for themselves as to our wonderful unique experience.
Our gracious hosts, Dicky & Kavita Singh.
Our living quarters were once used by his grandmother as her receiving room.
Joining us during our stay was Lindsay Brown (left), the Lonely Planet author that covers the state of Rajasthan. He was at the start of a five-week trip to update the guide.
Across the valley are the ruins of the family's 800-year-old palace (middle) and fort (top).
Early the next morning we hiked to the palace.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Royal Cenotaphs & Amber Fort & Palace
We were the only tourists at one of the most remarkable homages to the dead Maharanis, their cenotaphs which are extraordinary in design and constructed in marble.
The Amber Fort & Palace used to be the ancient capital of Jaipur. In the foreground are elephants that you can ride to the palace.
The Pink City and Palace, Jaipur
In 1876 the Indian ruler had the entire old city painted sandstone pink, the color of hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales who later became King Edward VII. The bazars we saw surrounding the city palace were loud and chaotic as we walked inside the old walls.
Hawa Mahl, Jaipur, India
The Hawa Mahl was built in 1799 by a Maharaja so the ladies of the royal household could look out at the city. It is a beautiful five-storey structure made of sandstone.
Rhonda in her new Indian clothes, a shalwar kameez - long pants with a long tunic top.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
National Museum, New Delhi, India
Inuit Art Exhibit from the Canadian Arctic
The Legend of the Blind Boy, 1998
Sedna with a Hairbrush, 1985
Were we surprised to see this exhibit from the Arctic in New Delhi. The sculptures were exotic, wild and surrealistic -- carved from bone whale, dog fur, caribou bone, walrus ivory and stone.
Head, 1962
Figure, 1973
Himalayan Sunrise, Pokhara, Nepal
The beginning of a sunrise on the Annapurna range of the Himalaya. Most of these peaks measure in the 24-25,000 ft. height.
A hazy sunrise on the Machhapuchhare.
We were up at 4:30 am to take a taxi to see the sunrise.
Living Goddess & Durbar Square
Nepal has a real living goddess, the Kumari Devi, a young girl who lives in this building, the Kumari Bahal, next to Kathmandu's Durbar Square. She is selected at age 4 from the Newari caste and lives here until she reaches puberty and reverts to being a normal mortal. She appears daily in the open balcony on the third floor where we were able to see her. Unfortunately no one is allowed to take her picture.
Shiva-Parvati Temple
The white image of Shiva and his consort look out from the upstairs window on the square.
Ganesh is the elephant god who in the Hindu pantheon represents the alleviation of obstructions in the devotees life. This is Ashok Binayak, one of the four most important Ganesh shrines in the valley.
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