Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 1

I have spent the last 2 days/nights at the "Lodge at Northern Hay" (www.serendipityo.com) - a still working coffee plantation located in the middle of 2 adjoining. National Wildlife Parks. This privately-owned property's original plantation enclave has been converted into 11 or so roomy accommodations. It has been owned/run by the same family since the 1890s. The facilities are very basic but surprisingly comfortable. Its location in the middle of the parks makes all the best wildlife spotting areas easily accessible in a short period of time. Top pic is of my mud, thatched hut - very large w seating area inside & a nice covered porch with table/chairs.
I was told by the staff not to leave the compound area without being accompanied by one of their staff people. Soon after I arrived here while having a late afternoon tea one of their excited staff people came to get me. We walked just outside the gate to their compound area & there stood the huge, loner tusker shown in below pic! He threaten us, the staff person said not to move & then he bolted into the thickets. It was a neat experience!
Btw - this is a mountain jungle area where it is very cool & like the lodge where I am staying, there are many working coffee plantations.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 2

Saw many wild game in the park - but most I had seen in the other parks & included pics of them in earlier blog updates.
At this park, I saw many more elephants than in previous parks. The biggest Asian tusker I have ever seen (in the wild or otherwise) was the one shown in the top pic! This one occasionally fed at this one location in the early AM. Fortunately for me he happen to be there when we went looking for him! The pic says it all - he was magnificent!
The bottom pic is a lucky shot I got of an Indian wild dog. S/he was hunting with a pack of about 10-12 others.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 3

There are many domesticated elephants in & around these national parks. Many of them & their "owners" congregate at a single location every few days for an elephant feeding "get together". The owners discuss "work prospects" & the health of their elephants. The day I visited was for "males only".<- bc when the sexes mix there can be problems.
Top pic is of elephants waiting to be fed - there were more than 40 tuskers there but they keep them well apart from each other.
They feed each elephant a huge block of "individually prescribed" (by vet) food - that's a prescribed meal on the shoulder of the man in center pic. Each is a mixture of cooked rice, sugar, salt, vitamins & ground/concentrated grains.
Feedings are visited by a state-paid vets who, if an owner requests, will check the elephants, prescribe medications, & provide general medical consultations/services. The bottom pic is of a vet administering what appeared to be an enema??
Because elephants are my favorite critters - I felt honored to be amongst these gracious, gentle beasts.

Singara, Mudumalai, & Bundhipur National Parks 4

Some wild & domestic elephants - each was awesome! Note mountainous terrain in top pic.

Ancient Hindu Temples

I have seen many new as well as very ancient Hindu temples. None allow pics to be taken inside,
The Kesava Temple above is one of the oldest & best preserved/restored temples I've seen. Built in 1269, it is constructed of an intricately carved "soft" granite <- pretty amazing when one remembers the limited tools that existed at the time! It is surrounded by a series of small "cells" that once contained shrines (statues) of lesser Hindu gods.

Mysore

Made it to Mysore today. The Mysore Palace was built in 1901-5 - the royal family still lives there but major portions are open to the public for a fee. Pic is dark because of clouds - sorry.
When India gained its independence from Britain - it is said that most of the Indian population wanted Mysore to be united India's capital. However, the folks in northern India controlled most of the money in the country & Mysore is now a secondary tourist attraction known for its silk products.
Tomorrow I'm off to another wildlife sanctuary & a "home stay"!

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary 1

I did 2 safaris today - 1 early AM & 1 early PM. Saw many things that I had not seen up north in Sariska!
This sanctuary has the largest heard of wild Asian elephants in the world - numbering over 1,200. This time of year most have migrated north. Today we saw 2 small heards numbering 5-6 elephants each. These were the first "wild" elephants I have ever seen. The top pic is of a male tusker and female..
The center & bottom pics are of a female that disliked our jeep & repeatedly charged us! The guide said this rarely happens & she probably thought that her very young calf was threatened. In any event, I was sitting in the rear of the jeep - closest to her! I did not use a zoom to get these pics - she was within 10 feet of me, running, & pissed,

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary 2

The Gaur is the largest "wild cow" in the world. They have never been domesticated & are huge/massive - large males, like those shown in top pic, can be up to 1 ton! Gaur are not found in north India but can range as far as SE Asia! They are very shy & normally feed only at night.
The spotted deer are very common throughout India. I liked the bottom pic above because of the impressive rack on the male - left side of pic.
Saw many other critters including many langurs, wild boar, wild dogs, Sambars, barking deer & numerous birds. But aboves pics were the most worthwhile.
Btw - Most tourists here are Indians from Bangalore and Delhi! They say now is the very best time to tour south India - the direct opposite of online info!?!?

Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary

After a 4+ hour drive from Bangalore, arrived at the Nagerhole Wildlife Sanctuary see HERE
Accommodations are very basic - but comfortable. I at least have a fridge to keep my insulin chilled. Surprisingly - the weather here is much, much cooler than it was in North India, there is a constant breeze & no AC in the "cottages'!

On the way we stopped at a silk cocoon market - top pic. "Silk Farmers" raise silk worms in there homes, boil the cocoons to remove pupae (sp?) which they "save" & bring the cocoons to market to sell to silk merchants who remove silk from cocoons & spin into threads for dying.

Tomorrow an early AM & late PM "safari.

Balkar & Masala Chai

Top pic is of me & my driver for the past 2 weeks & safely drove our 1,800 mile road trip. His name is Balkar. Here we are enjoying our last road side Masala Chai breaks <- India is known for this exotic tea that is always fresh-brewed to order with .milk & 5 spices - I know 1 is ginger but have no idea what the others are - it's delicious & I'm now addicted to it!
In case you didn't check the website for the Lallgarh Palace - bottom pic is of its pool - see below for palace's web site.

Mandawa & Back to Delhi

Left Bikaner early this AM & after a 5+-hour, 130 mile drive (much of it on very bad roads) arrived at Mandawa. I am staying at the Mandawa Castle originally built in 1755 - see www.CastleMandawa.com then click on Castle Mandawa <- be sure to check out all pages of the "Photo Gallery"! Not much to see here & really nothing worth photographing except maybe the "castle" - but web site pics are far better than anything I could take!
This is the last stop on my 15-day, North India, Golden Triangle tour. Tomorrow we have a 6-hour drive back to Delhi - total mileage = just over 1,800. It was an amazing journey through Rajasthan.
Tomorrow, July 24, I will stay in Delhi overnight & the next day, Sunday, July 25, I will fly to Bangalore to begin a 15-day tour of South India.

Bikaner

I arrived in Bikaner after a 330Km (200 mi), 6-hour drive from Jaislamer. I'm staying at the Lallgarh Palace - construction began in 1896 & was completed in 1902 when the maharaja & his family moved here from their fortress palace 2 miles away. The royal family still lives here. Like many Heritage Hotels - it's a little run down & has dated furnishings/fixtures, but it is interesting & comfortable - see www.Lallgarhpalace.com..
Top pic is of Junagarh Fortress - built in 1589. A small fortress most of which is in process of being renovated.
Also this afternoon I visited India's National Research Center for Camel - interesting but no worthwhile photo ops.

Camel Caravan & Desert Dunes Sunset in Jaislamer

Did a major touristy thing this evening - riding a camel 2 miles into desert to huge dunes to watch the sunset in Pakistan (28 miles to the west). Top pic is of me & my steed. Bottom pic is of my camel snoozing - he assumed this position immediately after I dismounted!? He is NOT dead!
I was surprised at the # of people (& camels) on the dunes - I would estimate close to 100 <- most were Indians who believe it is good luck to watch sunset in the desert.
FYI - camels aren't very friendly, the ride was smooth, & staying seated while camel is getting up & down takes some skillful balancing.

Golden Fort - Jaisalmer

the Golden Fort, built in 1159, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is the only fortress in India still inhabited by people - 4,000+ owners of shops/restaurants/small hotels. UNESCO has restored/maintained the fortress walls & offered to reimburse relocation of inhabitants - but they have refused. Because they have refused, tourists are discouraged from buying anything within the fortress walls.
Middle pic is the fort's main gate - which defenders would leave open when invaders approached. Bottom pic is 2nd fortress gate. They would close both the main & 2nd gates trapping invaders between gates where they would be "dispatched". Note stone cannon balls on walls in front of 2nd gate. There are 2 more gates beyond the 2nd gate - total = 4 gates!

Karma

Top pic is of me & my "karma" friend Kojraj - who help me avoid bodily harm. We discussed karma for a very long time & he had a "professional" do my horoscope. He owns a well-known shop in an old, well-preserved Haveli specializing in antique Indian art - many architectural. If you are ever in Jaislamer, I recommend that you visit his shop/Haveli - Jaislamer Art Palace.
Many have asked about India's infamous "sacred cows". There are many roaming every city street. They are considered sacred because Hindus are vegetarians & believe in reincarnation. They scavange food & are fed by locals. To ensure good karma, I say "hello" & pet many of them as you see in bottom pic. Beware - some aren't very friendly!

Fort Rajwada Hotel - Jaisalmer

After a 6-hour drive, I arrived in Jaisalmer - located next to a desert. Many have asked what my hotel rooms are like. At this hotel which was built just 10 years ago - the room is very large and nice - see above 2 pics. For better pics of entire hotel see www.FortRajwada.com

Jodhpur

The Mejranfarh Fort in Jodpur (top pic) was built in 1459 & is considered the best preserved fortress in India. It sits very impressively on top of an invincible, 400+ feet perpendicular cliff above Jodhpur! Center pic is above the area just inside the fort's main gate which is really a 2nd gate to the left in pic.
The bottom pic is of the very old "blue city" of Jodhpur. These homes & shops were built by & are still occupied by Brahmims <- the teachers, accountants, architects, etc in the caste system.. They have always painted their homes indigo blue using natural colors (indigo). Because natural indigo paints are so expensive now - many now use modern synthetic paints. Also note part of the fortress wall in bottom of this pic. The wall which surrounds the base of the fortress is almost 10 miles long!
Btw - I am not including pics of the many other temples, shrines, etc that I have seen/visited. Many of these don't allow pics & those that do aren't very interesting.

Udaipur to Jodhpur

This morning left Udaipur for a 300KM (180 mi), 5-hour drive to Jodhpur where I am staying for just 1 night at the Hotel Ajit Bhawan Palace built in 1927 - another Heritage Hotel.
Top pic is main entrance to hotel - for other hotel pics see www.ajitbhawan.com/ then click Ajit Bhawan.
Bottom 2 pics are of 1 of many camel caravans I've seen the past few days on the major roads. This one had about 20 camels as well as goat,/donkey/sheep herds & many dogs moving with it. These people are nomadic & during the monsoon move their entire villages every 2-3 weeks.
Btw - in previous update I forgot to mention & some of you have reminded me that portions of the James Bond movie "Octopussy" were filmed in Udaipur. Several cafes/restaurants in Udaipur show the CD every night!

Jaipur to Udaipur

I am now in Udaipur which was an 8+ hour 440KM (about 265 mi) drive from Jaipur. Roads were good most of the way. Staying at another Heritage Hotel Palace built about 1800 - see www.jagatniwaspalace.com. It's not nearly as nice as Alsisar Palace
My palace is on a lake which is almost dry due to an extended drought. There are several palaces on this lake. Top pic is the Jagniwas Palace built in 1734 - directly across lake from my hotel. Bottom pic is a palace Haveli built about 1738.

City Palace - Udaipur

Udaipur has been an independent Indian Kingdom or "state" since the 11th century. Neither the Persian Moghuls or even the British ever "conquered" or ruled it. The current Raj & his family still live in a major portion of the City Palace - built in 1553. The remainder of the palace is open to the public.
Top pic is of the exterior of the main palace. Bottom pic is of the courtyard stand from which the royals would watch dancers & other "entertainment". Note the inlaid peacocks on the walls - the peacock is the national bird of India.

Amber Palace & Fort 1

Jaipur is famous for its Amber Palace and Fort built in 1590 - top pic. Because of drought, the Raj moved his palace into the city of Jaipur in the 18th century.
Tourist get up the 1km steep, uphill trek to the palace/fort on elephants. There are 122 elephants that provide this service - only during the morning hours.
Bottom pic is of me on my elephant transport.

Amber Palace & Fort 2

Top pic is of the main entrance to the royal residences in the palace part of the fort.
The bottom pic was taken in the palaces court area - where the Raj would great official visitors. The walls are decorated with mirrors from Belgium <-- Jaipur was strategically located on the silk/spice road linking Europe with the far east.

Jaipur City Palace & Hawa Mahal

The City Palace (top pic) was originally built in 1727 & building continued to 1877. The palace is still occupied by the Jaipur Raj & family - but large parts of it are now museums.
That's me in front of the Hawa Mahal aka Palace of the Winds - built in 1799. It was built for the sole purpose of providing "parade" viewing perches (called Iharokhas - 365 of them) for female members of the royal family. It is only 45 feet deep.

Sariska Palace Lawn Party

Many blog readers thought I should post the fact that I did attend the "lawn party" & what happen. So ...
I did attend & when I got back to my room at 3AM I was surprised to find several emails encouraging me to go to the lawn party. So - because I did go - here's a short report.
Good thing I ate long before the party because they didn't eat until about 11:30PM! Of course the food was Indian & I still have not acquired any taste for curry. Music was primarily Bollyworld Indian with a few badly "accented" English lyrics here & there. The people were incredibly interesting - 99% professional corp types. But the Royal family had been invited & several attended. I met & spoke with 2 "princes".& 1 princess - all 20-somethings who I believe attended only because the Bollyworld band that played is well..known & popular here. I found it strange that few of the corp types would even acknowledge the presence of the royals in attendance. I believe that I was the only American there & many folks approached me to talk. Some fascinating discussions resulted - primarily about IT, Obama, & residential/commercial construction <- which is what these folks/corp do - and this type of business is booming in India.

Jaipur

Today (July 15) began with a late AM, 150km, 3-hour drive from Sariska to Jaipur - world famous for its jewels (star sapphires, rubies emeralds, etc.)..
I am staying at the Alsisar Haveli - another India Heritage Hotel. It was built in 1890 by a maharaja to house his palace guests. Top pic is of the sitting area just outside my room. Center pic is the door to my room - doors are teak covered with mother-of-pearl inlays.. Bottom pic is of "part" of my room - there is also a desk/sitting area & huge bathroom. Note fresco's on all walls. - pics on walls are of royal family members.
The place is incredible - huge property in heart of Jaipur, incredibly large rooms, too many photo-ops to include in blog so see www.alsisarmahal.com/ or www.alsisar.com and then click on Alsisar Haveli for many more pics & info!

Sariska Palace - Backyard

Tonight there is going to be a big corp-type dinner & dance for a 100+ guests to be held on the Palace's back lawn. Buffet & dining tables to right & band stage in center of above pic. I was invited to attend by the "chief" sponsor - I believe he is the corp CEO! Thought that you would like to see what the palace's backyard looked like!