TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: NORTHERN INDIA IN MARCH

Friday, March 9, 2007

NORTHERN INDIA IN MARCH

I had the wonderful chance to visit Northern India in March just before the weather became too hot. I was with some friends (Cynthia, Mila, and Vicky). In Delhi, we had the privilege of staying with the Philippine Ambassador to India (thanks again, Lulla!). There was a lot of shopping in this trip and in Delhi we went to Santooshi, Khan Market, Geshwant, and Rajani. Oooh, there are fabulous things to buy in India so if you go there, plan on dumping your clothes and other stuff there so you can fill your bag with newfound treasures (textiles, clothing, shoes, bags, bedspreads, gems, leather goods, spices etc. etc.).

In Delhi we did visit the Red Fort, Tomb of Humayon, Gandhi's Memorial site, Parliament, India Gate. Delhi is made up of Old Delhi, which is crowded, chaotic, and interesting; New Delhi was designed by the British and it has elegant wide tree lined avenues, and imposing government buildings - lots of space and greenery, quite nice.

We took the Golden Triangle tour from Delhi to Jaipur and Agra, back to Delhi. In Jaipur, we saw the Amber Fort, Water Palace, Pink City, Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), Jantar Mantar (observatory), and the City Palace. And BTW, Jaipur is a great place to shop for jewelry. But here's the thing - you have to haggle like crazy. It's imperative that you start by halfing the price they quote. Further, you must act disinterested. Any sign of weakness, and the prices go up. (Here I should mention that the exchange rate was 43 rupees to a dollar when we were there, and there really was no need to agonize over 50 or 100 rupees.)

In Agra we saw the Taj Mahal at sunset when the bright white marble glowed a heart-stopping golden. We also visited the Red Fort and the Tomb of Akbar. Unfortunately we only saw Fatehpur Sikri from the distance.

We returned to Delhi for a quick respite, then took off for Rishikesh. Along the way, we stopped by Haridwar where we saw the temples along the Ganges and numerous people bathing in the sacred Ganges. The place was very crowded so it a relief to hurry on to Rishikesh which was more tranquil. Rishikesh is at the foothills of the Himalayas, and there are also temples along the Ganges. We attended an Aarti (religious ritual) in one of the temples and were enchanted by the floating lights on the Ganges.

Next stop was Amritsar where we had a memorable stay in a heritage hotel, the Ranjit Svaasa (www.svaasa.com), a 250-year old maharaja's mansion. Most of the rooms have terraces and the gardens are beautiful. In Amritsar we visited the Golden Sikh Temple (Sikh Gurudwara); entering the Temple was like walking through the looking glass - enchanting and out of this world!

On to Chandigarh and I'm not sure I have much good to say about the place, except perhaps for the Gaudi-like Rock Garden which is quite charming and magical.

From there we visited Shimla (Simla) which is a hill station, and a much cooler place than the low lands. We saw the remnants of British Raj days - the churches, the English buildings, the Woodville Palace now a Heritage hotel.

It was a lovely visit and I'd visit India again, perhaps the southern part next time. It has a lot of history and culture, and hotel rooms, meals, everything were great bargains. There's poverty, yes, and people invade your space, but the positives outweigh the negatives.

March 2005

(Above picture shows Cecilia Brainard standing in front of the Taj Mahal at sunset)

Burma: Moving Forward

Kenya - Up Close and Personal with the Bongo

Malaysia: Where Enrique of Malacca Came From

From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

Grand Tour of Egypt 1 (visit also Egypt 2, 3)

Maids in the Mist - Canada (and visit Canada 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

Turkey 1 (and visit Turkey 2, 3, 4)

Brazil 1 (and visit Brazil 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
The Fascination Called China
My Love Affair with France

AND MORE - Search in my blog Philippines, France, Ireland, Peru, Turkey, Mexico, Egypt, Vietnam, Mexico, etc.

tags: travel, tourism, holiday, pictures, Brazil, India, Kenya, Egypt, Vietnam, Philippines, Turkey, China, Cecilia Brainard

All for now,

Cecilia

All for now,
Cecilia Brainard

tags: travel, tourism, holiday, India, Golden Triangle, New Delhi, Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Cecilia Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's official website is ceciliabrainarddotcom. She is the award-winning author and editor of 22 books, including When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, Selected Stories, Vigan and Other Stories, and more. She edited Growing Up Filipino 1, 2, & 3, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and other books.. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish; and many of her stories and articles have been widely anthologized. Cecilia has received many awards, including a California Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction, a Brody Arts Fund Award, a Special Recognition Award for her work dealing with Asian American youths, as well as a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, 21st District, and the Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city, Cebu, Philippines. She has lectured and performed at UCLA, USC, University of Connecticut, University of the Philippines, PEN, Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and many others. She has served in the Board of literary arts groups such as PEN, PAWWA (Pacific Asian American Writers West), among others.