Thinking Back

I keep thinking about our India Journey and the truly unique experiences we participated in.  One of the most moving was our time with Lama Tenzing at the Buddhist temple just outside of Darjeeling.  He talked about the rigorous training monks go through which includes many years (6, 9, or more) of solitary meditation and silence.  The relationship between the student and teacher is critical for fostering spiritual growth and understanding.  His own teacher is memorialized in the temple through a statue and photograph and by the level of understanding reached by his pupil, Lama Tenzing.  None of our guests had been in a Buddhist temple before and were overwhelmed by the art which covers every surface.  Their faces all reflected the respect and awe they felt by being in the presence of a person who radiates peace and love for all fellow beings.

Amber Palace, Jaipur

Amber Palace

This is the famous palace one can enter by elephant.  A continuous trail of colorfully decorated elephants brings us tourists up the palace ramp to the main courtyard.  Construction began in 1600 by Raja Man Singh, a General in Akbar's army.  Mughal influence is everywhere in the beautiful, intricate geometric designs,  inlay and lattice work.  Just as in other important structures built by the Moghuls, there are Hindu influences prominently displayed to signal a welcome to all.  There is a lot to take in with royal apartments for all the wives, gardens, a temple, hall of public audience,  mirror and pleasure  palaces; all the while hearing entrancing stories of the life and times of the rulers who lived long ago.

Jaipur, the Pink City

City Palace, Jaipur

Our adventures in Jaipur began as we drove through the very crowded, jumbled and frenetic center of the city.  I had to gulp as we turned off the main road onto what looked like a not very nice side street.  And then I gulped again since there was a sign for our hotel, pointing the way.  But joy of joys,  the Alsisar Haveli, our hotel is quite beautiful.  A Haveli is a residence that is smaller than a palace, but quite grand nevertheless.  Our rooms on an upper floor were very large with a sitting area and ceilings that seemed to go on forever.  And they have a pool, quite bracing and refreshing.  There was also a gentleman working poolside to massage our road weary bodies.  And a puppeteer who was eager to give us a show.

 Jaipur is, most notably to me, home to City Palace which is breathtaking in it's beauty. Our guide was most knowledgeable and shared many fascinating details about the palace and the Maharajas and Maharanis who had inhabited it. Margaret and Sue had both done quite a bit of reading about the royal family and were excited to be able to identify the cast of characters. (I will catch up to them soon, but am currently reading on an excellent biography on Gandhi, recommended by our guide in Delhi, a PhD. in comparative religion.) But I digress.

 Also notable about City Palace is that there is a new museum gift shop which is quite wonderful. I succumbed to a beautiful set of necklace and earrings and to a scarf that is quite unusual looking. I haven't decided if I am keeping or sharing the latter. Speaking of shopping, we went to a stunning jewelry store, the Antiquariat, where I purchased a bracelet on the 2004 trip. We all made excellent purchases, and I most thoughtfully picked up something for Gerard to give me for Christmas. Still speaking of shopping, Jaipur is an excellent place to purchase hand blocked prints on cotton and blends of cotton/silk/wool that make for beautiful bed spreads and tablecloths. I just love textiles and could not resist getting a new tablecloth which I will enjoy using. 

 Just outside City Palace is Jantar Mantar,  a fascinating astronomical and astrological park.   Having read so much about Maharani Gayatra Devi and her family and seen their portraits in City Palace, we were eager to visit Rambagh Palace, one of their homes, which is now a magnificent hotel. We had drinks on the veranda in the evening during a musical performance on the lawn, followed by dinner. It was a magical evening.

India Dreams

I am home for a full week now, still working through jet lag and the bronchitis I picked up on the way over.

What is so interesting to me is the dreams I have been having almost every night about one aspect or another of our trip.  They have been about the people we went with, vivid pictures of places we visited and conversations with people we met.  India has a way of staying with you even when you are not there.

Today a book I ordered yesterday arrived from Silver Tips Tea in Tarrytown, New York, US headquarters for Makaibari.  The book, "The Rajah of Darjeeling Organic Tea Makaibari",  is by and about Rajah Banerjee, owner of Makaibari Estates tea plantations and his efforts to bring the biodynamic agriculture model to his family tea estates.  Margaret and I were so fortunate to have Elizabeth Clarke, Director of the Windamere Hotel in Darjeeling, go out of her way to set us up with a visit to her friend Rajah, as he likes to be called.  (His name is actually Swaraj Kumar Banerjee)  She provided us with a car, driver, and box lunches and off we went down the mountain to meet Rajah who was home for just the one day.

We stopped for a flat tire at an observation spot and there in all its glory was Katchenjunga, highest peak in India and third highest in the Himalyas.  Our next stop to repair the tire was adjacent to a group of young guys who were singing and playing guitar.

We met Rajah at his office and were promptly turned around so that we could tour the factory, which was empty and opened especially for us so that we could learn about the process of tea making.  When we got back, he conducted a tasting for us of the wonderful variety of teas produced by Makaibari.  We learned the technique of tea tasting, then picked our favorite and enjoyed a cup of heavenly Darjeeling tea.

Afterwards we went up to his home and met his lovely wife Sriupa and had our pictures taken with one of the tigers gracing his living space.  From there it was a short walk to the garden, drinks and our box lunches.  Rajah is a force of nature, and I am grateful to have met him.