Toad's Wild Ride

India, a Self-Drive Adventure-Jaipur

This isn’t that long of a trip in terms of distance, only 255 km (158 miles), but even Google which is always a bit optimistic on drive times, indicates it’s more than four hours. In my case it was five and a half. About every 30 minutes or so, there’s a toll booth to pay, it’s a bit crazy to be honest, the road is mostly not existent most of the time, in fact after the toll booths you are rerouted back to a dirt road the runs parallel to where the “highway” will run if it is ever finished. The way it works now, is they route traffic onto a paved road just before a toll booth, then back off the road and onto the old road right after the toll. More annoying is the frequency of the tolls, since they are around eight cents each time! But, hey I guess it’s putting people to work to collect tolls, so it’s not all bad.

The condition of these roads though is shockingly horrible in places, and I found myself being awed by the durability of the Hyundai, and with the tires especially. As recently as ten years ago, something like this trip I am certain would have resulted in at least one flat tire and it was something I fretted about the entire trip, but in the end I never experienced a flat tire.

After five plus hours of driving though you will feel like you have driven 14 hours in any western country with efficient motorways. After getting turned around in Jaipur a couple of times, finding the road to the Le Meridien Jaipur came more naturally, I was beginning to understand the logic here, already, I’ve gone the wrong way a couple of times myself, because it’s easier than going the long way around.

The Le Meridien Jaipur, isn’t really in Jaipur at all, in fact I’m not sure it should even have Jaipur in the name. But, this is something of a pattern for Le Meridien Hotels, in Paris the call use “Etoile” in the name of the Le Meridien, even though it’s not near the Etoile at all and is in fact more than a kilometer or three metro stops away.

I focus on this dear reader, for good reason: I screwed up, and hope someone benefits from my mistake. I should never have booked this hotel, as my primary intent was to stay in Jaipur for the Holi Festivities, and the Le Meridien’s location was far enough away to make it inconvenient. I’d either have to drive my car there hoping to find parking, or I’d have to hire a hotel car take me. I opted for the latter, but that wasn’t so easy either as the hotel resisted taking me, saying once again “it would not be safe”. When I asked if they were refusing a car and driver because concerned about my safety, they said yes. So, I asked what would be safer for their driver to take me, or for me to drive myself, because I was going to Holi, of that there was no question…they conceded it’d be safer to have their driver take me. The moral of the story, if you’re going to Jaipur for the Holi Festival, book one of the hotels right in town.

Your's truly in Holi Color, the white T-Shirt is still a souvenir, and the Lufthansa first class pajama bottoms were very convenient. — Your’s truly in Holi Color, the white T-Shirt is still a souvenir, and the Lufthansa first class pajama bottoms were very convenient.

Since Jaipur was likely only to be toured now for the brief Holi visit (the hotel had limited me to 2 hours) there isn’t much in the report about the buildings or sites within the town, and rather the focus is on the Amer (Amber) Fort, and the Jaigarh Fort as well as scenes from the village of Amer.

The Amer Palace and Fort is by far the most impressive of all the Forts I visited on this trip to India. A good many tourists will ride an elephant up the narrow road and through the Sun Gate to enter the Fort complex. I did not. It was warm, and I felt bad for the elephants, and also getting into and out of the parking area was worse than trying to leave the Hollywood Bowl after the Fourth of July concert (trust me that’s bad).

Rather I parked on a street in the village of Amer, and walked up the hill to the Fort entrance, and was glad I’d gone that route, when I saw the slow moving conga line of cars trying to leave later on. Amer Fort was begun in 967 by the Meenas, and was taken over by Kachwaha Raijput’s in a cowardly act of shameful conspiracy that left the Meenas massacred “filling the reservoirs in which the Meenas bathed with their dead bodies.” The shame was that this was done when the Meenas were performing rituals of Pitra Trapan on the Diwali, the most important festival in Hinduism, which the Meenas traditionally honored by shedding their weapons.

The Ganesh Pol Entrance is grand and ornate, above which are three screened windows that upon closer examination appear to be carved from thin slabs of marble.

Lattice screen window above Ganesh Gate-Amer Fort

Detail of the Lattice Window screen detail shows they are carved from a thin slab of marble.

Ganesh Pol entrance of the Amer Palace. I gave up trying to get a good picture without crowds of people posing for their own pictures. Photo credit: By Firoze Edassery (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Amer Palace and Jaigarh Fort are basically part of the same complex. Jaigarh Fort, is on the hill top above Amer Palace, and there is an underground connector between the two, that could be used by the royal family to escape should they come under attack. Of interest is that Jaigarh Fort was also home to a cannon foundry. The foundry had a massive wind tunnel that pushed air from the high mountains into its allowing temperatures to reach 2400 °F (1315 °C). The foundry routinely made 16 ft (5 meter) cannons, but 1720 it made the Jaivana Cannon, at the time the world’s largest cannon on wheels. At 20.9 feet (6.15 meters) it fired a 110 lb (50 kg) ball a distance of 22 miles (35 km) using 220 lbs (100 kg) of gun powder! It was only fired that one time, and was never used in battle.

Arrival of tourists by elephant Amer Fort

Courtyard with Palace of Man Singh1, and seen on the hilltop is the Jaigarh Fort.

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Mirrored Ceiling in the Mirror Palace Amer Fort

Overlooking Amer Fort from Jaigarh Fort.

Rooftop perspective showing layout of Amer Fort Complex

As I walked back to my car in the Village of Amer, I came across one of the stepped wells that I’d seen so often in films set in India. I was always fascinated by the symmetrical architecture of them, and they’d be used for every from gathering water, to getting relief from the heat.

And I also came across two young boys bathing at a street well pipe. I was trying very hard to be discreet in taking a picture, but when I got back to the hotel that evening and looked closely at the photo, I notice the one boy was looking at me and smiling.

Other sites in the village included a Hindu temple, and ruins of building that clearly must have been most relevant at one time, as well as animals in the street. I don’t think these are things I’d see if I was using a typical tourist service, which I could always find, as they were clearly marked white vehicles that said “TOURIST” over the back window.

Galta Ji Monkey Temple with Jaipur City Gate in background. Sadly, the complex was closed beyond this point in honor of the Holi Festival.

My evenings I’d spend at the outdoor café of the Le Meridien for a cold beer, and some very amazing food. I’d have naan bread a few dozen times in my life, but until now I had no idea how it is supposed to taste, the slathering fresh butter, I’m sure had no small part of that. But, the bread is soft, chewy, with crispy bits where there’s a bubble in the dough as it bakes, it is not the dry, stuff we get that honestly tastes more like cardboard than bread. Sadly, now naan bread falls into one of those foods, that I most likely will usually be disappointed with, when I have it somewhere else…it has become the food equivalent in India that Crème Brulee is for me in France, disappointing most of the time when compared to what you get there. But, isn’t this exactly why we travel? To discover and experience a place, it’s feeling, air, culture, food, and people! India I found to be intense and extreme in every sense imaginable.

At the end of my journey, I had arrived at the Four Points by Sheraton Delhi Airport Hotel, and once again sat in the car, waiting for the valet to notice me, and approach, which never happens. It seems they are simply too shocked to see a single white guy driving a car himself in India, they don’t know what you are doing there. I took my bags out of the trunk, and checked in, handing them the key at the desk with instructions of who would be coming to pick up the car from Hyundai Motor, and they still seemed very perplexed.

The hotel was basic and nice enough, I’d not be there long, my flight was a midnight, but I hoped to catch a short nap and a meal before taking the complementary hotel shuttle to the airport, and for this purpose it was perfectly suited, and prepared me for the long journey ahead flying from Delhi, to Frankfurt in first class on Lufthansa, and then on to San Francisco and finally to Los Angeles, on what United calls business class, which I know will be a huge fall from the Lufthansa experience.

After dropping the car off, I had this feeling of “whew, am I glad that’s over!” India is a cacophony of noise and frenetic energy, with brief moments of harmony. In those moments and for the next couple of weeks, I was relieved to leave India behind. It’s not a common feeling with a place, but it happens, I had the same feeling with Egypt. But, with India, two-weeks later, I was looking at pictures with friends, and had this overwhelming desire to go back, which I know I will someday return to India. That is where the experience with India is so different from Egypt, which is a place I have no desire at all to return.

India, a Self-Drive Adventure–Agra

So here is the part of the story I haven’t told you about yet; I will be traveling the golden triangle, like a good many tourists do. But, here’s the difference; I will be driving myself from Delhi to Agra, and then to Jaipur before finally driving back to Delhi again.

The car; a Silver 2014 Hyundai Sonata, fully loaded exception being manual transmission (tricky with right hand drive, but I’ve done it before) was provided by Hyundai and left for me at the hotel. Keeping in mind, I’d been witnessing the driving and traffic in Delhi the past couple of days, and I did have to sit in the driveway of the hotel for a moment to steal my nerves to head out!

Getting out of Delhi was indeed horrific. I ended up in a traffic jam in some part of town, I’m not even certain of the name, all I know as that it took me nearly three hours to move 15 kilometers (9.3 miles). This mind you was with bus tires inches from my fenders at any given time, and scooters attempting to get through anyway.

p1040299 Finally escaping the city, the rest of the drive wasn’t too bad, but for learning HOW to drive in India. Rule number one: your horn is the ONLY thing that matters, the thing must operate! Rule number two: People do not EVER look in their mirrors; see rule number one. After my mirrors were hit for the 4^th time, I stopped and folded them in like everyone else had done, and understood, why people don’t use their mirrors. Rule number three: when you approach a car or truck or bus or goat from behind, honk your horn to let them know you are there. Rule number four: expect anyone or anything to be on the road, and to do anything and everything. Going the wrong way for a couple of miles, expect it, goats, pigs, dogs, chickens, cows, elephants, camels, people, can and will be on the road at anytime. Rule number five: Chill, you’ll get there eventually, so long as you don’t ignore rules 1-4.

Agra, is a short 210 kilometers (130 miles) from Delhi, a distance here in the states that would take you no more than 2 hours to cover. It took 5 hours to make the same trip in India. I finally arrived around 3:00 in the afternoon, and found my hotel for the next 2 nights, the 5-star ITC Mughal Agra. An absolutely beautiful property, with stunning pools, polished marble floors, tasteful décor, it was like the last five hours had evaporated.

I was greeted by a beautiful woman, who guided me to a desk, where we sat down, and refreshments were served as she checked me in. While I didn’t get a suite this time, I did get a very nice large room, with a fantastic sunken marble tub, I had every intention of soaking in that night!

But, first since I had a few hours, I decided to go explore, and find out how to get to the Taj Mahal the next morning before daybreak. The lovely lady who checked me in, was so kind to inform me that I shouldn’t walk, or take a tuk-tuk as it wouldn’t be safe, that the hotel would arrange a car with a driver for me. I explained I’d just driven myself from Delhi and asked her, what could happen? Once she recovered from the shock that I was driving in India, she said, we don’t want our guests exposed to the local conditions so intimately. Well, since the Taj Mahal was only 1.2 miles from the hotel according to google maps, I decided I could walk it.

As I walked out the gate, the guard there gave me a look like he couldn’t figure out what I was doing. I turned right, and came to a bridge crossing over a street, that led directly to the Taj Mahal. Looking down, I saw some “stairs” that were leading from the level I was on, down to the street. Simple enough, I headed down, and noticed some stairs are missing, but managed, and then at the end, there was a board crossing a ditch, which I am quite certain was the sewer. Not trusting the board, I jumped over the ditch, and headed down the street.

Street I walked to the Taj Mahal, from the hotel, as viewed from the bridge above.

I very quickly I came a across some small children on both sides of the street, and a couple of the braver ones came out to find out who I was. I smiled, and gave them the candies, I’d pocketed from the large bowl on the reception desk at the hotel, specifically for this occasion. Then they swarmed me, lol when I held up my hands to indicate it was all gone, they smiled and scampered off.

Kids walking down the street, after I'd exhausted my candy supplies. — Kids walking down the street, after I’d exhausted my candy supplies.

I kept walking and the street began to take on a market feel, vendors selling stuff for the upcoming Holi Festival, as well as food, deep fried breads, soup and tea. It all smelled quite good, once you got past the fact that all the heat for cooking was coming from fires fueled by cow dung patties. It works.

Farther on, and saw a police station, and walked by, they looked at me like I didn’t belong, and I just kept walking. I found the south entrance to the Taj Mahal, and noticed workers installing new stainless steel corrals (I don’t think there’s a better word) to handle the throngs of visitors every day.

I continued around the walls of the Taj Mahal, and eventually came to a river, turns out the same river that’s in Delhi running along the edge of the Red Fort. The sun was setting, and there was a boat, the scene was beautiful, despite the trash on the banks and in the water.

Seeing the Taj from this perspective of the river was pretty amazing, and at sunset, I decided to wait around for the sun to set more completely, for some photos.

I’ve run into this problem before when I want to enjoy a sunset, I forget I have to get back and now it’s dark. I did this once in the mountains around Cappadocia, Turkey and had to hike down with the light from my phone’s flash. This time it wasn’t as much the darkness, but suddenly there were a few hundred monkeys all around the road, on the east side wall of the Taj Mahal. Big monkeys and I’m not familiar enough with monkey behavior to know what they might do. For the most part they left me alone, but would run up and then suddenly around me, seeming to like to see me get nervous.

I got back to the hotel and told them of my walk, and they were amazed I’d done such a thing, I showed them the pictures, and they appreciated, that I captured and focused on the beauty, and not the poverty. I told them about the monkeys, and they said I was right to be cautious with them, they will attack apparently.

After a light meal, and a couple of beers, I relaxed in my tub, and recalled the day, and felt very content.

At 5:30 the next morning I headed out of the front gate, and decided, I’d walk across the street where I saw a bunch of auto rickshaws. One of the nice drivers there took me to the west entrance in about 5 minutes, I wanted to get in the queue as early as possible, so this worked out great.

Sunrise at West Gate entrance to the Taj Mahal

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It was pretty chilly, people were there with heavy coats, and blankets, and I just had a t-shirt on, but I’m pretty warm running, so didn’t have much trouble. At the first glimmer of sunshine the gates opened, and people began to crush their way in to put their bags through x-ray machines and walk through metal detectors, understandably so.

I got my ticket, and was accosted by several people offering to be my guide, one guy seemed pretty laid back, and I asked him how much, he said 300 Rupees, and I agreed. He was very informative, and even helped me sneak a couple photos inside the Taj. He explained we want to get to the Taj right away, to get pics before the crowds come in. He also regaled me with the story of the “Black Taj” which it is told was intended to be the resting place for Shah Jahan. While modern scholars have claimed to debunk the story as a myth, there is strong historical evidence that it can’t be entirely dismissed. Iftakhar Nadime Khan writes a blog about the evidence (most notably the asymmetrical position of Jahan’s cenotaph within the funerary chamber of the Taj) this he believes, supports the notion that the Taj Mahal is but half of the monument originally intended by Shah Jahan.

First view of the Taj Mahal, still a little dark, and foggy.

I call this one my "post card" shot of the Taj Mahal. — I call this one my “post card” shot of the Taj Mahal.

Once inside, he explained a lot of what was going on at the time the Taj Mahal was built, and the beginning of the end of the Mughal power in the region. I very much appreciated his knowledge, and also, his knowing of where at what time to be to get the best shots.

East side of the Taj at sunrise. The minarets appear to tilt inward, but it is an optical illusion, exaggerated by the lens of the camera. The towers actually, lean slight outward, as was designed by the builders to protect the monument from a falling minaret in the even of an earthquake. It is known, though that the SW minaret has increased it's tilt in the past sixty years, which is of concern. — East side of the Taj at sunrise. The minarets appear to tilt inward, but it is an optical illusion, exaggerated by the lens of the camera. The towers actually, lean slight outward, as was designed by the builders to protect the monument from a falling minaret in the even of an earthquake. It is known, though that the SW minaret has increased it’s tilt in the past sixty years, which is of concern.

Observe the size and intricate detail of the inlay work.

Snuck Shot of the Inside of the Shrine

Of course, there was a reason he was a bit cheaper than the other guys, he took me to his brother’s shop after leaving the Taj, where I don’t think I bought anything, but was very familiar with this customer acquisition tactic from other places around the world. You can get a very cheap tuk-tuk ride in Bangkok for example, but you’ll stop at three shops on the way, as they pay him to bring you there, and that’s why the ride is so cheap. It wasn’t a big deal, I actually enjoy it sometimes, as you learn something you might not have about rug weaving, or silk making, or whatever, they are selling.

I got back to the hotel by 9:30 am still in time for breakfast, which I enjoyed immensely, and fueled me up to go visit the Agra Fort. As I came out of the gate of the hotel this time, the rickshaw driver from this morning saw me, and zoomed over to get me, dropping me off at the Fort a quick 5 minutes later, he wanted to know how long I’d be, and I explained, I have no idea, I’ll probably just walk back it’s not that far. He smiled, and said “you’re a strange white guy man,” which I took as a compliment.

Compared to the Red Fort in Delhi, the Agra Fort is much smaller, easier to take in within a couple of hours. In fact, I found much of to be all too familiar and little wonder as they were both built by the same man.

Diwan-i-Aam, "hall of public audience"-Agra Fort — Diwan-i-Aam, “hall of public audience”-Agra Fort

Agra Fort courtyard with Moti Masjid (mosque) in background, and Diwan-i-Aam on the right.

Lookign out of Diwan-i-Khas "hall of private audience"-Agra Fort. — Lookign out of Diwan-i-Khas “hall of private audience”-Agra Fort.

As I left, my rickshaw driver wasn’t there, and I headed down the road for my 3.4 KM (2 miles) walk back to the hotel, I noticed something called the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center, and thought I’d check it out. Sadly, it was closed, but out front I saw something that kind of shocked me, a woman in a massive pile of dung, shaping it into patties, and laying them in the sun to dry. I didn’t take a picture, mostly because I didn’t want to take any chance she’d see me taking a picture, and also, I asked myself why?

When I approached the gate to the hotel, my rickshaw driver from across the street zoomed up, and gave me a bag of fried bread balls, coated in sugar. I figured, they can’t be too dangerous to eat, they’re fried after all…and thanked him, and was again rewarded with a warm smile.

Returning to the lobby, I found I had a bit of a fan club comprised of the hotel staff, waiting to hear about where I’d gone and what I’d seen today. I shared some pictures, told them of my rickshaw rides, and the driver, the treat he gave me, and walking back from Agra Fort. One of them I guess had called the bar, and they brought me a beer, and some appetizers. I asked if they do this for many guests, and one of them told me, there aren’t many who are will to do what I had done, and see the “real” India. I was, truly, humbled.

The next morning during my long leisurely breakfast I began steal up my resolve to drive again. Upon checking out, I thought my new friend was taking a while, but as she finished up and gave me the receipts, she walked beside me to the front lobby, where there were several of the staff had lined up, and presented me a gift, wrapped and everything. It was a beautiful marble with inlay of flowers, pen and note paper holder. I was so very touched, one of the ladies asked if she could apply a bindi (the red dot worn on the forehead by Hindus) I said sure, and she did, then she held her hands together, and bowed and said Namaste.

Gift from the staff of the ITC Moghul Agra hotel.

I wheeled my bags out to my waiting car, and loaded up, and got the Garmin fired up, and was on my way to Jaipur.

India a Self-Drive Adventure–Delhi

The first project of any new city is to figure out how to use the metro. Delhi’s is extensive, efficient, fast and practically free. Though, as with most things in India there’s a bit of a hidden “tourist tax” you’ll need to buy a card, and put so much credit on it, you’ll get some of that credit back, but not all of it when you turn the card in at the end.

I had basically two and a half days to explore Delhi, the first day was my arrival day, and it was mostly half over by the time I got settled. All the same, heading out of the hotel, I was only about 6 blocks from the Rajpath (Kings Way). Similar in concept to the “mall” in Washington D.C. the Rajpath is a long green field with the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the official residence of the President of India) on one end, and the National Stadium on the other end, in the middle is the India Gate. Quite different from the Mall though, is that there is a major boulevard running down it, separating the green field in half. Add to this, several cross streets some of with include a traffic circle…this would be no problem typically, but this is India, and getting across those streets as a pedestrian is very risky business. The locals seem to walk out there with a deep faith that drivers will swerve around them; I do not have such a strong faith however.

The 138 (42 meter) high India Gate while resembling a triumphant arch, is actually a war memorial commissioned after the end of WW I to commemorate those killed in action. Inscribed below the word INDIA is the following: TO THE DEAD OF THE INDIAN ARMIES WHO FELL AND ARE HONOURED IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS MESOPOTAMIA AND PERSIA EAST AFRICA GALLIPOLI AND ELSEWHERE IN THE NEAR AND THE FAR-EAST AND IN SACRED MEMORY ALSO OF THOSE WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED AND WHO FELL IN INDIA OR THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER AND DURING THE THIRD AFGHAN WAR. There are 13,218 names inscribed on the structure, and in 1972 the Amar Jawan Jyoti (flame of the immortal soldier) a black marble plinth with four flames was added, and has since served as India’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

India Gate from a distance away on the Rajpath.

Full Ceremonial Dress for Indian Soldiers.

Amar Jawan Jyoti, India's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. — Amar Jawan Jyoti, India’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

At the west end of the Rajpath is the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Estate), and what an estate it is. It has to be one of the largest if not possibly the largest official residences of any national leader. A monumental doomed building with 340 rooms and 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of space, that seems more likely to be a capitol building than a residence. The “house” sits on 320 acres (130-hectare) of land, most of it comprising the impressive Mughal Gardens. As the compound is closed to access to the public most of the year, I wasn’t able to get any photos, but the one seen here. However, I don’t mind linking to the Wikipedia page describing it, and its history from first having been built as the British Viceroy’s house.

Rashtrapati Bhavan, Presidential Residence.

Having explored the Rajpath which was walking distance from my hotel, the next day, I hopped on the metro which had a station very near the hotel, and took it Chandni Chowk stop. From there I walked through a maze of paths that came out to an intersection, that I had no idea how I was going to cross. It was a chaos of cars, scooters, hand carts, cows, chickens, and the occasional leper lying right in the middle of it all. I knew of such scenes, but I was still not prepared to be witness to one, and it shocked and saddened me at the same time. I tried to put it out of my mind, but honestly the image is still there to this day.

Red Fort in Delhi was built by the Mughal Emperor, Mirza Shahabuddin Baig Muhammad Khan Shah Jahan (Shah Jahan) the very same man whose contributions to architecture are much of what most tourists to India—particularly those who travel the golden triangle comprising the cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur—will see. The Jama Masjid, the Wazir Khan Mosque, the Moti Masjid, the Shalimar Gardens, parts of Agra Fort and Lahore Fort, and of course his most famous building of all the Taj Mahal.

Take a good look, this is the only map you'll see of the Red Fort layout. — Take a good look, this is the only map you’ll see of the Red Fort layout.

The Red Fort was built when Shah Jahan decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi. Sitting on 255 acres of land, the fort is massive, and there’s little chance you’ll be able to explore all of it in day, but there’s probably not much need to explore all of it either. There are major buildings that are in good condition still but, many of the most beautiful features of the fort such as the water features are no longer working, and in fact are dug up in such a way they look worse than if they had just been left empty.

Hayat Bakhsh Bagh "Life Bestowing Garden" features a dry (and now ripped up) reservoir which at one time made the red Zafar Mahal appear to float on the water. — Hayat Bakhsh Bagh “Life Bestowing Garden” features a dry (and now ripped up) reservoir which at one time made the red Zafar Mahal appear to float on the water.

The columns and engrailed arches of Diwan-i-Aam (public audience hall), are stunning, and provide such a testament to the craftsmanship of the skilled workers. The Diwan-i-Khas (Private Audience Hall) is constructed from white marble with beautiful arches and ornate columns and a ceiling that was once covered in silver tiles (but is now wood) once housed the Peacock Throne, sat upon by Mughal rulers for decades before it was taken as a war trophy by the Persian king, Nadir Shah and has never been seen since.

The beautiful red sandstone arches of the Diwan-i-Am "hall of public audience". — The beautiful red sandstone arches of the Diwan-i-Am “hall of public audience”.

Diwan-i-Khas “hall of private audience.”

From the Red Fort it’s a short walk to the Jama Masjid, a Mosque of grand scale and I am sure at one time glamorous as well. I’ve visited mosques in Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, I know the rules and am very respectful of anyone’s religious believes. This was the first Mosque where I was made to feel completely unwelcome. Though my entire visit to India, there was a noticeable difference in the way Muslims treated me and how Hindus or Sikhs treated me. Or maybe, much of that was about how the experience at this Mosque affected my perception from then on.

I went to the entrance, with my shoes off, and in my bag and observed people walking in, even though I did see there was a man there watching the entrance. As I approached, he stopped me and said it would be 300 Rupees ($5) for me to enter. I asked why, other’s don’t have to pay, and he flat out told me it was because I was white. Even more insulting was that fact that later that, I pulled up Jama Masjid on the official tourism website for the government of Delhi, and notice under entry fee that it is free. It’s not about the money, I’ll never quibble over five bucks to see something I will never have the chance to see again, it was the in-hospitality. From this moment I simply called the place the “hostile Mosque”. As a sad consequence, I apologize for not putting in much effort to capture the architectural splendor of this building.

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Jama Masjid Courtyard Viewed from outer walls.

Inside court yard of Jama Masjid looking back at entrance gate.

I spent my final day in Delhi exploring markets, neighborhoods, and simply wandering around the city. Some of the highlights were the spice market, if you are remotely a cook at all, this place will boggle the mind with spices you’ve never even heard of, and amazing prices on those you know and use all the time.

Shop I bought some spices, including "tail pepper" yes, black pepper with a tail on it, more mild with a brighter flavor than regular black pepper. — Shop I bought some spices, including “tail pepper” yes, black pepper with a tail on it, more mild with a brighter flavor than regular black pepper.

The street leading to the spice market, talk about total grid lock and chaos.

If the colors of the dresses women wear are as dazzling to your eye as they are to mine, you’ll need to visit a few of the fabric shops. I was soooooo, very glad my sister was not with me when I found these stores, we’d probably still be in India.

Get your car fixed or find parts for it, your hair cut, buy color paint powder for the upcoming Holi Festival, or get new tires for your bicycle the street shops of Delhi, or even if there is no shop, and it’s directly on the street, it’s all available.

A smile from someone in India is never far away.

Electrician's Nightmare — Electrician’s Nightmare

Mechanic's Row-Dehli — Mechanic’s Row-Dehli

Hey, there's a clutch for a 1998 Maruiti. — Hey, there’s a clutch for a 1998 Maruiti.

Hindustan Ambassador, the ubiquitous "official" government car for decades. — Hindustan Ambassador, the ubiquitous “official” government car for decades.

India-Getting There

India. Just the name conjures many images that are often in conflict with one another. Bright/Despair, Colorful/Somber, Rich/Poor, Cheerful/Bitter, Delicious Food/Hunger, Calmly Peaceful/Chaotic Noise–it is a land of contradiction.

From the west coast of the USA, it’s a long trip no matter how you do it, so I decided I’d go when I was already in Europe for other business. I flew from Munich to New Delhi on Lufthansa, using United miles on an award ticket in first class (before United began charging a King’s ransom for these awards). The Lufthansa service in first class it as you’d expect it, superb! But, even more impressive is the first class lounge at the airport. Full service dining, passport control service inside the lounge, escort to your plane when it’s time to board, not just showers to refresh, but even soaking tubs…the place exudes luxury. If you ever have the opportunity, cash in those miles and do it!

Upon arrival in Delhi, the service continued, but was somewhat hampered by the logistics or lack thereof surrounding the immigration process. Once through you are on your own, and I would have thought there would be ground transportation provided, as even Virgin Atlantic does this, with just business class service. Oh…the tortures of luxury travel.

I used a pre-booked car service for transport from the airport to the hotel, as at the time I didn’t want to mess with the unknowns of taxis. After hearing the horror story of couple of Ukrainian travelers I met later in my trip, I was very glad I spent the extra $30. Viator.com is an excellent choice. The driver was great; he even stopped at a Citibank office so I could withdraw cash on the way to the Le Meridien Hotel.

Upon check-in at the hotel front desk, I was informed that as a SPG Platinum member my room had been upgraded to a suite…which is always a nice thing to hear, though even better when you are with someone special and not traveling solo. The suite was beautiful, with soaking tub, huge separate rain shower, large bedroom, and good sized living room.

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Business-Suite---Living-room — Suite living room, comfortable and relaxing.

There was also, a great lounge that I was given access to, complete with evening hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and I got some tastes my first true Indian food…and King Fisher beer (which I quite liked). I found this lounge to be the perfect respite each evening, to bring my computer and send emails, go though the pictures I took that day, and catch up with people on Skype, all, while having some nice snacks and that very tasty beer.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Wrap Up

Every trip I take I am reminded of why I love to travel. It’s the opportunity to see things from another perspective. The people you meet, the observations they share, and how it all comes together to form an experience that enriches my understanding of life.

My final day consisted of driving back to Johannesburg, once I refilled the air in the tires for pavement and highway speeds again. If you remove some air for the sand tracks of the bush, you have a little better traction and also the tires endure rocks and branches better.

Bush camping equipped vehicles usually come with these pumps. Make sure you get one, and that it works before heading out.

I called Britz, to make sure someone from management would be there upon my return, as we were clearly going to be having a discussion about the things that went wrong, and how their inspection processes could have missed them.

I won’t go through the entire list of things that failed or were broken here, because I want to maintain a positive tone to this blog. But, the most critical were the improper oil leak fix, and the broken springs, either of which could have been catastrophic in the wrong circumstances.

Donnay Landman, National Operations Manager of Tourism Holdings Rental SA (Pty) Ltd. which is a dealer for Britz, Maui, and KEA brands. Ms. Landman, was very apologetic, and genuine in her concern about my experience, I could tell, she was sincerely upset and empathetic.

After some long discussion, I was issued a partial refund, along with the promise of a free rental the next time I come to South Africa, and when I had the billing details for my mobile phone charges a refund of those as well. I did get the refund, but the reimbursement for my cell phone charges for calling Britz from Botswana never did materialize. If I do take another self-drive safari, I’ll be sure to update this page with the result of promise that as well.

Another part of the amends offered by Ms. Landman was a car and driver so I could see Pretoria, which I wanted to do on my way, back but needed to get the vehicle returned and meet with her first. It was nice to not have to drive myself around for tour of Pretoria. And I took the driver to a late lunch, but he was so shy he refused to order anything, so I ordered extra and then said, look I’m full, do you want the rest? Which, he was then happy to take.

Pretoria the capital of South Africa is on one hand beautiful with parks, and greenery, and on another hand run down, and showing neglect. The following pictures, show some of what I found there. The statue of Nelson Mandela is inspiring, and I tried to capture and respect that, but the sun was in the background, and made it impossible to do justice to the likeness of the father of modern South Africa.

House of Parliament, Pretoria, South Africa

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Statue of Nelson Mandela, the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.

Doctor signage doesn't inspire confidence. — Doctor signage doesn’t inspire confidence.

Popular park in Pretoria. — Burgers Park is the oldest park in Pretoria, and perhaps South Africa. It was founded in the 1870’s and is named for Thomas François Burgers. Today, it’s a popular place to picnic and enjoy a daytime nap.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Day Nine

After spending the morning and early afternoon with the guys exploring the Rhino sanctuary hoping to find those illusive Rhinos, I bid farewell to my new friends and headed on south, my goal to get on the South African side of the border and find a place for the night before heading on to Johannesburg.

The border entry procedures coming back into South Africa were even more lengthy and confusing than those going into Botswana. Not a surprising, given how South Africa has become the melting pot of the African continent. While the official percentage of foreigners in South Africa is less than 3% it’s believed the unofficial number is closer to 15%. For this reason, and due to several riots where foreigners from other African nations are attacked, and even where they have attacked each other, South Africa is in the midst of changing its immigration policies. With the addition of a “health inspection” which consisted of finding the building where it’s done, surprisingly not easy to do, but if you don’t have a stamp from the health inspector on your entry form, you won’t even be seen by immigration. The inspection itself is conducted in a crowded temporary building, with several women standing on one side of a counter, while crowds of people push their way to their side of the counter. Once you make your way to the counter, these completely unmasked women aim a therm reader at your forehead, and if you don’t have a fever, they stamp your papers. I’m not a doctor, I don’t even pretend to be one on TV, but let’s just say someone in that crowd does have something, is this such a great system to coop them all up? At the time, the big worry was Ebola migrating from West Africa to the South.

Through the border, and with about 2 hours of daylight left, I notice a camp on my Garmin navigation system. There’s a phone number so I give a call, and indeed they have space available, they give some complicated instructions for gates, and etc. and after driving on roads that zig-zag around private property, I find a gate, and call in to get onto the property. Turns out, there’s only one space, its one camp, originally built as a hunting lodge by the current owners grandfather. Talk about alone! Now I’m camping at a bush camp with not another soul in sight.

Private bush camp in South Africa. With an emphasis on the word private.

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Bush camp shower! large pot you pump water into, and light a fire under. As the water heats it rises up the hose and into the container over your head. Pretty clever!

Final sunset on my bush adventure. Where I was this evening seemed so appropriate to end my trip reflecting on the past of South Africa, and its hopeful future.

The camp is situated overlooking a deep ravine, and with woods all around. To, say I had the feeling of being vulnerable would be an understatement. First order of business is the fire, which was great, because part of the fee, is free firewood! After dinner, and getting a bit more comfortable with the solitude, of this camp despite constantly hearing movement in those woods, I hear a couple ATV’s coming down the ranch road. It’s the owner, and a few of his sons. They stay, and sit by the fire for a while, and I get the whole run down on the history of the camp, which is a fascinating history of South Africa as well! This Afrikaner family has had this property for several generations, and was among the first group of Dutch settlers that make up the cultural group of South Africans. While many Afrikaner’s have emigrated from South Africa due to violence against them, this family has no intentions to go anywhere, and nothing about the way the spoke indicated they were living in fear either, even though since 1994 some 3,000 white farmers have been killed in South Africa something the group Genocide Watch has theorized could be the early warning signs of genocide of Afrikaners.

With the bloody history, of apartheid, it’s difficult to empathize, but as I listen and learn, I’m reminded once again of my mother’s words: two wrongs do not make a right. Not only did this trip push me into new challenges, it also provided me with a deep insight to people, cultures, and the overall understanding that as humans, we all share and contribute to the beauty & fear, love & hatred, peace & conflict, richness & plight that makes up humanity itself.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Day Eight

I was somewhat surprised to see, just looking over my camp in the bright morning light.

Owl

Today, I actually had a guide, a very nice guy who asked me to call him Toke (toke-e) because there was no way I was going to get the “clicks” right with his born name. Such a great guy, he was even more determined than I was to find a lion! We drove out into the bush, I did the driving still, and he directed me, watching the sky and looking for tracks, suddenly he said, stop…got out, and told me to come see…and I’m thinking are you crazy, I’ll get eaten, I get out, and he shows me recent lion tracks on the road.

Tracks we're so very close! — Tracks we’re so very close!

So we continued, until we came across, what had been the very recent breakfast of a group of lions, a mostly devoured zebra. I was just glad it wasn’t a giraffe, even though I know that’s the circle of life out here, a giraffe would have bothered me. But, alas no lions, but he said we should go, as the hyenas and dogs and vultures would be here soon to clean up. It had been such a fresh kill, that the vultures weren’t yet circling overhead.

Lilac-Breasted Roller, the national bird of Botswana.

I dropped my guide off, giving him another $20 for a tip, and headed back to where I spent my first night on my adventure the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. With, my day trekking, I arrive once again after dark. But, this time as I pulled up to the gate, I noticed another vehicle there. A couple of guys were standing around outside the vehicle, and I asked what’s happening, and they said they were worried the place was closed, I asked them to honk their horn, and the gate opened up, and we went in. As we registered, we decided to just share one space.

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The four young German men were all studying at an international law school in Cape Town, South Africa and taking a break between semesters to do a self-drive safari. I wasn’t entirely sure how comfortable they were in that 4-Door Toyota HiLux pickup, it looked pretty cozy in there to me, but they seemed like very easy-going guys overall and great friends. We gathered wood, and built a fire which I did my way, with twigs, and newspaper, rather than the fire starters they had brought. They had come very well prepared, but I’m not sure how much they had camped before, their dinner plan was spaghetti, which I have to admit sounded great (and it was), but not something I’d typically do camping with limited fuel for the stove, I mostly kept my propane use to the making of hot water for the coffee in the morning as I didn’t want to blacken the coffee kettle the outfitter had provided. For things like potatoes, meat, veggies, I’ll usually just grill them on the coals of the fire, wrap potatoes in aluminum foil, and just toss them in there for 40 minutes, pull them out, and they will keep cooking for another 20 minutes to perfection!

We chatted well into the night, and polished off the rest of the wine I had with me, and a bottle they had as well (oh no, I still have one more night! I think I can manage). The next morning, I was again very much the benefactor of their creature comfort camping practices; French press coffee! Yum, guys, thanks! After breakfast, two of the guys come out all dressed in running gear, and think um, I hope they aren’t thinking of going for a run? I tell them I don’t think it’s a good idea, or even allowed, but they insist on they exercise, about 20 minutes later the camp staff is delivering them back to camp. Folks do not run in the bush, something might find that you are quite fun to chase, and then you’re the breakfast.

Camp at Khama Rhino Sanctuary with Christian, Konstantin, Till and Tim

These guys were a lot of fun to hang out with, and it was in this moment that while I very much enjoyed my solo adventure, I realized if I ever did this again it would be with someone. It was cathartic, something I don’t even realize to what extent until I return home, and find myself feeling trapped or encumbered by all the things that make up “roots”.

A mini trek with the guys, as we leave the Rhino Sanctuary, we don't see much. — A mini trek with the guys, as we leave the Rhino Sanctuary, we don’t see much.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Day Seven

I handle my morning routine, and head out of camp in my trusty Land Cruiser for an early start to make my last exploration through the Moremi Reserve. Rather taking my time to work my way in a loop by three bridges and then back out the South Gate again. After I leave the park, I get a glimpse of a beautiful Black Sable, technically it is an antelope. It was just beautiful! And I had no idea what it was, until I got home and looked it up, it turns out to be a very rare animal and rapidly declining in population.

The Black Sable, a majestic creature, almost mythical in a way.

Black Sable 1 Black Sable 3

I think today, was unusual animal day, as at the Okavango Delta, I find a Nile Water Monitor. At first, I had no idea what it was, other than a very freaking big lizard. Google came to the rescue once again, and identified the reptile.

Nile Water Monitor, apparently some people have these as pets. It really doesn't look all that cuddly to me. — Nile Water Monitor, apparently some people have these as pets. It really doesn’t look all that cuddly to me.

Throughout Africa you’ll find community camps, where local community organizations set up a coop of sorts, where they run a camp, and share the proceeds with the local community. The Kaziikini Community Camp was set up very nicely, not fancy, but very well put together, and efficiently run by a very nice woman in traditional dress, there was a small area with handicrafts for sale, and I bought a couple of grass baskets, and a painted fabric wall hanging, with the most vibrant reds, gold and oranges. She also set me up with a local guide for 3 hours the next day; I think the cost was around $40 to ride with me in their reserve to see if we could find a lion!

This camp had some very rustic showers, and toilets, all outdoor and open to the sky, there was kind of privacy, and I loved the ambiance, so long as something didn’t “join” me.
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Outdoor toilets 1 Outdoor toilets 2 Outdoor toilets 4

I was becoming old hand at this bush camping thing, and met a guy nearby who apparently had a bit more money to spend than I did on his safari, finally though another lone safari person, but this guy well, not so much, he had a driver, a guide and another guy to set up and take care of camp…he didn’t even have to boil water. He’d done this about several times though, and yeah, if for sure removes a lot of the guesswork.

Kaziikini Camp site, and subsequent sunset through the trees.

P1000861

This camp wasn’t was out in the bush, but the same rules about wildlife still applied, the stars this night were stunning though, so I spent some time trying to shoot the night sky.

The stars were amazing, I think I captured the Southern Cross.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Day Six

In the dark, once again, loud lion growls a couple of hours before dawn, I’m getting pretty used to it by now, kind of like the third small trembler you experience in California, you just roll over and go back to sleep. The baboons were the first thing on the move in the morning and they were making their presence known by throwing things on your vehicle. I get up, and they scurry, I think they were testing to see if anyone was home. As I made breakfast, I noticed two smaller monkeys in a tree right above my camp table, they were literally keeping an eye on everything I brought out, so I quickly decided to leave nothing out that was small enough for them to steal. Sure enough the second I went back to the truck to put something away, they ran down to the table to see what they could get. Sneaky litter buggers.

These innocent looking guys will steal anything they can carry!

I enjoyed them thoroughly, can’t say I spend much time camping typically where I’m hiding things from baboons and monkeys. Since I was moving to another campsite tonight, and this camp suffered from curious baboons, I packed everything up, and headed out into the bush, my destination was the hippo pool in Moremi, and then on to the North Gate and the Western edge of the Okavango Delta and on to a place called Xakanaxa, sounded exotic me so why not? I saw many elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, impalas, and gazelles, especially all around the water, it would be hard to leave and head back to camp. I ran into other people in groups and as couples, but in my entire time, I never ran into another solo tourist, I think it’s true I must be mad to be out here on my own.

Grey Go-Away Bird. Yes, that is what it is called.

Croc 1

Is it still a selfie when you set the timer and place the camera on a post?

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My new campsite is on the farthest end of the camp area, somewhat all alone by itself (inside joke with a friend of mine). It did make me more nervous with nothing blocking access to my camp site, just wide open grassy prairie, all the other campsites I’d been in had wonder trees and brush around so I could hear something approaching. Let’s just say my concerns turned out not to be without merit.

Camp site out in the open, feeling a bit exposed.

Just after dark, I’d had my steak, and cleaned up, was enjoying a glass of wine, watching the fire. As had become my routine, I’d do a sweep of the perimeter every 10 or so minutes, with my very bright LED flashlight. I had also positioned my truck behind me, so it was kind of blocking access to the open prairie. In this moment, I think I had become a little hypnotized by the fire, suddenly I felt a bump on my elbow and amazingly managed to not jump out of my chair, I turn on the flash light, and look to my right, and find a spotted hyena standing right next to me! Since it was dark, I couldn’t get a picture, but he looked exactly like this one:

Full credit to wiki for this picture. No way I could take a picture of the one who came sniffing around me at night.

Somehow I didn’t totally freak out, and jump and scream like a little girl, and he just snorted and walked away. About five minutes later, I heard a scream from a woman, and surmised the hyena was now over there visiting their camp. Then I thought oops maybe I should have said something about there being a hyena in camp. Alarm people, when they may not even see it or, just count on them to know there might always be something coming around? The campers closest to me, had invited me over for a beer this evening, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk over to their camp alone in the dark, especially after the hyena. They must have sensed this and came over to get me, and walk me over to their camp showing me amazing hospitality, and even gifting me a bottle of Sloe Gin. The family was from South Africa, with an older mom and dad, and their adult son and daughter with their spouses. They treated me to a taste of Pap which is a corn-based porridge with whole kernels of corn in it, and topped with ground meat in a tomato sauce base with some savory spices. As we eat, two elephants make their way through camp, one not even 10 feet (3 meters) away from us. Everyone just gets quite and watches the giant mammal closely. He eventually, turns and heads back toward my camp. These four nights in the national parks of Botswana have been surreal.

Solo Self-Drive Safari: Day Five

Awoken again at 5:30 with lion roars nearby, and I decide to make the coffee inside the camper, and have breakfast and wait for daylight before heading outside. Around 6:30 I peak outside, and figure it’s safe enough to pack up the chairs and lower the pop-up top, use the restroom, and head for the ferry to cross the river and the drive up to Maun. I had tied a sock around the loose and flopping springs, just hoping it would be strong enough to keep them from banging back and forth where they might hit the gas tank or the inside of the tire, I felt a bit like MacGyver, just not as handsome.

While waiting for the ferry, I am rewarded with one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen in my life.

Colors typically seen at sunset. This is the breaking of dawn over the Boteti river.

Once on the ferry, an addition of violet is added to nature's palette. — Once on the ferry, an addition of violet is added to nature’s palette.

The 90 mile (145 km) drive to Maun was a bit stressful, there was one spring left, and it if snaps, I’m not going any further. I was also worrying if my sock tie was holding, but in the end it held all the way, and in fact couldn’t be removed by the mechanics replacing the spring, they got a laugh, but thought it was resourceful. While they were removing the springs I talked with the shop manager, and he says it’s pretty common for these springs to break on these customized vehicles. Toyota specs the spring strength for a specific gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) which includes the chassis, body, engine, transmission, fuel, driver and passengers cargo…basically everything that sits on top of the springs, which is almost all the weight. When Britz customized the vehicle they added, electronics, a fridge and sink, drawers, cabinets, a 60 liter water tank, an extra 80 liter fuel tank; basically hundreds of pounds of extra weight. But, they kept the factory stock springs and suspension. As evidence he showed me the left spring which was showing two fractured springs in it as well, and most likely it would break just like the right one did, in a matter of a few weeks or months.

Tyremax shop is not where I want to spend any of my vacation time. Shop manager in the foreground has seen a lot of these broken springs.

Toyota engineers informed me this kind of break is due to metal fatigue. Along with the various levels of oxidation (rust) indicate these springs were broken long before I rented the Land Cruiser. Another indication this was preexisting was after the repair the snapping and popping noises from the roof disappeared, because the vehicle’s chassis was no longer twisted.

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This is the left side spring, where fractures are also clearly visible. However, I was not authorized to repair these springs. — This is the left side spring, where fractures are also clearly visible. However, I was not authorized by Britz to repair these springs.

The spring removed from the Land Cruiser, with my sock still tied to hold them in place.

I was pretty shocked, and even more so when the shop told me that Britz hadn’t made arrangements to pay for the repairs, and needed my credit card to charge $500 to! I wasn’t in the mood to sort that, out and just wanted to get on the road, so paid that nice folks, and off I went to Moremi. Immediately, I noticed something: it was quite! For the first time since the trip to the grocery store in Johannesburg, there was no noise coming from the roof! This convinced me the spring had been broken before I ever left, the noises were because the chassis was twisted from listing slightly to the right from the broken spring! That mystery solved, but the crazy lack of lights at night-time riddle remained.

Driving into Moremi Wildlife Reserve I see this cute guy!

OMG I’m so glad that spring got fixed, as the tarmac road leaving Maun going toward Moremi NP becomes dirt, I find the ruts and washboard surfaces punishing, and with that broken spring it would have been brutal. After about two hours on this road, I come to the south entrance gate for Moremi, and go though the registration procedures again, and shown on the map where my campsite is, but I have to move the next night to another site, eh, whatever these kinds of things you have to let roll off you’re back like water does off a duck’s back or you’ll drive yourself nuts when traveling internationally. My first site has a view of the river, and a bridge, but it’s also a favored area for baboons, which can be quite destructive. Next door I see a large camp, with tents and several tables, chairs and coolers, needless to say, the baboons have a great deal of fun with all the toys these folks left out, while they were on safari in the bush. I sure wasn’t going to intervene; these baboons were at least as big as I am.

Beautiful view from camp site. The bridge also serves as a baboon highway.

Something about this campsite was for sure amiss though, the access roads to it were a complete disaster, mud holes several feet (around 1 meter) across and at least a half-foot deep (around 15cm) were abundant, I saw some people had brought trailers in, and later found out they had a very difficult time, I could only imagine!

But, what a beautiful location! On one side you are bordered by a river, the other end is basically the south gate park entrance, and the other two sides are wide open to the bush. I was a bit early to get dinner going, and it was too late for a car safari, so I decided to be neighborly, one of the camps near me seem to be a five or six frat brothers, or so it seemed from the empty beer cans the obvious pee spots all over the camp, but nice guys, friendly and I hung out with them talking about the damage the baboons did to the other camp, they mentioned they didn’t feel too bad, as that camp was a bunch of inconsiderate people, who strung lights up in the trees played music too loudly until midnight the night before. This happens everywhere, I’m not sure why some people go camping when they bring every comfort of home with them. Anyways, when they got back I decided to just be direct and talk to them, let them know what some of the other campers were thinking, and they were really nice, they kept most of the lights off, and were mostly quite after about 9pm. I had another grilled something that night it was either steak or chicken…but I think steak, I really loved the red meat here, especially after I borrowed some seasoning from a fellow camper.