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Glad you are safely home, but I understand about not wanting your trip to be over.
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Welcome home as you enjoy and cherish the amazing memories.
Waiting for more experiences and also curious to know what sort of shopping did you do? Did you discover some truly unique items? Hope the coming weekend will inspire you to rest, relax and write. |
Thanks guys, in a way it’s nice to be home. I appreciate the little things like a hot shower and toilet paper that respects its perforations. At the same time it’s overwhelming, we’re about to make an offer on a house way out in the country to escape this concrete jungle, M will retire, and I’m planning a direct action for my precious lake where I and many others may be arrested....
ileen, I’m trying to become a minimalist, so shopping was not high on the agenda. There were however, a few special little purchases which I’ll reveal in due course. To Patiala via Chandigarh. Prakriti Farm has been such a welcome respite from frenetic India. Our hosts parents arrived from Delhi last night, and we met them after breakfast (Kaushal asked chef to cook my favourite, pooris with fresh chutney). Dad is a retired Army colonel in his eighties, very proper, though interesting and a good conversationalist. We are now part of the family and are welcome to come back even if our host is not home. He said just pull into the gate anytime and we’ll be looked after. Little does he know, I take offers like that quite literally ! I wanted to see Chandigarh, even if only from the car. Swiss French architect Le Corbusier laid out this city not long after independence. It’s rare to have a whole city in India that’s been master planned. It’s perhaps the cleanest, neatest, and calmest large city I’ve seen in India. Unusual, there are no suburbs identified by name, but rather by number. The Nek Chand rock gardens are a major tourist attraction, so of course we went, me with a healthy dose of scepticism. After paying 30 rupees (no discrimination of foreigners, at last, yay) to a ticket window set about 30 cm above the ground (on my knees to pay) we set off with hundreds of Indian tourists to see this stunning garden/art installation. It’s indescribable, see the photos. We made another stop to purchase the laser gadget - 650 rupees later and much attention at the electronics market, we set off towards Patiala. Whilst planning this trip (with the help of Fodor’s Asian forum) I had a very kind offer from regular contributor vp_singh. I was having a bad day with my precious lake when I got his personal message. It lifted my spirits immeasurably when he suggested a plan to visit his city Patiala, it was perfect ! This is such a full on day it deserves two posts. Next up, spending time with another Fodorite and a look at a little visited city that’s well off the tourist map. |
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Pooris with fresh chutney and masala aloo. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f497e5f81.jpeg Through the windscreen, from the back seat, out of focus, but you get the idea. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b96074dfb.jpeg Nek Chand, the vision of one man. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2965c5279.jpeg Nek Chand is a maze. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d12dd53e6.jpeg And amazing. |
Wow - this report just keeps getting better and better!
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Really overwhelmed to read your experience. India is truly a great country and the tourist places are just breathtaking. Especially, taj mahal. Simply wow!
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We met vp_singh in the foyer as we checked into the Baradari Palace Hotel. It’s a well hidden (two google maps apps going, mine (set to walking) and the drivers (set to driving) - turn left in 600 meters, take the third exit from the roundabout, do a u-turn, turn right, then left, aargh) but a grand old building, previous home to the kinky maharajah Bhupinder Singh (thanks for that link CaliNurse). Indeed, his portrait hangs in our beautiful suite. We have a four poster bed and a bathroom that’s bigger than our entire room in Amritsar, complete with claw foot tub. Outside is a lovely terrace with views over the grounds and the nearby Baradari Gardens (guess that’s where we stuffed up with google maps). No time to enjoy this space now, we have a luncheon appointment !
The Gymkhana Club is just around the corner, another beautiful old colonial era building set amidst green well tended gardens. Our host vp_singh orders up a feast of cheese straws (paneer fingers, crumbed and fried) tender tandoori chicken chunks, salad, vegetable rice and dal makhani...with a cold beer it was supremely satisfying. We followed lunch with a walk through the clubhouse. Vp revealed some of its colourful history, notably where the Indian test cricket team foiled the English team by organising a party on the eve of the match. Many beautiful women and free flowing Indian rum had the Englishmen too hung over to compete ! A short drive took us to Mohindra College, an imposing colonial building from 1875, then a palace, now a school, still in use today. Next we parked up and took a walk through the vegetable markets, the usual riot of colour, with a few cows observing. There’s a marked heritage walk through the streets of Patiala, we followed it, admiring the architecture and arrived at the Qila Mubarak fort. This is largely unrestored and inside is not open to visitors, but just walking around between the outer and inner walls is awesome. Huge crenellated walls, doors featuring intricately carved woodwork, fading tile work and paintings, and only a few Indian tourists. Looking back on all my photos, these are some of the most evocative. We then went to the shrine of Shahi Samadhan, again marvellous details on the buildings, and a new shrine testifying that it’s still a place of burial. In between, colourful fabric stores and kitchen utensils shops caught my eye, while VP provide helpful commentary and friendly banter. The summer palace was another stop, beautiful with a bit of imagination, it’s also unrestored. We had time for a rest and a chance to appreciate the fading grandeur of Baradari Palace, before our dinner date at the home of VP. His home was close by, Ramesh drove us there and waited while we dined. After meeting VPs wife and elderly mother (both charming) we enjoyed a starter of marinated grilled fresh paneer with a gin & tonic for the ladies and a whiskey for the men ! Dinner included a new dish (to me) zafrani chicken (chicken in a saffron sauce) so delicately spiced and melt in the mouth tender, aloo jeera, spiced rice, dal, salad and curd with roti bread.....oh my this was good. We retired outside for coffee, chatting about everything and anything while sitting in a pavilion overlooking the beautiful gardens. What a meal, what a host, what a day ! Thank you VP. |
I’ve spent an hour now trying to upload my photos from Patiala. So annoyed that it’s this difficult, when I really don’t have any time to spare. Big Grrrrrrr.
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Thank you again for this very nice TR.
Hang in there with the pics! Sure would have cherished the chance to eat dinner with VP and family at his home. :tu: |
Good on you to care about a cause enough to dive right into it as soon as you returned from your travels.
Your photos are great and I look forward to more when you are able. I tried to upload several to go with my report last night and had troubles too. |
Welcome home, sartoric! And thank you for your wonderful, on-the-go trip report and great photos. You'e taken us along another one of your amazing trips and I *almost* feel like I'm there with you. You chose an interesting cross-section of places, too - the photos of Nek Chand really is amazing. Hopefully, the issue with uploading photos will resolve soon, and we can see the rest of the trip! I had actually written a longer response yesterday while writing on my iPad, but Fodors swallowed it up. Hopefully, today's reply will post!
Good luck in the next chapter of your life - new home, your husband's retirement, and in your environmental work on your lake. It sounds like you've got plenty to keep yourself occupied. As an about-to-retire person, I know from my own experience that the winding down is exhausting but now I'm only 3 weeks away! |
What an interesting trip! Thanks for writing!
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so glad I found my way back here, Sartoric - what lovely photos and descriptions of your trip. Thank you for posting them so quickly.
And how wonderful to spend the day with VP Singh. I also have problems with Fodors on an iPad. I hope you get your issues resolved soon. i want to find out about the rest of your trip! |
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The grand Gymkhana Club https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fe5e86409.jpeg Mohindra College https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6b8afe932.jpeg Heritage walking https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...57bc14897.jpeg Fabrics..... https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a9f509c4.jpeg Markets https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a022d0321.jpeg The Summer Palace - the foreground was once a lake, hence the bridge over. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a63ee71bd.jpeg The Summer Palace from the other side. |
Sixth time lucky, above are some photos of Patiala. I have more to post..
jacketwatch, thanks, I hope to post a photo of our meal to enjealous you even more ! tripplanner01, if we don’t care about our natural environment, then what’s left ?... apathy will kill us all. Great you’re enjoying your time in my country. progol, thanks for your kind wishes. I learnt long ago (after losing so much) to create text in notes then copy/paste, the photos are a new thing though. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I created a thread on the tech forum and hope IB are working out the glitches, clearly I’m not the only one experiencing technical difficulties. annhig, yes, we were so lucky to have a day with VP. I will finish this damn thing, by hook or by crook. Patience grasshopper. |
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The Shahi Samadhan tomb complex https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...36ed81c73.jpeg Qila Mubarak fort https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b0f201b08.jpeg More fort https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f415e94d9.jpeg Fort detail https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...05b98153e.jpeg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...03e5dd659.jpeg The charming Baradari Palace hotel. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ab53a06ad.jpeg Our delicious dinner. |
Phew, I think the photo thing is sorted !
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Thanks again for all your work.
When Fodorites go on a trip the trip isn’t over until the TR is in! |
great work, Sartoric, both in telling us about your trip and posting all your photos which add so much more to it.
Grasshopper's patience was rewarded! |
Thanks everyone, I have a few more days to post, while the lake fight ramps up exponentially. I didn’t get arrested on Monday, three others did though. There’s still time for me.
A gruelling day in the car. Breakfast at Baradari palace was pretty good, masala omelette on home made bread for M and a stuffed paratha with curd for me. The Maharajah and four of his lady friends stared down at us from the large vintage photograph high up on the wall. Rome2rio said 3.45 hours for this trip from Patiala to Rishikesh, both VP and Ramesh said more like 5, the reality was more than 6, with roadworks and shocking traffic thwarting our progress. The current Prime Minister Modi has committed to 200,000 kms of road building. Good for him and the country needs it, but not all at once ! While I’m talking roads, many times in various states we would see an overpass/bridge built with no road at either end....Ramesh tells me that a change of state government would often see the previous incumbents plans scrapped. White elephants abound. A particularly harrowing section near Saharanpur saw miles and miles of houses being partly demolished to make way for the road. Through here it took 45 minutes to travel 3 kilometres. In another section we passed through an army town, with signs on the fence every 100 meters stating “Trespassers will be shot” can’t make it any clearer I guess. At least lunch was great, once again in a roadside dhaba. We had chickpeas masala, potato bhata and two stuffed paratha with a big bottle of water for 210 rupees. These were the best chickpeas of the trip, cooked long and slow overnight, then finished off with the masala when ordered. For Rishikesh I upped my accommodation budget and splashed out on a balcony room with a view of the Ganges. Yog Niketan is right on the river and looks across to the many ashrams on the other side, upriver to the suspension foot bridge and downriver to a few small rapids. The water here is an amazing aqua blue colour and looks very clean. The pollution which affects the Ganges starts downstream from here. Still wouldn’t want to drink it. Exhausted from the day in the car, (I imagine poor Ramesh felt worse) we took a short evening walk as far as the bridge then called it a night. Tomorrow Ramesh proves he’s so much more than just a driver ! |
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The Maharajah Bhupinder Singh and friends https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d26259c99.jpeg Baradari Palace hotel https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bb25450c0.jpeg Road widening in progress https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...83f5a6856.jpeg Amazingly good cheap lunch https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...37d23fd65.jpeg From our room in Rishikesh |
Envious of how much fun you had and what amazing memories you made.
I am looking forward to my next trip as soon as I can plan it. Your trip report wants me to rush and get organized. Well, enjoy the memories as you look at photos and write your experiences. |
yes, you have painted the picture of your trip beautifully in words and photos.
Though I was a bit worried when I saw the picture below the caption "Baradari Palace Hotel" until I realised that it was the caption for the picture above. |
Rishikesh day one.
Waking up with coffee on our balcony overlooking the Ganges was vicariously refreshing, so many people were exercising or bathing in the cold blue water. Ramesh met us at 10.00 for a walk taking in some of the sights of Rishikesh. There’s an absolute crush of people here on this Friday, probably every day. The suspension footbridge across the river is an experience. It seems motorbikes are allowed, also handcarts and there’s always the odd cow, plus hundreds of people...the bridge occasionally sways. Along the narrow stone lanes are interesting street food options, shops selling handicrafts and other goods, coffee shops, restaurants and Ashrams. Rishikesh was put on the tourist map to some extent by the Beatles in 1968. It’s spiritual, magical and sometimes unbelievable. We strolled the Parnath Niketan Ashram, a peaceful place with some lovely buildings and gardens, statues of Hindu God scenes, many people practicing yoga or just sitting still. There’s wall stories of all the good work they do in various countries, and the World Toilet College devoted to water, sanitation and hygiene... Lunch was at Chotiwala restaurant, where a pink body-painted chubby man sits on a throne outside posing for photos...he’s apparently a cartoon character from the 1950’s. The thali were delicious, although sadly, no beer. Rishikesh is easy to wander in, you simply can’t get lost with that huge river as a marker, simply head downhill. So wander we did, coming across all kinds of strange sadhus, contented cows, hippie freak out types and Indian families on pilgrimage. Back to Yog Niketan for some people watching from our balcony and all is right in the world. The promenade here is wide and popular. Again out into the throng to Shwarg Ashram, we watched the evening Ganga aarti at Parnath Niketan Ashram where the ceremony is performed in English. Lots of foreigners here, but it was great to understand the meaning. An auspicious full moon hung low over the river, while hundreds gave offerings to mother Ganga and prayed for their special cause. I prayed for the lake...current events only confirm my opinion that prayers don’t work. Dinner back at our hotel was okay, although we felt it was dumbed down for western taste buds. Tomorrow we visit Haridwar and finally do a bit of shopping ! |
Again, the photo glitch returns. Grrrrr, later.
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A redolent and reminiscent TR sartoric. A kind, which inspires and stimulates one's senses to get off the backside and plan another trip.Wonderful.Waited for this part of your story. Yes.The Lakshman Jhula, the bridge over the turbulent Ganges which has washed a million sins off scores of souls since time immemorial.
Did you go to Devprayag , the 'holy confluence ' of the rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi which essentially forms the Ganges.I do also remember the Triveni Ghat where the evening prayers followed by the aarthi when hundreds of flower boats with lamps are set afloat.....aah ! what a divine sight !! Its all coming back. Looking forward to more |
Thanks inquest, I didn’t get to the confluence of the rivers, another time maybe....
Another day in Rishikesh. Ramesh is a gem. Again, he wants to take us walking to see more of Rishikesh, and later will drive us to Haridwar. The Lakshman Jhula area is upstream, reached by crossing our footbridge, then following the eastern bank upstream for a few kilometres where many handicraft shops beckon, then crossing another footbridge and climbing a hundred stairs. Here there is an ancient temple, several high quality shops, and dozens of restaurants, many with a backpacker flavour. We refueled with a masala dosa, the South Indian breakfast staple. There was a man high up in the suspension bridge painting the cables. M was wearing his recently bought and newly favourite shirt, so, of course, we got splattered with silver paint. Shrug, this is India. Stain queen that I am, the shirt has been saved. There’s a fabindia here, where I bought a couple of tops, but undoubtedly the best buy of the trip was a hand knitted, natural dyed wool patterned cardigan for about $25. The sale process was precious, with Ramesh advocating for me. I also bought a wool shawl/blanket for the winter which I will benefit from next June....it’s coming into winter here in Rishikesh and summer at home. At 3.00 we jumped in the car and headed for Haridwar. The drive is arduous, shocking traffic, roadworks and a train line...it’s only 25 kilometres but took close to an hour. Haridwar is also on the Ganges river and a place of spiritual significance for Hindus. There’s an endless parade of people arriving for the evening aarti, it’s much grittier than Rishikesh, and we parked miles away to avoid sitting in traffic. After walking through the dirt, filth, and myriad shops selling devotional items, we checked out the ghats. Ramesh harvested some sacred water for his neighbours and we called times up. The drive back was just as manic, but broken with a stop for snacks at a roadside dhaba. This food was great, all vegetarian, but looked like meat kebabs. It was so good, we had seconds and thirds while three young children watched us intently, that’s dinner sorted ! Back in Rishikesh I had some serious shopping to do. As always, I tend to leave this to the last minute, and there would be no time tomorrow. I scored a cross body bag made from carpet and camel leather, a pair of hand knitted fingerless gloves with an ingenious cap for the fingertips, an over door decoration, a few cushion covers, a pouffe and a carry bag to put it all in. Tomorrow we return to Delhi for one night before the long slog home. |
Sorry that this is ending—a truly memorable trip report.
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Thank you so much for your lovely trip report - what an amazing adventure and memorable experiences you have had! I love the photos from Rishikesh -- the one of the girls walking along the river and past the cattle captures so much.
I've enjoyed following your travels and wish you well in your move and in your fight to save the lake. Congratulations, too, for your husband's retirement (2 weeks left for me!). |
Sartoric - the light in those photos is amazing. I have loved your report, thank you.
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Your itinerary is Fantastic All The Very Best
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I have photos to add, but the grinch is misbehaving. Maybe I’ll add them later.
The drive to Delhi took about six hours, one highlight being a breakfast stop near Haridwar for masala dosa where a cow wanted to join us. I finally got a photo of a wedding car, it’s the season for weddings and the cars are decorated with fresh flowers, this one roses. Lunch was in a giant restaurant with hundreds of patrons, surly waiters, a pretty good thali, but no beer. Before long we could see the haze of Delhi and found our guesthouse for the night Chhoti Haveli. The hosts are lovely, the room small but comfy, the area green and leafy. Once again we’re in a gated community which seem very popular in the larger cities. I guess that’s an indication of crime, a product of inequality. We said good bye to Ramesh, and will stay in touch, our next trip will be to his home state. We hope he can be our driver and look forward to meeting his family. Our hosts have not only been to Australia, but had a weeks holiday on the Gold Coast, our city. It was great to chat over a new favourite (Old Monk with coke) and have some common ground. They recommended a restaurant within walking distance, a trendy fusion style cafe. We ordered far too much again ! Nepalese chicken momos with a spicy chilli sauce, a kind of pav bharti (potato pattie in a bun), paneer masala, dum biriyani, stuffed kulcha, salad..... Next day our flight home was uneventful, a pair of screaming toddlers gave us something to focus on. One was a few rows ahead of us in the bulkhead seats, one directly behind me, kick, kick, kick. The joys of travel. We made it home luggage intact, didn’t get sick and had an incredible time in incredible India. Anyway, the trip report is a wrap, thank you for reading and commenting. Happy to answer any questions you might have. |
Many thanks for your report. Great to have a report so honest and detailed. I'm keen to make a (first) trip to India. I'm inspired to do some actual planning now.
Very sad about Black Swan Lake - thanks for trying. (We live in Melbourne) |
Hope you enjoyed your stay with Sanjay at Badnore House in Ajmer We have stayed there twice and still in touch via social media.
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