February 2025
16 Feb 2025
This year I revisited India, this time with my son Adam. We began in Delhi, with a visit to the memorial for Mahatma Ghandi, and a terrifying rickshaw rode through the streets of the old city.
Jaipur was next - one of my favourite Indian cities. The Amber Fort is superb, with magnificent views over the city. We also saw the Palace of Winds, where lladies would sit unseen to look out at the street life, and the City Palace, where preparations were in hand for an elaborate wedding. In Jaipur we also had a meal where we could dress in traditional Indian clothing. I think I looked good in a sari, but not as elegant as Indian ladies who know exactly how to wear them.
After Jaipur we departed for Ranthambore, for game drives in search of the elusive tiger. On the first drive we saw a leopard and many other animals and birds. This is where things started to go wrong: I was so exhausted that I felt quite ill, and spent the next day at the resort. It was, of course, on the second game drive that the tiger condescended to appear. Woe! But at least it is an excuse to go back.
After this I was a bit revived and ready to go on to Agra, which of course means the Taj Mahal. This was the third time I have seen it, and it always looks different, but equally beautiful. Also we visited the Mehtab Bagh, a very old garden area, across the river from the Taj; it is so quiet and peaceful after the crowds. The day finished at Agra Fort, which has a variety of architectural styles from different periods.
Next we visited Lucknow, a city I hadn't seen before, with a very busy town centre, but also peaceful gardens like the ones around the old Governor's Residence.
That was followed by Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganges. We travelled on the riveer by boat to see the ghats and various people carrying out ceremonies as the sun rose.
We flew from Varanasi back to Delhi, and from there caught a train to Amritsar. I love Indian trains! There is always something going on. When we arrived we went to the Sikh Golden Temple by night, which is outstandingly beautiful. Maybe I will make myself unpopular, but I prefer the Golden Temple to the Taj Mahal. While we were there, we were able to see the ceremony where the holy book is taken from the temple to another building where it spends the night. We followed this by another visit the next day, where we had a tour of the kitchens. Anyone can go there and be fed, while the kitchen staff produce masses of curry, rice, vegetables and chapatis, and serve them to the people who sit on rows of mats in the large dining halls. It is financed by the Sikh community, and Sikhs who live abroad also contribute.
Later that day we toured the city and visited the Jallianwal Bagh, the place of the massacre by British soldiers - dramatised in the film Gandhi - which is now a beautiful garden. In the evening we went to Wagah, the border crossing between India and Pakistan, for the sunset ceremony of 'banging on the gates'. It is noisy!
And that was the end: a flight from Amritsar to Delhi and then back to the UK. So many memories!