Shah Ja built the Taj Mahal to honor his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Considered an architectural masterpiece, it was built between 1631 and 1653.
Sadly, according to oral history, the shah got to watch the last phases of construction from his cell, as his son took over the kingdom and imprisoned his father.
We decided to join the other tourists in front of the Taj
The Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daula’s in Agra, only a short distance from the Taj Mahal, is nicknamed the ‘Baby Taj’ as it is thought to have been the model for the Taj Mahal. It is also called the ‘jewel box’.
His and her tombs
The Jama Masjid served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the empire ended in 1857. It was also a site of political meetings and unrest during several key periods of British rule.
This fort/Palace in Old Delhi was the main residence of Mughal emperors.
The fort was plundered of its artwork and jewels in 1739. Most of the fort’s marble structures were subsequently demolished by the British following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
The Qutub Minar minaret and “victory tower” is at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city.
Like many visitors, I was a bit confused as to when one referred to India’s capital city as New Delhi, old Delhi or simply Delhi. The simple answer is that most of the famous monuments from Mughal times are in old Delhi, while New Delhi is the portion of the city built by the British during the British colonial era. New Delhi still contains most government buildings. For a more extensive description of old versus new Delhi, here’s one article. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/what-is-the-difference-between-delhi-and-new-delhi/articleshow/106572882.cms
The India gate commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I.
The national war memorial honors soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who fought for independent India in conflicts with Pakistan and China, the 1961 War in Goa, Operation Pawan, and Operation Rakshak.
If you’ve been to India before, many things will seem familiar: the cacophony of sounds, smells, and colors, for example. Also familiar is the need to take care with food and water.
But some things may be surprising, such as the increased security at big hotels. One goes through scanners much like our TSA scanners and all bags go through as well, every time one enters the hotel. Cars and trucks go through a security check as well. This was instituted in part because of the 1993 Mumbai (then Bombay) bombings. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Bombay_bombings
Something that has changed, but perhaps not as much as one might hope, is the caste system. Despite 1950s legislation to eliminate the caste system and the inequality it engendered, 3000 years of a caste based world view is hard to shake off. Our tour leader, an otherwise nice guy, introduced himself as a Brahmin (the top level of the old system). That would be roughly equivalent to an American male proudly introducing himself as one of the one percent. However, there has been progress, thanks to quotas, some lower and middle caste individuals have succeeded in getting college degrees, although progress is still most difficult for the Dalits (once called the untouchables).
Furthermore, caste discrimination has impacted Indians who moved to Silicon valley to work in the tech industry. If an employee’s Indian boss discovered that an employee had been Dalit, discrimination was likely. Seattle legislated against caste discrimination.
I’ll admit that after the long flights, and busy days, we were grateful for the comfort of our luxurious hotel. My days as a backpacking traveler are sadly long gone.
Our dear dog, Owen, passed away several months ago, after a long illness. That’s why I haven’t been posting. Recently, in honor of Owen, we adopted a new pup, Luca, who will be accompanying us on adventures once she finishes the “no paws on the ground” phase next month. Here’s a quick video of Luca.
A super rich chocolate dessert.
My oldest granddaughter, Ayley, came to visit recently. Back home in Michigan, it was still cold and snowy, so she really enjoyed our warm new Mexico weather. We booked her at the newly built Chaco hotel, which she really loved.
The hotel lobby has the sense of a historic kiva. Ayley also enjoyed our walks through the bosque.
We all had a great time and we’re sorry to say goodbye. Till next time.
Taking a train trip via Amtrak (http://Amtrak.com) to Winslow, Arizona from Albuquerque, New Mexico is as close as one can come to time travel to the old wild West without a time machine.
The train ride was smooth enough that one lady wrote and addressed 100 postcards. I jotted down notes in my journal using my fountain pens, and admired the beautiful scenery. The trip was sponsored by the Wheels Museum in Albuquerque. The train was immaculate and comfortable, with lots of leg room. There is a cafe onboard, with light snacks and a wonderful observation deck with huge windows.
For booking cheap travel, I found the wanderu (http://Wanderu.com) website helpful and often easier to use than Amtrak’s beautiful but sometimes overwhelming site. Wanderu also can be used to find deals on buses, trains, cars, and hotels.
Arriving after dark, guests exited the train to be immediately welcomed by the hotel lights. The train stops at the hotel’s back gate.
La Posada was designed by one of the first women architects, Mary Colter. Like Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright, she wasn’t a registered architect, so she wasn’t the architect of record on the blueprints, but she did the design for this and many other buildings in the Southwest. She also designed the lovely gardens with all their quiet conversation spaces.
An absolutely incredible corn/bean soup. The ladies are part of the group from the Wheels tour.
Recently, I was in New York City for two weeks visiting a new grandbaby. Since it was an unexpected trip, I had a lot of unfinished business back in Albuquerque.
Fortunately, I was able to track my mail with the USPS informed delivery service. It let me see what was arriving each day, so if I needed to follow up on something,I could have my husband open it, PDF it, and email it. If you don’t already have this service, you should definitely sign up. If mail is predicted, but doesn’t arrive, a quick check mark alerts the USPS to the problem.
Travels with Owen 