Abu Dhabi & India

Oct 31-Nov 11, 2014
AA4313 IAH-ORD, EY150 ORD-AUH, Nov 2 AUH-DEL, Nov 11 OS34 DEL-VIE, OS65 VIE-ORD, UA1290 ORD-IAH

India is a beautiful country offering a lot of rewarding sites.  Unfortunately, it is also a very crowded and chaotic place and definitely not for the casual traveler.  When you combine that with previous terrorist attacks, it may not be surprising that it has taken us awhile to get to India.  However, with the aid of good guides and drivers, pharmaceuticals and a little adventure, we decided to head to India.  We took advantage of our frequent flyer miles and routed through Chicago and Abu Dhabi for a decompression on the beach before hitting India.  Unfortunately, a bad storm in Chicago almost disrupted the trip, but after a lot of stress Tom made the flight to Abu Dhabi with just a few minutes to spare.  When we finally arrived we had a good trip, but did definitely feel the intensity of the crowds, pollution and the crazy traffic.  All in all I think it was worth it, but likely won't rush back to the same places again.

Oct 31-Nov 2
Overnight flights to Abu Dhabi, morning at the hotel

The Park Hyatt grounds

View from our balcony

Nov 3
After a late evening arrival in Delhi spend the day exploring the city with our guide

India Gate commemorates the WWI losses for India

Jama Masjid (mosque) 1650-1656 in the old Delhi city

Impressive chandelier inside Jama Masjid

View of the old city infrastructure from our bike rickshaw

Great view of the chaos from the calm of a rooftop

Holy water outside the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple

Visitors partaking in the temple’s continuous meals for the public

Mass chapati production for the thousands of visitors

Indian Parliament

Humayun’s tomb

Mughal Emperor Humayun’s tomb

Modern Lotus Temple Baha’i house of worship

73m Qutab Minar built in 1193 built by first Muslim ruler of Delhi, truncated by earthquake

Nov 4
Early morning train to Amritsar, and afternoon at the Golden Temple

Sun setting over the temple

The holy pool outside the template

The iconic Golden Temple

After visiting inside we got to see the lit up temple

Nov 5
In Amritsar on Guru Nanak Gurpurab celebrating birth of first Sikh Guru (Nanak)

Crowds parading into the Golden Temple for the Guru Nanak holiday

Beautifully lit temple with the throngs

Now headed to the Wagah border crossing with Pakistan, feeling very uncomfortably crowded

Looking to the more sombre Pakistan side, days after terrorist attacks killed dozens

Crowds having a festive celebration waiting for the Wagah border closing

Soldiers officially close the border with pomp and pagentry

Nov 6
Very long train ride from Amritsar to Agra and the Taj Mahal

Entrance gates to the Taj Mahal before the amazing main structure and the crowds

1632 mausoleum to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s wife Mumtaz Mahal

Iconic reflective view of the amazing monument

The crowds thin as the sun sets and full moon apears

Nov 7
Morning at Agra Fort and long drive to Ranthambhore via Fatehpur Sikri

Hall of Public Audience in the Red Fort in Agra

DIwan-i-Khas marble chamber used for meetings with Emperor with great views of the Taj

Some of the more elaborate sandstone of the palace and fort structure

A sample of the more interesting vehicles we saw on our journey

DIwan-i-Khas, hall of private audience in 16th century Faehpur Sikri

Entrance to the Queen’s Palace in the incredible complex

1576 Buland Darwaza (Gate of Magnificence) leads from town to Faehpur Sikri

Nov 8
Amazing day in Ranthambore National Park

After straining to see tiger cubs in the brush, we move on and get an amazing encounter

Closeup of the young male that we got up close with

Apparently road is easier for the soft tiger paws so we had a tiger vehicle parade

With skilled driving we managed to be directly in front of the tiger as we move slowly on road

One last photo of one of only 55 tigers in the National Park

One of the more social birds in the national park, a Rufous Treepie

Small deer navigating the tiger park

Langur monkeys as we exit the park from a very successful (and lucky) morning journey

Well-adorned camel on the road back to the hotel

Our incredible luck continues as we get a good view of mother and cubs

This time the zoom lens helps a lot

Two cubs relaxing in the open brush

Langur monkey family

Nov 9
Morning drive to Jaipur

Jantar Mantar astronomical instrument built by Jai Singh II of Jaipur

The world’s tallest (27m) sundial is the most impressive of all instruments

Chandra Mahal in the centre of the Jaipur City Palace complex

Nov 10
From Jaipur to Delhi via the Amber Fort

Local entrepreneurs capture photos as we ride elephants to the Amber Fort

The morning throngs make their way up the hill to the fort

Interior of the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace) in the fort interior

One the inner courtyards of the palace

Jal Mahal (Water Palace) under morning haze of Jaipur

Nov 11
Overnight flight to Europe and home