Day 8 - Mumbai

Up for breakfast before heading out.  Karen explained that she's coeliac and within minutes she had a plateful of wheat/gluten free food specially prepared.  The place we ate is one of five places to eat in this hotel (The Trident).  Then it was into the car and off for a tour of Mumbai.

First stop was the Pherozshah Meta Gardens (The Hanging Gardens).  This is a public garden built on top of a huge water reservoir.  There's some really nice topiary and flower displays.  There's also a small garden reserved especially for senior citizens, called the 2nd Innings Garden.  It's a really nice touch.

Karen in the Hanging Gardens

Next to the gardens, and hidden in the trees is the Silent Tower, where the Zoroastrian funerals take place.  The bodies are placed in an open space in the tower, and birds of prey dispose of the corpse.  With the birds of prey being scare in the city, as they find easy pickings at the dumps on the outskirts of the city, they are having to occasionally resort to using lime, and magnifiers to amplify the suns rays, to dispose of the bodies.

Next stop was a Krishna temple, which was really nice.  The guide explained a lot about Krishna, and then we got talking to one of the monks.  He gave us some information booklets, about Krishna, and about the temple itself.  Then we had a look in the temple shop where we picked up some cow urine and cow dung soap. (Possibly the strangest presents I'll ever take back from a holiday), and I got the autobiography of the resident Swami, who was originally from America, and hitch hiked across Europe, to India, and some beads.  The shop was incredibly cheap, but they run it on a "not for profit" basis.  Any profits they make are from donations.

The altar in the Krishna temple, Mumbai

Next stop was the Gandhi museum, which was housed in the building he lived and worked from.  It's a fascinating place.  On the way out, I bought a book of thoughts and saying of Gandhi, which I thought was going to be really expensive as it was printed on handmade paper, but it was really reasonable.

The final stop on today's tour was the museum formerly known as the Prince Albert Museum (the new name is very very long.  Google it).  It's got a lot of really good exhibits, and reminded me a bit of the Burrell in Glasgow, purely on the variation of exhibits.  There's pottery, paintings, and archaeological exhibits as well as historic weapons.

The museum

Back at the hotel, and it was time for a swim.  Coming back in from the pool, we noticed a memorial to staff and customers who died in a suicide bombing here a few years ago.

We decided to go out tonight and headed to a street a couple of blocks away from the hotel that has a lot of places to eat.  So what do you eat when you're in Mumbai, India?  Chinese of course!  Very nice it was too.

On the way back to the hotel, we crossed over to walk along the promenade, which makes the Corniche in Beiruit look paltry.  It's that impressive.  While we were walking along, the heavens opened, and it was torrential.  The only plus is that the rain is warm.  Everyone was running for cover under the palm trees and laughing.  You couldn't help smiling despite getting soaked.  By the time we got back to the hotel, we both looked like a couple of drowned rats.  It's the most fun I've had getting soaked.

Soaked in Mumbai

Day 5 - Agra/Jaipur

So, today started with an early start as we were up at 6.00am to get to the Taj Mahal.  It was only 10 minutes away, so we were there just after it opened.

We hired a photographer to come round with us. This was good, as the photos we selected are excellent, and he made sure people got out the way when we were taking our own pictures too, which was brilliant.  The Taj Mahal is surrounded by really nice gardens on a bend in the river, from where you can see Agra Fort (that we visited yesterday)

It's a bit surreal being here, it's such an iconic building that you can't quite believe that you're there.  It doesn't look real until your actually right up at it.

The Taj Mahal (and the seat that Diana sat on)

After visiting the Taj, it was back to the hotel for breakfast, before checking out.  Then it was back into the car and Fatehpur Sikri, another Moghul palace, which is HUGE!  The Emperor had married three wives, one Muslim, one Christian and one Hindu.  He was by all accounts, a bit of a philosopher, and thought all religions to be true, hence a wife from each of the three major religions.  This is evident in the carvings round the palace.  There are carvings representative of Islam, Christianity and Hinduism.

Each of the main three wives had their own palace within the main palace compound.  The rest of the wives lived in the harem.

There's a great story about him meeting a young boy, when he was travelling, and giving him one of his rings, saying "If you ever need me, come to the capital and I will help you".  

Years later the boy, now a young man, travelled to see the Emperor, but the palace guards, recognising the ring, thought he would be in for a bit reward from the ruler, so refused to let him enter until he promised to give them a share of whatever it was he received.  He duly agreed, and finally got in to see the Emperor.  The Emperor recognised the ring, and asked what he could give the man.  He asked for 100 lashes, so that the guards who had refused him entry, could share in his reward.  The Emperor recognised how smart he was, and gave him a position at court.

After the palace, it was back in the car, and onwards with the long journey to our next stop, Jaipur.

Apart from cows in the road, stopping for lunch, and to get a couple of pics of a temple, the journey was un-eventful.

Statues outside a temple on the road from Agra to Jaipur