day 9 - Mumbai

Today's trip was to Elephanta Island, an island 9km off the coast of Mumbai (1 hour away by boat).The island got it's name from the Portuguese when they invaded and found a giant elephant statue (of which only two of the feet remain).

The main attraction of the island is an ancient temple dedicated to Shiva, which is carved out of the rock, and has some incredible carvings.

But first the boat crossing......

The sea was a little rough, but nothing major, we've been on dive boats in the past, on choppier seas, but it was choppy enough, that a Japanese girl managed to throw up before the boat had left the dock.  Not over the side, oh no, all over the deck, and herself.  She continued to blow chunks at least three more times before we reached the island.

Once on the island, a small noddy train took us the length of the pier, and onto dry land.

A wee train on Elephanta island

To get to the temple, there was 120 steps to climb.  The locals have lined the steps with stalls selling souvenirs, and if you can't do steps, you can sit on a chair with poles along the sides, and get carried up.

At the top, the temple sits carved out of the rock.  Nothing here was "built" and installed, the whole place - pillars and statues - are all carved from the rock.  It's spectacular.  There are nine carvings in all, all telling the story of Shiva.  The place is like something from Indiana Jones.

One of the none carvings on Elephanta Island

The return journey was, thankfully, a bit smoother, and although the Japanese girl was back on the boat, ot appeared that she had nothing left to throw up, which was a relief.  Then, the rain started, and with the tide going out, and an offshore wind, there was a lot of spray coning in and soaking people.  It was actually quite funny, and the kids on board were loving it.

In the afternoon, we'd asked the guide about other things in Mumbai, and he'd picked us up tickets to go to the Planetarium.  It was excellent, and pretty busy,  People in Mumbai seem to be more into doing things like this that Glaswegians.  A wee kid behind us had to be taken out pretty much as soon as the lights went down, as he was really scared and was freaking out.  Admittedly, if your a small kid, what was making me go "Oooh" probably would make you go "Aaargh!"

Back at the hotel, they had left a birthday cake in the room for Karen, which was a nice surprise, and when we went for dinner, in the hotel, when they realised we were celebrating, they brought a another cake with a candle in, and the staff sang Happy Birthday.

Tomorrow, we have to pack after breakfast as we're off to Kerela.

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