Kumbhalgarh Fort

Outside of Udaipur are several sights worth seeing, so we hired a car and driver for a day and departed for a rather hair raising ride to visit the Kumbhalgarh Fort and a magnificent Jain Temple.

We were prepared to see a fortress at Kumbhalgarh, but were not expecting to see anything on the grand scale as this once vibrant hilltop city totally enclosed within massive rock walls.  I don't know if it is true, but it is said that the wall is the second longest in the world next to the great wall of China.  It is easy to believe when you see the wall disappear from sight, winding it's way into the distant hills like some huge snake.

Now the only inhabitants living inside the wall live in a small village just inside the main gate. The palace at the top of the hill is no longer used, but is kept open for the many tourists who come to marvel at it's grandeur. When visiting sights like this, it is impossible not to visualize thousands of troops marching along the wall, or firing their arrows at the enemy through narrow arrow slots.  It is also easy to see the hustle and bustle of the village people tending the crops, worshippers thronging the many temples, and above it all the nobility, living in extravagance, looking over this self contained community.  

A Rajasthan well

On our way into the high desert country outside of Udaipur, we stopped by the roadside to see one of the typical water wells that are scattered about the valleys.  The water is drawn from these wells in a continuous chain of buckets that are attached to a large pulley.  The whole contraption is powered by a couple of oxen who walk in circles all day. 

Watching the man drive the oxen, and the women carrying the water off in buckets balanced on the top of their their heads, I could block out the occasional car zooming past on the nearby road, and easily picture myself in a scene from ancient times.

When the oxen driver gets tired of walking he is able to rest on a seat that is rigged up on the log which the oxen are pulling.

It was to much for our friend Kristen to resist a ride when it was offered to her.

On to Rajasthan

Train travel in India is an experience in itself.  We travelled mostly in sleeper cars where you typically share a curtained compartment with 8 other people.  Of course, that is if people who are on the waiting list don't get on the train.  In which case you may end up in close quarters with an extra family until it is time to fold the sleeping bunks down, at which time the unreserved family is left to their own devices.  The trains are reasonably clean, and if you are on a budget and have the time, it's a great way to see India.

The next morning found us in Rajasthan in Northwestern India.  For many westerners, this is the India they have heard of, the land of kings, where Maharajahs built massive forts, kept a large harem, and travelled by camel and elephant. 

 We found a very nice hotel in Udaipur with a fantastic rooftop restaurant view overlooking the city and the lake it is built around.  I took advantage of the view to snap the photos below:

Udaipur turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip, being located further away from Delhi and Agra where the Taj Mahal is located, it is more laid back than the hustle and bustle of the more easily accessible tourist areas.  The nearby forts and temples are truly impressive, but I'll save those posts for another day. 

Life on the canals

The people who live along the canals literally have the water right at their doorstep.  This is where the women scrub their clothes, and then slap them on a flat rock.  It is also where the pots and pans are washed.  The family too, bathes in the canal. 

The canals are often surrounded with miles of rice fields. This woman is drying rice or some other grain in front of her house.

Wild ducks were abundant in large flocks. We also noticed some people had fenced off small areas in front of their homes where they kept captive ducks.

Tourism is big business in Alleppey as witnessed by the hundreds of houseboats docked along the canal. More than once we passed boat building drydocks where they were building more. Fortunately there are so many miles of canals and lakes that we did not run into any houseboat traffic jams.

Boats of Alleppey

Alleppey, in the state of Kerala, is sometimes referred to as the Venice of India due to the seemingly endless maze of canals and lakes in and around the surrounding area.  I have not been to Venice, but I think the similarities must end there.  Though more laid back than other places, this is still definitely tropical India with it's rice paddies, banana plantations and the streets full of crazy, honking traffic and the occasional cow in the road. 

Because of it's charm and beauty, Kerala has become a very popular tourist destination. They come to view the wildlife in the sanctuaries, trek in the hills or just relax on some of the best tropical beaches in India. One of the main attractions however is a cruise in the canals and backwaters around Alleppey and Kochin.

We were surprised and a little disappointed when we first saw the boat that had been scheduled for the three of us.  We had hoped for a smaller, more intimate traditional boat with a thatched sunroof.  It turned out however, to be a good choice, with our very friendly Captain and the ability to sit or stretch out under the shaded rooftop.

The ultimate cruise is an overnighter on one of the picturesque houseboats which range in size from this modest one to three story floating luxury mini hotels, where you have A/C bedrooms, and are pampered and treated to a freshly caught fish dinner.

The traditional wooden boats come in all sizes, from the big floating houseboats to the small canoes like this one docked under a magnificent Banyan tree, though more often than not they did not have outboard motors attached. Because the only access to many of the houses is by foot path or water, people who live on the canals use these canoes as their main mode of transport.  There are also the public ferries which are always packed with people, though I have to say some of these boats did not look very seaworthy.

We saw quite a few of these medium sized working boats loaded down with everything from cooking gas tanks, to bricks and sand, some loaded down with so much that it looked as though the slightest wave would sink them.  These boats typically did not have motors, but were propelled by human pole power.

High in the Nilgiri Hills

As we continued our climb, we had more photo ops of the landscape which our group took full advantage of.

The Nilgiri Hills were originally inhabited by the Toda tribe, of which there are still a few existing villages, though I understand their numbers are diminishing. They have their own religion and have unique thatched temples.

When we reached the summit we had a fantastic view looking out over the valleys below.  Hanuman (the hindu god in the likeness of a monkey) apparently also likes this view as he gazes out over the landscape from what the locals call monkey rock.

We had a couple of very friendly local dogs accompany us on our hike. This one also appreciated the view, who without any hesitation sought out the most precarious overlook to settle down on.

Passing through the village on our way back to Ooty we passed this boy who was having a lot of fun skating down the steep streets on his homemade cart made of sticks and ball bearings for wheels.

Ooty village life

Our hike took us through a small village, full of  houses with red tiled roofs and neatly painted with some very vivid colors. 

Of course, no village would be complete without a backyard Shrine or two.

A lot of our produce in Tamil Nadu comes from this fertile area in the Nilgiri hills around Ooty, particularly the cold weather crops like spinach and lettuce.   The whole family gets involved with the farm work, while the little ones keep themselves amused playing in the dirt.

These two men were turning the soil over by hand with pitchforks. What you don't see in this picture are the ten or so acres that they had already completed on this terraced hillside.

Our group stopped at the local hotel (restaurant) for a bite of lunch, rice and several curries served on the traditional banana leaf. It is also the custom in Southern India to eat with your fingers, using only your right hand. A bit awkward at first, but you soon get used to it.

The cooks come up with some yummy meals in dark kitchens like this, cooking over a pit fire.

As we headed out of the village I spotted these kids that I had to have a picture of. I was pleasantly surprised when after they posed for us, that they did not ask us for 5-10 rupees, or a bit of candy.