November 16, 2004 continued...
Upon arrival check in at Hotel Lake Palace.
Hotel Lake Palace.
OOOPS... Or so we thought!!!!. That is what our voucher said. That is what we paid for months in advance. It is the most expensive hotel in India and we just wanted to spend one night there -- our primary reason for coming to Udaipur in the first place. This is what we wrote prior to the trip:
A city of temples and palaces, we are really going to Udaipur to spend a night at the Lake Palace Hotel located "in its magical setting on Lake Pichola". It rightly earns the reputation as India's most famous hotel. (Tom remembers this hotel fondly from his last trip to India in 1989 when he was on a Fulbright trip for six weeks. We decided to splurge on this and expect it to be a grand highlight of our trip. Our other hotels probably won't be up to the same standards the Fulbright group experienced!)
So we planned it very carefully in advance and looked forward to it with great anticipation. It was to be an oasis, filled with luxury, in the middle of what we knew would be several weeks of intense traveling. In fact, just before leaving, Tom was wondering if one night would be enough to fully enjoy the experience! Little did we know that arriving at the Lake Palace would be the low point of our trip and maybe one of the lowest in all of our travels.
First of all, this hotel, advertised as being in the middle of Lake Pichola, is land-locked on three sides, due to a 10- year drought. Farmers were plowing fields adjacent to the hotel. From the hotel one could walk to the city. Directly in front of the hotel was barely enough water to make a show of transporting us to the hotel by boat. We could just as easily gone by car! (Compare the picture above to any number that you can find on the Web.)
We won't know what the rooms were like because on arrival we were told, by the hotel manager, "Your reservations were cancelled." Someone (without our knowledge) made arrangements for us to stay in a lesser-ranked hotel in another part of town. (If that was known in advance, then why were we taken to this hotel in the first place?) Our voucher, concrete evidence that we did indeed have reservations and that two rooms had been paid for well in advance, were deemed worthless. We were told that the hotel was full and there were no rooms. A call to Mr. Lawania indicated that he had called the hotel two days prior to our arrival to confirm our reservations there. We actually were given a whole bunch of different reasons why we couldn't stay there, including the fact that they couldn't hold rooms for us because we had arrived late. Imagine our consternation when we saw a whole group of tourists coming in with a tour an hour or so later and who had no difficulty getting the rooms that were reserved for them. When Tom confronted the manager he was told they could check in because they had reservations! That put that excuse to rest! Meanwhile we observed at least one other couple (from Germany) who were in the same boat as we were and who looked equally unhappy. We later were told that it is not uncommon for the hotel to double book rooms and arbitrarily bump people without their knowledge or consent. We will never know for certain what the real story was.
A bizarre thing happened while we were sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for the mess to be straightened out. Carolyn's cell phone rang. She checked and saw the following text message. "Good evening. Welcome to Mumbai. The US Embassy can be reached at 912223633611. For any assistance call 7626. From Orange." What was going on? Was this ESP?! Of course it was just a coincidence. It was the local carrier letting Carolyn know we were now in their serving area. But it did feel weird, and amusing in retrospect.
They wanted us to leave quietly and not make a fuss. They put our luggage outside on the sidewalk in order to hasten our departure. After a protest that made them a bit uncomfortable with our presence, and our threats to sleep in the lobby on the couches, since we had already paid for accommodations in the hotel, we finally did leave and checked into the Trident Hotel. At that point we were ready to leave Udaipur and were grateful that we would not be staying in the Lake Palace Hotel. In all our world travels we had never received such appalling treatment.
Tom said to the hotel manager as we departed, "We have had better treatment in Holiday Inns that we had here."
Later we were to learn from local guides and travel agency personnel the Lake Palace Hotel had turned into a "bad hotel." It seems that they fired all the long time local employees and were staffed with people who our guides said are "not professional" and came from as far away as Delhi. Now there are many complaints about the rooms and service. However, the advertising and hype that continues to tout the hotel makes tourists want to stay there no matter what the local travel people know. Consequently, we wrote a letter to the corporate headquarters of the hotel, Taj Hotels, in Mumbai. As of the time of this printing we had not received a reply.
Meanwhile we are convinced that our accommodations and treatment at the Trident (a Hilton Hotel) were superior to that at the Lake Palace and we would recommend that hotel to anyone who is visiting the area, even though at least one guidebook describes it as "soulless".
We had come to Udaipur just to stay at the hotel. We were angry. We were ready to leave and head to Mumbai without experiencing anything that Udaipur had to offer. We made our intentions known. However, even in the midst of the worst of the experience we felt very badly for the personnel at the local travel agency contracted for this portion of our trip. It was not their fault and it was obvious that they had had to deal with the same kind of situation more than once in the past. With excellent treatment from the local office of Rajasthan Tours, in the person of Mr. Kumar, we salvaged that portion of our trip. We were refunded the difference between the two hotel bills (out of the agency's cash on hand) and hoped that Mr. Lawania would be able to recoup the loss from Lake Palace Hotel, which had insisted that they owed us nothing.
November 17, 2004
Having an evening to calm down, and to regain our sense of humor, we were able to start the next day with a much better attitude towards Udaipur.We began the day by traveling to Shilpgram, a folk village a few miles out of town. Being told it was a cultural and handicraft center, our expectations were initially high. We were let down when we learned that the village is most active during an annual festival. During the off season, there are some performances and a few crafts people and camel rides.
We did get to see some folk dancing, which we had missed on this trip and which we were supposed to have seen at the Lake Palace Hotel, but you know what happened there!
The center is an attempt to show village life in different regions of India. There were some interesting homes, a few crafts to buy, demonstrations, and women freshening up a house with cow dung, in addition to the folk dancing.
From there we went to a wonderful vegetarian restaurant, the Garden Restaurant, compliments of Mr. Kumar. There we enjoyed a sampler of all sorts of dishes, eating in the traditional way --- no silverware, but instead using the nan (bread) to scoop up the food, employing only the right hand to both tear the bread and scoop. We recommend you try it sometime.
Founded in 1559 and long a capital city, Udaipur is replete with grand structures. In the afternoon, we visited the most imposing of these, the City Palace. Overlooking Lake Pichola, it is the largest (5 acres) in Rajasthan. After touring the palace it was time to head back to the hotel, freshen up and head back to Mumbai.
After our disappointment with the Lake Palace Hotel and the way we were treated, through no fault of Mr. Lawania or the local travel agency, (as far as we know)-- we found that our service and care was even more exemplary than we had experienced before. That was to occur throughout the rest of the trip. We were met at the airport with two wheelchairs, (both of which were turned down) and our "care and feeding" was nothing but the best from then on.MUMBAI (BOMBAY)
Mumbai is a mega city of over 15 million people, with thousands more migrating to the city every day. It is a city of huge contrasts. Malabar Hills and Marine Drive provide a lovely view of the city skyline and the Arabian Sea. However, the spectacular views cannot conceal the abject poverty of many people. There is great British influenced architecture throughout the city, highlighted by the elaborate Victoria (now Shivaji) Railroad Station, which handles 2 million people a day.We arrived late at night and had about a 45 minute drive to our hotel. Along the way, many points of interest were brought to our attention. Office buildings, Marine Drive that borders the Arabian Sea, and temples were a few of the sights we saw. Many places were decorated with lights, lanterns and colorful banners for the holiday. The city was bustling and the roads were wide and multi-lane. It had a whole different feel from Delhi. It was a contrast to everything else we had seen in the country. More modern and more international perhaps.
We arrived at our hotel, The Ambassador. This was the only hotel where Tom had also stayed during a previous trip. It is recognized by the dome restaurant that overlooks the city and can be seen from many points in the city. The location of our hotel was ideal for exploring. A few minutes from the sea, we could walk to many attractions we were interested in.
November 18, 2004
In the morning we decided to explore Marine Drive which was less than a block from the hotel and is sometimes called the "Queen's pearls" because of its shape. We were on the Arabian Sea. We could hardly believe it.
In the afternoon we were scheduled for an tour of the city. What a trip! Our guide was a middle-aged woman, who was very opinionated, and fairly bossy, amusing and informative. We were told to look quickly here and there so as not to miss anything as we rode through the heavy traffic in the city.
We saw the entrance to the "Towers of Silence" where Parsi bodies are put to be devoured by vultures. Parsis are originally from Persia (Iran) and came to India about 300 years ago.
The Tatas, the wealthiest family in India, are Parsis. They are known for their ethical business practices and are involved in most aspects of the business world, including energy, tea (Tetley), hotels, automobiles, steel, and information technology.
The Parsis revere the basic elements, so cremation and burial are not options since they contaminate fire, the air and the earth. Hence their unusual solution to the problem. We could see the vultures circling overhead.
We were then taken to a city park so that we could see trained monkeys, a children's area, and nicely landscaped gardens. Here our guide added a new twist to why we shouldn't give money to beggars. She said, "Don't give the children money. It is the Prime Minister's problem.")
Next on our tour was a stop to see the "dobis". These are the people who gather the clothes from hotels and other places in the city to launder them. If you look carefully you can see all the pockets of the pants hanging out to dry. What a sight! Tom had first seen a photograph of this site in National Geographic and only they could do justice to the place.
Other stops included a visit to a Jain Temple where our guide grabbed people to demonstrate their clothing, jewelry, scarves, etc. and the significance of all of these things. We were a bit uncomfortable as it appeared to us that she was interrupting them in their visit to the temple to pray. Jains maintain animal hospitals, including one for birds, in the city. They may be best known for their teachings of nonviolence, but are an economic force to be reckoned with. Their temples are quite well endowed and some of the wealthiest families in India are Jains.
Our final stop was at the Gandhi house and museum where we saw a room where Gandhi lived and other mementos of his life. Our guide had a real appreciation of his life and of Hinduism which she shared with enthusiasm. She also shared her opinions of our leaders with relish.
Late in the afternoon we drove to the airport for a flight to Aurangabad.
Upon arrival we checked into the Hotel Ambassador Ajanta, a pleasant hotel with the best breakfast we had had so far. We were informed that we would need a bag lunch for the following day because it was going to be a long drive and we might not find a place to stop for good food. It turns out that we didn't need it. Darn! Those grated cheese sandwiches on white bread looked so good.
November 19, 2004
In the early morning we set out in our van for a full day to Ajanta and Ellora Caves.First we were given an overview of Aurangabad as we headed for the caves. It is the fastest growing city in India, with pharmaceutical companies, cement companies and many others industries being out-sourced from around the world. They were moving here to an area where labor is cheap and people need work.
Our guide, Ayaz, was among the best informed of all of our guides. We were fortunate to have such an excellent guide whose enthusiasm for his work and his knowledge were obvious. He also was willing to answer questions, and we used this opportunity to pick his brain during the full day we had with him. Some were silly questions. Why did all those trees we saw along the roads of India have white and red striped painted around them? He gave the most reasonable response. There were three reasons. (1) to show that they belonged to the public works department, (2) to be visible and (3) to deter white ants from destroying them. (Apparently there was some kind of poison in the red paint.)
He gave us an overview of the educational system and explained the colorful horns of the bulls we had seen. He said that at the end of August in that region there is a bull festival, during which time the bulls are colorfully painted. What we saw were the remnants of those decorations.
While he and Tom were talking they discovered that Tom was led through the caves 15 years earlier by Ayaz's university teacher. At the end of the day we complimented him on being a good student and a good teacher.
Ajanta is another UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. These caves were accidentally found in 1819 by a British officer who was hunting tigers. The thirty caves of Ajanta form a loop more that a quarter of a mile long. The paintings and sculptures were done between the 2nd century B.C. and the 5th century A.D. The art work is considered to comprise the best examples of Buddhist art in India. They depict the previous lives of the Buddha as well as the life and death of Siddhartha Gautama.
Since Carolyn had two knee replacements just a couple of months before the trip, and there were many steps to reach the caves, it was decided she would ride in a palanquin. Our guide from Mumbai had highly recommended it and also said it was a good thing to do because it gave people work. Here Carolyn looks as if she is enjoying herself and she was --- up to a point.
We learned later that she had become a victim of extortion after this picture was taken. Prior to her ride, she was told that the total price for the ride was 400 rupees, and that she should pay at the end of the ride, when we all got back to the bottom of the steps. Unknown to us, she was taken to a more secluded area and told by the men that they wanted their money then. Thinking that she was helping them out and being generous she gave them 1,000 rupees to share. They demanded 500 rupees each. She felt cornered and alone. She gave them the money. When they reached the bottom they said that they wanted to be paid the 400 rupees that had been agreed upon. She refused.
When we learned of this, it was too late to tell our guide, who we knew would have gotten the money back. (Another time and place, a man charged Marie $3.00 for showing her where the toilet was. When the guide was informed he confronted the man and demanded that he give the money back.)
This is only one of many stories where the tipping, fees, and other charges were confusing to us. In retrospect, we realize that graft is a way of life in India and is often the key to survival. It is something we can't fully understand, not having walked in their shoes. Consequently, we never knew if we paid too little of too much for anything. Carolyn, the most astute bargainer of all of us, enjoyed the process most of the time, but this exchange was not pleasant for her not for us when we heard about it. We also realize, in retrospect, that the most important thing is not to take any of this personally. It is just a way of life. In addition, we recount that when we were assertive it almost always got the desired results.
Ellora
After lunch we drove to the other side of Aurangabad to visit the equally spectacular Ellora caves. They were worked on later than Ajanta and consist of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain influences. Like the caves of Ajanta, those at Ellora were hewn out of the solid rock of the hillsides. The difference is that the Ellora caves consist of not only impressive sculptures, but also, massive worship and meditation halls and a monastery..
The almost overwhelming Kailasnatha Temple is the centerpiece of this complex. It was carved out of a hill from the top down. It contains a large Hindu temple, intricate carvings and many statues. All of us were compelled to ask, "How did they do that?" It required more than 500 years for everything in these caves, that stretch for 1.3 miles, to be completed.
One disquieting experience while here was watching an entire family climb up on the magnificent temple to have their picture taken. Other people were beginning to climb on another monument when our guide brought it to the attention of a guard who chased them off. Overall, Indians were very respectful of their cultural treasures, although we did occasionally see graffiti scratched on tombs and monuments.
Two days of our trip, a one and a half hour plane ride and one night at a hotel to see a couple of caves? Was it worth it? Ask our friend Carolyn who was speechless at the day's end, from the wonder of the caves. All of us were profoundly impressed by what we saw at Ajanta and Ellora and left convinced that any trip to India would have to include a visit to these wonders.
November 20, 2004
MUMBAI (BOMBAY) Early in the morning, after a very satisfying day at Aurangabad, we flew back to Mumbai and checked back into the Hotel The Ambassador. There was a little confusion regarding our plans for the day, but our revised itinerary stated that we were supposed to have a sightseeing tour of Elephanta caves. That meant that we were not going to have another organized tour of the city. That was fine with us.
We were to travel to Elephanta Island by luxury ferry which we had paid for in advance. This is about an hour's ride from Bombay. We boarded at the harbor next to the "Gateway of India" (pictured at left), and found that what was considered a luxury boat was anything but. Our guide did confirm that it was the luxury ferry and we were relieved, since Tom had read about the regular ferries occasionally capsizing from being overloaded. However, we didn't see any other kind of boat with passengers. So we wondered. After we left the dock, Marie jokingly asked our guide about life preservers and she sort of laughed and asked, "If you knew there weren't any would you still have come?" She told us of another tourist who refused the trip for that reason. For us this was just part of the adventure.
An enjoyable part of the trip was observing the other passengers on the boat. It seemed to be a popular date venue, we saw many couples courting, including a Muslim couple and another couple with the woman is brightly colored sari. The couples were more intimate than we had seen other places on during our journey.
In the distance you can see our destination, Elephanta Island. It is so called because at one time it had a huge statue of an elephant there.
Elephanta Caves
The island contains a series of Hindu temples carved out into a rocky hillside. Done about the 6th century A.D., the complex is not on the scale of Ajanta and Ellora. Still it is worth spending an afternoon. The centerpiece of Elephanta is the18 feet high 3-headed statute of Shiva (the god of destruction). Don't let the 125 steps, not to mention the vendors lining them all the way to the top, discourage you from visiting this work of art.
As with many sights in India, no photo or description can do justice to the haunting spiritual presence of the structure.
During this visit our lessons about Hinduism were underscored and enhanced by perhaps our best guide of the whole trip. We learned more about Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).
The religion predates Judaism and is the oldest major religion of the world. Over the 5000 or so years of its growth and development, thousands of gods to worship have emerged. This aspect of Hinduism can be confusing. Some are mythological, others are based on historical figures, and many are derived from Hindu scriptures and stories. Actually, however, Hinduism teaches a belief in one God. This God is timeless, without form and beyond human understanding. Maybe God is incomprehensible, but that doesn't mean people don't want to try to understand God. Therefore, gods, representing one of a few of the infinite attributes or God evolved.
Our return trip was very interesting. We met a group of 14 friends who were on holiday together. One was very brave to approach us and wanted to get acquainted and that really opened up some lively conversation. Most of them were seniors in high school and had been friends for a long time. This was there first trip together and they were having a good time. We hoped that there would be many more for them. We were delighted to have met them and to visit with them. chatting about school, their trip and their plans for the future. We wish them well.
If you have a choice of time to visit the island, choose the afternoon. Purely by accident our return trip coincided with the breathtaking sunset over the harbor and the skyline of Mumbai. We highly recommend this experience.
A nice way to end a nice day.
November 21, 2004
On our final day in India we had a free day to explore on our own.....
We were delighted. We decided to walk the direction of India's Gate and the harbor and just see what we would see and experience whatever the day had to offer.
Heading out, we soon came to the University of Bombay where multitudes of men and boys were playing cricket. Tom was intrigued and we stopped to watch for awhile. A group of young men came over to visit and asked us where we were from. We had a friendly conversation and chatted about all sorts of things including cricket, which has become very popular in India since Tom was there the last time. The young men told him if we could just stay for a half hour they could tell him everything there was know about cricket. Tom, in turn, told them he could explain baseball to them. We didn't take the time to do either of those things but we do have lingering pleasant memories of the exchange.
Reaching the "Gateway of India", the equivalent of the Statue of Liberty for the US, we found that it wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been the night before. Many shops in the area were closed because it was Sunday. However, government textile stores and some hotel shops were open. And of course there were the ever-present in-your-face hawkers selling their postcards and giant balloons, as well as beggars.
After lingering in the harbor area and taking in the sights we headed across the street
to the Taj Mahal Hotel. Here we found a bookstore and were able to purchase a couple of interesting things to read.
Next we headed to a blocks' long shopping area with stalls on both side of the street selling everything imaginable. A claustrophobic but interesting experience. After making a couple of small purchases and finding many things to be much cheaper than we had seen anywhere else during our trip, we decided it was time to make our way back to the hotel.
We liked having the opportunity to spend this day at our leisure and we decided to have one more meal in our favorite restaurant in our hotel. The restaurant on the first floor served food 24 hours a day, had a great buffet for lunch, and had the best and friendliest staff. We felt like they were new friends.
After making arrangements made for a 2:30 AM wake-up call we tried to get some sleep before our 3:30 AM departure for the airport the next day.
November 22, 2004 After more than 24 hours of traveling and no missed connections, lost luggage or any other major mishaps we arrived home safe and sound, but not unchanged. We will process the experience for a long time and reflect on how it has changed us.
Namaste for now.
Hope to see you in future journeys.
