India 2009 Part 11 - Qutab Minar, India Gate, Jamma Mosque and a wedding

On our last 7th day, we drove back to New Delhi from Jaipur.

We saw many things on the highway...."Blow Horn"?!

Camel-powered vehicles were one of them....

We visited Qutab Minar

The incomplete Alai Minar above.....

Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque & the amazing pillars - each one is unique!

Qutb Minar & the Iron pillar in foreground. Legend has it if you could wrap the pillar with your arms around the back, your wish would be granted and you would return to Delhi.

After Qutab Minar, we headed to our hotel but drove past India Gate (below)...no this is not Paris' L'arc de Triomphe!

and also drove past Jamma Mosque (the biggest mosque in India)... photos below....

At the local market around the Jamma Mosque, we were told we were lucky that the roads were not too busy that day... though it took us 20 mins to get to the end of the lane....

This area is also known to be a market for "spare parts for cars"....aka Thieves' Market! The "vendors" here are so skilled, they guarantee they will dismantle a car in under 5minutes. :O

On our last night in India, we were lucky to stay in a hotel where an Indian wedding was held. Dec is a popular month for weddings. This is the 8th wedding procession we've come across in 3days! A typical wedding party starts from 6pm and ends at 6am!

Our breakfast on the last day was a simple fare... our flight back was at 9am, so we left the hotel at 6.15am in the morning *yawn*.. We arrived in Singapore at 5.15pm local time...

India 2009 Part 10 - Block printing and Observatory

We were brought to a textile factory, where we were shown how Indian block printing was done

Next stop was the Observatory.... where we saw street vendors were selling giant keropoks!!!!

Passing by some of the locals... who stared at us indifferently....

And then it hits you....you could smell it before seeing it.....it's disgusting how grown men pee everywhere on the street in broad daylight

An ancient clock (sun dial) at the Observatory below.....

more astrological instruments

and finally, we headed to our hotel for dinner...

Hotel Ramada, Jaipur. Almost all of our meals in India were buffet-style with international choices. But I recommend that you try the local dishes. :)

India 2009 Part 9 - Palace of Winds and Amber Fort

First stop in Jaipur - Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). It was built in 1799 by Pratap Singh and was a Royal Grandstand for Palace women

We alighted from the tour bus to snap some quick photos and were greeted by a snake charmer.

Amber Fort and the Old Capital of Jaipur Rulers is next, where you can take an elephant ride up to the Amber Fort

Amber Fort in Jaipur - waiting to "board" the elephant... my wife and I decided to walk up to the Amber Fort in Jaipur instead... so did 8 other people

hang on for dear life!

we simply followed the trail and avoided the "land mines".....

See how tight the road is? just three elephants wide....

On hindsight, it was quite scary in a way... imagine an elephant tripping over you

Amber Fort in Jaipur - pedestrian walk (no more elephant dung / pee pee!)

we were greeted by trumpets as we entered the Amber Fort in Jaipur... I can imagine how it was like during the days gone by.

before climbing up another flight of steps..... and

getting a fantastic view of the entire courtyard!!!!... woah!!!! Amber Fort in Jaipur

Amber Fort in Jaipur: Some say this is the most beautiful gate in India. This court is where the Maharajah entered the palace upon his return.... see the small window in the center? The Maharani would throw flowers to welcome her husband home...

The view....what the Maharani would see.

Another Mughal garden (above).....

Another view on the balcony... dizzy

Thankfully, we used the jeeps to travel down the fort... it was a fast 5 min ride down...

India 2009 Part 8 - Baby Taj, City Palace and street scenes ...

In the afternoon before departing for Jaipur, we went to the Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj)

We had to use shoe covers (see below) too at Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb

After the visit to Baby Taj, we were off to to see another palace - the City Palace

After these sights, we headed back to the hotel for dinner.... but saw lots on the way back...

Local fave healthy snack - white radish dipped in some sort of sauce. The vendor will cut off the top, drizzle / dip in the sauce and you could eat & walk at the same time ;)

Then we got stuck in the rush hour traffic...

Which a policeman was trying to control...

but the locals seem to know where they are going....

It was not rush hour traffic but buffalos crossing!

All 4-leggeds have right-of-way in India...

These buffalos are huge and very black!

bye bye buffalos...can we get on with our way now? It's ANOTHER 6-hr drive from Agra to Jaipur! Zzz...