Rajasthan & Punjab - During Diwali

We were in Rajasthan for a couple of weeks and visited the forts and palaces of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.

 

At the Hawa Mahal

This looks like a beautiful building from far, but inside it is quite cramped. 

We made friends who took our photo and shared it later. I loved this about India, where anyone would be happy to say hello to you and just have a small chat. 

We also went to Rani Ka Bagh, which was beautiful, but not very popular.

Rani Ka Bagh - 2

We visited Amer Fort the next day and this was a huge huge fort on top of a hill.

Sheesh Mahal in Amer Fort.

Jaipur from the top.

Sun set from the top of Nahargarh Fort.

Frangipani Flower and The Flower & the Sunset;-) 

Next we went to see the Jaigarh Palace in Jaipur.

The singer here could sing songs in about 8-10 Indian languages. 

Mehrangarh Palace in Jodhpur. And someone was caught sneaking out of the window.

Jaswant Thada in Jodhpur

Mehrangarh Palace from our hotel's rooftop. The singers were extremely talented.

Next we went to Udaipur, which was better than Jaipur and Jodhpur both. 

Also, because of the lake in the middle of the city, it seems like there is a charm to the city.

We saw a puppet show, which sadly happens to be dying art form. 

The traditional folk dancers of Rajasthan were brilliant.

This lady was exceptional with 7 pots on her head!

Some of the photos while boating on the lake.

City Palace Udaipur is the biggest palace in Northern India, and I was exhausted while walking through the whole place. 

Frangipani Flower is back!

At the gates of the City Palace, Updaipur. 

We visited Saheliyon Ki Bari, and by this time I knew I was having a heat stroke.I ended up with red patches all over my body & couldn't sleep all night.

Diwali was round the corner and we then made our way to Patiala to see Mamaji and Mamiji. 

With my mum's extended family in Patiala

Mamaji and Mamiji

Fireworks, a drink and roof top bar! That's the way Punjab celebrates Diwali. 

Flowerpot!

We then went to Chandigarh and met my university friends. The monster glass in Monu's hand is appropriate to his size. 

With everyone here. Raman, Gagan and Monu's family were exceptional hosts.

And now a photo with the late arrival of Supreet. His family's hospitality for us will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Trupti and I had a brilliant time in Chandigarh. 

And now, we go on our next adventure to South East Asia. Bags packed and ready to go!

• Things I liked about Rajasthan & Punjab
• brilliant hospitality
• extremely humble people
• they go out of their way to help and support you
• they never say NO
• Things I didn't like about India (not just the North)
• unhygienic country
• poor sanitation
• men peeing on roads
• men spitting paan and gutka on the roads
• coked drains and overflowing gutters
• bad traffic 
• constant honking
• broken roads
• bad air quality
• archaic trains that run at 1960s speed 
• really slow pace of things happening in hospitals (and any office) in general

Visited Agra

While we now embark on this 1 year journey, we thought we must start from India, and from the land of love i.e. Agra! 

We we booked a 1 way ticket to Delhi, hopped on a train to Agra and visited the Agra Fort (this is also called the Lala Quila), the Taj Mahal and Itmad-ud-Daula. 

Agra isn't a modern city and still feels like I am in 1980s India. Very disappointing!

At Agra Fort

You can see the Taj Mahal & the Yamuna River in the background. 

Entering the Taj Mahal at 6:00 AM the next day. 

Seeing it for the first time, I got goosebumps. Almost had tears in my eyes. 

The was drizzling all morning, however that meant we had less crowds and more opportunity to take photos. 

Our guide was a decent photographer too. 

Even on a cloudy morning the Taj looked phenomenal.

One of the exit gates, I suppose. 

We then went to Itmad-ud-Daula, and the stone work was a piece of art. 

We met this Bengali couple and they took our photo. May be it's just me, and my photo skills, but I need to take 15 photos to just get that 1 perfect photo. 😁

One of the exit gates at Itmad-Ud-Daula.

I shall try and write more as we travel more in India and then other countries during the next 1 year. 

Albania - June 2024

 We got a chance to go to Albania in June'24. 

We drove from Tirana to Theth to do the Valborne trek. The air was to reach the Montenegro-Albania peak: Zla Kolata. 

Location: Peak

The drive was stunning, through narrow roads that were only open during the spring and summer months.

We stayed at this stunning Guest House with beautiful views.

Location: Molla Guest House.

The trek was the trickiest we had ever done.

Luckily there was shade through the forest.

The 1795 meters peak!

On the walk back we were shattered.

The lone church in Theth.

We also went to Berat. The white Ottoman Houses were lovely when the lights came on.

The place gets extremely dry and hot during the summers. You can see the almost dry river.

We also walked about the town and went up the Berat castle. Get a taxi! Don't walk up! 

The aim was to reach Sarande and on the route went to Gjirokastra. The Town Center becomes alive during lunch and dinner times.

Their food has a touch of Greece and Italy. 

We also went up the Gjirokastra Castle and this time we drove there, rather than make the legs work madly hard!

Albania was part of the Soviet Union and you can see it through these castles and the soldiers standing next to the big guns! Some soldiers are really surprised: "That's a big gun!"

The Gjirokastra town from top of the castle. 

We reached Sarande and then visited many beaches. The beach mafia is mad. You have to pay €30 for 2 beds and you get a drink. There is no place to put your towels, so one ends up giving €30 for the day. Good luck!

Atleast the drink was strong!

...and the sunset was gorgeous.

Off we then went to Tirana and we visited the spring pools.

I had never seen such a geographical event in my life. A river was formed right from that hole in the ground and it is surreal when one visits this place. 

Tirana was decent city break and we loved walking around the Mother Teressa square.

The Bengalis of India, still call her "Ma".

You know you are in Soviet Union when you see them on every round about!

Albania is visiting for it's mountains, but the beaches are average. 

Poverty - Capitalism - Monopoly - Greed

The more I learn about Capitalism & the economics around it, the more holes I find with the concept. Some friends argue that Capitalism encourages innovation and positive change.

My argument: So does Socialism but innovation in development of humans & society. With Socialism we have seen

1. Eradication of homelessness in Cuba
2. Healthcare for everyone in many Socialist countries (Uruguay, Bolivia, Vietnam, Cuba, Tanzania)
3. Social equality within white, latino and black communities in many Latin American countries
4. Free education for everyone in every Socialist country

As I keep learning in this lifetime, I now understand the need for social equality. My concepts about Capitalism and Socialism have changed too. In my previous blogposts, I may have talked about the banes of Socialism but I now understand how Capitalism in destroying not just human lives but our planet for the next 500 years.

When money becomes more important than anything, Capitalism wins and humans lose!

My concept about Capitalism, Monopoly & Greed in a picture: