Itinerary January 2-22
and January 27-February 16, 2009
January 2; January 27, New Delhi
Our
hotel in
New Delhi, the Imperial, a restored memento of Colonial India
with large grounds, is centrally located in New Delhi. (Imperial Hotel)
January 3; January
28, New Delhi
We’ll
visit the National Museum, by any standard a world
class museum, offering general coverage of the panoply of Indian art from
ancient times. Superb Rajput painting, Tantric, Mogul
and Tribal folk art exhibits. Lunch at a favorite South Indian restaurant. Afternoon visit to the Crafts Museum and Sunder
Nagar, an antique market (silk, antiques, silver,
tribal art, jewelry, clothing, etc.). (Imperial Hotel )
January 4; January
29, New Delhi – Agra
We’ll
leave at 9:00 am for Agra, a 4 hour drive, stopping
at the Qutab Minar, Indias first Mosque, and we’ll visit
Agra Fort (Trident/Hilton
Hotel)
January 5; January
30, Agra
A morning look at the Taj Mahal, South Indian lunch and
visit Fatepur Sikri, the beautiful 16th
century, red sandstone, royal city of Akbar, and the Keoladeo Santuary. (Trident/Hilton
Hotel)
January 6; January 31, Agra – Kesroli
We
drive to Kesroli, where we stay at a delightfully
remote, restored hill fort in quiet farm country. (Hill Fort)
January 7; February
1, Kesroli
– Mandawa
After
breakfast we leave Kesroli for Mandawa,
perhaps the most charming of the painted villages of Shekawati,
an area famous for the elaborately painted havelis
(mansions) of the wealthy merchants. Mandawa Castle dates from 1755 and is
operated by the original family owners. (Mandawa Castle)
January 8;
February 2, Mandawa – Jaipur
Visit Samode Palace and it’s famous Durbar Hall.
After lunch we’ll stop in the Amber for an elephant ride to the Palace. (Trident/Hilton
Hotel)
January 9;
February 3, Jaipur
City Palace and Jantar Mantar – a park of giant astronomical constructions, and Anokhi.. (Trident/Hilton Hotel)
January 10; February 4, Jaipur – Jodhpur
5
hours to Jodhpur. We stay at
the first designated Heritage Hotel, a former lodge whose original owners have
built a group of bungalows, each with its own folk theme in a whimsical
park-like setting. It’s quiet and
informal, a welcome retreat. We’ll explore
the old center of Jodhpur, the Sardar
Market and maze of alleys and bazaars. Jodhpur is justly famous for its
antique shops and markets (antique furniture, architectural devices, carved
temples, crafts, etc. Shipping can be
easily arranged). (Ajit
Bhawan )
January 11-12; February 5-6, Jodhpur – Jaisalmer
We’ll leave early to give us
time when we reach Jaisalmer to take a quick visit to
the weavers cooperative, Kadi
Bundar, before our traditional margaritas at sunset
on the roof of our hotel, a converted caravansary with the rustic charm of the
tribal people of this area. Jaisalmer is the quintessential desert citadel, carved by
man and the wind in golden sandstone from the Thar Desert. The Hill of King Jaisal became wealthy as a stop for the trading caravans
passing through from the coast, but the development of a railway system and the
port of Bombay
made it a ghost town. We may be grateful
that events left us this medieval gem in such pristine condition. We’ll visit the Citadel, Royal Palace and a Jain Temple. (weaving, tribal textiles
and arts, antiques and much more) (Narayan Niwas Palace)
January 13; February 7, Jaisalmer – Khiyansaria
Camel ride. (Manvar)
January 14; February 8, Khiyansaria – Rohetgarth
We’ll
visit Mehrangarth Fort, Rajasthan’s
largest, that dominates the city. To
Rohet for lunch. Rohet House is a
pleasant country house whose owners were big landowners in former days. They now take guests out in jeeps to visit
the villages and family compounds of a group of people called the Bishnois, which in Hindi means 29, the number of precepts
in their long-dead founding guru’s list of commandments. They are vegetarians and the world’s earliest
conservationists. One of the precepts is
to protect animal life, and consequently they live surrounded by the blackbuck who, though wild, lack the fear of man. The safari returns to the house for supper
before dark, having visited weavers and potters in their beautiful homes built
of the earth of the desert and painted with simple designs, and participating
if you like in a welcome ritual called the opium ceremony. (Rohet
House )
January 15; February 9, Rohet
– Ranakpur
We’re
off in the morning to Ranakpur, a Jain temple complex
set in remote and beautiful country in the Aravalli
range. The temple was built in 1439 and
boasts 1444 pillars, no two alike. We’ll
lunch nearby at a lovely rural, outdoor restaurant, and then continue on through
wooded hill country to the Aranyawas Hotel.
January 16;
February 10, Ranakpur – Dungarpur
In
the morning we’ll drive to Dungarpur and visit the
old castle that claims some of the best preserved wall paintings in
Rajasthan. Swimming
pool and trophy rooms in the new palace by a lake. (Udai Bilas)
January 17; February 11, Dungarpur – Ahmedabad
A morning drive to Ahmadabad where
we’ll have lunch across from the Sidi Saiyad Mosque with its famous carved stone windows. Afternoon to the Shreyes Folk Art
Museum. (Le Meridan)
January 18; February 12, Ahmedabad – Udaipur
Visit
the Calico Textile Museum, which has my vote for the
worlds finest and certainly the mecca for those with
an interest in Indian textile arts. Afternoon drive to Udaipur. (Shikarbadi)
January 19; February 13, Udaipur
We’ll
visit the City Palace with its various
collections, architectural wonders and labyrinthine passageways, and have a
boat ride on Lake Pichola to lunch at the Lake Palace. There will be plenty of time to wander this
most charming town and take advantage of the splendid shopping opportunities
(puppets, antiques, jewelry, clothing, paintings, etc.). Lunch at the Lake Palace. (Shikarbadi)
January 20; February 14, Udaipur – Pushkar
On
our way we’ll visit a colorful and lively Siva temple in Eklingi. Pushkar is a city
sacred to Hindus, built around a pretty lake.
No booze. We stay at the Pushkar Palace on the lake. Many shops and fun wandering. (Pushkar Palace)
January 21; February 15, Pushkar – Samode Bagh
We
stay in tents in the Palace gardens, with marble bathrooms. Packing
time. (Samode
Bagh)
January 22; February 16, Samode – New Delhi
4 hour drive to New Delhi. Depart from New Delhi at 11:45, Continental Flt. 83.