Photography – Page 5 – Travels with the Booths.blog

Back among the tourists in Udaipur.

India holiday pictures December 2017

Yes we were tourists too but it just felt that we’d had Bundi all to ourselves, apart from the people who live there of course!

Arriving in Udaipur was a bit of a shock to the system as the streets were packed with tourists. Not surprising really as our hotel was in the old town near to The City Palace and the lake. I thought the hotel would have more character but the view from our room more than made up for that and the food in the restaurant was some of the best of our holiday.

After wandering round we did what all visitors do, we went on a boat trip on Lake Pichola at sunset. The golden light on all the buildings was fantastic and the sunset didn’t disappoint. Cups of chai for 5 rupees were being handed out as you got off the boat. I love chai but it’s far too sugary for John.

Our second day in Udaipur was spent visiting The City Palace and what a place it is. OK it was pretty busy with tourists so I had to be patient at times and wait for a clear shot of the architecture but it wasn’t a problem. The mosaic work on the walls is amazing and the paintings are impressive. This time we’d had to pay to go in but it was worth it.

That evening we went to another must-do when in Udaipur – a show featuring traditional dances and puppets with a jaw-dropping finale. It’s hard to explain this but one of the dancers, an elderly woman started with one water carrier pot balanced on her head, then she would add another and dance around the stage between placing another one on her head. She had this fixed grin on her face or perhaps it was a grimace but it was so funny. It was very clever but also very bizarre. The show ended abruptly after that with the compere announcing this was the end of the show but none of the performers came back on stage so we all just made our way to the exit. Bit of a let down in a way. Good meal though at our hotel and yes we were still talking about what we’d seen. No web site on Udaipur includes this in the must-see list but don’t let that put you off!

The next day we headed out by car to Jodhpur with a stop en route at a Jain temple. More about this in my next blog.

Lake Pichola, Udaipur — Stunning architecture all along the lakeside.

Sunset over Lake Pichola, Udaipur — Sunset over Lake Pichola

Tag Lake PalaceHotel on lake Pichola, Udaipur — Tag Lake Palace Hotel on Lake Pichola

Footbridge one lake Pichola — A Japanese-style foot bridge over the lake

P1030536_Udaipur Dec 2018 — Beautiful mosaics at The City Palace

Stunning architecture at The City Palace, Udaipur — An architectural delight at The City Palace, Udaipur

Evening show in Udaipur — Whirling dervishes at the evening show

Finale at the evening show in Udaipur — A balancing act – a sixer!

Bundi, Bundi!

India holiday pictures December 2017

Travelling by train in India is great fun. There are about six ‘classes’ and for our trip from Delhi to Bundi we chose …First Class! If only British Rail was so cheap! We even treated ourselves to lunch which was a traditional Thali. Course after course was delivered to our apartment by a smiling waiter who after the sixth dish held out his hand for a tip despite wearing a badge which said ‘no tipping’!

Arriving at Bundi by car from the station was interesting. We knew the car could only go so far and that we would need to walk the rest of the way to our hotel. No wonder! The streets were very narrow and our hotel was up a very steep path. The climb up to the hotel plus two flights of stairs everytime was well worth it, our room was fantastic.

Bundi is not as popular with tourists as Jaipur or Udaipur and so we only saw a few other Europeans during our three days there. I think there were no more than six other visitors all the time we were going round Gahr Palace and it was only a few rupees to go in, plus a stamp on the hand with an ink marker. Nowhere else that we visited had as many wall paintings, they were fantastic and in wonderful condition. We also climbed up to the hill fort and had an impressive view of the town and the lake, all to ourselves.

Bundi is a lively town but then where isn’t in India? Just walking around you’re guaranteed an interesting experience especially when it’s the wedding season. If you’ve been to Rajasthan between October and February you’ll know this is the noisiest and busiest time of the year. Celebrations last around five days and there are many weddings going on. We came across quite a few but the most colourful one was in Bundi. I took loads of pictures of course which got me out of joining in with the dancing and we politely turned down an offer to follow the group to the family’s house for a drink. We’d be lucky to get away before midnight!

For our final evening we made sure we were down by Nawal Sagar lake at sunset. The glow on the palace from the setting sun is just magical and as for the reflection on the lake, well it’s a photographer’s dream. We really enjoyed our stay in Bundi and (dare I say this?) …I hope it doesn’t find itself on the tourists’ map as it might just lose its charm.

Indian woman sweeping the fort at Bundi — Keeping the fort tidy

Wall art in the palace at Bundi — Wall art in the palace

Streets of Bundi Radjastan — A walk around Bundi

Wedding celebrations in the streets of Bundi — A wedding in the town

The bride and her party in Bundi — A very calm and beautiful bride

Nawal Sagar lake at Sunset, Bundi — Nawal Sagar lake at sunset.

On to Delhi.

India holiday pictures December 2017

Hundreds of school children visit the Red Fort every day
After settling into our hotel in Delhi we decided to walk to Purana Qila Fort which wasn’t far away. Interesting walk as on one of the roads were lots of people sleeping on the pavement. We found later that Delhi is moving rough sleepers from the many underpasses where they set up mini communities, as a result they’ve moved their makeshift tents onto the pavements.

Our visit to the fort in the late afternoons didn’t disappoint, it was beautiful there and the setting sun made the stonework looked golden.


: Purana Qila Fort in the late afternoon.; After eventually finding an auto rickshaw to take us around the city, first to see India Gate, we didn’t keep it for very long. John and I hopped out, walked across the road so I could take a picture of the War Memorial and when we came back our auto rickshaw had gone. Obviously he had got a better offer. It wasn’t long before another rickshaw turned up having sniffed out two stranded tourists!

By India — India Gate and jewellery sellers

Off next to this splendid Sikh temple with our new driver. Everyone who visits this most sacred place has to remove their shoes and have their head covered. I quite fancied my man in his yellow turban …It was surprisingly peaceful here despite the number of visitors and worshippers and a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of Delhi.

Sikh Temple in Delhi — Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple

Fortunately our rickshaw driver was still waiting for us outside the temple so off we went to Delhi’s most famous attraction, The Red Fort. All was well until our driver decided he wanted to charge us twice what he’d quoted. The situation was sorted when a local chap stopped to find out what the problem was and told the rickshaw driver and us what would be a reasonable amount for our ride. We paid up and the rickshaw quickly sped away. Two ‘lost’ in the space of an hour, not very clever.

Obviously it just wasn’t our day. John is very careful when it comes to looking after his money but it didn’t stop someone from taking his wallet as we queued for tickets to go into the fort. My credit card gone and the equivalent of £70 lost. Fortunately John still had his cards. It was a big blow and although we reported it straightaway to the police at the gates, they weren’t interested. Needless to say we didn’t enjoy our visit to the Red Fort especially as there are signs everywhere reminding tourists that pickpockets are operating here.

Having perked up after a couple of beers and a decent curry we decided to visit just one more of Delhi’s famous monuments. We were glad we did, Humayan’s Tomb is a vast site with plenty to see and lots to photograph. I needed a bit of a lift and this place certainly did that.

Our stay in Delhi had been a mixed experience. We’re not keen on big cities at the best of times although it’s nowhere near as manic as Dhaka it’s still very hectic, humid and dusty. Losing some money and my card had given us a jolt but we had lots of things to look forward to including our next stop, the two of Bundi which is not on the usual tourist trail.

Into the Country around Dhaka

Bangladesh holiday pictures

Village children in Bangladesh — Hi! Welcome to our village.

Why Bangladesh? I was asked this by lots of people and the answer was simple …I wanted to go back to Sreepur Village again. Sixteen years ago I visited the village which is about thirty miles north of the capital Dhaka.

Sreepur is where the women & children’s village is based and has around 200 Mum’s and about 400 hundred children living there. They stay for up to three years. I wanted to go back again and this time with John. I’d been in touch with Pat Kerr, the Overseas Director and founder of the charity and arranged an overnight stay. I was so excited about our visit as I’d never forgotten the amazing time I’d spent in the village. This charity is making a real difference to the lives of single mums and their children. I’ll write a little more about the project in another Blog.

As well as visiting Sreepur we wanted to see a little of Bangladesh so John booked a couple of tours with Nijhoom tours. The pictures below are some that I took on our first tour ‘Old Capital Tour’ led by our excellent guide Obaidul.