Rajasthan

First stop in Rajasthan: Jaipur, and more specifically the Amer Fort. It is on top of a hill and how do you get there... on an elephant!

That is the best ride ever. There are around 100 elephants, working between 8am and 11am, doing a maximum of 5 shifts. Each elephant is worth 30.000 dollars.

The elephants enter into one of the four courtyards. This first one was where the soldiers were training and parading. The other ones are each more impressive and secretive. The last one was accessible only to the Maharajah and his twelve wives. Each wife had her own appartment, but they were secretely linked to each other, so that the Maharajah could move from one to the next.

The halls are richly adorned with engravings, precious stones, and even mirrors. Often on the top of buildings, there are obstructed windows, behind which ladies would observe the proceedings of audiences without being seen by men. There are also sophisticated ways to cool the halls thanks to waterways and tentures - the predecessor of the air conditioning.

Back in the city of Jaipur, it is time to see why it is called the "Pink City". Indeed, the old town is filled with pink buildings, made of red sandstone. The city was designed by the Maharajah Jai Singh almost according to American planning: a perfect grid of wide streets. This is possibly the only organised thing about this city... On the ground floor, it is mostly shops, with the owner residing on the top floor. But be careful to close all windows - there are numerous monkeys rooming the area. The Jaipur Palace is of course part of this grip and nowadays can be rented out for lavish wedding ceremonies - at the one in preparation on our day of visiting, there was even a stand announcing "Swiss cheese fondue". A bit more authentic in this palace, but still a bit crazy, are the two huge silver containers that delivered sacred water from the Ganges to the Maharajah during his trip to England.

The most impressive building is the Hawa Mahal (palace of the winds). Its two main functions were to allow for cool air to circulate in the palace and for ladies to watch the processions on the main road without being seen. It is truly an extraordinary building.

Keeping with the exotic means of transport, it was time for a camel ride in the desert close to Jaisalmer. The camels are well trained - these three even scrutinise if any intruder is coming from Pakistan... They usefully complement the closeby important military camps, which have helped reinvigorate activity in the town.

Jaisalmer is famous for its Fort, built on the Hill. It contains the local palace, but a large part of the population continues to live within its walls. To this day, it remains a lively place with lots of restaurants and shops.

Typical of the local architecture are the havelis, in the traditional yellow colour. Jaisalmer is sometimes refered to as the "golden city". The havelis were mansions built by rich merchants, traders and politicians. The most impressive havelis was the one built by a gold and silver merchant for his five sons.

 

A little bit out of town is Bada Bagh, the place where Maharajahs are buried. The guide told us the tragic stories of the wives of Maharajahs. When the Maharajah would die, his wives had to follow him in death by jumping into a fire.

Last stop in Rajasthan: Jodhpur. This one is called the "blue city", after the colour used to paint the houses.

Jodhpur is dominated by the Mehrangarh Fort. It is richly decorated and there are still much memorabilia to admire.

The palace has many incredible rooms, including this Thakat Vilas - it is an eccentric mix of Indian and British influences - check the glass balls on the ceiling. Almost like a disco place...

A more recent Maharajah built the Umaid Bhawan palace completed in 1943 - the royal family still stays there - they occupy "only" 80 of the 347 rooms. The rest is a luxurious hotel. Apparently, the local population is still very found of the Maharajah, since the current member of Parliament for Jodhpur is the sister of the former Maharajah.

Agra - Delhi

The Mughals made Agra the capital of their Empire and it is not a surprise that many magnificient sites are located there. The most famous one is of course the Taj Mahal! Already the entrance gates are impressive. On top, the 22 white coupoles mean that it took 22 years to build the whole complex. Up to 30000 people were employed - or exploited - to bring it to completion by 1653. It was certainly one of the biggest "public works" project of the times. At least, the King lived long enough to see it completed.

Once through the gates, there sits the Taj Mahal. Beautiful and an architectural treasure. For example, the four minarets are slightly inclined outwards, so that in case of an earthquake, they would not fall on the main monument. There is also an elaborate water cooling system underneath the building, thanks to the river at the back. All this was build by the King Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is amazing how some of the most impressive buildings were made for dead people, when an immense part of the living population did not even have solid houses to live in. 

The monument is perfectly symmetrical. Well, almost... The King wanted to build his own mausoleum (in dark marble) accross the river, but his son stopped him mostly for financial reasons. Instead, his son added his father's tomb next to his wife's, thus altering the balance of the main chamber. At least, they rest next to each other. The other difference between the sides is the inscription of various verses of the Koran.

A little bit further is the Agra Fort, with its imposing doors. What a sight it must have been to see elephants walking through the gates. Apparently, the ditch around the Fort was filled with crocodiles (in the river) and lions. No chance for assaillants to take it over.

Further still, after a little drive through the rich agricultural lands and yet poor villages, there is the city of Fatehpur Sikri, which was a capital city for only 14 years - the lack of water forced the King to move the capital back to Agra. The temple is very well preserved, with red sandstone typical of palaces in northern India. There are also the usual mosque, the Turkish bath, the houses for the wives, as well as the halls of public and private hearing, where the King would address his subjects.

The hall of private audience is special in the sense that the King would address his followers from the top of this central pillar. He was really dominating his people!

The most grandiose fort remains the Red Fort in Delhi. This is probably a symbol of the importance of Delhi, which was the capital of India several times, and experienced numerous battles and takeovers. Today, its importance is highlighted by the fact that it is the place where the Indian Prime Minister addresses the nation on Independence day. The entrance of the Fort is massive, the walls high and thick. Yet, once inside, it is spacious and somptuous with elegant pavillons and beautiful gardens. The mughal emperors certainly knew how to enjoy life.

It is the same King who designed the Taj Mahal and the inside of the Red Fort! The halls of private and public audience are superb, with elegant designs and paintings. Everything is well planned with a beautiful sequence comprising the mosque, the Turkish baths, the Hall of private audience, the emperor apartments, and the wives' house. The white marble shines in the sun, and the engravings are very delicate.

The Hall of private audience had a peacock-shaped throne. There is also an inscription which reads: "If heaven can be on the face of the earth - this is it, this is it, this is it!".

Another landmark is the Delhi Gate. It was inaccessible to us because of troops and classes rehearsing for the upcoming parade on Republic Day. It was almost invisible too, as the winter fog was dense.

The last two buildings we visited were religious ones. The Delhi mosque, which is the largest in India - guess who built it? It surprised me in the sense that there is no inside praying space. The climb to the top of one minaret was well worth it. You realise how cahotic the adjacent markets are, how imposing the red fort is, and how huge Delhi is - you cannot see the end of it.   

The lotus temple is the Baha'i house of worship. The visit here was probably the only one in India that was done in an organised way, with lines and groupings. The main praying space has a Protestant feel: it is a large space with no ornaments, no statues, no tables. It must be even more impressive on a sunny day.

Bahamas - dolphin !

A three-day cruise with stopover in the Bahamas is a great way to recharge the batteries as winter settles in the northern lands.

There are few things to see in Nassau, the capital city. I was surprised that there are quite a few colonial-looking buildings. The country is celebrating its 40th independence anniversary. The Parliament square and the main road are the key spots in town. Yet, after 6pm, the town is empty - even on a Saturday night. What do the locals do? Why do the most tourists (there were three cruise ships) stay on board?

After a quick tour of the town, it is time to reach the luxurious Atlantis resort. The offer of leisure is probably endless, yet for me, the one thing to do is to interact with dolphins.

There is a very large pond with 41 dolphins swimming around. Everything looks nice and clean - indeed some sort of a luxury cage. Apparently, here dolphins live until 35-40 years old, against 20-25 in the ocean. We were also told that when hurricane Kathrina passed very closeby, nine dolphins were swept away at sea. "Fortunately", all of them were recovered.

Then, it is time for our little group of 10 people to interact with our dolphin. I do not remember his name, but it's a 16-year old male. He seems very well trained. We get to touch him - the skin is almost like plastic. It is very smooth, there is no hair.

We are told that our dolphin is a clever one, which can have drawbacks. Indeed, as the trainers were teaching him tricks and moves, the dolphin was looking at them directly in the eye, instead of looking at their indication. The solution: the trainers started wearing sun-glasses, so the dolphin could not see their eyes anymore... We get to try a few gestures, and the dolphin starts making sounds (like a baby crying, or the sound of a fishing rod) or starts turning upside down. Very impressive!

After all these efforts, it is time to get a fish! Miam!

Indianapolis - Cincinnati

Indianapolis - nice name but not much to see. Still, an overall good feeling about the town, with its rejuvenated downtown area. It is organised around Monument Circle, dedicated to the glory of Indiana soldiers who fought in many wars - obviously - and the State House.

 

Corn fields after corn fields, we drove on to Cincinnati. It gives a sense of being in "the middle" of the USA ("the middle" also in reference to the funny TV show fictionnally set in Indiana). It is so flat here! About Cincinnati itself, no picture as there was no time to visit. It was straight to the Master tennis tournament.

  

The tournament is well organised with friendly staff and uncharacteristically decent food, glorious weather, and unremarkable shopping.

 

Whatever, what counts is the tennis! The matches were great with lots of tie-brakes. The American crowd was happy with the strong performance of Isner and Serena.

Yet, both of them would go on to loose their respective final.

The winner was Nadal, who is getting better and better at playing on hard courts.

It is strange to write it, but the best moment was after the matches, at Cincinnati airport. We had to leave before the end of the women's final and were standing in the queue at the security check. We spotted Granollers and Lopez, the two players who lost the men's doubles final. And then, looking back, Nadal was also in the line! I quickly put my Swiss-Spanish T-shirt back on. Thanks to the snake-like queue, I got to come across from Nadal, who autographed my T-shirt! Awesome.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico labels itslef "la isla del encanto". So let's verify. First, a good sign is that the label is in Spanish. Good point! And to my surprise, Spanish is really the dominant language there. Good for my practice. So let's translate - the island of enchantment.

Second, since Puerto Rico was the second place the Spanish "discovered" in America (in 1493), it has a charming Spanish look. The old town - well renovated - has nice colorful houses, with their traditional patio, cobblestone streets, a protective wall, a big church.

Third, while the Spanish were not the nicest of colonizers, they built a big castle - el morro - to protect San Juan. It proved useful against the Dutch and the English, but not against the Americans.

Third, the vegetation is lush and we enjoyed a good hike in El Yunque national forest, up to the cool waterfalls La Mina.

Fourth, the beaches! Waow. The water was so welcoming. One of the best beach was in Luquillo, where you can combine a relaxing swim with tasty food (for example, a pineapple stuffed with seafood and rice) and a glass of parcha - the local passion fruit drink. Talking about food, the desserts were also delicious, thanks to the Spanish influence.

Fifth, Puerto Rico has some natural wonders like the Camuy cave. Another good hike and, of course, the guide had to point at formations and argue that they looked like Jesus and angels... In the cave, we saw some bats flying around, which reminded me that bats are the only type of wild mammals who populate to the island.

Sixth, Puerto Rico is also an island of scientific enchantment. The world largest radio telescope sits in a natural hole in between small peaks at Arecibo. Like a lot of technological constructions, it is an impressive achievement, yet it looks a bit outdated or even eroded. Its moment of fame is probably its background role in the James Bond movie Goldeneye. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH2qnn4D0kY

Seventh and best was the discovery of bio-luminescence! Puerto Rico boasts three of the five places on Earth were you can see these little organisms (pyrodinium bahamense) create light. After paddling on a kayak through a mangrove canal, we reached a lagoon where these micro organisms live. Once it became dark, we stirred the water and there it was - light was created! Apparently, these micro organisms generate light by rotating on themselves when they sense that the water gets stirred by its approaching predator (a prawn). By doing that, the prawn becomes visible to its predator (a fish). Generating light is an inventive defense mechanism. And I must say that observing light being created by these micro organisms and then a fish swimming towards that light was a brilliant experience.