Travel
with the Wine Skinny:
Mildly Bewildered but Totally Enchanted
in India
(Page 1
| 2 | 3
| 4)
As the capital city of the Rajasthan region,
Jaipur is known as the "pink city"
for the pink hue that was applied in 1905
to all the houses in the old city in honor
of the visiting Prince of Wales. Jaipur
is full of gardens and palaces and (another)
fort, and also offers loads of jewelry shopping
- especially sapphires at high-end shops.
 An
elephant ride up to the Amber Fort
was more fun than expected. Our ride's name
was Desmina, and she had to pee about half
way up the path. I have to say - she showed
remarkable Steel Magnolia grace and kept
her head high while creating a bit of a
river for the line of elephants and their
tourist riders in line behind us.
At the Oberoi
Rajvilas hotel, we had a gorgeous luxury
tent accommodation, fully air-conditioned,
with teak floors, a clawfoot bathtub, plush
linens and our own back patio. As with all
the hotels we visited, service was exceptional
- and we loved it, even as we flung ourselves
off our India-spiritual-wagon and paid eighty
bucks each for two (or was it three?) bottles
of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. My only explanation
is that it was just time to do it...
Of course, the Taj Mahal was a big part
of the motivation of this trip - but we
wondered if it could possibly live up to
our expectations. It did; and then some.
We spent the better part of an afternoon
wandering the pristine grounds, gazing at
the awesome structure from various angles,
then climbing the steps to the front entrance
to see the relatively small interior rooms
that are open to tourists.
 The
Taj seems to have a pulse of its own, throbbing
silently but emphatically as it drew us
in. The changing light - even over a 30
minute period - is every bit as remarkable
as they say. Going back later that evening
to see it lit solely by the light of a full
moon was a once in a lifetime experience
that I can say - without a trace of exaggeration
- has stayed burned in my sense memory.
I can still feel it.
SITA Tours
Agent: Anshuman Khanna
www.sitatours.com
Tips:
We got all the shots and took all the malaria
medicine recommended. To be honest, I'm
not sure we really needed all that, but
it was nice to not worry about it during
the trip.
Same goes for all the pepto bismol, various
first aid items, water purifiers and energy
bars that we started out with, but systematically
dumped as valuable luggage space was needed
for purchases. The only items that we held
onto for the whole trip were mosquito spray,
sunscreen and Dramamine.
Bring loads of one-dollar bills and pass
them out generously.
At the hotels, you'll have the opportunity
to tip the staff when you check out. It's
much easier than trying to convince random
staffers to accept a gratuity in person,
when they so obviously are trying not to
offend you by refusing.
Take advantage of the lovely breakfasts
offered as part of your room price - they
kept us going through some long fort tours.
Our guides wanted to treat us like fragile,
foreign dolls that couldn't handle seeing
anything unpleasant or being jostled in
any way. While that's very nice, we realized
that we needed to insist on going to places
like the old bazaars. But then it was great
- the trip wouldn't have been the same if
we had allowed ourselves to be totally sheltered
the whole time.
by Robyn Tinsley, Managing Editor
images by D'Lesli Davis
(Page 1
| 2 | 3
| 4)
|
