Factoids

• 85% of all milk in Jaipur and most of Rajasthan is from the water buffalo.
• The most popular form of execution in the 1600's at the Amber Fort in Jaipur is "chopping of the head." Followed by a close second of "horse stomping on chest."
• "Guru" means "one who brings one from darkness to light." Gu = darkness, Ru = illumination.
• Chess was invented in India.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My
There are animals everywhere. Cows roam the busy downtown streets. Stray, ragged old dogs and their ragged puppies are in the dozens by the block. There are even wild pigs snorting for food in the rubbish. Virtually every fort we visit is inhabited by wild monkeys. And those "flying rats" of American cities, pigeons, are here in full force as well. Add the elephants and camels we rode during our POW tours, and you've got a regular zoo.

Equally as wild but perhaps better cared for are the creatures of Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Preserve and Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (visited on Day Four and Day Six of POW). We departed by bus at the bright and early hour of 6:00am for Ranthambore. There we transferred to huge open-air jeeps. It was freezing. I wasn't prepared for this kind of cold: it was about 40 degrees. I had my flimsy jacket, two pashmina shawls and a big blanket Mr. Singh, my wise and crafty cabin manager, gave to me saying, "you'll need this." Even so, I rode in the jeep with my face down, looking up only when someone alerted, "Deer!" "Bird!" or other animal. Naturally our goal was to spot a tiger . . . the park is known for providing the right, naturally habitat for the 40 tigers living in the park. No such luck for my sad jeep. Two other jeeps not only saw a tiger, but its baby tiger as well . . . crossing not 10 feet in front of their jeep. Bottom line: I froze my ass off looking for a tiger that didn't make an appearance for my group. Didn't that tiger realize how much money I shelled out for this trip??

Chittorgarh: Day Four
Afternoon brought us to Chittorgarh Fort, built in the late 1200's. Yet another impressive fort. Man, those Moghul kings and majarajahs knew how to make a mean fort. Lonely Planet describes it this way: "a massive, magnificent russet-colored construction sprawling across the hills, (Chittor) epitomizes the whole romantic, doomed ideal of Rajput chivalry. Three times in its long history, Chittor was sacked by a stronger enemy and, on each occasion, death came before dishonor. The men donned the saffron robes of martyrdom and rode out from the fort to certain death." Noteworthy about this fort is the Tower of Victory. Again, from Lonely Planet: "a particularly masculine expression of triumph, it was erected 37 meters high in 1468." This description and double-entendre is accurate: the tower looks unmistakably like a big penis.

Udaipur: Day Five
I know I said in the last dispatch that Jodhpur was my favorite stop; that was until we visited Udaipur. It is by far the prettiest city we've seen. With a population of 390,000 people, it's not to big or too small. Hills encircle the buildings that encircle the man-made Lake Pichola. At the lake's center is the Lake Palace, and it is ever a five-star hotel. We had an outdoor lunch at the hotel, in a beautiful courtyard. White tablecloths with cobalt-blue clear glasses and colorful plates decorated the table, acting as reservoirs for what was awaiting us at the enormous buffet table. As per usual, I heaped scoops of unknown hash or soupy mixes, all fragrant and colorful. The names were all unknown to me, but the food was delicious. The courtyard split into a sitting area with graceful chairs set in the middle of paradise: exotic bushes, plants, flowers and trees. It was like a fantasy world. The hotel and two other hotels/palaces on Lake Pichola were used as sets for the James Bond movie "Octopussy." Udaipur was just delightful . . . a hip little town.

Agra: Day Six
Agra is home to one of the man-made wonders of the world, and the moment we'd all been waiting for: the Taj Majal. Described as "the most extravagant monument built for love," this poignant mausoleum is India's main tourist attraction, and with good reason. It is indeed a wonder.

The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his second wife, Mumtaz Majal, who died in childbirth in 1631. The death of Mumtaz left the emperor heartbroken. Construction of the Taj began in the same year was was completed in 22 years. In total, 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building (some were rewarded for their magnificent work by having their thumbs or hands amputated to ensure that the perfection of the Taj could never be repeated).

It is difficult to sum up its majesty and beauty: the Taj Majal stands on a raised marble platform at the end of ornamental green gardens. Decorative white minarets grace each corner of the platform. It's constructed of semi-translucent white marble, carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semi-precious stones in beautiful patterns. The four identical faces of the Taj feature vast vaulted arches embellished with Arabic scrollwork and quotations from the Quran. The whole structure is, of course, topped off by four small domes surrounding the famous bulbous central dome.

Surprising to discover, the emperor had planned on building an identical or at least similar Taj in jet black. Unfortunately for him his son went a little nuts and had his father imprisoned, where his father was unable to realize the rest of his dream. A black Taj Majal would really be something to see.

I'd Rather Be Set On Fire
Each fort we visited had its own tragic stories of defeat to a bigger, more powerful aggressor. Honor was a big deal for the inhabitants of these forts; they chose death before surrender. The men would go out and die in battle. The women, on the other hand, didn't stick around to allow themselves to be captured, killed or violated: they immolated themselves on an enormous funeral pyre. Translation: they set themselves on fire. Indian women did this a lot throughout history. And up unto even the 1990's when husbands died, some women offered themselves up or were even expected to join their dead husbands' bodies in the cremation flames. Ceremonial, religious and honorable, OK; but man, what a painful way to go. I read somewhere that while being burned, the pressure inside the skull is so great that in the fire the head explodes. As such the skull is cracked open in advance. How traumatic would that be if the guy with the axe doesn't show up.