Ten countries in less than two months… Our recent cruise was turning into a trip, literally, around the world. We disembarked the cruise ship that brought us this way, in Singapore. And since Singapore is only a one hour, $40.-, flight away from one of our favourite places in the world: Langkawi Island in northern Malaysia, we might as well tag it on. How could we not go there if we were this close?
We like going on a cruise. Why? Because we wake up in a new place without having to fly or drive there. Because we settle into one “hotel” room, unpack our stuff and don’t have to lug luggage around the world. Because we can do what we like: just have meals at a table for two, choose what we like, attend a good lecture or evening show if we feel like it, or just sit and read a book in the library. In this blog we compare different cruise lines…
Cruise ships are famous, or perhaps notorious, for their food - copious amounts are on offer day and night. There are so many options, it’s hard to choose. You can simply show up at the buffet for three meals a day, plus tea time, snack time, etc. Or you can choose to put on something slightly dressier than shorts and flip flops and go to the dining room, where you will be shown to your table by a formal waiter. A starched white napkin will be spread over your lap for you, and you will be handed a two page menu - a new one each day.
Leaving Southampton, England in winter we had to cross the Channel and make our way south on the Atlantic. We had no idea how huge the Bay of Biscay is…
And even the dictionary knows what these waters are infamous for. When I checked the spelling, the dictionary told me: ‘a part of the North Atlantic Ocean between the northern coast of Spain and the western coast of France, noted for its strong currents and storms.’
A few hours driving out of Jaipur, India’s Pink City, we reached a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Fatehpur Sikri was built as the capital of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the mid 1500’s. It is a ‘fort city’ encompassing administrative, residential and religious buildings, including palaces, public buildings, mosques, and living areas for the court, the army, the servants of the king and an entire city. All fortified by towers, walls and gates.
It is hailed as one of India’s most perfect architectural accomplishments.
Inside Fatehpur Sikri
The site was also impressive, to us, because it was nearly deserted. A few sleepy guards stood here and there in the shade. A few local visitors wandered around the vast halls and stone plaza’s and wanted their pictures taken with us.
Hay truck
Along the way, we passed amazing trucks, like giant balloons on wheels. We learned these are hay trucks. And to prevent the hay from blowing all over the place, they are wrapped in a tent… such a smart idea.
Our driver slowed down to point out cow patties. The highway was lined with these round pattycakes. We saw them drying in huts built of cowpatties… They were being sold for fuel. If you are not happy with your job, one day, think of a cowpatty producer…
Cowpatties for sale…
After yet another few hours driving along quiet roads, we reached another unesco World Heritage site and architectural wonder: Chand Baori in the village of Abhaneri is the most famous stepwell in Rajasthan. A stepwell’s purpose was to conserve a massive amount of rainwater during the monsoon season and thus provide a reliable, year-round water source for the local community in an region prone to drought. Because of the depth, the water stayed cool. This stepwell is dated to the 8th or 9th century, its oldest parts might date back to the 6th century CE.
Chand Baori Stepwell
Standing on the top edge looking down, I felt like I was about to step into a M.C. Escher painting…
The only thing that kept us thoroughly grounded in the 21st century was blaring Indian heavy metal music from a truck parked outside the gate to the historic monument. It seemed the entire village was there to dance. Men, women and children all swayed to the deafening music.
We continued on our way towards the last city on our itinerary: Agra. Of course we knew that Agra is the city known for the Taj Mahal - one of the seven new Wonders of the World. It is also a UNESCO Worlds Heritage site and an iconic monument to love. Built between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of India and one of the most universally admired masterpieces of Muslim art.
We knew all that.
We had heard so much about it and seen so many images of it, that we were convinced it wouldn’t be all that spectacular… After all, we had seen the Alhambra, the great mosque of Casablanca, the skyline of Qatar and many other architectural marvels. Yet, we were in Agra so of course we had to see the Taj Mahal. We even got out of bed at 5 am to join our guide for a 20 minute walk from our hotel to the entrance gate. It was dark, humid and quiet. Only stray dogs, some monkeys and golf carts full of tourists crossed our path.
We bought our tickets and proceeds onto the grounds.
And suddenly… there it was.
So white, so stark, so strikingly beautiful it took our breath away.
I had a lump in my throat, just looking at the immensely beautifully structure. Plain. Quiet, Imposing. It seemed to float as early morning mist slowly rose into the awakening sky.
I wracked my brain to think of a more beautiful building.
I couldn’t…
We had not expected it but we were completely overwhelmed by the serenity and otherworldliness of this building… It seemed like it had come down from heaven.
And I’m usually a pretty down-to-earth person…
It wasn’t terribly crowded as we strolled closer and closer. The sun slowly rose and with its rays came colour. The white heavenly building turned to pink and brownish. There was now colour in the arches over the doors: green and red marble inlay. With the sunshine it, somehow, became less magical.
We filed inside, mostly to say we had been inside the Taj Mahal.
But that first, early morning glimpse was the most amazing site. It should have stayed that white, that hypnotizing mysterious for ever…
© Taj Mahal by Margriet Ruurs
Finally, we drove back to New Delhi, along quiet new highways, through a dusty countryside full of farms and cows. It was time to fly home again. Our trip to India had turned out to be full of surprises, more interesting and wonderful than we had expected. Thanks to Vacation India, everything was pretty close to perfect. And now we are dreaming of returning to this fascinating country, perhaps to search for tigers, to stroll the Himalayan foothills or to see the beaches of Goa… Only time will tell.
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Almonds for sale
A few years ago we had both watched a YouTube video of a spectacular event: the annual Camel Fair in Rajasthan. It looked so brilliant that we did some more research to learn about it. Begun as a local trading place for livestock, the Pushkar Camel Fair is over a hundred years old and the largest camel fair in the world, with thousands of camels, but also Indian horses, buffaloes and cows on display, to sell or trade.
After a good night sleep in the wonderful Vivaana Culture Hotel , we continued our tour of India’s Golden Triangle. Nothing fazed our great driver, Guru Singh: fly-overs, crazy traffic, cows in the fast lane… But there were also newly paved and nearly empty roads today on our long drive to today’s destination: Khimsar Fort.
In 2020 I started to write blog posts and created this website in order to share our global adventures with you. I was thrilled that so many of you signed up to receive our weekly, then bi-weekly new stories in your inbox. Since then we have written hundreds of blog posts about some 50 or 60 countries, from 3 months around Australia to hiking in Cambodia, from going to Saudi Arabia to traipsing across the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. And much in between….
Since Covid, many of us have been spending holidays closer to home or making shorter day trips. While we still like to roam the globe, I also recently enjoyed a day of exploring Victoria which, for us, is close to home. Whether you come from far away or live nearby, Victoria is a unique and beautiful city with lots of little secrets to explore. In fact, visiting Victoria can almost feel like visiting different countries around the world…
The Camino, the ultimate pilgrim’s trail in Spain gets into your blood. I, Kees, walked it with my brother many years ago. I walked it by myself again later and Margriet joined me for the last 120 KM. Now I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to walk it with our 15 year old grandson Nico. It’s special to share this unique experience with him. But since he is still going to school we have only limited time and will just do the last 120 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago….
