Day out at work to Club Kabana. Food, Swimming etc. I played a lot of badminton and tennis and got spectacularly sunburnt.
Friday 1 June 2007
Kabana
Day out at work to Club Kabana. Food, Swimming etc. I played a lot of badminton and tennis and got spectacularly sunburnt.
Tuesday 29 May 2007
Mysore on Saturday
A trip on Saturday to Mysore. Which was the stronghold of the legendary Tipu Sultan, and home to the Mysore Kings.
The Palace in Mysore is supposed to be the most beautiful in India, and it didn't disappoint! It was truly remarkable inside compared to the mostly ruins I had seen up north. However no photography allowed inside, so I can't show you! Just take my word for it!
Nice scenery on the journey (3 hrs)
Hindu Temple on the way
Lunch
Hindu Temple outside the palace
Me and a bronze tiger - a bit Fort Boyard but hey!
Mysore Palace from the outside
Another Hindu Temple - starting to look the same aren't they!
Wow - what a cow!
And an even bigger cow - the Nandi Bull.
The Palace in Mysore is supposed to be the most beautiful in India, and it didn't disappoint! It was truly remarkable inside compared to the mostly ruins I had seen up north. However no photography allowed inside, so I can't show you! Just take my word for it!
Nice scenery on the journey (3 hrs)
Hindu Temple on the way
Lunch
Hindu Temple outside the palace
Me and a bronze tiger - a bit Fort Boyard but hey!
Mysore Palace from the outside
Another Hindu Temple - starting to look the same aren't they!
Wow - what a cow!
And an even bigger cow - the Nandi Bull.
Monday 7 May 2007
Back to the Leela for a nice dinner
Nice Sunday dinner at the Leela (the normal restaurant this time)
So sorry Naomi its some more food pictures for you!
Lovely to get fresh buffalo mozzerella, and really good pork chops and mash, the raspberry sorbet was also excellent!
So sorry Naomi its some more food pictures for you!
Lovely to get fresh buffalo mozzerella, and really good pork chops and mash, the raspberry sorbet was also excellent!
Saturday 5 May 2007
Birthday Dinner at the Leela
For my birthday we went out to dinner on Friday night - Maggies last evening before leaving India too.
We discovered this week a really snazzy French restaurant hidden away on the top floor of the Leela Palace Hotel (same hotel we often go for Brunch). It is not advertised at all, and is usually only for people staying in the royal club we think, but somehow we got a table - and boy was it a good meal.
Amouse Bouche - Foie Gras on Toast with a Truffle Sauce
I quote the menu: "Three Things from a Duck".
It was Duck Breast Meat on a Poached Pear with a tasty sauce, Duck Terrine with a Poached in Red Wine Apple Slice, and of course Foie Gras with Toast
Asparagus and Palm Heart Soup - incredibly flavourful with the inspired decision to include some sun dried tomato pieces in the soup.
Guava and Pistachio Sorbet - to clean the pallette
Roast Beef Steak with Potato Rosti, Morel Mushrooms and Truffle Sauce with some liver
Vanilla Souffle, which was then opened and into which was poured Creme Anglais
Petit Fours with Coffee
A Full Group
Simon makes sure we've all payed correctly.
We discovered this week a really snazzy French restaurant hidden away on the top floor of the Leela Palace Hotel (same hotel we often go for Brunch). It is not advertised at all, and is usually only for people staying in the royal club we think, but somehow we got a table - and boy was it a good meal.
Amouse Bouche - Foie Gras on Toast with a Truffle Sauce
I quote the menu: "Three Things from a Duck".
It was Duck Breast Meat on a Poached Pear with a tasty sauce, Duck Terrine with a Poached in Red Wine Apple Slice, and of course Foie Gras with Toast
Asparagus and Palm Heart Soup - incredibly flavourful with the inspired decision to include some sun dried tomato pieces in the soup.
Guava and Pistachio Sorbet - to clean the pallette
Roast Beef Steak with Potato Rosti, Morel Mushrooms and Truffle Sauce with some liver
Vanilla Souffle, which was then opened and into which was poured Creme Anglais
Petit Fours with Coffee
A Full Group
Simon makes sure we've all payed correctly.
Sunday 29 April 2007
Rajasthan
Another Photo Diary for you charting my week travelling with Maggie from Durham in Northern India and Rajasthan
The Enormous Red Fort in Delhi
Biggest suprise in Delhi - it has an amazingly efficient metro system!
Inside Red Fort
A very scary rickshaw ride against the traffic in Delhi
Walked down to India Gate in the evening - massive Arc de Triumph style monument with 90000 War veterans carved into it
Inside the old Muslim stronghold of Qutb Minar just outside Delhi - Muslim temple constructed from old Hindu architecture - hence elaborate columns
The Tallest Stone Tower in India
Gandi's House, and site of his assasination
Next Day at India Gate
The ridiculously opulent President's palace in New Delhi - build by the British but only used by them for a few years.
Taj here we come
Maggie 'enjoys' a curry
Gateway to the Taj - the Taj can be seen through the door. This is the first view you see of it, so it really does hit you all of a sudden when you walk through the doorway
The new Diana?
Stunning
Agra Fort
The Elephant enclosure down below at Agra Fort (no elephants now though)
Gardens in Agra Fort
Fatehpur Sikri - a holy city in Uttar Pradesh an hour from Agra - a really massive holy site, including India's largest Gate
That large structure is the gate - although only really photoable from the opposite side. It was really hot here, and we had to take shoes off, so we were perhaps not as enamoured by the place as we should have been - being constantly hassled with handicrafts didn't help!
Tiger tracking in Ranthambore National Park. In a Jeep with 3 other would-be tiger spotters. We had a 4 hour game ride, and right at the end were rewarded with the sight of a tiger in the wild. Bit far away for decent photos though, so none posted here. It was still a pretty special moment.
Just imagine them hiding in the grass
On Safari
The National Park was really atmospheric - really Indian - with a crumbling 1000 year old fort sitting on a distant ridge, and the area dotted with abandoned Raj palaces and summer hunting lodges, now sometimes frequented by tigers
The old fort
Jaipur - the Pink City - this is the Windy Palace - currently under restoration
Morning traffic in Jaipu
Hitching a ride up to Amber Palace
Looking down to the Elephant route to the top
Massive Fort structure, with an additional stronghold for what would have been the Maharaja's army sitting higher up the mountainside
View down from near the top
Once full of water the lake is now at the mercy of the mega-drought in Rajasthan that threatens nearly 30million people - the Saffron Gardens are in the centre.
Me again
and again
Looking back up to the fort
Block printing demonstration - that cloth was yellow a second ago and dipping it into salty water turned it red - magic!
Worlds largest Sundial in Jaipurs mad giantlike observatory
City Palace in Jaipur - worlds largest silver jars - made for George V(?) coronation.
In Udaipur - probably my favourite Indian City so far - the ammonia-reeking fountain garden was pleasant and lush despite the smell!
Udaipurs crazy streets - Udaipur is where most of the James Bond Film Octopussy was filmed.
City Palace - an evening boat ride
City Palace withe the Lake Palace (white) on an island in the middle of lake Pichola (James Bond Baddie Hide-out if I remember correctly)
View of Udapiur City from City Palace next morning
Ranakpur Jain temple 2 hours form Udaipur, a really hot day but a spectacular temple
More than 1000 columns in this place. I genuinely got lost in it!
The carving is incredible
Dinner in Jodphur at a very fancy hotel with a fantastic view and ambience
Burial site of kings of Jodphur
Jodphur fort is certainly the most imposing fort in India rising 400 feet above the town on a mini-ridge
Walls are huge, and very imposing
Jodphur is known as the blue city - can you tell why?
Inside some of the old royal apartments - the Maharaja now live in the hotel pictured earlier - it is really his palace!
Well thats about it, a really great trip and back to work tomorrow!
The Enormous Red Fort in Delhi
Biggest suprise in Delhi - it has an amazingly efficient metro system!
Inside Red Fort
A very scary rickshaw ride against the traffic in Delhi
Walked down to India Gate in the evening - massive Arc de Triumph style monument with 90000 War veterans carved into it
Inside the old Muslim stronghold of Qutb Minar just outside Delhi - Muslim temple constructed from old Hindu architecture - hence elaborate columns
The Tallest Stone Tower in India
Gandi's House, and site of his assasination
Next Day at India Gate
The ridiculously opulent President's palace in New Delhi - build by the British but only used by them for a few years.
Taj here we come
Maggie 'enjoys' a curry
Gateway to the Taj - the Taj can be seen through the door. This is the first view you see of it, so it really does hit you all of a sudden when you walk through the doorway
The new Diana?
Stunning
Agra Fort
The Elephant enclosure down below at Agra Fort (no elephants now though)
Gardens in Agra Fort
Fatehpur Sikri - a holy city in Uttar Pradesh an hour from Agra - a really massive holy site, including India's largest Gate
That large structure is the gate - although only really photoable from the opposite side. It was really hot here, and we had to take shoes off, so we were perhaps not as enamoured by the place as we should have been - being constantly hassled with handicrafts didn't help!
Tiger tracking in Ranthambore National Park. In a Jeep with 3 other would-be tiger spotters. We had a 4 hour game ride, and right at the end were rewarded with the sight of a tiger in the wild. Bit far away for decent photos though, so none posted here. It was still a pretty special moment.
Just imagine them hiding in the grass
On Safari
The National Park was really atmospheric - really Indian - with a crumbling 1000 year old fort sitting on a distant ridge, and the area dotted with abandoned Raj palaces and summer hunting lodges, now sometimes frequented by tigers
The old fort
Jaipur - the Pink City - this is the Windy Palace - currently under restoration
Morning traffic in Jaipu
Hitching a ride up to Amber Palace
Looking down to the Elephant route to the top
Massive Fort structure, with an additional stronghold for what would have been the Maharaja's army sitting higher up the mountainside
View down from near the top
Once full of water the lake is now at the mercy of the mega-drought in Rajasthan that threatens nearly 30million people - the Saffron Gardens are in the centre.
Me again
and again
Looking back up to the fort
Block printing demonstration - that cloth was yellow a second ago and dipping it into salty water turned it red - magic!
Worlds largest Sundial in Jaipurs mad giantlike observatory
City Palace in Jaipur - worlds largest silver jars - made for George V(?) coronation.
In Udaipur - probably my favourite Indian City so far - the ammonia-reeking fountain garden was pleasant and lush despite the smell!
Udaipurs crazy streets - Udaipur is where most of the James Bond Film Octopussy was filmed.
City Palace - an evening boat ride
City Palace withe the Lake Palace (white) on an island in the middle of lake Pichola (James Bond Baddie Hide-out if I remember correctly)
View of Udapiur City from City Palace next morning
Ranakpur Jain temple 2 hours form Udaipur, a really hot day but a spectacular temple
More than 1000 columns in this place. I genuinely got lost in it!
The carving is incredible
Dinner in Jodphur at a very fancy hotel with a fantastic view and ambience
Burial site of kings of Jodphur
Jodphur fort is certainly the most imposing fort in India rising 400 feet above the town on a mini-ridge
Walls are huge, and very imposing
Jodphur is known as the blue city - can you tell why?
Inside some of the old royal apartments - the Maharaja now live in the hotel pictured earlier - it is really his palace!
Well thats about it, a really great trip and back to work tomorrow!
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