Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Hawa Mahal, the “Palace of Winds” or “Palace of the Breeze”, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
The Palace of the Wind, the name itself gives you goose pimples, let’s your imagination run wild. A huge, airy palace, with royal princes and princesses strolling around, their loose silky dresses tousled by the wind. The Hawa Mahal was none of this, it is not even a building proper. It is a façade, a most stunning one though. Continue Reading →
Witnessing one of the many processions (this time for peace in the world…) in Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan, India
Festivals & processions are Jaipur’s trademark. These attract loads of visitors, India and non-Indian alike. So we were rather disappointed when the festival calendar for April showed none. The bigger was our surprise when we literally happened to run into one! Stepping out into the street from a little yard that harbored a vegetable market, we stood face to face with an elephant. With its head beautifully painted, it swayed along the street carrying an elegantly dressed man and a child. Even in India, at least in an urban area, this is not the most common sight! Continue Reading →
Streets of Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan, India
Travelling for days, getting little sleep, the heat and a five-hour train ride left us in a shaky state. Nevertheless, immediately after we arrived in Jaipur, we trotted off to explore the Pink City. On foot, on boiling hot concrete, along one of Jaipur’s busiest, most congested streets… All sights were closed when we finally dragged our exhausted bodies into the Old City. Refusing to admit that this was a pretty silly start, we continued, fighting our way through the narrow alleys of the bazaar. Feet burning, mood crumbling, we wondered who would rebel first… Continue Reading →
Panch Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, Rajasthan, India
Despite being completely exhausted, we travelled the 55 kilometers to Fatehpur Sikri early, very early in the morning. Naturally we wanted this huge complex of palaces and majestic buildings to our own. Besides, with these temperatures you cannot afford a late start and who wants to miss the pleasant soft light for taking pictures? Once outside of Agra, traffic vanished and we covered the distance in less than one hour. The 20 € for a car plus driver were well invested! Continue Reading →