Mumbai's Magnificent New Airport Terminal

The check-in area

Text by Cedric & Tami.

We have witnessed many positive changes to the transportation infrastructure in India during recent years, including improved roads, new highways, dedicated rapid transit bus lanes, and of course the Delhi metro that we blogged about earlier.  On this trip we were also quite impressed with many of the airports, including Delhi, Goa, Aurangabad, and Ahmedabad.  But to our eyes the crown jewel was the magnificent new international terminal at Chatrapati Shivaji airport in Mumbai. This elegant space was designed by Skidmore, Owens, and Merrill and is the most beautiful terminal I have ever visited (not that I've seen that many)!

On the way to security

Relaxed, tropical mood lighting in the departure area

Live plants behind the departure desk

The airport also has a museum along its corridors that contain works of art from all over India, which offers a fun way to pass the time when you tire of usual airport shops, eateries, and lounge areas.

Museum exhibit

Along the museum corridor, there are several kiosks that allow you to send personalized postcards with a selfie to any email address. Pretty cool, especially since paper postcards seemed to have been quite elusive on this trip.  We decided to give it a try and came up with this one...

The Hatheesingh Jain Temple in Ahmedabad

Detail of the upper part of the entrance to the temple

Text by Cedric & Tami.

The Hatheesingh Jain temple in Ahmedabad was completed in 1848, so it is quite young compared to most of the temples & monuments we visited on this trip.  Built by a wealthy trader, it provided gainful employment to artisans at a time of great famine in Gujarat.

Restoration work was on-going during our visit, but thankfully we were able to still see quite a lot.  The intricate carvings on the walls are breathtaking!  Inside the temple, where photography is not allowed, there is a central building with a number of domes and a courtyard surrounded by a cloister containing 52 shrines - each dedicated to a Tirthankara.  Since we were only able to capture a few pictures of the entrance and external courtyard, we've included a link to a beautiful picture of the whole temple complex here - please take a look.  The pictures below will give you a sense of the exquisite detail that exists throughout the temple.

The entrance to the temple

Detail of the lower portion of the entrance

Beautiful windows

Carvings on a pillar

Every nook & corner is covered in carvings

On closer inspection, you can see the wear over time.

The Manastambha or Column of Honor stands in front of the temple

Lodhi Gardens in New Delhi

Tomb of Muhammad Shah (Sayyid Dynasty)

Text by Cedric & Tami.

We had the good fortune of staying very near Lodhi Gardens in Delhi. This beautiful park is tranquil, lush, and home to monuments from both the Sayyid dynasty and the Lodhi dynasty that followed. These were short-lived dynasties that didn't have the time or money to build grand monuments and cities like the Moghuls who succeeded them did...so the remains are more modest than others we saw on our trip.

Sheesh Gumbad

Bada Gumbad

The Bada Gumbad Mosque

Mosque interior

Sikander Lodhi's tomb which is in an enclosed garden

In the mornings, interspersed among the monuments, people were running, walking, and doing yoga and other exercises. We noticed this "early morning outdoor fitness" trend in many other places in India as well, but Delhi was our first stop, and we were impressed and happily joined in for a walk on several mornings and were rewarded with the monuments being lit by the rising sun as the fog lifted...

People running...

...exercising...

...and just enjoying the morning

We also took notice of the whimsical dustbins (trash cans) all over the park that were decorated as part of a "Keep Delhi Clean and Green" campaign.  The campaign seems to be a success, as the bins were empty in the morning, full by night, and the park itself remained very clean throughout the day.  Tami took several pictures....

Collage of the dustbins in Lodhi gardens