Ahmedabad

This past weekend the group went on a trip to Ahmedabad. We didn't spend a whole lot of time meandering the streets and so I couldn't get a very good feel of what the city was like as a whole. I didn't notice that this city is much more dense than Jaipur, even though the area of the city is smaller. There were many high rise apartment complexes and that's something that's just not very common in Jaipur.

There was an overlying theme on this past trip and that was to lay down. Not just anywhere mind you... but to lay down on grassy knolls. You don't realize how much you can miss the simple things from home, like lying in the grass. Whether we were on CEPT University, India Institute of Management, or Doshi's Office; if there was grass, we were laying on it.

Delhi

So far, I would have to say that Delhi is my favorite city that I've been too here in India. It's very modern like Chandigarh, but it still feels like India. Chandigarh had a very European feel to it, whereas Delhi feels like India. In my opinion, it's the best of both worlds. Granted, I know that I probably saw the best of Delhi and there is a lot more that I didn't see.This is a place that seems to have the Landscape Architecture thing figured out. Despite all the people, you can still move with relative ease throughout the city. Everything seems to be maintained. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many city workings cleaning up the city and all the road construction. I know, it's crazy that I would miss ANYTHING so annoying like road construction, but for some strange reason... it reminds me of home.

Asia Park

A few days ago I traveled to various parks within the city. Of the four parks that I observed, one was significantly more successful than the rest. I realized, that good park design here, is all about the shade. I was at the park at 1:30pm on a Sunday and the park was very busy. Full of couples sitting in the shade; men having informal gatherings, and kids just running around in the 'wooded' area. No one was in the sun, and with all the people there was still plenty more shaded spaces that could be occupied.
This park is basically a large circle where you could see from one side of the park to the other side of the park. There is quite a few shaded areas on the outer side of the circle. Towards the center it is more open and can cater to large gatherings with ease.
Around the main path, are pergolas and other various shade structures. Not only was there two more formal paths that ran along the park; there was a more informal path within a wooded area on the outskirts of the park. The seating here was much more informal and looked to be well utilized.

Rock Garden

The Rock Garden in Chandigarh was my favorite place in the city. The idea behind it admirable. It was created from all of the extra rubble being created from building the city. Initially it was a garden made from scraps and used to create something fascinating. Every corner we turned there would be another 'whoah!' or 'crazy!' coming from the group. There was something so serene, yet abnoxious about the garden; there is a fine balance between the two in this design.

Chandigarh

This past weekend our group traveled to Chandigarh, which was designed by LeCorbusier in the 1960's. This is the first city we've visited in India that is so modern. During the trip we kept in contact with some of the Indian students on campus and I realized that the very reason they absolutely love this city; is the same reason that we didn't care for it that much, its modern. Its very different from the other cities I've seen here in India.

Don't get me wrong, its a very nice city; well planned, large streets, and a lot of greenery, but very European with a bit of California thrown in the mix. After living in Jaipur and visiting Agra, Chandigarh seemed too sterile and not nearly as exciting. I didn't worry about getting hit by a car and the traffic actually seemed to follow some type of rules.

Green Spaces in the City

I have noticed that many of the green spaces along the main roads are well occupied at any time of the day. Most of them are just little chunks of green space with a fence surrounding the borders. There's the occasional bench but the preferred seating is the ground in the shade. I am using the Peacock Gardens as a comparison (I will post photos of this park soon) The Peacock Garden is a heavily designed park complete with water fountains and many decorative and path lights. This garden is rarely used and when comparing the two parks side by side, the strips of park are much more successful in terms of use.

Taj Mahal

Photo courtesy of Christina Forrest

Not even 25 and I've seen the Taj Mahal.... twice! We went once in the morning when it opened and it was very foggy, we couldn't even see the Taj Mahal until we were 30 yrds in front of it (even then it was a slight outline). We went the second time a little later that day when the sun was out and the fog had mostly lifted and we saw the classic views. Both experiences were completely different but both mind boggling.

With the fog, everything just seemed so surreal. With everything disappearing into the mist; there was no telling what you would see or encounter next. The gardens seemed much more grand and mysterious with the fog. And like any American, when we saw the 'spot' where everyone takes the photos and we couldn't actually see the Taj Mahal... We took pictures too and laughed the whole time trying to make light of the situation. I was able to focus on alot more detail with the fog and paid more attention to the subtle designs within the building, so when we finally did see the whole picture, I had a much greater appreciation than I would have if I hadn't seen it when it was foggy.

We left for a while and then came back in the afternoon; this is when we got 'the shot.' It was also 100x more busy than it was in the morning and the line to get into the Taj Mahal was incredible; it snaked around the entire building... a few times. So, it was the usual ooos and ahhs and so on.

The interesting thing about the Taj Mahal is that it looks larger farther away, then when your right there... it looks much smaller which is something I've never seen before. When we were at Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal looked like one of the largest buildings I've ever seen!