India Day 9

Today we drove by bus from Agra to Gwalior.  Gwalior is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh.  We checked into a palace hotel called, "Usha Karan Palace".  That is exactly what it is.  Elegant plus!!!  The hotel is part of the prime minister's palace complex.  Tourists don't come here because this place is so far away from everything.  This province is the agricultural hub of northern India.   The very rich Indian people stay in this hotel when they wish to hob nob with the prime minister of this state.  We visited his giant palace today high up on a cliff overlooking Gwalior.  We went there to see  a)  the biggest chandelier in India that weighs almost 4 tons.  They had 6 elephants stand on the roof of the palace to see if the ceiling could hold the chandelier...  b)  We went to the palace to check out the prime minister's silver train that traveled around his 100 foot long dining table carrying wine and cigars for his guests ...  c)  We went to see the carving in the cliff walls along the roadway up to the palace.  These naked carvings depicted the tirthankaras.  Look that one up on the Net.  I have included a giant penis and a picture of some of us downtown Gwalior at a pharmacy on Main St. where we purchased malaria cream for $1.25.  You can buy any drug you wish in India without a prescription.  Today we are going to crash a wedding at the Palace Hotel after diner.  We are looking through our thrift clothes for something to wear.

Tomorrow we are off on a train somewhere.