UDAIPUR TO JAISALMER, (VIA RANAKPUR, AND BHENSWARA).

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After all I said about Jamie being non communicative the other day I was surprised that evening, whilst I was relaxing in a bar watching the sunset and downing Rum and Drambuiie, to be unexpectedly joined by him.

Have come to conclusion that this limited conversation thing of his must just be his way, as throughout the hour and a half we sat there communication was still very occasional.... but obviously he'd opted to join me. (Everyone has there own ways I suppose)!

Nadine has grown on me also, but more on her later!

If you remember I was setting off that night for dinner in the Lake Palace hotel.


NOTE…The Lake Palace is located on the Jag Niwas Island and covers the whole of 1.5 hectare of the island in the middle of the Pichola Lake. Built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1743 it was meant as a royal summer palace and now converted in to a five star palace hotel.

It is a magical palace and its image in the middle of the lake is like a leaf straight out of a fairy tale book with an excellent taste of intricate craftsmanship and the ethnic themes using the textiles and handicrafts all over highlight the beauty that is simply beyond compare the lake around makes a pleasant murmur with its rippling waves and lapping that adds to the mesmerising moments.

The Lake Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, arising out of the Turquoise Waters of the Pichola like an elegant fantasy in white marble. The Lake palace was built in the 17th century on a natural foundation of 4 acers of rock. It was initially called Jaginwas after its founder Maharana Jagjit Singh.

The Maharana, ruler of Jaipur from 1628 to 1654, was very friendly with Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and encouraged his craftsmen to copy some of the glories of his incomparable buildings at Agra. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards. These courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens all add to its impressive image.

The rooms are decorated with cusped arches, inland stones of pink, and green lotus leaves and painted mirrors. apartments like the Bada Mahal, Kush Mahal, Ajjan Niwas, Phool Mahal and Dhola Mahal. All enhance the romance of the elegant setting. Among the facilities available are swimming pool, conference hall and a bar. Other events of recreation organised here are excursions in and around and a bar other events of recreation organised here are excursions in and around Udaipur.

Lake Palace houses 83 rooms including 17 beautiful suites and 53 Deluxe rooms. The rooms and the suites of the hotel are beautifully designed; each having a particular theme & decorated with textiles and handicrafts of the region. The royal banquet rooms are now reception rooms, bars and restaurants.

Apartments named the Bada Mahal Khush Mahal, Sajjan Niwas, Phool Mahal and Dhola Mahal add to the romantic setting and give a taste of regal splendour of a bygone era, they also boast of a Restaurant a coffee shop and a well appointed lobby with Jewellery and Souvenir shops. This expansive building covers an area of about 4 acres including beautiful trees and gardens. Cuisine of the most mouth-watering variety brought to life by our skilled chefs. Be honoured and indulged as befits royalty.

This is the hotel that features as Octopussy's lair in the James Bond film, and when I arrived at lakeside reception area that night I totally felt that a Bond film was what I was in.

A man in a turban welcomed me in and directed me towards a jetty that jutted out into the lake and looked out towards the hotel shimmering on the lake.

I walked out on to it and stood there as the lights of a small motor boat switched on across the water and powered it's way towards me.

If this was a Bond film the pilot would have either been a stunningly beautiful Asian babe with an unlikely and suggestive name, or a dangerous Hindu assasin with a hooked arm. As it was it was just a bloke in a uniform who saluted me aboard and we set off across the lake.

Though I don't want to spoil the image too much the one dissapointing thing about the hotel at the moment is that for the past 5 years it's not rained in Udaipur, so where as once it seemed to float in the middle of the Crystal blue waters it now has to one side of it mud flats that are being used as grazing land. But there you go!

On arrival at the Hotel I walked up the marble steps and was greeted by two attractive Indian girls in traditional clothes and a tall uniformed man in a turban with an elaborate moustache. They showed me in where I was then met by the Maitre'de, (dont think I'm spelling that right), of the restaurant.

He welcomed me, and on discovering I'd never been before insisted on giving me a guided tour of the public rooms before dinner. He did ask me why I was not staying with them, and when I told him the hotel was way beyond my budget did not bat an eyelid but rather insisted that he was sure I'd want to make a booking at some point in the future.

The whole hotel is as outstanding as you would imagine. I've made an exclusive hotel visit a thing of many of my trips. I've drunk Singapore Slings in the Long Bar at Raffles, taken high tea at the Victoria Falls hotel, used the pool at the Palomo in Maputo, blagged my way in and drank sundowners at the Old Catteract in Aswan, and now was going to have dinner at the Lake Palace.

Just one slight problem! For the last hour or so my stomach had been feeling decidedly icky, (like a fool I'd had ice in my Rum and Drambuii)!

The a la carte restaurant overlooks the Lilly pond dining area, (which features in the film). The Maitre'd showed me around, and found me a table with a view. You had the option of continental or Indian cuisine and given the dodgy state of my tummy I thought maybe some westernised stodge would be the best option. Unfortunately the moment I was out of my chair and over at the buffet the Maitre'd was on me again insistant on showing me all their fine Indian cuisine, particulalry a local curried fish dish that he proudly told me was exclusive to the Lake Palace.

'OH GOD I'M GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE FISH ARN'T I' I thought!

Service was amazing. In fact I got the distinct impression at my table service was more amazing than at others. Throughout the night waiters were constantly in attendance far more than any of the other tables and I got the slight inkling that the Maitre'd had taken his staff aside and said...'see that bloke over there... he's out of his depth... be nice to him!'

Certainly eating was starting to prove a problem, and I was really having to force food, (and then feign how much I was enjoying it every time someone came up to ask me if everything was all right). To be honest, though the location and the service was outstanding the food was nothing really to write home about, (icky tummy or not). The desert selection was very dissapointing! Still I came for the atmosphere and to say I'd done it, so they got a big tip at the end.

I was encouraged to stay after dinner and use the facilities so I spent some time in the bar later, and explored the public rooms in more detail. To me the mark of a real hotel with class is the capacity to treat someone whose out of it's league as well as it would the occupyers of their top staterooms, and the Lake Palace certainly did that! Oddest thing was when I was leaving. It was late and the jetty was crowded with Hotel workers waiting to go home. As the boat pulled in I held back to take some photos, expecting them all to get on. When I turned round they'd formed a line on either side of the jetty so I could walk through them and get on first!!!!!

All very strange!

NOTE TO MUM... You will be pleased to know I am at my most well behaved and polite on this trip. India just brings it out in me, everyone is so nice and polite themselves, the whole nation seems so pleasent and eagre to welcome you, (and not with hidden 'I want your money' agendas), that I find myself forced into being equally courteous in all my interactions with everyone.

By the following morning I felt decidedly ill. Which was problamatic as I had a 6 hour bus journey ahead of me. For the next week or so we have our own air conditioned mini bus, (which at least helped), but the journey was long, bumpy and tireing.

3 hours in we stopped off at the Jain temple at Ranakpur. This is a massive and impressive structure built in a forested glade way out in the country.

NOTE… Ranakpur is located in the mountain ranges of Pali district, (Rajasthan) 23 kms away from the Phalna railway station. Ranakpur is situated between lush green valleys and beautiful streams and the heart capturing views. It is home to an exceptionally beautiful temple complex in the Aravali ranges. The place is well connected through a road network to other places in the region.

The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built during the reign of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century, in the AD 1439. The basement is of 48,000 sq. feet area that covers the whole complex. There are four subsidiary shrines, twenty-four pillared halls and domes supported by over four hundred columns. The total number of columns is 1,444 all of which are intricately carved with no two being alike. The artistically carved nymphs playing the flute in various dance postures at a height of 45 feet are an interesting sight. In the assembly hall, there are two big bells weighing 108 kg whose sound echoes in the entire complex. The main temple is a Chaumukh or a four-faced temple dedicated to Adinath.

The 15th century Adishwar temple or the Chaumaukha temple built by Sheth Dhanna Shah is a fine structure. It is in the form of a Nalinigulm Vimana (heavenly aircraft) that Shah had seen in his dream. Designed by Dipa Shilpi it took 65 years (1367-1432) to erect and is the largest and most complex Jain temple in India. It also boasts of being one of the five most important holy shrines of the Jains.

The three other Jain temples in the same complex, including a temple of the Sun God, are all well worth a visit. One km. away from the temple complex is the temple of Amba Mata

Before visiting it we were offered lunch by the monks, (if that's the right term), which consisted of a very basic concotion of indain food delivered to us on metal trays soup kitchen style in a refectory.

I SO DIDN'T NEED THIS! What was worse was that our guide Vipal told us that to leave anything is seen as discourteous and they would take offence. Thankfully I was sat next to Joan from Seattle who throughout the meal kept quickly sneaking my food over to her Husband Glenn, (which incidentally was risky as food sharing is also seen as a no no). I'm not sure how Glenn felt about this, all I know was that Joan's mind was made up. 'Glenn you gotta eat Tony's food, he's not well... the poor boys gonna be sick!'


Suspect had I been feeling better I'd have enjoyed the Jain temple so much more, but my attention to the Architecture was somewhat limited by my constant search for a toilet.

Three hours later we finally made it to our hotel for the night. We were really off the beaten track that night, the small village of Bhenswara and it's heritage hotel.

NOTE… The 15-room Ravla Bhenswara, 70 miles from Jodhpur, has charm and character to spare. Ok, you may not find marble bathrooms and mini-bars, but you will get highly individual rooms with quirky furnishings, maybe tucked away up in a turret, or with its own terrace with views over gardens where peacocks shriek and chipmunks chatter. What’s more, while, post-Indian independence from Britain, families such as Shiv’s may have lost much power and land, local ‘royality’ is still treated with great respect by villagers. And this means they can offer their guests some very special experiences that are simply unavailable to the mass market.

Bhenswara is by no means a tourist location, but Heritage hotels are a tradition and are former homes of the long gone wealthy landlords now turned into unique places to stay. It was an amazing place, each room very individual and done up with an eastern flair that would make Lawrence Llewlyn Bowen jealous.

It was Jaimie's turn to get the single room, so I was sharing with Micheal from Adelaide, who was feeling as queezy as I was, so sharing a bathroom was always going to be a challenge.

In the afternoon we set off in Jeeps on a safari across the local scrup land in the search of leopards.

We didn't see any but they are quite natural to the area, and after a day trapped in the mini bus feeling ill, being able to race out into the wilds in open jeeps, and drink tea in the bush while the sun set was a welcome relief that for a while made me feel a heck of a lot better.

We also stopped off at a couple of local villages, where we got to meet the locals and I was a big hit.

It's become a point of note with the group that I seem to attract kids wherever I go. Don't know if it's the height or lack of hair but they do seem to mob me. At Ranakpur my search for hygenic toilets were waylaid by an 8 year old from Bombay, his cousin and little sister who wanted to engage me in conversation for some time, (I think as a means of practicing their English). In the villages their English was not so good, but that didn't stop them mobbing me, and my camera phone was a big hit!

That evening we dined under the stars at the hotel, accompanied by local musicians, (er... which actually we could have lived without).

In the morning we set off on an 8 hour drive across the Thar desert. (But thankfully overnight my stomach has sorted itself out... though I still have little appetite).

Yesterday was Diwali, (festival of light and principal Hindu event). We stopped at a small desert town for lunch and Nadine bought lots of garish Diwali decorations for the bus so that by the time we set off again we looked like the Bollywood equivelant of 'Pricilla Queen of the Desert'!

Our destination yesterday was the City of Jaisalmer which is an amazing location.

NOTE… The name Jaisalmer evokes a vivid picture of sheer magic and brilliance of the desert. The exotic, remote and beautiful, Jaisalmer is a bit of a paradox. So far west that it is in the heart of the desert, one would expect barren near-desolation. Yet this frontier town is today one of Rajasthan's best-loved tourist destinations. Local colour and warmth prevail over the inhospitable and forbidding terrain, imbuing the medieval town with a special magic.

Rawal Jaisal, a descendent of the Yadav Clan and a Bhati Rajput, laid the foundation of this city in 1156 AD. Trikuta was the hill chosen and Jaisal abandoned his old fort at Lodurva and established his new capital here.

The Bhati Rajputs of Jaisalmer were feudal chiefs who lived on the forced levy on the caravans that crossed their territory en-route Delhi. These caravans, laden with precious cargos of spices and silk brought great wealth to this town. Because of its remote location, Jaisalmer for years remained untouched by outside influences and during the British Raj, the rulers of Jaisalmer were the last to sign the instrument of agreement with the British.

In medieval times, its prosperity was due to its location on the main trade route linking India to Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Africa and the West. The glory of Jaisalmer faded when sea trade replaced the old land routes. But there is still an 'Arabian Nights' quality about the town. The narrow streets in the walled city preserve a traditional way of life : the craftsmen still work at the ancient crafts of weaving and stone carving, the making of silver jewellery and embroidery. And the stately, nonchalant camel is everywhere.

Just a walk through Jaisalmer, savouring the medieval glory of old Rajasthan, is a marvellously rewarding travel experience. Desert Festival, celebrated in January/ February, is a must on any itinerary. The desert seems to bloom in a thousand colours. There are camel races and folk dances. Craft bazaar and traditional balled singing. A sound and light spectacle on the sand-dunes of Sam on the full moon night. And all the colour and excitement of the best in Rajasthan.

Jaisalmer is a marvel of beautiful culture and harsh climatic conditions, together amounting to a memorable experience.

Remember the Town with the canteena on Tatooine in Star Wars? Well Jaisalmer kind of reminds me of that with a massive yellow stone fort above it.

I’ve been to some amazing places in the last few years of my life but nowhere quite like this, It’s one of those places you assume no longer exist, but it’s here, out in the desert larger than life and full of vitality, colour, and Arabian nights style splendour.

We're not far from the Pakastani border apparently so there is a heavy military precense that seems to keep itself to lurking in the desert.

We had an orientation walk around the town last night, that included a look at the bustling streets, and a stop by a tranquil boating lake that was quite not what you’d expect to find this far out in the desert.


Dinner was in a rooftop restaurant. The streets were full of chearfull crowds, horns were hooting, and fire crackers exploding. On getting back to the hotel we joined everyone else in lighting fireworks, eating sweet fudge and generally doing a lot of hugging. Then we went up on the hotel roof to watch the fire works over the city and basically got drunk. Vipal had supplied some Rum and Indian Whisky, and I had been carrying a bottle of Bailieys, Tia Maria, and Bushmills since duty free at Manchester which I donated to the proceedings.

We all got so drunk by the early hours of the morning. Glenn and I had a heated, (but well tempered), debate on the historical accuracy in Hollywood films in particularly in relation to that Mel Gibson tosser! (I was happy to slag off Braveheart, but then Glenn foolishly got me started on 'The Patriot' and before you knew it the entire American war for independance was being fought on a hotel rooftop in Jaisalmer)! By the end of the evening Nadine and I were staunchly keeping the British end up whilst the American and Australian contingent, (in the guise of Glenn, Paula and Jaimie), were trying desperately to undermine our status of the 'oldest most established nation'. (Vipal very diplomatically was keeping India neutral in the debate).

The major bone of contention seemed to be the Hokey Cokey! CAN YOU BELIEVE THOSE PEOPLE POKEY INSTEAD OF COKEY? AND ACTUALLY TRIED TO IMPLY IT WASN'T BRITAIN THAT INVENTED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!

I think Nadine and I won through in the end though, through our staunch resolve, well thought out arguments, and absolute conviction not to take a blind bit of notice of anyone elses point of view on the basis that we were the oldest nation, and 'if it hadn't been for us you lot wouldn't even have a language to argue with so there!!!!!!'

We all went to bed very early in the morning and I betchya there are some sore heads this morning. Anyhow I have a camel to catch. We're camping in the desert tonight WHERE THE HOKEY COKEY/POKEY ISSUE WILL BE SETTLED ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!!!

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Photos

Me at the Jain Temple, Ranakpur
Please Note how Ill I look here!

Heritage Hotel, Bhenswara
Left to Right...
Me, Paula, Jaimie, Joan, Glen, Michael, Vipal