Sariska Palace

This year we decided to try something different for our November Far East Foray: Instead of travelling alone, setting our own agenda, we joined a group excursion to India and Nepal. The prospect of spending ten days with a disparate bunch of strangers seemed more daunting than any physical challenge we might meet .... but in the end "people watching" proved to be just as fascinating as the animals we hoped to see on Safari!

But first we had the ordeal of the outward journey to get through:
We left home at 3am to drive from West Wales to Gatwick, hitting the M25 just in time for the early morning rush. Dumping our jeep at an "off-site" car park we were bussed to Gatwick North, arriving far too early for check-in. We stomped around the dismal North Terminal for a few hours until finally we were allowed to check in, passing through to the departure lounge. After a few circuits of duty-free we settled back dejectedly onto uncomfortable plastic seats and amused ourselves by trying to spot other "Travel Collection" customers. Time dragged relentlessly and my spirits were virtually at rock-bottom when "Ding Dong ... we regret to announce the delayed departure of flight **** to Delhi....." We eventually boarded nearly 12 hours after leaving home and settled down for the long haul to India.

After immigration in Delhi we were met by a Travel Collection Rep called Raj and herded into a group with around twenty other couples. What a motley crew we were! Wiry and bearded folk with rucksacks, blue-rinsed matrons with spectacles dangling from neck-chains, canoodling young couples, silver-topped saga-louts and a couple of corpulent weebles. Raj gleefully informed us that our transfer to Sariska Palace by road would take approximately five hours, ushering us into a pair of "luxury" coaches.

For those unfamiliar with Indian transport, the typical seat pitch is designed for an indigenous population who are perhaps 75% the size of your average Brit. The Weebles commandeered the back seat (in all honesty they wouldn't fit anywhere else) and the rest of us wedged ourselves in with knees rammed against the seat back in front and hips jammed painfully against the arm rests. We clattered off into the night, soon jolting our way out of the lights of Delhi and into the featureless gloom of rural highways. We were soon grateful for the "friction-fit" seats as each pothole and rut threatened to catapult us into the overhead luggage rack. In the back seats the Weebles suffered more than most, effectively sat at the end of a violent see-saw.

Up front Raj stood and, after a few futile attempts and much "mike-banging", managed to coax the coach intercom into life. A personal introduction was followed by a briefing about our agenda for our stay in Sariska Palace. He finished by reminding us that we were heading to a remote area in a third-world country .... staying in a palace that was once a Royal Hunting Lodge. We might find some areas where refurbishment was still needed and that allowances needed to be made for electricity supply interruptions, eccentric plumbing and intermittent hot water!

At some point during that clattering, jostling ordeal senses finally became dulled: The numbness of limb, throbbing of temple and stiffness of neck were finally accepted as "normal" by over-tired minds and when the intercom suddenly crackled back into life it was hard to see or hear through the numbing fog of fatigue.
"We are almost there now ... see who can spot the Palace first."

We all peered desperately through the windows at the gloom outside, revitalised by the prospect of escaping this torture. Soon people were pointing excitedly and it seemed almost as if we were hallucinating: Ahead in the darkness loomed a beautiful confection ... a picture book palace brightly floodlit and seemingly made of pink and cream fondant icing!

We swept up the Palace drive round immaculate lawns and were soon being welcomed in reception. In turn we were led out into the grounds to be allocated individual "bungalows". These were simply furnished but had a bathroom and shower (with a working hot water supply!) .... and a reasonably comfortable bed. Zzzzzzz!

Next morning we were woken by the shrill calls of parakeets. While madam went through her lengthy early-morning rituals, I took a stroll around the grounds before we headed off to breakfast. This was served on a terrace at the rear of the Palace, facing the warmth of the rising sun. A wonderfully moustachioed waiter (also called Raj) took a shine to us and would be constantly looking after us throughout our stay. Sitting in the warm early morning sun, looking across the gardens and watching parakeets swooping through the trees - suddenly the ordeal of the journey seemed worthwhile.

We were still slightly fatigued and had time to spare before our afternoon/evening Safari, so we made our way down to the swimming pool to laze away the morning. While Jan read and basted herself I decided to get in some lengths. Nonchalantly I dived into the empty pool and "AAAAAAAGGGHHHHH" It was freezing! One of the hotel staff looked at me and smiled knowingly, "Gets very cold overnight - no heating - best to wait for sun to warm the water...."

At last it was time for our first safari and we all gathered excitedly at the front of the Palace where a convoy of Suzuki Jeeps waited for us. We picked a driver and clambered aboard, soon to be joined by another couple. Once all Jeeps were filled we headed off into Sariska National Park where the vehicles gradually separated to follow different trails. Our driver headed towards a lake so that we could see numerous birds, deer, Jackals and warthog. After moving round the edge of the lake bed it was time to head into the vegetation .... but we dropped a wheel into a patch of mud and became bogged down.
"Everyone out, please. Never mind Tiger and Leopard....."
Just our luck! We picked a jeep which had a disabled 4WD, so we had to wait until other jeeps came by to help dig us out. When they did arrive, our cheerful compatriots asked if we'd been staked out as Tiger Bait....

We were soon on our way again, careering round trails through the National Park. We came across a poor antelope with a dreadful wound on its back, inflicted when it escaped a predator's attack. We heard a loud commotion ahead - alarm cries from excited animals - and our driver hurtled towards the source. But all was now eerily silent. During an exciting safari we saw all manner of creatures furry, feathered and scaly but, so far, no big cats. But, as the light faded. we returned to the Palace full of enthusiasm and certain that during the next few days we would be lucky!

Our evening meal at the Palace was entertaining in the extreme! The meal was a buffet - rather like a Sunday "All You Can Eat" Indian restaurant at home!. The food was bland and not particularly authentic (over the next few days the labels on the tureens might change ... but the food never did!) Our smiling waiter, Raj, was constantly at our side keeping us plied with fresh Nan and the choicest portions from the sweet trolley.

At an adjacent table the blue-rinsed couple were complaining bitterly about having no hot water. A knowledgeable teen was explaining what every item on her mother's plate was. The canoodling couple were gazing rapturously into each other's eyes while the superfit beardos had found each other and formed an elite enclave. We were joined by an elderly couple called Eunice and Peter. They were a lovely pair but somehow seemed out of place. While Eunice was bright-eyed and had a razor-sharp mind, Peter seemed strangely distant and absent minded. We sat contentedly savouring our coffee and swapping inconsequential chatter before making our way out into the chill of a diamond-bright Rajasthan night.

And so we strolled back to our bungalow: an early night was called for because tomorrow we must rise early for an excursion to Jaipur.

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