Still in Delhi

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Hi again
Still in Chandini Chowk - this was one the main markets of Delhi and had many beautiful fountains. Today the place is very crowded and congested. We also travelled to the president's residence which is an impressive piece of architecture. We also drove past the minsters and embassodors homes which were nice but nothing to rave about. Delhi is a very busy city but the pollution is too dreadful you have to experiencde it to believe it. Many people drive around with a face mask - there are thousands of tuc tuc - these are 3 wheeler taxis and although there is a seat for the driver and a seat for 2 at the back they can get as many as probably 12 in them!. They then have the normal taxi which takes me back to my childhood days! There are also thousands of bicyles and motor bikes. This is also a sight to see. As we know the mbike should only take 2 people well they can take up to 5 on them mother, father and 3 kids! On our first night in Delhi we were treated by the travel agent to an Indian dancing. We saw a fellow doing dancing with 2 sticks while balancing a large dog bone. Another fellow was dancing while playing the drum. There was also a woman from Rajastan dancing with 5 clay pots on her head and then walking on broken glass. They have shops which are run by the Government and sell the local trade made in the area. There prices are fair and the products are of quality. You of course can purchase from the local markets but we were coaxed into going along to see how the Kashmir silk carpets were made. This is an art with a secret. The carpets are made in Kashmir and the pattern of the carpet is designed by the head of the family and the design is then destroyed when the carpet is completed. The family works on this carpet which can sometimes take up to 7 years to make naturally depending on the size of the carept as well. The gentleman was wonderful with his explaination he was really interesting and very good and I dont think he even took a breath whilst he was talking. He even told me in one of his sentences that he could see I was falling asleep and called for some tea to wake me up! Well those at CAFCASS will say "typical Olga" and say no more! Well to cut a long story short Maurice who has now learnt the task of bargaining brought the price of this carpet down from 600 pounds right down to 255 EP. Maurice made an offer of 250 and stuck to his offer after much haggling etc he started walking out the door and the man ran after him saying lets not part just 5Rs more plse. So you know the rest. It is very beautiful that is all I can say. Guaranteed as well.
Our driver collected us at the airport and he was basically at our beck and call from there onwards. We had guides join us every day for the next days. Our driver's name was Sardev. Serdev collected us from the hotel on 3.11.06 after breakfast and we travelled to Jaipur - which is also known as the Pink City. Jaiour is a bustiling capital city and a business centre with all modern metropolis but strongly has an ago-old charm that is so impressive. We loved jaipur and was thinking of setting up a B&B here! haha The hotel we stayed at was the Jai Mahal Hotel a 7 star which is something to see. Wow it is really beautiful and worth the extra money. This hotel was once the home to a Mughal emperor and taken over and renovated by the Taj Hotel Group. We pampered ourselves with a body massage and I had my eyebrows trimmed with a threading method. The lady take a piece of string (?) in her mouth and folds one end 3 x around 2 fingers and then 3 x around her other hand and with her mouth she pulls the string up and down and this pulls the hair out. So quick and not painful either. That cost me 50 rupees - you work that out yourselves now - 82 Rs to the Pound!
Anyway the next morning we travelled to Amber Fort - 11 km outside of Jaipur. There we took an elephant ride up to the fort. Shame the poor elephants looked so tired but they only do 3 trips a day and then they have the rest of the day off. They also only take you up and dont bring you down. Amer Fort (as they pronouce it) is the most interesting building - it is set in a picturesque and on top of manyrugged hills. It is a fascinating blend of Hindu and Mughal architecture. It was constructed by Raja Man Sing 1 in 1592 and completed by Sawai Jai Sing 1. The fort is made in red sand stone with white marble. Tghe art and architecture is breathtaking - the pillars are so precise in a row. This fort has 3 different palaces within it. There is the winter palace, summer and rainfall palace. The airconditioning is amaxzing. They have 3 sets of cavaties and each wall is taller than the other one. The water flows in each one of them and as the wind hits the first set of water it bounces off to the next and the next which creates the air cooling system. The woman also wore such heave dresses they were carried about on "trolleys" The king also had 18 wives and each one of them had their own quarters. He had a passage way from his bedroom which lead to each quarter so no queen knew where he spent last night. Man's bloody world! We spent most of the day there and it was extremely interesting.

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