Blogs from Nawalgarh, Rajasthan, India, Asia

Agra 3/10/2008 Took a motor-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) to New Delhi Station and took the 11.30 am train to Agra. Journey fine in A2 which means an air-conditioned carriage and 2 people to a seat with a bed above. Met some nice Indian ladies who were off to see relatives in Agra and were quite surprised when one of them hopped on the bed above and slept most of the way. So David and I got out the pillows and I managed to put my feet up and doze most of the way. Got a pre-paid taxi in a brand new a/c Renault with Mr Ali-baba and his driver who offerred to take us on a day-trip around Agra for 600 rupees, next day. As we were only staying one night seemed like a good idea. He ... read more

Siamo in India solo da una settimana ma sembra un'infinita'. Ogni giorno e' ricco di incontri speciali, emozioni forti e stimoli a volte un po' destabilizzanti. Questo e' il terzo giorno nella regione di Shekhawati, una zona rurale a nord di Jaipur. E' una zona povera ma non c'e' la miseria che si trova nelle citta' che abbiamo visitato finora. Alloggiamo da una famiglia di bramini che affitta delle stanze al piano superiore della loro casa accogliente. Rajesh Janjid, il proprietario, ha anche una eco lodge (piu' cara della pensione purtroppo) dove pratica il riciclaggio, coltiva in modo biologico e utilizza pannelli solari. Siamo stati a visitarla questa sera, e' meravigliosa.(www. apanidhani.com) Rajesh e' un uomo molto cortese e colto e fa anche da guida per visitare luoghi che pochi conoscono e che sono difficili da ... read more

Today was devoted to haveli hunting, using a map that Rajesh had drawn up for me. The town isn't large, but there are some confusing little alleyways and I was at the northern extremity of the map before I found my first haveli. It was interesting that Rajesh's recommended havelis did not tally with what was in the Rough Guide. Given the quality of the ones I saw, I would suspect the Rough Guide didn't see the best ones. The paintings in/on the havelis are from a mixture of sources - some based on Indian legends, some based on current affairs at the time (e.g. pictures of Britishers smoking pipes), some based on religious themes. As I was considering heading back to base for lunch, I saw a Western woman in Indian dress in the distance, ... read more