Rajasthan

---

In Rajasthan we visited towns and small villages, some in remote areas. We especially enjoyed the villages, where we stayed in either old palaces or forts. In one fort Catherine's room was in a turret overlooking the broad, flat plains. These places had enormous bedrooms with marble floors, and elegant sitting rooms. Another night was in established tents beside a lake - Intrepid kept the surprises coming, and kept us healthy. In the rural areas the people were so friendly, the children bright and happy. Sunset and sunrise very special.

On the first phase of the Rajasthan excursion, our group of 12 moved from Agra in two 4X4s. The backpacks were mounted on the roof racks, which was a bit of the problem because drizzle had set in. The roads got narrower and the potholes deeper, but we moved through surprisingly lush farmland. Apparently when the monsoon is good, they can get four crops a year! As you can see from the updated “Beasts of Burden” posting, the local folk move themselves and their produce with a range of interesting vehicles. The open utility trucks with no paneling, and powered by single-cylinder diesels particularly amazed me. Camel-drawn drays seemed to be the only vehicles lower than these on the unspoken hierarchy of who gets right-of-way on the roads. On the way to our accommodation, which was a villa that had been built during the time of the Rajasthani maharajahs (Bhanwar Vilas, Karauli), we visited the abandoned palace of Fatehpur Sikri. Apart from the spectacle and peacel inside, outside the hawkers and touts were more harassing that usual. This complex was for some time the capital of the Moghul emperor Akbar in the late 16th century, but then for some unknown reason it was abandoned. We were impressed by the legend of an elephant that was trained to stomp on people as a punishment, and the emperor's bed which is stone, raised three metres above the ground, and capable of accommodating the emperor plus twenty of his concubines! The gardens and red pavilions were superb.

We visited the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, which was great, but will be the topic of a later blog along with the Ranthambhore Sanctuary.

We enjoyed the next destination, Jaipur, a couple of times. Arriving in this pink city after a long day on the road was a hassle because the traffic was just chaotic, but once in through the city gates we started to enjoy its grandeur. The first time, Catherine and I stayed pretty close to the centre of town, with the hustle and grime of the main streets. The second time, Catherine was out of town and in a hotel with lovely gardens and superb food. Street life was a real treat here, with everything you could imagine available for selection amongst the cattle, stray dogs, and manic traffic. One Sunday afternoon we were escaping the bustle on the top floor of our hotel when we first noticed a small kite whirling crazily above the skyline. Once spotted, all the other kites were obvious: not crows, kites. Hundreds of kites racing and jerking and rising high above the city on the afternoon breeze. This was all in preparation for the Kite Festival which happens on the 14th of Jan each year, and attracts young boys from across Rajasthan: bitter-sweet memories of the book "The Kite Runner". We spent days wandering around the bazaars in the old city, in many cases getting bargains, in some, junk, but all with a lot of fun. The Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal) was beautiful but interesting because it is really just an ornate facade for the palace women to view the activity of the townsfolk from behind intricately carved pink walls. The City Palace was excellent and has obviously improved through recent injections of moolah from governments and many, many tourists. Rare though it is that we take the audio tour, this one was really worth it. The Jantar Mantar observatory was intriguing and reminded these two scientists that human knowledge and technology were rich in the 18th century in many parts of the world. Just outside Jaipur is Amber, the old capital of Jaipur state, site of a magnificent fort-palace. This complex is spectacular (and amber coloured) as it is situated on a hillside, connected into the walls of the state, which snake their way over nearby hilltops. When we were there the monsoons had failed so the normally reflective lake was merely a paddock for the pigs and camels. We particularly enjoyed the maharaja's apartments with exquisite mosaics and gardens.

From Jaipur Greg returned to Delhi, while Catherine headed south and east on her trip. Pick up some of Greg's adventures in the Delhi entry.

Catherine's journey continued to Bundi. This town was described by Rudyard Kipling as 'the work of goblins not of men'. It was certainly off the beaten track and full of small alleys and blue and purple buildings. As always there was a massive fort on the surrounding hills.

Continuing to Udaipur, which is a beautiful town with palaces and forts around lakes, nestled amongst mountains. Unlike most other places we travelled in India, it was quiet at night, and the daily touting a little easier to deal with. At sunset one day she took a boat trip around the lakes of Udaipur. The James Bond movie 'Octopussy' was filmed there. Old and new palaces were right on the waterline with "gnats" (landings) where people bath and women wash. The sunset over the surrounding mountains was brilliant pinks and oranges. The group then went to a performance of traditional dance in an old (~500 years) hall. Very brightly coloured dresses and men's finery, with more sequins that a Christmas jazz dance concert. The show ended with a woman dancing with 9 jugs of water piled on her head - derived because carrying water in parched Rajasthan is an ancient way of life.

Early one morning three of the group took a yoga class on a roof top beside the lake. The morning light was beautiful on the marble buildings and surrounding mountains. The class was hard yet gentle and Catherine felt great afterwards. From there they explored the major palace with all the traditional rooms with mosaics and great views of the town. Off to Cafe Edelweiss for great coffee and apple strudel - the Indian cuisine doesn't do coffee or cake well. A facial to follow in the Tiger Spa. Late afternoon four of the group had a cooking class where they made chai, almond and raisin stuffed potato balls (kofta) with yogurt sauce, paneer and vegetables (including making the paneer) and roti. An excellent meal and she came away with the recipe book and chai masala and tea powder to make this treat at home.

Two days later they started very early with an auto-rickshaw to the station, chai on the platform, and a train to Ajmerand, a Jeep over Snake Mountain to Pushkar. This is a very small place famous for 2 things - the annual camel fair and being a holy city. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahahlal Nehru were both cremated here at one of the many gnats beside the lake. In the late afternoon they went on camels to the sand dunes beyond the town. A natural rider of animals or machines Catherine is not. She wasn't sure what was more incredible/scary/fun about this camel trip: balancing on the camel as he raised one leg to swat flies; or when he tried to mount the next camel; or traveling on the road with cows, bikes and trucks; or traveling through the market, getting caught in the precession of the bride and female guests to a wedding; or cantering down a sand dune. They finished with chai on the dunes watching the sun set. A bit touristy but a great experience.

One night they watched another Bollywood movie about the cruelty of British rule and the winning of the first cricket match between India and Britain in a province in Rajasthan. Lots and lots of dancing and singing, but clearly an Indian nationalistic film.

The adventure ultimately had to end, and she returned to Delhi by overnight train on the 3rd of December, to head home via Mumbai 2 days later.

---