Palaces and home cooked dinner

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An early-ish start to the day with a tour of the Maharana's palace of which our hotel is just a small part. The palace was built by successive rulers of the area over about 400 years. The current family now live in part of it with the rest being a museum and two hotels

We got in ahead of the crowds, which included 600 cadets from schools all over India. (Linda, a little reminiscent of the scouts at the castle In England). The palace is well maintained and there are lovely paintings, frescoes, mosaics and mirror work all through it. The paintings include the miniatures with very fine work which are a speciality of this region.

Next stop, the Ladies Garden, for the Maharana's wives and daughters is actually about 5 km from the palace. It had samples of plants from all over India as well as a swimming pool and fountains all with a private walled compound.

We went back to the palace and had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the busy street before doing a bit of a walk around - and some shopping! Margy, I found some great drawers knobs - only 30 rupees each.

Tonight we were fortunate to be able to go to the home of a local family and help cook - and eat - dinner. First we went off to the market with our hostess in her jeep to buy vegetables then we learnt how to make masala okra and cauliflower with turmeric. They are a lovely family - a couple in their mid/late thirties with one son, a daschund and a cat. It was really interesting to talk with them about a wide range of topics from boarding school food and the purpose of a turban though to gay marriage which is legal in India.

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