Catching up on the last couple of days

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Hi everyone,



Sorry I haven't blogged for the last couple of days but we had no internet access last night and the last evening in Jaipur my pay wifi ran out before I had time to do an update. So I'm going to put all my updates on tonight.

Jaipur



Apologies for no updates over the last couple of days. My internet time ran out in Jaipur before i could update my. Log. Yesterday we're were in Tordi Garh and the hotel had no wifi!. So today I catching up,on my travels.



We visited the amber palace yesterday which is a massive complex built over hundreds of years by 3 different maharajas, each one adding to the previous buildings. It's a vast complex cleverly built on a hill side with a 360 view of the surrounding area surrounded by a 16KM wall to protect it, similar in style to the great wall of China.



If any enemies were spotted the soldiers used drums to communicate the impending attack and at night they used drums and fires as warnings.

On our accent up to the palace gates we encountered lots of elephants which are used by tourists to carry them up to the gates and into the complex. Some of them were beautifully painted and I hope to upload some photos on here soon so you can all see. Steph petted one of the elephants but then got sprayed by the one behind. I said she'd got covered in elephant snot but I jut think it was water it had stored in its trunk lol. Very funny though.



The palace is very cleverly built so that it harvested the rain water, had sewerage systems, hot and cold running water, ventilation systems and lots of secret passages to allow the royal family to escape and cause confusion should the palace be invaded.



In one area of the place was the marharajines quarters but the accommodation was located next to the area where the maharaja would conduct private business. When this was happening no women were allowed in the vicinity. Also they created a ventilation system which allowed air and light in but did not allow you tossed in or out of corridors and rooms. All very fascinating.



The maharaja had 12 wives and over 100 mistresses! How much nookie does one man need for goodness sake!



The wives all,had separate apartments and rooms and we're not allowed to talk to each other unless the marharjine gave them permission. The first wife of the maharaja was the most important as she was chosen by other members of the royal family.



When they had children they here only allowed tomstaynwithntheir mothers until they were 5years old and were then moved to a separate area of the palace to be educated. Also,once the wives were past their sell by date (so to speak) they too were also moved to a different part of the palace to,live out their days.



Altogether the palace housed around 3000 people including the royal family, servants, cooks, soldiers, eunuchs etc.



After spending s few hours at the amber palace we made our way down and then fed the pigeons s it's classed as good luck and will ensure you never run out of money! Fingers crossed it works for me then or I may be heading home early lol.



Just befoew we got back in the coach Chris wanted to take a photo of a bull standing on the pavement, but the bull had other ideas and tried to move Chris out of the way with its horns, over never seen anyone move so fast lol. Again another funny moment.



From the amber palace we then gap headed back in to Jaipur but stopped off on the way to take photos of the summer palace on the lake where the royal family lived during the summer months as it was cooler there.the only way to get to it is via boat so quite a safe place to stay too

We then head lunch and head back to the hotel for a few hours r and r.

In the evening we took a local bus to the market to have a wander around and learn some more about the local way of life and traditions. It was full of spicy smells and some rather not so nice smells too. There is a store which grinds up the chilli peppers people bring to make them in to powder. The dust gets in your nose and makes you sneeze and cough, I can't imagine doing that all day every day. The sound of people chatting and car horns blowing etc all going in around us. Such a cacophony of smells and sounds all competing and melting with one another.and of course not forgetting the heat lol.



We took some photos of one of the large roundabouts from the top of a Hindu temple and amongst the chaos was a cow. It seems amongst all the traffic the cow top trumps all other road users, kill a cow and you are damed for life and will go straight to hell! Note to self to kill a cow with my car lol.



We also visited a jewellery store and they showed us around including the workshops where they make all the jewellery by had including bespoke items. It was a lovely showroom but far too expensive for me. However I had a free drink and remembered the luxury of carpet under my bear feet - it's the little things you miss when you are away :-)

Tordi Garh



Hi readers this section of my blog is all about Tordi Garh - I guess the title gives it away lol.



It's a small village in ? It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Jaipur. It's in the middle of nowhere and is a recent destination added to,our tour to give us a flavour of rural India. We are staying in a small family run hotel which is basic but clean and comfortable, and has air conditioning in the rooms- bonus!



When we arrived we were greeted with a garland of marigolds and had the red dot put on our foreheads - I must find out why they do that. And a welcome drinks. Once settled in our rooms we had some home cooked lunch and afterwards a few hours R and R. I have to admit today I'm not feeling so good so, just popped a couple of pills and had some sleep, and now feeling somewhat better.



This evening we had a walk round the village. It's very traditional here, they have to go to a well to collect the water, pigs roam around the streets eating the rubbish, collecting fire wood etc. The local kids were happy to see us and say hello and have their pictures taken "one photo" was the phrase of the day. Dhushant played cricket and lost the ball and had to pay for a replacement lol.



They also collect the cow dung and dry it out nard use it to fuel their fires and then use the ashes to clean the dishes. All very green!



After touring round the village and cheating to the villagers and taking photos Dhushant tried his hand at making a pot after we watched the potter make some. Needless to say he won't be giving up the day job any time soon lol.



Finally we took a camel cart ride through the village to the outskirts where we climbed a dune and watched the sun set over the valley drinking tea and beer and eating chocolate biscuits - how very civilised.



Finally it was time to head back for a home cooked tea, eaten out on the terrace by candle light under the stars, ah it's a tough life.



Todays update to be published later x

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