It is really cold at 815am for breakfast. The space heater is in the dining room. Sara manages a couple of cups of tea and then wobbles, so it's back to bed for her. David doesn’t want to abandon her and go on the 4 hour plus excursion to Ait ben Haddou as she seems really poorly. So it's a morning of relaxation on the terrace, at least once it warms up by about 930 or 1000. Unusually for him, David makes friends with the cats. There are at least five of them, and they enjoy reclining on the sofa together, leaving no room for human intruders. Sara seems to have perked up a bit by lunchtime and manages to sit outside, and eat some toast, fruit and a few nuts. She then declares she is ... read more

The day dawns bright but cold, like fleece cold......we set off south east towards Skoura. This is a five hour drive, first across the plain and then up into the High Atlas. All does not go according to plan. The plain is dotted with miles of olive tree plantations. In the distance the mountains can be seen, the highest peak rising to around 10,000 feet. Morocco has the third highest peak in Africa. All along the route are hundreds of Gendarmerie Royale. The King is on the move today, apparently. He is either going to visit his people somewhere, which he often does, or else he is off hunting as he likes to shoot gazelle and sangliers. Anyway, all the senior brass are out as well, resplendent in their uniforms and gaudy braid. Maybe he will ... read more

This morning we visit the Juna Mahal, the old palace of the ruling Maharajahs on which construction started in 1304. It clings to the hillside a couple of kilometres away from the Udai Bilas. It claims to be the longest continually inhabited palace in India, occupied by 22 successive generations of the same family, the Rawals of Vagad, a remarkable feat of survival considering the conflicting sultanates and dynasties on all sides of them. The Rawals were Rajputs who had broken away from the Mewar court of Chittorgarh and Udaipur. We are the only visitors and it’s not immediately clear if the place is open. Eventually Mr Singh locates a youth of about 16 who shows us round this amazing place. The outer courtyard where you arrive used to house the elephant stables. The palace has ... read more

We go for a walk round Poshina village with our friend, the local Adivasi chieftain, who stands guard at the gate. He took the rifle just in case of trouble, but all is calm. Hanu had told us that there were local tailors who could run up a copy of a garment in a few hours for 200 rupees a piece, so we take along a pair of loose cotton trousers each. The first tailor shakes his head, a second is called, then a third and fourth. The conversation is entirely in Gujarati so we never do find out what the problem was, but the answer is clearly no. The chief leads us down some back alleys until we come across a small 15th century temple, which looked very mundane from the front, but we are ... read more

We decide to pass on Achalgarh fort; apparently there is nothing left of the fort and it is more of local rubbish tip. Instead we elect to first visit the Ambaji temple. Mr Singh commends our choice. He tells he and his wife and 4 year old son visit the temple each year. They queue for five hours to see the deity. We'll be passing on that queue. The road snakes down through the Aravalli hills, Mount Abu town being at about 4000ft above sea level. The views and the hairpin bends are impressive. The roads here are being improved and progress can be slow. We arrive in Ambaji, which appears to be in the middle of pilgrimage season. There are groups of pilgrims, mainly young men, dressed in red shirts with matching bandanas and flags. ... read more