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Published: July 31st 2008
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Monkey Business
Man with dancing monkey at a roadside area. We arrived in India groggy from yet another flight at ridiculous-o'clock-in-the-morning, and incredibly unprepared for what we found. We're now pretty well travelled people, but none of us had experienced culture shock like this. At first glance, India is not a pretty place. Garbage lines each street, cows wander freely, snacking on cardboard, and more people than you would think possible. After finding our less-than-lovely hotel, we headed to a travel agent to arrange a driver for our time there. We had decided this was the best option, as we were pushed for time and didnt really want to have to wait for buses and trains. With ten days in Rajasthan booked up, we headed back for a well earned nap before seeking out the higlight of India: The Food!!! After a delicious feast of curry, we headed back to rest up for the first day on the road.
Indian Roadtrip: Day 1- The Road to Jaipur
We met our driver, Khan, bright and early the next morning ready for the 500+Km drive to Jaipur, via Agra. Unfortunately we were still exhausted, so not the most sociable, and were having difficulty getting used to the country. It is estimated
that 25%!o(MISSING)f the population lives below the poverty line, which, when you think about it, is roughly 275 MILLION people. And it felt like we saw the vast majority of them that day. Everytime the car stopped there was someone at the window begging, or trying to sell something, or charming snakes. It was very overwhelming. After a few hours we arrived at our first destination, Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. The roads leading up to the Taj are not what you would expect for one of the worlds most beautiful buildings. They look more like a refugee camp. But once we made it there, it was well worth it. Every bit as breathtaking as you would imagine it to be. After the Taj we paid a quick visit to Agra fort, before hitting the road again. We arrive in Jaipue late in the evening, grabbed some food and checked into the hotel (where, strangely, the extra bed was actually a table with no matress) for an uncmfortable nights sleep.
Day 2- Jaipur
Day 2 started in slightly bizarre fashion, watching cows, camels, and elephants wander down the street as we ate breakfast. We spent
the day visiting the sights of jaipur. We saw the Amber fort, the Jaipur Fort, the old palace and a monkey temple. The sights were unbelivable, but we were still finding it difficult to come to terms with the poverty and general state of the place. We were less grumpy (at least the girls were anyway) so Khan was starting to like us more, and he took us to an excellent restaurant for dinner before another early night, ready for another early start!
Day 3- Jaipur to Udaipur
Probably the biggest drive we did. 8-10 hours on the road and we ariived at our next destination, Udaipur. The hotel we were supposed to stay at was under construction, so we ended up staying at a pretty basic place, not the nicest, but not the worst. Had dinner and hit the sack pretty much.
Day 4- Udaipur
We started the day with a bit of a sleep-in, before heading to the Fort, which was very pretty. The main draw of Udaipur is the so-called fairytale palace, which looks like its floating in th lake. We figure that its probably best to see it after rainy season, because
it doesnt look that spectacular in low water! We also visited a very pretty summer garden, before letting Khan take the afternoon off as he was feeling sick, and heading off on our own. We spent the afternoon wandering around a very nice area full of cafes and shops selling various paintings, handicrafts and textiles so Sophie could get her shopping fix! The girls got some nice dresses made, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner before heading back for the night. The only downside to the day was having kids throw stones at us because we wouldnt give them money! On the upside, I saw one of them riding a bike later and jumped out to scare him as he rode past. The kid swerved wildly across the rode and narrowly missed a cow! Served him right.
Day 5- Udaipur-Jodphur
This day we drove from Udaipur to Jodphur, through the jungle! There were lots of monkeys at the side of the road, and signs warning us of leopards and tigers. Sadly we saw no big cats, so we stopped at a Temple that was full of monkeys instead. We arrived in Jodphur and visited the Palacial fort, probably
the nicest fort we saw, which had an excellent audio-guide tour included in the ticket price. Very Nice. We stayed in a gorgeous old colonial house, but unfortunately we shared the room with a really really scary, tiny, mouse, so the girls slept fitfully even after I shepherded it out and blocked every hole in the room!
Day 6- Jodphur-Jaisalmer
We drove on to Jaisalmer, in the Great Thar Desert, and headed to a camel ranch for a sunset trip to the sanddunes. It was fun, except when the Camel driver made the camel run, and it was very beautiful in the desert. Our 'drivers' even helped a cow that had got itself stuck in the mud at an oasis, which was quite a sight. The next morning however, we were very stiff and had all developed very attractive sores on the backside from the motion of the camel. uncomfortable. During the day we had a guided tour of Jaislmer fort, where many people still live, and the girls got even more clothes made!
Day 7- Jaisalmer- Bikaner (Sophies Birthday!)
We spent most of the day driving to Bikaner, and on arrival visited yet another fort!
(to be honest, we were pretty forted out by this point) Because it was Sophies Birthday we found ourselves a liquor store and stocked up on Gin, before heading back to the hotel for a few birthday drinks and a nice dinner.
Day 8- Bikaner- Delhi
Our last day with Khan was spent in the car, coverin the 700+km back to Delhi. In Delhi we went shopping before having our last supper with Khan, it was an emotional time! (Incidently, if anyones going to India I have his details, we reccomend him highly) Then it was off to bed before yet another early morning flight to our penultimat destimation: Egypt.
Overall we had areally good time in India. It is definately an overwhelming place to visit, but once you get past the initial couple of days worth of culture shock, its a beautiful, baffling place. And the food is AWESOME!
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monique landry
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The long awaited blog!
So happy to hear from you guys! How amazing to see your pictures! India looks scary/beautiful/exotic. Thank you for sharing. Luv, M