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Published: September 18th 2010
Namaste!
So, we last blogged in rain-soaked Jaipur, up until this point India had been pretty tough for us both. The "Golden Triangle", we felt, wasn't so golden after all. However, on our second day in Jaipur, we visited a town on the outskirts, called Amber (bloody typical that this is the first place that we really felt comfortable in!). A beautiful 16th Century Amber coloured fort had us both in awe. At that point, away from the hussle, the bussle and the tourist hassle, we felt like we were discovering the
real India. From here, we ventured back in to Jaipur (otherwise known as the Pink City... It's never bloody seen pink, it was orange! This had us confused for quite a while..) to do the typical touristy things; City Palace, Jantar Mantah and Albert Hall (Amber hasn't been keeping a diary so feel free to ignore the sights, it's for our reference!). One sight that is worth mentioning is the Hawa Mahal; A five-story Palace built by a King for the royal women as a place to relax and watch the main bazaar. This offered us a chance to sit back and people watch, summing up the activity
that occurred below is beyond explanation. Our next stop, the holy city of Pushkar...
Amber had been told such positive things about Pushkar, and after experiencing Amber (the town), we were hoping that such comments would come true for us. And they did. WOOHOO! Firstly, our hotel had a swimming pool (it lacked water upon our arrival, but I think Amber's constant pestering drove them to the taps!). The pool lacked a drainage system, but because we were the first ones to jump in, we weren't too fussed about the stale water... Unlucky for those who are arriving after us! We also made some friends; Wilfred the tortoise, and an English couple, the first Brits we'd met all week... When we could hear their Northern tones it wasn't long until we were in deep conversation about WWE (wrestling!), it's the only thing you can get on the TV's out here! Mat says we have it on as background noise but him and Adam were well into discussing the previous nights matches! About Pushkar itself, it has a holy lake and is visited by many Pilgrims who come to cleanse their souls. The Lonely Planet book warned us against fake
Priests who bless you in return for a "small donation", but before we knew it, we were sat by the lake with a sketchy looking character both clutching a silver tray with orange and yellow powders, pink flowers, sugar and rice. We tried to resist but within two minutes we were reciting prayers and had orange powder and rice smeared on our foreheads! When we tried to donate a hundred Rupees (about 1 pound 30p) to the "Priest", he was extremely offended and requested a thousand rupees! He had met his match, one hundred Rupees was his lot. It was worth the "donation" in the end though.
Now we sit in Jodhpur, it's an overnight stop really, before we hit the desert for our Camel Trek tomorrow. This is all included in our fee to Mr Rana (formerly Mr Ranup after we found out yesterday that wasn't his name), and this includes the trek itself, all meals and accommodation for the night. We are led to believe this is a hut, but nonetheless, we are excited!
Our internet time is nearly out, but just a few things...
Jourd, you would hate the Korma here, it's nothing like
School Class
Outside Amber Fortthe coconut vomit you love!
(Amber's) Dad, your towels,day sack and torch have been invaluable and we're putting the bladder to use tomorrow on our trek.
Side note: The torch came in handy last night on our way back from the restaurant, we were on Monkey Watch. On our way there, we were met by about 30 Monkeys on either side of the road. Nothing, I repeat nothing (not even the staring men) was more intimidating than these Monkeys. Mat and I froze and tiptoed past them whilst they glared at us!
(Mat's) Dad, still no Black Sheep pal!
Little princess and Lolly poos, don't make me a stranger for my return - I want to hear all your gossip! Inbox me on Facebook or private message me on here when you've got something juicy for me.
After the "Golden Triangle", we were unsure about how long we would last in India, 5 weeks is probably still too long, but it looks like a venture down south to Goa is still on the cards.
We'll keep you all posted, wish us luck for the bumpy ride tomorrow!
Xxxx
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Jijo
non-member comment
Kerala
Hey Matt, Excellent blog. add some pictures. i think a trip down south(Kerala) is worth it. Make sure that you visit Kovalam, Munnar and Kumarakom. Jijo