Category: India

Another big day where I once again did a bit of financial damage, I have now sent 12kgs home and no-one will see anything until Christmas comes along!!

But once again I have jumped ahead…just full of all the things that are happening.

This morning we set off to see the Umaid Bhawan Palace. It is marketed as the one of the last great palaces of India. It is now the number 1 hotel in India, a museum and a private residence. We were allowed to get into the museum part and it told a story of the splendour of the Raj era, the wealth and the lifestyle that they emulated…but still I fear they were under the British in the pecking order.

Anyway, that was again splendid. Next we were piled into jeeps and taken off to see a house and villages of the Bisnoi Tribe. This is a tribe that follows 29 principles of a non-violent Vaishanavas sect…founded in the C15. Non-violent yes, about 30 of them were murdered by hugging trees that the government wanted to cut down…taking drugs, however, no trouble!! They demonstrated an opium taking ceremony where they crush the opium, mix it with water and gave us all some…I asked for a second dose!! …needless to say the amount of Opium was minuscule but maybe I can blame that on my later buying spree!!! Still it was interesting and we saw their way of life which I would never have seen otherwise!!!

From there we went to lunch in a gorgeous hotel, by the swimming pool. We rarely get to use these gorgeous pools but they are everywhere.

Then off again to another of those enticing textile factories where they make beautiful stuff at prices that defy logic. The women were looking up the prices on line in London etc and they are massive compared to here, so you get sucked in…well and truly!!

Did I tell you, I don’t think I did that when I bought my 2 tops in Jaipur…the orange one in the photos and another blue/ turquoise one, they were supposed to take up both but we had bargained them down so hard that they got their own back by taking up only one and giving them back assuring us both were taken up. I had it with me and when I saw the workers at this factory pumping away at their sewing machines I wondered if they’d take up my top. Laureen, bold as brass, asked them if they’d take up my dress/ top. So they did…all for $2 AUD which they didn’t ask for but I tipped them. The Russian lady would have charged me $30.

So I bought a few things today. Hassan had told us they would also post other things we bought in order to get our luggage down to the mandatory 15 kgs. It cost a bit but I got rid of 12 kgs. Hopefully everything will arrive as planned.

Then back to the hotel, some people went to a veggie and spice market but I thought I’d seen enough of them in my day so I didn’t go. We had our usual G&T before dinner and then went out to another very posh hotel for dinner.

Back now, time for bed…I hope I don’t cough all night again. I guess Sally hopes so too.

More tomorrow. Goodnight

Another big day for the travellers, First I need to comment that I have had a cold that has developed into a nasty asthmatic cough that is not only driving me mad but also everyone around me. In fact a number of people on the bus are coughing and spluttering. A cold has ripped through the bus but in my case, and I’m sure in other cases it has become really asthmatic due to the poor air quality.

We set off at 7am to head to Jodhpur. Nothing much to report. We arrived in Jodhpur at around 12.30 and came straight to our hotel. Some of us got our room keys straight away and some of us had to wait until the rooms were cleaned. No prizes for guessing which group we were in!! But it was all sorted out and we were ready to hit the bus for sightseeing at 2.30pm.

Our first destination was Jaswant Thada, a C19 royal cenotaph built in honour of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. It was, of course absolutely beautiful. Climb steps up and up!!

Then we set off for Mehrangarh Fort. Now, steps up and up just doesn’t cut it. We ploughed up a very steep slope and some of the group stayed behind as you look up and see people miles above you in the palaces within the Fort. It is magnificent.

The blurb says that the palaces of Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, the Sileh Khana and the Daulat Khana…noteworthy for the splendour and glamour of a bygone era…to quote. It was indeed splendid but the walk up was daunting, steep and overwhelming. Then you saw people way, way above you, even when you got to the first courtyard. I thought that there was no way I could do this, some stayed behind but I didn’t want to give up so up I went…and I made it, and felt very pleased that I had. The guide has given me a bit of a reputation for persevering that I have now to live up to.

Back down we came, and I confess I was exhausted. We were then to go to a fruit and veggie market, I was very underwhelmed by this, I mean how many fruit and veggie markets have I seen in my day??? But it was too late and was therefore ditched. Thank god!!

Back to the hotel. Had to sort out a few blimps with Sally, have a G&T with my NBFs and then I skipped dinner. Had washing to do, washing to sort for the hotel to do, emails to write and get ready for bed.

Well I did it!! Be proud of the old Momma who has now ridden a camel for the second time in her life…wahoo. Even the guide was proud of me…he told me I was very brave, that I did everything on the trip…all the optionals!! Lots of people didn’t do the camel ride but I did !! But I’m right out of sink in my enthusiasm, let me start at the beginning.

It’s been a very big day. We started off at a lake where they watered the camels who used to come through here on the Silk Road. The partition of India and Pakistan stopped that as the route couldn’t go across the border.

Anyway we then went on to Jaisalmer Fort. Another magnificent fort that sits on top of a hill but it is the only active Fort left in India i.e. there are thousands of people living inside the Fort trading etc. First we went to the Palace and clambered up steps looking at it in all its splendour. Splendour that we are getting used to …the days of the Maharajahs was indeed a most magnificent era and it was beautiful. We saw some Jain Temples that reside inside the fort including a massive pilgrimage arriving to worship there. We walked around the fort for a while in the blazing sun looking at the beautiful sandstone merchants houses with intricate carvings on the walls and beautifully decorated interiors (called Havelis).

We were then taken to a place that make patchwork quilts out of the dresses of the muslim, hindi and nomadic women. They buy the superbly handworked material from them and make them into these quilts and give them a share of the profits when sold. And they are truly superb…so I did a bit of damage there I’m afraid buying myself a wall hanging.

We then went off to a place for lunch. After lunch some people then wanted to go back to the hotel because they were done in, so they got into Tuk Tuks…but not me!! We had some more Haveli’s to look at. We walked and walked to get to them in fierce heat. They are amazing in the hand stone carving that has gone into them. They are 5 stories high and up and up went old Miss Stubborn to see it all. I was so glad I did!!

Back to the hotel for half an hours rest and then off to find the camels. As I said, people stayed behind and it wasn’t til the last minute that I decided I would heave myself up onto a camel. But I feel so good for having done it…quite proud of myself actually…it was probably thanks to the encouragement of my NBFs.

Having plodding across the dunes at sunset in what was a magnificent setting, we got back on the bus. We were all really exhilarated. Someone put on the music, Hassan brought out the rum, and the rest, they say, is history!!

Goodnight my darlings. More adventures tomorrow!! XXXXXXX

Same routine in the morning, hitting the road after breakfast. It was a better night last night, Sally slept better therefore so did I !!

The drive here to Jaisalmer was uneventful but interesting. There roads are full of cattle who just kind of feel entitled to stand in the middle of the road or saunter across it at leisure, along with the sheeps or the goats who burst out in front of you at any given moment. There are small mud dwellings along the way with thatched roofs and trucks so laden with hay or cotton or steel or whatever, that you wonder how they stay upright. Anyway we got here and again the accommodation is a palace-looking place called the Desert Tulip. A vast and elegant building with pool etc.

Oooops….Since I wrote that, a lot has happened. We went to our room at the Desert Tulip and it was OK. But others went to their room and it was dusty, dirty, toilets didn’t work, towels were dirty etc. Another tour group was here and they all upped and left for another hotel. Some of our group was complaining, so Hassan, our guide, decided we were up and leaving too.

Before the movr, we went up to a point overlooking Jaisalmer Fort to watch the sunset which was beautiful, then we came back to pack up and move. The guide went on ahead to organise things and we piled in the bus. Our driver Mr Singh dropped us at a hotel where they greeted us, put a bindi thing on our forehead, we sat down to wait for Hassan and get our keys. Time went on and we started to wonder. Then yes, we were at the wrong hotel!! Back on the bus we got and off to another hotel…this time it was right and it is lovely, an even more elegant beautiful palace but we were tired at this point.

First things first, a PD drink with my NBFs which is an important ritual now. And then down to the dining room for a meal which was nice, but as I’ve said, very repetitive.

Big day tomorrow. It’s camel ride day and it remains to be seen whether I attempt to do this or not.

Goodnight xxxxxxxx

We left our lovely tent hotel this morning after breakfast and drove for about 4 hours to Khimsar. We’re in rural India now and it’s always interesting to see the passing landscape. The negative thing that assaults the senses is the rubbish everywhere, along the side of every road, in every village. There is so much plastic everywhere to which we contribute by drinking multiple bottles of water…all the time.

We arrived at out accommodation in time for lunch and wow, it is amazing. We are staying at Khimsar Fort which was/ is a small kingdom, a branch of the Jodhpur kingdom. It has been converted into a heritage hotel and it is incredible…so much so that it cannot be described. It is just splendid with massive rooms (unfortunately Sally and I have the smallest of them), a palace incorporated into the fort that is still occupied by the family. There is a very large swimming pool too.

We had lunch in a sumptuous dining room and then play time for a few hours. We had been badgering our guide about needing more supplies of alcohol and he gathered a small group of us to walk into the town with him to buy supplies. We found it but noe wine, only very well priced gin. We bought 2 bottles !! and came back to the hotel.

There was a walk into town at 5pm but as we had already been into town we begged out of that and went and sat ourselves by the pool with a secret G&T (we ordered the tonic and then slipped in the G ). Sally went on the walk which was apparently good, but we had a lovely time relaxing and having swims.

Sally is sick and hasn’t stopped coughing for the last 2 nights. She is just as bad tonight so there isn’t much sleeping going on in our room sadly. I gave her my ventolin puffer and when we were in the town we bought another puffer and some cold tablets.

Anyway I’ve had a shower and we now have to get ready to go for dinner so more later.

Just had dinner on the fort walls overlooking the swimming pool and the fort all lit up. Amazing and a lovely meal with tonic water again enhanced surreptitiously with a wee drop of gin !!

Goodnight darlings and a special happy dreams Kirst!!

A very uneventful bus trip today from Jaipur to Pushkar. In Pushkar we are staying in a luxury tent city resort. How to explain this place. It is a massive vegetable growing plantation with greenhouses all over the place, growing cauliflowers among other things. Then there are these tents. Sally and I have our own tent but really it’s a large room with a wooden floor, proper beds, wifi and air con so very comfortable.

We arrived, had lunch, an hour or so break before heading out again. We have had an attempt at getting alcohol but it is a holy city so no luck at all. We can of course buy it at the hotel for an arm and a leg (literally e.g. $75 for a bottle of Jacobs Creek)…so I guess its beer for me!!

Then we set off in the bus again to the only Brahma Temple in India where the faithful come from everywhere to worship. A pretty ugly temple if you ask me but very holy. Nearby is a lake that is also holy and people get blessed. We had a blessing ceremony where I was given good fortune and a red dot on my forehead…I had to chant something, I’m not quite sure what and petals got thrown in the water. Then we all paid a tip for the pleasure…but I asked for good luck for my children, in my superstitious way. Now I have another band around my wrist that I cant take off or I’ll lose my good luck!!!

From there the fun started…we walked to the camel area of the town and had to get into a camel cart. I was totally convinced I couldn’t get up into these bloody carts but by now my NBFs won’t let me get out of it and up I got (with a helping hand). Then the trick is not to get totally bounced out of the cart altogether. There were 4 of us in our cart and I had to really struggle not to be unceremoniously extracted. Up a sandy track we went to a sort of nomadic village (looked very bedouin-ish) to a point to see the sunset on a sand dune. People trying to sells stuff at the point and kids running after the cart to try and get what they could out of us. It was a real bone shaker but I was very proud of myself for doing it, and like the jeep last night, it was fun.

We came back, had our beer on one of the verandahs and then went and had a meal. Sally had gone for dinner earlier. I’ve just had a lovely solar shower in my ‘tent’ and am ready for bed.

Jaipur is a lovely city and yesterday was another day exploring..another long and very tiring day!!

First we stopped at the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds)…built by one of the Maharajas (I get them all very mixed up) so that the women of his harem could observe the streets of Jaipur.

We then went on to the Amber Fort. A fabulous structure perched up on the hills above Jaipur. This entailed getting into jeeps to take us up the hill and then going up and down stairs to view the impressive rooms including one covered in mirrors. It was really amazing, but everything is in this country.

From the Amber Fort we went to lunch at a hotel (not the one we are staying at)…the meals are all starting to have a sameness about them…always a buffet and the food is basically variations on a theme.

After lunch we went to a textile factory making block prints and fabulous carpets. We see how they are made, and they are made with incredible skill over a long period of time, and then are encouraged to buy. I resisted all temptation on this occassion, having done enough damage to date. But if I had the place for it I would just love one of those carpets.

Then we were given free time to shop in one of the fantastic bazaars that line the streets of Jaipur. Then I did do some damage biting myself a couple of tops.

From there we went to a place for dinner which was nice, outdoor dining, with dancers on the side…but when its all said and done it was a buffet in the end. Although they did have a tandoori oven and some nice tandoori chicken.

Then we had another adventure in store. From the restaurant we were picked up by jeeps to do a Jaipur by night tour. Now this really was fabulous. They light up the buildings at night and they are truly spectacular…castles on hills, the forts of course, and beautiful old colonial buildings all lit up. We went up the hill outside the city in open jeeps with the wind blowing, and the jeeps scooting along. My mates in my jeep just loved it although there were some wingers in other jeeps who felt scared (can you believe it???). We looked down on a spectacular Jaipur from about, it was a treat.

Back to the hotel in the jeeps and I joined a couple of other NBFs for a night cap before bed…then Sally coughed all night and I didn’t sleep much at all. I think its an asthma cough from all the pollution which really is bad…so I donated my precious Ventolin puffer to her in an effort to save both our sanities.

Up, breakfast, bus and heading for Jaipur before you even know it. It was a fairly quick and efficient 4.5 hrs on the bus until we arrived here. The Hotel here, the 4 Points Sheraton is great, the best we’ve had so far I think.

We had lunch, checked into our rooms, had about an hour before we were back on the bus and heading for a bit of sightseeing. We drove through the old town, which is, I think, just beautiful…all paired in ocre with stunning markets all over the place with things that you just want to get your hands. But we were on a sightseeing mission. First we went to the Mantar Jantar like the one we went to in Delhi…an observatory with these amazing buildings/ instruments that told the time to within 2 seconds…how the hell did they work that out?? Among so many things that were stark reminders of how they had worked out how the planets worked way ahead of their time.

Then we went to the City Palace, home to Maharajas and frequented by the Mountbattens. Here parts of the palace had been converted to museums that displayed the textiles, embroidery and clothes of the maharajas in one and the weaponry in the other. Then we went to the splendid stateroom of the palace, no photos allowed but I tried to sneak one(or two), in tribute to the splendour but was humiliated by being sprung and having to publicly delete the photos…oh dear!!

Then we went to a jewellery making factory with its fabulous sapphires, rubies and emeralds. Way out of my league…besides I was too tired to shop!!

We came back to the hotel but had to go to a supermarket to get tonic, have our PD G&T and then fly down for a late dinner at the hotel. Sally isn’t feeling well tonight so tucked herself up into bed without having dinner.

Time for me to hit the hay now. Lots of love everyone XXXX

We set off this morning at 6.30am in a canter to the Ranthambore National Park Tiger Reserve. This is a fabulous national park for the Bengal Tiger that was once a private hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. Firstly I got up into the canter…wahoo!! We spent about 3 hours looking for tigers. We saw Deers, Antelopes, Monkeys, Boars, Lizards, Crocs, Birds (including magnificent peacocks) but no Tigers and not even the Sloth which we were also keen to see.

A bit disappointed we came back to the hotel for breakfast and had a very welcome rest. A few hours off meant that we could have a swim, a pre lunch G&T, lunch and then get ready to head off again on another safari to try to find the elusive tiger.

The roads on these safaris are quite hair raising, they are steep, bumpy, with river crossings and rocky parts…its all an adventure of the first order. This time we went off on a different path deeper into the forest. We followed rivers and penetrated deeper into the forest in search of the damned elusive tiger. We kept going back to places on the river where he (they) had been seen, driving around and around but again to no avail. The guide was fabulous and just didn’t give up until it got dark and we just had to leave. Never having found the tiger…such a shame. It is one animal I would have loved to have seen in the wild.

We came back to the hotel and sat around polishing off a few more G & Ts and some red wine (our supply has now diminished) with a group of us before dinner. It is now bedtime and we face another early start in the morning before we head off by road to Jaipur.

God, another big day on the road, arriving late in Ranthambore National Park ready for Tiger safari tomorrow. There isn’t any WiFi here and we’re here for 2 nights so that is a bummer. I may be able to get it in the reception area tomorrow…I’ll try.

We set out this morning after brekky and drove for a little over an hour to Fatehpur Sikri which is another of those fabulous Moghul cities. This one built by Akbar The Great in C16. Again superbly carved sandstone palaces, harem, kings quarters etc. Very impressive and easy to imagine it when it was buzzing with life. It was only occupied for 14years and cost a fortune to build but they believed water was scarce so moved back to Agra…such a waste!!

From there we went to a Raj-style hotel for our lunch and then moved on again to Chand Baori in the town of Abaneri. This is a step – well with over 3000 steps leading down to the well. It is truly an extraordinary sight. As it happens it was the Abaneri Festival and we were entertained by boys dressed in female finery, dancers, costume dancers…all lots of fun. That was a nice stop.

Back on the bus and we went on and on until 8pm. It took so long because there were roadworks all the way and the traffic chaos was even worse as we narrowly missed passing trucks, cows ambling out in front of the bus, millions of bikes wobbling along, roadside vendors and just the usual seething mass of humanity.

Just as we were all getting a bit tired of being rattled about in the bus over corrugations and potholes, the guide, Hassan, produced a large bottle of Indian Rum and some coke and insisted we all have some. Pretty soon someone put on some music and very cornilly the bus was singing along to Abba. Sounds awful but you go with the flow and it is quite fun(arent you proud of me??).

We finally got here to Tiger Den Resort at 8pm, had a meal and headed to bed. Hot water finishes at 9.30 so it was a race for the shower. No WiFi as I said which always freaks me out!!

Safari x 2 tomorrow. Hope I can get myself up into the bloody Canter!! But more and more people are looking out for each other and there is always a helping hand available.