New Delhi to Jaislamer

Well we have been in India for almost a week and the time has flown by but it also seems like a lifetime as we have seen so much. I'm pleased to say that this Indian experience is much different to my original one and is a very sanitised view of it. I can now understand why people who have been here on tour think it's great. We hop on and off our very comfortable bus after sleeping the night in a local palace or castle, peer out the window at all the chaos outside, eat meals in very clean and reputable restaurants and use specially chosen toilets (even tho they may not be as nice as we're use to, they are certainly better than the local common toilets). It isn't the real view of India as I knew it, it is definitely sanitised and I would have it no other way!

 I had said to myself after the last time, 28 yrs ago, that if I was ever to go back, it was with money and stay in the nicest of hotels. Back then I had a choice to either buy toilet paper or pay for a nights accommodation, both approximately the same price - maybe toilet paper was slightly dearer so maybe you can understand my vow. Also the food was foul as we only ate what the poor locals ate, watery Dal and Currys with bits floating in it, super spicy & piles of rice. I was rather hoping to lose weight, like I did last time but there is no chance of that. The food they have given us has been great, a mixture of Indian and European so pizzas, pasta, chicken schnitzel and breakfast like we're use to as well as Currys, naan bread and food you can get from your local Indian restaurant except for beef dishes! Only beef we've seen are what is walking around the streets.

So we arrived in Dehli late Thursday night after being up for 24 hrs. We got all our bags except one and waited until the carousel stopped going around before the worry set in. It was Shirene and Malcolms bag that had all their medications, chargers, shoes and other essentials and we still haven't got it. Seems the airline has no idea where it is. I would say that it's never to be seen again.

We eventually arrived at the hotel around 1am along with several people from other groups. There were 6 of us left at the end, one couple got their key and there seemed to be confusion if it was the right one. Off they went and were back 5 mins later, they had walked in on a sleeping couple. Another keycard was given out and the same thing happened. We were given our keys but before we reached the lifts we were called back to be given another room as same problem. The royal Plaza wasn't looking so royal after all despite their grand foyer. Rooms were very average too. 

Up early the next morning for our tour of Delhi. First stop was to jama masjid, the largest mosque in Asia. Even tho we went inside the gates it was difficult to see it through the thick smog which is over the danger level at the moment. Air quality is measured as under 50 is good, between 50-100 is still acceptable. This day it was 486. You could even taste it at the back of your throat. Apparently it's the equivalent to smoking 44 cigarettes a day.

We then took a rickshaw ride through the streets which was madness. We were stuck in a traffic jam for at least half an hour, not moving with the noise of the traffic, lots of tooting and just a mass of humanity. We were also sitting targets for the beggers who were particularly persistent. Once we got going it wasn't so bad, we passed the Red fort, at least I think we did as it was hidden behind a haze.  

Next stop was the Raj Ghat - Gandhi's cremation site, then Humayun's tomb. To finish off the day we visited the Qutab Minar, a 800+yr old minuet and tallest stone tower in India. Here we were in great demand to have our picture taken with Indian tourist, they love to have a whitie in their photos.

For the next few days we have spent the majority of our time on the bus which has been entertaining in itself. The sights you see looking out the window with every manner of vehicle from camel and cart to impossibly overloaded bikes, trucks and carts. At one point we saw a truck on its side, still on the road, loaded with enormous rocks. No doubt what tipped it over. Another was a ute type vehicle that was just flattened on the road under a heap of hay with a donkey beside it contently chewing away on the spoils.

The roads themselves are something else. It seems most are under construction or badly maintained. Several times we have been on a main road with two way traffic but it was only a single lane with very broken edges which made for an exciting drive. Occasionally there will be a camel just wandering down the main lane of the road to say nothing of the cows, goats and donkeys that drift across the road. I think we have spent more time in the opposite lane than we have in our own. Saying which, my favourite indian habit is the way they save time and petrol if they want to go back several kilometres. Instead of driving onwards until they can turn around and go back on the other side they just turn around on the same side and use the inside lane of a three to four lane motorway to head back. It's nothing to see a truck heading your way in the same lane!

This is a two way main road with trucks and buses

Next day was a 7 hr bus trip to Mandawa where we stayed in our first former castle. Our guide said to prepare ourselves for not quite the plush places we were use to but something 'full of character' and 'of bygone era'. Well this worried us somewhat as the royal Plaza was of no great shakes so what were we in for?? We needn't have worried as this place was just stunning and our rooms felt like little mini palace's in themselves.

Mandawa is known for its forts and frescoes havelis which are mansions owned by the wealthy. Unfortunately they are locked up now and falling into disrepair as the owners have moved out to the cities. It felt a bit like a ghost town although the main Street was lively enough with plenty of cows to cause a bit of meyhem. 

Our lovely castle hotel room

 These are the hand prints of the women who chose to burn in their husband's pyre

Sunday we drove to Gajner, stopping at Bikaner on the way to see Junagarh fort. This was built in 1588 & is one of the few forts built on the desert plain and not on a hilltop. We also had a walk around the local bazaar just for a bit of fun. It would be good to look up and around but mostly you have to look down to make sure you don't slip in cow shit (otherwise known as holy shit) or step into an open sewer.

Once again, our accommodation was second to none. It was at a palace built by a Maharaja in the 1800s and turned into a hunting lodge and Wildlife sanctuary in the early 20th century by another Maharaja. It had a huge lake and the palace grounds are spread over 6000 acres & home to endangered antelopes. It has hosted famous celebrities such as GG lord Elgin, lord Mountbatten, George V, Edward VIII & king of Greece to name but a few, as well as us of course. The 4 of us had our own private wing off the courtyard so we could lock the doors to our residences and retreat to our individual rooms complete with magnificent views of the lake. If only we knew who else had stayed there in our particular room.the rest were down the back in the newer quarters so we were very lucky.

Next day we were off on another day long bus ride to Jaisalmer, situated in the heart of the Thar desert and close to the Pakistan boarder. The scenery had been changing out the window to sand and hills after being so flat since Delhi. It's known as the golden City as it's made out of yellow sandstone with a fort looking much like a giant Sandcastle perched high on a hill. Finally we got to spend two nights at one place although after where we had been staying it was a bit of a come down. Even though it was called Gorbandh palace and had a grand foyer, the rooms were nothing compared to where we had been but as we aren't in the rooms for long I guess it doesn't matter too much.

They serve them young here

Tuesday morning started off with a trip to Gadsisar lake, a rainwater lake adorned with an arched gateway with many shrines & temples festooned all around. It did look lovely in the early morning mist, giving it an ethereal quality. Even tho we are out of the smog the fog is still around and takes over half a day to lift so we haven't seen much actual blue sky.

Next was a tour of the streets of the fort which is an actual living fort. It has been declared a UNESCO heritage town but our guide seems to think it won't be around for much longer as the pressure it's under from so many people living there and poor sewage it's starting to crumble. You can see the dampness in the sandstone walls like raising damp slowly creeping up to the top and eventual ruin. The government is trying to move everyone out but good luck with that one I say. Abi, our guide, did advise us not to buy inside so as to not encourage their activities but it was difficult as they were the best shops we had seen to date. The streets were very narrow, only about 3 people wide but that didn't stop the motorbikes roaring down them as well as the cows and dogs and masses of tourists.

We did a walking tour of the streets of Jaisalmer and saw more havelis, these were all made out of sandstone and had very intricately carved lattice work in the balconies and walls. The entrances are raised high above street level to prevent the sand from blowing in. After a visit to a textile wholesaler who had the most amazing prices hand woven or embroidered by the local country women which must have taken months to make, we were dropped back to the hotel to rest for a couple of hours before our evening camel ride.

That was a lot of fun and the highlight so far. We drove about half an hour out into the desert where hundreds of camels were waiting for us. Must be a very touristic thing to do as we weren't the only ones. We all had a camel each and were lead into the sand dunes to watch the sunset before another ride to have dinner and see a local folk music show before heading back to the hotel. 

Camel car parking

Jon hates folk shows and tries to avoid them as much as he can but as there was nowhere else to go he had to endure it. Earlier that day Abi showed us a shop that sold the equivalent to hash cookies so Jon bought a couple hoping it would help ease the pain of the show. Unfortunately they weren't strong enough!