After
a good night of sleep we left Agra pretty early in order for our 300 km
drive to Rhantambore National park. Shortly after we left we had an
extremely nice break at Fatephur Sikri, the place of glory…. Oh well,
for as long as it lasted anyway as lack of water caused the city to be
abandoned. What remained however was extremely interesting. First we
visited the palace of emperor Mahal and his 3 wives (a Muslim, Christian
and Hindu wife. it was the Hindu wife who gave him a son and therefore
the Taj Mahal was built after her death). The three private areas for
the wives were each different in size and shape but it was great to see
how symbols of all faiths were on all the residential areas. It was the
goal of emperor Mahal to unite, therefore he had three wives (I can
think of a number of other reasons as well though…..) After the palace
we visited the area for the common people and this was almost as
impressive. The entry gate was enormous; the biggest of it’s kind in
Asia. We spent over 2 hours in Fatehpur Sikri after which we continued
our journey to Ranthambore where we arrived late afternoon.
Rhantambore was a place the both of us were extremely looking forward to, it houses the Benghal tiger but we were already told at arrival that sightings were rare at this time of year… bad planning on our side? Oh well, whether we would see tigers or not the trip was worth it anyway as we had a beautiful place to stay, a tented bungalow…. now this was something totally different from your average camping and it took a while for the both of us to get over the shock of our… ehh tent. The afternoon we spent at the pool, a good thing to have a break in such an action packed holiday. In the evening we found out that ten thousands of beetles gathered everywhere which was a pathetic sight and smell… One of them landed in Paul’s beer so he could throw that away as immediately it tasted totally different, not pleasant at all
Once
again the next morning was an early rise; we woke up at 4.45 as we were
being picked up at 05.30 for our first safari. With them being 10
minutes early it was a bit of a hurry but then we took off in our jeep
to the national park. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and 4 hours
seemed to go by like nothing. We saw deer’s, monkeys, peacocks’ and
loads of other wildlife but no sign of the tigers apart from a set of
footprints….. 2 more safaris to go, to more chances…. After the
safari we had breakfast after which we went to the pool again for some
relaxing and sun tanning. Paul was not feeling to well, apparently the
beetles are highly poisonous and although he had not swallowed it or the
beer he noticed the result of it… Not a nice thing for him as it
meant I had to go on the afternoon safari by myself as he jut wanted to
sleep. The afternoon safari was much livelier; I saw more animals, a
couple of male deer fighting for the leader position in their herd, some
wild pigs, but…. no tigers… We were already on our way back when we
encountered another jeep with the people franticly waving to us and
yes, there they were a tiger couple lying next to the water, relaxing
and drinking. I was absolutely pleased, however with mixed feelings as I
could not share it with Paul. I told him on my return about what I saw
and he was really pleased for me, the only thing we could hope for was
another encounter on our last morning safari the day after.
The
next morning we woke up again at 04.45, Paul felt much better and full
of expectations we went on our last safari. After 2 hours highly
interesting hours of driving luck was on our side again, the same couple
as yesterday was spotted by one of us so we were in seventh heaven. We
took our time to enjoy the presence of these majestic animals (they look
very cuddly until you see the size of their paws and teeth) and by 10
we arrived back at the resort for our much deserved breakfast. It was
still early day but the both of us were extremely happy that things
worked out so well for us.
After
breakfast we headed of to our next destination, Jaipur where we arrived
4 hours later. Our first stop was a textile shop where we bought raw
silk for a new quilt (got the shopping list from my mother who will make
it for us, yet another of her masterpieces which will make our house
even more beautiful). Besides silk there was also pure cashmere wool on
sale and with Indian tailors having such a good reputation for making
suits…… Oh well, do I really need to tell this story? Yes we could
not resist and ordered a suit, shirt and tie for each of us. Let’s hope
our new suitcase will be big enough. Shopping done we continued to
Barwara Kothi,our hotel, an old colonial villa which now had 4 guest
rooms. It was fabulous! The room was beautiful with lots of art deco
influences. We had dinner at our hotel and decided for yet another early
night.
The
next morning at 7.00 our suits were delivered for first fitting, and
guess what, 1st time was a perfect fit! Amazing… Three tailors had
worked the best part of the night to have it ready in time…. After
breakfast we were picked up by our local guide and went to Hawa Mahal,
also known as the wind palace. It was not really a palace but a narrow
building with a lot of sheltered windows from which behind the women of
the maharaja could watch local life. (They were not allowed to be seen
in public in those days)
Our
next stop was the amber fort, where we spent the best time of the
morning. It was an absolute fabulous experience to travel the slope
towards the entrance gate of the fort on top of an elephant. The fort
itself was an impressive collection of buildings and it took us quite a
while to visit all of the highlights. Life in these days must have been
absolutely fabulous with all the wealth that the trade over the silk
route brought, oh well, at least for the happy few as we are convinced
it must not have been that good for the majority of people (Nothing
seemed to have changed that much in India since now….)
After
lunch we went to see the Jantar Mantar Observatory which was built in
1728. In spite of its age it looked very modern and some of the
instruments to determine the exact time and planetary movements were
absolutely stunning. The observatory also houses the biggest sundial in
the world with an accuracy of 2 seconds… yes you read it right, 2
seconds and it was built in 1728… WOW!
Or
last stop the palace of the current maharaja; also over here we were
overwhelmed by the beauty of the woodwork, carvings and fresco’s. The
palace also housed a museum which contained a lot of dresses, brassware
and jewelry. As already said before, life in those times must have been
absolutely amazing… There was also the possibility of visiting the
private area of the Maharaja (Photo’s showed an extremely luxury
interior) but as the entrance price was a whopping 50 US$ each we
decided to let that opportunity pass by.
Late
afternoon we picked up our suits and we can only say we are absolutely
pleased with the result. A very modern cut, beautiful fabric and a slick
design. Taylor made for the price which you cannot even get a decent
suit in Europe from the shelves….
After
breakfast we continued our journey to the Shekhawati region, a long,
long drive. We noticed the area was getting dryer and dryer and the
roads narrower and narrower. Param, where the hell are you bringing us
to? The roads were so narrow that avoiding oncoming traffic resulted in
coming to a full stop off-road in order to let it pass. The area was
almost desert like with a lot of dust, some trees and hardly any sign of
life. Every now and then we passed by a little village (We already
wondered how the people can survive over here) and finally we arrived in
Mandawa, our destination. Mandawa is the capital of the Shekhawati
region but do not take that to serious, sandy dusty paths, a small
village completed by some forts and Havelis (huge and impressive
mansions for the happy few). Paul and I had already come to the
conclusion that the hotel would be ehh.. a little bit basic and below
standard but fortunately it was only for one night. We had to stop of
couple of times to let the cows and camels pass by and but that all
added to the charm of the village.
We
stopped in front of a fantastic 19th century haveli, full of frescos
and carvings, this was without doubt the most beautiful mansion in the
village and much to our surprise it was our residence for the night…
Totally speechless we greeted the traditionally dressed doorman and
entered into the courtyard which was cluttered with frescos and
carvings. What a place to stay, we could not believe what we saw. In the
middle of nowhere, after a long drive over dusty roads we arrived in
this picturesque village in the middle of the desert to find this. This
was totally beyond our expectations but the biggest surprise still had
to come…. At checking in we were told we had a poolside room, ehh
excuse me? Poolside? Yes sir, please have a look, we walked on a bit and
looked out over a fantastic garden with a pool shining in the middle of
it. How crazy can it get… The room itself was even better. Three
arches, beautiful frescos on the ceiling, even the rings were still
present to mount the old fans….. The only downsize was two single
beds, oh well, one can’t have it all.
In
the afternoon we went for a stroll through the village. From all sides
we were greeted by friendly kids. Namaste sir, where you’re from??? We
felt like being in a time warp, Things were so quiet and peaceful; the
contrast could not have been bigger after the hectic city life in
Jaipur… Early evening we had decided to pamper ourselves so we were
treated with an ayurvedic massage with traditional Indian oils. It was
heaven and I only needed to be woken up twice…. We ended the day with a
rooftop dinner, how surreal can a day get…..
As
you can guess we woke up early again and by the time it was 08:00 we
had breakfast and the car was loaded once again for departure. At least
another hour we drove over narrow roads in an abandoned landscape before
we hit the ehh “highway”….. By lunchtime we arrived in Bikaner which
is on the northern top of the desert’s triangle. The first stop was a
fort built by Rao Jodha in 1587 which protected 37 palaces, temples and
pavilions within. What a sight it was. Nothing compared however to the
next one….
A
small temple dedicated to one of the 33.000 gods and goddesses in the
Hindu religion. Fortunately (Or should I say unfortunately) she was not
alone in her temple as she was accompanied by the souls of passed away
local people who now continued their lives as ehhh……………
RATS!!!!! There were thousands of them… Yuck…. Just as we
discussed whether it would be better to change our sandals for closed
shoes our guide told us we were supposed to go in barefoot, as is common
for all sacred places in India… Hmmmm, let’s be brave… The sight
was in one word repulsive. Rats everywhere, on the floor, on the roof,
on the fences, over our feet….. We shortly watched the sacred shrine
after which Paul had more than enough and fled the place. As I still
wanted to make some more pictures I stayed a couple of minutes longer
but then had more than enough, I did not know how quickly to get out of
this place. In the car we thanked our guide for bringing us to this
special place but he must not have been in touch with a lot of Brits as
he totally missed the sarcasm in our comments… (How could he have
missed). yes sir, beautiful place it is, very special, isn’t is sir. Yes
it is.. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our
last stop for the day was a Jain temple, this time fortunately a very
clean temple which contained lots of frescos (Which is special for Jain
temples as they normally only have carvings).
With
the sightseeing done it was time to go to the hotel. It was located in
the old city center of Bikaner and we could only get there through a
labyrinth of small alleys and paths. The car could hardly make it, as
the roads were so narrow and crowded. Paul and I looked at each other
and thought where the hell we are going this time…. I have already
mentioned before that India is full of surprises and this was no
exception. We stopped in front of a gate which led to yet another
Haveli. In the gateway an old beautiful car was parked, very much alike
the car Paul and I married in. A big silver snake formed the horn, beige
leather interior. Wow, and this was only the gate…. At the reception
desk our jaws dropped to the floor again… A beautiful courtyard was
surrounded by a 3 story high mansion. The hallway… hmm what should I
say, I guess Versace and Louis the 14th would have been extremely
jealous by seeing the interior. Totally over the top is the
understatement of the year after seeing this. We saw some living rooms,
heavily decorated with gold, porcelain statues, and grand chandeliers,
how mad can it get…. Oh well, believe me you ain’t heard anything
yet…. We were brought to our room where we cold not stop gasping
around. First we entered through a heavy double wooded door after which
we arrived in our private hallway, decorated with shields and painted
tiles. The bedroom was about the size of our living room, the ceiling
about 4 meters high, heavy velvet wallpaper with gold painting, an
antique seating area and a huge (and I mean huge) double bed… WOW,
this is how royalty must live…. The hallway led to another hallway,
some steps up and we arrived at the bathrooms… yes, bathrooms… there
were three different rooms, one for the toilet, one for the washbasin
and one for the shower…. Welcome to India, a country that never fails
to surprise.
When
we finally overcame the grandeur of this place we set down at the
courtyard. Two musicians were playing classic Indian music which just
completed the atmosphere in a fantastic way. We met another Austrian
couple and with them we spent the rest of the evening, enjoying a couple
of kingfishers and dining together (Dining was another experience not
to be missed, a fabulous vegetarian dinner served in a way which
absolutely matched the place…)
In
the morning we had breakfast together again, couldn’t stop chatting and
finally said goodbye after receiving an invite to come to Vienna….
Param, our driver was already waiting for an hour but did not want to
hear our excuses; it’s my duty sir…… There was a long drive ahead
of us. 330 km which took us over 6 hours, in spite of the fact that most
of the road was categorized as highway…. The landscape became even
more desolate and remote and we wondered how people is the villages we
passed by could survive this climate. Today was cool… Only 39
degrees, in summer temperatures reach 50 degrees easily, not a place
you want your car to break down… Both of us fell asleep a couple of
times and by the time we woke up Jaisalmer was not far anymore. Pretty
obvious was the large presence of military camps. Not strange as we are
getting pretty close to the Pakistan border, India’s biggest enemy to
date…. Jaisalmer is a desert town which is dominated by a large fort.
We walked around at the city center looking for ATM’s. Not with a lot of
success, currently unable to process your request…. Surrounded by a
lot of Indian’s who were kindly passing on instruction I did not feel
very comfortable to enter my pin number so I aborted after a couple of
tries… More luck next town….
Our
hotel was just on the outskirts of town and had a number of simple but
tastefully decorated desert bungalows built in sandstone (as the whole
city is). We had a short swim in the pool after enjoying the panorama in
front of us. The air was colored bright orange as a sandstorm was
passing by, a fabulous sight though…
Early
evening Param picked us up to go out to party and what a party it
was…. We drove to town, and while we waited in the car Param went off
to the “English wine shop” in order to get some beer. As today was the
most important day of Diwali he insisted on treating us. Also he got
some ‘bombs’ as Diwali without firecrackers would be like food without
wine. Once all party essentials where in the car we went of again to….
halfway the hotel where he parked aside the road.
Beer
was opened, chips passed on, let the good times roll…. hmm, Paul and
I were a bit surprised to say the least as we had expected to go to the
centre of Jaisalmer but Param had other ideas of throwing a party.
Still it was pretty nice though, he enjoyed it a lot and could not stop
lighting the ‘bombs’… and bombs they were, my God, we thought Pakistan
had once again invaded, the noise made our ears ring. Actually the
spot, although a bit weird, was not bad at all, we had a good overview
of Jaisalmer and its fort and could see constant fireworks.
The
next morning we were picked up by our local guide who first brought us
to an ancient man build lake which was used for the water supplies.
Being in the middle of the desert this was no luxury. In True Rajasthan
style there were some nice buildings and temples of the lake.
Back
on the roadside we had a good view of the fort which stands almost 100
meter above the city. Its 99 Bastions were both impressive and a good
show of power.
Inside
we visited a small Jain temple which was quite special. The carvings
were amazing (once again) and the domes were just of outstanding
craftsmanship. Really, really nice.
It
was busy in the fort and when I say busy I mean BUSY. Loads of local
tourists were sightseeing as in Bangalore schools were off and many
people were on holiday. The place was flooded but that was a good excuse
to make some close up pictures of people, the only problem being the
constant flow of other people walking between me and the chosen
‘subject’, oh well, things went quite fine.
After
the fort we went to see some old haveli’s (Big houses of old traders)
and we can only say we were more than impressed. The facades were
intricately latticated and conspicuous. Beautiful carvings, we could
hardly believe that these were built so long ago (16th and 17th century)
when the Silk Road was flourishing.
The
afternoon we took a rest at the pool before we were picked up again,
this time we drove to the sand dunes of Sam for a camel safari. Once
again, due to the holidays, it was very busy but our guide had already
arranged two camels for us so off we went for a fun packed trip to see
the sunset from the sand dunes. It was great fun and Paul and I were
joking that the camels would stop in time before we reached the
Pakistani border which was only 20km away… But the camel handlers had
things under control so we did not end up in unwanted territory and
remained at the lovely sand dunes.
Back at the hotel we had dinner, packed our stuff once more and called for an early night. Ready for new adventures to come….
Continue the story with the final part: Jodhpur – Mumbay