En route we stop at Jodhpur. This is the land of the valiant Rathore kings, whose courage was a match for the tyranny of the Thar Desert. A bleak scarp rears up 120 meters from the desert valley. Straddling the rocky crevices is the massive Jodhpur Fort, its sheer walls reflecting the strength of its warrior builders. The fort is entered through seven gates, each a formidable barrier. The museum within the fort is one of the finest in Rajasthan and displays royal apparel, ancient paintings and manuscripts, fabled treasures of the royal household and an armoury. An interesting section displays folk musical instruments from different regions of Rajasthan. Delicately latticed windows and pierced screens worked in sandstone form the dominant motif within the rugged casket of the fort and the palaces are exquisitely decorated.

it is difficult to describe the Jodhpur Fort, I will simply let the photos do the talking.

I wanted you to see the vehicles load with straw traveling along the road. This is just one of many examples. Several things are very apparent to us about traveling down the roads in India, first, this is a developing country and some highways are quite rough and in various stages of construction, secondly the drivers ar unbelievably good at the jobs. Everyone seems to know what is going on and finally everyone and everything uses the road from cattle, camel carts, bikes, motorbikes, you name it they are here and all seem to be in harmony with each other in spite of speed and size differences. Respect, patience and cooperation are very apparent!

After breakfast we drive to Manvar, an ideal base to explore the Indian desert life, culture, wildlife and natural beauty. On arrival, we check-in at our comfortable desert resort in time for lunch.
This afternoon we enjoy the unique desert atmosphere for which this region is famous. Keep an eye out for the chinkara — a shy gazelle — as they make way across the silent sands. Watch the children trotting off to school, while their mothers prepare their afternoon meal on dung-fire. Our village tour by jeep will allow us to share the fascinating culture of these friendly people and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of this vast desert.
The evening is enlivened by a campfire, mashaals (traditional songs), and local musicians and dancers. With stunning sunrises, mesmerizing sunsets and dazzling night skies, life in this peaceful wilderness is spectacularly elemental — and extraordinarily silent.
My comments: look closely at a Camel…it has a big hump on its back it is so high off the ground that even Gene Autry would have had to use a spring board. To me it’s says” I am not a horse, don’t ride me” Well we did and this is how it is done: first it lies down then you get on it, one in front of the hump one behind. Then it lungs backward to get its on its front legs then lungs forward to get up on its back legs. This only takes several frightful seconds. Both riders receive a $100.00 chiropractic treatment. Now you take off..feeling quite unstable but you do get kinda use to the gate until you begin to go uphill where again you feel you are going to be on the ground abruptly falling backwards. Up hill is only trumped by the process of going downhill, which is like hanging your body over the edge of a cliff. Dismounting is the opposite of mounting except it that it undoes the former chiropractic treatment. Like I said there is no animal that has made it clearer…don’t ride me! But it was a great experience and the sunset spectacular.
Now the tent inself was surreal, it is a re-enactment of the days when the kings went hunting except’ of course these were permanent . The evening entertainment was stunning and the meal superb! Luxury at it’s finest all the while enjoying the desert life and the local attendants. This was a wondeful day.

After breakfast we drove to Bikaner, arriving around midday. En route, we stopped at some of the ancient settlements of Shekhavati. Founded at the close of the 15th century, Bikaner stands on high ground, surrounded by fine embattled walls. The 16th century fort contains palaces, temples and a mosque, mostly made of red and yellow sandstone. The marble images are considered to be the finest specimens of Hindu art. Within the massive edifice of the fort, the entrance of which is flanked by two life-size effigies of elephants, are housed some of the rarest gems of Rajput civilisation. The Durbar Hall is in Mughal style, lavishly decorated with paintings. Gilt reliefs, glass mosaics and lace- like mirrors adorn the intimate and graceful Zenana — the women’s wing, separated from the main palace by a broad courtyard with panelled niches.

After a long day we had our afternoon happy hour at Steve an Terry’s room. How this works is we draw keys for rooms…if you have the biggest room you are the evenings host! Beautiful room as you can see by the photo!

Time to introduce the group! On the left, Jim and Joan from Sarnia On., Carol, (aka Carry), with Barb behind her, then us, ( I am in back with a shiny head), the castle guard, let’s call him Shirme, behind him is Norm, beside him is Terry, behind her is Steve, all from Vancouver and finally  Maggie from a Kingston On.

After our long, sometimes scary, bus ride we arrived at the hotel for the evening…which is a 250 year old castle. The pictures don’t do it justice but still give you a glimpse of what it was like. The cow? Well they are sacred and roam the streets at will. They are owned by individuals who milk them daily, (just the cows not the bulls for you city folk) and let them out to fend for themselves. Apparently they don’t get hit by vehicles much but because their main diet is garage they sometimes die from eating plastic.

After an early breakfast we depart for Mandawa, arriving early afternoon. The town of Mandawa lies in the heart of Shekhavati, a semi-arid region located in the northeast part of Rajasthan, famous for its heritage havelis and colourful fresco art. As you approach it, Mandawa emerges from the sand like a mirage. Wind your way through two imposing gateways up to Mandawa Castle. The handsome rugged fort of Mandawa was built in 1755 by Thakur Nawal Singh, who also founded the town of Nawalgarh. In the afternoon, wander through the streets to admire the mansions of the Goenkas, Sarafs, Ladias and Chokhanis with their imposing gateways and elaborate frescoes. A painted arched gateway adorned with Lord Krishna and his cows leads to the bazaar. 

In the previous post I pasted yesterday’s itinerary a few pictures. What can’t possibly be described is the chaos of the old city; clearly this will be one of the highlights of this trip! The people loved taking pictures of us, especially Barb, tall and blond!

At the mosque the ladies had to put dresses on….cute!

Today we have a full-day tour of Delhi. We start with a drive north into Old Delhi, passing along the Rajpath (King’s Way) and stopping for photos at the India Gate. The 42m high India Gate, an “Arc de Triomphe”-like archway in the middle of a crossroad, commemorates the Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during WWI. This landmark also bears the names of British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern frontier in the Afghan War of 1919. Next we will make a visit to the Jamma Mosque. Located in the heart of Old Delhi, the largest mosque in India can accommodate as many as twenty-thousand worshippers. This imposing architectural monument, with it’s three gateways and two minarets, took fourteen years to complete (1644-58). Time permitting we will enter to have a brief look inside. From here we board our cycle rickshaws for a tour of Chandni Chowk (Silver Street). Here we are given a glimpse into an old world lifestyle slowly fading from Delhi. The hustle and bustle of everyday life can be felt in the Chandi Chowk’s narrow lanes. We will reboard our bus after the rickshaw ride, going past the Red Fort (photo stop), and we disembark at the Raj Ghat, set within a beautiful park. This national monument is where the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was cremated. After a stop for lunch we continue our sightseeing with a visit to Humayan’s Tomb, an excellent example of Mughal architecture, predating the Taj Mahal by almost 100 years. Persian in style, this is a beautiful red sandstone building inlaid with black and white marble. We will finish our day with a visit to the Qutub Minar. Few other monuments are as closely identified with Delhi as the Qutub Minar, this first monument of Muslim rule in India. It heralded the beginning of a new style of art and architecture which came to be know as the Indo-Islamic

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We arrived right on time yesterday, or was it today but felt like tomorrow? It is kind of disorientating when you can travel almost exactly half way around the world in such a short time. Since it is 12.5 hours different I think that isn’t an exaggeration. The two flights were good and uneventful…just tiring. Checked into this beautiful hotel in New Delhi…no as the blog title suggests… it is not the the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel…but we will find it. 

Last phone call….first drink?? About right for this group.