Following the excitement of Christmas Day, and once my family had been allowed a three day rest in Mumbai following their flight from the UK, we set off for a six night holiday to Rajasthan. No-one in my family is very good at doing nothing, so we had planned a three stage action-packed trip to Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and the countryside outside Jodhpur. We arranged the holiday to attempt to give my family a realistic view of Indian life - staying in hotels in the midst of the action, and travelling on trains and plenty of autorickshaws - but would it be too basic for their requirements? We would find out...
As an aside, I should say now that I made a little error. I knew that Rajasthan would be colder than Mumbai but it was quite a lot colder than I expected, especially at night, so it was a rather chilly holiday. My brother Peter tried to counter this by buying a 200 rupee fake sleeveless Puma bomber jacket, but I hadn't quite prepared me or anyone else for the UK-like conditions (it wasn't raining though!). We were glad to return to the warmth of Mumbai at the end of the trip.
First, The Blue City, Jodhpur, where we stayed in a beautifully restored haveli in the heart of the old city. The old city is true India; packed with cows, people, dirt, noise and relentless energy and activity, but Bristow's Haveli was a haven in the midst of the craziness.
After two nights enjoying the wonderful food and hot water bottles in Jodhpur, we had an early morning start to catch at 735 train to Jaisalmer. We made it to the station for the required time without a problem but, sadly, the train didn't fare as well as us and finally turned up just after 11 o'clock. Four hours waiting in a train station truly exposes you to the sights and smells of India (the toilets were some of the worst I've ever encountered, and I've seen bad things after living in India for 7 months) and we were all glad when the train started moving at 1130.
Once we were on our way, my parents and brother seemed to thoroughly enjoy the adventure of travelling in Sleeper class although there was a lack of chai and chaat wallas in the train so we all got a bit peckish. The highlight of the journey was when my father and brother got off the train at a station in search of chai, assuming that the train would be stationary for a while, as at all the previous stops. Unfortunately, they hadn't been gone for long when the train started to pull out, accelerated quickly, and left the platform behind. We had accidentally left them on a station platform 100km from the nearest big city! Or so we thought....after 10 minutes of my Mum panicking and Phil and I marvelling at the apparent mess of the situation, they wondered into our carriage having jumped on further down the train. Drama over, we settled down to enjoy the rest of the journey and play cards with a local (as is traditional on Indian train journeys).
We arrived in Jaisalmer an hour before sunset and were warmly welcomed to our hotel by our hospitable host Krishna with a beer / chai on the roof terrace and a chance to fly the hotel kite over the roofs of the city. We spent one night in Jaisalmer itself before travelling to the desert for our overnight camel safari.
The camel safari exceeded my expectations and I would thoroughly recommend the company that we used, Pleasant Camel Safaris. It was not luxurious, but we were very well looked after and had an authentic and good value experience. I was expecting to dislike the camels but they were lovely - very well behaved, predictable and clearly cared for well by their owners. My own camel, Captain, lead the way on our second trip although Philip was sadly stuck with the plodder which struggled to keep up with the group, however much he chivvied it along with the reins. David the camel was a bit flatulent (as were they all really) but we bonded well and no-one was bitten or thrown from the saddle, a good result. Peter had a young racing camel and its owner, a cheerful local, took Peter galloping over the horizon on several occasions.
Another highlight of staying in the desert was the stars which were crystal clear, with no clouds or other natural light anywhere near our camp. We slept on roll-out mats under a large pile of blankets so we could look directly up to the sky. I found this wonderfully cosy. Unfortunately, Mum and Dad weren't listening to the instructions and three Taiwanese girls in our groups took their extra blankets without M&D realising what they were missing. Oops. Phil and I slept for ten hours whilst they, apparently, slept for zero, so on average we did alright for soft westerners spending a night outside.
The safari trip was a true back to nature experience and using the lavatories involved finding a suitably bushy plant and asking everyone else to turn the other way. Unfortunately, this was a bit too natural for my Mum who insisted on walking to the Pakistan border for every toilet trip - we thought we'd lost her for good on one occasion, but she made it back to the camp eventually.
After the adventure of the train, we had a trusty and punctual car to take us to the final location, Chandelao, a little village 40km outside Jodhpur. The hotel was quiet and relaxing after our action-packed itinerary. Phil managed to run most of a marathon on quiet roads around the village (though nearly asphyxiated himself with dust) and I pottered around the village and visited a local arts and crafts cooperative for the women of the village. My Dad, on the other hand, spent most of the first day moaning that the lamp in his bedroom had a frayed wire and would therefore not meet UK Health and Safety standards; and the second day moaning that the hotel hadn't fixed this following him raising the matter. Three words - This Is India. In a country where whole families travel around by balancing precariously on a wobbly scooter, no-one will prioritise fixing a lamp (sorry Dad).
As is traditional, we all went to bed at 9pm on New Years Eve, after watching a bit of the music and dancing laid on by the hotel. The dancing ladies balancing pots filled with fire on their heads were pretty impressive, but sleep overtook us (the camel safari night was still affecting some people...) so we were all extremely anti-social and agree to say Happy New Year in the morning and head back to Mumbai. Quite right too.
Veronica coped admirably with the washing on our return. Unfortunately we'd had a slight incident before the holiday where all Pete's expensive white t-shirts and shirts were washed with my new bright red kurta and came out a deep shade of pink. Thankfully, pink seemed to suit him well and it gave him a good reason to get some new shirts tailored in Mumbai as replacements.
As an aside, I should say now that I made a little error. I knew that Rajasthan would be colder than Mumbai but it was quite a lot colder than I expected, especially at night, so it was a rather chilly holiday. My brother Peter tried to counter this by buying a 200 rupee fake sleeveless Puma bomber jacket, but I hadn't quite prepared me or anyone else for the UK-like conditions (it wasn't raining though!). We were glad to return to the warmth of Mumbai at the end of the trip.
First, The Blue City, Jodhpur, where we stayed in a beautifully restored haveli in the heart of the old city. The old city is true India; packed with cows, people, dirt, noise and relentless energy and activity, but Bristow's Haveli was a haven in the midst of the craziness.
The majestic Mehrangarh fort
View of the fort from the vibrant central market and clock tower
Rajasthani-style autorickshaw
The first gate to the fort
The sleep climb up to the fort - a bit tricky for invaders
Mum and the musicians
Beautiful furnishings at Bristow's Haveli
The palace inside the fort. Home to the local royal family for over 500 years, though they've now moved to a new palace down the road.
One of Jodhpur's newest and most exciting attractions is a series of zip wires across the fort. As this meets British safety standards and comes endorsed by Boris Johnson, my parents and brother gave it a go.
On firm ground during the zip wire trip
The nearly royal mausoleum
More marble
After two nights enjoying the wonderful food and hot water bottles in Jodhpur, we had an early morning start to catch at 735 train to Jaisalmer. We made it to the station for the required time without a problem but, sadly, the train didn't fare as well as us and finally turned up just after 11 o'clock. Four hours waiting in a train station truly exposes you to the sights and smells of India (the toilets were some of the worst I've ever encountered, and I've seen bad things after living in India for 7 months) and we were all glad when the train started moving at 1130.
Once we were on our way, my parents and brother seemed to thoroughly enjoy the adventure of travelling in Sleeper class although there was a lack of chai and chaat wallas in the train so we all got a bit peckish. The highlight of the journey was when my father and brother got off the train at a station in search of chai, assuming that the train would be stationary for a while, as at all the previous stops. Unfortunately, they hadn't been gone for long when the train started to pull out, accelerated quickly, and left the platform behind. We had accidentally left them on a station platform 100km from the nearest big city! Or so we thought....after 10 minutes of my Mum panicking and Phil and I marvelling at the apparent mess of the situation, they wondered into our carriage having jumped on further down the train. Drama over, we settled down to enjoy the rest of the journey and play cards with a local (as is traditional on Indian train journeys).
We arrived in Jaisalmer an hour before sunset and were warmly welcomed to our hotel by our hospitable host Krishna with a beer / chai on the roof terrace and a chance to fly the hotel kite over the roofs of the city. We spent one night in Jaisalmer itself before travelling to the desert for our overnight camel safari.
Kite flying over Jaisalmer fort at sunset
Lots of hungry pups of different sizes, not all belonging to the mother dog...
Lots of shops inside Jaisalmer fort. Amongst the hawkers, I found a friendly lady who runs a women's village cooperative and was selling lovely table runners and wall hangings. I picked up a couple of these and a camel bone massage ball (admittedly that was an impulsive purchase).
On the walls of the fort
A cow being fed a breakfast of chapattis
Jaisalmer fort in the sun from the roof of a spectacular old haveli
The royal cemetery for over five centuries of royal rulers
The camel safari exceeded my expectations and I would thoroughly recommend the company that we used, Pleasant Camel Safaris. It was not luxurious, but we were very well looked after and had an authentic and good value experience. I was expecting to dislike the camels but they were lovely - very well behaved, predictable and clearly cared for well by their owners. My own camel, Captain, lead the way on our second trip although Philip was sadly stuck with the plodder which struggled to keep up with the group, however much he chivvied it along with the reins. David the camel was a bit flatulent (as were they all really) but we bonded well and no-one was bitten or thrown from the saddle, a good result. Peter had a young racing camel and its owner, a cheerful local, took Peter galloping over the horizon on several occasions.
Another highlight of staying in the desert was the stars which were crystal clear, with no clouds or other natural light anywhere near our camp. We slept on roll-out mats under a large pile of blankets so we could look directly up to the sky. I found this wonderfully cosy. Unfortunately, Mum and Dad weren't listening to the instructions and three Taiwanese girls in our groups took their extra blankets without M&D realising what they were missing. Oops. Phil and I slept for ten hours whilst they, apparently, slept for zero, so on average we did alright for soft westerners spending a night outside.
The safari trip was a true back to nature experience and using the lavatories involved finding a suitably bushy plant and asking everyone else to turn the other way. Unfortunately, this was a bit too natural for my Mum who insisted on walking to the Pakistan border for every toilet trip - we thought we'd lost her for good on one occasion, but she made it back to the camp eventually.
Bubli the camel, before I moved to Captain
Dad with his holiday hat
Marching in a line
David and Philip (in his holiday hat)
Resting
Returning from a long toilet trek
Happy camel
A cosy bed for the night (for some)
Sunrise camel
After the adventure of the train, we had a trusty and punctual car to take us to the final location, Chandelao, a little village 40km outside Jodhpur. The hotel was quiet and relaxing after our action-packed itinerary. Phil managed to run most of a marathon on quiet roads around the village (though nearly asphyxiated himself with dust) and I pottered around the village and visited a local arts and crafts cooperative for the women of the village. My Dad, on the other hand, spent most of the first day moaning that the lamp in his bedroom had a frayed wire and would therefore not meet UK Health and Safety standards; and the second day moaning that the hotel hadn't fixed this following him raising the matter. Three words - This Is India. In a country where whole families travel around by balancing precariously on a wobbly scooter, no-one will prioritise fixing a lamp (sorry Dad).
Ladies working to produce colourful crafts for sale. I bought a block print blue bag, my new favourite
The door to our room at our hotel in the village - a converted Indian mini-stately home
Chandelao Garh - We were staying in the room on the second floor at the front with the coloured windows
Spooky stuffed tiger, quite mouldy, with Peter
As is traditional, we all went to bed at 9pm on New Years Eve, after watching a bit of the music and dancing laid on by the hotel. The dancing ladies balancing pots filled with fire on their heads were pretty impressive, but sleep overtook us (the camel safari night was still affecting some people...) so we were all extremely anti-social and agree to say Happy New Year in the morning and head back to Mumbai. Quite right too.
Veronica coped admirably with the washing on our return. Unfortunately we'd had a slight incident before the holiday where all Pete's expensive white t-shirts and shirts were washed with my new bright red kurta and came out a deep shade of pink. Thankfully, pink seemed to suit him well and it gave him a good reason to get some new shirts tailored in Mumbai as replacements.
We're now home alone again but with lots of blogging with which to catch up. There's more to come soon...
Hi Jennie
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I'm really enjoying reading about your travels, and Phoebe likes the camels. She wants to know if she can go to India to ride camels when she's 6 (which is not far off....I told her she can do what she likes when she's grown up!). I visited the Thar desert in Pakistan almost 20 years ago, so your post brings back good memories, although only men were allowed to ride the camels there (I think because it's predominantly Islamic). Can you send me the doggie photo? I've just finished my training as a breastfeeding counsellor and I think it would appeal to my colleagues (you might think this weird, but hopefully not!) - I like the fact the dogs don't all belong to the mother! Thanks!
Jo Johnson
Hi Jo,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your message and for getting in touch. I've just sent an email to your googlemail account with some pics....
All the best
Jennie