Hello from Rajasthan! Once more, traveling took over and I forgot the blog I had diligently been keeping. Also, I suppose the urge to write is somewhat subdued when traveling with someone one can share experiences with.
Anyway, 2 weeks have passed since I last wrote from Hampi and I feel like I have covered a vast tract of historical India during this time. I'll try to give a brief account of each of these to give them all the credit they deserve.
Hyderabad was buzzing at Eid time and the vats were overflowing with yummy biryani(their claim to being best in the world is true) and haleem (a kind of spicy meat and wheat stew slow cooked for almost a day). The Charminar and area around the Jami Masjid which is normally the centre of Hyderabadi world became the centre of the Universe with thousands of people and visitors. Hyderabad must also have one of the most priceless exhibits in one room in the world- the Nizam's jewels. I've never ever even imagined jewels so big, emeralds, pearls and rubies and above all diamonds used so lavishly. All of these were dwarfed by the gigantic Jacob diamond, once the largest in the world before the KohiNoor got doscovered, and used by one of the Nizams as a paperweight and forgotten by another in a...shoe. The Nizams were jewel addicts and their wives and kids were permanently weighed down by them. However, despite all this, Hyderabad was disappointing in one way- one could sense that it's golden period was long gone. The decrepid facades of its old havelis, abused by reckless commercial use, seemed to look at the 'new' world with sorry eyes. With the demise of the nizams and their uniquely fastidious lifestyle and their culture, a unique aspect of hyderabad had disappeared, leaving behind a city with only a past to claim.
Delhi- well what to say? It is difficult to make a judgement of a city so vast. It certainly is polluted! One day's stay is not enough and I'll write about it when I get back there in a few days.
From Delhi we went to Bharatpur, in East Rajasthan right at the border with Uttar Pradesh. It is another ancient regional capital, now famous for its unique bird sanctuary. unfortunately, a serious drought had caused the usually water-clogged park to be very dry and only a few birds were there, but the scenery was beautiful in the early morning. In the colonial days, bird hunting was the thing to do here and a certain Lord Viceroy holds the record of birds bagged...a whopping 4273 in one day's shoot!! The maharajah still clearly exerts a significant impact on the daily lives of people here and our hotel owner was unhesitatingly critical of him!
Of all the places in Rajasthan Udaipur exudes a certain confidence and atmosphere I have yet not found elesewhere in India. Whether due to an active maharana who seems to have made big business through his inherited properties dotted around the city (including the fantastic palace) and countryside or simply because of its fantastic skyline and lake, it's undeniably beautiful and comparable to a European city in appearance. Look closer though, and it is clearly Indian- the temple on the lake and on its shores with innumerable bathing ghats, the chanthing of pujas that used to wake us up in the morning (along with the cockerels). However, not as polluted as 'normal' indian cities and its inhabitants clearly not as desperate to sell to tourists, one can wander around unhassled and without constantly fearing one's next step will be met with the squishy softness of fresh cow dung...
Jaisalmer, whise name itself evokes an exotic dream in an Arabian night setting, was also amazing- the first desert city that I'm visiting. The fort, with a couple of thousand inhabitants in the largest inhabited in the world. The masonry of the old buildings dating from 1600 still is preserved on many facades, of incredible complexity and detail. The sand coloured city below viewed from the fort and the surrounding desert countryside was beautiful, reminiscent of a cubist masterpiece in ochre. Unfortunately, tourism has taken over the lives of the locals and one finds little else in the fort other than rooftop restaurants and souvenir shops. Very little authentic local art and lots of the usual cheap stuff to satisfy the hoards of budget tourists that visit this town tucked away at the western edge of Rajsthan, not far from the pakistani border. We did an overnight desert safari on camel back, sleeping the night on the dunes under the stars- amazing, although I would not recommend camel riding as a hobby for those who care for their backsides....it's positively uncomfortable...
Currently in Jodhpur- will tell you about this next time. Got to catch sunset over the suberb fort here....
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Hope you're all keeping well...the cold must be starting to hit back in UK.
Helen, no news from you....you still coming I hope!! All planned here.
Dolan, wassup?? Let me know if you're coming over?
Ash...send some news man!
Norm- hope you had a nice Eid and u must be back properly fattened up after the month of fasting. Did my parcel arrive?
The Oxbridge bwoys??? I've been left out of your emails....what's happening for Xmas?
CMC Vellore crew- how is everyone? Whose presenting (i.e getting slaughtered) this week?