Travelling
We had a chauffeured car throughout our holiday. I would have loved if it would have been the traditional old 1950’s Hindustan Ambassador based on the Morris Oxford car, but unfortunately they are now simply not reliable enough! Being driven round Rajasthan was a very different experience from anywhere else in the world. For instance cows are sacred and allowed to wander the streets at will, adding to the congestion.
They drive on the left hand side of the road in India (yet another British legacy). At least they usually do. When I noticed traffic going round a large roundabout in New Delhi in both directions, simultaneously, but the signs all pointing to the left, I queried our guide. He calmly explained that in India, road signs are simply, “Street Decorations”.
The streets are very chaotic, with all manner of vehicles, carts, tuck-tucks, etc. sharing the roads. I can’t remember where Ann took the photo, below, from our car – it could have been anywhere in India, the centre of Delhi or in the middle of a small village in the outer regions of Rajasthan.
Chandni Chowk Delhi. A hairy rickshaw ride through this bustling bazaar was fun.
The lorries were often ornately decorated by their owners.
Our favourite travelling photo. We were approaching this bike & I could see the sari billowing so I took this photo while overtaking. I then realised how many were squeezed on to the bike! It was doing a fair speed down this road.
I asked one of our guides about the wearing of crash helmets for pillion passengers. He said that they had to wear crash helmets by law. When I then pointed out a female pillion passenger without a helmet he replied (as if I had just asked a very dumb question) that obviously he had meant men, as the law didn’t apply to women. Ann was not amused.
The elephants were usually highly decorated. This one was strolling down a side alley in Udaipur.
The camel is the standard beast of burden.
Just seeing the country go by when in the car was fascinating. I was astounded at seeing building sites, with many of the manual labourers being women, working in brightly coloured saris. When asked, I was told that in rural areas, it is the women who work at the more menial jobs, while the men try to get better paid work.
In a Jaipur street, these kids wanted some rupees for having their photo taken.
Sardar Market in Jodhpur. A famous marketplace where you can buy all sorts of exotic spices. It has a very British clock tower in the centre.
A popular sweet drink made from freshly squeezed cane. Very refreshing. These sellers were a common sight everywhere.
It is a Rajput tradition to grow long moustaches, – a sign of masculinity..?!?….. This was taken in Jaisalmer outside the Patwon ki Haveli, one of the most magnificent in the city.
The Hawa Mahal in Jaipur. This five story building is just a facade – barely one narrow room deep, with hundreds of latticed windows. Built to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the outside world – which they were forbidden to enter – without being seen.
An ordinary house within the Jaisalmer Fort area. The ground floors of such houses are often plain on the outside, with the upper stories making up for it with very ornate decorations.
OK, so it seemed a good idea at the time. A couple of bored security guards showed us how they wrap up their very long turbans.
Exotic dancers at a Jaipur restaurant, balancing burning braziers on their heads. Jaipur with Delhi & Agra makes up the ubiquitous Golden Triangle, Indian holiday. However we enjoyed the rest of Rajasthan much more than the main cities.
In Rohet we went to a traditional Opium Ceremony for greeting visitors. It is traditional to drink (weak) opium three times from the host’s hand. This is where I bought my Opium boat now in the our dining room.
All holidays have to end, so bye-bye India & thanks to Tapas for organising such a brilliant holiday. Note the bottle of Kingfisher beer on the table. We got to have a great liking for it by the end of the holiday. The photo below was taken in Udaipur by Lake Pichola.
