[2019]
[2019]
OUR FAMILY HOLIDAYS
9160 India 2 - Jodhpur to Jaipur
In the middle of our Indian holiday, everything was upset for a couple of days by the national holiday. The internal Indian airlines we were using quite simply shut down. Accordingly we had to travel by coach. We had to cover a long-distance, but this was bearable while we were on the back roads. Once we got to the main roads, especially the main road between Bombay and Delhi, it became almost suicidal. It was a road which, in England, would have been listed as a B road. Instead it was used as the equivalent of our MI, and was absolutely solid with lorries. You had to take your life in your hands to overtake, since you had to find the one gap which appeared every ten minutes so in the traffic coming towards you, and to hope that the drivers coming in the opposite direction were not too suicidal. Regrettably, they often were suicidal. Over a hundred or so miles of this road, we saw the remains of half a dozen recent crashes; most of which looked as if they were fatal.
We were still driving at nightfall, which was even more terrifying. To save fuel, Indian lorry drivers switched off their lights at night. This meant we knew even less what was coming in the opposite direction. All in all, it made me determined never to try and drive on Indian main roads.
At Jaipur we stayed at another Rajah's palace. This was a lot less pretentious, but in terms of the amenities was even more luxurious.
We did the usual sightseeing. We went out to the Amber Fort, and rode on the back of elephants to get up there. This was so uncomfortable we didn't even consider riding back down the same way. It was much easier to simply walk down. The Fort itself was, however, impressive and the inside was beautiful, especially the mirrored pavilion.
We also went to the Tower of the Winds, in the town itself, where the female members of court could sit behind screens and watch the parades going below.
What was most interesting, however, was the Observatory which lay behind it. Its astronomical instruments were built on a gigantic scale. It was an indication of just how advanced was Indian civilisation at that time.
Back at our hotel in Jaipur we experienced one of the highlights of the holiday. There was an Indian wedding taking place from the hotel. Thus, we spent a couple of hours watching the procession setting up and moving off. It comprised something like a hundred musicians, accompanied by fluorescent lighting to illuminate them and even generators to power these. It also contained decorated elephants and camels. The bridegroom himself rode a white stallion. My camera, which I had bought in Japan and looked very professional, was mistaken by the family for that of one from the television news. Accordingly I was invited right into the middle of the wedding party!
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