Country - USA 14 February 2011 8:12:15 PM GMT+05:30
Guest Name: Barbara & Roger Higbee
Tour Taken: Delhi, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Bikaner, Phalodi, Jodhpur, Udaipur
My apologies for taking so long to write. I know that as soon as I send this off I will think of more things to add.
What an adventure, we saw so many new and interesting places, all within the same basic itinerary we had previously followed. Compass outdid themselves in finding new experiences and new places for us to enjoy.
Our first two nights were spent at The Estate, a bed and breakfast, in a quiet residential neighborhood. The room was pleasant, clean and neat. As we were waking up there was a lot of noise outside which we later found was the monkeys, what fun. The are so much fun to watch. The next morning we were met by Corum, our driver and Rabi, our guide. The first stop was the Akshardham Temple. Rabi took us there first to avoid crowds later in the day. The lines were very long indeed when we left the area. The temple was spectacular. We picked up a brochure before we left and learned quite a lot more about the temple. After the temple visit we had a very enjoyable day but not quite as I had envisioned. I knew things would become interesting when Rabi asked us for a copy of our itinerary for what we were to do next. As we didn’t yet have an itinerary, I told him of the People and Places of Delhi tour. He wasn’t familiar with it so I added that we were to see a perfume maker, pigeon flyer and kite maker/flyer. That worked so we were off the Chandi Chowk. Before the pedicab ride we visited the large mosque. During the pedicab ride we did stop at a perfume maker/essential oil shop. The owner was very accommodating but could use a bit of marketing advice and guidance. We had not been in Chandi Chowk since our first visit to India in 2004, and it remained unchanged. It would be nice to go for a walk in the area. The next stop was at a very interesting Sikh temple where they fed up to 500 people twice a day. I’m not sure lunch was planned but when we suggested that we were getting hungry, Rabi took us to a very nice place for some delicious butter chicken. After lunch we drove around the government buildings where the Republic Day seating was set up. We had not seen the area before so it was really interesting and we saw it later on TV when showing the Republic Day parades. After a brief stop at a shop selling goods from Kashmir, we returned to our bed and breakfast.
We had an early start the next morning with a train trip to Ajmer. Corum and Bhavin were there to pick us up and get us to the train station. Thank goodness Bhavin was there to get us situated as the train station could be a very confusing place. He waited to wave goodbye to us and we were on our way. Bhavin and Naka explained to us that we would stay on the train until the last stop. The six hour trip went by quickly as the first three hours were taken up with serving tea and breakfast. The train pulled into Ajmer station 15 minutes early. We got ourselves off the train and in no time Meenu and Raghu were there to meet us. We drove on to Kishangarh and our hotel, the Phool Mahal or Flower Palace. What a lovely and romantic place it was. There was a lot of activity going on in preparation for a wedding that evening. Raghu checked and we could observe the festivities. We had a beautiful room with a cupola and paintings on the walls. They immediately brought in a heater and turned it on to warm the room. We had added Kishangarh to the itinerary as I had read about the school of miniature painting there. Seems my books had some outdated information as the school was no longer there. Raghu took us on a walk thru the village which we really enjoyed. We stopped at several shops along the way. We were getting tired so returned to the hotel to rest until dinner. As we rested the wedding procession went by, with the drums, horses and a large wedding party. What a happy event it was. Adding to the festivities, the local princess was being married at the fort next door. During the wedding procession, the man from the dining room arrived so we could decide what we wanted for dinner so they could start to prepare it. A little later we turned off the heater and left for dinner. We had a nice dinner in the dining room and walked over to where the wedding was being held. It was really pretty. When we returned to our room the heater no longer worked. The man from the dining room and a few others brought us another heater. All was good for the moment. By the end of the evening I felt so sorry for the man who checked us in. The hotel was busy with the wedding, everything in our bathroom sequentially sprung leaks. He thought he had the sink and toilet set only to have it start leaking again. The bath tub/shower wanted to start a flood. We turned off the water and went to bed. We turned it back on, used it and turned the water back off. We told him about it when we checked out in the morning. He was so gracious and apologetic. Those things happen, we would not have traded our stop in Kishangarh as it was a beautiful and memorable stop.
The next morning Raghu took us to see the marble cutters. We first stopped at Shree Marmo Tiles. They were most gracious to show us around to see how the blocks of marble were cut and moved. They served the most wonderful masala tea with an extra amount of black pepper. The next marble company was down the street a bit and had displays of carved and inlayed marble pieces. It’s too bad they had none for sale with no gift shop on the premises. We could certainly see a nice market if there was a bit of alteration in the pieces for a home shrine to change to a mantle and fireplace covering. We have marble around our fireplace but nothing as beautiful as their pieces. Next we visited Sanganer to see the block printing. We were able to see the older gentleman whose picture is in the guide books. He was very proud of his work. Even more interesting was the paper making. We enjoyed the tour of the process, especially enjoying that the paper was tree free and therefore ‘smell free’. We made a stop to see the making of the Jaipur Blue Pottery. There must not have been much at Tilonia as Raghu had not heard of it. We went on to Jaipur and the city palace. Raghu knew a good clean place for samosas on the street outside the city palace. They were good and the most spicy samosas I’ve ever eaten. We again visited the city palace and man who had done the fine line painting that hangs in our living room. Then on to a carpet maker. I suggested to Raghu that the next time he visits there he talk with the man about not announcing that he was Compass’s exclusive carpet stop. To many that would suggest that Compass receives kickbacks from him. Our hotel, Sugan Niwas, was very nice and we were well cared for. We had hot water for showers so all was well. To our surprise the next morning there was a peacock who was willing to entertain us right outside of our room.
The next morning we started for Bikaner. We mentioned to Raghu that we had anticipated stopping at a step well en route. He made sure we visited one the next day. We arrived to see the camels at the absolutely perfect time. They were being brought in from the day of grazing in the fields. It is so interesting to see them walking with their clumsy gait. The babies were eager for their mothers to return so they could eat. There were very few visitors and we were able to be very close to the animals. Roger recorded the sound of the males on his Ipod. It is the same sound that is used in many monster and horror films. Raghu knew that we liked the beautiful fine line painting so he provided a stop at a gallery for us. That concluded our day so we arrived at the Maharaja Ganga Mahal, a beautiful hotel. We had a beautiful room and delicious dinner. The evening water was warmish and a bit warmer in the morning. This hotel, as well as several others, had signs asking to conserve water. The signs conflict with the directions to allow the water to run to become hot which generally took from five to ten minutes, then maybe hot, maybe warm, maybe not. The hotel was beautiful, inside and out, but could use a bit more warmth from the personnel. The next morning we visited the city palace which we had particularly enjoyed when we were here before. It’s a beautiful, well tended palace. Then on to one of the highlights of the trip, our walking and tuk-tuk tour of the old city. We watched the Bikaner sweets being made and tasted some right out of the cooker. Our next tasting was of the snacks which were really tasty and would go well with beer. As we were admiring some beautiful old, empty havelis, our tuk-tuk driver knew of one that was partially remodeled, Bhanwar Niwas. He took us there and they showed us some of their rooms. It would be a fantastic place to stay, other than I wouldn’t be very comfortable walking outside of the facility.
From Bikaner we headed on to Phalodi and the Lal Niwas Palace. We saw a bit of the town before we reached the hotel. I kept hoping the appearance would improve, it didn’t. The exterior of the hotel was of a beautiful red haveli. The room was not ready at 4:00-4:30PM, when we arrived, as they said they had a wedding the day before. The room was ready in about 10 minutes, whether it was cleaned or not is questionable. The towels appeared to be clean. I wasn’t sure if the bedding was fresh or not but looked pretty clean. The blanket was a far cry from clean. The room’s cleanliness was shaky. The mud and dung hut we stayed in later at the Bishnoi Village was much, much cleaner. I would classify it as one of the dirtiest, creepiest places I have ever slept. We were shown how to use the geyser for hot water, all 30 seconds of it. I guess we should be thankful for our thirty seconds of hot water and all the cold water we wanted as a little later there was no water for a period of time. I can’t recall if that was before or after the power went out for a time. Part of what made the room so creepy was the lack of windows. The lack of windows was made up for by a number of ‘cubby holes’ with lights in them to look like windows. The effect was fire trap. Dinner was equally ‘interesting’. We ordered peas pilau and sweet and sour lo mein for dinner. They were both tasty. If only my plate didn’t have a couple of big, greasy finger prints on it. I wiped them off and didn’t get sick so guess it wasn’t a big problem.
The plan was to go see the demoiselle cranes and return to the hotel for breakfast and check out. We decided it would work better for us to just check out and be on our way after we saw the cranes. Raghu had arranged for us to view the cranes from the roof of a home next door. It was fascinating to watch them land on the dunes and move forward toward the food. The leader crane, the one with his legs and feet at a 45 degree angle, checked everything out before any approached the food. Then they moved in almost in a predetermined sequence. It reminded me a bit of the Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds’. The cranes were truly beautiful but I would miss them rather than stay at the Lal Niwas Palace again.
After seeing the cranes we were on to Jaisalmer. We had lunch at the Gajner Palace watching the birds on the lake, what a pretty place. En route we stopped at Pokaran to see the fort. A highlight of the fort was all of the flowers in bloom within the fort. We checked into our room at our hotel, Narayan Niwas Palace. The room was shabby chic and very enjoyable. Both the Gajner Palace and our hotel had some beautiful artwork. The artwork at our hotel looked like it could have been by Miro. We even had a pigeon mother with eggs in an opening in the hallway across from our door. She was always with her eggs and the male joined her in the evening. I wish we could have stayed long enough to see them hatch. It was a delightful two night stay with hot water both nights. Before dinner Raghu took us to a high point to watch the sunset over the fort, it was truly enchanting. It was a sight not to be missed in Jaisalmer. We had a nice dinner at the hotel and used their provided wifi.
The next day was Republic Day. We spent the morning at the holiday program with the children and army performing. The kids were so cute in their uniforms. They were all sitting on the parade grounds. When they stood up most of them dusted off their pants, raising a quite a dust storm. Afterwards we could plainly see which ones hadn’t dusted off. They did exercises and a short program. The army was next showing that they were prepared for disasters. The audience looked like they really enjoyed the programs. Then there were some folk dances and floats. We even had our picture taken by a local paper. After the children performed they all sat on the ground right in front of us. Along came the teacher, a large woman. If she told me to behave and sit up straight, I sure would have! The children were beautifully behaved. From the program we headed out to Lodurva. On the way we stopped at some pretty gardens and saw pomegranates growing, which we had never seen before. It was well worth the trip as the temples were beautiful with their intricate carving. On the way back to Jaisalmer we stopped at the cenotaphs for the royalty of Jaisalmer. We stopped at an out of the way restaurant for lunch and had pakoras. They had a seasoning sprinkled on them that Raghu helped us find at the spice store in Jodhpur, water curry. Back in the city we stopped on the street of the silversmiths. We went into one home and watched the making of the wedding jewelry. Thank you for our wonderful dinner at the Trio Restaurant in town. Raghu had arranged the perfect table overlooking the fort and the maharaja’s home. Both were highlighted with lights for the holiday. We couldn’t have visited on a more perfect day as the fort is not usually light up at night. We had been at the restaurant on our first trip to Jaisalmer and taken Mr Singh with us. We had the same dinner this time, Tandoori Chicken, it was fantastic, made all the more tasty by the beautiful surroundings. What a wonderful, memorable evening.
We hated to leave our hotel with the friendly staff, our hot water and the mother pigeon but it was time to head on the Jodhpur. We stopped for a morning break at a lovely resort I think it‘s name was Marwar. They had a woman painting pictures on the ground that were interesting and beautiful. We went to lunch at the restaurant, On the Rocks, next door to the Ajit Bhawan, thank you for our many meals. We had had dinner there on our first visit to Jodhpur but this time it was warmer at lunchtime and we were able to enjoy eating outdoors. Next, a walk around the clock tower in Jodhpur. It was really fun going thru the various alleyways, each with their own specialty of markets. What a wonderful experience, wandering thru the alleys and lanes of the market. We checked into our hotel, Karni Bhawan, a nice room again with hot water. This was the only ‘buffet’ type of dinner we had and it was very nice as they were cooking/barbecuing outdoors. We ate in covered areas in the courtyard. It was a beautiful setting and a delicious dinner.
The next morning we went to the fort for a short visit. Next was a stop at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, what an elegant place. It was a clear day so the views were spectacular. We next arrived in the Bishnoi area. We visited the pottery makers and rug co-operative. We were sorry to have missed the gentleman we had seen there twice previously but his wife was there which we enjoyed. She had welcomed us with her husband on our first trip. Thankfully we did not stop at the opium place. We had lunch at a home, featuring desert beans which were tasty, once. We also had millet chapatis. We saw some wildlife as we drove to the Bishnoi Village for our overnight stay. Our hut was spotlessly clean and we were getting spoiled with another night with hot water. The man asked when we wanted our dinner and was at the door a few minutes before the designated time to let us know that our dinner was ready. It consisted of more desert beans, buttermilk soup, potatoes and the millet chapatis. The highlight of dinner was the millet chapatis after he showed us how to put ghee and jaggery on them. That turned them into a real treat. Afraid of more desert beans, we passed on breakfast and just had masala tea which was extra good as it had quite a lot of pepper in it. Our stay in the mud and dung hut was a pleasant experience, it was clean, had hot water and we were warm. For aesthetic reasons I did keep my socks on. A minor disappointment was that I had seen on the Internet that there would be local entertainment in the evening. Perhaps with only two huts in use, it did not warrant entertainment, that would be understandable.
Off and on our way to Udaipur the next morning. En route we stopped at Narlai and walked around both the Rawla Narlai and the village. Rawla Narlai was a lovely resort. We saw the steps up the rock mountain with the temple on top but did not venture on up. The walk thru the village was interesting ending with a visit to a shepherd’s home. It was led by one of the men from the hotel. Paying to go in and view someone’s home is a little more intrusive than I am comfortable with. It was fun to see the young animals, housed near the home. It was pretty to see the shoe makers with their bright pink turbans. Back out of the loop to Narlai and we were headed for Udaipur on a smooth surface road. It was a beautiful drive thru the hills, passing by active, animal drawn, water wheels. Soon we arrived at one of our favorite places, the Jagat Niwas Palace in Udaipur. We had lovely, cozy room overlooking Lake Pichola. You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful view. The view from the restaurant at night, with all the lights, was spectacular.
The next day we went out of town to visit areas north of Udaipur. We enjoyed the ride and the views of the countryside but the temples were very busy with pilgrims there to pray. We passed on going inside as the places belong to those who find them holy rather than visitors on special days. The ride was beautiful and the walk thru town interesting. We got back to the hotel, rested, had dinner and went for a walk. All in all, a delightful day. The next morning we were up and on our way to the Monsoon Palace. Thank you for the huge, delicious lunch. Both the lunch and the view were awesome. The chef was a nice looking young man who seemed pleased that we enjoyed his food. As we ate the air cleared a bit so we could view the lakes and buildings. If I were the maharana, I would have trouble going back to the city after staying in such a beautiful place. From the Monsoon Palace we stopped at a local museum on the way to the airport. Due to delays in Delhi our flight was delayed a bit but eventually we were on our way. Raghu made sure we had his phone number in case we had any difficulties. He and Meenu waited until the plane was on it’s way from Delhi before leaving. Back in Delhi Bhavin was easy to find at the airport and we were on our way back to The Estate for the last night of our trip.
The next morning we slept in and then were on our way to the Surajkund Mela. We picked up Rabi from the Metro station and slowly made our way thru the traffic. When we arrived at the Mela, Rabi and our driver convinced them that we were VIPs and were then allowed to park quite close to the entrance. I don’t think Rabi was very excited to be at the Mela but we were, so we made up for his lack of enthusiasm. He was very helpful in finding the areas from Punjab so we could inquire about our friend. Shopping just wasn’t his thing. After several hours there we had lunch, dropped Rabi off at the Metro and went back to our bed and breakfast to pack. We had an absolutely wonderful dinner at Oh! Calcutta. I knew that Bengali food would consist of fish. I had envisioned that I would be eating fish head stew as an authentic dish. I was mentally prepared to eat and enjoy whatever was offered. Instead we had a delicious and exciting dinner, nothing of what I had envisioned and feared. The lime marinated fish in milk sauce was one of the best fish dishes I have ever had. The silpa tasted almost barbecued, light and delicious. The drunken shrimp were so tasty. I have found recipes for the Chinese version, not the Bengali version. The shrimp cooked in coconut water were delicate and richly flavored. The puffy bread was almost like air. I can’t imagine servants separating the bread as the whole thing tasted the same to me. Other than in gumbo, I have never had okra (ladies slippers) but would enjoy eating it frequently if it tasted as good as the smoky flavored version we had. It was really yummy. The caramel dessert was to die for, sweet but not overly sweet. I could eat that forever. Thank you so much for such a memorable evening. The food and conversation will both be remembered with pleasure.
The new airport is such a great improvement. It was very easy to navigate when Bhavin left us at the door. The last time we left Delhi, the airport workers had been on strike for three days and our plane was delayed for hours. There were roaches that I was about to name, smiling at us as we waited. The new airport is such a nice experience now that visitors get a great first impression of India. It is a bright and cheerful place to wait.
Fifty-eight years ago I was in the third grade. We had a newspaper for school children called the ‘Weekly Reader’. It was there that I first learned of the fighting in Kashmir. Our teacher told us that Kashmir was the most beautiful place on earth and since then I have wanted to visit. It’s sad the fighting has been going on since then. I would still like to be able to see it but now I have also added to my list Calcutta so I could enjoy their cuisine for days on end.
Ours thanks to you and your team for a memorable experience. Everyone on the Compass team made us feel like family. We will hope to see you later this year.
We plan our next trip to be to London but had such a great time that we hope we will be able to visit India again in the coming years. We had forgotten in part of just how much we enjoy being there. It is truly our favorite place to visit.
Voyage en Inde
India Viajes
Tour Taken: Delhi, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Bikaner, Phalodi, Jodhpur, Udaipur
My apologies for taking so long to write. I know that as soon as I send this off I will think of more things to add.
What an adventure, we saw so many new and interesting places, all within the same basic itinerary we had previously followed. Compass outdid themselves in finding new experiences and new places for us to enjoy.
Our first two nights were spent at The Estate, a bed and breakfast, in a quiet residential neighborhood. The room was pleasant, clean and neat. As we were waking up there was a lot of noise outside which we later found was the monkeys, what fun. The are so much fun to watch. The next morning we were met by Corum, our driver and Rabi, our guide. The first stop was the Akshardham Temple. Rabi took us there first to avoid crowds later in the day. The lines were very long indeed when we left the area. The temple was spectacular. We picked up a brochure before we left and learned quite a lot more about the temple. After the temple visit we had a very enjoyable day but not quite as I had envisioned. I knew things would become interesting when Rabi asked us for a copy of our itinerary for what we were to do next. As we didn’t yet have an itinerary, I told him of the People and Places of Delhi tour. He wasn’t familiar with it so I added that we were to see a perfume maker, pigeon flyer and kite maker/flyer. That worked so we were off the Chandi Chowk. Before the pedicab ride we visited the large mosque. During the pedicab ride we did stop at a perfume maker/essential oil shop. The owner was very accommodating but could use a bit of marketing advice and guidance. We had not been in Chandi Chowk since our first visit to India in 2004, and it remained unchanged. It would be nice to go for a walk in the area. The next stop was at a very interesting Sikh temple where they fed up to 500 people twice a day. I’m not sure lunch was planned but when we suggested that we were getting hungry, Rabi took us to a very nice place for some delicious butter chicken. After lunch we drove around the government buildings where the Republic Day seating was set up. We had not seen the area before so it was really interesting and we saw it later on TV when showing the Republic Day parades. After a brief stop at a shop selling goods from Kashmir, we returned to our bed and breakfast.
We had an early start the next morning with a train trip to Ajmer. Corum and Bhavin were there to pick us up and get us to the train station. Thank goodness Bhavin was there to get us situated as the train station could be a very confusing place. He waited to wave goodbye to us and we were on our way. Bhavin and Naka explained to us that we would stay on the train until the last stop. The six hour trip went by quickly as the first three hours were taken up with serving tea and breakfast. The train pulled into Ajmer station 15 minutes early. We got ourselves off the train and in no time Meenu and Raghu were there to meet us. We drove on to Kishangarh and our hotel, the Phool Mahal or Flower Palace. What a lovely and romantic place it was. There was a lot of activity going on in preparation for a wedding that evening. Raghu checked and we could observe the festivities. We had a beautiful room with a cupola and paintings on the walls. They immediately brought in a heater and turned it on to warm the room. We had added Kishangarh to the itinerary as I had read about the school of miniature painting there. Seems my books had some outdated information as the school was no longer there. Raghu took us on a walk thru the village which we really enjoyed. We stopped at several shops along the way. We were getting tired so returned to the hotel to rest until dinner. As we rested the wedding procession went by, with the drums, horses and a large wedding party. What a happy event it was. Adding to the festivities, the local princess was being married at the fort next door. During the wedding procession, the man from the dining room arrived so we could decide what we wanted for dinner so they could start to prepare it. A little later we turned off the heater and left for dinner. We had a nice dinner in the dining room and walked over to where the wedding was being held. It was really pretty. When we returned to our room the heater no longer worked. The man from the dining room and a few others brought us another heater. All was good for the moment. By the end of the evening I felt so sorry for the man who checked us in. The hotel was busy with the wedding, everything in our bathroom sequentially sprung leaks. He thought he had the sink and toilet set only to have it start leaking again. The bath tub/shower wanted to start a flood. We turned off the water and went to bed. We turned it back on, used it and turned the water back off. We told him about it when we checked out in the morning. He was so gracious and apologetic. Those things happen, we would not have traded our stop in Kishangarh as it was a beautiful and memorable stop.
The next morning Raghu took us to see the marble cutters. We first stopped at Shree Marmo Tiles. They were most gracious to show us around to see how the blocks of marble were cut and moved. They served the most wonderful masala tea with an extra amount of black pepper. The next marble company was down the street a bit and had displays of carved and inlayed marble pieces. It’s too bad they had none for sale with no gift shop on the premises. We could certainly see a nice market if there was a bit of alteration in the pieces for a home shrine to change to a mantle and fireplace covering. We have marble around our fireplace but nothing as beautiful as their pieces. Next we visited Sanganer to see the block printing. We were able to see the older gentleman whose picture is in the guide books. He was very proud of his work. Even more interesting was the paper making. We enjoyed the tour of the process, especially enjoying that the paper was tree free and therefore ‘smell free’. We made a stop to see the making of the Jaipur Blue Pottery. There must not have been much at Tilonia as Raghu had not heard of it. We went on to Jaipur and the city palace. Raghu knew a good clean place for samosas on the street outside the city palace. They were good and the most spicy samosas I’ve ever eaten. We again visited the city palace and man who had done the fine line painting that hangs in our living room. Then on to a carpet maker. I suggested to Raghu that the next time he visits there he talk with the man about not announcing that he was Compass’s exclusive carpet stop. To many that would suggest that Compass receives kickbacks from him. Our hotel, Sugan Niwas, was very nice and we were well cared for. We had hot water for showers so all was well. To our surprise the next morning there was a peacock who was willing to entertain us right outside of our room.
The next morning we started for Bikaner. We mentioned to Raghu that we had anticipated stopping at a step well en route. He made sure we visited one the next day. We arrived to see the camels at the absolutely perfect time. They were being brought in from the day of grazing in the fields. It is so interesting to see them walking with their clumsy gait. The babies were eager for their mothers to return so they could eat. There were very few visitors and we were able to be very close to the animals. Roger recorded the sound of the males on his Ipod. It is the same sound that is used in many monster and horror films. Raghu knew that we liked the beautiful fine line painting so he provided a stop at a gallery for us. That concluded our day so we arrived at the Maharaja Ganga Mahal, a beautiful hotel. We had a beautiful room and delicious dinner. The evening water was warmish and a bit warmer in the morning. This hotel, as well as several others, had signs asking to conserve water. The signs conflict with the directions to allow the water to run to become hot which generally took from five to ten minutes, then maybe hot, maybe warm, maybe not. The hotel was beautiful, inside and out, but could use a bit more warmth from the personnel. The next morning we visited the city palace which we had particularly enjoyed when we were here before. It’s a beautiful, well tended palace. Then on to one of the highlights of the trip, our walking and tuk-tuk tour of the old city. We watched the Bikaner sweets being made and tasted some right out of the cooker. Our next tasting was of the snacks which were really tasty and would go well with beer. As we were admiring some beautiful old, empty havelis, our tuk-tuk driver knew of one that was partially remodeled, Bhanwar Niwas. He took us there and they showed us some of their rooms. It would be a fantastic place to stay, other than I wouldn’t be very comfortable walking outside of the facility.
From Bikaner we headed on to Phalodi and the Lal Niwas Palace. We saw a bit of the town before we reached the hotel. I kept hoping the appearance would improve, it didn’t. The exterior of the hotel was of a beautiful red haveli. The room was not ready at 4:00-4:30PM, when we arrived, as they said they had a wedding the day before. The room was ready in about 10 minutes, whether it was cleaned or not is questionable. The towels appeared to be clean. I wasn’t sure if the bedding was fresh or not but looked pretty clean. The blanket was a far cry from clean. The room’s cleanliness was shaky. The mud and dung hut we stayed in later at the Bishnoi Village was much, much cleaner. I would classify it as one of the dirtiest, creepiest places I have ever slept. We were shown how to use the geyser for hot water, all 30 seconds of it. I guess we should be thankful for our thirty seconds of hot water and all the cold water we wanted as a little later there was no water for a period of time. I can’t recall if that was before or after the power went out for a time. Part of what made the room so creepy was the lack of windows. The lack of windows was made up for by a number of ‘cubby holes’ with lights in them to look like windows. The effect was fire trap. Dinner was equally ‘interesting’. We ordered peas pilau and sweet and sour lo mein for dinner. They were both tasty. If only my plate didn’t have a couple of big, greasy finger prints on it. I wiped them off and didn’t get sick so guess it wasn’t a big problem.
The plan was to go see the demoiselle cranes and return to the hotel for breakfast and check out. We decided it would work better for us to just check out and be on our way after we saw the cranes. Raghu had arranged for us to view the cranes from the roof of a home next door. It was fascinating to watch them land on the dunes and move forward toward the food. The leader crane, the one with his legs and feet at a 45 degree angle, checked everything out before any approached the food. Then they moved in almost in a predetermined sequence. It reminded me a bit of the Hitchcock movie ‘The Birds’. The cranes were truly beautiful but I would miss them rather than stay at the Lal Niwas Palace again.
After seeing the cranes we were on to Jaisalmer. We had lunch at the Gajner Palace watching the birds on the lake, what a pretty place. En route we stopped at Pokaran to see the fort. A highlight of the fort was all of the flowers in bloom within the fort. We checked into our room at our hotel, Narayan Niwas Palace. The room was shabby chic and very enjoyable. Both the Gajner Palace and our hotel had some beautiful artwork. The artwork at our hotel looked like it could have been by Miro. We even had a pigeon mother with eggs in an opening in the hallway across from our door. She was always with her eggs and the male joined her in the evening. I wish we could have stayed long enough to see them hatch. It was a delightful two night stay with hot water both nights. Before dinner Raghu took us to a high point to watch the sunset over the fort, it was truly enchanting. It was a sight not to be missed in Jaisalmer. We had a nice dinner at the hotel and used their provided wifi.
The next day was Republic Day. We spent the morning at the holiday program with the children and army performing. The kids were so cute in their uniforms. They were all sitting on the parade grounds. When they stood up most of them dusted off their pants, raising a quite a dust storm. Afterwards we could plainly see which ones hadn’t dusted off. They did exercises and a short program. The army was next showing that they were prepared for disasters. The audience looked like they really enjoyed the programs. Then there were some folk dances and floats. We even had our picture taken by a local paper. After the children performed they all sat on the ground right in front of us. Along came the teacher, a large woman. If she told me to behave and sit up straight, I sure would have! The children were beautifully behaved. From the program we headed out to Lodurva. On the way we stopped at some pretty gardens and saw pomegranates growing, which we had never seen before. It was well worth the trip as the temples were beautiful with their intricate carving. On the way back to Jaisalmer we stopped at the cenotaphs for the royalty of Jaisalmer. We stopped at an out of the way restaurant for lunch and had pakoras. They had a seasoning sprinkled on them that Raghu helped us find at the spice store in Jodhpur, water curry. Back in the city we stopped on the street of the silversmiths. We went into one home and watched the making of the wedding jewelry. Thank you for our wonderful dinner at the Trio Restaurant in town. Raghu had arranged the perfect table overlooking the fort and the maharaja’s home. Both were highlighted with lights for the holiday. We couldn’t have visited on a more perfect day as the fort is not usually light up at night. We had been at the restaurant on our first trip to Jaisalmer and taken Mr Singh with us. We had the same dinner this time, Tandoori Chicken, it was fantastic, made all the more tasty by the beautiful surroundings. What a wonderful, memorable evening.
We hated to leave our hotel with the friendly staff, our hot water and the mother pigeon but it was time to head on the Jodhpur. We stopped for a morning break at a lovely resort I think it‘s name was Marwar. They had a woman painting pictures on the ground that were interesting and beautiful. We went to lunch at the restaurant, On the Rocks, next door to the Ajit Bhawan, thank you for our many meals. We had had dinner there on our first visit to Jodhpur but this time it was warmer at lunchtime and we were able to enjoy eating outdoors. Next, a walk around the clock tower in Jodhpur. It was really fun going thru the various alleyways, each with their own specialty of markets. What a wonderful experience, wandering thru the alleys and lanes of the market. We checked into our hotel, Karni Bhawan, a nice room again with hot water. This was the only ‘buffet’ type of dinner we had and it was very nice as they were cooking/barbecuing outdoors. We ate in covered areas in the courtyard. It was a beautiful setting and a delicious dinner.
The next morning we went to the fort for a short visit. Next was a stop at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, what an elegant place. It was a clear day so the views were spectacular. We next arrived in the Bishnoi area. We visited the pottery makers and rug co-operative. We were sorry to have missed the gentleman we had seen there twice previously but his wife was there which we enjoyed. She had welcomed us with her husband on our first trip. Thankfully we did not stop at the opium place. We had lunch at a home, featuring desert beans which were tasty, once. We also had millet chapatis. We saw some wildlife as we drove to the Bishnoi Village for our overnight stay. Our hut was spotlessly clean and we were getting spoiled with another night with hot water. The man asked when we wanted our dinner and was at the door a few minutes before the designated time to let us know that our dinner was ready. It consisted of more desert beans, buttermilk soup, potatoes and the millet chapatis. The highlight of dinner was the millet chapatis after he showed us how to put ghee and jaggery on them. That turned them into a real treat. Afraid of more desert beans, we passed on breakfast and just had masala tea which was extra good as it had quite a lot of pepper in it. Our stay in the mud and dung hut was a pleasant experience, it was clean, had hot water and we were warm. For aesthetic reasons I did keep my socks on. A minor disappointment was that I had seen on the Internet that there would be local entertainment in the evening. Perhaps with only two huts in use, it did not warrant entertainment, that would be understandable.
Off and on our way to Udaipur the next morning. En route we stopped at Narlai and walked around both the Rawla Narlai and the village. Rawla Narlai was a lovely resort. We saw the steps up the rock mountain with the temple on top but did not venture on up. The walk thru the village was interesting ending with a visit to a shepherd’s home. It was led by one of the men from the hotel. Paying to go in and view someone’s home is a little more intrusive than I am comfortable with. It was fun to see the young animals, housed near the home. It was pretty to see the shoe makers with their bright pink turbans. Back out of the loop to Narlai and we were headed for Udaipur on a smooth surface road. It was a beautiful drive thru the hills, passing by active, animal drawn, water wheels. Soon we arrived at one of our favorite places, the Jagat Niwas Palace in Udaipur. We had lovely, cozy room overlooking Lake Pichola. You couldn’t ask for a more beautiful view. The view from the restaurant at night, with all the lights, was spectacular.
The next day we went out of town to visit areas north of Udaipur. We enjoyed the ride and the views of the countryside but the temples were very busy with pilgrims there to pray. We passed on going inside as the places belong to those who find them holy rather than visitors on special days. The ride was beautiful and the walk thru town interesting. We got back to the hotel, rested, had dinner and went for a walk. All in all, a delightful day. The next morning we were up and on our way to the Monsoon Palace. Thank you for the huge, delicious lunch. Both the lunch and the view were awesome. The chef was a nice looking young man who seemed pleased that we enjoyed his food. As we ate the air cleared a bit so we could view the lakes and buildings. If I were the maharana, I would have trouble going back to the city after staying in such a beautiful place. From the Monsoon Palace we stopped at a local museum on the way to the airport. Due to delays in Delhi our flight was delayed a bit but eventually we were on our way. Raghu made sure we had his phone number in case we had any difficulties. He and Meenu waited until the plane was on it’s way from Delhi before leaving. Back in Delhi Bhavin was easy to find at the airport and we were on our way back to The Estate for the last night of our trip.
The next morning we slept in and then were on our way to the Surajkund Mela. We picked up Rabi from the Metro station and slowly made our way thru the traffic. When we arrived at the Mela, Rabi and our driver convinced them that we were VIPs and were then allowed to park quite close to the entrance. I don’t think Rabi was very excited to be at the Mela but we were, so we made up for his lack of enthusiasm. He was very helpful in finding the areas from Punjab so we could inquire about our friend. Shopping just wasn’t his thing. After several hours there we had lunch, dropped Rabi off at the Metro and went back to our bed and breakfast to pack. We had an absolutely wonderful dinner at Oh! Calcutta. I knew that Bengali food would consist of fish. I had envisioned that I would be eating fish head stew as an authentic dish. I was mentally prepared to eat and enjoy whatever was offered. Instead we had a delicious and exciting dinner, nothing of what I had envisioned and feared. The lime marinated fish in milk sauce was one of the best fish dishes I have ever had. The silpa tasted almost barbecued, light and delicious. The drunken shrimp were so tasty. I have found recipes for the Chinese version, not the Bengali version. The shrimp cooked in coconut water were delicate and richly flavored. The puffy bread was almost like air. I can’t imagine servants separating the bread as the whole thing tasted the same to me. Other than in gumbo, I have never had okra (ladies slippers) but would enjoy eating it frequently if it tasted as good as the smoky flavored version we had. It was really yummy. The caramel dessert was to die for, sweet but not overly sweet. I could eat that forever. Thank you so much for such a memorable evening. The food and conversation will both be remembered with pleasure.
The new airport is such a great improvement. It was very easy to navigate when Bhavin left us at the door. The last time we left Delhi, the airport workers had been on strike for three days and our plane was delayed for hours. There were roaches that I was about to name, smiling at us as we waited. The new airport is such a nice experience now that visitors get a great first impression of India. It is a bright and cheerful place to wait.
Fifty-eight years ago I was in the third grade. We had a newspaper for school children called the ‘Weekly Reader’. It was there that I first learned of the fighting in Kashmir. Our teacher told us that Kashmir was the most beautiful place on earth and since then I have wanted to visit. It’s sad the fighting has been going on since then. I would still like to be able to see it but now I have also added to my list Calcutta so I could enjoy their cuisine for days on end.
Ours thanks to you and your team for a memorable experience. Everyone on the Compass team made us feel like family. We will hope to see you later this year.
We plan our next trip to be to London but had such a great time that we hope we will be able to visit India again in the coming years. We had forgotten in part of just how much we enjoy being there. It is truly our favorite place to visit.