Jaipur, the pink city - 293 km from Delhi
Capital of Rajasthan
3.2 million inhabitants
I sit on a red lounge with a royal insignia on the terrace of the Amber Fort, high in the hills over Jaipur, the Pink City. I opted out of a tour of the 400 year old fort because:
a) We have already this morning toured at least five temples, palaces, museums and an observatory, which alone would take a chapter to describe, it was so amazing and moon landscape like…
b) We have ridden and elephant to this Amber Fort, an acquired taste, I’d say…
c) We had an excellent lunch
d) It is three pm and nap-time
It is hardly original to observe that India is a land of contrasts and contradictions. But somehow, when it’s in your face, it’s more real. The opulence of the restaurant at the fort, which is on top of a mountain, rivals Vienna in glitz. But walking from the bus to the gates of these walled complexes, beseeched by hawker and beggars from all sides selling cheap glitzy trinkets, reminded me of scenes from the Lion in Winter, where Katherine Hepburn strides through the courtyard, scattering chickens…it is heart-wrenching to see mothers, no more than four feet tall, holding babies out to you in the middle of traffic, young amputees hawking, children clamouring at your knees. And the guard, in traditional dress – and they all look like Omar Sharif – is speaking on a cell phone.
Have I mentioned the elephant ride? The photos will not give an impression of the terrific jostling we got – our beast and handler was training for the Olympics, Bibi thought, and at a great clip passed everyone on the steep narrow stone road which leads up to the fort. In fact our innards have been given a good shaking up, because the train ride is not dissimilar to great turbulence during a flight – I felt seat belts in bed might have been a good thing. Speaking of the train, the opulence on board is overwhelming. This train, half a kilometer long, with its
mostly original crew, has been travelling this route for the past 28 years – it has hosted foreign heads of state, Indian princes and Mick Jagger. And now us. Our 70 fellow travellers are from all over the globe – many South Americans, some Americans, Canadians, Australians, UK, and a few Indian
families thrown in. No Asians.
The train has two dining rooms – last night’s dinner had 10 courses- a bar salon and an
impressive spa set-up, which we will hardly have time to use – today’s agenda is 10 hours, tomorrow’s,
which starts with a pre-dawn lion safari, is much longer. If internet is available, as promised,
you may even get this blog…
Did I mention the gypsies?
Capital of Rajasthan
3.2 million inhabitants
I sit on a red lounge with a royal insignia on the terrace of the Amber Fort, high in the hills over Jaipur, the Pink City. I opted out of a tour of the 400 year old fort because:
a) We have already this morning toured at least five temples, palaces, museums and an observatory, which alone would take a chapter to describe, it was so amazing and moon landscape like…
b) We have ridden and elephant to this Amber Fort, an acquired taste, I’d say…
c) We had an excellent lunch
d) It is three pm and nap-time
It is hardly original to observe that India is a land of contrasts and contradictions. But somehow, when it’s in your face, it’s more real. The opulence of the restaurant at the fort, which is on top of a mountain, rivals Vienna in glitz. But walking from the bus to the gates of these walled complexes, beseeched by hawker and beggars from all sides selling cheap glitzy trinkets, reminded me of scenes from the Lion in Winter, where Katherine Hepburn strides through the courtyard, scattering chickens…it is heart-wrenching to see mothers, no more than four feet tall, holding babies out to you in the middle of traffic, young amputees hawking, children clamouring at your knees. And the guard, in traditional dress – and they all look like Omar Sharif – is speaking on a cell phone.
Have I mentioned the elephant ride? The photos will not give an impression of the terrific jostling we got – our beast and handler was training for the Olympics, Bibi thought, and at a great clip passed everyone on the steep narrow stone road which leads up to the fort. In fact our innards have been given a good shaking up, because the train ride is not dissimilar to great turbulence during a flight – I felt seat belts in bed might have been a good thing. Speaking of the train, the opulence on board is overwhelming. This train, half a kilometer long, with its
mostly original crew, has been travelling this route for the past 28 years – it has hosted foreign heads of state, Indian princes and Mick Jagger. And now us. Our 70 fellow travellers are from all over the globe – many South Americans, some Americans, Canadians, Australians, UK, and a few Indian
families thrown in. No Asians.
The train has two dining rooms – last night’s dinner had 10 courses- a bar salon and an
impressive spa set-up, which we will hardly have time to use – today’s agenda is 10 hours, tomorrow’s,
which starts with a pre-dawn lion safari, is much longer. If internet is available, as promised,
you may even get this blog…
Did I mention the gypsies?
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