Jaipur

Time for a train ride. We joined the Maharajas’ Express for a few days. This is a luxury train that does several circular routes from Delhi. It meant an early start. 7:30 am saw us arriving at the train station. The red carpet had been rolled out and we were greeted with garlands of flowers. The train arrived a few minutes later and we were shown to our cabin. This all seemed very promising. We found our way to the restaurant car and as the train set off for Jaipur, we settled down for a late breakfast.

By lunchtime we had unpacked and installed into our new room. I was enjoying watching the countryside roll past but there was a problem. I could not take any photographs. All the windows on the train are heavy and tinted so that people cannot see in from the outside. They are thick and distort the image. You do not notice this especially when looking through the window because your brain is remarkably good at compensating for this sort of thing. However, as soon as you look at a photograph taken through the window, you can immediately see how distorted it is. I searched the train. I could not find anywhere to get outside. There was not a single window that could be opened. I tried a few ways of taking pictures but the results were hopeless. For me, this was a big disappointment. I would have been very happy watching the world roll past and snapping a few images of it.

Second disappointment came just a few hours later when we failed to arrive in Jaipur. We did arrive eventually. I don’t know what caused the delay. It was dark when we finally arrived. We were given a tour of Amber Fort. In the dark. So, we could not see too much and photography was difficult.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. Amber Fort sits on top of a hill above the village of Amer and overlooking Jaipur. The views are probably spectacular. Back at the train, we were served an excellent dinner.

Next day started with a museum visit. We survived that and then got taken to the first carpet shop of the trip. This one was making jewellery. We sat in front of three craftsmen that were hand cutting stones. They looked very bored and were possibly keen to get back to their day jobs. An enthusiastic young man explained how their jewellery was the authentic item and how many hours it took an artisan to make. Each craftsman was descended from generations of craftsmen all passing on the secrets of stone cutting. We were eventually led into the showroom. Many of our group, especially those spending US dollars, embraced this with gusto. Diane looks at a few rings but then spotted the prices. I got a free cup of instant coffee.

After a few more hours train travel, we arrived at the Hotel Rambagh Palace. This is a very posh hotel. We were there for dinner. First, we got taken on a tour. I thought it was a bit of an odd tour. We were shown three dining rooms of increasing opulence. They were impressive and eating in any of them would have been a grand experience. We were taken outside and shown a parade of elephants, camels and horses. This was not for our benefit but for a wedding taking part in another part of the hotel.

Finally, we were shown to our tables set up outside, on a lawn. Bit of a letdown after the grandiose rooms we had strolled through. Shortly after I sat down, a man turned up and proceeded to wrap a turban on my head. I am not really one for dressing up, but Diane was impressed. The meal was very good. If, like me, you enjoy vegetarian curries then India is definitely the place. Also, turned out to be very pleasant sitting outside. Who needs a posh dining room?