Rajasthan..

Good to be back in what should be subzero Munich but the weather gods have been kind!! Meant to put in a few more posts while we were thrifting through India but one too many chai stops and local samplers left me with very little time to forage for internet cafes. Also motivation to struggle with a pan smudged keyboard connected via snail line to www was probably at its lowest. Inspite of a hectic itinerary and the lack of planning, I assure you that our trip to India would make you envious. I would have liked to pen my musing about all the places that we went in more detail but I will have curtail my verbosity.. I had never been to Rajasthan and I have been constantly reminded that there are other places in the motherland other than Kerala. So to appease the domestic gods and in effort to be a well travelled indophile, we squeezed in 6 days of Rajasthan. Flew from Mumbai to Udaipur (aka Lake City), greeted on the tarmac by a burly but handsomely dressed Mewari complete with the handle bar moustache who sent my bumbling sister hysterically chuckling all the way to the baggage counter. The hotel was nice and as it turned out we were sharing quarters with Madonna who was also touring the desert state (great minds think alike). Our presence was further graced by part-time Harvard lecturer, fodder scammer and currently the Railway Minister of India, Lalu Prasad Yadav. Long live Hilton Honours points! I dearly wanted to have lunch/dinner at the Lake Palace but they were sold out so I guess we will just have to go back :) We did alot of the palaces, took a few boat rides in Lake Pichola and chowed on some amazing food. Worthy of mention was the Mutton Rana at Amarai restaurant overlooking the lake. The palaces are as grand as any I have seen in Western Europe albeit different in style and build. The Lake Palace is smaller than I imagined it to be. Most of these palaces are still owned by the Rajas who have maintained them well. The grandest Palace of the lot is Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, arguably one of the grandest pre-independence building I have seen in India. It is also well maintained and we were told that the current Raja takes an avid interest in taking care of it. Jodhpur as a city is quite filthy but like the rest of India it seems to be exploding at its seams. If you visit then you should not miss the Onion Kachoris and the chilli pakodas in most sweet shops in Jodhpur. We spent a memorable night in a desert tent. The tent experience was a luxurious affair complete with hot showers and heaters. We went on a jeep safari through the dunes and managed to see some wild life. The drivers also tried to keep it interesting by driving down 60 degree drops and 50km/h and then stopping halfway. We were entertained in the evening by some folk dancing and singing which we took in with healthy doses of Bacardi. Woke up nice and early to watch the sun rise for which we were transported on camel back. Camel riding turned out to be easier than my equestarian attempts. The dessert camp was an excellent experience. This was truly a unique experience. Worth mentioning that my -Kebab mai hadi- sister was with us for most of India except in Kerala. Have to stop here for now....