Having returned to Kolkata for only 36hours, no sooner had my smelly socks gone in the washing machine, did I feel that I was back at Sealdah Train Station boarding the train.
This first train was going to be my longest yet; 20 scheduled hours which slowly crept into 23 hours after multiple delays. This wasn't helped by the man who decided to amplify Hindi Music all night long, metres from where I attempted to sleep. I eventually reached Agra at 10pm on the 5th and met up with Charlotte and her brother Harry.
The next morning we woke to a very foggy Agra, so overcast we couldn't see the Taj which was only 400m from where we enjoyed breakfast. It was like waiting for the curtain to be pulled up at the theatre. First we headed to the impressive Agra Fort. Here we walked ourselves around the extensive complex which has been used for anything from a mosque, to garrisons, and even the imprisonment of the man who built the Taj Mahal! In a complete coincidence I bumped into two friends who graduated with me from Pembroke, Matt and Wiraj. It was a complete shock but always a welcome sight to see a face from home. Next to the Taj and finally the sun had started to burn off some of the fog.
She is every bit as beautiful as you expect. Hiding initially behind a 50+m North gate, the iconic building peaked through building our anticipation. Our guide, Ganeesh, regurgitated most of what the Lonely Planet had told us and even the myths your informed not to believe! None the less he was great at taking us to picturesque spots and handy for group photos. There were a lot of tourists there, both Indian and foreign. Not surprising when the Indians only pay the equivalent of 20p whilst foreigners fork out £7.50! Either way it was worth it and comes highly recommended for anyone heading here in the near future. Its one thing in India the British can look back and claim they have "added" to Indian heritage!
That evening we caught our very luxurious "Super fast train" to Jaipur. We were momentarily transported to Western luxury in our 2 Air Con Class seats; reclining airline-esque seats provided much comfort while we were treated to a complimentary 1.5L bottle of water, a samosa, crisps, and even chai and biscuits! Incredible. It would embarrass Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Trains.
Jaipur was a whole new ball game. After escaping the station and the hagglers, we eventually found our hotel which can only be described as a mix between Robinson College, Cambridge and Centre Parcs; either way it is luxurious for India all for the grand total of £5! We ventured out for some rooftop Tandori Chicken and drinks, all of which was very relaxing until a puppeteer arrived. He claimed to have trained on a punch and Judy show in England, however his skills left us quite at a loss as to which puppet shows he had worked on. The most scarring performance was entitled "Romeo and Juliet". It should have come with an 18 rating as his puppets performed Karma Sutra moves while the puppeteer made sound effects. We quickly finished our meal and left.
The next morning we marched out into Jaipur and went hard on the forts. First stop Amber Fort, located 10km out of the city. Its a huge grand fort and has avoided any form of attack. Instead it played home to 3 kings, each with numerous wives, one of which had 108 wives. (That doesn't account for his 1,000+ unofficial wives!)
Back to the city, stopping quickly at the beautiful water palace situated in the centre of a lake. We conquered a huge, if not overpriced Rajasthan Thali lunch (typical meal containing lots different dishes from the region) which the Lonely Planet recommended before heading to the famous Hawa Mahal.
This palace, which is thought of as the icon of Jaipur, again played home to many women, all wives made to be available at the beckoning call of their men. Here the women lived unseen, hidden behind tiny windows from which they could look out but couldn't be seen from the outside. I don't think I would have suited the 18th Century Indian attitude towards a woman's role, not that I totally agree with the modern mind set either!
We spent the rest of our time in Jaipur visiting the city palace and a fantastic observatory built in the 17th century and way ahead of its time. Finally we watched glorious urban sunset from the hill top Newragarah fort.
We caught a night train to Udaipur, a city which is firmly establishing itself as one of my favourite cities. It's incredibly friendly with everyone wishing you a good morning. Feels like I'm back in Yorkshire! We spent the first day doing the cultural things, and finished by having an ice cream and a belated birthday drink for Charlotte while watching the sunset. The second day found us on a cooking course. Having been sold the idea of a well established class, it soon transpired we were the guinea pigs of a brand new class. We're going be in a lot of publicity shots in the future... don't think they'll sell many packages. It was fantastic if not a little ad hoc. Set on a roof top over looking the lake, we learned how to cook various Indian dishes and got to enjoy the labours of our work. A crocodile even made an unexpected appearance. I thought its existence was a myth! Finally no visit to Udaipur is complete without watching Octopussy, set in the city many decades ago.
My third and final day was spent doing something a little crazy, jumping on the back of a local's motorbike and driving off into the local countryside. Tony, aka Badal, had taken the cooking course the day before so he wasn't entirely random. I was slightly sceptical as to whether I would make it back unharmed, even going as far to leave a note in my hotel room with who to contact if I didn't check out. But true to his word I was back bang on 4pm, not without a stop to his brother's shop! Rory, my fictitious fiancee, came in handy. (He's named after a small tiger who lives on my back pack and has a character dreamed up by mum and I. It includes a chance meeting while he was on a break in deployment from the British army.)
Tomorrow I move on from my rooftop paradise. Next stop Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, home of the blue palace and camel safaris respectively.
P.s. sorry for the lack of photos, I'll upload at the first available spot.
This first train was going to be my longest yet; 20 scheduled hours which slowly crept into 23 hours after multiple delays. This wasn't helped by the man who decided to amplify Hindi Music all night long, metres from where I attempted to sleep. I eventually reached Agra at 10pm on the 5th and met up with Charlotte and her brother Harry.
The next morning we woke to a very foggy Agra, so overcast we couldn't see the Taj which was only 400m from where we enjoyed breakfast. It was like waiting for the curtain to be pulled up at the theatre. First we headed to the impressive Agra Fort. Here we walked ourselves around the extensive complex which has been used for anything from a mosque, to garrisons, and even the imprisonment of the man who built the Taj Mahal! In a complete coincidence I bumped into two friends who graduated with me from Pembroke, Matt and Wiraj. It was a complete shock but always a welcome sight to see a face from home. Next to the Taj and finally the sun had started to burn off some of the fog.
She is every bit as beautiful as you expect. Hiding initially behind a 50+m North gate, the iconic building peaked through building our anticipation. Our guide, Ganeesh, regurgitated most of what the Lonely Planet had told us and even the myths your informed not to believe! None the less he was great at taking us to picturesque spots and handy for group photos. There were a lot of tourists there, both Indian and foreign. Not surprising when the Indians only pay the equivalent of 20p whilst foreigners fork out £7.50! Either way it was worth it and comes highly recommended for anyone heading here in the near future. Its one thing in India the British can look back and claim they have "added" to Indian heritage!
That evening we caught our very luxurious "Super fast train" to Jaipur. We were momentarily transported to Western luxury in our 2 Air Con Class seats; reclining airline-esque seats provided much comfort while we were treated to a complimentary 1.5L bottle of water, a samosa, crisps, and even chai and biscuits! Incredible. It would embarrass Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin Trains.
Jaipur was a whole new ball game. After escaping the station and the hagglers, we eventually found our hotel which can only be described as a mix between Robinson College, Cambridge and Centre Parcs; either way it is luxurious for India all for the grand total of £5! We ventured out for some rooftop Tandori Chicken and drinks, all of which was very relaxing until a puppeteer arrived. He claimed to have trained on a punch and Judy show in England, however his skills left us quite at a loss as to which puppet shows he had worked on. The most scarring performance was entitled "Romeo and Juliet". It should have come with an 18 rating as his puppets performed Karma Sutra moves while the puppeteer made sound effects. We quickly finished our meal and left.
The next morning we marched out into Jaipur and went hard on the forts. First stop Amber Fort, located 10km out of the city. Its a huge grand fort and has avoided any form of attack. Instead it played home to 3 kings, each with numerous wives, one of which had 108 wives. (That doesn't account for his 1,000+ unofficial wives!)
Back to the city, stopping quickly at the beautiful water palace situated in the centre of a lake. We conquered a huge, if not overpriced Rajasthan Thali lunch (typical meal containing lots different dishes from the region) which the Lonely Planet recommended before heading to the famous Hawa Mahal.
This palace, which is thought of as the icon of Jaipur, again played home to many women, all wives made to be available at the beckoning call of their men. Here the women lived unseen, hidden behind tiny windows from which they could look out but couldn't be seen from the outside. I don't think I would have suited the 18th Century Indian attitude towards a woman's role, not that I totally agree with the modern mind set either!
We spent the rest of our time in Jaipur visiting the city palace and a fantastic observatory built in the 17th century and way ahead of its time. Finally we watched glorious urban sunset from the hill top Newragarah fort.
We caught a night train to Udaipur, a city which is firmly establishing itself as one of my favourite cities. It's incredibly friendly with everyone wishing you a good morning. Feels like I'm back in Yorkshire! We spent the first day doing the cultural things, and finished by having an ice cream and a belated birthday drink for Charlotte while watching the sunset. The second day found us on a cooking course. Having been sold the idea of a well established class, it soon transpired we were the guinea pigs of a brand new class. We're going be in a lot of publicity shots in the future... don't think they'll sell many packages. It was fantastic if not a little ad hoc. Set on a roof top over looking the lake, we learned how to cook various Indian dishes and got to enjoy the labours of our work. A crocodile even made an unexpected appearance. I thought its existence was a myth! Finally no visit to Udaipur is complete without watching Octopussy, set in the city many decades ago.
My third and final day was spent doing something a little crazy, jumping on the back of a local's motorbike and driving off into the local countryside. Tony, aka Badal, had taken the cooking course the day before so he wasn't entirely random. I was slightly sceptical as to whether I would make it back unharmed, even going as far to leave a note in my hotel room with who to contact if I didn't check out. But true to his word I was back bang on 4pm, not without a stop to his brother's shop! Rory, my fictitious fiancee, came in handy. (He's named after a small tiger who lives on my back pack and has a character dreamed up by mum and I. It includes a chance meeting while he was on a break in deployment from the British army.)
Tomorrow I move on from my rooftop paradise. Next stop Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, home of the blue palace and camel safaris respectively.
P.s. sorry for the lack of photos, I'll upload at the first available spot.
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