The Rajdhani Express and a wedding in Chennai

 RAJDHANI EXPRESS

Back in Delhi we spent the night at the Ambassador Hotel. Kahn Market is a block away. Street dogs are everywhere in India and these boys are lucky to live in a more affluent part of Delhi, I guess.

After a shopping morning it was time for our journey on The Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Chennai. We paid a guide to escort us through the station and wait with us on the correct platform until the train arrived. Then it was all pushing and shoving onto the train and a rush to find the correct cabin. It's a 28 hour journey. We had our own first class air-conditioned sleeper cabin. All our meals were served on trays in the cabin. The train has a kitchen for serving but cooked food is picked up at stations along the way and served to passengers fresh and hot. It's such a relaxing way to travel in India.

CHENNAI

We were in Chennai for almost a week for the wedding of Arvi and Verna, son and daughter of our friends and colleagues from New Jersey days.

We decided to leave our wedding attire shopping until we got to Chennai. On our first morning a driver picked us up at the hotel and our first stop was Pothys Boutique. We were there for 4 hours! Sari buying was such fun! We each got 2 full outfits; jewellery and the lot! We did make it to a few more shops and a mall too. 

All in all we attended 4 different 'parties' - all for the wedding. We loved it all, met some great people, learned a lot about Hindu culture and had a wonderful time with our friends. Thanks Ram and Ranji for inviting us and thanks Arvi and Verna for including us in your celebrations.

The Leela Palace is a gorgeous hotel. Six- plus star! We did venture out of aircon heaven to wander in the markets or visit temple complexes along the coast, but the Leela is a luxury you can really get used to!

Rajasthan : Part 2

UDAIPUR

Once again, we were so impressed by the hotel, the historic Udai Kothi.

India is such a value for money destination. Udaipur is a city built around some lakes and we liked the laid back, less frenetic feel of the place. Despite the low water levels due to drought and the severe pollution in the lake and town, Udaipur managed to sort of live up to it's romantic reputation.

Our meal at the outdoor, lakeside Restaurant Ambrai was super. 

The next day we toured the old town and the City Palace with our guide and were happy for an early night and room service roti.

RANTHAMBORNE

On 25th June,  we travelled most of the day to reach Ranthamborne National Park and The Pug Mark Hotel. We did 2 game drives into the park the next day; morning and evening. We didn't have the vehicle and guides to ourselves here so we were subjected to a more rushed tiger searching escapade than we had experienced at the previous parks. I would suggest insisting on your own jeep when you book your  tour even if it costs more. We didn't see the tigers here but it's nevertheless a very beautiful place to visit. It was a religious holiday and the park was full of Hindu pilgrims heading up to the temple which is in the reserve.  India's game reserves are generally small with a buffer zone ( usually small farms) of land around. The encroachment of humans into the tiger's habitat is ever-present and whilst the tiger numbers have grown in India, they are unable to increase populations further due to a lack of adequate territories.  In Ranthamborne the previous day a young male tiger had killed an old tiger over territory and the rangers were worried that the youngster would also succumb to his injuries. We spent a long time waiting for him next to a waterhole without any luck. 

Rajasthan : Part 1

JAIPUR

On 20 June our driver Kahn picked us up for our 7 night tour of Rahjastan, arranged this time by Incredible Tours. We drove to Jaipur and after a few restful hours at the Shahpura House Hotel, we were driven out to Chokhi Dani,  an Indian cultural Disneyland, popular with locals. These touristy cultural village experiences are not our thing but we enjoyed the traditional Rahjastani dinner eventhough we had to sit on the floor to eat! 

The next day we toured the magnificent Amber Fort in the morning and visited the Pink Palace and Palace of the winds in the afternoon.

Our guides took us to a fabric printing shop, where despite being a tourist trap, I had so much fun shopping. Next stop, a wholesale jewellers for Neil to shop.

We enjoyed drinking Chai with locals and chatting about cricket at a street cafe before returning to the Shahpura.

JODHPUR

The next day we were in the car by 9am, heading to Pushkar on the edge of the desert. A man-made lake now concidered very holy, surrounded by temples and ghats.

For a fee a priest will offer prayers on your behalf and then you toss flowers and rice into the water. 

It was oppressively hot and humid and we headed back to the car feeling rather sorry for the camels!

We drove to Jodhpur and enjoyed a wonderful stay the Bel Saman Lake Palace. The garden setting of their restaurant is magical at night, albeit 38°C at 10pm.

The next morning we toured the Mehrangarh Fort with it's beautiful Mogul architecture. Later we strolled through the city market and popped into the best lassi restaurant in India, for a taste of the famous mango and yogurt drink and some deep fried street food.

En route to Udiapur we stopped at the Ranakpur Jain temple.

Delhi

Arriving late in Delhi, our driver took us to to Old Delhi and dropped us off near the Old Mosque. We were met by a porter from our hotel, who dissappeared down a narrow alley with our bags on a trolley while we had to half run, half walk to keep up with him; passing people and dogs asleep in doorways, street food sellers and lots of trash.

Haveli Dharapura is the most awesome historic hotel in the heart of Old Delhi. A haven to retreat to for a cold beer or a nap in the airconditioned room when your crazy exploration of the warren of streetlife and markets and heaving humanity and heat that is Old Delhi gets too much. We visited the Red Fort and the Jami Masjid and spent hours traipsing through the streets and markets. The chilli aroma in the air in the spice market is so intense it causes your eyes to water and spates of coughing.

The Lakhori restaurant in the hotel is one of Delhi's best and we even splashed out on an overpriced bottle of Indian red wine.