During our wait at Delhi airport yesterday Bryce and BJ had found a bottle of Indian bubbly which we chilled overnight ready for our Christmas day. Breakfast consisted of omelettes, pancakes, scorched almonds (that I’d brought with me from NZ) and bubbly. During and after breakfast we called and messaged friends and family back home in NZ.
From the rooftop restaurant of our hotel we could see the red fort (one of the largest forts in Rajasthan), perched on the hill just behind us and we spent the morning exploring it. The fort, Mehrangarh or Mehran Fort was build around 1459. Beyond the thick, imposing walls and gates (at least 5 metres high with metal spikes to stop elephants ramming them down) there are several palaces although it is difficult to tell where one palace finishes and the next begins. The palaces have delicate carvings including the carved lattice windows overlooking the courtyards so women can sit, out of sight, and watch the festivities below.
The fort museum houses a collection of royal palanquins (on which royals would sit and be carried around by 4-6 men) and howdah in which they’d ride on top elephants, each intricately decorated with textiles, carving and painting and a couple complete with parasol.
There was a collection of old paintings documenting the festivities of the time in detail. Fun fact – their brushes were made from squirrel tail hair and some brushes were so fine they had only one hair!
Toni and I got lost in the gift shop and had to catch up with the guys further up the fort. We had a wonderful morning, made even better by the warm weather (around 24 degrees) and clearer skies (compared to Delhi you actually feel like you’re breathing fresh air).
Out to the side of the fort is a valley with a small lake and overhead they’ve installed a zipline – actually 6 ziplines – for the tourists. From the rooftop of our guest house we’d watched people flying across from platform to platform and the boys couldn’t wait to have a go. I decided I might as well join them. It’s the perfect tourist activity. The lines and platforms can hardly be seen from the town so it’s not imposing on the scenery and it allows a view of the fort that you can’t get from elsewhere. It’s also not as scary as I thought it might be.
By 3pm the eagles were starting to circle the fort waiting to be fed. The guys walked back up the hill to watch while Toni and I enjoyed a quiet ale in the garden restaurant.
Back at the guest house we had an early dinner on the rooftop as we watched the sun set. In the background we could hear the beeping of horns as tuk tuks weaved their way through the alleyways and the constant barking of the many dogs that wander the streets. Every now and then the tone of the barking becomes fierce and you hear the yelping of a dog that you know is in trouble.
There are dogs everywhere, a few of them with little pups, most of them quietly wandering the streets, scavenging through the rubbish for food or curled up asleep on the side of the road or the seat of a parked motorbike, but some running in small packs looking for trouble. They’re mostly pretty skinny but seem to be in reasonable health (although still not the type of dog you’d give a friendly pat).
After dinner we took tuk tuks into the clocktower market. It amazes me how the tuk tuks make their way through the narrow streets. The drivers leave each change in direction till the last minute and somehow manage to dance their way through the streets without hitting the oncoming tuk tuks/motorbikes, pedestrians, dogs and sometimes even missing the potholes. They use their horns … a lot … but it’s mostly to let others know they’re there and rarely are they aggressive. Instead they’re actually quite patient, slowing or stopping when others cut them off or pull out in front of them. It’s chaos but it seems to work.
A lot of the stalls started to close soon after we got there so after a bit of a walk around we jumped in tuk tuks back to our (reasonably) quiet abode.
We’re staying at Singhvi’s Haveli a quaint guest house in the middle of the old city. It was built over 500 years ago and has been in the family for over 3 centuries. It’s been converted from a residence to a guest house and maintains a homely feeling. If you’ve seen the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel …. it’s just like that. Through the front gates you walk into a tiled courtyard with a three-tiered water feature filled with marigold petals and incense burning. The walls of the rooms are thick sandstone, plastered and painted bright colours.
Our room comes off the courtyard, is painted pink with a black & white tiled floor, quirky light fittings and a low ceiling. The guest house is split over multiple levels. The kitchen and open dining room where we have breakfast is on level one with a combination of tables and chairs and low tables with floor cushions. On the next level is a communal space with comfy chairs, a swing and several rooms are accessed from this area. Up another level there’s a sheltered open courtyard from which you access the rooftop restaurant via steep stairs. The staff are incredible friendly and restaurant food is delicious – especially the Rajasthani rice!
Mehrangarh Fort
Inside the Fort
Zip-line
Singhvi’s Haveli aka The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The indoor swing – Singhvi’s Haveli
