An old miser kept a tame jackdaw, that used to steal pieces of money,
and hide them in a hole, which a cat observing, asked, "Why he would
hoard up those round shining things that he could make no use of?"
"Why," said the jackdaw, "my master has a whole chestfull,
and makes no more use of them that I do." -Jonathan Swift, satirist (30
Nov 1667-1745)
I will be waiting for elephant pictures!! xoxo The Lighthalls mounting the howduh with great trepidation! I had my own elephant and mahout and beat them to the fort even though they started ahead of me!
Hi Ann, et al! Trust
all goes well with you and VWF! Off to
Agra domani. Wait until you see the elephant ride, [https://youtu.be/gl7akh-6x8k], and the snake charmer,
[https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=rpm8L6e8_GU&feature=vm],
if you think we are having a grand time!
Hello to one and all from Lady Darjeeling, (aka Cora Lee), and Cheers
from Camel Drover/Elephant Mahout/Snake Charmer Patrizzio!
 |
| Illustration: Leah Palmer Preiss |
Day 36, Field Report, Wednesday, December 2nd: Jaipur!
Up at 6:30 am as we had another early start, according to the Luxe India
rep who met us, yesterday afternoon, at the Samode Havelih Hotel, perhaps the
most comfortably appointed and wonderfully preserved “boutique”, (I say “boutique”
due to its history as the mansion of one of the ministers, (finance, I think),
of one of the maharajas of Jaipur, as it has about 70 rooms, as opposed to the
huge, modern edifices we’ve stayed in elsewhere.), hotels we’ve enjoyed so
much. Quick mug of java and a shower before heading to lounge area , the better
able to obtain WiFi. Digitated until about 7:45 am and then joined the Gang of
Three for breakfast. I was more than delighted to find broiled tomatoes, spicy
potatoes and smoked ham, all to be smothered in baked beans, topped with the
fluffiest masala omelet of the trip so far.
While enjoying this delicious start to the day, visited and scribed, making the most of connectivity. Close to 8:20 am, (I was last to leave as I was finishing my Indian Coffee.), I returned to the room to discover Lady Darleeing sprawlwd on the settee with a splitting headache. She was suffering from the onset of a nasty head cold so she wanted to stay in the room and try to rest. Sorry she would not be joining us, I waved goodbye and went to meet our guide for the day, Vikram Singh, (Singh is King, according to Ashok, who has quite bit of disdain for the Warrior Caste!), a hail fellow, well met, if ever there was one.
First stop of the day was at the Amer/Amber Fort, an incredible complex,
stretching up and along the hill/mountainside, seemingly forever. Liked
Vikram’s approach as he schooled us quite carefully on how much to tip various
drivers, mahouts, etc., and to simply ignore the swarms of hawkers touting
their shoddy wares up the long, winding approach to the Fort itself. Once at
the bottom of the road leading uphill,
we climbed to the top of the elephant mounting platform, (Bit like waiting to climb
onto a ride at an amusement park.), where we waited for an elephant to push
itself against the side of the stone platform. A constant stream of elephants
and their mahouts, made their way, in an almost continuous loop, from bottom to
top and back again, to collect the hundreds of waiting tourists, although it
didn’t take very long for our rides to arrive.
Peter and Lynne went first so that I could snap a few shots of their
apprehensive faces as they slid their bottoms onto the howduh. The mahout
unhooked a small metal bar as the elephant moved against the platform and they
pushed themselves backwards, riding side-saddle, so to speak, the bar replaced
and they were off. I did the same, clambering aboard the next elephant, all
alone, Maharajah that I was! Vikram had told me to hold onto the fixed bars,
either on the front or back of the howduh, for stability’s sake. Given the gait
of the gentle behemoths, one sways from side to side as well as up and down in
a slow, twisty kind of roller coaster motion, not quite as jerky as being on a
camel but still reasonably difficult to keep steady for purposes of taking
stills or using video feature of the camera.
Nevertheless, it was a fun-filled ride and took about 12 minutes to make
the ascent, from start to dismount on a similar platform within the main
courtyard of the fort itself. Wonderful views of the small artificial lake and
attractive gardens below, the fortification walls, snaking up and along the
opposite hillside, as well as various vistas of the Amber Fort and the
seemingly unending fortification walls and outbuildings beyond and above. As
the ride progressed, I ended up overtaking Lynne and Peter, hampered by a an
ever-hopeful hawker selling T-shirts, who dogged them the entire way, only
leaving them at the entrance gates, not a rupee richer for all his strenuous,
brow-beating marketing pitch! Further along I passed a young American couple, from Chapel
Hill, NC, we’d chatted with while waiting to board the Elephant Express. Next
to fall were Elspeth and Conrad, English couple staying at our hotel, so I
disembarked well ahead of my Anglo-Saxon compatriots, even helping the Yanks to
dismount and able to snap the Brits as they waited to dock. Video:
Met Vikram and his informative tour of the Fort and its history began.
Once tour was over we made our way outside the gates of the ort and then
boarded a jeep to take us down. Jugos fell prey to the host of photographers
lining the approach path, snapping photos to be printed while subjects were
touring inside and then sold upon exit. I wasn’t interested as I had my own
video of event but for 300 rupees Peter was able to barter for about 10, a
pretty good bargain, especially as most of the shots really captured
experience. I suggested they use some of them for Christmas cards! Quick stop
to take a closer look at small lake and gardens and then back to van.
Ashok then drove us to another artificial lake with a small summer day
palace, (similar to ones we’d seen in Udaipur), before Vikram took us to a huge
gem emporium, a co-operative, that cuts and polishes a wide-variety of precious
and semi-precious stones. Housed in another havelih, about 200 years old, we
first had a rather interesting introduction to the art and craft of cutting,
faceting and polishing the gem stones, all done by hand, by craftsmen who had
learned their trade and skill, passed down from grandfather to father to son.
Apparently, Jaipur accounts for most of the world’s production of such gems.
After Gemology 101 came the hard soft sell of jewelry. I wasn’t at all
interested in most of wares but did like Vikram’s simple signet rings so I
looked a a number of such settings. Three that I liked, sapphire, ruby and emerald,
in silver, sans diamonds, 9which I spit on anway!),ran from $1,800 to $2,800
CDN so not something I was at all interested in, to the great dismay of my
particular salesman. Jugos, on the other hand, was keen to buy Lynne something
of a far greater order of magnitude, sapphire with diamonds, set in gold,
starting around $5,000, but after hard bargaining managed to seal the deal for
about half the price. Ring had to be sized for Lynne’s finger so it was to be
delivered to our hotel later that evening.
Next stop was at City Palace where we enjoyed another informative tour, watching
a snake charmer and his two black cobras on way in, stopping for a short painting
exhibition towards the end. L/P bought six lovely pictures, individual animals,
elephants, camels and horses, done on hand-made paper, bought from royal
family, by the artist who introduced us to the particular technique. Wonderful
examples of Indian art and really quite inexpensive at 1000 rupees each. I
considered buying some but we really don’t have room to hang the pictures we
already own and I’m not sure these might be to anyone else’s taste. At any
rate, I bought five calendars, popular prints of Indian gods/goddesses, from
the museum shop, colourful examples of the deities we have come to know and
love! Easy to pack and pretty cheap souvenirs at 100 rupees apiece.
Next stop, within the grounds, was at the Observatory. I assumed it was
some sort of telescope but, in fact, it was literally a time museum, a
collection of quite remarkable sundials. However, these were no ordinary
sundials.
Hi Pat, Sounds like you're having a great trip in India. What an amazing country and you've sure seen a lot in a short time. The car and driver seems like a great way to get around too. Sounds like one big adventure. I just want to let you know that I read every word of your extensive missives. I really do, so do I get a prize? Well life goes on here but I'm really enjoying it, stormy weather and all. I can't produce much in the way of exciting reports that can compare to yours.
I was really interested in the chicken slaughtering video though, as it came just a few days after my neighbour Daphne (and friends) slaughtered their chickens. It was very similar except that her method involved an upside down traffic cone with a bucket underneath. Have to say I'm one of those that am happier not being privvy to the entire cycle before the meat hits the store. All the best to Corinne and Lynn and Peter. Keep on having an adventurous time! Jane
What an awesome adventure you & Lady Dar are undertaking It is apparent that you & your group are having a fabulous time Now that's what I call a vacation.. Would be so full of memories in the making..I once had similar exotic experiences in North Africa The Sahara was beckoning us to go further
Sand dunes are very deductive to the brain ..creating illusions of fictional mysterious characters.. AliBaba & the 40 thieves
I never rode a camel nor an elephant but I was amongst a herd of camels and herders while the camels had a drink of the waters of this small oasis in the middle of the desert..very memorable experience I just returned from spending 5 weeks in Montreal with my daughter and 2 granddaughters.. Now also recovering from a cold and leaving for Santa Barbara next week Will spend Christmas with my son in San Francisco and the rest of the winter in Santa Barbara..
I do miss my friends in Summerland & Penticton but being single gives me the opportunity to enjoy extended periods of time with children & grand children
It would be nice to have a travelling companion to explore the corners of the earth.. But so far I have as yet for him to discover me So in the meantime I do as I do "C'est la vie " Wishing you & your traveling companions a wonderland remainder of your holiday a da safe trip home Thanks for keeping me posted Elle
Nice Picas album from Bombay. I had not noticed it before. Magnificant photos...thank you! Will catch up with you another day...trust that all is well with you! Love Marilyn Patrick Sounds like yu are having a good time. Cheeers
Byron Hi Patrick, What a great trip!! Couldn't watch the first video (looks like it's not published yet). The second one was a blast. Continue having fun. Sat 'Hi' to all. Cheers R.
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