Tuesday 22 November 2011

Still on the rampage

First and foremost 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG' that is for my brother....

Talk about famous last words... being fed and watered in Pushkar spelt the end - this time not for me but for Ros although it felt it was me again! We will be suing Lonely Planet AND Rough Guide for recommending the Little Tibet restaurant that's for sure. Who needs colonic irrigation when you have India (ok, a tad more expensive). Once the hotel dr had come and gone bedrest was prescribed which kicked our itinerary out the window. Still I performed my Florence Nightingale duties and all was soon well.

As to the city itself, allegedly Brahma (a high priest) dropped a lotus flower on the earth which then became Pushkar. A Hindu pilgrims city it has one of the world's few Brahma temples which is strategically located around the sacred man-made lake which in turn has rows of ghats and 100s of milky blue temples.

Day one we bravely climbed 320 steps to the Savitri temple and were rewarded with a breathtaking panorama and then sunset. No forewarning as to how dangerous it would be though - jumping monkeys notwithstanding we fortunately live to tell that tale.

Today we got to the blue and cubist style city that is Jodphur with its amazing Mehrangarh Fort. Although the forts are just getting bigger and better they are blurring into one - we are trying to remember that this one has 7 gates, is mainly coloured deep terracotta, has a latticed palace complex, network of courtylards and, frankly, is quite overwhelming to understand. Imagine visiting 2 British Museums in an hour at 85 degrees - and it is winter out here.

Weirdly enough memories of our unforgettable cinema trip in Jaipur keep following us (numero uno Hindu cinema in India, think large pastel meringue style). Posters of the flic 'Rockstar' are everywhere, tv stations boom out the music and the protagonist is clearly soaking up royalties for his car ads too.

Udaipur is tomorrow and then it is the end of our adventures in the land of the kings - btw Rajasthan is the largest state in India. See you down south as we search for well deserved r&r.