DELHI Out Of India

Monday, 9 March 2020

After 160 fun-packed days we are back in Delhi for a final 72 Indian hours before flying off to Nepal, hopefully for something completely different.

Our picture shows some of the sophisticated people we can expect to see in the Hotel Tourist Deluxe restaurant.

As we jumped in the tuktuk at the railway station we congratulated each other on completing a very tough circuit of this insane country.

It's far too big to be one country and is still basically the "united states" that Partition wrangled together, making it slightly easier to comprehend. It seems to work, but only just. Keeping one point four billion people pointing generally in the same direction is one hell of a balancing act.

A fairytale religion keeps the population sated and pliable, the caste system seems to do most of the expectation management.

India has been hard work for us a lot of the time, it's very difficult to understand and negotiate, but it has given us a thousand memories, some "Amaaaaazing!", some "Wow!", lots just "Aaaarggh for ****** sake!!".

We shook hands on a job well done, that India hadn't defeated us and that we hadn't killed each other.

Result.

JAIPUR Closing Time

Meanwhile, back in the Pink City.

We packed in a load of sightseeing during our last three days in Jaipur.

Staying with Pramila and her family, we ventured out by tuktuk and on foot to the Amber, Naharghar and Jaigarh Forts, a couple of stepwells, the City Palace, the Jantar Mantar royal astronomy park, the Monkey (Sun) Temple, Moti Mahal ladies' quarters and finally the Albert Hall (at all).

Slightly weird shot of us with Pramila and her grandson.

Here's a random selection of our days out, before we headed off to Delhi to complete our Indian odyssey.

Loved peanuts.

The other Albert Hall

Moti Mahal ladies' quarters...

...and from inside.

Astrology.

Astronomy.

Dereliction of dutyzzzzzz.

Will O' The Wisp.

Health and Safety at work.

Still fancy that bacon sarnie?

Iqbal: #1 Tuktuk man.

Three daft monkeys.

Monkey Temple sunset.

Spot the monkeys.

A stepwell.

Another stepwell.

River of Stones by Bristol-based artist Richard Long, at Nahargarh Fort.

It was lashing down when we arrived back from Ranthambhore.

The Palace, after more rain.

Water Palace.

Water Palace, Plastic Pavement.

RANTHAMBHORE They're Grrreat!

After breakfast, rapidly followed by lunch, we headed off for our 4pm safari number two, joining Alex and Helena, then picking up Sandra and Vincent to look at some more stuff.

Into eerie brown and brackish Zone 4 this time, whereas the morning had been green and watery Zone 3. They're the best Zones apparently, so if you come here, ask for them! The whole booking system is a classic arcane Indian enigma. I blame British bureaucracy for teaching them bad habits.

Oh, we saw some tigers in both Zones and Kim started crying. Three females (Arrowhead and her two grown cubs), then two males.

Get orf my land!

"Ooh, do you think they're looking at us?"