We had a relaxed breakfast in the club this morning being four of the only five guests there. This proved to be a good decision as downstairs there were hundreds of men in matching outfits attending a conference. Flynn and Campbell tested a range of the more exotic offerings - salted lassi with herbs was not a favourite but the roti was a hit.
The service at the hotel was exceptional. The gentleman at the front desk personally escorted me on a five minute trek to the next door hotel where the auto teller was, waited for me and then escorted me back. Everyone is very interested in who we are and where we live and they always seem to have a relative in Australia somewhere. I am addressed as “ma’am” which throws me a little as I don’t realise someone is speaking to me till they’ve said it a couple of times.
We travelled today by plane to Jodhpur to start our tour. Check in and security was slow but relatively organised. Everyone gets frisked. Ladies have a special line and we go into a little curtained booth to be frisked in private. The security attendant was particularly unhappy - she told me she was tired and there were too many ladies travelling that had to be felt (!). She couldn’t understand why all these ladies needed to travel. The boys said they could hear me laughing from outside the booth.
By the time we were through it all they were hungry again (surprise!) and decided to sample the dubious delights of Indian KFC. They were most impressed with the pricing but after tasting a few different things, doubt that the 11 secret herbs and spices are the same ones that are used at home. Campbell inspected McDonalds and aims to try the Maharajah burger at some stage of the trip. There was a bit of hilarity when they went to the “Pepsi Black” shop to buy a Pepsi but discovered that they only sell water. I’ll include a photo.
Our lunch box on the plane included a “peel and win” card. I peeled off the little gold sticker and voila, I won one of the gifts shown on the pamphlet. I was exited for about 20 seconds. Sadly, although the gift was free, winners were required to pay $22 towards taxes and other charges. Tempting as it was to get a ‘free’ belt-wallet, I passed on the opportunity. In a cruel trick, a wrapped sweet in the lunch box turned out to be some kind of tamarind thing that required my whole bottle of water and a bite of Josh’s Kit Kat to recover from. I was too obvious, and the rest of Team Starrett steered clear.
Jodhpur is hard to describe. We rode through the city in a Tuk Tuk on arrival so we had an up close and personal view that has just enchanted me. The chaos and the colour and the vibrancy of it all is magical. Ladies in jewel toned saris carry sacks on their heads, children skip around between swerving scooters, mangy dogs are snoozing in any spot where they can avoid being stepped on and cows are ambling about. Our beautiful hotel, RAAS, is at the bottom of the cliff below the Mehrangarh fort. The lit up bulk of the fort at night is breathtaking. Our afternoon included a camel ride (very uncomfortable) and a visit with a weaver. He is the only adult english speaker in his village and runs a community rug weaving enterprise supported by the government. We drank tiny cups of smoky chai and firmly avoided succumbing to the pressure to buy a rug. Flagging a little, we ate dinner at the hotel. We sat outside on a lantern filled terrace, with a view up to the spotlit fort. There was a charcoal brazier next to us for warmth, and they offered blankets although it’s not too cold. It’s without a doubt the most spectacular location I have ever eaten at. That makes up for the average food - nothing wrong, but not up to the Indian standards set by some of our home favourites. Josh actually told me that my naan is better (!)
Early to bed for Team Starrett, although I’m writing this at 3am now, finding sleep elusive.
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