Tres..... Lodi's new place

It wasn't long ago that Tom and I tried a new restaurant - Tres at Lodi Colony Main Market. For those of you that have read my posts before it is just next door to my Fancy Cloth House Tailors. The interiors are fairly bland and beige but thankfully the food is not.

As I'm preggers, I could not induldge in one of the yummy looking cocktails, instead I splashed out on an apple rosemary mocktail! Unfortunately it wasn't very good and should have just stuck to lime soda. Lucky Tom on the other hand sampled the ok wine menu.

For entree I ordered Canadian scallops with cauliflower pannacotta and Tom ate the King prawns. Both were really lovely - the plating was beautiful, as was the taste. For main Tom had  the melt in your mouth lamb and I ate my old favourite pork belly. Both of the main dishes were fantastic! Pork is always quite rich but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Never too full....... I finished off the meal with Apple Tarte Tartin - again did not disappoint.

The only disappointments came with the drinks.... only green tea on offer for me post meal and Tom had an espresso in a very cool glass.

Price - Rs 4900 for two with some drinks

Tres
17 Main Market
Lodhi Colony
New Delhi
Ph: 011 24625520 OR +91 9971536053 
 

Remarkable Rajasthan

Last weekend was Tom's birthday, so we escaped Delhi, took Sophie to her favourite place, the airport, and boarded a Jet Konnect twin prop to Jodhpur. 1 hr 20 minutes later, bags collected, car waiting - we were on our way to the RAAS hotel.

The journey was fairly mainstream until we hit the old town. At entering the gates of the Clock Tower you travel back in time to donkey carts and extraordinary narrow lanes - not made for Toyota Innova's!

The RAAS impressed from the moment we pulled through the grand old gates. We were greeted by lovely staff who applied tilak (red powder dot) to our foreheads and offered a refreshing ginger and lemon drink. Before we saw our room, we were escorted around the grounds, shown the frog pond, the pool and you couldn't ignore the imposing view of the Fort. It was a beautiful hotel of a mere 31 rooms.

We stayed in room 123, this was our view.

View from 123!

As you can see from this pic, this beautiful place is also right next to a mosque.... and it was Friday..... so our first welcome to Jodhpur was the call to prayer, that goes on for a really long time on Friday. However it really doesn't matter and certainly didn't bother us - kind of added to the ambiance.

Friday we spent at the hotel, had lunch, swam, arranged a babysitter and that was about it. Luckily a very nice lady arrived at 8pm to a very wide awake Sophie and we took our leave. Tom and I had a walk around the streets of Jodhpur, met some lovely convincing spice and fabric sellers, witnessed little people worshipping and singing at the foot of Ganesh statues and we dodged inevitable cow poo! We returned to find Soph still awake and running rings around the lovely babysitter!

Saturday was tour day and we left the hotel via the very funky blue tuk tuk....

The streets of Jodhpur are full of amazing things, yes you are in India, so you get used to a certain level of craziness but I really liked the vibe of this town - it was friendly, casual and colourful -always colourful!!!

The first thing I saw on our travels was a funeral procession, a body being carried above the shoulders of its loved ones wrapped in bright, colourful fabrics.... not a piece of black in sight! The crowd chanted, sang and rang bells as they moved toward the cremation site.

As we wound our way through the streets of Jodhpur we saw all kind of things... cows, pigs, dogs, Gods of Sex....

but the team favourite was the elephant

No getting passed this...

An elephant and his Mahout.

Aren't they beautiful? We stopped, Sophie fed him 20 rupees, which he dutifully passed to his Mahout.

Following on from the elephant spot, we moved on to the reservoir - which was lovely and actively being used by worshippers and also by random dogs to take care of their families.

Reservoir near the Fort

Ganesh ji

I spot puppies under the pavement!!!!

Of course Jodhpur is also famous for being the 'blue city' - houses are painted blue and the reasons vary from keeping the place cool to repelling mosquito's.

and lovely Ganesh statues are everywhere

The afternoon saw us at the Mehrangarh Fort, this place is spectacular. Built right up on the hill there it has a lovely breeze and the architecture is amazing, not hard to believe it never was successfully attacked.

Walls of the Fort

 

Entrance to the Fort

 

Beautiful Fort and a must see.... for the Fort and the view

Umaid Palace in the distance

 

One of the great things about the day was our very nice guide - Ram. He didn't take us to one shop, didn't push us to do anything and was brilliant taking care of our daughter throughout the day. If you are going to Jodhpur and need a guide call Ramniwas (Ram) 09314709126.

So then back to the hotel, more swimming, relaxing and listening to the AFL finals series on the iPad with the free Wi-Fi..... oh and some frog spotting!

All in all Jodhpur was great, the hotel was perfect and nothing was too much trouble - the staff were all amazing and I was quite sad to leave.
 

Caught off guard.... never!

Saturday morning for us normally means hanging out in our PJ's, watching kids cartoons, sheltering from the hot and/or wet weather and nursing mild hangovers..... however since I am pregnant, the hangovers aren't around, plus the monsoon as cooled things down slightly so it's time to annoy my husband, get him out of bed and load the family into the car for Delhi activities. Let's see how long this enthusiasm lasts......

This morning we visited the ceremonial 'Changing of the Guard' Delhi style. It starts at 9am at the Rashtrapati Bhavan (residence of the President of India) and goes for 40 minutes (check the website for timings) . There is a small amount of seating to watch the event, but there weren't many people there this morning so seats were easy to come by.

We got there about 8.55am so the set up and last minute checks were all taking place.





Last minute checks

 

 



Banners of the Army

 

The sun was out (and hot) and there was a mild breeze, so the whole waiting experience was pretty pleasant. Soph ran around spotting monkeys on the roof tops which kept her entertained.

 

Too sunny!

 

Unlike many things in this country, this event actually started on time, with much pomp and fanfare.... however there was a minor curveball thrown when this cyclist decided to cut in front of the parade. The cops were thrown into a spin and much yelling and pointing ensued!

 



The troublemaker

 

Once this side show was over the real thing got underway - drums, music, marching soldiers and horses - what more could a 2 year old ask for? She loved it!

 

 

 

 

This event has run every Saturday morning since 1773, so it is not surprising that it runs like clock work - down to the men following behind the horses to clean up the inevitable mess. 

 

 

Meticulous army

 

 

 

 

 

 

So was it worth the early(ish) Saturday morning? Definitely. There weren't too many people there, it was calm and pleasant plus I really loved seeing the beautiful horses and the handsome soldiers all dressed up in their regal uniforms. 



 

 

So handsome!

 

Delhi does good

August means Monsoon and Monsoon means happiness! It rains and rains and the air is cooler. We can sit outside and enjoy a drink (and the dengue plagued mosquito's).....

This years Monsoon has brought more happiness than last years for two main reasons - this year was way hotter than last year and secondly I am pregnant this year and the heat really got to me!

People venture out alot more during the Monsoon, including us, and I've been to a couple of new places I would recommend to my Delhi friends or anyone coming to visit...... anyone......anyone......

1. Indian Accent - best meal I have had in Delhi!!! My visit a week ago was my second since I have been here but the meal was just as good as the first time, if not better. Stand outs for me were the ribs, prawns and the yummy peanut butter chicken. It is Indian but with a twist, and what a brilliant twist. The restaurant is classic and contemporary and the service is great. Only piece of advice is stay away from the after meal digestives - complimentary little morsels that are best avoided and opt for a real dessert. An expensive meal by Delhi standards but certainly worth it. 77 Friends Colony West.

2. Almirah in Meher Chand Market has great kids clothes in very cute patterns and designs. This is my latest place so if you have had a baby recently you can expect a gift from here. I especially love the PJ's and little girls dresses. Shop 38 Mehar Chand Market.

3. Chadha Tailors in Lodi Colony Main Market. Tom has bought suits from here before and they are great. Beautiful wools and colours available and a tops tailor. This time we are also trying shirts, so I'll let you know how that goes. 22 Main Market, Lodi Colony.

4. Chez Nini restaurant has seen me visit a few times lately and I really like it. Most recently Tom and I took refuge there after a terrible attempt at lunch at nearby Ploof Delhi (won't go into it but don't think we'll be going there again anytime soon). Chez Nini has a lovely owner, the decor is modern and fresh and the food is great. Highly recommend the duck burger, coq au vin and quinoa salad however even more highly recommend the churros and the red velvet cupcakes... Yum!!!! Can even get cupcakes and bread to take-away. 79-80 Mehar Chand Market.

5. Sotomoto is a great new children's furniture shop in HK Village. A bit on the exxy side for me but nice to go and have a peek.

Other places still on my love list:

• L'Opera Patisserie - baguettes rock as do all their breads and cakes..... oui oui!
• Sagar Ratna - quick, easy, reliable South Indian food (near work).
• Gunpowder in HK Village - always good!
• Brunch at a friends on Sunday morning, the best way to spend a lazy Sunday morning with hungover friends and husband even though you haven't drunk for 5 months!

That is all from me, a bit of spruiking for my hometown after the bashing it received over the summer! 

 

Summer fling ...

After a very very long hot Delhi summer, our family escaped for a week to the beautiful teardrop island of Sri Lanka. We spent two nights in Colombo and five in Thalpe, about 15 minutes from Galle.

I have been to Sri Lanka before and remember then being surprised about how different it was to India - so close yet so far. A lot less people, a lovely sea breeze and supermarkets with aisles are my main take-aways from Colombo. I fell in love with Paradise Road, a homewares store with beautiful crockery, pottery and tableware. I bought a teapot, milk jug, serving platters and some linen - all really lovely and nowhere near the price of Oz. A trip back may be necessary to stock up on more plates and things......

Next stop was Thalpe. We took the new highway from Colombo to Galle - WOW. It is amazing, about six months old and smooth as silk to drive on. 400 Sri Lankan ruppees ($A3) gets you through the toll gates and then it is one hour of the smoothest driving I've experienced in this part of the world.

In Thalpe we checked into Apa Villa and couldn't have been happier with it. We had Saffron Suite 7 and it was perfect for us who were travelling with a toddler. There was a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and covered deck, where we ate breakfast, dinner, enjoyed the view and hunted for hermit crabs.  It was super chilled at Apa, they had a beautiful pool right on the ocean and lovely staff. You couldn't swim in the ocean, as it was very rocky and rough, but I loved just looking at it and breathing in the fresh ocean air.

 

In addition to just chilling at our villa, reading books and eating seafood, we had a couple of trips into Galle Fort and checked out some shops and eateries. We had a great lunch at the Galle Fort Hotel, bought some cool replica Air Ceylon pictures and checked out the lighthouse. It is a cute old town and lots of shops to look through and spend a few dollars at.

We also visited Apa's sister property in the countryside. This is a stunning garden setting and very relaxing. The head gardener showed us all around and we tried to spot an elusive monkey - without any luck.

Other than that we did very little - we swam, slept and chilled. Even our toddler got swept up in the relaxed vibe and had a good sleep in every morning!

 

We'll be back ........ 

Hot hot hot ...

What a terrible blogger I have become.... nothing from me for months. The reason for that is not too much has been happening beside heat. Delhi has been in the grip of a serious summer, it has been over 43 degrees for as long as I can remember. I am eternally thankful to the people that invented air conditioning, and can't even imagine what living through heat like this would be like without it. Even though so many people in this place do.

There has been a lot of 'goings' from Delhi. The minute the school closes up, the aeroplanes take off and the tumbleweed rolls in (not quite in a city of 20 million people). Some very special people have taken off this summer and won't be coming back to Delhi shores, thankfully a lot will be.

I'v been working part-time which has allowed for some long weekends. On one of these recently we managed to scrap in a little trip to Oman and Dubai to see some very good friends. In Muscat we stayed at the Shangri-La Hotel and just swam, ate Aussie beef (in many states) and relaxed in the heat looking at the Arabian Sea. It was a few days of just relaxing.

View from Shangri-La

 

Soph and Tom meet the locals

We then drove to Dubai (via Shobha - a must see!) with our mates and had one day checking out the malls of Dubai. I need to pencil in a trip back as didn't get around to seeing nearly enough stuff but importantly I saw Dubai's new Waitrose, Jones the Grocer, Nespresso store and a butcher. Another highlight was Milk and Honey - a gorgeous little grocer that stocked amazing olives, Carmen's museli bars, Natural Confectionary company lollies and quite delicious cupcakes. Dubai's malls blew my mind after Delhi and have a feeling that place hasn't stopped growing yet! Cate - pencil me back into the spare bedroom soon!

Otherwise, today is Sophie's 2nd birthday so there has been plenty of cake, balloons and Charlie and Lola episodes (her absolute favourite). Can't believe she is 2! Where has the time gone......

Here's to another day of 44 degrees......

Pondicherry holiday

At the end of April we packed the family up and headed south to Tamil Nadu and the city of Chennai. Chennai was just a pit stop before heading down the highway to Pondicherry. The road to Pondi was fairly good but our driver was a complete lunatic! As a result Sophie threw up all over the backseat, herself and her parents.Her father, for some odd reason, had brought along a plastic bag - genius - so an easy clean up and we continued on our way.

2 hours later we arrived at the Dune Hotel, a lovely villa based eco hotel about 15km north of Pondi. Dunes was cool. We were shown to our villa that had its own pool and immediately relaxed. The only way to get around the Dune is on bicycles which was lovely and gave a very relaxed Rottnest vibe to the place.

On the Sunday morning we ventured into Pondi city and had a little wander around.... on the way in to town I did let my mind wander to french baguettes and wide boulevardes however we were obviously still in India so the French influence was limited to some older style french buildings damaged by years of heat and monsoon rains, but it still had some charm.  It was also crazy crazy hot so after about 90 minutes of walking we called it a day and headed back to the private pool and a nimbu pane.

The weather in Pondicherry suited alot of lazing, reading, sleeping and swimming so we stuck to these core activities and we were fine. One of the nicest things was sitting outside on our little deck, getting room service sharing a bottle of wine and staring at the many many stars that we hadn't seen for awhile......... 

ANZAC Day in Delhi

Today was ANZAC Day, a day when Australians and New Zealanders stop to remember those fellow countrymen who fought, and are currently fighting, in wars around the globe. I have been to the ANZAC Day Dawn Service in Perth, Australia, Gallipoli in Turkey and now in New Delhi, India.

The Australian and New Zealand High Commissions in New Delhi join forces every year to commemorate this occasion, taking turns who hosts - this year was the Aussies turn.

So with the alarm set for 4.45am, we woke up, quickly showered and headed to the Delhi War Cemetery. Unfortunately it was so damn early, and not being awake properly, I forgot to take my phone which had our GPS/map..... so we only had some 'old-fashioned' printed directions. It didn't go well and we were convinced we were lost. So at about 5.25am we cracked it and headed for home. Thankfully, regaining composure, we U-turned and tried again. This time we successfully found the ceremony and luckily hadn't missed too much.

The Delhi War Cemetery is really lovely! Surrounded by Indian Army facilities it is in a very quiet little spot which is obviously perfect, by rare, in this city. It is beautifully kept and the morning was lovely and cool. The views from the cemetery obviously didn't rival those of Perth or Gallipoli but it made up for it with its calm and peaceful ambiance. The really lovely part of the day was the number of Aussies and Kiwis that had crawled out of bed at this very early hour to honour the fallen.

There were speeches from the Australians, New Zealanders and Turkish, then wreaths were laid by many different countries including Fiji, USA, UK, and the Indian Armies. Finally they played 'the last post' on the bugle - a must on ANZAC Day.

Our 'nearly 2' year old came with us and enjoyed the bugle and managed to maintain silence for 2 minutes - a miracle!

Following the ceremony we walked around to look at the war graves and saw Australian, New Zealand and UK graves along with many others - all of them so very young.

Then it was time for breakkie. Everyone formed a convoy for the Aussie High Comm where a yummy breakfast of bacon, eggs, baked beans etc..... was put on, which either fuelled the work day for some and footy time for others!

All in all, well worth it and a really nice experience.

Holi Moli

Holi - an amazing day in the Indian calendar - a festival of colour. This country loves good festival but this day seems to be embraced by most and puts a smile on everyones face (until of course the joy of the good party wears off). Holi signals the end of winter and the start of summer - hurrah! From now on all we have to look forward to is watching the mercury climb!

Last year I was pretty new to the scene up here and didn't think an eight month old would really dig getting covered in coloured dye..... wind forward 12 months and we are all over it. We had a great day with some friends in the morning throwing colour, then chilled out in the afternoon with other mates over a couple of drinks listening to the chaos of Holi swirl around us on the streets.

Sophie getting Dad with colours!

 

now Mum's turn....

Napisan required?

 

 

Some locals enjoying the festival.

 

Happy Holi x

One year in ... time for some Hope.

Our family has ticked over one year in this incredible city. We have visited some amazing places but probably one that will be with me for a long time was the Hope Projects walk around Nizamuddin. (I have put in a link to the Hope Project at the bottom of the post. They are an interesting bunch so make sure you have a read.)
We were supposed to meet our guide outside Nizamuddin Police Station at 5.30pm, but like most things here, you never leave the meeting point before waiting at least 15 minutes and making at least 3 phone calls.

Finally our guide arrived and we started weaving our way through the streets of Nizamuddin. Nizamuddin is a primarily Muslim area and a rabbit warren, god knows where we walked, it was incredible.

Nizamuddin is full of beautiful little kids playing cricket and running up and down the small alleyways. There are attar shops that sell lovely little perfumes and chook shops with chickens close to their doom.

It is overwhelming and can feel like you have stepped back in time.

Mosques are aplenty and we arrived around prayer time so rivers of men where winding their way to worship, however we were certainly not welcome to go anywhere near the inside of the mosques.

As the sun set and we could no longer see what we were stepping in or on we hit the real market area. There were flower garlands, incense and the lingering smell of shoes...... always means its never long before you too will have your bare soles on the ground.

So remove our shoes we did and moved in to listen to the Sufi singers. The Sufi music is quite calming and relaxing and watching so many people hit the square to listen to it is quite lovely - men, women, kids, the elderly - everyone! It is busy but quite beautiful.

Since I have arrived here I have learnt that there is often something else going on under the surface at the same time as everything else. I was really confronted when I realised that the music was also used to calm a number of mentally disturbed people whose family bring them here in the belief that the music will cure them.

It's full on..... woman and men thrashing, swaying and beating themselves to the beat of the music. They also wail and moan which accompanies the melodic musicians. I have never experienced anything quite like it.

I couldn't stay there for too long and we moved on past the passage of beggars to the well of sacred water (although I think I am glad it was dark). We asked our guide, a resident of Nizamuddin, whether he believed the sacred water could cure you. His response - 'no, if you're sick you go to the doctor' - righteo then.

The final stop was HQ of the Hope Project which was lovely and we saw the resting place of the founder..... below. Lots of very cute kittens were keeping the tomb warm, so cute!

Of course no trip to Nizamuddin is complete without a good old kebab so off we went to a street food vendor doing a roaring trade in meat products. I won't say I wasn't nervous but I jumped in, enjoyed and ....... no unpleasant lasting results.

End result - a definite Delhi experience with a great organisation.

For more information on the Hope Project here. 

Taj Mahal - you might have heard of it?

My first trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra was back in 2004, I really can't believe it was 7 odd years ago.... and I don't feel that much older.

Back then I caught the train that left at 6 am which was efficient and good, this time I couldn't get a ticket on the train so drove, leaving at 6am. I braced myself as there are horror stories of the road trip taking hours and hours and hours....... thankfully leaving at this early hour on this particular morning was a breeze (with a pillow and iPod in the back of  perfectly comfortable car!). After only 3 hours we arrived in cold, foggy, smoggy Agra.

Agra must be very grateful for the Taj otherwise not many people would be visiting, it's not the prettiest place on the planet but it does have one of the prettiest buildings.

My sister and I got dropped off at the carpark and you get the choice whether to go by electric car or by camel to see her. I left the choice to my sister and the next minute we are in a tray on the back of a camel.

'Romantic' mode of transport

Got to love a good old grumpy smelly camel! Soon Rob and I were at the entrance to the main event. I had to take a picture of the 'cattle lanes', apparently in place to stop people jumping the queue - very effective as an average sized person can barely fit through!

 

Do not overtake!

But all that fades into insignificance when you see this ....

 

No matter how many times I see this building on a postcard it really doesn't compare to the real thing and postcards can't provide you with the 'Princess Diana' moment!

Fact for the day: clever things built the Taj so the minarets all lean slightly out in case there is an earthquake they fall outwards.

 

I can also highly recommend a visit and perhaps lunch at the new Oberoi in Agra - views are amazing!

Then it was time for the drive back..... slightly more hairy that the drive down there and also took two hours longer. The drive back was hairy, who would have thought a truck driving along with a truckload of bricks loosely piled on the back, not tied down would fall off at random intervals and come crashing onto the road. Of course you didn't want to be in the car that might decide to overtake at just the the wrong moment. Thankfully it didn't happen to us, I then decided to match the rest of the trip back to my iPod soundtrack and hope for the best. It helped.

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib

Recently I revisited the beautiful Gurdwara Bangla Sahib near Connaught Place in Delhi. Gurdwara Bangla Sahib 'is the most prominent Sikh gurdwara in Delhi, known for its association with the eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Har Krishan' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurudwara_Bangla_Sahib).  It is a large, lovely building and there is something about it that I really enjoy. It has amazing golden domes and a stunning pond of water lying down at the bottom the marble steps.

As foreigners my sister and I entered firstly through the tourist entrance where we were greeted by a lovely man who instructed us to remove our shoes and cover our head. I thankfully had bought my own head scarf but my sister had to borrow a really lovely scarf! The gentleman then gave us a brief run down on the Gurdwara then took us up to visit the main event.

After stepping through the water trough, to clean our feet, we walked up the steps and entered the temple. It has amazing high ceilings and all the faithful sit on the floor in front of the holy book - Guru Granth Sahib. Inside the temple Gurbani (devotional music) plays and is very calming. Unfortunately no photos are allowed inside.

 

Exiting the temple

On leaving the temple we passed the small room where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept overnight and covered in silk, which is known as the Rumala to protect it.

We then visited the outdoor area on our own, our guide wished us well and told us to enjoy ourselves - very welcoming! We wandered around the pond outside 'Sarovar', this water is considered holy by Sikhs and while we were there there were many people bathing in the pond(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_Granth_Sahib).

Reflections and my sister

 

This much space in Delhi is so relaxing.

 

Time to bath

One of my favourite things about the Sikh temples is the langar. This is where anyone and everyone can come for a meal. It doesn't matter what caste or creed, everyone is welcome. It is an amazing place, an amazing kitchen and so many people chipping in to feed others. 

 

Naan anyone?

 

A pot of dahl!

 

What a kitchen... amazing

Apologies if anything here is incorrect, I have done my best to get the facts right but please let me know if I haven't. Cheers x

Udaipur and Jaipur

Now it was time to explore and show off Rajasthan. I was looking forward to taking everyone to the desert as it is commonly seen as the 'real India'. I booked us into nice haveli's and palaces to invoke the romance of the country and experience a bit of a treat over the New Year.

Udaipur was the first place on our hit list. Our first mistake, was early in the trip when we booked Kingfisher Airlines. We booked these flights months ago before the news hit the papers of problems at the airline. In the days leading up to the flight each of us was peppered with text messages and emails letting us know of delays to the flight or just flat out time changes. So while my husband was happily on a Jet Airways flight that was scheduled to take off about 1 hour after us, we waited another 45 mins and landed about 1.5 hours after him. Kingfisher used a tiny twin prop plane and Jet had a nice 737. I dont' think I'll do this again.... maybe I won't get the chance - hey Kingfisher? To top things off a guy decided he would like my assigned seat more than his own, so with my 18 month old I clambered over him and settled in for the hour or so long flight....... but god bless my child for sleeping.

We arrived safely in Udaipur - commonly described as 'Venice of the East', 'City of Lakes' and home to over 3 million people. We met up with my husband, who had kindly waited for us and drove to the airport (another one or so hours away - this became a theme of our holiday).

Eventually we arrived at Fateh Garh - perched high on a hill and looking magnificent! What a beautiful building, lit up at night in all her glory. We put the bub to bed and enjoyed our first evening out of Delhi. Unfortunately this hotel has problems..... and putting us in rooms above a very noisy kitchen was the main one, we moved rooms a number of times but I will not dwell on the negatives. The food was nice and the company was great, so can't complain.  They have also made a lovely looking hotel that invoked relaxation which is what our team was all about.




View of Fateh Garh pool



The friendly hotel dog that just may have been able to eat my child.



A couple of the many vintage cars, common on the property.

During our time in Udaipur we visited the Monsoon Palace which is lovely but in desperate need of some love, it could be magnificent. The palace is swarming in monkeys anticipating food and tourists anticipating the sunset. The road up is windy and a little unnerving but worth the journey.

We reached the summit a while before the sunset, so we appreciated the view, had my child stolen from my arms for photos with some locals, dodged some monkeys, smelt the sweet smell of the urinal but then it was time to 'beat the crowd' and head for the car where 'Uncle' was waiting for us. We missed the sunset, however it was time to head to the English Beer and Wine Shop to get supplies.

The next day we visited the mildly insane City Palace......wow it was crazy. It was Saturday before NYE and every person in the Udaipur vicinity was there. We battled through the maze of the City Palace, dodged, ducked and avoided tour groups and families all hustling toward whatever the point of interest was in whatever particular room we were in. I felt claustrophobic and honestly thought I would never escape the 'Palace'. It is a beautiful building and it deserves more than it served up in the holiday time but you do get a magnificent view of the Lake Palace and a window to the magnificence of what used to be.




Maintenance at the City Palace.

My best mate and I also enjoyed meandering the streets of Udaipur,  a spot of shopping and crossing the lake to enjoy lunch at a lovely lakeside eatery, Ambrai. Unfortunately the Lake Palace is closed to non-guests so we couldn't visit the famous floating hotel. However, Ambrai was a great spot to watch tourists trip around the lake and locals battle with their washing on the banks all in the shadows of the magnificent City Palace.

This was a really lovely day and Udaipur was indeed impressive - pretty yes, Venice not so sure.

Next stop Jaipur...... this was another puzzle of transport - the boys opted for the open road (8 hours), two of the girls took Kingfisher (again with changes in time and delays) and I went via Delhi to collect my sister who arrived that day - Kingfisher again, and again a two hour delay.......

In Jaipur we chose to stay at the 475 year old Samode Palace Hotel...... it is a beautiful old place in the middle of the countryside in 'Samode'. You must be warned however if you stay here it is about 1 hour north of Jaipur and 1.5 hours from the airport (and you must know where you are going!). My driver sadly didn't know these important facts so the drive from the airport took closer to three hours. Needless to say the relationship between the driver and I was slightly fractured by the end of the journey.


But whatever anger or frustration I had died as soon as I walked into this hotel, ordered a G&T and settled my baby into the perfect hotel room for us. She was happy, we were all there safely and life was good again. Samode is a real retreat and it is lovely to relax and chill.





The entrance to Samode



Hotel and hills



Pool ...... ahhhh

We unfortunately decided to veer off the path of relaxation on one of the days and visited Jaipur (a 2.5 hour journey that ended with me in tears). After an almost comical attempt at asking for directions from locals we decided to call the attempt to reach the Fort to an end and instead find the yummy Anokhi cafe for lunch and regroup. We all needed to get out of the car especially Liz who had the short straw of not having a proper seat! After pulling it together we visited the Old City for a spot of cow spotting and shopping - the boys successfully purchased a poker set and my sister a tablecloth. Plus we did get to see the illusive Cowocerous......



Unbelievable......

After a long day on the roads we arrived back at Samode enjoyed beer, poker and a dinner in the hotels fancy Indian restaurant.

The next day was travel day and we were all really looking forward to the 4 hour drive on an Indian National Highway (insert sarcasm here.....). We said farewell to the Samode and hit the road. Indian Highways are insane and I want to make sure I travel on them as rarely as possible for the main reason that the massive trucks are driven by what appear to be very small 12 year old boys and the lane lines are merely suggestions. Hence, there are always accidents and I really do not want to be part of one.

The reality of driving on these roads are never far away and tragically the NH8 served up a fair bit of  reality on the way home. We witnessed the aftermath of a fatal motorcycle accident.... silent and in shock we drove past the undescribable. I never want to witness anything like this ever ever again, it will sit in my head and linger for a very long time. A very sad end to our trip. Thankfully the rest of the journey for us was safe and we arrived back in Delhi by nightfall.

Following on from our exploration around this part of the world, it's fair to say, like the ads, that India is 'incredible' and I think this is how it appeared to my friends:

incredible bad
incredible sad
incredible amazing
incredible beautiful
incredible WTF

........ but always incredible.

I don't know if they'll be back..... but I think we all have memories of a time together in a pretty amazing place.

A special thanks to our friends for visiting our home, it means alot and we miss you x