We landed in Jodhpur and were met by our personal driver for ourRajasthan experience. Ba greeted us with marigold garlands and red roses. Our hotel is called Pal Havali and could be mistaken for the exotic Marigold Hotel. The family still live here but most is hotel accomodation with a great rooftop restaurant. It’s made of sandstone and has a shady central courtyard.


Not only do we have a driver but a guide called Ram, very friendly and knowledgable. In fact the whole Indian population seems so friendly and welcoming. We wandered around the market maze and never got to the end after about 2 hours. Lots of pressure to buy but somehow we didn’t, at least on that day!
The houses are painted blue. We were told it is to keep them cool and because mosquitoes don’t like blue.

The Mehrangarh Fort sits on top of the hill carved from the rock. It is carved from sandstone but parts of it are painted with egg and crushed seashell to give the walls inside a smooth shiny look.

After going to the memorial thurat for the Maharaja, we were taken to numerous shopping warehouses with rugs, jewellery, statues of everything Indian and art works. We resisted and resisted!!!
We finally gave up …. the no- pressure to buy (ha ha!) became overwhelming and we bought things we didn’t need much to the delight of the sellers. We were also very lucky to be the first customers of the day!! On to Radakpur tomorrow with Ba to see the Jain temple.

Yesterday we explored the Buddhist caves within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (104 sq km) and all within the bounds of Mumbai. Sejal treated us to singing into the acoustically formed cave using the stupa. It was beautiful and people thanked her for an experience most had never had there.

They are 11th century caves with many levels and carvings. There were Rhesus monkeys and Langur monkeys and possibly leopards, although we didn’t see any!

In contrast, today we were taken to a shopping mall. Security was again in the forefront with car and boot check. They looked for bombs with mirrors under the car. There were 3 security guards checking but no one looked inside the car to check for anything! Then we passed through a bag and body search before we were able to enter the centre. Then each shop we enteredd also had security.Photos were restricted in some areas but I was allowed to get a photo of the rollercoaster near the rooftop.

Paul and I came out dressed like this!

And the traffic still astounds me!!

Travelling on the roads in Mumbai is something to experience. The constant changing of lanes, not using lanes, using the wrong side of the road, accommodating the motorcycles and rickshaws and pedestrians and trucks and buses all crossing in front of your vehicle… all moving at different speeds, whilst trying to avoid the stallholders in the gutters is to say the least a challenge. Whether the challenge is worse for the driver or the passenger I am unsure. In a three (or maybe it was four or five)lane highway travelling fast and close, I noticed a woman sweeping the side of the road with only inches to spare for her life.

We visited the gates of India in SoBo (south Mumbai for those in the know), then the Museum. On the way to the Museum, a young Indian girl wanted a photo with me. Soon more of the family wanted photos as well and eventually we worked our way through the whole family with a last photo of Paul and I with a couple who we presumed were the parents.

Going on through the markets along Colaba Causeway, we stopped at Cafe Leopold, famous for a terrorist attack in 2008. It was policed by security guards. The place was packed full of people and the noise within the cafe was only just second to the noise levels on the streets. And I mustn’t forget the children’s party on the top of a double-decker bus… and the cake display at Cafe Leopold.The day was long but fascinating and diverse. Thanks to our driver