Only thumbs down of the day - for small servings - this was a double
Location: New Delhi - Jaipur
On a mission this morning to be up, dressed, packed and fed in time for the 8:00 am meetup in the foyer. Managed that easily, including fashioning some running repairs on the suitcase handle, with ease.
Checked out, loaded onto the bus and made our way into that morning crawl of traffic and headed towards Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and affectiinately known as the "pink city" because of the facades of the buildings in the Old City. Historically, this was the home of royalty. It all evoked visions of beauty and wealth (... emit quiet chuckle here - the creative written des riptors dont quite match the reality ... so far)
This was a little "repositioning cruise" of some 265 kms (estimated driving time of 5 to 6 hours) that would take us from the urbanness of Delhi, through sprawling flat countryside of agricultural India, through a mountain pass and tunnel and pop us out into the historically well fortified Amer City (written everywhere as Amber) and then to Jaipur. It was interspersed with two comfort stops and again it was our very own "on the bus" wide screen view of a real world documentary hosted by @Vishal. The kms just disappeared.
He interspersed the trip with commentary and was always open to questions. He told the big stories at the microphone, then made himself available through the bus for a "sit and chat" to address personal queries or clarify details he had shared. It was a perfect balance of tuning in, chatting and quiet contemplation.
Back of the bus and loving it
We did a little swap around in seating positions and I was very happy to score the back seat all to myself with perfect views down the aisle out the front windscreen. It was a straight backed bench and @Mac opted for the head rest layback option in front of me. And of course we were able to swap and change, stretch out and share as we needed.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Some views from the bus windows - just random short notes to promot the memory in the future of some of the thongs we spotted and chqtted about ...
- nothing had changed miraculously in the streets overnight to improve the daily challenges for the locals - although there was a major difference in the weather - blue skies and sunshine
- largest prison complex in the Northern region of India
- the Military Precinct - block after block of installations all ringed by clean, clear roadways, in a "honk free" zone ( lots of people with straw brooms out sweeping - such a contrast where gardens and footpaths are maintained and are litter free with very few people outside) NO photographs permitted in this area
- traffic merged with the freeway, at a snail's pace, and 5 (really 3 marked lanes) became 8 (really 5) and frequently there were cars pulled over to pick up passengers. 6 to 7 people joined a driver and were jumping in to be crammed in for the ride. We could see a passenger stretched across the back dash!
- amazing absence of graffiti everywhere so far in India
- life size statues of Gods and Goddesses and towering forms at various points which appear quite randomly along the journey
- @Liz and @Ross need to buy a ssrvice station over here. Service stations are six lanes wide and they always have queues out onto the road trying to access fuel - all the advertising banners are blank though and don't display prices - must ask
- agricultural India soooo different from the city - large expanses of green, heavily farmed land, lots of workers in the fields, very little machinery. Diverse range of crops including rice, wheat, barley, lentils and all sorts of vegetables. No traffic - smooth ordered four lane divided tollway with no beeping
- noted cricket games in progress in breaks in the field
- the country drive was a wide valley lined on one side by a low even mountain stretch and we could see its partner on the other side in the distance
-livestock in small tended herds were cattle or goats (apparently India exports cattle)
- countryside beautiful and green and lush under the influence of the monsoon
lush and green
- went from blue sky to torrential rain and back to blue sky within 10 minutes
- highway speed was dampened by intermittent, irregularly spaced speed humps - that kept you awake and played havoc with the step count of the watch
Not much traffic out here
- the closer we edged towards Jaipur- more cows, rubbish and industry began to appear - especially brick works and stone associated industry .... headstones and carved statues
- beeping of horns, traffic and litter returned
- encountered a large group of people walking in procession along the side of the road - yes, mostly on foot with a few on wagons and on tractors - decorated vehicles, music blaring, people dancing - a religious pilgrimage - apparently very common
- cliffs tops play host to temples and shrines for people to find solitude and practice religion
- many large/expansive (and by comparison to the increasingly urban landscape - quite opulent) banquet halls to host weddings
Vishal's detailed lessons
Two interrelated topics were explored in detail on the journey today - the caste system and then arranged marriages.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is in the contrast in acceptance - from @Vishal's perspective all very normal and for the Australians on board - so far removed from what we know and understand. @Vishal spoke for about 45 minutes attempting to bring these concepts into focus for us and ended with his personal story.
This doesn't scratch the surface of the detail he shared but basically the caste system was created by the Gods themselves and divides Hindus into four main ranked categories - Brahmins (the keepers of knowledge and performers of rituals), Kshatriyas (the warriors keeping country safe from wothin and without) Vaishyas (the business people, traders and producers) and the Shudras (the cleaners.)
The 1947 push for independence really highlighted the difference between the first three and the lower Caste- who had no rights and very few opportunities. Attempts have been made to change this highlighted by the fact that the last two Prime Ministers have been from the Sudra class.
The details were elaborate but basically the discourse on the Caste system was shared to bring us to an understanding of the present day where marriages are still arranged and are made between individuals who are in the same caste.
The marriage system had so many steps and stages, that really begins with your registration at birth. Legal age for marriage is 21 for men and 18 for women and, in today's India, 98% of marriages are still "arranged." Note here, this does not mean "forced." Rather, parents and families are active participants and involved in the selection process and provide the tick of approval.
Most couples today are marrying between the ages of 25 and 30 and again, this is a uniting of two families rather than just two people.
At birth, the time and date is precisely noted and provided to the Priests. This information provides the details of your astrological chart which is an important point of comparison in the selection of your partner. There are 36 pointers which are used in selecting a partner - at least 21 should be matched in that final selection for an "appropriate" match.
It is all a bit like using a dating APP! Your "resume" is created (crazy detail including your earnings) and then your can be "advertised" in the weekly Sunday paper insert called "Matrimonials." @Vishal got a big laugh here when he joked at how great Indians had become at using Photoshop to create the pictures that were shared as the first "look." Parents can "search" and pick potential partners, arrange a meeting of the family (not the the prospective bride and groom), submit the astrological charts to the Priests and if they match, arrange a meeting for the couple.
And so it progresses, until the wedding is completed (parents are making the guest list and celebrations), the Priest determines the date and time, the dowry settled and after the wedding, the bride moves into the groom's family. Gifts at the wedding are usually money - and they are carefully recorded in a maintained family ledger - for generations!
So that's done - and the couple lives happily ever after and according to @Vishal, love grows and India has a very low divorce rate. (Fact check pending.)
All of this is within your "caste" ensures tjat - by marrying someone who understands all the expectations and rituals and customs associates with your station in life - the pairing is more "compatible."
.
Ah ... and then .... there was @Vishal's personal experience with marrying. Of course you knew it was coming. He married outside of his Caste (he is Brahmin and his wife Kshatriya - the warriors) and they met while studying at a monastery. His parents were very "liberal" and supported him, his wife's parents not so much and it was a little bit of a challenge but he turned on the " charm offensive" and broke through the barriers. Hilariously, one of the major stumbling blocks was their paltry match of 10.5 on the charts - but some smooth talking and "gifts" from his parents smoothed out those wrinkles with the priests.
They celebrated their union over 9 days with 750 guests and have been happily married for 12 years and have two children.
The moral of this story ... money talks in any language.
We made two comfort stops on our journey and the second was for lunch. Some hurdles, including the language, no pictures on the menu, no change for what we think are small note denominations, card systems that are down, wrong orders and wrong pricing and full vegetarian options or KFC . I went vegetarian, @Mac went KFC and somehow we paid! But it was all completed in good spirit - and worked out in the end.
Best we could do in the food court
Getting started in Rajasthan
Arrived just south of Jaipur through a tunnel around 2:45 - we were about 10 kms soth of our final destination in the city of Amer. Several forts and temples were built in this area including Jadha/Amer Fort and Palace and the ruling Maharajahs over time had great connections with the Mughals, the British and even the British royal family. It was a peaceful environment and many arts and skills developed - which are showcased in the precinct of these walls.
The mountains surrounding Jaipur are famous for red, black and yellow sandstones and there are prolific quarries for precious stones. It is a centre for arts and crafts (gems, inlay, gold leaf, textile printing, paper production) and all of that sounds fancy - but the visual reality is absolute squalor. More intense than Delhi. Piled, discarded evidence of human habitation - and here on a different scale - I am so far not seeing "pink" but rather a bus graveyard. Abandoned and dumped vehicles piled and lined up everywhere. It could be described as one huge rubbish tip that stretches across all the city blocks (except the military zone) , with people scratching our some sort of existence amongst the shambles.
If I were an Indian, I'd never leave the beauty and freedom of the countryside!
Amer Court and Palace
Ended our day with a visit to the Amer Fort which we accessed in a series of Jeeps which took us through the narrow alleyways to the top of the mountain to reach the Fort. The city wall here looked a little like the "Great Wall of China" with the wall and its strategically placed towers snaking across the ridge of the mountain and looking down onto the Fort.
All aboard the Jeeps for a mountain climb
@Vishal helped us navigate the avenue of (persistent) hawkers and then progressed us through the rooms, courtyards and gardens of the King's Palace. Incredible artistry, contrasts in colours of the sandstone and marble used to create the walls, floors, pillars and portals, secret passageways, public and private meeting halls, pools and courtyards - and although an empty shell today, @Vishal brought the past to life as we took a leisurely stroll through this maze.
Lots of stairs and corridors and unsurprisingly we lost a couple of team members every now and then and worth noting that as we shared the space with the locals, our skin colour was a novelty. I was the matriarchal centrepiece for one family of 15 - and I posed for endless pictures with the group and then the solos - the young and the old, the men, the women and the children. Crazy.
Drawing a crowd to pose with the family
All completed under the blazing sun and in stinkingly oppressive heat and humidity. All group members were boasting their own patterns of perspiration as clothes stuck to skin and rivulets poured and puddled on body ridges and then dripped onto the floor. The itinerary had been changed to take advantage of the "cooler" afternoon opportunity - we were really supposed to do this "tomorrow." Everyone had dressed for "a day in the bus" so there were a few incorrect shoe choices. I certainly wouldn't have worn a dress to be climbing in an out of Jeeps!
Oops.
Plenty of rooms and balconies to explore
Checked in for two days
What a contrast here at the #Park Ocean. We were greeted with a gold and pearl jewellery gift and cold drinks and ushered to our rooms which were sweet smelling, expansive, perfectly clean and had amenities that worked! Hot water, a roof that didn't leak, soap, towels, comfy bed, table, desk, chairs, storage. OMG, so good!
@Chris enjoying the comfort of the new foyer - all smiles
Joined the group for our 7 pm buffet/banquet dinner, quenched our thirst (@Mac's order of a double was definitely not a "home pour") and recapped on another wonderful day. Laughed ourselves stupid at the notion of having a Turkish bath in water filled with pubic hairs and emerging as a circus ready genuine bearded lady (you had to be there) and finally pulled the shutters down on a super day.
PS Had a breakfast chat with @Maureen and @Barry this morning who have been on multiple Tripadeal adventures including through Vietnam and Cambodia. Their comment was that our Delhi venue was the worst accommodation they have ever experienced with this company. And seems this comment is validated for today at least - very comfortable here! Long may it continue.
Weather: 33 but the humidity (I'm going local tomorrow and packing a "sweat wiper off-erer in my handbag - everyone has one)
Steps: 14297 - not even close - the rough ride on the speed bumps boosted the total ... I'd guess around 8 000
Health Check: although uncomfortable cramping in the legs (too little water, too much humidity and heat) and some blister/shoe rubs from the wrong shoes. Tummies absolutely perfect.
Accommodation: Hotel Park Ocean Jaipur - so good! Great hospitality, dining room and staff excellent, bathroom dream
On the MenuStraight from the itinerary:
After breakfast at the hotel, travel approximately 265 kilometres to Jaipur - the capital of Rajasthan, and on arrival check into the hotel, where you will also enjoy dinner this evening. Jaipur is instantly recognisable for its pink-washed buildings.
This evening, enjoy a short city tour to get your bearings followed by a Sari and Indian costume demonstration.
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