Tour of India, part 2

Sorry for the interruption. I spent a week in the US on business (plus, of course, visiting family) and have since been dealing with a cold and jet lag.

After we left the hotel in Agra we got back in the car for a road trip to Jaipur. Getting out of Jaipur was crazy; the driver had to take the car down streets with only slightly more clearance for his mirrors. But once we got on the road it was a nice trip. The road was wide and clear and ran through open country. Ms S and I sat in the back seat and chatted, snacked on peanuts and fruit we bought on the road side, and watched the countryside as the sun set.



Once we got to Jaipur we gave the driver directions to our hotel. At each turn he'd stop and ask someone for directions to the next turn. Somehow we drove out of town and back into open space. He called the hotel and was told to meet the hotel's driver along this road. It was dark and we were a bit suspicious. When the hotel's driver came we followed in our car and rove down smaller and smaller, more bumpy roads into open land. We were laughing at how desolate it was getting and the driver was asking how we'd found this place. But then we drove upon this beautiful building and were greeted by the friendly hosts of Savista Retreat. We had a good night's sleep in a comfortable room.

Next day we had breakfast alone on the hotel's patio, then went into town to explore and shop. It is a pretty town with lots of nice, small shops. It was raining cats and dogs but at least it was warm. The hotel's driver took us back to the hotel (about 30 minutes from the town) where we had a lovely dinner, again with the restaurant to ourselves.

On Thursday we went for a ride in the fields near the hotel in a cart pulled by a camel. This was amazing. We enjoyed being pulled by camel and the view of fields and waves from people working in them. But then we were taken to a collection of houses and barns where a few families live. We were met by lots of children who wanted their pictures taken, plus those of their baby goats, puppies, parents, grandparents. A few of the children knew a little English but it was mostly just a lot of giggling and picture taking.

Photos from our time in Jaipur.

After our amazing visit and ride we went back to the hotel to pack and be driven to the airport to fly to our next destination, Udaipur.