For the main we had a glass of Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi Doc 2011 from Santa Barbra Italy. I had some baked corn-fed chicken with slow roasted coulis, dauphinoise potato cake and baby vegetables and Richard had a salad if smoked Scottish salmon with saffron potatoes and marinated tomatoes with lemon vinaigrette dressing.
We finished it up with an assortment cheeses and some dessert wine. Not a bad meal I have to say!
First of all as most of you know I would never eat a donut… But this morning I couldn’t resist. First of all it had pink frosting and sprinkles, but also silver leaf.
I can’t even begin to explain how beautiful this place is…
A few updates:
Today we went to a suburb of Delhi to the house of Mohan, the owner of Travelscope which has been organizing all of our hotels, guides and transport. We were treated to a wonderful demonstration of Indian home cooking by his wife and mother which became lunch. The food was delicious.
Train to Jaipur and Amber Fort
We had an early start this morning with a 4 hour train journey to Jaipur at 6am. The scenery on the way was magnificent. After arriving in Jaipur we visited the impressive Amber Fort in the hills above Jaipur. We stopped for a late lunch at the delightful and picturesque Samode Haveli before being taken to our hotel to relax. We had a lovely evening enjoying the view and chatting with Peggy and David over a couple of cold beers and snacks.
Jaipur Bazaars and Elephant Riding
Today we started with a visit to a local market. After some haggling Richard bought a traditional indian man’s outfit. We were then taken to an old solar and lunar observatory with instruments built out of stone in the 17th century. Afterwards we visited the house of a local cultural and culinary historian where we were treated to a lecture on the origins of traditional Rajasthani cuisine followed by a cooking demonstration by his daughter in law, which soon became a wonderful lunch. After another stop at a bazaar we ended the day with an elephant ride at sunset followed by dinner. We both fed the elephants bananas before our ride so that our elephant would give us a smooth ride!
Chattrasagar
We were taken by bus to our new hotel out in the middle of the Rajasthan countryside. On the way we stopped at a shop to refresh ourselves with some masala chai and chocolate! The standard of driving left a lot to be desired… Upon arrival we were shown to our tent atop a dam with wonderful views over a lake and plain where we could see world antelope, boar and birds going about their business. We relaxed with a beer before going on a lovely late afternoon game walk.
Chattrasagar Day 2
It was freezing when we woke up but the beautiful sunrise did not stop us from taking tea out on the patio before breakfast. We were taken on a morning excursion through the fields and into the village where we learned about the farming methods used in the area and the village way of life, which has been largely unchanged. We visited a school, a shepherds house and a potter.
India is truely a land of contrasts and it is hard to express it. We have met some of the most kind and beautiful people. Some have lead a fairly privileged life and inherited land and a title- yet they have still had to find a way to make a living. They open boutique hotels on their property, which we have been lucky enough to be able to stay at. For example Chhatra Sagar- two brothers inherited the land and chose to recreate the opulent hunting lodge that was used by their grandfathers.
Highway Code of India…otherwise known as Formalised Anarchy
Article 1 – The assumption of immortality is required of all road users.
Article 2 – Indian traffic like all Indian society is structured on a strict caste system. The following precedence must be accorded at all times. In descending order, give way to: cows, elephants, camels, buffalo, pigs, goats, dogs, heavy trucks, buses, official cars, pedal rickshaws, private cars, motorcycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, handcarts and pedestrians.
Article 3 – All wheeled vehicles shall be driven in accordance with the maxim ‘to slow be to falter, to brake is to fail, to stop is defeat’. This is the Indian drivers’ mantra.
Article 4 – Use of Horn (also known as the sonic fender)
Cars: short blasts (urgent) indicate supremacy, i.e. in clearing dogs, rickshaws and predestines from path. Long blasts (desperate) denote supplication, i.e. to oncoming trucks “I am going too fast to stop, so unless you slow down we shall both die”. In extreme cases this may be accompanied by the flashing of headlights (frantic). Trucks and buses: all horn signals have the same meaning, “I have an all-up weight of approximately 12.5 tons and have no intention of stopping even if I could”. This signal may be emphasized by the use of headlamps.
Article 5 – All maneuvers, use of horn and evasive action shall be left until the last possible moment.
Article 6 – In the absence of seat belts (even if there is) car occupants shall wear garlands of marigolds. These should be kept fastened at all times.
Article 7 – Rights of Way: Traffic entering a road from the left has priority. So has traffic from the right, and so does oncoming traffic. Lane Discipline: All Indian traffic at all times and irrespective of direction of travel shall occupy the centre of the road or the entire oncoming lane. Lane changes shall be made randomly without warning or regard to the surrounding or oncoming traffic.
Article 8 – Traffic Management: Apparent traffic islands in the middle of crossroads have no traffic management function, even if staffed. Any other impression should be disregarded.
Article 9 – Overtaking is Mandatory. Every moving vehicle is required to overtake. Every other moving vehicle should be overtaken, irrespective of whether it has just overtaken you. Overtaking should only be undertaken in suitable conditions such as in the face of oncoming traffic, on blind bends, at junctions and in the middle of villages/city centers. No more than 2 inches should be allowed between your vehicle and the one you are passing – one inch in the case of pedestrians, bicycles or rickshaws. Overtaking can be undertaken on either side of the vehicle being overtaken, regardless of road width.
Article 10 – Nirvana may be obtained via a head on crash.
Article 11 – Reversing: What is this? Not many drivers in India like to use this gear. Use is strictly against the drivers’ mantra.
Article 12 – The 10th incarnation of God was an articulated lorry.
We have limited intenet access… But access!
The Johnsons 
