Smaller pairs left ...
... and right
Pictures taken from the moving bus.
And then we reached the village of Neemrana. Our bus could not drive all the way to the old Fort/Palace because a car had parked right after the curve and none of the usual honking helped. So we got out ... right here ... and walked ... just a little uphill.
It didn't disturb the cow. They are everywhere walking (or laying) around freely and nothing disturbs them.
Cows of course are holy in India. Hindus belief that nothing living should be killed that's why most meals are vegetarian. But cows can be held for the milk. When they dry up they are let loose and roam around.
This place was part of the silk route. On the right you can see pillars marking a well. Neemrana was like an oasis in the desert area.The local people(even way back then) soon learned that providing for the travelers is good business.
We reach the gate of Neemrana Fort-Palace which now is a heritage hotel. It was built in 1464. Very impressive and "cute" with all those nooks and crannies and beautiful views into the valley.
See the thorns on the door? This is to prevent elephants just to ram it and gain entry. It's a fort!
We were invited to have refreshments in the courtyard before lunch. A great place.
Great tea!
We loved the name of this room:
Loo with a View
It says so over the door!
Lunch here was very nice.
A beautiful place.
Then we walked down hill again and to the bus.
No, this was not our transportation waiting for us this time.
Children again talking English with us. Of course they were asking for pencils too.
Traffic, all forms of transportation!
Soon we were on our way and after a while Praveen stopped the bus again to invite us to see a very local village right next to the main road.
The men sitting together ... playing games? ... discussing?
Women working ... feeding the animals ...
... processing the harvest ...
After a while the villagers were all around us.
See the heap of flat-round things? That is women's work: collecting the cow dung and patting it with their hands into these disks to use them as fuel.
Arriving in Jaipur late afternoon at the Jai Mahal Palace Hotel. Because of the rain the Rajasthani Dances are not taking place today.
Astonishing in it's extremes. I'm loving this!
ReplyDeleteWow, your pictures tell amazing stories!
ReplyDeleteAnd did you realize when you wrote it that this entry contains two phrases that are worthy of being titles of life-blogs all by themselves? "Pictures taken from the moving bus." is a wonderful description of years worth of random thoughts and observations. And of course "Loo with a View" is evocative beyond words. Well done!
Can't wait to keep reading.