The drive from Agra to Jaipur is long and somewhat tedious unless you enjoy just watching the world go by, which fortunately, I do. Our Greaves Bus was comfortable and air conditioned, but honestly if I was doing it again, I would avail myself, again assuming I could afford it, of their private plane service.
Anyway, we drove, and not far out of town came to a toll highway, which was quite well made and certainly allowed us to travel fast enough. Indian driving is probably only possible in a country that believes in re-incarnation, as so many people appear to have a major death wish. In Delhi while males on a motorbike have to wear a crash helmet, females were apparently up in arms at the thought of spoiling their hair, and gaily ride side saddle, often carrying a baby, while another child also straddles the bike. Our group decided the Darwin Award should go to the families we saw, (yes more than one) with dad driving the motorbike, while on a cell phone, (one was TEXTING!!) with a child sitting between him and the handle bars, while mum sat side saddle breast feeding a baby! No helmets anywhere, but somehow they do seem to survive.
On the highways of Rajasthan no helmets are necessary for anyone. Couple that with the propensity for driving on the lines rather than between them, and the openness of the highway system, coupled with people parked sticking out onto the roadway means the driver must be alert and careful at all times. The openness of the highway means local traffic and pedestrians move in either direction along the kerb and slow lane, while trucks sit in the outer lane at 70 to 90 KPH and buses and cars weave in out, horns blaring. Oh, and of course, pedestrians and cross traffic wander around, oblivious of the traffic or else hoping that reincarnation will move them forward on the chain of evolution. Deliriously chaotic and wonderful to experience, but probably not the safest thing one could do. Oh, and just about every truck has on the back in large letters, BLOW HORN, or HORN PLEASE, which of course everyone does! And, don’t forget that cows are holy and are not fenced in, so they roam over, onto, or into roads and traffic at will. As do the goats, dogs, buffalo and other animals so our driver constantly had to brake, honk, swerve or pray; indeed maybe all of them at once.
Halfway between Agra and Jaipur we deeked off the highway for a very interesting lunch experience at the Bagh, or garden. This was a hunting lodge built in jungle by a local Rajah, and expanded into a 22 room or so property, set up in six buildings, (office and reception; 3 bedroom blocks; restaurant and bar; and swimming pool and spa;)primarily for bird watchers. While the rooms are rustic, they are well air-conditioned and clean, as well as large. We had a delightful lunch and learned the history and purpose of the place. Built at a spot favoured by local and migratory birds, as many as 450 varieties have been observed in a year, although recently that number is down by around a third. We saw all kinds of birds, from peacocks to parrots, and ate a delightful Indian lunch spiced to be palatable to western tastes. Anyone wanting a break from the road, and enjoying wild-life would probably love this property although they must accept the rustic nature of it. Anyway, back to the highway, and on to Jaipur.
Watching life go by, several things struck me. It is amazing how there is any soil left. The climate is bone dry at this time, yet in spite of the almost constant wind, ploughing and harrowing occur. Consequently, the soil looks to have little nutrient or compost value in it, but rather to be very clayish type soil, which certainly was confirmed by the number of brick kilns along the highway as we got closer to Jaipur.
It was also interesting to get numerous glimpses of daily life along the road. People washing, or urinating near the edge of the road, while they defecated in the fields. Little children being given stand up baths adjacent to the water well. People cooking or sleeping in makeshift tents along the road. All sorts of every day normal activity immediately adjacent to the highway.
The litter and rubble along the road was somewhat depressing but also a reflection of peoples everyday needs. Stranger to my thoughts was the village where a side of one house had in large letters SEX. Apparently, in that village, normal life goes on, but all the wives make themselves available to truck drivers and others, quickly leaving their children to earn a few rupees, while their husbands work in the fields. Life truly is stranger than fiction.
Every little way there are temples along the side of the road. Haruman has the most. He is the monkey God and brings good things. But there are all sorts of other ones, and many mosques too. India is after all the second most populous country as far as it’s Islamic population is concerned. I can understand having been driven about here, why people go to the temples for safe passage.
Regardless of the scenery or roadside activity, we fairly quickly reached close to Jaipur, where we set off into the foothills to possibly the strangest hotel I have ever stayed in, Devi Ratn, built as a Medieval village into the hillside. www.deviresorts.in The property has enormous banquet facilities and is apparently popular for weddings and groups. The staff were the nicest, gentlest, most charming people I have experienced, and the food was heavenly, but the rooms while large and well appointed were funky to the point of stupidity, and the maintenance, for a one year old property was appalling. For example the spa, which was large and well laid out, greeted us with hugely chipped and scuffed doors and door frames, while everywhere the concrete was cracked and the tiles broken. The pool had small tiles missing, and the beautiful marble bathroom had obviously been constructed using broken tiles in the corner, which gave it a tattered effect. Couple that with sillinesses like no towel rack anywhere near the shower, no full length space for clothes hangers, and so on, and the rooms and public facilities were in my opinion awful.
Anyway, we inspected the villas, located in scruffy gardens, which suffered the same kind of sillinesses, added to which there were others such as the “private” pools in the villas were totally open to view from others. Hardly what one would expect for alleged honeymoon suites; the patios had no umbrellas or other forms of shade, the gardens were weedy and unwatered, and the feeling was a curious property; one year old and yet poorly maintained while having incredible staff. I felt like Alice in wonderland, continually thinking “curiouser and curiouser.” Oh well, it’s only an hotel.
I was not looking forward to my next Devi Hotel, but I can tell you it is FANTASTIC. What a strange chain.
Anyway, the hotel had GREAT food, so after dinner, it was off to bed, a great sleep, and the next day to the citadel of Jaipur.