November 13, 2006 Jaipur

The welcoming lawns outside the Restaurant at Hotel Arya Niwas, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

November 13th 2006

Reached Jaipur Railway Station 1/2 hour late; hired the services of a coolie @ Rs 50 for 2 suitcases and waited in the waiting room till Neelam called. Had 2 cups of tea each, sugarless but rich, @ Rs 5 each per cup. The first cup was in a tiny glass and the second in clay Kulhar.

Took some photos, before Pavan was stopped by the Station Manager, Mr Chaddha not to take any pictures. Pavan had to argue with him to ask him why and where does it say. Pavan bhi naaa..........!

Neelam called us a few times (we had a cell phone loaned by Bhaiya, with a number originating from Rajasthan, so the incoming calls to Rajasthan were free), and waited for her outside as she was to pick us up at the Railway Station. Neelam met us outside the station at about 8 am and we drove to the Arya Niwas Hotel. What a nice hotel. The room was not yet ready (too early) so we decided to get some breakfast in their self service restaurant "Chitra" - where they serve fresh cooked, almost home made food. We had omelettes and Idlis. After breakfast, Neelam went to finish her work and joined us later in the afternoon. Paid Rs 149.60 (approx 3 dollars) for breakfast for 3 of us.

We got our room # 404, a wonderful large room, with an extra bed for Neelam (she was with us for two nights), for which they charged us Rs 150 per day. They were packed so we could not get another room. This room had a very large balcony, almost the size of our room, with cane furniture (divan, 2 chairs, table etc) and a fridge, with rollup shades. Very nice.

Neelam returned at about noon and we ate lunch at the Hotel and paid Rs 299.87, and Pavan went to sleep while we went shopping for bedcovers, jutis etc.

Pavan was still sleeping when we returned and we enjoyed the thali in the hotel at night and paid Rs 277.90 for all three of us, less than Rs 100 per person. The food in this place is awesome, clean, healthy and very very tasty.

Bought a small book on Rajasthan at Hotel Arya Niwas for Rs 60;

This was our first day in Rajasthan and we were already loving it.

November 14, 2006 Jaipur to Dausa to Jaipur

Approaching the Railway Station in Dausa, Rajasthan.

November 14th 2006

Had breakfast at Arya Niwas (paid Rs 240) - bought some items at a General Store outside the hotel for Rs 161) and left the hotel at 11.03 am to go to Dausa with Neelam and Sunil. As soon as we took a turn outside the hotel, Sunil went past a red light and was stopped by a cop. Sunil managed to pay only Rs 100 as fine. We felt bad and Pavan managed to pay him later by adding this amount for a battery charger he had bought for us.

We stopped on the way at "Sisodia Maharani Ka Bagh" - a beautiful garden, which is going thru major renovations. It had frescos on the outside walls and the mood was to return via this garden again, time permitting.

We drove to Dausa, and the 2 locations it is known for are a temple and a dargah. We first went to the temple, a very tough drive for Sunil, as the lanes were extremely narrow, even difficut for a three wheeler to go, but somehow, Sunil managed to drive his compact car there. We were harrassed by a local called Deepak and since the temple was too high and impossible for us to climb, we just wanted to take pictures from down below and leave. But this character along with another person thought they had their day's income and continued to insist that we have to go up. Once Deepak even threatened that he would not let us leave till we had gone up, at that point, Pavan who was quiet all along, walked up to him and threatened him in his Meerut Lingo and said firmly, "Do not touch" and only then he let go, the other fellow was calm but this "Deepak" was drunk . There were also a lot of monkeys here. Finally, we made our way back to the car, and left with a bad taste about this place. We are Indians and so could get rid of these people, what must the tourists from other countries be experiencing with such scoundrels? The local officials must make a note of this.

Next stop was at the Dargah. Pavan went alone inside, and I took some pictures of the temple again from this site and some portraits of locals sitting by. It is basically a calm place, one thought sprung to mind that mostly the turbans worn here were white, not colorful. Later we found out that the ones we saw must have been older men, who do not wear colored turbans after they loose their fathers.

Pavan returned from the Dargah feeling very good about the place and the people there. They were very curteous, cooperative and pleasant. Had no expectations about any donations, and even allowed Pavan to take their pictures. Pavan took additional pictures after coming out of the dargah.

We left to check out the RTDC Midway hotel in Dausa. It was a one room hotel, that is why it is called the Midway. The rate for the room was Rs 400 and it included a bathroom, very basic furniture, but good for someone who HAD to have a night's accomodation there. We had lunch there, which they prepared for us fresh, it was excellent and the manager and the cook came to see us off after we ate. We paid Rs 224 plus tip for 4 of us for our lunch. Since Dausa is only 55 kms from Jaipur, they do not expect many people to stay, but RTDC still has this facility available for anyone who may need an accomodation.

The last 2 locations (the Dargah and the RTDC hotel) were much better experiences after the visit to the temple.

We drove back to Jaipur around 3.30 pm and stopped again at the "Sisodia Maharani Ka Bagh" and took additional pictures, now in the evening light, and spent about another half hour there before driving back to Jaipur.

Sunil wanted us to go to his house to have tea, which we accepted. His mother and kids were in the living room, his wife made tea for us with biscuits, chivda etc, and before we left his wife came to say hello. We then left his home to visit the 2 RTDC's in Jaipur for comparisons. Both the hotels were pretty decent, but a little more expensive than Arya Niwas and not as cozy. But, in absence of Arya Niwas, we would definetely like to stay in any RTDC accomodation in Rajasthan. They offer clean rooms (as long as there are no carpets) and fresh clean linen etc. They do have basic ammenities like soap, drinking glasses, water cooler etc. They also serve all meals at an additional charge.

Bought a yellow/black print 2 pc dhoti/kurta outfit for Jaidev (our grandson) for Rs 110 (which was later exchanged for a size larger at Rs 20 more).

Returned to the hotel and we had dinner at the hotel (Paid Rs 300.25). We just love the food at Arya Niwas. Nice, clean and very reasonably priced.

Neelam packed her bag as she was leaving early in the morning for Delhi before returning to Bombay. Talked for sometime before we all slept. Neelam's bed was quite a comfortable arrangement. We had this sleeper sofa in our room, which actually opens into a single bed, and the hotel staff prepared the bed with clean sheets, pillows (we asked for many extras) and blankets etc. which were graciously provided.

November 15, 2006 Jaipur

Pavan and Rita in Jai Gadh, Jaipur
(Photo taken by our guide, Laxman Singh Shekhawat)

November 15th 2006

Neelam left early at 6.30 am. Sunil's brother drove her to the airport.

We had breakfast at Hotel Arya Niwas - Rs 203.06 for Pavan and myself.

We had requested a taxi from Arya Niwas to go to Tonk, but some confusion delayed the trip, so we switched our next day's plans with today. We decided to sight see Jaipur today and go to Tonk tomorrow.

We were given an Ambassador Taxi with Mr Sarawan Singh Pawar as our driver. Not sure about the taxi and the driver, we did not want to make any long term commitments for the rest of the trip. So, we headed out to sight see Jaipur, the taxi seats were covered with white toweling cloth fitted seat covers, and had white curtains in the back window. It was a white taxi with the symbol "Tourist" in a circle with a straight line than ran around the taxi. Honestly, I was hoping this old Ambassador was not our taxi when we came out after breakfast. But, soon we were to experience otherwise.

9.05 am, we went to RTDC hotels to get some more information, but the office does not open till 10 am, and they close at 5 pm. We were planning to stay in some RTDC's across Rajasthan, so wanted to be able to check some of them.

9.20 am, we went to Hawa Mahal (front only) saw the snake charmers, somehow they start performing as soon as they see some tourists/foreigners. Normally they are just sitting doing nothing. That looks terrible. But during this photo shoot, one of the snakes really came too close to me. I had to quickly pull back.

Took photos of some very colorful Juttis displayed in a makeshift roadside shop.

9.33 am Left Hawa Mahal for Amer Fort

We were driven up to the Amer Fort by taxi, did not realize till later that we paid Rs 100 extra for the drive all the way up, but it was definitely worth the money as the climb was too steep for us to cover on foot.

Paid Rs 20 for parking and Rs 100 at the Gate for Entry to the Fort.

There were lots of Langoors and there was one who found a "gende ke phool ki maala" - a garland made from marigold flowers - and ate almost all of it. There is a major rehab going on here too, but despite that there were a lot of people - mostly foreigners - taking pictures. We were told we can get a full view of the Amer fort from Jai Gadh.

11.20 am Reached Jai Gadh, famous for the Jai Top -pronounced as in dope - it is a huge gun carriage, I believe, the largest in the world.

At Jai Gadh, we were escorted by one of their local officials, Laxman Singh Shekhawat. A very passionate Rajput, who was delightful in his narration about the history and the facts about this Gadh. Since the Fort is very simple and ordinary and most things are underground, I asked him what was the need for the undergrounds? He said, Rajput hain na. Some of his stories about Akbar and Birbal was so interesting that I wished I was carrying our camcorder or some audio device to record him. He explained in detail and even was a bit curt with some orientals, he considers all of them "Chinese" and said, hamare upar waar karte hain, phir aakar hamara desh dekhna chaate hain. I politely told him, they may be Japanese or Korean, he calmed down saying "haan haan, woh bhi". He gave us a very good tour of the Gadh and explained in detail each and every room with his constant running commentary. At the end of the trip we took some pictures of him, and one even with me, and Pavan thought he gave him Rs 100 (a little over $2) as tip. He was truly touched, as on leaving us, he said, Saab, till today, no one has given me such a big tip. Sure, he was happy, as Pavan had, by mistake, given him a Rupee 500 bill. Well, he deserved it, as we were really happy with his commentary and entertainment.

I don't think Pavan and I can ever forget Laxman Singh Shekhawat. A true and passionate Rajput.

1.15 pm Reached Tiger Fort. Tiger Fort gets its name from its Maharaja - Nar Singh, it is almost in ruins now, but still well maintained . It is a large Haveli, and the upstairs has narrow alleys. Must have been built for large joint families to live together without getting in each others way, as it had a lot entrances to different quarters from within its courtyard. Tired by now, we wanted to get something to eat.

1.55 Left Tiger Fort to get lunch.

Sarawan Singh took us to Suraj Restaurant, a nice local Rajasthani restaurant, where the food was excellent. The place was packed but we were led to a room in the back where they serve mostly tourists and foreigners. We ordered mineral water and Rajasthani thaalis, a very good experience. After the meal, the manager came by to ask us how we liked the food. We had to wait a while for the food to be served, but the place was packed and they serve fresh cooked food, so it was worth the wait - paid Rs 219 plus tip.

After lunch, we went to Vrindavan Gardens right outside the restaurant. It was not a very impressive garden. It had a view of a big hotel on top, which looked quite impressive.

On our way back, we stopped at the Jal Mahal, which has no Jal (water) and the Mahal is in ruins and under renovations, so no one is allowed to visit indise . But we stopped anyway and took some photos of the Mahal from distance. There were two very happy looking women selling berries and papad, and we got some very nice portraits of them while we talked to them. We did not want to buy anything from them but tipped them nicely for allowing us to capture their portraits on our cameras.

Returned via RTDC information center and got the required information.

Back at the hotel, Pavan tipped Sarawan Singh Rs 100 and were very happy with his curteous and helpful attitude and signed up at the hotel for his services for the next day to go to Tonk.

Back in the room, uploaded our pictures on our laptop and after dinner at the hotel, settled down to view our day's haul. We were very happy with the day's events.

November 16, 2006 Jaipur to Tonk to Jaipur

APRI - Arabic Persian Research Institute, Tonk, Rajasthan

November 16th 2006

Woke up early and had breakfast at Arya Niwas at 7.45 am

8.10 am Left for Tonk with Sarawan Singh for the day trip.

Talked with Sagar, Vijay & Nikhil on the way.

One of the cameras - D70S - reading is 543.

Sarawan Singh driving at 70 kms per hour.

Reached Sunhairi Kothi at 10.40 am.

1817 Nawab Amirandash (check spellings) was the first Nawab. Go to APRI, Chisti Mandi to get more info.

Met with Riazu Hassan (at the school - in Rangeen Kothi - across the Sunhairi Kothi) Instructor Calligraphy, City Office - APRI, Nazarbaug, Tonk, Rajasthan. Tel 01432-247327
Moti Masjid

Met with 2 young girls outside the Sunhairi Kothi - Sanaa and Rosie, they were very intrigued and kept following me while I took pictures of the Kothi from Outside. Very friendly girls and helpful. They probably do not see too many tourists there.

No one is allowed to go inside as it not safe; it is under renovations, which have not yet started. Looks like someone started a bad job on this National Heritage, and the project may have been shut down.

11.30 am We were guided to the staff at Rangeen Kothi to visit APRI next, so leftSunhairi Kothi and Rangeen Kothi for APRI.

11.45 am - Reached APRI.

Met with Tarique Rana, faculty of computer. email : rana_sir@rediffmail.com

Our queries led him to introduce us to Mohd Amir Khan - translator Arabic, Arabic and Persian Research Institute, Tonk, Rajasthan

We also met a gentleman from Nagaur there: Ummed Khan Tonky, Tehsil Didwana, Village Bery Chotti, Dist Naguar, Rajasthan.

We wanted permission to take photos from inside of Sunahairi Kothi etc. and were recommended to contact:

Shri Ashok Shekhar
Govt of Rajasthan
Minister/Secretary
Art & Culture Department
Secretariat - Jaipur, Rajasthan
http://www.apritonk.nic.in/
Phone: 0141-222-7107, Sect Art & Culture
0141-270-6060 Director General JKK

We were at APRI from 11.45 am till 2.25 pm. When we kept asking questions, they kept going back and forth inside to get answers to our queries. Eventually, we were led to a large room where Mr Moid Khan, Director of APRI, was confering with his fellow members. We were requested to remove our shoes and not take any pictures. Mr Khan was sitting on the ground with the others, and as he stood up, he smiled and offered me a sweet, I thanked him but declined as we are both diabetic.

Mr Moid Khan was sceptical initially, but after a long chat in this room, he showed us what actually existed around that room. These were the original manuscripts of Aurangzeb etc, stored in these huge glass cabinets, which one could view from top. He explained that this Institute translates these original manuscripts into many languages and they are also a sister concern of Salarjung Museum in Hyderabad. We had a very detailed discussion on various subjects and we felt very comfortable with each other's thoughts and ideas. He made us feel so comfortable that we felt we had always known him. Mr Khan spent the last 45 minutes with us in his enormous office and offered us tea. Pavan declined as it was sweet, but I had a cup. We left at about 2.25 pm and Mr Khan came out to see off.

Mr Khan left a very good impression on us and we are very thankful to him and his staff for all their time and information. He is doing a very good job in a little known place called "Tonk" in Rajasthan. We would highly recommend others to go and visit APRI and see the original manuscripts - a hidden treasure of knowledge.

We decided to return to Jaipur to eat so we would not spend any more time in Tonk as it was atleast a 2 1/2 hour drive back. Pavan tipped Sarawan Singh Rs 100. The taxi charge for the day was Rs 1500. If one hires the taxi service for 10 days and above, the rate is Rs 1250 per day.

Settled for some snacks at the hotel Arya Niwas, and later shared a Thali at night and Pavan also had veg soup.

After dinner, we viewed the day's work which we had uploaded earlier after our return from Tonk.

November 17, 2006 Jaipur to Samod to Nawalgarh to Mandawaa

Pavan and Rita at Samod Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

November 17th 2006

Today is our 34th Proposal Anniversary, we proposed to each other this day :-)

We are starting a 2 night/3 day trip to Shekawati Region, which will include Samod, Sikar, Nawalgarh, Dundlod, Mandawa, Fatehpur, Ramgarh, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar (on return again) and back to Jaipur.

8.30 am After breakfast, left Arya Niwas for Samod.

Responding to our query, today Sarawan Singh told us about the Bansal family who own and manage Arya Niwas Hotel. The father: Shri Krishna Bansal passed away last year and was popularly known as "Bauji". He started his life as a Govt servant and he was also responsible for putting up the Radio Station in Ceylon. His sons Mr Ajit (wife Neelam) and Harsh Bansal (wife Sushma) and daughter Chitra Agarwal and grandson (Ajit's son) Tarun Bansal (wife Kirti) run the business. There is another daughter of "Bauji" Laxmi, who lives far away. The family lives together in a joint family system about 2 and 1/2 kms away from Arya Niwas and they have a couple of summer houses where they go away for hot summer months, as Rajasthan, being a desert, is unbearable in summer.

9.40 am Reached Samod. When we arrived at Samod Palace, we were made to pay Rs 250 per person entry fee which may be used to pay towards a snacks/food bill in the restaurant. This hotel is beautiful, sp the Sheesh Mahal, took a lot of pictures. 2 guys helped show us around, even took our picture through a beautiful Jharokha window (shown above). Pavan gave Rs 20 to each. The restaurant service was poor, maybe because they already had our money. The food was so so. The bill came over Rs 500, so we paid the difference, but left not feeling so good about the poor service and the quality of food. A nice Palace - Heritage Hotel experience spoilt at the last moment.

Comment: We were later told by Mr Harsh Vardhan's wife in Kota that this hotel belongs to her cousins. It was in ruins and after some recommendations from relatives and friends, they joined hands with Heritage Hotels to bring it to its present glory.

1.15 pm - Arrived in Sikar.

There is an old clock Tower, quite interesting but too many electrical wires around it spoil it to shoot any good pictures. There are also some old Havelis, a lot of dentist shops (?) took a lot of pictures but the place has more commercial than artistic value. Took some photos of a flower shop where the shopkeeper had hundreds of marigold (genda) garlands (malaas) - he presented me with a red rose, very sweet smelling! Nice of him.

1.40 pm - Left Sikar for Nawalgarh.

2.25 pm - Reached Nawalgarh. Nicely landscaped entry to Nawalgarh - a circular choraha. Sarawan Singh brought us to DS Bungalow - a paying guest house (called guest house) at 2.41 pm. Outside the guest house, we met with the owner - Pinky - in a Rajasthani dress, a yellow printed ghagra choli, a very sweet and a confident person, a bit overbearing though. She escorted us inside and we saw another table with a local guide with some tourists. Pinky was taking orders, cooked the food herself with the help of a local boy. I went to use a toilet, and even saw a room in case we decided to spend the night there. The bathrooms were leaking and I did not get the comfort level, besides it was still early in the day and we wanted to see more places before we settled down for the night. She quoted me Rs 800 per room, which I believe was twice the price she normally gets. We ate our lunch which took an hour to be served, and when she realized we were not staying, she offered to reduce the price on the room rate. We explained to her that it was not the price but we still had a lot to cover and it was still early in the day for us to settle down. Pinky is trying to do a very good job of putting her home available to guests but needs some help to furnish the place better and take care of the facilities within. While we were eating our lunch, her husband brought her 2 young kids home from school. Maybe, she needs to separate her home quarters from the guests, so one does not feel as though they are intruding.

We took some pictures with her, she looks very pretty and enterprising.

4.00 pm Left DS Bungalows to see some local Havelis. Witnessed two donkeys fighting, attacking each other with a vengeance. A sight never witnessed before, we got some good shots of them.

4.35 pm Left Nawalgarh.

Spent 15 minutes at Dundlod from 4.55 pm to 5.10 pm

5.45 pm - Reached Hotel Mandawa - a huge Palace/Haveli turned into a Heritage Hotel.

This is a Haveli, which has been converted into a Heritage Hotel. The exterior has frescos painted all over on white background. They started by showing us rooms priced at Rs 3000 (with an upper room, complete with a wall to wall mattress to cover the whole room, gaav takias etc from where one could look below into the room). When I flatly refused to pay such a price, not only did they start showing us other rooms but also offered to give us a 40% discount. We finally settled for a room at Rs 1100 (total final price). The room was heavily painted on all 4 walls. There was only a bedcover and blankets to cover the sheets, so we requested for 2 more pillows and 2 single sheets (to use under the blankets) which they graciously provided. Too tired to eat dinner, I went to sleep at 7.15 pm and did not wake up till 9.15 pm. Pavan said there was live Rajasthani music and entertainment. Just had tea and biscuits. After Pavan took a shower, the taps went dry!!!!

The bathroom had a sink with no arrangement to place our toiletries, supplied with 2 towels but no napkins and a tiny little 1" soap. This is a Heritage Hotel but no better equipped than an RTDC hotel which is being offered at Rs 400 in this city. This hotel attempts to look classier than it is. The room was clean, with a marble floor and a clean bathroom, but all night, there was no water in the bathroom. It is a good thing, Pavan had saved some water in the bucket, so we could atleast wash our hands etc at night.

Smart idea that we had our mini electric kettle to make tea, we carried tea bags and creamer- (we do not take sugar) and some cracker packets. That was very helpful.

November 18, 2006 Mandawa to Fatehpur to Ramgarh to Churu to Jhunjhunu

Mandawa Palace - the Heritage Hotel, Mandawa, Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

November 18th 2006

Woke up early, had tea in the room, finished packing and had breakfast on the open terrace, facing the front of the building. In the morning, the Mandawa Hotel looks quite pretty. We ordered Parathas and yogurt with pickles. Talked with our children in the US, Payal and Sagar. Took a lot of pictures while we were waiting for the breakfast, and saw a female with a huge lens for her camera, the kind that Courtney has. Overheard them talking about our D70S.

When we came down, Sarawan Singh was not yet ready, he said that he could not get access to the bathroom as yet. But we still had to go sight see the Havelis so we spent an hour photographing local Havelis, Sarawan Singh hooked us up with a guy from the hotel to show us around Mandawa, who took us along the narrow lanes, most of them were clean, except one or 2 lanes. Saw a bus load of tourists, mostly Europeans. Took some really good portraits of this guy who lives in one of the Havelis. He was sitting outside, and invited us in silently to take more pictures. As usual, Pavan tipped him well.

10.00 am - Left Hotel Mandawa for Mandawa Castle.

10.30 am - Left Mandawa Castle.

10.42 am - Left Shiv Temple for Fatehpur.

11.36 am - Left Fatehpur, gave the guide Rs 20.

12.15 pm - Arrived at Ramgarh.

12.25 pm - Left Ramgarh in Ratangarh.

1.00 pm - Reached Churu.

1.15 pm - Reached Churu Fort.

1.20 pm - Reached Sunheri Haveli.

1.40 pm - Left Sunheri Haveli.

Sunheri Haveli is owned by the Poddars, and they have let this humongous Haveli rot. There is a woman who was standing in one of the balconies who requested us to close the small door within a gate when we left. The left side of the Haveli was dirty while the right side at least looked somewhat cleaner. But considering this is a National Heritage, rather, an International Heritage, how can our Government let these monuments/havelis go down? The Poddars do have a smaller newly built mansion close by, where they must be coming to visit. Maybe, they are waiting to cash out one day and meanwhile have someone stay there as caretakers, without having to pay them anything.

3.02 pm - Went past Jhunjhunu RTDC

3.30 pm - Reached Hotel Jamuna Resort, a very nice place, bargained to pay Rs 800 for the room, learning the tricks now. It is a fairly decent, very clean room, with 3 beds and plenty of outlets. We had lunch (Rs 200) and decided to settle down for the night, asking Sarawan to meet with us next morning.

Retired to our room (# 209) and uploaded the pictures, had some tea, took a nap. Pavan woke up at 5.45 pm and I at 6 pm. Had a good 2 hour rest. Had some tea, changed and freshened up to go and eat dinner. We had earlier asked the waiter if we can get some mutton curry, which he reminded us about at dinner. We ordered the mutton curry with chapattis, beer and mineral water. As we were about to finish our dinner, Sarawan Singh saw us and brought the owner - Mr Laxmikant Jangid - to meet with us. He sat with us for over an hour and the conversation was becoming very interesting. Meanwhile, Sagar called, so I went out of the Gazebo area in the restaurant. I talked with Sagar for over an hour, meanwhile, Pavan also came out and we continued to talk with Sagar in our room.

Had tea, finished up the uploading of the days photos and went to sleep after midnight.

November 19, 2006 Jhunjhunu (Kuan & Wind Palace) to Sikar to Jaipur

One of the Rooms at Hotel Jamuna Resort, Jhunjhunu

November 19th 2006

Woke up early and went to have our breakfast in the lawns at Jamuna Resort. There was a Rajasthani couple singing folk songs and playing local instruments. Very pleasant environment, we took a lot of their pictures, although the woman had her face covered most of the time. Tipped them well to be able to take more photos, Pavan took a couple of me behind them.

While we were still eating, we saw Mr Laxmikant Jangid approaching us. He sat with us, and continued where he had left off last night. When we asked for the bill, he said we can pay it at the counter. He showed us a lot of other rooms, and a kitchen he has developed for the tourists to be able to learn and cook Indian/Rajasthani dishes. He also showed us his listing in the "Lonely Planet". Hotel Jamuna Resort has this special offer at 950 Euros to bring a tourist from Delhi Airport to Jhunjhunu Jamuna Resort which includes stay, food etc, but its free for those who help in the development of this beautiful hotel. While we were talking with him, we had given him some ideas about some add ons (like exchanging his ugly plastic trash bin outside the exotic Gazebo for a brick style to compliment the surroundings , plus how a very plain fan in an otherwise beautiful area can be made to match the rest of the room (with mirror work as was the rest of the area).......I went to finish our packing and Pavan went with Mr LaxmiKant to clear the bill. Pavan returned after a while to tell me that Mr LaxmiKant refused, absolutely refused, to let us pay. He said he has benefited from us more. We tried a lot to pay, but he sent his manager away, and not only that, he offered to drive with us to show us the other famous locations of Jhunjhunu!! We were speechless, Rs 800 + atleast Rs 200 for the breakfast not charged. Well, we still have some Dildaars in our country, but honestly, we would rather pay than be given a free ride. He is such a gracious host.

(We experienced the same generosity in other places, but by now, we were prepared and insisted on paying up quietly and subtly.)

9.15 am - We left Hotel Jamuna with Mr LaxmiKant to see the Bidadichand Ka Kuan (a huge Well). On our way there, Mr LaxmiKant told us that Laxmi Mittal is from Rajgarh, Churu District.

The Kuan (Well) was absolutely awesome. This was the place where locals used to meet socially when they came here to fill water. It became a community center. The area around the well has a lot of open space and built in such a way, that people could sit and chat by sitting on the low stone walls. Pavan asked Mr LaxmiKant on the current value of this location. He had not thought about it, but as we talked, he realized that even today, without doing much, this could turn around to become a meeting place for various occasions, including weddings, Diwali, Holi functions. It is a price catch today and maybe bought cheap. Need to verify if this was built in 1879.

Next stop was the Sati temple. The Sati Temple on the outside looks like any other temple, but at the back of the temple, there is a beautiful white marble temple duplicated 6 to 7 times, and the whole complex looks gorgeous, but Photography is not allowed here. So, another beautiful structure may not be shown to the outside world.

After we returned to the US, Pavan did a lot of research on Sati, why and when did this practice start etc. We always abhored the very thought of Sati practice, it was for the first time we realized and wanted to know more the reasoning behind the practice. More on that later.

10.20 am - Left Mr LaxmiKant at Hotel Jamuna Resort and reached the Wind Palace at 10.30 am - called Khetri Hawa Mahal. This is an awesome Palace where one can visualize how the royalty lived in those days. There are solid walls and one can see rooms through and through. Two young boys showed us around this Palace, but before we could reach the Palace, we had to go through a farmers (sabzi) market, which had a lot of trash and vegetables thrown around, also a market where we saw a lot women and children, clothed in bright colors buying stuff.

To verify that that Khetri Hawa Mahal was built in 1730 by Bhopal Singh overlooking Badal Mahal.

Gave the 2 guys Rs 20 each as tip, bought 1 kg oranges at Rs 20. Someone told Pavan to be careful of his wallet as the person standing next to him was a thief. I cannot imagine anyone stealing Pavan's wallet, he would get a thrashing of his lifetime, as Pavan's wallet is like a second skin to him :-)

11.35 am - Crossed the Jhunjhunu Railway station.

11.37 am - Leaving Jhunjhunu for Sikar (again).

1.00 pm - Ate lunch at Shiv Singh Pura

1.40 pm - To Sikar again to be able to photograph some temples on our way back to Jaipur.

1.52 pm - Madan Mohan and Radha Mohan Mandirs

2.15 pm - Left Sikar for Jaipur .

4.20 pm - Reached Jaipur. Tired and happy to be home again!! Sent some clothes for laundry and requested for an early morning return delivery of our clothes.

Uploaded our photos, rested, ate dinner and settled down for the night.