Travel days always seem like they might be dull, but today couldn’t be further from this. We start with a slow departure from Delhi, although it’s Sunday and Narendra tells us it would be significantly slower any other day!
Soon we pass from Delhi into Gurugram, where we stop to buy booze. Narendra tells us the duty is lower here, he stocks up on Kingfisher and we purchase a few bottles of local Chardonnay. This might sound a little odd, but I’ve not told you about the issues surrounding wine yet. We know that whisky is widely drunk in India but the choice here is amazing.
Then it’s a four-hour drive, mostly along the NE4, a recently built motorway which is almost empty, apparently because the tolls are triple the cost of the older and slower road. Halfway we stop for refreshment, and given it’s Easter Sunday we treat ourselves to a Snickers, unfortunately we didn’t notice until too late that they are out of date, but worse things happen at sea!
We also met with one of Narendra’s sisters and youngest nephew who took his luggage away as they live in our next destination.
The drive is fast and we arrive in Jaipur in time for lunch, and then check into our hotel and find time to sit by the rooftop pool for a while before we’re picked up in a Jeep.
There’s another nephew in tow this evening, and we head out of the city towards Nahargarh, where we sit on a ridge overlooking the city, as dusk descends. The view is down to the Jal Mahal Palace, set in it’s own lake.
The drive is wonderful, the city amazing, the views spectacular and we have another car-o-bar with Rum and Coke, it’s all quite extraordinary, in fact I’m underplaying the drive, it is crazy! Undoubtedly having one’s head sticking out the top of a rag-top Jeep as it thunders along is memorable enough, add in the place and it’s atmosphere to round off a fabulous evening.
