INCREDIBLE !INDIA

Arriving back in Cape Town on Monday the 20^th of March, I have pink nails, pink scalp and purple streaks on a cotton shirt.

Rajasthan is the largest of 29 states in India and possibly the least inspiring scenically. Despite this, it is very colourful. The first thing I noticed is the kaleidoscope of beautiful sari’s worn by all women, rich poor, old and young, although many younger girls wear a salwar kameez - a pyjama-like outfit which is very comfortable. Even the cities have colourful names.

Flying north for 3½ hours, I landed in Jodhpur and visited the Blue Fort perched on a hill above the town and named by tourists after the blue houses surrounding it. But it was in the market that I started clicking away, with colourful ladies everywhere interspersed with cows, camels, dogs and motorised rickshaws.

Travelling in a clockwise direction by car around the state my next stop was the Golden City of Jaisalmer, my favourite place and named after the sandstone fort from which it is built. In fact most buildings are formed from sandstone gouged out of the hills in this area, even the fence posts are sandstone. The fort is like something from a fairy tale but sadly it is being ruined by tourism with the effect of too much water seeping into the buildings and foundations.

The first evening I spent at the Royal Cenotaphs, 106 memorials to past maharajahs (kings), and built in different sizes. An interesting mix of ancient beauty and modern ugliness because the site is surrounded by a forest of wind turbines. It was a fantastic place to watch the sunset, topped next evening by a camel ride in the Thar desert, only 90km from the Pakistan border.

I was treated like a queen staying in larney hotels and chauffeured around, although travelling at 70km per hour makes the 280 and 330km trips agony. The driver told me that he wouldn’t go faster because it’s dangerous and yes there are sheep, goats, camels, people, rickshaws and cyclists crossing the road. Drivers have one hand on the hooter and the other cradling a cell phone. No seat belts. Everyone appears to do their own thing – go through red lights, turn without checking, ignore lane lines (if there are nay). Driving is like a real-life video game and I doubt that they’ve had a driving lesson, let alone a test! No wonder the Hindu religion is so complicated with its 330,000 gods. Mumbai was a nightmare. I’ve never seen traffic like that in my life. It took 2½ hours to travel about 5km.

Bikaner was next, a disappointing place but the highlight was Deshok Karni Mata the Temple of the Rats. After visiting yet another fort and the camel research centre we headed out of town to the temple. Entering through the silver-door barefoot, a rat greeted us, and it got worse. My guide had told me there is good – to see the rats (apparently they are more active at sunset), best – to be touched by a rat (and I was), and better – to see the white rat, an auspicious occasion (and I saw it). The floor was a disgusting mix of food for the rats and rat shit, despite being cleaned three times a day.

Next day I had Delhi belly, or could it be the plague? On the way between Bikaner and Jaipur we stopped at Samode Palace tucked away in some hills. It was so exciting to see hills again after four days of boring yellow flatness of the desert. It rained, in fact it had rained a lot, the works with thunder and lightening, and it’s not supposed to rain at this time of year. The sides of the roads turn to mud and grunge because everyone drops their litter, India is dirty. Samode Palace is now an upmarket hotel, the royal suite costs Euro430 (R2820) d/b/b, the deluxe E205 (R1470) and the rooms are amazing.

I was particularly impressed with the decoration of the palaces, forts and haveli’s (houses of wealthy people such as the mayor, prime minister, merchants). Every minute space of the entire room is decorated, including the floor and ceiling using ivory, intricately carved marble and wood, semi-precious stones and mirror. It must have taken so long and cost a fortune, and yet the maharajahs looked after their people and they didn’t live in the poverty and squalor that people live in today.

Mid afternoon I arrived in Jaipur for the main purpose of my visit – the Elephant Festival and Holi. It was the first Elephant Festival for my guide who had recently moved to this city from Delhi and so we were both very excited sitting in the stadium as we waited for the procession to start. The elephants entered, decorated with paint, jewellery, bells and seat, followed by camels, horses, dancers and musicians – a photographers dream. Prizes were awarded for the best decoration and then there was tug-of-war between one elephant and 17 tourists followed by polo on elephant-back – an hilarious spectacle as they are so slow and clumsy. Then four tourists sat astride two ele’s and played holi, scattering everyone within reach with the brightly coloured powder. The grand finale was a firework display. On the way back to the hotel we saw a few fires, part of the Holi celebration.

Next morning, “don’t go out (of the hotel), it’s not safe”.

But I’m a journalist, I have to see what Holi is all about and take some pictures.