We said goodbye to Udaipur early in the morning, hopped into our cab and made our way to Chittorgarh (Chittor for short) to see India's and Asia's largest fort. Set on top of a plateau/hill, the fort covers over 700 acres and includes several deserted palaces and about 130 temples. Some of the buildings date as far back as the 8th century and are left in ruins reminiscent of the Roman Forum, others have been preserved remarkably well. If there wasn't a severe drought in Rajasthan, the fort would also have 84 lakes, but we only counted a few. It was a long but rewarding day exploring the ruiins, climbing towers, and watching monkeys play. We descended back to the plains, ate a great roadside lunch and headed out of the otherwise boring city and drove about 30km to our hotel.
Bassi is a small town off of the beaten track, and would probably never see a white person if it wasn't for its fort and palace (anyone who is anyone has a fort and royal palace in Rajasthan). To our surprise the royal family had turned their palace into a guesthouse and we had a suite for the night. We literally felt like a king and queen in our lavish room with murals, arched entry ways, and beautiful marble floors. A lot of India's palaces and havelis (old mansions) have been turned into heritage hotels, where you can stay in a piece of preserved history. Needless to say we had a great evening, another vegetarian feast (complete with mutton), a few beers, and sat under the stars in our royal courtyard.
The next morning we strolled around the town as it was beginning to wake up. The stores openning their doors, women carrying pots of water back from the well on their heads, and children in blue uniforms walking to school. And the two of us, walking with smiles plastered on our faces waving to everyone in their doorways coming to see the foreigners who came to their village.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment