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Part Two - Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur
India 1997 - Part Two
Dougburnett2003-11-22 15:55:10
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If you travel at all by road in India, you'll soon get to know the Ambassador. It's a medium-sized vehicle, usually white, that looks like it was styled sometime in the '50s. It's manufactured in India and, as any of the drivers will tell you, perfect for India's roads - that means it's a sturdy little devil. They also say it's easy to get parts for, even in the smallest villages - another admirable feature if you do any cross country travel. The drivers all seem to be in love with them and will carry on at length, singing their praises. One driver, who had owned three different Ambassadors over the last 15 years, even told me a little about each - like they were members of his family or something.
Jaipur, February 22
We arrived in Jaipur in the late afternoon. The driver, who spoke very limited English, stopped at a hotel on the outskirts and asked me if this was the one I wanted - not a good sign, I thought. Again, I showed him the name of the hotel that was written on my itinerary. He took it and went to talk to a couple of pedestrians. He came back smiling, apparently they had given him directions. We drove on into Jaipur and finally arrived at the Alsisar Haveli hotel. The driver apologized saying, "Six Haveli's here," meaning in Jaipur.
It's a small hotel so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't know the way. I had been staying in the multi-star type hotels up until now, but here in Rajasthan I was planning to frequent some smaller ones called Heritage hotels. They are usually royal residences that have been converted into hotels and they tend to be both charming and small.
In the past I have found I tend to meet more interesting people in smaller hotels. The bigger ones tend to cater to large tour groups and they don't seem to be as friendly - or maybe it's just they have had all the company they want. Traveling alone
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
