The hermitage wakes up around 05:20 and becomes noisy for a while as people get ready for their morning safaris. I woke up several times during the night as has become the norm in India, but felt rested. We had yet another brief power cut as well.
I went for breakfast at 08:00, and was then checked out at 09:50 ready for the long drive to Jaipur. I’d spent some of the time before having one last exploration of the grounds, and saw macaques playing in the garden. Naval, the local guide I’d not seen since arriving, also turned up and asked how the safaris had been.
“Did you tip the guide?” Raju asked as I got into the car.
“Yeah, I tipped the drivers and guides yesterday”
“No, this one”
“He wasn’t on the safari? What did he do?”
“He booked them”
That was a little frustrating, I thought that had been Joyful Holiday’s job, so I wasn’t sure why I was tipping Naval. “How much would be right?”
“Five”
“Five hundred?”
“Yes.”
It didn’t feel right doing it, but I tipped Naval as requested before we began the long drive to Jaipur. We drove through numerous towns, passing fruit markets, and vehicles that locals had engineered themselves. At one point a cow almost ran into the side of us, but Raju skilfully avoided it. It looked like we might have stopped around 11:30 for a break if the place he’d pulled into wasn’t closed. Eventually, around 13:00, we arrived in Jaipur.
Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the Rajput Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer, and an astronomer. He carefully planned this city according to principles of architecture and astronomy. The city’s pink identity was formalized in 1876 during the visit of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, although historians argue the city likely already used similar terracotta tones before then. It would be this visit that unified the shades into one, and led to the 1877 municipality act to make it law.
After Indian independence, Jaipur became the capital of Rajasthan: the same area that Ranthambhore is part of. This was the third and final state, after starting in Delhi, and moving onto Uttar Pradesh already. If I’d had more time available for this trip, I would likely have looked at a tour that included getting to see the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi as well. Maybe one day I’d go back and see this.
We stopped at The Royal Darbar, which was the lunch stop, and would delay the arrival at the hotel just enough so we could arrive after the check-in time. The last few days had contained a lot of curry, and I was feeling like I needed a break from it, so I had grilled chicken with fries. This with a drink came to ₹790, but they asked me to leave ₹210 as the tip; about on par with the tips I’d left at other restaurants so far so I didn’t mind.
Shahpura House, my hotel for the next two nights, is located conveniently away from main roads, so in theory would provide some peace each night. The check-in process required me to leave my bags in the lobby, whilst I waited in a receiving room down a corridor. I wasn’t too keen on leaving my camera bag out of my sight for so long. It took quite some time to check-in and was then shown around the ground floor of the hotel before being shown to my room, and receiving my bags about ten minutes later with the bell hop complaining my bags were so heavy. At ten kilograms each, I was fine with them both, and would have been happy to carry them if he wasn’t.
Just outside my room was the extravagantly decorated communal seating area, which I wondered if it could get noisy in the evenings, and outside my window was the swimming pool. It was a shame I’d not brought anything with me to swim in. I was also told they have a cultural show in the garden each evening between 19:00 and 21:00.
For now though, I’d got about three or four hours left before sunset - a small window of additional sightseeing ahead of tomorrow’s tour. I’d made a list and a map of everything that had sounded worthwhile, but had no idea or expectation of what I’d have time to see, or how much ground I’d be able to cover in this heat.
There are numerous forts in the area, but too far away to do them all. If I was to do any I needed to decide which would provide the best photograph opportunities or find a balance between time and distance. That was a big if, too with the heat in the forties once again. The driver had asked me not to leave the hotel, but I wasn’t going to listen. Tomorrow I’d see the Amber Fort, but that looks away from the city. By choosing Nahargarh Fort, located on the Aravalli Hills, I’d get some different views, and potentially take enough photographs to make the long walk worthwhile.
At 5.2 kilometres away, and an estimated 167 metres of ascent, I decided if at any point it became too much, I’d turn back. To start with though, there was some shade on the street the hotel was located on, yet I could still feel the intense heat. Crossing the main road was hard work too, and that was the end of the shade until I got to near the raised metro line. I was sweating already though, even though I was walking far slower than I normally would.
Once I reached the metro line, the road alongside it was busy, with a cacophony of noise. Auto-rickshaws and bikes weaved in and out of the traffic like a slalom. The path, when it wasn’t blocked by stalls or ganne ka ras carts (the ones that sell sugar cane ground into a pulp to make a juice), was crowded. There was so much to be keeping an eye on, not wanting to stray into the path of a vehicle. It felt like a chaos with some sort of obscure ruleset, but where everyone else knows the rules but you.
As the shadow of the metro line started to run out, I crossed over to the middle which extended the shade for just a few metres more until I was fully exposed to the sun's rays once more. I’d wished I’d not rushed out, and had taken the time to apply sunscreen, and maybe wear a buff to protect the back of my neck too.
I’d reached the tall minaret that could be seen from a distance, and across this busy road was a market that looked like a chance to be in the shade. It wasn’t easy, but I made it across the road, and into the busy market. From that point on I was navigating the twists and turns of busy streets, constantly being asked if I wanted a tuk-tuk ride, or just simply saying “hello,” and then asking for money. I saw more cows and goats as I got closer to the hillside, but at last I could see the walls of the fort as well.
The climb up to the fort was harder work than I’d expected in this heat, despite the areas of shade. As I trudged up the switchbacks to the top, I stopped periodically for some water. Bikes zipped up and down, carrying passengers to the top. I was adamant I’d walked this far, I’d walk the last little bit. Eventually I saw a gatehouse ahead of me, and two people sitting down inside, apparently I wasn’t there yet. They pointed my further up the hill, now without shade, to a turn that would lead to the actual entrance to the fort.
There are multiple signs at the ticket office saying that entrance for foreigners is ₹600, but when I gave them ₹600, they said “no”. When I said I didn’t understand, they pointed at a sign in the window that said the price had increased to ₹602. I didn’t have a ₹10 note, the smallest I’d got was ₹50, so he was very unhappy about having to give change. It did however cost me ₹610 instead.
As I entered I saw areas for a hall of mirrors, and a waxworks museum. I suddenly realised I may have made a mistake. Has this fortress been turned into an amusement park? I thought. I saw signs for a food court, but only one place was open, and they only sold milkshakes and Mountain Dew. I decided to stick with my water, and carried on walking around.
I found a large area that was used to collect rainwater for their water supply here, and then found the entrance to Madhvendra Palace. This was more like it! A security guard tried to show me around, but I knew that if I let him, I’d need to pay him. I just wanted to look around quickly, at my own pace, take the photographs I want, and go. Thankfully he left me alone when I explained I didn’t need a guide.
The walls of Nahargarh Fort extend all the way to the Jaigarh Fort, which I’d have been tempted to see if I’d had more time. This fort was built in 1734 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, and was later used by the British and other Europeans when Sawai Ram Singh moved them there for protection during the Indian mutiny of 1857. The Madhvendra Palace is impressively painted with so many rooms across two floors, and with access to the roof terrace as well. It was built by Sawai Ram Singh for his nine queens.
I followed another path away from the Palace after, thinking there might be more to see, but the way was guarded by many macaques. For a fleeting moment I thought I could pass them without them attacking, but when one jumped into the tree overhanging the path, I knew it was too dangerous to try. I could picture it jumping out of the tree onto my head.
With nothing else left to see, I left the Fort, bought a Coca-cola for ₹100, and began the journey back down the hill. I was asked so many times if I wanted a lift down, one even said it’d be free, but I knew it wouldn’t be. Going down was the easy bit anyway.
The return journey had large parts in the shade as the setting sun now caused the buildings to cast longer shadows. I’d made the decision to head back to the hotel now, and maybe see the other sights from my list on a morning run. There were really only three gates, a tower, and the Albert Hall Museum to potentially see. One road I walked down was wet with dirty water thrown from buckets, and the setting sun reflected so brightly off the ground it was hard to see where I was going.
I’d made the decision to not attempt any more sights, and I’d not really got the time anyway as I arrived back at the hotel at 18:15 feeling very warm. My appetite at lunch hadn’t been great, but now I felt like I was hungry but also didn’t really feel like eating anything. When the hotel restaurant opened at 19:00, I headed over and had penne pasta with bolognaise, but didn’t really feel like eating much. The Sprite was however refreshing. This came to ₹1000 with the tip.
I walked over to watch the cultural show briefly, but decided I was too hot, and went back to my room. My stomach was feeling a little off now, and wasn’t too sure on the cause. What I was sure of though was that I wouldn’t get any sleep for a while with the drumming of the cultural show going on. I used this time to start sorting my bags for the journey home so it’d take less time tomorrow.