Still on a high from yesterday evening!! What a great match and atmosphere!! Unfortunately we were unable to take our cameras (told it would get confiscated, although everyone and their dog managed to bring one in!) Did meet a Kiwi lady who will hopefully email the pics she took.......
This morning off to the Amber Palace, ancient capital of the Kachhawaha Rajputs, who gave their loyalty to Mogul overlords (don't you know) This is probably my favourite of the many forts and palaces we have visited. It is huge, with rooms elaborately decorated with brightly coloured paints, mirrors and silver. There are also beautiful gardens and painted elephants who transport people from the road up to the palace. I walked, started to crave some decent exercise! There is also a wall built up and around the palace, not unlike the Great Wall of China, just not as big, or long, or mountainous..... Spent a good deal of time and memory card here, before driving to Rajasthan.
Another favourite here, in the form of our hotel. Probably swayed by the stud next door (equestrian, not a bloke) which I later found out stables over 95 horses. I first noticed the yard as 50 metres from our room, 3 stallions were stood under the shade of the trees, minding their own business, each tied with a head collar round their neck, not even done up properly! It seems the yard is a stud and racing yard (some of the horses worth over £1m), but also provides horses for all the big Bollywood movies and runs equine safaris. I am fascinated by the horses over here, I love their ears, bit like an Arabs but curlier!! Took a walk round and got some nice shots.
Had an interesting conversation over dinner where Atik was telling us about some of the different cultures and religions in India (this seems to be a running theme with my tour guides!) Some of the most interesting were the people who hide behind bushes and trees at cremations until the family leave the burning body to go and mourn. Once everyone has gone they come out of hiding and take flesh from the body to eat. They live in hiding and no one is allowed to look at them, probably understandable though, not sure I'd be too happy about a stranger feasting on a relative who had just passed away. There is also the people who spend their lives trying not to kill anything, including bacteria. This means they cannot cook, and refuse to eat certain vegetables, the only thing they can eat has to be the leftovers that they beg from others (and can only accept these if it really is leftovers and everyone from the family donating the food has already eaten). They even refuse to cut their hair with scissors as the cutting action may kill bacteria in the air! Bonkers! We also learnt that according to religion, people do not have to cremate their loved ones before throwing them into the Ganges, therefore at Varanasi, the holiest part if the river, people turn up and throw bodies in the water every day, so those bathing in the holy water, are doing so with a few corpses floating around. More fascinating facts to add to my ever growing knowledge of the weird and wonderful practices of different cultures across the world, eat your heart out Human Planet! Another good nights sleep (not sure how after the above conversation though!!)