Fri, Nov 13: Delhi to Samode

Today we got to sleep in a bit before hitting the road for a five hour drive to Samode in Rajasthan.  The smog in Delhi was pretty significant this morning.

Dewali display in the lobby of our hotel.

The first part of the trip was along a pretty modern, multi-lane highway.   

Tara telling us about our upcoming day.

We occasionally had to stop at what we think were driver checkpoints.  Regardless, checking in required the driver to get out of the bus and walk across several lanes of traffic to get his paperwork inspected.

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The drivers, particularly of large vehicles, seemed more intent on their destination than any inconvenience their chosen route might cause for other drivers.  In the picture below, the truck driver was blocking traffic when trying to do a u-turn on the freeway...really blocked the traffic.

Of course, unlike on similar roads in the US this one also included large numbers of cows, goats, bicycles, hand drawn carts, and vehicles going the wrong way (since the shortest route to wherever they were going might be attained by going the wrong way on your side of the highway).

Almost comfortable seating for 7.  Not unusual to see 12 or more:

We saw a lot of small "diners" setup right beside the road with usually a few individuals hanging out at them.

There were also occasional small roadside temples...

and everywhere there were fields of crops and occasionally harvested fields with big haystacks.

Our bathroom break rest stop was newer looking with good bathrooms, shops with pushy sales staff and a (ready for this?) Baskin Robins ice cream shop.  

After a fair amount of time on the highway we finally pulled off onto the usual bumpy back roads on our way to Samode.  

There was only one major town on the way and it was as congested as any large town…just maybe more cows and goats...

and the ubiquitous small markets.

This area seems to do a lot of brick manufacture and we saw lots of pits, where they dig out the clay, stacks of bricks and chimneys from the many firing ovens.

We arrived in Samode fairly late and went to the Samode Palace, ostensibly for Tara to check out the facility for potentially placing clients here.  

Elephant deterring gate to the Palace grounds.

It is still owned by the local maharaja who lives in a portion of it (and has a fleet of antique cars on display)...

with the remainder running as an upscale hotel.  

We viewed the common areas, 

some courtyards and gardens,

and some gorgeous rooms...

and then a lovely large suite, where we all ooh’ed and aah’ed, and wondered how much a stay would cost.  

Tara then gave the key to us for a special treat for the night!  So we stayed at the palace hotel while the rest of the group headed to a hotel a few miles away that was set up in the maharaja’s garden, or bagh.

At the bus, getting our luggage, the resident monkeys had been going a bit berserk.  This, according to the locals there playing cricket, was an indication that there was a predator in the area.  

They located and pointed out a leopard to us.  It was on a bare outcropping of rock across the valley.  It appeared as a black spot with a tail, if viewed through a telescopic lens.  Otherwise, we had no clue how they could see it.

Later in the evening everyone came back to the Palace (beautifully lit at night)

for a puppet show,

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 and a Thali dinner on the terrace.  Great way to end the day.