Monday 29 December
Having done some research online and despite our driver’s view of yesterday that a Fort did not exist in the desert we set off.
After about 15 kms we arrived at Kuldhara - an abandoned village. Legend has it that about 400 years ago the local Muslim ruler took a shine to one of the village girls and demanded his feudal rights ! The village elders - who were Brahmins - pleaded for 3 days grace and in the dead of night the whole village packed up and set off some 60 kms away. True or not the village is quite sizeable and one or two of the houses have been restored to give you an idea of how things were.
A few kilometres further we came to Khaba Fort which is on a bluff overlooking the modern village. It has been largely rebuilt but had a small collection of artefacts and a good view into the desert.
Our afternoon was spent in town and our first stop was the 8th July cafe - proudly run by a ‘PR of Australia’ - whose claim to fame is her apple pie. Why the 8th July - well it seems that is her husband’s birthday - as a good a reason as any !
Just opposite was the City Palace - INR 300 for Stuart as a foreigner and INR 50 for me as an Indian !! My PAN card continues to save us money ! The Palace is small and built on a series of levels but quite grand and offers great views from the city walls.
Our final stop was the massage place - where have become the only customers for the last 3 days. Mind you how many times can you have your chakras realigned !!
It seemed to be a day of repeats as for dinner we headed back to the First Gate Fusion restaurant - pasta and pizza! The wind had picked up so blankets were provided.
Having done some research online and despite our driver’s view of yesterday that a Fort did not exist in the desert we set off.
After about 15 kms we arrived at Kuldhara - an abandoned village. Legend has it that about 400 years ago the local Muslim ruler took a shine to one of the village girls and demanded his feudal rights ! The village elders - who were Brahmins - pleaded for 3 days grace and in the dead of night the whole village packed up and set off some 60 kms away. True or not the village is quite sizeable and one or two of the houses have been restored to give you an idea of how things were.
A few kilometres further we came to Khaba Fort which is on a bluff overlooking the modern village. It has been largely rebuilt but had a small collection of artefacts and a good view into the desert.
Our afternoon was spent in town and our first stop was the 8th July cafe - proudly run by a ‘PR of Australia’ - whose claim to fame is her apple pie. Why the 8th July - well it seems that is her husband’s birthday - as a good a reason as any !
Just opposite was the City Palace - INR 300 for Stuart as a foreigner and INR 50 for me as an Indian !! My PAN card continues to save us money ! The Palace is small and built on a series of levels but quite grand and offers great views from the city walls.
Our final stop was the massage place - where have become the only customers for the last 3 days. Mind you how many times can you have your chakras realigned !!
It seemed to be a day of repeats as for dinner we headed back to the First Gate Fusion restaurant - pasta and pizza! The wind had picked up so blankets were provided.