2/22/12
I don’t know
why it struck me in a particular way yesterday evening, that it took my
grandparents almost as long to get here from Scotland on any given occasion, by
sea, as I have allowed for my whole time here. There are other marked contrasts
too, such as how casually and flexibly I can plan my trip and route as I go
along, thanks to mobile phone communication, internet booking of trains, hotels
and flights. Still, today it requires a booking many weeks in advance to secure
a train on the main long distance routes. That’s why I flew to Varanasi and
will fly to Chennai later in March. I wonder how long in advance my
grandparents needed to book a train in their day. And then there’s the
reliability of cars and roads nowadays. My grandfather’s letters to his father
(which I have been reading thanks to Brian’s photocopies) are replete with
references to slow car journeys with punctures and petrol choking. Its early
days for me to be speaking about this, but I know that the main highways of
Rajasthan are very passable today and that my chosen means of getting around -
chauffeur-driven car - is widely regarded as the best way.
Nevertheless
my itinerary for 25 days would probably have had grandfather surprised enough
to raise his bushy eyebrows were he to learn of it. Right now (till I check it
out with my driver) it looks as follows:
Agra –
Fatepur Sikri – Rathambhore - Kota and
Piploda – Udaipur – Todgarh – Beawar – Ajitgarh – Narirabad – Ashapura – Jaipur
– Ajmer – Pushkar – Erinpura - Jodhpur – Jasilmer – Khuri – Bikaner – Jhunjhunu
– Delhi.
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