Africa & India 2006: 12 - Palace on Wheels Train, Delhi to Jaisalmer

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

We left the hotel at 2 PM and arrived at the Delhi Cantonment Railway Station at 2:45. A carpeted white tent with chairs had been set up in the parking lot adjoining the station for Palace on Wheels passengers, however it was almost 5 PM before the train arrived and check in could begin. It was hot, everyone was sweating and there were no empty chairs by then. A group of three Indian musicians playing traditional music in the tent did little to relieve the boredom.

Luggage handling was a haphazard affair using railway porters. In frustration Marilynn and I picked up our own bags and headed for the train, which was stopped two platforms over and required a walk through a construction zone where new tracks were being laid. As soon as we picked up the bags a porter grabbed them, solving that problem.

The 14 sleeper cars, called saloons, are named after princely states of Rajasthan. There are four compartments in each saloon, each with a bathroom with shower roughly the same size as on the Shongololo Express. The difference is in the fittings - the washbasin is a clamshell design, and the trim is gold on white.

The overall compartment, bathroom and bedroom, would be larger than the gold class compartment we had, but smaller than emerald class. There are full size side-by-side twin beds with a table between and a desk at the foot of the window-side bed. Two large windows face outwards, but do not open - there is central air conditioning throughout the train. Opening or closing the louvers in each of the three outlets per compartment controls the volume of cool air. The compartments are beautifully finished with wood panelling, a ceiling painted in Indian floral designs and gold patterned drapes on the windows. Piped in music is available.

A bunk folds down above the inside bed, so we left it down for storage of suitcases and bags. Each saloon has an attendant, a common sitting room where the attendant serves breakfast and a pantry where he makes tea, coffee or serves cold drinks. A call button brings the attendant to the compartment, and daily newspapers supplement a small library in the lounge of each saloon. The attendant, dressed in the manner of the servants of the raj, removes bedspreads and turns down the beds each evening.

There are two elegantly done dining cars, the Maharaja and the Maharani, that serve two sittings of meals to the 104 passengers, and an equally elegant lounge car with sofas and comfortable chairs. The dinner menu includes one continental dish and around 8 Indian dishes each night. All items on the menu are served one by one, so it is possible to reject an unwanted course. The food so far has been great.

There are some strange rules on board. It is not possible to get tea or coffee in the bar/lounge car; this is available only in the small lounge in each saloon. It is also not permitted to get tea or coffee in your saloon and bring it to the lounge, even if you want liquor added for a special coffee. The dining hours are strict, and the dining room staff not overly courteous in telling passengers to leave, even if they have not completely finished. Curtains in the saloons are to be kept closed while in the station.

The ride on the train is very smooth, and it is difficult to tell it is in motion when leaving the station. Some of the track is not level, though, so once going there is some bouncing around.

My stomach was feeling somewhat better, so we lost no time in getting to the lounge car once we had settled in. The one brand of quart-sized beer available is very good, and I had two of them plus a gin tonic before dinner. Dinner was accompanied by wine, so we were quite merry when we returned to our quarters for the night.

Thursday, March 2, 2006

The train had travelled through the night to one of the stations in the City of Jaipur. Obviously I had overestimated my recovery, as I had serious trots again in the morning, no doubt a result of my drinking last night. I decided that getting caught short in a bus full of people would not be a great idea, so opted to stay on the train, however this proved impossible as the train was to go for servicing and all electrical systems on board would be shut down for most of the day.

I skipped breakfast, took an Imodium, was given a local cure of tea leaves and water by Keith, our saloon attendant, and headed out with the others to the buses. There was a nice greeting from the city as we walked to the bus parking area, which included a welcome sign stretched between two elephants that were facing each other and paintings in coloured powder on the station platform and in the parking area.

The buses were full size tourist coaches, with 25 passengers assigned to a bus. We were soon in the centre of Jaipur, one of the world's earliest planned cities. The colour of the buildings in the old part of town has given it the name "Pink City". It was founded in 1727, and is highlighted by the Hawa Mahal, a five story pink structure with honeycombed sandstone windows located on the main street. In addition to the human population there is a large population of monkeys, who can be seen moving from building to building over the electrical wires or running along balcony railings, and lots of sacred cows.

We drove to the Amber Fort and Palace, passing an abandoned palace on a tiny island in a lake along the way. The Amber Fort is surrounded by 22 km of fortified stone walls. At the bottom of the hill on which the fort is situation we settled into seats mounted on the backs of elephants, and they did the walking up the hill. Each elephant has its driver sitting astride the neck and two passengers sitting on a comfortable seat facing to the side. The huge line-up for the elephants was discouraging, until we found that the Palace on Wheels had a special loading platform, so we jumped the queue.

We spent the next couple of hours on a guided tour of the huge palace, finally boarding jeeps for the trip back down to where the buses were parked. I stayed on board the bus during the compulsory visit to a carpet factory and a jewellery manufacturer, getting off only when a stop was made for lunch at Le Meridian, a very beautiful hotel. I skipped lunch, which Marilynn said was delicious, choosing to read a paper in the lobby near the entrance to the men's washroom.

In the afternoon we visited an amazing observatory, built in 1728. It has a series of structures that determine the angle of the sun and planets, the location of heavenly bodies and the world's largest sundial, a towering structure whose shadow tells the time to within two seconds accuracy. From there we walked to the city palace of the observatory's creator and toured it. Walking along the street, I was attached by a sacred cow, which turned from drinking water at the side of the road to give my arm a good belt with its head. Fortunately it had only the stubs of horns!

Unlike the dirt side streets, the main streets of Jaipur are paved and crowded with horn honking maniacs driving a wide variety of vehicles. The people all seem friendly, though, and are quick to wave and smile. Adding to the normal congestion caused by cars, trucks and buses are donkey, oxen and camel drawn vehicles competing for space with motor rickshaws, pedal rickshaws, bicycles and elephants carrying heavy loads. Garbage is everywhere, and to add to the confusion, sacred cows that also seem to believe they are immortal wander nonchalantly around in the middle of the roads.

Back on board the train Marilynn enjoyed another delicious meal while I remained in our compartment catching up on notes. Keith, our saloon attendant, brought me some rice and tea to keep me going. Hopefully tomorrow will find me back in shape again.

Friday, March 3, 2006

We woke up this morning to find the train moving across sandy desert with only scrub brush and a few clumps of dried grass for vegetation. Here and there were a few goats or sheep, and the odd skinny cow, with its ribs sticking out.

I joined the others for a not bad breakfast. There is seating for six on two person armless sofas in the saloon lounge, so the eight occupants must squeeze together. I do miss Shongololo's breakfast buffet! Breakfast is eggs as you like, toast or buns with jam or honey, juice, tea or coffee and a bowl of fruit. Preparation is in a small kitchen in the saloon.

We pulled into Jaisalmer at 8:40 AM after a 13-hour overnight run from Jaipur. Musicians and ladies to administer the red dot to the forehead and place a flower necklace on each passenger were waiting between the train and the buses. This treatment has been standard each day. I was surprised to find the fellow who wanted to shine my shoes yesterday on the platform here - he apparently took a passenger train to continue to offer his service to our group.

Jaisalmer is known as the golden city, due to its construction of amber coloured sandstone. It is a beautiful city, with many buildings covered with ornate carvings, and intricately carved sandstone balconies.

Our first stop was Gadisar Lake, where similar ornate buildings adorn a small boat dock and rental area. Next we bussed to just below the entrance of the 12th century fort that covers a hill in the centre of town. This is no monument; inside the walls over 3,500 people live. There are hotels, restaurants, tourist shops and a dozen internet cafes servicing the needs of tourists, the town's main source of revenue. The streets inside the fort are sometimes so narrow that it is necessary to duck into a shop to let a sacred cow pass - they have the right of way!

We visited temples and palaces within the walls, and then went on a walking tour of the bazaars and shopping district of the town below the fort. The entire city is paved with amber paving stones, the streets are narrow and twisting and the ornate architecture is everywhere.

We are definitely victims of herd tourism, with two or three herdsmen appointed to ensure our group stays together and moves on schedule. We are the green group, one of four colour-coded groups from the train. When our group was herded into a carpet showroom for free drinks I bolted and hired a motor rickshaw to take me back to the train to I could write this. Dinner is at a hotel tonight, so with luck they will have internet and I'll be able to get this away.