2017 March 26th: Mt Abu, Rajastan, Hill Station 👍

Dateline: March 26th 2017,  Mt Abu, India

The Indian Hill station, just a different altitude

Our route 

Mt Abu welcomes Careful Hitlers

We left Udaipur about 8:30,  We will miss this lovely place

The bus to Mt Abu is an 18 seater, all locals except us.

Its air conditioned, so a pleasant enough drive. After an hour or so, we head up into the hills.

It's not really cooler her, nor is there any sign that this was a popular place with the Raj set, so many decades ago. A few run down bungalows appears all that remains of the "Hill Station"

It's not such a hot hotel either.

We amble into town for lunch, the usual festering river and stench is almost normal to us now.


The lake looks a strange colour, and is has a set area for ancient paddle swans which are very popular as its Sunday and the place is full of families. Not a single other European tourist to be seen.

Local market, Mt Abu.
It's certainly a lot cooler up here

All pretty basic. The officers and wives of the Raj would not have lived like this

Lunch at an upmarket hotel was really good. Can't get enough of this Indian food.  
Finally got cash from an ATM here, Bank of India ATM has no charge for withdrawals apparently. So we are once again viable.

There's a "Coffee Coffee Day" in town which does surprisingly good iced coffees. And it's got air. We chill.

Ilge modelling Lake Nakki with Families

Back for showers, beers on the veranda, and try the hotel kitchen grub, maybe average, less so probably as the missus was sick all night, and next day. Big mistake in all. All the kitchen staff trying to please, but still pretty bad.

So, solo, next morning, I set out to view the sights. There's only one. Off to the local Jain shrine on foot around the village. A long walk around Mt Abu

The shrine is closed until 12:00 for the worshippers to do their things.
 

Ladies ("With Monthly Curses") Warning! Dalwada Temple

Per Wiki:
"The Dilwara temples of India are located about 2½ kilometres from Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station. These Jain temples were built by Vastapul Tejpal, a Jain laymen^[1] between the 11th and 13th centuries AD and are world-famous for their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred pilgrimage place of the Jains. Some consider them to be one of the most beautiful Jain pilgrimage sites in the world. The marble temples have an opulent entranceway, the simplicity in architecture reflecting Jain values like honesty and frugality. The temples are in the midst of a range of forested hills. A high wall shrouds the temple complex."

From wiki Images (c) Wikipedea
Phone/ camera's not allowed inside. One kid had a smart watch

We cannot take cameras or phones in with us, (although on kid had a camera in his watch and to be honest, this cut down on my time there and raised my angst level as this phone/ camera/ office in a hip pouch, is really the most valuable item I own here. Including me.....

Downtown Mt Abu

It's stunningly beautiful, carvings in marble. There's a free tour, all in Hindi and the guys leading them are obviously well practiced at haranguing the followers. I understood not a word, so was left to wander the halls taking in the delicate carved filigree work, not just on the walls, but ceilings, columns, floors, shrines, the lot. 

How the other 98% live

I understood this was a temple dedicated to fornicating, but only managed to see one (well polished) penis amongst the lot of them. Lots of sultry wenches with the stutary large breast, and knowing glances from various princes, kings and concubines, and that's it. Pick up phone, and back to the grind

These are nasty things, Totally avoid

More walking, at least it's not a struggle to get around here. Funnily enough, I find the heat is becoming perfect, a great temperature for me: still lots of water needed, even at this hill station.

Granddad getting the tea water accompanied by Grand daughter at a village pump

Still not another European apart from a few bused in worshipers. Apparently this is a vacation centre for middle class Indians now. That explains it. 

The height of frivolity apparently, these guys wheel kids around in tin bins with metal wheels. Slow day

We are booked on the train tomorrow, so I negotiate a taxi and finding Ilge still in a bad way, gastrically, head across the road to a hotel/ restaurant called ChaCha's for dinner. It was fabulous. I had my own group for about an hour and supped on a Carlsberg and dug into wonderful Poppadum Masala, and several other snacks I've never heard from, nor remember the names of. Once again, absolutely wonderful, and pure vegetarian too!

They also played "Frere Jacques" twice, to tablas. Didn't sound right either

28th

Departure for Jaipur

the train station is at Abu Road, way down the mountain aways. This time the driver turns up half an hour early.

So, we have time to kill. 

There are beggars everywhere both in and on the station platforms.

My own personal tabla band 
I even gave them a tip

All heart rending stuff of course.

A quick note if anyone is ever going to read this:

This is not the way to do India if you have a fixed time to explore. We have no specific end date, destination of direction, will decide when to leave much later, probably dictated by the heat, but that's not yet

From Your Correspondent