From Ranthambore to Agra via Lalsot and Abhaneri

After a final morning in Ranthambore, we drove to Agra. But since that’s a very long drive, we stopped to spend the night at a village camp. I’m not going to write about Agra now; I’ll save that for the next post. This is mostly about Lalsot and Abhaneri. Lalsot was a town we were made a quick visit to a local market. And Abhaneri was where we spent the night and saw two very impressive sights.

Before we left Ranthambore 

Wedding

One of the absolute highlights of this trip so far (other than all the other highlights in Delhi and Jaipur, and other than seeing two tigers in Ranthambore National Park) was seeing the spectacle of an Indian wedding at Nahargarah Ranthambore, the beautiful hotel where we spent two nights. I have to say I’ve never seen anything like this. The clothing, the decorations, the entertainment, the food and drink, it was all mind-blowing.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, Indian weddings are open to anyone who wants to drop in. We were escorted by the hotel’s Food and Beverage Manager, who explained much of what we were seeing. Waiters offered us hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and we chatted with several other guests. We may have been underdressed compared to the beautiful outfits many of the guests were wearing, but it mattered not.

A second safari

Before we left the next morning, there was an optional second safari into the national park. This was extremely disappointing compared to the one we did the afternoon we arrived. We did see a leopard (sort of — it was so high up on a hill that I couldn’t see it except by zooming in with my camera, and even then, I had to ask the naturalist to help.

Other than that, a few critters and some nice scenery, there wasn’t a lot to see. We spent most of the time listening to deer make warning calls and waiting for tigers that never made an appearance.

Here are all my photos from Ranthambore.

Lalsot

On the drive from Ranthambore, we made a stop in the small town of Lalsot, where Ashish took us on a walk through the lively marketplace. 

It kind of reminded me of many of the markets I’ve visited in Mexico, especially Central de Abastos in Oaxaca. Except this was much smaller. And there were cows that weren’t meat.

Like most everything else in India, it was chaotic and colorful. And the local people were curious about us and greeted us with smiles.

Our Camp

We arrived in another village, Abhaneri, where we spent the night in a camp that was more of a “glamp.”

After we got settled in, we had a yoga class. This was my first time doing yoga. There was no downward dog. A lot of other stuff that helped me realize how stiff and unflexible I am. The noises that came out of my neck as I rolled my head around could have woken the dead!

Then, after dinner, we had a performance by some local villagers. You can view it on YouTube.

The next morning the men of our group got to dress up in some traditional garb.

We ended up learning how to play cricket. (Well, just the basics…)

Our time at this camp felt like a very pleasant respite from the sightseeing we’re doing. But soon we were back to visiting some more impressive sights.

On the way out of camp, though, we took a ride in a jugaad. This is basically an improvised truck powered by a diesel engine that was originally designed for an agricultural irrigation pump.

Chand Baori

Chand Baori is a stepwell: a well with steps.

This well is named after Raja Chand, a Rajput ruler of the eight century CE. It is about 19. 5 meters (65 feet) deep and has been provided with double Cflights of steps with ten landings on three sides. On the fourth side is a multi-level pavilion. Women would walk down these steps, which are very steep and have no railings, to fetch water.

When Ashish described this to us, he made what for me was a fascinating statement. He said that the yoga we did at camp last night was for westerners. For the Indian people, life is yoga. The practice of yoga is not separate from life.

Harshhad Mata Temple

Adjacent to Chand Baori are the remnants of a Hindu temple also built by Raja Chand in the 8th and 9th centuries. And at both Chand Baori and Harshhad Mata are pieces of the structures that show some stunning details of stone carving.

Here are all my photos from Lalsot and Abhaneri.

On to Agra

Now, as I finish writing, our time in Agra is coming to an end. Tomorrow morning we leave for our next destination. I’ll try to get caught up with a post about Agra, but for now, here’s a sneak preview: