Jaipur, the Explorer`s Nest

The mullahs are wailing away as I write, it`s 7.45 pm and it reminds me of stories my dear W tells about her childhood, everybody singing a different tune depending on personal taste. There are 4 mosques within half a Km and they all crank up the volume at 2 or 3 minuites intervals calling there respective faithful. It would not be so bad if there was a common tuning or coordination of some sort. Arrived by train in Jaipur Sat. am and was met by the charming ex- Lt-Colonel Arvind Grover who took me off to the `Explorer`s Nest`, the B and B he runs with his wife Somana, Professer of botany at Jaipur Uni. Lovely little room on the roof, which one big terrace looking over the old town. There I met Ron, a fellow traveller from Lincolnshire and a bit older than me> You doing a bit of traveling around I asked by way of opening, `yes, I`m here to buy 3 camels and treck across the Rajasthan desert for 6 months` My explorer`s hat was firmly knocked sideways. since then we have reminisced for hours at table, the `60`s, mods and rockers, england etc, great fun.
I spent today at an organic Amla farm. `What is that` you all chorus. Amla is a 6 sectioned fruit the size of a big golf ball also known as the Indian Gooseberry. Gram for gram it has a vit C content 150 times that of an apple, 30 times that of an orange. It has been eaten here for thousands of years and has truly remarkable health qualities. I am truly impressed and left with a bag of fruit, dried with salt and sugar, Bio tea, Amla powder. You will be hearing more of this stuff. Off to Udaipur tomorrow to boldly go..........
Off to get dressed for bed, it was 2 degrees last night, no heating and almost no windows!