Enchanting city of Manewa

Trip Start Sep 08, 2008
1
5
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Trip End Oct 01, 2008


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Friday, September 12, 2008

So we escaped Delhi on the 3rd day, we bought an excursion around Rathystan (sp) for 10 days including a camel safari into the desert. We're being caufeur driven in an AC car, our little man driver 'smiley' as I liked to call him (he had a perminant frown) attemped to drive off with us into the desert, but he broke the car just outside Delhi ( we had to push it along the 'motorway').  The car was dead, and so we waited in the backend of nowhere for a new car and new driver to arrive, both were better than the last, and so we began.

The scenery was stunning, iron board flat land with an even spread of lush trees slowly dissappearing into the haze in the distance, groups of huge concrete towers stretch to the sky. I later found that these towers are the brick making industry of India. As we drove further into the county the land became arid and desolate, the lush trees slowly becoming thorny, britsle trees, and the land gave way to pockets of orange sand. Driving down those endless roads that emptied into the distance ahead splashes of vivid colours spot the landscape. Women dressed as multicoloured as the land was stark, a focal point on every horizion. Huge camels with lolling mouths are attached to large wagons and trudle along, generally carrying a man with a rather jaunty mustache who'll wave and smile once he sees us (or rather the girls). Further into the desert the trees give way to bushes, and sand dunes rise where once there were grassy hills, and small wooden huts spring up.

We eventually get to our destination after 9 hours, though it goes quickly with such an interesting landscape to view, a small bustling city of Manewa, many Havalas are here, these were once rich places where merchants built their homes to represent their extrodinary wealth. These havalas are a rich tapestry of texture and colour within the city, most look old and worn and give an enchanting, exotic and romantic feel to the place. It's possible to see beyond the run down architecture and you can still feel the wealth that once was so free in this, now very poor place that realies on tourism.

We stayed in a renovated havala, it was amazing, inside are 2 courtyards with the sky above, open roofed, the stars are the celing at night. To me the house resembled a persian palace, and as we sat on the roof at night, staring at the midnight skies silhuetting the fort that once defended this grandeos place a hindu priest from the nearby temple warbled a lulaby over a speaker, filling the night with atmosphere beneith the moonlight.

It takes time to recognise where you are, practially in the middle of the desert, this whole place explodes with exotic flavours of a noble past that once was.

Generally the people here are nicer than in Delhi, they're happy to see you and most are just saying hello, rather than "hello, look at my shop" or anyother amount of underhand tactics at parting ourselves with our money. Having said that a young boy, who at first we ignored, figuring he wanted money, eventually charmed us into going to his families restaurant and buying a tapestry from him. Although I have to say the taperstry was of fine stitching and even finer price for my western standards. The restaurant was on the rooftop, looking out over the whole city, the food was fabulous and cheap, I can't complain!

Today we drove hours through the desert to the "rat temple", yes, it's a temple full of rats.
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