My war against the insect population seems to be going my way at the moment. Some chalk like substance that I was told to draw in all my cupboards has done the trick and the ants and cockroaches no longer venture in to the cupboards!! some cockroaches scuttle across the work surface every now and again but nothing I can't handle. The invasion however, has moved on to a whole new level with the arrival of a rat (s). This creature is determined to get into my house every night whether coming up through sink drain pipes, through kitchen extractor fan vents or by squeezing itself under the cracks of the doors (of which there are many!!).
Firstly I tried a rat trap – the one they sell here is basically a flimsy black tray covered in super glue which is baited with a substance the rat likes. The idea is that the rat runs on to the trap and gets stuck fast by the glue. A person then has the problem of how to dispose of a live wriggling rat stuck fast ! With great trepidation I came down in the morning only to find the tray over the other side of the room minus the rat who obviously got stuck but managed to extricate himself and who then proceeded to run around the room collecting bits of fluff on its sticky paws and depositing them on all my furniture!! I was actually relieved he had escaped..... but now I have moved on to poison which comes in a green cake like substance that you break into squares and leave at various places round the house. Well it's been three days and some of the pieces have been nibbled at but the rat is still alive and kicking !!!! We will have to make a valiant effort to strengthen our fortifications against the intruder..
Last weekend we went to Jaipur , capital of Rajasthan. This ancient city often known as the Pink city was amazing! We arrived at eight in the morning at Amber fort , a 15century fort built high up on the hillside overlooking a lake. The sky was clear blue and the air much cleaner and fresher than smoggy Delhi. We ascended the steep hill riding on elephants ! This was how the queens and then the British during the time of the Raj must have arrived- it wasn't very comfortable but great fun!The fort was beautifully preserved, especially the intricate designs and paintings on the walls. They used a special technique that meant the colour soaked in to the stone and didn't fade over time.
Jaipur was full of ancient buildings and bazaars. We visited the Hawa Mahal (the air palace) which was built by the king for his 12 wives. It is five storeys high and connected to the royal palace by a long tunnel so that the wives could go from the confines of the palace to this building which was right on the main street. There they could look through the many latticed windows down on to the street to watch processions and daily life without being seen by the public . It was called the air palace because of the clever way it was designed so that a constant breeze blew through the rooms. Special slanted vents were built into the windows in such a way that the breeze cooled the rooms. It was amazingly effective and much better than the noisy air conditioning systems we have today.
Our hotel was an old haveli set in lush gardens and filled with old ornately carved furniture. It was a peaceful haven set behind high walls just off the crazy bustle of the main street. The streets were full of beautiful Rajastahni women dressed in amazing, vibrant coloured saris and decorated in coloured bangles, ankle chains and toe rings. It was a truly magical place. The practise of 'purdah'(women being hidden from other men) was common practise in this state by Hindus as well as muslims and even today many of the women would cover their faces with their saris when walking down the road. The act of veiling came in to being after the ninth century when invading armies in to India noticed how beautiful the women were there and started to take them as slaves and mistresses for themselves so the local people decided to try to hide the beauty of their women from the outside world in order to protect them! We learnt as well that the popular ankle chains with tiny bells on were used originally to warn other men in a room that a woman was approaching , so that they could avert their eyes or go elsewhere so that they didn't meet. In some conservative families still today the daughter in law will still cover her face in the presence of her father in law as a sign of respect.
