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2003-12-26 - Deeg - Alwar (Day 253)

The horns start seemingly just outside my door at 6am. The hotel staff is screaming at the top of their lungs by 6:30 and even with the noise-reduction headphones on, I hate India at this moment. Now in fairness all one has to do is live on Indian time which is sleep when dark up at the crack of dawn and things will probably be ok, but this is the dead of winter, I froze all night even though I slept in my down parka and jeans and as it was freezing out, there was no point in getting up as I wasn't going out on the bike till it got a little warmer! However, the two hours I stayed in bed was just torture and me pleading in my head, "just stop the horns, please God just stop the horns!"

Lonely Planet recommended the local palace, which really was an amazing place. It was in sad shape, which is unfortunate, but with a little imagination, one could glimpse what must have been an amazing place when someone cared about it. The place had a feeling similar to the National Palace Museum in Beijing in that you quickly know that all the good stuff has been taken long before and what is left is just the remnants that could not be carted away or that no one wanted. I guess that is how most of the places like this are in India actually after so may conquests of one faction or another which has left these cultural monuments just the crumbs from a sandwich long since eaten.

One of the most amazing items was a marble swing looking out over the entire gardens, which must have been a fairytale place to sit. The swing is gone now though and only the pillars remain, the fountains and waterways are dry and there are holes in the walls that surround the place - but once upon a time, this really must have been amazing!

I finally face the fact that I missed my chance at seeing Rajasthan by losing days in Agra, and Khujaraho. It is a shame, but instead of driving hard for the last five days of the trip to try to rush and see Jaipur and then rush to Delhi, I am just going to go slow and head north taking it easy. In truth, I am tired of the constant riding, the roads and the weather and for the first time I have to face that I am no longer having fun. It is time to go. It has been a wonderful trip but the small things that are aggravating have finally reached their limit and its better to pack things in. I am sure then in a month or two, I am going to be missing India, the Mule and all the places yet unseen but for now, it is good that the trip is over.

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