Rawla Narlai

We are now staying at Rawla Narlai, an Indian Heritage resort. Narlai is a small village about halfway between Jodhpur and Udaipur.

This morning, we left Jodhpur by minibuses and traveled about 40 minutes before getting on our bicycles. We rode about 30km to lunch at the home of the parents of the woman whose house we had dinner at in Jodhpur.

This area of Rajasthan is very dry - the most populated desert in the world as a matter of fact. All those of you who read Kipling and think that India is all jungle, forget it. This area is loaded with the history of India (the Mughals especially) and the weather is a lot like the California and Arizona deserts. I think we are roughly 120km from the Pakastani border here.

From Frommers Travel Guide to India: A 17th-century hunting retreat of the Maharajah of Jodphur, located in the heart of the arid Aravalli Hills halfway between Udaipur and Jodphur, the lovely Rawla Narlai was only opened to paying guests in 1995 (and soon after was featured in numerous glossy magazines charmed by its pretty decor and low prices). The hotel was sensitively renovated to ensure that authenticity wasn't lost in the process of attaching bathrooms and enlarging the spaces. Rooms all differ but on the whole are really charming, featuring touches like sepia photographs of the maharaja's ancestors, cusped window frames, frescoed walls, stained-glass windows, pretty alcoves, colored ceiling baubles, jarokhas, and views of the Shiva temple that rises from the rock "mountain" that can be seen for miles from the surrounding countryside.

Yes, that's an accurate description. This place isn't fancy, but it has tons of charm and culture.

We had a cooking class from the head chef this afternoon. He showed us how to make masala chai tea (very tasty), green chutney, and chicken in red curry sauce. Every good chef in India has his own recipes that are passed down in his family and never given to others. I think we need to cook an Indian dinner when we get home. Some of our friends may not eat any of the dishes though (you know who you are - Steve, Sheriff John).