Day 30 - A rest day

Some wise person once said, “This is a marathon, not a sprint”. Good advice we needed to take heed of. Cheryl’s drugs worked a treat. I got a good night’s sleep for the first time in a few days and felt much improved in the morning. Still not out of the woods entirely, but I can see the light. We spent pretty much the whole day at the hotel, sleeping in until about 9:30am then going up to the roof for a late breakfast, back to the room to catch-up on the blog, sent our dirty laundry to Reception, back up to the roof in mid-afternoon for the second worst cappuccino I’ve ever had (plus it took 33 minutes to be served) and then back to the room to prepare for tonight’s catch-up with the gang.

Just after 5:00pm we walked back into the main part of the old town, retracing our steps from yesterday. Along the way we dropped into a Pharmacy to get some Cold & Flu tablets and some throat lozenges. We checked the venue for tonight’s performance of traditional dance, then found a coffee shop to relax in before heading down to the dock. We were booked to watch a performance of the various dancing styles that have emanated from Rajasthan.

The performance was held in the courtyard of the Bagor Ki Haveli in Gangour Ghat, down by the lake. The audience sat on low stools and mats around the performance area. A group of musicians playing traditional instruments sat to one side of the stage. Over the hour long presentation, four girls dressed in vibrantly coloured attire performed many traditional dance routines each representing a different region of Rajasthan. Each routine was introduced by an MC, also dressed for the occasion. Marionette-like puppets also have a place in Rajasthani culture so we were treated to a performance by a superbly skilled puppeteer who made his puppets really come alive. What he could make them do was truly amazing. The puppets really took on a life of their own. Three men from the troupe played out a battle between a god and an evil spirit which was entertaining as well.

After the show, our group made its way the Rainbow restaurant for dinner. Although quite nice, it was not a patch on last night’s meal or venue. Kerry, Irene and I grabbed a tuk-tuk (after haggling over the price) back to the hotel while the others walked home.