26th February - Sunday Lunch

We have been invited for lunch today at V's parents' house but before we do that we have to recover R's hat. The shop will open at 11 so we have time to get there and back before the checkout deadline at noon. We pack up our belongings and then set out on foot around Chandpole Metro and along Chandpole Bazar Road. It is early by Indian retail standards and not many places are open. The map app says that it will take 23 minutes to walk and it is very a very good estimate. We look in at the shop but we are too early so we go to look at the Isar Lat, which means Heaven Piercing Monument, built in 1749 to mark a victory by one of the Maharajas of Jaipur. It is listed as being seven stories high but it is hard to tell as you ascend the slightly slippery spiral staircase to the top. The view over the city is quite special and you can see several of the city's famous landmarks including the back of the Hawa Mahal. 

Time presses so we head back to the bangle shop arriving just on 11. The shop is still shuttered up but the shop opposite is open and the man there phones our chap. "Five minutes". In the meantime we are invited to take a seat at the open shop to wait. Suddenly a plate appears with kachoris, a samosa and curd and we are invited to share breakfast. These kachoris are different but also very good. We don't have too long to wait before R is reunited with her hat and we thank both stall holders profusely before setting out back to the hotel. We flag down an electric rickshaw.  These are a good idea in principle but at night they do not switch on their lights which makes them a menace to all. Check out is smooth even though we don't get our original deal. Outside the hotel D e-hails an auto with the Ola app. The first one takes an age then drives past us and keeps going. D cancels and tries again with a better result. The driver has some English and D is a bit more au fait with the system so before long we are heading south towards lunch.

We are warmly greeted by V and his parents and we talk for a while about a whole range of subjects. He shows us some of the items that he has collected on his travels around India. We are particular taken with some extremely lifelike grapes made of topaz. Lunch is really good. Salad then paneer, even better than last night's, dal, raita and wonderful pooris. V's Mum is a brilliant cook. To follow up we have rasgulla - what a treat. V is contemplating visiting Scotland and we talk about what there is to see. In no time it is after 2 p.m. and we need to go for our train.

 Although our ticket is from Jaipur V has suggested that we board at Gandhinagar, the next stop, which is closer to home. We book an auto and walk round the corner to the local police station which is well known to auto drivers as any impounded autos finish up there. The ride is about 15 minutes and when we get to the station we find a crowd under the canopy,  staying out of the sun. The coach position is out in the sun, so wait until the train is in sight before moving. Our coach is AB1, half 2AC and half 3AC. Somebody has locked the door at the 2AC end, so we have to go to the other end of the coach to get on. We have upper and lower inside berths for this trip. The others in the bay are sleeping or uncommunicative so we settle in for reading and blog writing. V gave D a book called Halt Station India, full of facts and anecdotes about the early railways built in Bombay. It is fascinating. 

The train is not the fastest and has several long station stops. As we approach Delhi most people get off and we get our beds set up for the night. We are 50 minutes late into Old Delhi Station but the scheduled stop is for an hour and twenty minutes. We stock up on few snacks. After such a good lunch we don't need a big meal. The coach fills up again and we pull out at 10.30 p.m. as per the timetable. We are ready to sleep.