Golly! A 19 hour bus ride, lucky we had an AC Deluxe sleeper! The journey should of taken 12 hours from Jaipur to Haridwar but we happened to arrive at the Kumbh Mela the day of the great bathing, where 15 million people take to the holy waters of the river Gang due to the belief that at this time and place the holy nectar to be received from the bathing will be good for you. There was also "The word of God" Puja in the evenings at a great gathering!
This is a picture of the Pujas Gathering the evening after this most special day at the largest Mela ever!
We were lucky enough to be very well looked after by eight Sadhus who fed us and gave our own Puja, we returned the compliment by buying a Pineapple to share and Almond biscuits!
Thank you to all at the Kumbh Mela, to God and all in India for being such a wonderful place, the only place in the world where 15 million people get together for a spiritual and religiousexperience and dedication!
We had a mo to go and see a big fort that was pink, very nice, they had a great little Hamman with medieval hot tub! Any of those who can spot Nan-See, Blower of the Holy Wind in the picture of the Amber Fort Entrance will win a free floatation tank experience in London UK....
An oasis 12km south of Jaipur, Savista is one of the most idyllic, tranquil and yet grounding spa retreats the SPA-ARK Retreat & Spa team have visited.
With over 200 species of birds ( we saw many including a Kingfisher by the pond), a variety of herbal trees and sweet smelling flowers like Champa, Jasmine and Neem. Savista is so relaxing - the apex of a Maharajahs lifestyle...
The building is the family home of it's owner, Bhanwar and it's draped with beautiful and historic family heir looms from generations of Indian art and crafts. Bhanwar converted his family home to give something back to the community, share knowledge and help cultivate peace and wellbeing for many walks of life.
The spa in an adjacent building has separate quarters for men and women with adjourning sauna. It looks and feels cool away from the dusty malaise of the bustling city beyond. Here there is a nice little bar, again with beautifully stunning hand made arts and crafts but this time from indigenous tribes from around the world. The kitchen here in the spa is very clean with also a barbecue grill - you can imagine nights after a good trek or shopping in Jaipur and a relaxing massage and sauna to be chilling out on the lawn outside the spa having a beer or tea eagerly awaiting a Delicious evening meal...
We had a wonderful evening meal, fresh tomato soup with near ripe tomatoes picked that morning and mild chicken curry that was very tender. The finale was the sweet, like Victoria sponge in the UK but dripped in syrup and absolutely exquisite, each bite endued with the feeling of a thousand mantras such was the intention of the great food.
The small palace of Savista has rooms following carefully selected designs and subtly colour co-ordinated themes. The specially made camel pottery lampshades and homely but luxuriant on-suite bathrooms topped-off the most natural, inspired and rurally royal rooms I had ever seen...
A large swimming pool the centre piece of the cool courtyard within shaded by Date trees and a billowing fabric from the ramparts above perfect for reclining after a yoga class, block printing session or musical muse in the wonderful reception room.
Many of the guest rooms have their own balconies to give privacy and yet a sense of community from the subtle adjourning paths between each balcony. It is the perfect spot to enjoy the stars at night or the countryside and beautifully kept gardens during the day. At the back of the Maharajah's home is a long broad and stately staircase leading to an amphitheater, great steps to sit and watch a musical event or evening play.
Sitting there I can see many musical events under the cloak of night punctured by scintillating stars, let alone the peaceful air and eminent staff make Savista a place not to be missed...
We traveled on AC1 first class with aircon sleeper to Jaipur from Delhi, a very comfortable ride in such heat and met an off duty railway Police Officer who was in the sleeper next to us. He bought us lunch in Jaipur Train station, a very clean restaurant with enjoyable Tali. Our off duty Indian Police Officer had an interesting story but more of that later....
Even hotter than Delhi, Jaipur was full off action and bustle, after our Officer friend left us outside the train station we chilled in the sweltering heat waiting for the best deal to visit our next destination, The tranquil and beautiful SAVISTA Retreat & Spa. The Taxi driver drove a hard bargain so we stalled for time, meanwhile a small crowd of about 30 people gathered to heckle our negotiations.
We decided to go the the amazing Lakshmi Temple completely made of marble and spend 40 minutes paying our respects to Lakshmi and deep meditation looking into the God's eyes...
The walls were covered in carvings of the Vedic stories and the whole of the outside was carved with Gods, notable religious personalities and inscirptions...
Such an amazing peaceful vibe, a direct channel for inspiration and connection to spirit...
We had a busy first day here, arriving at 10.30am, tired and rather warm, changed our cash to Rupees and my co-pilot met someone right there in the airport they'd chilled with over 12 years ago at a ski resort in Austria - what a small world!
We booked our taxi for our first business meeting of the morning and our train ticket to Jaipur for the next day negoitatited badly to buy some water (the Snapple was the same price as the UK!) and stuffed our bags into the little black jeepa and bounced down the road.
The driver didn't know quite where he was going but had the general direction and I had the exact address. We drove down outer town high ways, ramshackle dusty streets and eventually found the road or should a I say dirt track to the KairaliAyurveda Treatment Centre and offices.
It was the nicest building in the area, though we still missed it, almost ending up in a tented field full of goats and their tird.
The great staff looked after us there and were really lovely, feeding us filtered water regularly and great green herbal tea Director Abishek rightly mentioned was a much better alternative to normality tea and coffee in the UK. It was very stimulating like tea and coffee but due to nice organic natural herbs rather than caffeine, much more pleasent and good for you but also stimulating! Tasted really good too...
We weere shown round the treatment rooms which were really earthy and scented of medication time in a natural way. Steam chairs and the traditional wooden table tops for a good rub down.
Kairali have a well known retreat on OM beach south of Goa and a fantastic 50 acres and 30 cottages surrounded by paddy fields, coconut tress and other plants in Cochin. They grow ALL their own crops for their Ayurvedic herbs and food, 100% natural and non chenical treated!
The techniques and tradition of Ayurvedic medicine have been handed down from their Great great Grandfather and their Grandfather and father are highly qualified in the scientific study of this ancient practice.
Thier grandfather has been making their medicine since 1948 and their retreats have won awards for the best wellness retreat in India from National Geographic magazine. More news about this soon from: www.spa-ark.co.uk
The attached pictures are of the hallway to the four treatment rooms and pictures in the hall at the Kairali centre at D-120, Anderia Mdh. New Delhi - 110 074 India Tel: +91 26804879. Pop in for a consultation and treatment, please mention SPA-ARK when making enquiries, they may give you even more special treatment!
When you arrive somewhere, if you have booked a hotel arrange for them to pick you up
After a few days, when you have worked out how much things usually cost ( water, food, jewellery, textiles, etc) then you can start bartering. If you don't have much time ask someone at the hotel you are staying in, preferably a westerner and get several opinions.
Keep you money in you wallet when the beggers come, if you give them anything it will attract unwanted attention, give to a proper charity if you wish to help or take part in helping the community in other ways.
Don't even think about walking about if it is above 35-40 Degrees C from 12-4pm it's madness and can really give a sore head at the least, keep your head covered and drink at least 3 litres of water a day.
Make the most of each moment and be compassionate to all around, even when pestered, as a westerner you are seen to have much more money than most in India and you probably do, be understanding...
The attached image is of a Lotus flower, just beginning to open at 8am in the gardens of the Savista Spa we visited just outside of Jaipur, India. The gardens are very well kept and boast over 50 species of birds (we spotted a Kingfisher by the pond), a variety of herbal plants and beautiful scented flowers. We had breakfast in the gardens in front of the spa, one of the most enjoyable breakfasts...
Slight embarrassment at Heathrow by including germaloid cream exposed in our clear plastic bags through security and passport control. A sweet journey with Kingfisher Airlines, very nice little bag of goodies (eye sleeper muffs, little bag for camera, which I needed, a tooth brush, face wipes) and we felt truly spoilt on our flight, even though it wasn’t business class.
The cabin crew said it was 37 degrees when we arrived, Hot hot! Later in the day it was actually 40 degrees...
Giggling Buddha is all about communicating good healthy views, people and positive retreats & spas to go to. Communicating news from across the world and promoting magical healing, spiritual and wellbeing destinations round the world. Giggling Buddha looks at interesting stories to cover, promotes community living and new lifestyles for a modern age based on compassion, positivity, spirituality and mutual support....
