On Location August 2007 – India (2)

I begrudgingly left the family home after a sumptuous breakfast - I hope to return again soon - and headed further south to a change in scenery. What had been stark and flat, now turned into hills rising out of the plains. After travelling for 2 ½ hours, climbing 2,100 feet above sea level the imposing property of Deogarh Mahal appeared, surrounding the small eponymous town. The palace dating back to 1670 AD was recently renovated by the current royal family, Rawat and Rani Saheb, and ten years later it has become a well established heritage hotel. I was delighted to stay in a Royal Suite - what a treat - with outdoor jacuzzi, complete with my own Sheesh Mahal mirrored room. The furnishings are all traditional, including an original solid silver bed previous owned by the Maharaja.

The real jewel in the crown for me was the recent addition of four villa rooms at Fort Seengh Sagar. These were added in 2006, and recently winning the Tatler Hideaway Award this year.

In the evening before sunset I drove through the picture postcard village and climbed up to Fort Seengh Sagar. From here with beautifully chilled wine and exquisite canapés I watched the sun set. The serenity of this truly magical hideaway would persuade anybody to stay at least for dinner, if not for a few nights.

After a perfect evening watching the setting sun, I returned to the palace for a delectable palette of traditional Mewari cuisine and dined in the company of a prince! Halfway through dinner, I was told that until the late 70s the meals were first tasted by the palace monkeys to safeguard against poisoning the royal family! On hearing this my appetite waned a little!

The following morning, feeling pleased to be alive after my evening meal, my driver and I descended down from the Aravalli range, and travelled west for three hours to the village of Rohet. Winding our way through the narrow and somewhat dishevelled streets of Rohet, I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at the gates of a somewhat grand fortified desert home.

The owners of this ancestral home, Sidhar and Rasmi Singh, opened their doors to guests in 1990, and the original wing, dating back to 1622 AD , has seen the likes of William Dalrymple residing here for five months, writing his novel 'City of Djinns'. Instantly I was at peace within the walls of Rohetgarh - it holds an aura of calm. The simplicity and local décor of this property is appealing, and further enhanced by the staff who deliver a gentle and humble greeting on arrival.



The most fabulous aspect was the view of a thousand changing images of the lakeside in front of me: cows slowly meandering to the banks of the water to drink, the lily pads a vibrant green, the movements of the birds and animals, and the dancing of the peacocks on the manicured lawns.

The descendants of the Rathores, the family are successful breeders of the Marwar horses, the indigenous horse of the Thar Desert. Its spirit is bold and fearless and you have to be a competent rider to ride in the desert. I was sorely tempted not least to ride out to and overnight at the wilderness lodge.

In the afternoon, I headed off on a village safari. Off-roading across this arid land, watching deer and blue bull roaming in the distance, we reached a local settlement of the Bishnoi tribal family. The Bishnoi are the premier ecologists of the world and have protected their lands for centuries and are responsible for the survival of species like the Black Buck Antelope. On entering the fenced compound I was required to take off my shoes to enter the mud huts - made in the traditional methods of mixing animal dung and mud together. It was a lovely experience to meet the children and sit with them in their kitchen, the sense of being transported back in time was incredible, until the ringing of a mobile phone shattered the illusion. Even the Bishnoi need their mobiles!

From Rohetgarh I travelled through scenic countryside to Jodhpur airport, where there are frequent flights back to Delhi and whose streets seemed crazy after the calm of rural Rajasthan!