a bit hung over

Day 8
I am well hung over after my 3 special brews and don’t feel up to much. We decide to have a quiet day visiting the Hawa Mahal and Albert hall only. We get to the old city only to find Kath has left the tickets behind so we have to go there and back, you can tell when it’s going to be an unproductive day so we decide to just chill around the old town. The Hawa Mahal or palace of winds is mediocre compared to many of the sights, but it offers a great view over the city from the highest balconies. We get a bicycle to take us to the Albert Hall which is a grand building very British in style; it is worth a visit – housing a good collection of artefacts from India and all over the world. We eat here also in what looks like a classy European restaurant but it’s actually pretty cheap - we get a tasty thali and enjoy the peace and quiet away from the bustle of the city.
Kath wants to visit the zoo here but I don’t fancy it; as I think the conditions are probably appalling. We do manage to blag our way into the bird sanctuary for free and as suspected it is a poor show, the whole place stinks of faeces and the poor birds are confined in cages that lack any vegetation or water. We try to find the Niwas gardens which are supposed to be nearby but end up in some sketchy looking park where people are lighting fires ready for the evening chill. Kath freaks out as we see a rat the size of your average pet cat digging a tunnel; we got out of there rapid as we see more rats and stray dogs than grass or flowers!
In the evening we head out to find a place to eat and on the way encounter a kaleidoscopic display of lights and live music as trumpets and drums sound the beat to an amazing display of traditional dancing that brightens up the night. There are men dressed as guards in dazzling white costume; some upon white horses which are fabulously dressed with bright red materials and paints and jewels. Several members of the procession hold large electric lamps that resemble massive hooker pipes, all linked up by wires to an old truck that acts as an electricity generator. The mob dance and jump around wailing in delight as cars honk horns and swerve to avoid them. Comically the light bearers become tangled and panic sets in as they try to cross traffic with their sprawling wires. We figure it all must be an elaborate wedding for some rich and important family.
We eat Chinese food which is a refreshing change – the restraint is grand and looks to posh for our budget but once again it is very cheap and excellent quality. Eating out is a pleasure in India.