Rocking the boat to frighten the fish into the net

This is  the huge reservoir at Jaisamand that was built 400 years ago and is the largest body of water in Asia. High above the dam on one side is a Monsoon Palace or Zenana for the women and on the opposite hill top is one for the men - once  used for 2 months of the year and now derelict.  The fishermen caught only a few fish for all their efforts and only kept the big ones - the small ones lived to see another day!

Our journey from Udaipur in southern Rajasthan to Madhya Pradesh started off when we passed the huge wholesale vegetable and fruit markets and the equally huge wholesale grain and seed market.  We drove through the  beautifully green jungley and forrested Arivali hills where monkeys dashed across the road in search of fallen fruit from the ?bhil trees - green and cricket ball sized. We went through plenty of villages and little towns where the women mostly wore Rajasthani dress - full skirt, bolero or full top with peplum and a dupatta scarf which is tucket into the front of the skirt and pulled around the back and up over the hair.  Everything was so colourful and there were plenty of brides about still wearing all their silver jewellery (see extra).  We went through date palm plantations and there was so much water about that farmers had enough to irrigate their crops so almost anything could be grown from cabbage to carrot, sweet potato to maize, wheat to sugar cane, onion and garlic to peanut - you name it and they possibly grew it. Fruit comes from a bit further south at this time of the year.  We passed huge lakes and many river beds where there was little water but women were still doing their laundry and bathing themselves. The the land became what looked more desert like over the golden Arivali humpy hills - but after the monsoon they are covered in grass which grows very high and is cut by the women with sickles when dry - so now it just rests till the next rains.  What labour.  Over the pass we went into the next state - Madhya Pradesh (MP from now on) and we found a huge mansion some way from the road that looked like an enormous British cathedral.  We turned off into the town and found ourselves in a street crammed with women trying to buy jewellery for brides.  It turned out to be a dead end and we had to back back through the crowds who stared unsmilingly back at us however hard I smiled, said Ram Ram and put my hand over my heart. Entering the town again from the other side we got caught in a traffic jam so I left Yusuf and walked on to find it was an an abandoned Palace with the 'best cactus garden in India' - entry 25p.

Now we are a bit further on at Ratlam in a large hotel usually occupied by travelling salesmen and people here for conferences - all very comfortable and civilised.  I still can't make Picasa work - sorry, but I have added yesterday's extra of the jeweller winding his sealing wax lines.  PICASA LINK NOW HERE