Sat Mar 14th. Finally Home.

 We had a more leisurely get up this morning, finished packing, went for our last breakfast and said our thanks and goodbyes to the lovely staff that had looked after us. We then wandered around taking photos and exploring parts we hadn’t visited. We finally took photos of the man outside the restaurant who played a traditional stringed instrument, unfortunately, his son wasn't there as he was at school. 

We climbed up to top of the old building to see where we would have been staying and the views were amazing. 

We then gathered our bags, checked the rooms and went to the entrance where we were picked up by our driver and headed off to Delhi and the airport with the usual chaotic and interesting street scenes.

We had a stop at a service area to eat our packed lunch and then headed on to the airport where we arrived in good time. We said our goodbyes, checked in and went through security, boarded our plane and settled down for the 5 hour flight, in the wrong direction, to Shanghai. 

The flight was fine and we got to Shanghai, transitted through to our flight to London. We did look out the windows while we waited but Shanghai Airport seemed totally birdless. 

Our flight went over Mongolia, Russia, Estonia and Denmark before crossing the North Sea and heading for Gatwick. It was a huge relief to disembark and know we were back in England. We collected the car and had to pay £95.00 extra car parking - but the receipt didn't print so we contacted the control office who said we could have gone through for nothing if we had let them know - worth remebering for the future. We then had to go to the South Terminal to get the receipt printed and we were given a telphone no to ring to claim the extra car parking back - brilliant customer services - before we headed home afvter an unexpected extra two week in India.

The car parking fee was refunded and we eventually got the unused part of our flights back and then the extra legroom for Brenda and Alan.

Mar 13th - Baratpur

 

We decided to split the day between a trip out in the morning and a last visit to Baratpur in the afternoon. Around the hotel we found Shikra, Jungle Babbler, House Crow and Rosy Starling with Rose-ringed Parakets, Egyptian Vultures and Purple Sunbird. We were picked up after breakfast and headed out of Baratpur, driving through the villages heading to an area a little distance away. stopping for Shikra and a lovely Crested Honey Buzzard.

We crossed a busy railway line where the queue looked impossible to sort out as there were cars, bikes, vans right up to the gate right across the narrow road. The train passed, the gated opened and the traffic just worked its way past each other without a single accident. 

We crossed a bridge and started driving along a canal, which had the blackest water I've ever seen! However, there were plenty of birds about with Streak-throated Swallows nesting under a bridge and collecting mud from the edge of the canal. 

Peafowl, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Pond Heron, Greater Coucal and Purple Heron being seen in the fields, along the canal edge and flying over as we drove along. We stopped by a tree on the other side which had brilliant views of a Black Frankolin in the branches, singing, two Yellow-footed Green Pigeons and a Kingfisher flew in with some prey in his beak.

 

Day - Saturday 7th Move to Baratpur

Once we had flights booked and with over a week to go, we decided to organise an extension with Asian Adventures to Baratpur. Iqbal sorted out an itinerary and Ranbir, our ex-guide was free, so we booked it. As Sean and Brenda were still feeling a little week, we delayed leaving until Saturday, when we were picked up at 6.00 and taken to Baratpur, via Agra with a very knowledgeable monument guide. David was feeling a little poorly, having been sick that morning, probably due to too much sun, so he sat it out in the shade.

After lunch we went to a Marble shop where we were given a demonstration of how they cut and insert the coloured patterns into genuine, local marble. We were then taken in to the main shopping area where there were some lovely things. I resisted all temptation and asked for a small elephant. I was shown a side room with smaller, cheaper pieces which were generally made by the apprentices and ‘probably not as perfect’. I chose a small elephant and then included a slightly larger one. 

We then travelled on to the lovely Laxmi Villa Hotel, which was where we had stayed before. It had been enlarged and the dining room was now in a separate, duplicate building but we were booked into the original one. We settled in and went for dinner before, glad to have things sorted.