A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to get out of Delhi for the weekend on the faculty retreat. A pretty fancy way to say that the school organizes a bus and helps us reserved hotel rooms so that we can spend a weekend hanging out together away from school. I, of course, hopped on board. After all why wouldn't I go somewhere if someone else is going to organize it? The destination? Neemrana Fort-Palace, 122 kilometers outside of Delhi. What makes this a cool destination is the hotel itself. Originally built in 1464 it was a hillside fort for the Chauhans until 1947. It was renovated and turned into a hotel in 1986 and staying there is a bit like taking a step back in time. I had a nice turret room, complete with raised bed, sitting area and some old furnishings. Made me feel a bit like a princess. Wandering around you could get lost in all the nooks and crannies, but the overlooks provided great views of the nearby village and of the multitude of layers in the fort itself. Some views consisted of canon ball laden roofs, others of balconies, still others of the pools or sitting courtyards. While the green pool water meant the main activity was unappealing, it was still a lovely place to relax for a weekend and get a glimpse of different area of northern India. Saturday night we were treated to the tourist show - a variety of dances including one man dressed up as a peacock (complete with feather tail fan), a flower dancer, a man and a woman who balanced pots of fire on their hands and heads, one man who managed multiple spinning bicycle wheels, and of course a pair of fire breathers who lit up the night sky around us. All in all a pleasant weekend in a magical location.
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