Mihir Garh
Pleasure and luxury in the middle of the desert
When we planned our trip to India, we took the advice of several people who told us that the best thing to do was to save as much as possible and then invest in the best hotels we could afford.
So in Mumbai - our first destination in India - we stopped at the Taj Palace, in Delhi - the last - at The Imperial, both iconic and historic. And during the tour we chose some of those luxury hotels that invite you to close your eyes, feel the silence and just breathe.
A trip to India is not a vacation, it is not just any trip. It is an intense adventure, often exhausting, so these intermediate stops are very convenient to replenish energy and continue with the established circuit.
In Rajasthan, our first stop was at Mihir Garh.
The boutique hotel has the Relais & Châteaux seal of approval. It is a property in the middle of the desert, an hour's drive from Jodhpur, which houses a stable of purebred Marwari horses. There are just nine spacious luxury suites, with individual warm-water pools and stylishly ornamented common areas. Equestrian allegorical details stand out, evidencing the owners' passion for horses.
Mihir Garh’s architecture is outstanding. It uses typical elements of the region's villages, with rounded angles. The spacious rooms have fireplaces and terraces. The exterior is dominated by the color of the stone blending with the desert sand.
The drive from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur was super entertaining. When they tell you that in India the cow is sacred and is everywhere, you do not imagine that they are literally everywhere, even on the highways, lying in the middle of a lane, forcing thousands of drivers to avoid them, or at the toll booths, making the booths useless. Everywhere!
Passing cars, motorcycles, many motorcycles, a military convoy of tanks, many tanks. Suddenly, some camels crossed the road and then very colorful trucks all ornamented, even - further ahead - a tractor carrying giant sacks of "cow food" (food for cows as Birmarm our driver said), which seemed to explode at any moment.
Back at Mihir Garh, our refuge for the night, we were greeted by Shakti (meaning power). In India all names have a positive meaning. Since ours were difficult for them, we opted to use Tripti, for @tripticiy_ (whose meaning - restfulness, satisfaction of the heart - we learned on this trip to India) and Nacho, since we found out that it was the main theme of a Bollywood movie, so when we pronounced it, everyone smiled remembering the film.
Shakti treated us with rose water, delicious and refreshing.
Thus began our day of relaxation, of rest, in which we tasted the best Indian cuisine at lunch, dinner and breakfast, as we were encouraged to try different dishes, those that to the Western eye look so exotic.
Lamb curry, dates with bacon, cold mango soup - gazpacho style, hot garlic soup, liver tandoori, fig croquettes, to name just a few of our favorites.
It was at Mihir Garh that we were also introduced to Indian wine. We tasted Sula's shiraz-cabernet, from the Nashik vineyards in the state of Maharashtra, the same as Mumbai, of a very good standard.
Chain Singh, our waiter, a native of Nagaur, very serious and with rigid features, even gave us -at first- a rough feeling, like a mogul warrior, but he was quite the opposite, very kind and he was the one who recommended it to us.
That day we watched a glorious sunset on the terrace, while enjoying a delicious Arabica coffee and the usual cookies. Peacocks began to fly high in the treetops and a variety of birds fluttered about, making the scene even more beautiful.
We also took advantage of our little hot tub.
At dinner, we met the fort's gentle owner, a horse lover, Sidhart Singh, who together with his wife Rashm created this paradise.
Sidhart even invited us to come to the event that weekend in Jodhpur. We regretted not being able to honor the invitation due to lack of time!
The next morning, after a full breakfast we departed. We said goodbye to Bhupendra, the manager, without much desire because it was tempting to stay one more day in that oasis, but Jodhpur and its beauty was waiting for us to continue discovering Rajasthan.
