Continued from Days 1,2,3,4
Day 5
The hotel didn’t have a great rating on Trip Advisor, but there were comments about great view. Our room overlooked the pool, so I went around asking the hotel staff, most of whom didn’t understand English. The girl at the reception seemed to, and after listening to me patiently and giving me a knowing smile, she said, “you go for tour, you get great view”! I learned later that the balconies on the upper floor got this view. We checked out after a bland breakfast in what seemed like a hall converted into a restaurant, and waited at the reception for our guide. They played The Beatles’ “Real Love”, I hadn’t heard it in a long time! 😀
Our guide Ali soon appeared,a jovial character, who later claimed he had been speaking English only for the last 3 years and had learned the language from movies and music. There were six of us in the mini van and we proceeded to the hot springs. Ali explained that most of the large hotels were located nearer to the springs and the houses and hotels in that area had two pipes – one being dedicated to the spring water. Apparently, Nicholas Cage had visited during the shoot of Ghost Rider 2 and so had Salman and Katrina, though he claimed the movie to be Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani. Hmm. The springs had a lot of iron, causing their red colour and a taste of blood. They were supposed to cure skin ailments. Bathing, not drinking. (more…)
