i was barely back in bombay for two days before i was on the road again. (it seems to be my style of late, for better or worse. i miss you bombay, i really do.) this time it was a train to delhi and i traveled in style. rajdhani style. a fancy 3rd AC train ride (with meals) and i woke up after just 15 short hours in delhi once again.
a day well-spent at the surajkund craft mela (oops, didn't know there would be textiles. bye bye, rupees) and an evening with my friend's family. our other two travel companions arrived in the night (and i was rudely not awoken for midnight biryani. straight from hyderabad, i should add. humph!) and we were off early in the morning.
our destination was jaisalmer, for the 'desert festival', whatever that might entail. i had visions of the so-called camel dances of the pushkar fair in my head. i had been told variously that jaisalmer was 'beautiful, the golden city!' and 'completely over-hyped, with nothing there'. guess i figured i'd find out for myself. our route took us through bikaner, with plenty of stops for the essentials - chai, dhaba fare, and cigarettes (not for me, mom. don't worry) after we left the delhi radio stations behind we realized we had little in the way of musical entertainment, but we made do. (and when that got repetitive we bought some blank CDs for some variety.)
after a full day of driving we arrived in bikaner and managed to get a great price on a lovely haveli, thanks to our friend who the manager remembered from three years ago. our rooms had cushioned window seats, tvs, and room service. everything we needed. we even managed to catch (read: join in) the last bit of the rajasthani 'folk dance' in the restaurant.
the next day we were on a mission. do a little sightseeing, get some provisions, and get out of town. all of this somehow took us until 2pm. first it was a little jaunt to the 'rat temple'. yes, it's what it sounds like. you enter the temple and dozens and dozens of rats scurry past you towards the bits of food or giant bowls of milk. you try not to think of all the diseases you're probably walking through as you traverse the marble floor barefoot. certainly a unique experience though.
from there we headed back to jaisalmer. or so we thought. about 12 kilometers out we realized we were heading the wrong direction. once we turned ourselves around and got back into town we set out to accomplish our aims: the girls would acquire the all-important bikaner namkeen (they don't call it bikanerwala for nothing), and the boys were to get the proper dinner fixin's for the evening. hours later, we were in the car enjoying the fruits of our labor - snacking on namkeen as our chicken and paneer marinated in the trunk (the marinade, by the way, we prepared at a dhaba, and the local puppies were all too happy to have us.)
finally around 9:00 we arrived in jaisalmer. our hotel was supremely located with a gorgeous rooftop view of the fort. by night, fully illuminated, the sight is unbeatable. the hotel graciously let us use their rooftop space to cook. but man was it cold! we bundled ourselves as we waited impatiently for the coals to get hot or the whiskey to warm us up. we were rewarded with a delicious meal and some post-dinner dancing.
the next morning we took it slow as, frankly, there's not a lot to do in jaisalmer. we walked about the area outside the fort and spent a good deal of time at various leather shops. it was worth the time though, because we all walked away with something and got a pretty good price at that. next was lunch at a place recommended by our leather guy. dal bati churma and some other rajasthani dishes made for a good meal. from there it was into the fort. it's known as a 'living fort' because for some reason the government has decided to allow people to live and operate businesses inside the fort. this means that the fort is full of hotels, restaurants, and vendors as well as local families. it also means a lot of waste, both in and around the fort area. as my friend put it, 'it's not a living fort; it's a dying fort.' sad but true.
that evening we drove out the 25 or so kilometers to the edge of the desert. we had made a deal for a camel ride package at one of the many resorts. we got there and mounted our camels (only 2 so we had to share) and walked about 1000 meters into the very beginning of the dunes. we could still see the road and the row of resorts. there, our guides let us down and told us that was it. unless, of course, we wanted to pay more to go to a nearby village. we were a little annoyed and declined, choosing instead to sit in the dunes, buy some overpriced snacks (because, yes, even in the desert there are peddlers), and wait for the sun to set. the dunes were nice, being sand dunes, but i guess i've been spoiled by the great expanses of the sahara i've seen in morocco and tunisia. it was enjoyable, but i wasn't blown away.
after sunset, we were hurried onto our camels for a quick, bumpy ride back to the resort. here we were seated on mattresses laid around a giant cement circle. we were served chai and snacks as the show began. rajasthani performers of various kinds.. music, dance, fire breathing and some balancing acts. it was entertaining, but not quite as much as the obscenely drunk man who insisted on butting in on every part of the show. why they didn't ask him to leave i'm not sure (but i suspect the amount of expensive drinks he was buying had something to do with it.) we declined the resort's expensive dinner option and headed back into town for another local-recommended place. this time non-veg and it was delicious!
the next morning it was up early for a breakfast of kachori near the fort and one last tool around the old town. then it was back on the road to jodhpur. there's just something about driving in india that's so wonderful. the roads we had in rajasthan were all great, and there was hardly anyone on them. it just feels very relaxed. and then the dhabas. well, you just can't compare that to a US rest stop. you just can't. even with several chai stops we arrived at jodhpur a little early so we stopped at a nearby lake for a quick boat ride. it's crazy to think that there are so many little attractions like this all over india. sometimes i just step back and think 'where am i?' and have to remind myself that i'm in the middle of one state or another in india. it's a good feeling.
and with that (and another stop for street food) i was on my way. my friends waited with me on the platform for the train and saw me off. they continued on the road to jaipur. and i rode the rails back to bombay, only to leave again after two days. (see what i meant?)
a day well-spent at the surajkund craft mela (oops, didn't know there would be textiles. bye bye, rupees) and an evening with my friend's family. our other two travel companions arrived in the night (and i was rudely not awoken for midnight biryani. straight from hyderabad, i should add. humph!) and we were off early in the morning.
our destination was jaisalmer, for the 'desert festival', whatever that might entail. i had visions of the so-called camel dances of the pushkar fair in my head. i had been told variously that jaisalmer was 'beautiful, the golden city!' and 'completely over-hyped, with nothing there'. guess i figured i'd find out for myself. our route took us through bikaner, with plenty of stops for the essentials - chai, dhaba fare, and cigarettes (not for me, mom. don't worry) after we left the delhi radio stations behind we realized we had little in the way of musical entertainment, but we made do. (and when that got repetitive we bought some blank CDs for some variety.)
after a full day of driving we arrived in bikaner and managed to get a great price on a lovely haveli, thanks to our friend who the manager remembered from three years ago. our rooms had cushioned window seats, tvs, and room service. everything we needed. we even managed to catch (read: join in) the last bit of the rajasthani 'folk dance' in the restaurant.
 |
| snack time |
 |
| car snacks. must for any road trip |
 |
| rooftop view |
finally around 9:00 we arrived in jaisalmer. our hotel was supremely located with a gorgeous rooftop view of the fort. by night, fully illuminated, the sight is unbeatable. the hotel graciously let us use their rooftop space to cook. but man was it cold! we bundled ourselves as we waited impatiently for the coals to get hot or the whiskey to warm us up. we were rewarded with a delicious meal and some post-dinner dancing.
the next morning we took it slow as, frankly, there's not a lot to do in jaisalmer. we walked about the area outside the fort and spent a good deal of time at various leather shops. it was worth the time though, because we all walked away with something and got a pretty good price at that. next was lunch at a place recommended by our leather guy. dal bati churma and some other rajasthani dishes made for a good meal. from there it was into the fort. it's known as a 'living fort' because for some reason the government has decided to allow people to live and operate businesses inside the fort. this means that the fort is full of hotels, restaurants, and vendors as well as local families. it also means a lot of waste, both in and around the fort area. as my friend put it, 'it's not a living fort; it's a dying fort.' sad but true.
 |
| rippling and golden |
after sunset, we were hurried onto our camels for a quick, bumpy ride back to the resort. here we were seated on mattresses laid around a giant cement circle. we were served chai and snacks as the show began. rajasthani performers of various kinds.. music, dance, fire breathing and some balancing acts. it was entertaining, but not quite as much as the obscenely drunk man who insisted on butting in on every part of the show. why they didn't ask him to leave i'm not sure (but i suspect the amount of expensive drinks he was buying had something to do with it.) we declined the resort's expensive dinner option and headed back into town for another local-recommended place. this time non-veg and it was delicious!
the next morning it was up early for a breakfast of kachori near the fort and one last tool around the old town. then it was back on the road to jodhpur. there's just something about driving in india that's so wonderful. the roads we had in rajasthan were all great, and there was hardly anyone on them. it just feels very relaxed. and then the dhabas. well, you just can't compare that to a US rest stop. you just can't. even with several chai stops we arrived at jodhpur a little early so we stopped at a nearby lake for a quick boat ride. it's crazy to think that there are so many little attractions like this all over india. sometimes i just step back and think 'where am i?' and have to remind myself that i'm in the middle of one state or another in india. it's a good feeling.
and with that (and another stop for street food) i was on my way. my friends waited with me on the platform for the train and saw me off. they continued on the road to jaipur. and i rode the rails back to bombay, only to leave again after two days. (see what i meant?)
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