Ohh the Colors of Rajasthan

The trip started out with Kendra and I meeting in Bombay. We found each other in a train station that can only be described as havoc. After finding each other we promptly boarded our train and were ready for the 18 hour train ride ahead of us. We were reasonably equipped with junk food, however the aisles keep bringing us vendors selling wonderful chai (Indian tea), un ripe mango with some fried goodies and much more. How could we resist such food?! In the process we met a girl about our age traveling with her whole extended family. During a stop in Gujarat her other family member joined on the train and brought along bags full of Gujarati sweets, those of which she quickly shared with us .

We arrived in Jodhpur, dropped our bags off and ran over to the beautiful fort. This fort is well preserved because it is the only one left in India that is still owned by the Maharaja instead of the government. The listening tour was filled with extraordinary details and from the top of the fort we were able to see the infamous view of Jodhpur’s blue city. Our final leg in Jodhpur was a stroll in old city and then off to the bus leading to Jaiselmer.

Majority of my bus experiences in India have been simple air plane like seats that tilt back and are reasonably comfortable. Within five minutes of stepping on that bus we found out our bus was far from my normal experiences. The bus seats were standard, however the owner decided to use this bus as a transportation not just from Jodhpur to Jaiselmer (a six hour ride), but to all the cities in between as well. After the seats were filled the aisles were packed in with villagers. There was no sitting room for them, and hardly any standing room. Next to us a young girl was taking care of her younger sister, trying to avoid being trampled. The older sister, though protecting her sister, seemed very ill and had a high temperature. As the long ride continues and the girl continued to get trampled we practically adopted this girl sharing our two seats between the three of us, buying her water, holding her hair back while she vomited, fed her fruit we had, and Kendra gave her new duppata to wrap herself in after she vomited in her shawl. Finally her father got a seat at took her back, though she often spoke to us from her seat. At point Kendra and I pulled out our GHETO food. Normally, everywhere we go everyone is well supplied with a full “tiffin” of lunch, so we thought we were being smart and prepared this time by bringing food. Little did we know how difficult it is to eat dal and rice on a paper plate that is as strong as a napkin.

We finally arrive in Jaiselmer, go to our hotel and sleep. At six in the morning we left in a jeep to the middle of the desert to begin our camel trek. For three days and two nights we were discovering the Thar Desert on our camels. My camel, Coco, was the baby and appropriately decorated with a necklace, of course my camel would have cute accessories. We started the trek early in the mornings after drinking chai, and eating boiled eggs, toast and porriage that our camel riders (tour guides gave us). We roamed the desert, stopping at random villages and meeting the people until afternoon, where we found wonderful shade, relaxed and ate lunch. After lunch and a luxurious nap we continued on our camel ride until close to sun set. Then camp was set below some large sand dunes. The camel riders would cook dinner while we relaxed. At night Kendra and I stayed away from the foreigners and spoke to our camel riders for hours on end, singing old Hindi songs, learning of each other’s lives and making jokes. During the three days we were all together the camel riders noticed Kendra and I doing yoga and were eager to learn. We taught four of them how to do yoga and I must say, though we were unsuccessful in teaching them anything, it was comical to watch!

Sad to leave our desert, Kendra and I headed back to the city to enjoy two days of the desert festival going on. There we saw camel races, dance shows and musical performances, all stemming from traditional Rajasthani culture. Interestingly enough Kendra and I, who both work in on HIV/AIDS in India ran into HIV/AIDS booth. Went to speak to them and found out that the camel riders actually prostitute themselves to lonely foreigners that come for long treks. We spoke to one of the outreacher workers who is also a camel rider and prostitutes himself. He was very helpful and unembarrassed in answering our questions on how the offer themselves, as well as how they spread the news about protection. Having spent so much time discussing the subject Kendra and I missed our ride back to the city. The camel rider took us to his restaurant and gave us free chai and gave us a free camel ride to the festivities until we were able to find a ride back to the city.

Finally after a very eventful day we left Jaiselmer on another overnight train to Jodhpur and then a bus from Jodhpur to Udaipur. In Udaipur we were greeted by another AIF fellow who let us stay at his house along with a friend of a friend of Kendra’s who happened to be the AIF fellow’s roommate. Indian constantly proves how vast, yet how small this country can be. In Udaipur we enjoyed wonderful parties with the boys and their friends and beautiful sunset views in this enchanting city full of lakes. At night we met up with the boy’s friend who happens to be an auto driver. This auto driver let me drive the rickshaw down the streets of Udaipur’s old city. Though I seem to have mastered the auto rickshaw I was a little less successful with a two wheeler scooter. Initially I was doing well, until my nerves attacked that is and I rammed us into a pole. Thankfully we just got a couple of bruises. Overall my Rajasthan trip was extraordinary and I already miss it.


Pictures from my trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2212989&l=b4b4b&id=6011342