Jaisalmer -
Jodhpur - Udaipur
May 30
After the
camel safari, I didn't write anything for a whole day because I was so
irritated by the whole experience. The particulars are now irrelevant, but I
will say that, for the amount of money I spent that evening, I could have
started saving towards purchasing my own camel. However, the camel ride itself
was nice, and watching the sun set on the Sam Sand Dunes was beautiful.
Speaking of
camel purchases: My camel driver, upon
finding out that I am from New York, launched into a soliloquy about the last
guest he had from New York – a fellow named Peter. Peter enjoyed his camel ride
so much that he decided he would like to purchase a camel, and asked the young
man to arrange the sale. So, Peter from New York, you jackass, you have a
teenaged boy in Sam, India, waiting desperately to hear from you regarding this
exchange! He probably stands to make considerable money off the commission, and
actually took you seriously, you ignorant blowhard – he’s tried to call you
several times but hasn’t been able to get through. He spoke about it almost
non-stop the whole ride.
Afterwards,
I was taken to something that amounted to Medieval Times Rajasthan. Traditional
music played and girls in richly decorated dresses twirled around a circular
dirt stage while the audience was served snacks and beverages. Afterwards, we
went into a dining hall and had a meal of traditional Rajasthani food. All
told, the evening ended up costing me nearly $50, which may not sound like much
but is a freaking FORTUNE in India, where a typical dinner at a nice restaurant
costs around $5 (including beverages). To put it in perspective, my driver
earns around $80 a month. It wasn't as
much the money that vexed me; it was the fact that I wasn't given a choice.
Ahem.
Moving on. The next day we headed off through the desert to Jodhpur, the
"Blue City". When we first arrived, I was bitterly disappointed to
discover there was not even a single blue building in sight. It wasn't until I
headed to Mehrangarh Fort, which is perched on top of the mountain range that
overlooks the city, that I realized I was wrong. From a distance, many (and in
some places, most) of the building are
blue. It's quite beautiful.
Yesterday
evening, I went to dinner at the house of a local family. I assumed, rather
cynically, that it had been pre-arranged by the tour service and that I would
be expected to pony up some Rupees at the conclusion. I was somewhat humbled when,
at the conclusion of the dinner (which was delicious home-cooked food, served
on the patio of a modest but tidy house), the family merely thanked me for
coming and waved goodbye.
This
morning, I met BK at around 9:30 and we headed for Udaipur, the "city of
lakes". Or maybe it's the "city on the lake". I'll figure it out
tomorrow. The drive here was very cool, probably the coolest yet. We traveled
through small villages and towns, stopping twice at interesting temples (one
Hindu and one Jain; the Jain temple was incredible) and passing through an
animal sanctuary (where we saw monkeys!).
The coolest part was the scenery, though. The landscape seemed to change
every hour of the nine hour journey. We started out in the desert and then
climbed some mountains, which turned into rolling hills, which turned into
farmland, which turned back into mountains. The day went by very quickly.
Tomorrow
I'm going to tour Udaipur - check out the City Palace and apparently, go for a
boat ride. Should be interesting; so far, if anything, India has proven to be
anything but boring.
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