Day 18 - Jodhpur

What a busy day!

I was staying in the same room as Julie the previous night, and a group of us had arranged to visit the Bishnoi villages, the small villages out of Jodhpur. The seven of us hopped in 2 jeeps (me, Kay and Julie bagged the open-topped jeep) and zoomed out of smelly, busy Jodhpur, the wind blowing in our hair.

Bishnoi means 29 (or is it49 - whoops, can't remember), which represents the 29 rules the village people live by (things like keeping the ground clean, looking after wildlife etc). In the villages it is customary to take opium, in the form of tea, for morning, noon and night. This has happened for centuries, and the village people even give it to babies (stops them whinging) and offer it to guests (makes them happy). So, as Hannah had warned us in advance, we were offered it in the first house we came to. We declined politely. The head of the family then showed us how he made the tea, and demonstrated by feeding it to our Indian guide from his cupped palm (sidelong looks between us - but he's ok, he's just the guide we told ourself. The guide coughed - "is stong" - oh dear). But theeen the lad driving our jeep, only 19 or so, bounced up and took some too! Hannah was like "nooooo, you are driving the jeep" but too late! The old guy bobbed his head "is good - make him more awake" - Hannah raises her hands in the 'I give up' gesture. Resigned to our fate, we continued chatting to the lady of the house and taking photos. A little later the three of who had come in the open jeep made our way back to it with great trepedation. We climbed back on, and gripped tight as we made our way to the next location - a small village. Our driver was grinning as he drove, and rubbing his head, and the three of us were just crying with hysterical laughter in the back. It was a surreal experience.



Above left: The jeep Above right: Opium man

At the next stop we swapped jeeps, and went to drink chai and try on Rajistani dress. Then we went to a carpet making co-operative, and watched them weave the intricate designes by hand. One carpet normally takes 2 people 3 weeks to make, and cost a mere 4000 Rupees (about 50 pounds). I restrained myself from spending yet more money, but Kay bought 2 and had them sent home.

Lastly we visited a house made entirely of cow dung, and ate Thali cooked over a cow dung fire. (Julie almost screamed when the lady cooking chipatti's picked up the cow dung fuel with tongs, then used the same tongs to flick & pat the chipatti).



Above: We wait for lunch

We jumped in the jeeps then, and rushed back to the hotel so that we would have time to visit the fort, and sighed with relief when we made it back whole!

We were dropped off at the fort overlooking Jodhpur, Mehranghar Fort, and wondered around like complete tourists with headsets on. The narrator had a wonderful, rich british-indian voice, and spoke in detail about the palace, Indian customs and many other things. Best guide yet. The view from the fort, across the blue washed buildings, was awe-inspiring. There was also some filming being done, and the whole fort was done up and camera crews, and little boys with painted blue faces, and giggling female extras in full traditional dress trooped around.



Finally 3 of us - me, Nicole and Julie - and arranged to visit the maharajas palmist (another one of Hannahs contacts!) at his house. After an epic journey of misdirection (2 confused rickshaws, 6 different sets of directions and much wondering around) we finally found the house. The reading was amazing, not at all airy-fairy - almost scientific in fact, and scarily accurate. We laughed about the predictions in the Rickshaw home, and when we arrived back we enjoyed the view from the rooftop cafe while we drank our evening lassi.

Day 17 - Jaisalmer/Jodhpur

We left the camp early, and hauled our aching backides onto our camels for the long ride back to the hotel. The journey was a tad uncomfortable, but luckily I had brought my MP3 player, so I plugged it in and listened to the Garden State soundtrack whilst the scenery bounced by - took my mind off the pain!

Back at the hotel we took a last lunch on the rooftop cafe, with the amazing view of Jaisalmer, then trudged downstairs to pick up our bags. We all crammed into rickshaws and rode to the bus station, where we would catch our 6 hr bus to Jodhpur (yet - it is where the trousers come from!).

The bus was aaawful. We had designated seats, but there was people in the aisles, people on the rook of the bus, hundreds of people crammed the sleeper cabines (the little nooks that are where the bags normally go above the seats on buses - they are designed for a person to sleep in for long trips, but often hold 3 generations of one family and about 5 bags of rice - myyy goood). The journey was hot and bumpy and men crammed the aisle. Kay and Karen - sitting in front, shared their double seat with an old lady and three children! Me and Nicole were almost more unlucky, a middle aged, rotund, sweaty Indian man just parked hus backside on the end of the seat and proceeded to interrogate us (you are how old? you are married? can I have your email? - head bobbing, wiping sweat from brow, Nicole almost fainting from wafts of body odour). It got worse when we hit a particularly rough area, and several of the people in the sleeper cabins above us were promptly sick out the window. As our windows where all open it just came right back in! Pleasant.
Oh - and all this was at about 90 miles an hour with the loudest horn ever (playing a delightful Om tune) blasting out every five seconds.

When we finally reached Jodhpur we were all traumatised, and had many showers in our rooms before heading to the roof top cafe above the hotel. The view was amazing, as the lights came on across Jodpur and the fort was lit up. After a good meal we had recovered enough to laugh about our earlier bus experience!

Day 16 - Jaisalmer

Ooh my poor knees!

Today I am sleeping in the desert, under the stars (which are behind the clouds). Anna and me spent the entire morning in a leather shop outside the main fort area whilst Vijay, the owner, showed us his entire collection of goods and his family photos of his father/wife/sons/brother etc. handmaking leather goods. Needless to say we both left after spending every last rupee we had with us. Oh dear. I did get a very nice bag though!

Afterward five of us all crammed in one Rickshaw, and popped to see the lake out of town. With the rainfall it was very full, and kids were jumping off the buildings into the water.



Above left: View of part of the lake (and random people) Above right: The five of us infront of the lake arch (nice photo rickshaw driver!)

At 3pm we hopped onto the hotels jeeps and they drove us into the desert were our camels waited. We all had a camel each, and a boy to lead the way and keep our pesky camels in line. We rode for hours, and had a bit of trotting too (I was clinging on with my knees for dear life - so bouncy!). At about 6 we reached the sand dunes where we would be spending the night. We mucked around and had sand dune races (sand got absolutely everywhere) whilst the camel boys prepared the Thali for dinner, and brought us mugs of steaming chai when we stumped our way back to the camp fire. As we ate our dinner the sun set and the full moon came out. At about 8 the entertainment arrived - there were 2 musicians and 3 dancers, all Rajistani gypsies. The men played a pipe and drum, and the ladies, in ornate cloathing, demonstrated the Rajistani dancing (twist the wrists, shake the hips). After an hour or so of music (and cold beer) they dragged us all to our feet and we boogied away Rajistani style until we collapsed with exhaustion.

The 5 left at about 11 (with a very generous tip) and most people dragged the bed frames out onto the dunes for some sleep. Some of us still felt very awake, so we persuaded the camel boys to sing us some Rajas. The guide, who was about 70, sang whilst the other boys beat out a rhythm on an empty oil can, and accompanied him. His voice floated over the sand dunes and the fire crackled and glowed. At midnight the last of us climbed onto our beds and fell asleep - to be woken a few hours later by light rain, in the desert! Crazy.



Above: The group chilling out, drinking beers



Above left: The camel Above centre: The dancing Above right:THe camel guide showing us how it is done

Happy birthday Stuart!!

Day 15 - Jaisalmar

Today I spent aaaaalooot of money. I woke up early and had breakfast on the roof with Kay, Anna and Karen.

After we finished we worked our way through the windy streets and keen salesmen ("Good price, very cheap" or "Please come in and give me a chance to rip you off" - yes, one man really said that!) to an ornate Jain temple for the sightseeing part. It was very beautiful, built of sandstone and carved wonderfully by hand. We took lots of pictures of the amazing carved figures that were everywhere and in every size.



Above: The girls outside the temple, and the ornate sandstone inside

Then we went shoooopping. We went directly to a textiles shop recommended to us by Hannah, and proceeded to turn it into a big mess. We sipped chai and chatted away to the salesmen forabout an hour whilst they pulld out every rug, throw and cusion cover imaginable. The throws in particular were amazingly beautiful, made of silk and embroidered by hand. By 11 we had all drunk much tea and our eyes hurt with all the colours, but we had all given in to one thing or other. I bought a huge blue/silver silk throw and asked for it to be shipped home. It cost 6400R (about 80 pounds) but I justified it in the 'if I bought it in England it would cost ten times as much' way. Oops, thats it now, no more crazy spending. We shopped all morning (phew, so exhausting), spent all our money, then collapsed in a Tibetan restaurant at 1 and wolfed down some momos. Afterward we went back to the hotel to recover and relax.



Above left: Outside the main fort area Above right: People dancing at a street ceremony

Tonight we are all having dinner together in the very classy restaurant The Trio, and tommorow we go for a camel safari in the desert. We have been promised sand dune racing and sleep under the stars - very exciting!

Day 14 - Jaisalmer

We are now in the sandy town of Jaisalmer in Rajistan. It is dry and hot here, with lots of flies, but the town is beautiful.

In the midst of the Thar desert, Jaisalmer is a fort town built of golden sandstone. It served as a gateway for the Indian silk and spices going to Sindh and further west during the medieval period, so many of the building are very beautiful and richly carved.





Top: The group Above: Jaisalmer streets

We are staying in a hotel in the centre of the fort area. All the rooms are very different and interestng, and the corridors are so windy windy it is possible to get lost on the way to reception. From our room there is a wide view across Jaisalmer and out into the desert.

We did not do much as we arrived at about 4pm, but we had a quick walk around the town to get an idea of the layout (am so going to get lost in the confusing streets). In the evening we ate a meal on the top of the hotel, and watched the sun set as we sat munching our naan and korma, and sipping our cold beers. The night was so warm that we stayed on the roof for hours, chatting away.



Above: Me and Lisa on the rooftop cafe

Day 13 - Old Delhi

What a day! I met my tour group for the Intrepid Adventure tour of North India last night. There are 12 of us, from many countries, and 2 leaders (one trainee) - so it is a nice number. We all are in India for the first time, and most on their own, although there are 2 couples. We attempted to learn each others names, then went for dinner in a nice restaurant (had my first beer in 2 weeks!)

In the morning we crammed our way onto a local bus for the ride to the Jame Masjid mosque. The mosque was amazing, built of pinkish stone with ornate towers and domes. We carried our shoes heel to heel, and padded across the cool stone of the large couryard. Some of the guys, feeling energetic, climbed the hundreds of steps to the top of the tallest tower for amazing views across Old Delhi (they promised to let ussee the pictures!).



Above: Jame Masjid mosque

After leaving the mosque we wove our way through the grubby backstreets, with power cables tangled above us like spiderwebs, until we reached the spice market. We stopped off on the way for chai from a street chai wallah (the cheapest and most delicious chai I've had yet!). After exploring the bustling and fragrant spice stalls, we took a crazy (suicidal) rikshaw ride to the train station. Many near misses with bikes/cows/automobiles.



Above: The chai man, rickshaws, delhi streets and spice market

The underground in Delhi is like another world, you decend on escalators from dusty, load streets, to pristine, echoing halls. The underground train system is very new (it was only built last year) and many local people are still wary of it - this was most evident in the people who approached the escalator gingerly, paused to watch the revolving stairs appear from nowhere, then lost their nerve and scurried away.

We then visited a sikh temple. Covering our heads and removing our shoes, we went inside and sat in the main area, and listened awhile to the chanting from the holy book. Hannah, our leader, told us a bit about Sikhism and the temple we were in. Next we visited the temples kitchens, where a group of men and women were making chipattis. There were a bunch of ladies sitting round a low, square table, rolling dough into flat disks and laughing and chatting. Another group were baking the dough and flicking the finished hot bread into waiting baskets. Some of us sat with the ladies and helped them roll out a few chipattis. My attempts were somewhat squarish, but passed the test and were baked, though I gave up after the fifth try with no improvement. The people in the temple were friendly and welcoming, which was a nice difference from the short-tempered men in the muslim mosque.



Above Left: The baking of the chipattis Above right: Me (far right) and Nicole rolling the dough

Lastly we went to connaught place, an upmarket shopping area, for lunch in the coffee house. The food was very yummy, but we were running late so ate quickly and rushed back out to the station to catch the tube back to the hotel.

We were due to catch a 6 o'clock train from old Delhi station. The jouney was to be a 19 hr, overnight, to Jaisalmer, far to the west. The train came quickly, and we hopped aboard and settled in to our booths. For a few hours we chatted away, watching the countryside crawl by. As we went further west the land flattened out into level, sparce scrubland, and the women's sari's became brighter and brighter. We eventually unfolded the beds at about 9, and crawled into our regulation sheets for a night of sleep disturbed by the load coming and goings, of people embarking and disembarking throughout the night.

Day 11 & 12 - Delhi

I'm in the smallest, grottiest internet cafe believable, in the Karol Bagh area of Delhi.

I arrived in Delhi at about 4 pm yesterday after a relatively easy journey to utterly torrential rain. Thankful that I brought my umbrella, I dashed for the nearest taxi and we sped off to Hotel Good Palace, where I would be meeting the tour group the next day. After asking about 500 people where my hotel was, the taxi driver dropped me at the hotel, sandwiched between saree and jewellery shops, in the busy shopping area of Karol Bagh. After some battle with the manager over my room price (which was 4 times that of my last room) the friendly bell boy showed me up to my room (hot water, clean sheets, room service - bliss) and proceeded to show me all 62 channels available on my TV.

After I had unpacked and settled in, it was still early, so I ventured out for some shopping... and 2 hours later I returned, exhausted, after spending all my money. The service in the shops is incredible - there must be at least one shop assistant per customer, and they all swoop in when you enter, and follow you round until you've bought more than you really need. In one shop I was hustled to the clothing section, and into the changing room. After trying on an endless number of Salwar Kameezes, I was handed an armful that passed the test, and told I "simply must buy them - perfect yaah". I bought just one, which was all I could afford with the money I had left (the shop girl was amazed at this - like everyone here she presumed that I, as a westerner, had an unlimited supply of cash). I then went back to my room and tried the clothes on again, wondered why the hell I bought them, shrugged, and ordered dinner. That evening I sat eating Sag Aloo, air conditioning blowing a gale, watching a hindi movie full of wailing girls and crying men - nice.

Today I have taken less money, and avoided the well staffed shops. I've also found a map of the Karol Bagh area so have located the ATM, this internet cafe, and the post office - where I will send some things home.

I'm meeting the tour group at 6pm, so until then here is not much to do but spend more money - sigh. Will try to be strong in face of incredibly pursuasive shop assistants.