Junagarh Fort

Junagarh Fort was actually quite impressive on the outside. But what was more impressive, was the inside. What a place to live this must have been! Beautifully laid out, luxurious in every way and with views of the grounds and city that were certainly more than enviable.

Every wall was hand painted with flowers, windows and doors had ornate screens, and stained glass and Chinese art abounded. But it was the murals of the life of the Maharaja that really got me. Stunning!

The Fort was dotted with friendly older Indian men who spoke some broken English. According to a notice I read, they were considered “Servants of the Fort” - free guides. Nice touch. Completely unexpected considering the handful of other city forts I now had under my belt, which made you pay for a guide upfront or spend 20 minutes trying to get rid of one that had adopted you and would later demand payment.

On two occasions one of these guides would open up locked areas of the fort, rooms not open to the public, and gesture us inside. At first we wondered why we couldn’t be seen going in or out - one made us wait inside, silently, until some other tourists passed before he would let us out!. All the while being told to take pictures of this and that, not to miss certain details or explanations of the hand-painted murals.

The Servants of the Fort reminded me of the older men working at McGuckins, (A reference to a Boulder hardware store that specializes in service). I loved to see how proud they were of their city treasure, their knowledge and their history.

Once back outside, the day had heated up and it was time for chai and a snack. Nothing like a high end restaurant, filled with a bus load of aging white tourists to break the monotony of Indian culture!!! We enjoyed it for what it was, anyway.

Heed the Signs

Sometimes it's the little things in life that give us the most amusement. I, for one, loved the signage in India!

You know exactly what they mean though - except the "LAYsWAPERS" one!

What happens if a man tries to buy something here?

Noticing the disturbing lack of leaves on this basil plant, I have to assume it's an ongoing problem.

My favorite. Because you know they wouldn't have posted this sign unless it was a recurring issue!

Togeter again... In the Blue City

Here we are, back together after 10 days... And it's great!

With just under a week left in India we found ourselves in Jodhpur, otherwise known as the Blue City.

Because you can never have enough of the Forts of India, we decided to pay a visit to the Jodhpur one today. Besides, it towered over our hotel, high on the rocky hill, and seeing it out the window of our room just made it more irresistible.

Away, we went, up the steep and uneven streets, breathless and hot by the time we got there at 9:30am. The entrance fee included an audio tour and the camera fee. Nice! Surprising what makes you happy at the end of the day isn’t it? We also noticed it was not yet flooded with tourists. Even better.

The Jodhpur Fort is really pretty nice. The audio tour is narrated by an older Indian gentleman, his voice is deep and smooth and tinged with a British accent. I felt full to overflowing with good, interesting information!

View over Jodhpur from the fort.

This gorgeous building is none other than the Royal Crematorium. Built of marble thin enough to let the sun light through, it also looks over Jodhpur.

The Jodhpur Fort.

Sunset over Jodhpur

... And as the sun set over Jodhpur, it was time to collect our things and head for the train station.

 

 

From here we had a 12 hour train journey to Delhi, 14 hours in Delhi, then flights to Abu Dhabi, JFK and Denver.
Home in approximately 65 hours!

It was time, and we were ready.

Chapati Lessons

If I was paying more attention, I would actually have taken notes too... But this will have to do.

Using not much more than chapati flour and water, you make a dough. Flour from the back of a sweaty camel and murky well water is fine.

Grab a small handful of the dough, remove any debris or stray hairs, before going any further.

Slap and knead it into a disk, then gradually flatten into the shape of the chapati.

Cook over medium campfire heat. Making sure to stoke the fire regularly and turning when characteristic brown patches indicate this side is done. Eat while warm for best results.

Mr Desert

Indian Model and Safari Operator all rolled into one!

Once upon a time there was a young man. A truck driver in the Thar Desert. Uneducated and not super ambitious either. While hanging with friends at some point, it was suggested to him that he might want to try a different job. Perhaps head into the nearest city, Jaisalmer, and try his hand at a business geared for tourists. They went on to suggest being a travel agent of some sort, since he would not need to have his own guest house or camels to get started.

The young man rented a small store at the base of Jaisalmer Fort, hung a sign and waited for the tourists to find him and chose his services. They didn’t. After recognizing his failing in this business he informed his friends that he was not able to make a go of it and was going back into the desert. “Have you tried meeting the incoming trains at Jaisalmer Station and selling yourself to the tourists as they come in?” his friends enquired. “That is the way to get business.”

Off he went. On entering the station and witnessing the dozens of safari operators and guest house owners harassing the tourists as they disembarked, he felt out of place. According to him, accosting people in this way just wasn’t in his nature and therefore, he once again felt the tourism business was not his calling.

A day later and quite by chance, two freelance photographers found him in his office and requested he sit for pictures. They set a time to come back the next day and he agreed to pose for them.

About 10 days later he received word that the largest cigarette company in India wanted his face on the front of the their product and all their advertising. He received a modest amount of money for this. Shortly thereafter another 4 or so large corporations also selected him - among them Coco Cola, India! He went on to make several more ad’s and took a minor role in a movie too.

One day two tourists walked by his office and noticed the cigarette ad, laminated and hanging above his desk. He sat below it. Intrigued, they came in to chat and ended up booking a camel safari with him. Within a week, their rave reviews back at their hotel had earned him another six customers. From there his business grew… just pure and simple word of mouth. The way he liked it.

In the early nineties, the Desert Festival was just getting started. One of the many competitions was the

Mr Desert contest. I gather it to have been some sort of beauty contest for men. The young man in his colorful turban, impressive Rajasthani moustache and striking green eyes won. He won four years in a row… until it was decided a change of rules was needed. They crowned him Mr Desert and granted him the lifetime title, but from that point forward decreed the winner could not enter the contest again in future years. He was instead to be a contest judge, gong forward.

The man we now only know as Mr Desert has had a thriving camel safari business of 23 years. Never once has he advertised or harassed tourists. You will find him behind the same desk in the same office he started with. The laminated advertisement, now heavily faded, still hangs behind him on the wall, but he pulls out another, in better condition for photographs if you ask. Along side it are numerous travel magazine covers, featuring him.

He won our business in the same, simple way he wins all his business…

He is recommended by pretty much every foreign guide book.

His practice is to give you info on a customized trip and a fair price. Then encourage you to go away, check out others and think about it. Come back if you are happy!

He treats his employees fairly and sends only the most experienced, English speaking ones out with his customers. Guaranteeing a successful trip, that is both great value and tremendous fun.

I, for one, highly recommend Safari Travels and Mr Desert. I would again request Mr Bangali and his trusty camel, Rocket the next time I make it to Jaisalmer. And I really do hope to return!

Rats, Rats Everywhere

Story has it that there is a white rat living among the thousands of ordinary brown ones. If you see it you will be lucky the rest of your life and anything you wish for in the temple will come true. Most of the Indian visitors I saw at the temple (and it wasn’t crowded) were sure to mention “white rat, lucky”.

I searched everywhere... all the little cubbies and crevices...

However, I left with the same luck I came with. Since I never considered myself unlucky to start with, I am not heart-broken - but it would have been nice to see it.

Destination... Rat Temple

Bikaner… not what I really imagined.

Yes, a city of 600,000 people in the middle of nowhere, but very, very not touristy. A small handful of restaurants dot the main street, one internet café, with one computer that we could find and not a lot else.

Why come here? About 20 miles away, in a town called Deshnoke, a nationally famous temple exists. From the time I heard about the Rat Temple (it does have a proper name too) I was obsessed. This temple is filled with tens of thousands of rats, and they are worshipped! I had to go there… and was well aware that the 6 hour train ride each way, followed by the 45 minute rickshaw drive did seem a little much. That’s the very definition of obsession. Besides, I was not the only one. When I met Rhys in Delhi, he was making for the same place… and so were the French couple we met on the train to Bikaner.

After convincing a rickshaw driver that four hundred rupees (less than $10) was a good price to have him ferry us to Deshnoke and also the National Center for Camel Research, we were off.

Did I mention that you have to take your shoes off to go into the temple? Or that the rats have no problem running right across your feet as you stand amid the food offerings, pee and rat poop? Minor details. I must be getting used to India, it’s filth and it’s charm, because this really didn’t bother me at all!

What an amazing place. Large bowls of milk, sweets and something that looks like birdseed dot the floor. Rats of various sizes scoot back and forth. The marble temple is one big rat house. Little holes are cut into the floor and walls accommodate them. But surprisingly, it doesn’t smell that bad. At least, not as bad as I thought it would. In fact I almost find them endearing… in a Rat-a-touille sort of way!

Going rogue - with Mr Bangali

Not in any way similar to Sarah Palin's adventures!

We arrived at the middle-of-nowhere, where our camels awaited us. Our camel guide, Mr Bangali, introduced me to Rocket, my camel. Rocket is huge, a lighter color and obviously has had a working class life. His face droops to the right and his immense lower lip hangs open …never quite able to close his mouth. My first thought was... Stroke? He appeared like a gentle soul though and there seemed absolutely no chance this camel would be endangering me with speed or antics.

Rhys was saddled with Robert. What a handsome camel! Younger, golden and spritely in nature, Robert was very quick to stand up when asked. In fact, perhaps a little too quick! Within hours a surprised Rhys had been dumped from Robert as he exuberantly jumped to his feet before Rhys was quite in the saddle!

Oh yeah! He was definitely going to have the last laugh...and the first too.

First Class Service

Mr Bangali, as it turned out, was a fantastic cook. Everything from scratch.

We rested under a large tree (not so easy to find) as he made us chai, then curried vegetables with rice and REALLY great chapati’s. The sun was hot and we were not going anywhere until about 3:30pm, when the tourists were less likely to die in the desert!

Laying on a camel blanket, my head protected by a very cool turban-like scarf, I pulled out my book and relaxed. Not a tooting horn or voice to be heard. The air was fresh, fresh, fresh. I was in heaven. How long had I waited to be warm, clean and quiet? Too long!

Moving on...

We continue on, making camp on some sand dunes and meeting a British couple, Tania and Matt, who were to join our safari for the next 2 nights. As the sun went down, the 4 of us sat atop a dune, drink in hand, toes buried, chatting lazily. And then … dinner was ready. Mr Bengali had help now. Another 2 men and a young boy of about 15 had joined the group. The had set up 4 little beds (blankets and pillows in the sand), cooked the meal and were now singing. The boys voice was absolutely beautiful… soulful desert folksongs always on his lips as he tended to the camels and generally made himself useful.

Our next day is a mix of camel riding, laying under a tree in the hot sun and eating. I have taken sooo many pictures and I’m not done yet! The desert, to me, seems like a magical place. From sunrise to sunset, it is warm with a slight breeze, quiet and very much deserted. At night, right now, there is a full moon or near enough so never gets pitch black. Our shadows dance across the dunes as we wander and explore after dark. Stars fill the sky and I am in good company.

Refilling the jerry cans. Yes the water was kinda murky, but it was only used for cooking. We had bottled water for drinking.

The well is one of many scattered across the desert. The villages are abandoned but if you have your own vessel and rope it is possible to help yourself to the water way down below.

Tania and Matt are 25 and from London. They have been dating for almost 9 years and really are like two little peas in a pod. Quite the little team, they know each other well yet still have what looks like a great appreciation for each other. They are a welcome addition to the group and the 4 of us get along great.

This little guy, one of so many, felt the need to meet us up close and personal.

This generally didn't both me, but I was acutely aware of all the beetle tracks in the sand around my bed the next morning - which is something I'd rather not think about!