Haven't meant to leave the 2nd posting till so late, but there aren't any internet cafes in the middle of the desert (nor any mobile network signals, bar one called 'Oasis' - clever of them!). I've just arrived in a town called Bikaner. It's only really famous for one thing - the 'Karni Mata Temple', where thousands of rats reside, bringing luck to those whose feet they scamper over. Am looking forward to taking a visit there this afternoon, take lots of closeup pics, maybe catch Dengue Fever and hopefully spot the rare white rat: regarded as most auspicious if you find him. To top it all off, on the menu there is the delightful holy food of 'prasad' - a dish said to bring good fortune, thanks to the holy rat saliva drizzled on it. Must send some back home.
So, a recap of the last week and a half. Pushkar was the first quiet, peaceful ('shanti' as it's called here) place I'd visited in India. The place is basically a tourist trap: a long, winding, dusty street full of tourist shops and cafes, set back from a big lake by multiple 'ghats' (holy steps leading down to the water - on the Ganges, these are used to burn the dead on in full sight of everyone, before their ashes are committed to the water). It's also a town containing the most number of temples concentrated in one place, considered to be one of the holiest towns in India. I bought my first fresh bananas from a stall here, costing me about 10p for a bunch. They were the most tasty bananas I think I've ever had, undoubtably picked that morning. This was another step towards risk taking in this country - I've now managed to eat just about every type of street food from the stalls, drink local water with other Indians and even try the local spitting tobacco (which is ace and the locals find hilarious!).
By this point, Matt and I met another fellow traveller: a German called Martin. He's from the Black Forest region of Germany and has been travelling in India ever since January. He's a really funny, laid back bloke and very useful to have along as he seems to know just about everything there is to know about India. Plus, he's a got real knack for saving money - since tagging along my expenses have reduced from about ten to fifteen pounds a day down to THREE!!! (including food, accom, drink etc)
One of the most famous temples in Pushkar - dedicated to Brahma's wife, who he cheated on - is atop a large mountain overlooking the lake. We took a long walk up the treachorous mountain steps to the top, joining many people (from the very young to the very, VERY old) on their pilgramages. From the top we saw an incredible sunset, plus we were treated to a massive powercut (every light in every direction as far as we could see flickering off at once, then even more impressive, coming back on again with a daisy-chain like effect).
The one other notable thing that happened in Pushkar was the night we watched India beat England in the 20-20 cup with the brother owners of our guesthouse (Singh was godlike, scoring seven 6s in a row and earning the a record for the fastest half century). The guesthouse itself was a wonderful, serene-like place, with a cool blue courtyard countaining a huge tree sprouting from the centre of it with branches touching the sky. That night, our hosts prepared us some 'special' lassi (Bhang Lassi for those who want to look it up), which sent me on a bit of a far-out journey (flying on a rainbow from the comfort of my bed). Martin saw a chair move, while Matt mistook the blue courtyard from above for a swimming pool. Being tourists in India, doing this, we were walking cliches.
Since Pushkar, the cities I've visited are Jodhpur - a beautiful blue painted city containing a huge fort and palace, centrally located on top of a dominating mountain (tasted India's best Masala Omelette, went on a v. impressive multi-lingual audio tour of the fort) - and Jaisalmer - like a giant sand castle in the middle of the desert (v. touristic with little to no actual locals or non-tourism related businesses, but wonderful to actually stay INSIDE the fort, at a ridiculously cheap 55p a night shared between 3 people). The latter accomodation had a wonderfully hippy, chilled out feel to it, with a drinking/bhang smoking (the former VERY rare for Hindus) old bloke, who was very laid back about us staying. Our room was like that of a dorm, and Matt, Martin and I joined up with a couple of friendly Spaniards who we'd met in Jaipur and also bumped into in Pushkar (Pol and Pau). I really enjoyed the communal feel of staying with this group - lounging around, eating Thalis (all you can eat India Dhal curry, chippatis and rice on a tray), listening to music on Pau's laptop and talking. On the first night, I experienced my first sandstorm. From the rooftop of the guesthouse, I could see from miles around (being located inside the sand castle fort). In one direction, I could see what looked like a wall of haze/mist approaching. This came towards me at a stunning speed, gobbling up the landscape and the view. On arrival, I couldn't see more than 10m in front of me, sand was swirling everywhere, soon joined by rain and thunder/lightning.
Fortunately, this brought the temp down over the subsequent couple of days. Matt, Martin and I left for the small village of Khuri. Here, we rented a mud hut each, staying in an incredibly quiet location with no other westerners around. I slept under the stars on the first night, then at 8am the 2nd day we set off on a camel safari. Mine was called Disco and at only 3 years old was very young for a working camel (the rest were around 8). We spent a couple of days travelling the dusty, sandy desert that was very reminiscent of those deserts in America's Wild West (lots of shrubs, cactii etc.). I felt a bit like John Wayne and looked a bit like Lawrence of Arabia (in my all white shirt, long white thread pants and scarf round my neck), but the likelihood is probably far from that. Riding a camel is nowhere near as elegant as a horse - they don't want to do what you ask them for one thing, they bump up and down constantly, plus they're really slow. However, it was a fantastic experience, thanks to highlights such as passing through the sand dunes, a real nod to the Sahara Desert, plus spending a night in the desert, watching the stars (which was brilliantly lit up, thanks to the near full moon).
Now I've left my group entirely behind, as with 3 and a half weeks until my flight out of Kathmandu, I'm running short of time. Am going to the rat temple today, then off to Agra on a sleeper-class train tonight. Hopefully will be in Varanasi (India's holiest city, at the foot of the Ganges) by the end of the weekend, from where I'll border hop to Nepal ($30 and passport photos at the ready). Will try and get onto the blog sometime around then, or at least by the time I reach Pokhara in Nepal (at the foot of the Annapurna Circuit).
Namaste.
J
Monkey and baby, just outside my hotel in Pushkar
There was a whole family of these, but this was the closest I dared to get (pats rabies immunity).Pushkar, from above
Taken on the mountain on the way up to Brahma's wife's temple, just before sunset. The women in the picture had come all the way from Calcutta, as part of a pilgrimage.Jodhpur Fort
From up there on his throne, the ruler sees everything!Dirt Cheap Accomodation - Jaisalmer
One of the best places I stayed in India, incredible at 50 rupees/night (for all three of us). From left: Matt, Martin.Moo
Holy cow!Feeding the Fish - Jaisalmer
Wish you could see these guys move. Scary. Plus, there were kids swimming in this lake.Camel Toe - Khuri Desert
My camel, Humphrey.
Sunset in the Desert
Desert Sand Dunes
There weren't all that many sand dunes, but when there were, you could have been in the Sahara. This photo gives some indication of how overpowering the sun felt, thanks to my over-exposing camera.Rat Temple
This is one for the ladies, this. The cheeky chappy on the right had a go for my - thankfully padlocked - bag on several occasions. He made out that he was poor, though his jeans, taking the piss attitude and smirk led me to think otherwise. He didn't mind playing with the rats, from cupping them in his hands to putting one in his mouth. I guess that's one way to show your respect.
