Jaisalmer, India
This leg of the trip took us to the desert reaches of Jaisalmer, a town famous for its sandcastle-esque hilltop fort and even more famous for its camel safaris. We did some sightseeing the first day, taking in some fairly impressive temples, and interior of the fort, which still remains the most “holy-crap-India-is-crazy” experience of the trip so far. It was a labyrinth of narrow, nonsensical, crooked and crowded streets, lined either side with very aggressive shopkeepers eager to ply their wares. Add the heat, noise and crowds, and we were very overwhelmed very fast.
Our second day, we headed out for a fun (if more than a little bit touristy) camel ride. We basically just rode about 30 minutes to some sand dunes and watched the sun set. Don’t worry, beer and snacks were available. We had a what I think was a distinctly Indian moment while hanging out on the dunes- A duo of musicians came by, asked us our names, then sang us a song about…um…something with our names in it. It was really a nice moment, but mid-song a boy missing both arms past his elbows came along to ask for money. How could I refuse? I even had to tuck it into his pocket for him. It was heartbreaking. I thought this was very symbolic of our experience here so far- beauty and extravagance colluding with appalling tragedy. This place has painted the rust for a thousand years, and I don’t think I could ever understand it.
All that aside, it was beautiful to lay in the sand, listen to some Minus the Bear and watch the sun set. Afterwords we rode back to our little desert outpost for some entertainment and dinner. A group of traditional musicians and a dancer performed for our small group, and we ate a traditional Rajasthani desert dinner and were even treated to some of Kharak’s “desert wine”, which tasted….flammable. All in all, a pretty great night, but unfortunately the power cut out, so we were without a fan all night. To make matters worse, we were absolutely eaten alive by mosquitoes all night long. We pulled out of Jaisalmer the next morning cranky and tired, but little by little the landscape started to change, and by mid-afternoon, we were in the lush green hill country we had originally pictured as the backdrop of our trip.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Thank you guys so much for documenting this so well! The pictures are amazing, and your narrative is great. It inspired me to take a trip of my own. I went to the far East Center on Federal, and I gotta say, I was pretty upset that they didn’t have camels for me to ride. I bought some jasmine rice, and I plan on eating it with some curry chicken while watching Slumdog Millionaire. That way, it’s almost like I’m with you guys. I think. (It’ll probably be ramen and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, actually.) Have a blast and keep posting pictures!
October 7th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Cool pictures. Heat and bugs does not sound like fun. A real camel rider you are. Downloaded skype but don’t have a microphone. Will download it on the lap top. call me if you have time.
Love you guys
Mom
October 7th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Hey Rick-
If you really want to complete the experience, hire someone to honk at you and another person to continually almost run over you with their motorcycle. It wouldn’t hurt to have 10 more people asking you what country you’re from, and if you’d like to buy some junk. Oh, and don’t forget to borrow some cows to stand in your way and poop right where you need to walk.
Thanks for the feedback. Save us some ramen!
-B&J
October 8th, 2009 at 5:40 am
Holy crap guys! awesome- miss yous. Camels have giant grapes.
October 10th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Curiously I see no pictures of Julia on a camel… I suspect something fishy!!
Also, in your absence, Nicole and I decided to have a “What Would Julia Do” fan club started by my question on facebook as to whether or not to enjoy a delicious apple crisp or the first night of flannel sheets for the season to which Nicole replied, “Both, it’s what Julia would do.”
Anyway, I’m thinking about making tee shirts
Love, Jess
October 11th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Hi, you two! Wow! It certainly looks like your adventure is living up to your expectations. You both look happy… though Brian, you look ever so serious on the camel.
Enjoy the journey, and we look forward to reading more! Wow! We love you.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:45 am
NOW THAT YOU HAVE DONE YOUR TIME IN INDIA, IT’S ONWARD TO THAILAND! CAN NOT WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU WHEN THE REAL VACATION STARTS.
HAPPY LANDINGS,
Mom