We set off on Friday evening - Sleeper Class from Delhi to Jodhpur. I was freaked out that the train ride wouldn't be comfortable, since Sleeper Class is the least expensive ticket you can get for an overnight berth. Even though the rest of the group had been in India less than a month, they rolled with it, and it all worked out just fine in the end. Our biggest challenge was sleeping through the stereophonic snoring from the husband and wife pair who were our berth-mates. Add to the list of Sleeper Class essentials - earplugs and a beanie.
Jodhpur is a quiet little town, just busy enough to be considered bustling, but not so big and chaotic that it exhausts you in the first five minutes. It's known as the Blue City, for the homes in the old quarter which are painted a frosty, cornflower blue, known as "brahmin blue" for the high-caste intellectual families that used to occupy that part of the city. The skyline is dominated by Mehranghar Fort, which boasts the only audio tour I've seen in India. We also visited the Jaswant Thada, which was the family cenotaph of the maharaja. Most Hindus consider these cremation sites both sacred and dirty, but they are unrelentingly beautiful. The white marble, with arching blue sky and puffy white clouds overhead, makes quite the vista. On the way into the fort, there are red sati marks, handprints of the maharaja's widows as they left the palace for the last time to throw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre. I cannot imagine the amount of commitment and devotion that would have enabled women to do that. It makes me angry and deeply respectful at the same time.
We toured the local sites in Jodhpur and had a great stay at Pal Haveli, before saddling up for the 5 hour drive to Jaisalmer on Sunday. Our objective was to arrive in time to catch a camel ride and see the sunset over the Sam desert, which, thanks to our driver Mr. Singh, we did. We saddled up on five camels with a set of really unlikely names, ranging from Michael Jackson (mine) to Bubbles. Just at the fringes of the desert, the dunes we clambered over were not extensive, but they were beautiful. There were quite a few Indian tourists clumped together on the highest dunes to watch the sun settle into a dull orange glow below the horizon, which always makes me feel better; it's far worse when we arrive somewhere that's crawling with Americans or European - not because they're so horrible, but because it always makes me feel like I suffer from a stunning lack of originality. In any case, we celebrated the sunset with a camel race back to camp, which brings new meaning to the phrase "slap-happy" but was really fun, regardless.
Back in Jaisalmer, we had a nice dinner at our hotel, Nachana Haveli, and were treated to a Rajasthani puppet show by a man with a 6 meter moustache, which he kept wrapped around his ears, believe it or not...cool or creepy - you be the judge. We hit the hay early, tired out from lots of drive time and our camel-safari shenanigans. The haveli was lovely - nicely restored with quaint, stone-block rooms and canopied beds, and a lovely fountain in the courtyard. Sometimes hertiage hotels are a mixed blessing, but this one was pretty much all blessings and a great place to stay outside of the fort area.
On Monday, we got up as early as we could (nine-ish) and headed to Jaisalmer Fort and to see some of the famous havelis in town. After unrelenting red sandstone in Delhi, Agra and much of Rajasthan, Jaisalmer presents a complete shift in palette. The lovely rich red is replaced with a crystalline golden stone that makes the whole place look as though it were someone's sandcastle. The buildings and temples within the fort walls are some of the most intricately carved work that I've seen in India. We were fortunate to have a local Brahmin man as our guide and, being a resident of the fort himself, he gave us a great overview of the various cultures and religions that are still housed within the walls. After exploring the fort, we allowed ourselves to be lured by his sales pitch and went with him to his shop to buy some authentic Rajasthani patchwork. I'm sure we taken, somewhat, but I don't think we got taken too badly. And, it was a fun experience in any case. It's amazing to see modern businesses housed within these buildings that are hundreds of years old.
We topped off our visit to Jaisalmer with a stop at the only government-approved bhang shop. Carla's friend from Hyderabad asked her to pick up four "liquor-filled" cookies -- imagine her surprise when I told her that the cookies were herbal in nature! But, with the cookies and an authorization certificate in hand, we were soon on our way back to Jodhpur to grab dinner and catch our train back to Delhi. By this time, we were sure that we were Sleeper Class pros. Besides, how could we do much worse than the stereophonic snoring from the outward bound journey? Oh ho ho... but you should never underestimate India's ability to top itself. Our train ride back went fine and everyone made it, and everone even slept. However, we were serenaded by the most robust chorus of snoreers that I can only call it a cacphony. They were in our compartment, to either side and down the car from us. A great lesson in mind over matter and a really funny way to end a great trip to Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. My one regret is that we didn't get to see the Jain temples that are just off the driving route between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. It was on the program, but got lost somewhere between the mad dash to the camels and the mad dash back to the train. Oh well - I have to leave some of the low hanging fruit, or what will I see the next time I come back?
