Rajastan, India (Feb.13-28)

JAIPUR

After the long overnight train, we were in need of a nice place to crash and thanks to information from our English friend Elphy, we headed straight for the recommended hotel. It was lovely with a gorgeous view from the rooftop restaurant (Sunder Palace is the name).

For our two days in Jaipur we hired a van to take us to all the sites. Jaipur is known as “The Pink City” although there is little pink left in the city. Some sides of the older building have remnants of pink.

Henna outside the temple

Artemis Henna complete

My high lights were the delicious food. Jaipur is quite spread out from site to site so without a doubt, having the van and guide escort us around was a necessity. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the best local restaurants in town. One of the specialties is the Homemade Lassi which comes to you in a clay ceramic cup. Its thick and if you get banana it’s filled with chopped banana. Its so fresh tasting and delicious you feel like they just milked the cow.

Yummy Lassi

We all got into drinking Fresh Lime sodas every chance we got. The kids being tired from socializing at night with their new companion Jesse, spent much time finding spots to sit down.

Jesse with Lime Soda

Jaipur Museum

View of Jaipur from Gorgoyle Temple

View of Jaipur

AGRA

Besides the Taj Mahal there is nothing much else. Say no more say no more. Taking pictures of the Taj Mahal is a huge part of the fun. Lots more photos on Flikr.

All of us at the Taj Mahal







Long train ride from Jaipur to Jodpur

Train Station along the way


JODPUR (Caleb)
Caleb

After about 10 minutes of crazy driving the driver says we have to walk the rest of the way. So we get out of the tuk-tuk and head down a narrow path. We turn a corner and in the middle of the road there are two huge cows. The cows are basically sitting in there own shit. We have to walk in between them. There was about a metre wide path for us to take in between the two cows. I slowly step through so as not to scare them and keep on walking toward the hotel. After making tons of turns and heading down shit infested streets we reach a huge doorway with the sign ‘Yogis’ written on it. We walk inside to discover a cute little garden and a boy waiting for us to carry our bags.

Directions to Yogis

Cows in the alley outside the hotel

Inside is very typical india. There are tons of nick nacks and its very cozy. The whole hotel is like a big hole. There is a huge staircase spiralling up and you can see the sky through the middle. We go to our rooms and they are so cute and small. Jesse, Artermis and I are sleeping in one room and Mark and Lianna are in the other. The room is small but there is a nice little balcony and the bathroom is huge and the bed is comfortable.

Yogis Hotel spiralling staircase

The next day I wake up and look out onto our balcony. The road I am looking onto is about 3 metres wide and there is an elephant walking down with a rider on its back. I had to laugh. Once again that is so India.

Streets of Jodhpur

We go upstairs to the rooftop restaurant for a delicious porridge for breakfast. Today we are going to the Jodhpur Fort. We decide to take a tuk-tuk there and walk back. So we grab a tuk-tuk and for 60 cents he takes us 5k up to the Jodhpur Fort. We walk in the huge gates and go up the long sloped path. There is no one there. It’s so beautiful and massive and so insane. I go up this half a metre wide staircase with no railing about 20 feet up. The others are to scared so they go around the other way. We walk up a bit more and mark Jesse and I decide to go up onto a raised platform. Once we get up the view is spectacular. Absolutely marvellous.

Walking up the stairs

Inside the Fort taking a break

If you didn’t know Jodhpur is called the "Blue City" because everything is painted blue. So from up there on the fort we could really see the blueness. After that we go up to the main area and get an audio guide. Everything about the fort is magnificent. I love it so much. I even think it was better than the Taj Mahal. The audio guide is really good too. The best in india as everyone says.

Blue City

Lianna in the Blue City

After the fort we get a tuk-tuk and ask the guy to take us to a restaurant. The first one he takes us to there is no one there and its really expensive so we ask him to take us to another place. The second place he takes us to is still really touristy but everyone is hungry so we eat there anyways. The food is okay and the prices are way to high, but that’s what we expected.

We did a few other things in Jodhpur but the fort was the most exiting and was the thing that really stuck in my memory. Travelling with Jesse was really fun. We still get along great and we had a blast. I never imagined I would be in India with Jesse. The fort of Jodhpur to this day is top three on my list of favourite places including the Great Wall of China.
Caleb

Splurging on Lunch at the Palace of the Prince in Jodhpur where hamburgers cost $35 each. The meal was delicious and the atmosphere ... well very royal.

Palace we stopped at for a lovely lunch

Palace for Lunch


JAISELMERE
An Indian Camel safari (Artemis)
All dressed for the Safari

Camel

We are driving down a long desert road, it is like a path in a ocean. I no that when you think of a desert you think big sand dunes as long as you can see with a few cactuses. But It’s not like that. This desert in Rajasthan, India has shrubs and tumble weed littered on the ground. There are some bushes and some strange looking plants that I think are cactuses. The car pulls over and I see that there are 4 camels in the desert. We get out of the car and go over to the 2 men with the camels.

Khan the Camel Safari Guide

The men introduce themselves and help us get on the camels. The camels are all lying down and its hard to get on them because you have too swing your leg over there back like a horse but its much harder beacaus there is no sturop. When I finally get on the camels the man makes a tic tic noise and the camels two back legs stand up. When the camel does this the camels front half of its body is on the ground and its back legs are standing up. A camels legs are very long so I'm practically falling of it because I’m vertical! But slowly the camel gets up all the way.

Artemis getting on the Camel

When we start to move I realised that there are only 4 camels. One for each of us, but what about the two camel men? I ask theme why there are no camels for them and they say “oh, we walk.”

Caleb the Safari Man

We move through the desert. Looking at everything that is around us but there’s not much to look at. The two men are holding the ropes that are on are camels so we don’t have to do anything. It’s quite bumpy riding a camel and its very uncomfortable. We pull aside after what feels like 5 minutes of riding, the men say this is a village. I was slightly disappointed already because I thought we would ride a bit longer. We get of the camels and in front of us is a couple of mud houses. I think how do these people live out here?

Kid leading Caleb to the village

About 20 kids all run up to us and grab are hands and try to take are bags or hats or whatever we have with us. A small boy, maybe seven years old, takes my hand tightly and pulls me toward his house with all the other children. I see a kid has got Caleb too they take us into a small dark mud hut and put coal on are eyes like eye liner. The kids are very aggressive and I’m annoyed with the boy because he keeps trying to grab my hat and the elastics on my rist. We’re all confused. I don’t understand why the men brought us here. I’m tired of the kids and I don’t want to deal with them anymore. We get back on the camels and tell the men no more villages.

After 2 hours of riding we stop and get off the camels. There is one big tree. It looks like the only tree in the desert. We all go in the shade and the two men start to make lunch.

Tree in the Dessert

The man says we’ll have some chapatti with curry and chips with chai tea. First he makes the chai. Then he teaches me and Caleb to make chapatti. Caleb and I both make some chapatti. He cooks them on the little fire he made with camel poo and dry sticks he found along the way. We eat lunch. The two men lie down and dad goes for a walk, mom sleeps Caleb and I carve shapes out of sandstone.

Making Chappatis for Lunch

After 2 hours or so we get back on the camels. We keep walking until we reach some watering holes and another village. But this time we only come so the camels can drink water and then we’re off again. Then we reach the sand dunes. The sand dunes are only a small patch compared to the rest of the desert but when your on the dunes it feels like they go on forever.

We get to the sand dunes and we all get off the camels. The men start to make supper while Caleb and I climb up the sand dunes.

The sand is so soft. A lot of the dunes are in the shade so the sand is nice and cool. Caleb and I play in the dunes. One thing that’s really fun is when we run and jump down the hill at full speed. Since the dunes are really steep it feels like you’re flying while you’re in the air. It does’nt hurt when you land because the sand is like a soft cushion, but better.

Playing on the Dunes

Caleb diving in the Sand

Artemis jumping on the Dunes

Artemis and Caleb running up and down

The men call us and say supper is ready. We go to the fire because now its dark out. We eat supper and when we’re finished the men make are beds. We have now realised that there are big beetle’s everywhere. But the men say they’re harmless. Still, the beetles are huge. So one of the men goes around our camp with a plastic bag, pics the beetles up and puts them in the bag. While we eat supper we can hear the beetles moving inside the bag which makes a ruffling noise against the plastic. It was quite disturbing.

Lianna and Mark resting on the Dunes

We all get into our sleeping bags which are warm and cozy. We sleep under the stars. It is so beautiful looking up at the sky. It gets really cold at night but we’re all snuggled up in our blankets. I lie awake for a few minutes and listen to the silence. I have a wonderful sleep.

Waking up in the morning

The next morning the man makes chai and we all get ready to go. We have a quick breakfast and I play in the dunes one more time. We get on the camels and start heading back to Jaiselmere. On the way back the men ride on the back of mom and dad’s camels so we can run, which is bumpier than walking. It’s still fun and I feel like I’m in some kind of Indiana Jones movie.

When we get back to where we began, it is 10:00 am. The same car is there to pick us up. We get off the camels and thank the men. We get back in the car and drive down the long desert road. I loved the camel safari, it was definitely an experience to remember.

By Artemis Walden
Artemis and her Camel