Johdpur for a few hours

From Jodhpur

So in the interest of time and some thorough reading about a city that has a spectacular fort and a whole lot of stuff we've seen a whole lot of, we decided on swinging through the city of Johdpur as a stop over to our final destination of Jaisalmer.

We traveled again by bus and got the sensation of flight as our driver thought that trying to attain top speed down a winding hillside road was the best way to get us to our destination. Stacey in particular loved the way a deluxe bus rolls when the steering wheel is jerked! But we arrived in one piece. We thank the universe for its many blessings.

From Jodhpur

From Jodhpur

We stored the bags and made our way up to the steep hillside that houses Mehrangarh Fort which towers over the blue city. I think this blue city is a little more authentic than Japiur's mention of a pink city. Blue was the color of the priest caste or Brahmin people and the color was used on homes to denote their lineage. As modern times approached the color became the norm for all people and was used to cool homes and as an insect repellent (really?, hey that's what the audio guide said so it must be true!}

From Jodhpur

From Jodhpur

From Jodhpur

There's not much to say that the pictures themselves cannot describe except that this is one of if not the best-kept national monuments India has to offer. After seeing so many treasures in such a state of decay, we are very happy that our tourist dollars are finally going to a foundation that seems to understand the importance of conservation! Enjoy the pics.

Onto Jaisalmer.

Romance in the grand city of Udaipur

From Udaipur

After a few short hops in Jaipur and Pushkar, we arrived in Udaipur. It was 9:30 in the evening so we didn't plan on much; only a quick rickshaw ride to the hotel and sleep. When we arrived at the hotel (first hoodwinking of the trip for me, more on that later), we were immediately struck with our first views of the town. Being my Applewood smoked bacon self (meaning I like everything, including bacon, to be fancy), I persuaded Stacey for the sweet upgrade to a room with a view of the lake and both lake palaces. We decided to head to the roof top restaurant for a late dinner and some quiet time (no inneuendo there). As far as eye-popping landscapes go,Udaipur has been the best so far and offers every traveller a little something soft for the eyes. I encourage you to look at the entire album of the pics (follow the link under the picture), but I will post a few here before proceeding.

Our first morning began with a jolt....of vomit! Looks like we picked up a little something from either Pushkar (we think that's it) or Jaipur. Stacey had spent the majority of the early morning hours in the bathroom and pressed the panic button by beginning her course of antibiotics. It appeared that I was once again on my own in one of India's cities. I decided to take it easy and made for a few quick stops trying to pick up some home comforts for the Mrs. A little whole wheat bread and some lime soda for the tummy. I spent the rest of the day at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel reading up on the grand city while Stacey rested.

From Udaipur

She rebounded quickly with a little Cipro and by the evening we were once again taking in the views from the roof. We decided that the nightly tourist ritual of a 7 o'clock showing of Octopussy (the James Bond film was partly filmed in Udaipur, so every single restaurant and hotel shows it nightly) would be the best for both of us as I was also starting to feel the effects of an unwanted stomach visitor. But whereas Stacey's sickness was bad, mine was celebrated! I needed a few pounds off the bottom line and this stomach disease would give me the quick route to the destination. I had been eating everything off the street vendor's cart and Stacey was always the lucky one.

Day two came and we were ready for a great day of sight-seeing. Believe it or not we were planning on seeing some city palaces and forts. We begin with the City Palace which was the usual: a steep fee and views of the Maharaja's undergarments. "This pajama pant worn by the Maharaja is inlayed with purple silk.  This pajama top is inlaid with gold".  This palace did have stunning views from its balconies and balustrades, so that was well worth the price of admission.

From Udaipur

We continued our day by stepping away from the tourist crowds and decided to rent a two-seater paddle boat for an hour around Lake Pichola.

From Udaipur

It took on a minimal amount of water (mainly because I had only had the stomach bug for only a day and not two weeks) so an hour was a good time. The white palace or Lake Palace is the highest end hotel in the city with rooms around $450+ per night. There is no getting off or on without a reservation in either the hotel or restaurant.  Lake Palace hotel hosts very fancy weddings and parties which are featured in Octopussy.  We would have liked to have seen the hotel, but were not, under any circumstances, shelling out $60 a person on a buffet lunch to see it (that is about 10 times more than we spent PER NIGHT in our deluxe lake-view room). However, in an ironic twist of Indian fate, we met one of the workers our last night in Udaipur who assured us over bottles of Kingfisher that if we were to stay ONE MORE DAY, he would personally take us on a tour.  Alas, we have to be off...

Day 3 in Udaipur was time for a little exploration outside of the city. We decided to give the city streets a little test run and rent bicycles. Directly North of the cities main lake is another that is bigger and probably dustier. It was 5km around and we had an enjoyable 90 minute ride with relatively little traffic to deal with (there really is no price that can be put on that) and flat roads. One of the humorous things about this is that the road had the best surface we had seen all trip and hardly anyone ever uses it.  What up with that, I say what up with that?

We returned and put Stacey's shopping muscles to the test for the afternoon while walking around the hills of the city's main bazaars. We had selected a great restaurant for the evening sunset and met a really cool French couple that had been traveling south after some trekking in Nepal. It was a very mellow evening with some great stories.

We decided to say goodbye to Udaipur on the fourth day and headed out by bus. First a quick stop for a few hours in the city of Johdpur (more forts), then onto the western desert town of Jailsamer, 150 km east of the Pakistani border.

PS, This monkey tried to kill us on our balcony!

From Udaipur

Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

Well after a busy experience in Jaipur, Pushkar's small town appeal was just the recipe for a little relaxation. We arrived by bus in the early afternoon and with the help of Steve's built in GPS, arrived at the hotel we were looking for with minumum amount of turn rounds (Stacey's favorite).

Pushkar is a very holy town in the middle of the desert centered round a very important lake. According to Hindu belief, the lake was one of three lotus petals dropped to Earth by Lord Brahma and has one of the only recognized Brahmin temples in all of India.



The lake was a little low tide as you will see from the pictures. The monsoons are due here in a few months but you can really see how water-starved some of these towns really are.



We wandered our way through Pushkar for a day and a half and experienced everything that we needed to. There was lots of shopping and fun streets to twist and turn through. The city was at its best when we suddenly happened upon a wedding processional.



An Indian wedding is something to be admired, with the sheer amount of pomp and circumstance that goes into it. One of the men in the wedding party noticed Steve dancing from the side of the road and beckoned to him to come and dance along with them, throwing a beautiful Marigold wreath over his neck.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

It was one of those moments that is so quintessentially Indian - the people in their own moment of joy and happiness and celebration, never cease to find a way to invite everyone they meet to share the same happiness. I only wish I had been that magnanimous with the Costa Rican locals at my own wedding!! Indian people can definitely teach us all a thing or two about love.

Jaipur from a bachelor's perspective

Well that isn't really true. So as Stacey already posted, our big sightseeing day of the pink city was altered in that she came down with flu like symptoms and us became I. Probably because of travelling like this:

From Jaipur and Pushkar

She was really nice for letting me go and explore without her and I came back early from my adventure to check in on her. So, since it was my day to see the town, we both thought it fitting that I be the one to post.

I gotta say that this was not my favorite place (nor Stacey's). We keep uttering over and over that for such an ancient civilization, you would think that they would take better care of their national treasures. Everything just has this lack luster air of being run down. This was no more evident than in the pink city. Pink? Well not really, but the wall that surrounds the City Palace (7km long) is pink. Everything inside is not. It's kind of like if everyone in Temecula, CA painted their homes silver to get people to come and see the "silver city". But I digress. I don't want anyone reading this to think that the actual cultural experience is anything less than spectacular because it most certainly is! I think that we are just becoming a little forted and palaced out.

So withour further delay, the pink city.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

My journey began in the morning where I saw the Mahal or City Palace in the center of the city.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

The palace is still active as it houses member of the royal family and for the right fee you can get in to see their digs. I chose to stick to the audio tour and the adventurer's budget. I did find out that the Maharaja that lived the most decadently in the palace had quite the affinity for polo. I saw his riding outfit as well as his pajamas. After walking around the rest of the facility I was ready to move on to something a little more interesting.

An that interest was provided in the rather odd but visually stimulating Jantar Mantar, an eighteenth century astrological site commissioned by Jai Singh.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

Turns out he had a fancy for the stars and built 18 stone structures that could track the evolving skies to the utmost specificity. There is even a 27 meter tall sundial that can tell the time of day to within 2 seconds!






Once I got my fill of the structures, I ventured out of the big city for something really spectacular, Amber Fort.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

I think what struck me the most about this particular fort is that directly above it is another fort that just about dwarfs Amber's size. The larger fort is called Jaigar Fort, but unfortunately it has fallen into a state of disrepair and there are no plans for its rehab.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

I began the steep climb to Amber Fort and as I approached the 10 year old boy in me leaped out from inside. The fort is rtipe with hidden passages, winding stairs and secret rooms. Getting lost within this massive structure was the key to its charm. I must have circled the structure twice before finding my way out!

Of course with every tourist attraction in India, there is no lack of merchandising. I tried to steer clear but couldn't resist a little money for the snake charmers.

From Jaipur and Pushkar

I did turn down the opportunity to sit next to them and preferred a simple photo!

I ended my day by repeatedly turning down my paid rickshaw's request for some commissioned based shopping. No thanks, I prefer some prison time to being raped with those inflated prices.

I did however convince him to take me to a dispensary so I could ease my qwoman's pain. Can anyone say Codine? Why isn't this stuff OTC in America. Stacey and I both drank a hefty sip and slept like logs. O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.

On to Pushkar!

For My Mom

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Varanasi

My mom has been like a ghost traveler with me on this trip, and it has been so awesome. I get emails from her "I know you are heading off to Hampi now and I have been reading all about the Virupaksha Temple, which..." and her little travel bits have been invaluable on all parts of my trip. One of her emails to me was that she had been reading about India (duh) and heard that Indian men walk around holding hands and pinkies.
So this post is to you Mom, that yes they DO hold hands. Out loud, publicly, and unapologetically. They are not gay, just close friends. If they were gay, they would not be allowed the physical signs of affection, just as straight people are frowned upon from holding hands and kissing. It feels a bit like how ancient Rome must have been like - the relationships that men share with other men are so heightened and important that the women in their lives appear as mere duties they must attend to (and have children with). The wife certainly seems to have independence and a lot more to say than I imagine she did in generations past, but in most instances still walks behind her husband and I doubt is privy to the intimate conversations that bond men with other men.

Jaipur - The Pink City

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

From Jaipur and Pushkar

I only had one day in Jaipur before the flu incapacitated me, so I will just show a couple pictures of what we saw that first day and allow Steve to come in with a blog posting of his own to tell more about the city. From what we experienced that first day, it seemed like a really big, congested, polluted city (even by Indian standards) without a lot of charm. There are forts and palaces, but none of them quite as eye-catching and 'pink' as promised. Sorry Jaipur, but I'm just not loving you. I much prefer the smaller, quainter towns.
Off to Pushkar!!!

Varanasi - City of Death

From Varanasi

From Varanasi

From Varanasi

*I need to make a note in the beginning that this is going to be a graphic posting regarding death - read at your own comfort.

Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in the Hindu religion, and it is said that if a Hindu dies here, they receive instant moksha (release from the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth). If a Hindu doesn't die here, the next best option for them is to have their bodies brought to Varanasi within 24 hours of death and they will be cremated at the 'burning ghat' and their ashes thrown into the Ganges.
I had heard about the burning ghats and expected to see wood stacked up high and massive flames, but all from a distance and not very clearly. I did not, however, have that far-away experience and what I saw has burned a place into my memory forever.
As westerners, we were ushered into a hospice building directly above the ghats and told to stand there and watch below, but not to take any pictures as that is disrespectful to the families of the deceased. (The pictures above were taken from very far away with a zoom lens, as is allowed). We walked up to this balcony and looked down and immediately saw 6 bodies being cremated. Not wrapped up in sheet or towel or anything to cover, but full-bodies being burned. We were about 15 feet up and directly overhead so we were so close we could smell and hear the flesh burning. As we were standing there, a seventh body was brought down to the ghat dressed up in ceremonial saffron yellow sheets, the body carried by the young male family members. They lay the body down and undress it from the saffron sheets and heaved his body onto a pyre already burning brightly with flames. I cannot describe what emotions come out of you (as a Westerner not used to being exposed to such sights) and at this moment I stood there completely shocked and just cried.
As bodies burn, the tendons shrink up and torsos and arms have the tendency to move up, so as we are standing there we see an arm start to lift up and someone has to come in and put more wood on the body to keep it from 'sitting up'.
We were told that it is the duty of the oldest son to be the one tending to the cremation of their family member. None of the men were visibly upset and tended to the fires as if they were tending to a fire that would light up a kettle at home. We asked the priest working at the hospice if death is an emotionally sad time for Hindus (a justified question as many of the world's religions look upon death as a time for celebration, as their loved one has been released from the pains of life and is lifted into a much better afterlife) - the priest said that it is still a very sad time for the family, but they are not supposed to show any emotion during the time of cremation, and often many of the families have had an extremely hard 24 hours attempting to get the body of their loved one to the Ganges in time, so exhaustion and their duty take over.
We made a donation to the priest and walked away. I was still crying and wished I could hold Steve's hand or hug him, but since we are in India (and no signs of affection between men and women are allowed) we just looked at each other with tears in our eyes and nothing to say.