Rajasthan

From Uttar Pradesh we headed west to the state of Rajasthan for 10 days—first to Jaipur, then Udaipur, and finally Bundi.

Jaipur is a really popular city with travelers as it is cosmopolitan, modern, relatively clean, and a shopping mecca. One of the first things we noticed was that the climate was much drier than we had experienced in the rest of the north, because it is a desert state. This made for bearable, though hot days (unlike in the south), and nice chilly evenings. Neither of us enjoyed Jaipur much though—it's still a crowded bustling place with a small “old city” neighborhood and because it's so popular I found that the general prices around town were inflated. We finally started feeling exhausted from traveling, sightseeing, and battling minor illnesses for the past 6 weeks so we gave ourselves a lot of down-time in Jaipur. We did spend a couple of hours one day in an autorickshaw touring the Old City, aka the Pink City, called so because the old palace and fort walls were made of pink sandstone. I had expected flamingo-like pink, but really it was more beige, so that was underwhelming. Near the palace was an outdoor astronomical center with a giant sundial, ancient calendar and season-telling sculptures, and other monstrous carvings that told things like the “distance from the zenith to the horizon” if you know what that means...It was quite beautiful, and we appreciated it more as abstract art than for the science it was created for. Nathan took some equally as nice photos of it, so hopefully you'll see what I'm saying about it. We went next to an obelisk with a narrow winding pathway up to the top where if you decided to go to the summit (and brave the nesting pigeons and their poop) you had a really nice view of all of Jaipur—a bird's eye view of the Pink City, the main street with all the cafes and shops, the bazaar road, and the newer skyscrapers and cinemaplex surrounding it. Considering how burnt out we've been feeling, it was nice to have a comprehensive view of Jaipur without having to explore all corners of it up close. We headed slightly out of town to see the cenotaphs (old tombs, from what I gather). It was interesting to see Hindu resting places in buildings that looked seriously Islamic—the pointed dome ceilings, the series of 3 open doorways around. I ask about the architecture and am told that long ago when they were built, they were Indian (Hindu) designs. “Back then, everyone was the same!”

Another overnight train. We skip Pushkar--a popular desert town that most travelers use as a launching point for camel treks and camping trips. Instead we go to Udaipur, “the most romantic city in India” and it's hard to disagree when we arrive. It's a fairly quiet city packed with old white buildings that surround a lake. In the center of the lake there are 2 small islands—each completely covered by a palace. One has been turned into a “5 star hotel” and the other can be traveled to by boat and toured. Many scenes in he James Bond film “Octopussy” were filmed in Udaipur, including the palace-turned-hotel. And although several restaurants show the movie nightly in their dining rooms, we never made it to a viewing to see just how much of it takes place here. Another palace (City Palace) is very large, and the fact that it's sandy colored and black in it's creases and corners amongst all the white in the town make it appear even more imposing than it already does looming over the east side of the lake. We stay near it in one of the tallest guesthouses, in a very comfortable room with stained glass windows, and a roof with a nice cafe and views of the lake and surrounding town. At night all of the white buildings turn their soft lights on, illuminating the town and making the lake appear to sparkle. We take long walks around the city and the lake (which although has dried up in some areas, and will only refill during the monsoon season, is still pretty), eat dinner under a beautiful giant tree, visit the city palace and take the boat ride to the island palace where set up for a wedding that evening is taking place. All in all, a very pleasant town to spend a few days (including my birthday) and a nice reprieve from Varanasi-Agra-Jaipur.

From Udaipur we travel back east to a small town off the beaten path called Bundi. We arrive late at night, a bit off schedule, and the station is completely empty—a shocking sight to us. At any hour there are usually many people, a lot of them sleeping on the ground. We wander outside and a mob of 5-6 touts and taxis bombard us with their offers. They are desperate for business. As we are leaving in an autorickshaw, one of them shoves his cell phone into my face to speak with a guesthouse he recruits for. I push his arm away and Nathan and I both shout “GO!” to the driver. The town is teeny tiny and we arrive at the Lake View Guest House around midnight. A man, equally as small as Bundi opens the door with a lantern in his hand and his jaw jutting out under his nose. He is mostly bald, with some white hair around his ears and neck, in a white dressing gown. He's a classic Ebenezer Scrooge prototype. With one eye squinting and an impatient curve to his mouth he (Mata) says, “I've been waiting for you. Follow me.” Nathan and I look at each other and almost start laughing.

Our room is nice—big and quiet—and it's far too hot outside during most of the daylight hours so we spend most of our time in here, me reading, Nathan writing, or in the back garden by the “lake” which has all dried up, and there are cows grazing in the valley it has become. We see Mata perched in different places, in his white gown, like a gargoyle during our stay there. In a windowsill, on the outdoor kitchen's roof, on the swing on his terrace. It makes us laugh. He knocks on our door one day (we have a room on the roof) and tell us to “please put your shoes inside or monkey may take them and then you wonder 'where my shoes go!?'” He's quite a character, and after Nathan tells him I'm a lawyer, his rather stern demeanor vanishes and he smiles and bows toward me. A really funny little man.

We met a really nice British couple who are traveling around India and Nepal on a motorcycle they purchased when they arrived. It's refreshing to have a real conversation in English, and one day I sat outside with them for 6 hours and talked while Nathan worked. The man is as burnt out on India as I am, but also like me, not looking forward to unemployment when he returns home. We commiserate, and in a pessimistic way I'm glad that someone else isn't having the life-changing experience everyone always talks about India to be. Nathan and I spend only a an hour or so one day visiting the palace. (I am palace-d, fort-ed, and temple-d out by now. I'm tired and hot and delirious and silly at this point.) I don't care about old paintings anymore. Or weapons. Or overthrown dynasties. I'm most fascinated by the giant-life-threatening bee hive perched just above the main entrance, and the fact that you can rent a monkey-stick to fight off the aggressive ones on the walk up. (I rent one, Nathan laughs, I jokingly get angry and pretend to beat him with it.)

We take our last overnight train (I am delighted) to Delhi, and just to have a perfect track record, I don't sleep on this one either.