Faces of Rajastan

Saddle-sore into the Sunset

India’s Thar Desert: hundreds of square miles of blistering wasteland. Two newlywed American tourists with milky complexions. Two fleet but feeble-minded camels afflicted with dystentery. The stage was set for an epic battle of man vs. beast.

Our trek on camelback through the Thar began in the ancient fortress city of Jaislmer. Over the next three days, we rode our smelly steeds over towering dunes, through thickets of six-foot cactus, and into isolated desert villages of straw and adobe. Along the way, we saw antelope, eagles, a plethora of superbly ambitious dung beatles, and a three foot monitor lizard, lurking in a village well.

The journey took to within a stone’s throw of the Pakistan border, and to the outer limits of the human groin’s endurance.

Sand-swept but triumphant, we returned to Jaisalmer, southbound to Gujerat.

Bright Lights, Pink City

The ancient Pink City of Jaipur is a desert metropolis, gateway to the vibrant state of Rajastan. By sheer luck we got a bicycle rickshaw-wallah at the Jaipur train station who was a real gem. Krishna was enthusiastic, tireless, and utterly guileless. His broken English was punctuated amusingly as we navigated the crazy city by random comments of “another, another [cow, camel, tourist, elephant, temple…].” He took us home to meet his baby girl Payal along with his wife and sister.

Then we all squeezed into a tuk-tuk (motor-rickshaw) and went to the Monkey Temple. The highlight for us was not the monkeys but the sacred bathing-ghat.

In another stroke of luck, we wandered that evening right into a parade for a Hindu guru. We were welcomed with open arms, and immediately swept up in the festivities. At one point, Michael found himself riding on the lead cart, seated next to a pair of sadhus.

We spent a pleasant few days wandering the streets and alleys of the Pink City, exploring vibrant bazaars, discovering neighborhood temples, and visiting the city’s impressive collection of Mughal palaces and forts.