I sit down to write in a small, hot, dusty internet cafe in Jaisalmer. The fan is probably going to dislodge from the roof and decapitate me soon, so I must be quick. Also the mosquitoes are thirsting after my iron deficient vegetarian blood for some reason and the repellent is nowhere to be found.
So we commenced our road trip through Rajasthan on... Thursday? It is incredible how titles for the days seem ridiculous and so far away. Today as we sat eating lunch we spent around 10 minutes trying to work out what day it is today. Sunday apparently. Anyway I promised not to make this long winded. So we set off with our sweet old driver Channan. My biggest concern apart from Indian roads being somewhat like that of a Mario Cart game, is that Channan is far too old for the journey and may die on us. But he seems like a competent driver, not too crazy, but crazy enough to survive and show other cars who's boss when necessary.
Getting out of Delhi and the 10 hour journey that ensued was pretty incredible. The small towns were sadly all as littered with rubbish as New Delhi is, though the vibe was different immediately. At first we all squealed when we saw a cow casually wandering the roads, or a camel transporting a turban-clad man. But a couple of hours in, and even a naked child riding a pig seemed normal. After a short amount of time I realised the three of us women in the car would be the only ones we would see who did not have their faces covered by saris, and very, very traditional dress. Two hours of the journey was spent climbing in and out of the biggest pot-holes I've ever encountered. The maximum speed during this section was about 20-30km/hour, and by the end of it I wondered how on earth the car would survive the end of the day, let alone the next two weeks. We developed a rotating seat formation for the car journeys, with the front seat passenger making sure to stay awake at all times, and take photos or videos of us whenever we fall asleep in stupid positions. I spent awhile putting a bobbypin in and out of Isaac's nose and wide-open mouth as he snored peacefully.
So we arrived at our first stop, Bikaner, at around 6pm. We had left Delhi early in the morning and Nara and I were hungover from the previous disorienting night of attending one of Delhi's super upmarket clubs. This is an experience I promise I'll write about. Anyway, moral of the story is that we were exhausted and flopped onto our hotel's beds with sheer delight. The hotel there ($5 per night) was one where the auto and taxi driver's obviously get commission for bringing guests to, but had a surprising amount of charm despite this.
That night we roamed the streets for awhile before returning to the hotel's rooftop restaurant and devouring yet another curry. On the street below a wedding procession charged past and fireworks were shot out right next to us (perks of a country were safety standards are as poor as most of the people). This was lovely and special.
Next day... we planned to journey straight to Jaisalmer. Ended up at tiny village, Khuri upon reading amazing things. Our driver became surly after we insisted he take us there, despite his warnings, "no mam, I'll take you to very nice hotel in Jaisalmer. There good price, my friend give you good price. Khuri just poor village, luggage unsafe". Channan obviously didn't have any hotels offering him a commission in Khuri.
We arrived in what looked like a National Geographic "this is how villagers live" photograph. Trampled through some sand to find a guesthouse. Settled on two mud huts in Arjun's Family Guesthouse for $3 per night. Mud walls, thatched roof made of twigs, camel smelling blankets. After a week in Delhi, I can't describe the magic and peace I felt standing there and looking up at the stars. We went next door to the huts that Arjun and his family lives in, and I introduced his five kids to a piano app on my iPhone, and video'd them as they danced and sang for us. No verbal communication between us, and probably one of the most treasured experiences of my life. Dinner then outside the mud huts, cooked by Arjun's very pregnant wife (nameless, and mostly faceless as she stayed in the hut cooking, swaddled in amazing sari). The kids carried it over, with some pride, and some "DAMN THE FAMILY BUSINESS" crossing their faces.
Alas, I've been informed I have only two minutes left of internet. To come...
- Rode camels into the desert
- Slept under the stars in sand dunes
- Drank desert wine and tried homemade onion cigarettes (?)
- All this occurred mere kilometers away from the Pakistan border.
LIKE A BOSS.
- Photos
Mind being blown every day.
So we commenced our road trip through Rajasthan on... Thursday? It is incredible how titles for the days seem ridiculous and so far away. Today as we sat eating lunch we spent around 10 minutes trying to work out what day it is today. Sunday apparently. Anyway I promised not to make this long winded. So we set off with our sweet old driver Channan. My biggest concern apart from Indian roads being somewhat like that of a Mario Cart game, is that Channan is far too old for the journey and may die on us. But he seems like a competent driver, not too crazy, but crazy enough to survive and show other cars who's boss when necessary.
Getting out of Delhi and the 10 hour journey that ensued was pretty incredible. The small towns were sadly all as littered with rubbish as New Delhi is, though the vibe was different immediately. At first we all squealed when we saw a cow casually wandering the roads, or a camel transporting a turban-clad man. But a couple of hours in, and even a naked child riding a pig seemed normal. After a short amount of time I realised the three of us women in the car would be the only ones we would see who did not have their faces covered by saris, and very, very traditional dress. Two hours of the journey was spent climbing in and out of the biggest pot-holes I've ever encountered. The maximum speed during this section was about 20-30km/hour, and by the end of it I wondered how on earth the car would survive the end of the day, let alone the next two weeks. We developed a rotating seat formation for the car journeys, with the front seat passenger making sure to stay awake at all times, and take photos or videos of us whenever we fall asleep in stupid positions. I spent awhile putting a bobbypin in and out of Isaac's nose and wide-open mouth as he snored peacefully.
So we arrived at our first stop, Bikaner, at around 6pm. We had left Delhi early in the morning and Nara and I were hungover from the previous disorienting night of attending one of Delhi's super upmarket clubs. This is an experience I promise I'll write about. Anyway, moral of the story is that we were exhausted and flopped onto our hotel's beds with sheer delight. The hotel there ($5 per night) was one where the auto and taxi driver's obviously get commission for bringing guests to, but had a surprising amount of charm despite this.
That night we roamed the streets for awhile before returning to the hotel's rooftop restaurant and devouring yet another curry. On the street below a wedding procession charged past and fireworks were shot out right next to us (perks of a country were safety standards are as poor as most of the people). This was lovely and special.
Next day... we planned to journey straight to Jaisalmer. Ended up at tiny village, Khuri upon reading amazing things. Our driver became surly after we insisted he take us there, despite his warnings, "no mam, I'll take you to very nice hotel in Jaisalmer. There good price, my friend give you good price. Khuri just poor village, luggage unsafe". Channan obviously didn't have any hotels offering him a commission in Khuri.
We arrived in what looked like a National Geographic "this is how villagers live" photograph. Trampled through some sand to find a guesthouse. Settled on two mud huts in Arjun's Family Guesthouse for $3 per night. Mud walls, thatched roof made of twigs, camel smelling blankets. After a week in Delhi, I can't describe the magic and peace I felt standing there and looking up at the stars. We went next door to the huts that Arjun and his family lives in, and I introduced his five kids to a piano app on my iPhone, and video'd them as they danced and sang for us. No verbal communication between us, and probably one of the most treasured experiences of my life. Dinner then outside the mud huts, cooked by Arjun's very pregnant wife (nameless, and mostly faceless as she stayed in the hut cooking, swaddled in amazing sari). The kids carried it over, with some pride, and some "DAMN THE FAMILY BUSINESS" crossing their faces.
Alas, I've been informed I have only two minutes left of internet. To come...
- Rode camels into the desert
- Slept under the stars in sand dunes
- Drank desert wine and tried homemade onion cigarettes (?)
- All this occurred mere kilometers away from the Pakistan border.
LIKE A BOSS.
- Photos
Mind being blown every day.
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