A Posse of Three Takes on the Desert

So we've set off biking though Rajasthan, a gang of three since our friend Adam joined us in Jaipur. Our recent stretch took us 330K from Jaipur to Bikaner. The landscape became full dusty pink desert as soon as we hit Jaipur, the air cleared, the roads mellowed, and sunshine became consistent. Along the way we stopped in Sikar where we had another chance meeting and befriended the family who oversees the local Hindu temple. We shared tea in the evening and met up the next morning only to get carted through every classroom at Ashok's school to the delight of both the students and teachers. He and his friends also got a huge kick out of carting around three foreigners on the back of their motor bikes. Fahtipur was a gorgeous old city and we managed to score a fantastic haveli (open air hotel) - one of the cleanest and neatest places we've stayed at so far. I got sick somewhere between Fahtipur and Ratangar, but we still managed to eek out a lively tour of a temple (I promptly crashed for 16 hours afterward). The Bikaner Fort was a major highlight. Of all of the forts and palaces we've managed to see in Rajasthan, the Bikaner Fort was by far the most ornate and intricately decorated. The carved sandstone, marble inlays, and walls gilded in gold leaf and inlaid with silver mirrors were spectacular. Another major highlight was the five legged cow roaming down the road (yes, the fifth appendage was dangling, complete with hoof, from the cow's hump). Due to the lack of water and places to stay between Bikaner and Jaisalmer, we opted to take a bus. Jaisalmer resembles a giant sand castle on a hill. The fort is the main draw and it unique in that people actually still live within its walls. We managed to arrive in town in time for the Desert Festival- a celebration of the state's art and culture. Rajasthani dress is totally unique and it's at its height now that we're deep in desert solitude. The men are known for the long mustaches they cultivate. They generally wear a white shalwar (imagine a pajama set) and any hue of colorful turban. The women wear sets of full arm bangles and shockingly bright shades of pink and orange patterned with gold glitter. I've tried to get pictures, but people generally don't appreciate it and refuse photographs. From Jaisalmer, we biked 40 to Kuhri for a one night stay in a gigantic and plush tent, and a one night camel safari in the Great Thar Desert. The tent stay was accidental but welcomed- just a case of an out of date guide book. The camel safari was a riot. We took off with three camels and three guides, stopping for lunch and a nap near a pack of foraging wild camels, and ending the day watching sunset over the dunes and sleeping under the stars. Our guides barely knew English and our Hindi is still really basic, but we made fast friends. This desert adventure was most striking for me because it's the first time in months that I've experienced solidtude. We actually felt silence for a day, which is incredibly rare in India. This isn't a place you would characterize as tranquil, and I've had an interesting time trying to do anything alone here without getting followed or harrassed by men on the street. To say that I reveled in my aloneness would be putting in mildly.

Dave's Blog

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Two weeks, Three States and Lots of Adventure

We rolled into Jaipur on the night of the 13th after back to back 100k days (ouch). We timed our arrival with the kite festival celebrated in the city every year. By the time the sun was up on the 14th, the sky was filled with kites, populating the horizon like a pack of flitting butterflies. The entire city took to the rooftops and there were numerous kiting competitions throughout the city. The neighborhood kids battle locally to snip competing kites out of the sky with deft spinning motions (so much harder than it looks!). Every time a kite is felled there's a hearty "whoa katah" wailed from a nearby rooftop- roughly translating to "your done/dead." We spent the day flying kites and relaxing with friends on a rooftop in a nearby colony outside the city. How we came to meet these friends and how they have impacted the last two weeks of travel and adventure is a whole new story, one that I will attempt to recount here but hardly believe myself. Here goes...

Our first major cycling destination was Bharatpur to visit Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary and rest for a few days. While there, we made a chance acquaintance with some friendly locals who invited us to dinner. After two nights of good conversation and learning how to make chapatis and curry, we were invited to stay on a family farm outside of Mainpuri. We cycled the 180K or so back to Uttar Pradesh and were welcomed with the most amazing kind of hospitality I have ever experienced. That may sound over stated. It's not. They say that guests in India are "treated like gods" and I have to say that's really not an overstatement either. We were given the best room, fed and entertained constantly, and were refused when we offered any effort (monetary or otherwise). Of the week we spent in the village of Jinjaing there were several highlights. Overall, the chance to see "real" India and be absorbed into a family was the best kind of experience and one I had hoped to have during my travels. The kids were incredibly fun and some of the kindest and least shy hosts (their English is best too and our Hindi is much improved after our visit). We played all versions of tag, foot races and caroms with them (a family favorite). Rita, our host mother, taught me how to milk a buffalo and cook chicken curry (right after Dada had Dave point to the bird that would be our dinner). Our second to last day marked the first day of a two week district cricket match. The cricket grounds were in our host village, and the preparation field smoothing, food preparation, and visiting team accommodations for the games were a collective effort. Dave and I were invited to the match as "chief guests," which turned out to mean that Dave would throw the ceremonial opening ball to a visiting parliamentarian (like a Senator), I would have the pleasure of the second ceremonial bat (I whiffed it and Dave got his first wicket), and I would give out the post-game "man of the match" trophy. We were a spectacle the entire day, seated between the dignitary and the MC. Over the course of the 4 hour 20/20 match, we could hear a smattering of Hindi over the mic interspersed with our names...followed by laughter. Lots of pictures were taken by local newspaper outlets, and our host informed us that evening that we would be featured in several papers throughout the Mainpuri district the following day. Indeed, our names and a picture of the DEM batting Dave's pitch made the front page of the Hindustan Times the next day. Hilarious. They could not have chosen two people more reluctant to be semi celebrities for a day.

We spent a day biking to a nearby lake and bird park in Salman, 20k down the road. Dada joined us on his new bike and arranged our impromptu bus ride home (3 punctures and looming night fall called for it). Mobs of people surrounded when we made a quick stop for lunch in town. We collect large crowds just about everywhere we go outside the cities. Our hosts explained that most of the people in these villages have never seen foreigners before. Between Dave's height and me being a foreign lady on a bike (with my calves showing- gasp!), we attract quite a lot of attention. Everyone is very kind, so it's mostly just a lot of wide-eyed curious (male) faces. We manage to the usual questions about where we are from, where we are going, the number of gears on our bikes, etc. The actual trip to the lake made for a memorable excursion. We and an entourage of Dada's friends were led to a weathered lake side boat half filled with water. My suspicions were correct, and all 15 of us did in fact pile into the not-so lake worthy craft and "set sail" (ok, we moved by bamboo stick thrusts and the water was 3 ft deep). We had many a near capsizing interspersed with laughs with the good humored crowd.

Catch Up

I left Dharamsala on December 17th on an overnight bus to Delhi. And there the adventure pics right back up, as bus travel through the mountainous region was anything but tame. My travel party is now two- my good friend Dave who happens to be 6' 5" and doesn't fit in most buses, planes, doorways, etc. So the two of us had some good laughs bouncing along the curviest highway I've had the recent pleasure of careening down. We returned to the city to get Dave's bike shipment in order (my bike was stored at the 5 star in Delhi and safe for a few more weeks). After few days in backpacker district in Delhi for a few days, we escaped by train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and the multiple other sites in the area. Train travel went off without a hitch, though we did get scammed at the "government" prepaid taxi stand on our way to Taj Ganj upon our arrival. Nothing major, just a charge for a ride to our destination that ended with us getting dropped off at a gate far from our agreed stop. Other than that, the time spent in Agra was really pretty amazing. We found a great and super cheap family run restaurant that we decided to frequent almost exclusively. Many of the tourist places in the area have rooftops with amazing views of the Taj, so there's no missing out on the view no matter where you go. The list of sites is long, but among the highlights (aside from the Taj) were the Agra Fort, The "Baby" Taj, and Akbar's Mausoleum. The intricate marble inlays of semi precious stone in every imaginable geometric pattern were magnificent. The marble carvings differed based on tradition and age, but were mostly prayers written in Arabic and idyllic scenes- vases, flowers, etc. The southern veiw of the Taj from across the Yarmuna river from the Metab Bhag gardens was also a highlight. I will try to post pictures here, but for some reason that has been a challenge of late.

Back in Delhi, we opted to stay in Manju Ka Teela, a Tibetan enclave away from the city a bit. We had close access to the metro, which is amazingly clean and so much more enjoyable than weaving through city traffic (recent construction has made it particularly bad of late). I retrieved my bike on Christmas day- a big box to open and a bike to assemble spells a perfect way to celebrate! Dave's bike arrived intact a few days later, and after a long and jumbled bureaucratic process at the customs cargo office, he assemble his ride and we prepared to hit the road. His box was also stuffed full of holiday goodies (puffy painted stockings and all!), including two sets of stocking-stuffed battery operated Christmas lights (thank you John and Anne!), one set of which is currently wrapped around Dave's top tube (amazingly hilarious- a party on wheels). After storing our extra baggage in long-term storage (a Trench family connection), we set up a ride out of the clogged roads of Delhi and through the thick morning fog. We were dropped off- bikes, gear and all on the side of the road to Sohna in the state of Haryana to make our way on the eve of 2010.