Blog/Life Update:
Since my last post, I've wrapped up the second phase of my project, celebrated the holidays, and played tour guide/tourist with my visiting family. Be on the lookout for new photos and more posts over the next few weeks!
Rajasthani Road Trip
Ever go on a long road trip? Smoothly paved roads filled with small stops at random landmarks as you drive, a break here and there for food, and maybe sightseeing in a few cities along the way? Road tripping through Rajasthan is sort of like that. Instead of smooth roads, you get stretches of good and stretches where you get thrown around like a rag doll from endless potholes. Landmarks became holy sites. Breaks were for chai (chai literally translates to tea) and sometimes food... but only at a dhaba (roadside “hotel restaurants"). And sightseeing in a few cities included massive forts, a camel safari, and an adventure through the desert. I set off on my "mid-term retreat" with Jatan's Executive Director, the Deputy Director, and my FSD advisor back in early December. We had planned to visit Jaisalmer, the golden city, and Jodhpur, the blue city, while also spending time at Jatan-run education centers near Jodhpur. The purpose of the retreat was for me to reflect on my past few months, provide feedback to the organization, and to experience a new part of the country.
Day one of the Rajasthani road trip was mostly spent driving through Rajasthan, arriving in Jodhpur after travelling for 4 hours with intermittent stops for chai. That night we ate at "Bal Samand Garden Retreat" which is located in the old royal horse stables, now a hotel. Not sure I would want to stay there though. Anyways, the plan for the next day was to travel to Jaisalmer, but we decided to spend the morning traversing Jodhpur's old city. Since Jodhpur is known for its sweets, our morning exploration consisted of bouncing from sweet shop to sweet shop - trying everything and anything that you can only get in the Blue City. By the time we set off for the Golden City, we had eaten a lion’s share of sweets… and at least one omelet (see photo).
Racing the sunset, we reached Jaisalmer around 4:30PM. Instead of stopping in the city, we drove straight past it and into the Thar Desert where we found a "Desert Resort" which included Bedouin tents (tents with beds and bathrooms), deals on jeep and camel safaris, dinner, and a cultural night. Because we made with the sun still shining, we immediately jumped into a Jeep and took off into the dunes surrounding the resort.
When I first heard the term “Jeep Safari”, my mind immediately went to exploring the desert and looking for animals. Nope. As soon as we stood in the back of the jeep our driver barreled through the desert. We rode the dunes like a skateboard takes on ramps at a skatepark, cresting one and careening into the next… all while blasting traditional Indian music. After 15 minutes of adrenaline, we stopped. It was time to ride a camel.
Riding a Camel is a lot like riding a horse, except you sit in between the Camel’s humps 6 - 8 feet from the ground. After checking Camel Safari off my bucket list, we watched an incredible desert sunset and then took the Jeep back to the resort. Apparently we were visiting in the offseason, as we had most of the place to ourselves. One thing I love about India is the cultural heritage that is often displayed through music and dance. We watched the cultural night performance in awe of the skill of the dancers, and of course the fire breather, before retiring for the night.
Outside Baba Ramdev Temple
The next morning we drove deeper into the desert only to learn that we had to turn around and head back to Jaisalmer. I can't go into details, but you need to have some sort of paperwork to go more than a few miles past the city… Anyways, we spent the afternoon exploring the Golden City and its incredible architecture. Before the sun set we were back in the car and headed back towards Jodhpur. Because this was a Rajasthani road trip, we had to stop at the sights - holy sites. We stopped at the Baba Ramdev temple in Ramdevra. This temple is the resting place of Ramdev, a 14th century ruler of the area, where he is worshipped as a god and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims for viewing all people as equals. What surprised me the most about this temple was the size of the area in front of the entrance dedicated to containing lines. It looked a lot like where you would wait for a theme park ride. After visiting the temple, the holy lake behind it, and the nearby holy well, we drove to Jodhpur - it was time to see some forts.
Mehrangarh Fort is like nothing I've ever experienced. The fort overshadows the blue city, standing above its sprawling streets. Walking into the fort , I couldn't help but gain a sense of its history. It almost felt like being transported back in time to the Marwar rule. (If you visit Rajasthan, visit this fort.) My FSD advisor Rajdeep and myself set about wandering the fort and taking photos of just about everything. After listening intently to the English audio guide and visiting the fort's temple, we took an auto to the Umaid Bhawan Palace which is the primary residence for Jodhpur's royal family… as well as a museum and hotel.
That afternoon we left Jodhpur for home. I was privileged to have had the opportunity to stop at a few of the Jatan-run education centers on the way back. I even had the chance to ask the children a few basic math and Hindu questions. (Pretty sure they knew my Hindi was worse than theirs). The road trip rounded off with a visit to "Bullet Baba's Temple," a shrine to a miracle motorcycle (see Om Banna). Legend states that Om Banna was riding his motorcycle across Rajasthan when he struck a tree and was killed. Following the accident, the police took the motorcycle to the local station. The next morning, the same motorcycle was found by the crash site (assumed to be stolen). This time the police emptied its gas and locked it up. Low and behold, the next morning the bike was again at the crash site. Must be divine intervention.
While my Rajasthani Road Trip was a success in itself, the ability to travel across the state with my advisors, co-workers, and friends was an experience of a lifetime. If you ever get the chance, take a Rajasthani Road Trip, stop for chai, visit the temples, and get lost in the colorful cities.
Cheers!