Dechu: A Night in the Desert 

        This morning I would be heading out to Dechu for a night in the desert, if I could get checked out of my hotel first. Even though the food at The Lords Inn was disgusting I still had to pay for it. Last year in India I had my discover card, my Bank of America card, and cash. While they take discover in most places in India, they would not take it at the airport in Delhi. So there I was at midnight last year in the airport alone and in tears from frustration because I owed $200 in USD and they wouldn't accept my card.  Luckily I found a very nice woman that worked for United who was able to correct the situation. Talk about stress!

This year I decided to spread my money out even further to prevent that mishap again. The Lords Inn is a three star hotel. Typically foreigners don't get booked into hotels that are three star or lower because the service is different than a three star American hotel. Not as many people speak and understand English, which can be a problem, among other issues. Since I was trying to go cheap on this trip I told them I could handle it and for the most part I did. Until check out. None of their credit card machines would accept my cards. UGH! First they tried putting my card in a machine for people who live in India.....smh. Of course it didn't work! I'm not even kidding when I looked at the desk manager and said "sir, I'm as white as snow, speak perfect English, and don't understand Hindi....of course I'm not local." Usually I'm not so rude, but I was DONE with the Lords Inn. Ultimately I whipped out some rupees I had been holding back for my driver's tip and paid the bill. 

The drive was going to be about three hours. I like driving across India and I love driving in the desert. So many new interesting things to see. While one might think all deserts look the same they don't. The desert in Oman looks different than the Sahara in Egypt, and different still in India. The was a great of brush mixed with the sand in India. 

Along the way my driver and I stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant. I tried Hyderabadi biryani this time. It was the only dish I recognized. The further you travel out into the country in India the less familiar the food gets. Little did I know I would be eating the spiciest version of biryani.  It was tasty, yet extremely spicy. I actually burnt the top of my mouth and my tongue from the hotness of the spices! Of course my driver explained to them that I wanted it to have no spice at all. Sometimes I think Indian people translate "no spice" into "less spice." I just want to look at them sometimes and say "dude, I'm white. You KNOW I can't take the heat." I ate as much as I could handle then we headed off to my resort.

We arrived at the Clarks Exotica resort. After I checked in, like any other hotel, I expected to go to my room and chill out before my camel ride. Welllll that was not to be. The resort/spa area is where I was. The actual tents/camp I'd be staying in were 25 miles away. The gentleman who greeted me offered me lunch, but I had just eaten. Then he asked if I wanted to go into the spa for a massage or some treatments. Well of course I did BUT I had makeup on and my hair done for my camel ride. I wasn't going to get a facial then ride my camel looking fugly. So I was left with one option: to sit at a table outside and enjoy the wild life for two hours. So there I sat.

Eventually I was joined by four lovely people from Montreal, Canada. Little did I know that they were part of a HUGE bus tour that would be joining me out at the tents later. Despite talking in French most of the time, they decided to start using English so I could participate. They were lovely people.

Three o'clock came and so did my driver to take me to my camel ride. It was awesome. I rode my first two hump camel! 

                                            The closed eyes of fear as the camel stands up.

                                            

I've never seen dark brown camels before!

After I finished my ride we headed out into the countryside. While parts were definitely desert, there were also lots of small farms that were growing spices like cumin. Apparently this region is a popular region to farm India's spices.  

The mini village with our tents was adorable! I was the first to arrive. Apparently all of the Canadians were off having multiple camel rides. The weather was beautiful and the tent was amazing. I've never stayed in a real tent like this before.

The outside of my tent.

I was greeted with a dot of something placed on my forehead and rice.

I took a quick nap while everyone else arrived and settled in to their tents. At dark we were supposed to walk up the hill and settle on the cushions for appetizers and cultural performances. Here I am, the ONLY American :). The food was delicious! After the cultural dancing we headed up to a delicious buffet dinner of non-spicy Indian food. Of course since I had burnt my mouth earlier everything tasted spicy to me.

My big butt is dancing!

The next morning I slept in. The weather was nice and cool and perfect for burying myself in my duvet. I had intended to to take a shower before I left, however cold mornings and marble floors don't mix. So as usual I skipped breakfast and slowly packed up to leave. I had the best time staying here and it really wasn't expensive. I don't think I could have stood it in the raging heat, but winter was beautiful.

As we were driving back through the countryside to reconnect with the highway we passed many school children of every age. The group pictured below waved goodbye to use and tossed flowers on our car to be silly. It was really cute. And of course we had to stop every time we saw camels because I LOVE camels!

Yes the camel survived. The car stopped.

Next stop Jaisalmer!

                                       Jodhpur: Shopping and Monkeys

    I knew that I was going to visit Jain in his new shop so I saved shopping for my very last day. Although India does have malls and some ready made stores and clothes. Many things are still made to order which I LOVE. Nothing gaps or fits too tight here while it's too loose there. Everything is perfect. I definitely feel as though something great has been lost along the way from made to order to mass produced clothing. Anyway, so me and my driver were off to meet Jain at Maharani Textiles. He said to meet him there at 10 am. Of course I was right on time while Jain was on Indian time, about 10 minutes late. I was thankful when he arrived. I was the first customer that day so everyone just stared at me. Once there he took over swirling me through piles of fabrics, Persian carpets I could NEVER afford, and showed me the new India line by Hermes. Many European countries and big name stores like Anthropologie buy from shops like these and upcharge. I'm more than happy to skip that part.

                          Me and my bestie/personal shopper M. Jain (Jain is his last name)

This year I did a real one all by myself. I was proud.

My first "real" sari. Meaning I have to wrap it and pin it all by myself like Indian women do. 

The one I purchased last year was made for me, but the skirt didn't require the wrapping a real sari does. Where my purple sari is more formal, this sari is more everyday where around India. It's also tie dyed in the Rajasthani style. Every state has their own look. 

                                Last year I put this on alone and had no idea what I was doing. 

And this picture I promised Jain I wouldn't put up, but we all know I'm a liar :) He was attempting to sell me a beautiful gold and powder pink lengatha ( a long full, embroidered skirt typically worn with a top piece that shows the stomach. This is the matching scarf/wrap. It's more of a special event outfit than every day which is why I didn't get it, but oh man did I want it. Maybe I'll order it to wear when I turn 50....

After shopping with Jain, my driver and I left him to attend his other clients while we headed out to a park in Jodhpur. Only some men in Maharani Textiles speak English, most are strictly Hindi. However, one friend of Jain's mentioned there was a beautiful park and there were monkeys! Of course I was down. My awesome driver, who is weary of monkeys, came along in the park with me so I wouldn't be alone and probably to stop me from grabbing monkeys.

The park was gorgeous of course as is everything in India. The trees had green parrots and cranes were hanging out near the fountains. 

My personal favorite the monkey vs. the guard. The monkeys drive the guards crazy so it's hilarious to hear them yell at the monkeys in Hindi!

If they stood on their hind legs, I'd say these monkeys were at least stomach level with me. They were crazy fast too. I didn't have to zoom in too much because my crazy self just walked right up to them. Until they would take off that is. I didn't get any closer to these monkeys like I did the smaller ones. If I had they probably would have fought me an stolen my cellphone.

After breaking my sandal in the park and taking lunch, it was time to head back to the hotel. The next day we were driving to Dechu for my camel ride and my overnight in a tent!

                                 Jodhpur Continued.... 

    After leaving the fort we headed off to visit a cenotaph, Jaswant Thada. A cenotaph is a monument or a tomb erected to honor a single person or a family. This particular cenotaph was erected for the royal family of Jodhpur. While I did have my guide with me, this was a building that I could explore on my own. I cannot lie, I was a little more than halfway through my vacation at this point and I was wearing out. I did not take my shoes off to walk inside the tomb or walk down below to explore every monument. It was an extremely beautiful place so I just snapped pictures of what I enjoyed.

Before I did my own exploring I had a very long conversation with my guided about Hindu funeral practices. I'm not quite sure how we ended up on this topic, but I learned so much. He discussed the procedures that his family went through when his grandfather died. Since this is something I've never learned about in any of my history classes I'll pass on the details.

After a family member is cremated, the family will return to their home to perform the Hindu death rituals such as bathing and cleaning the house. If someone has died in their home the are left feeling unclean and impure. Next a Hindu priest will be invited to purify their home with incense, prayers, and mantras. I'm not exactly sure which priest from which temple is invited over. I didn't think to ask. Then it's tradition for the family to share a meal together where they will offer prayers for the departed, themselves, and their house. It's all about creating good karma.

Next, and to me this is the CRAZIEST part, begins the 13 days of mourning. This isn't your typical mourning like we do in America. The rules are intense. For example:

1.The family remains in their home during this entire period. If anything is needed from the store then you have to call someone to bring it to you.

2. They do not attend religious functions or celebrations during this period. so I guess if someone is getting married that changes everything.

3. No reading or reciting from the holy scriptures.

4. Avoidance of eating certain foods like sweets. (I'd die)

5.They are not permitted to touch or go near the family shrine. I'm assuming they mean the one in their own home. but I'm not sure.

6.Not visiting anyone. Everyone can and probably will come to your home to pay their respects, but you are not permitted to go to them.

7. Returning to work was not permitted for my guide till after the 13 days. It varies by family and commitment to the rituals.

During this 13 days grief is meant to be expressed however each individual needs to do it. Whether it be sadness or anger. Hindus believe keeping these emotions bottled up is harmful to the body. And once again it builds positive karma for the deceased entering their next life. Finally, the immediate family males shave their heads. They trim their hair very short in a process called Tonsure. Depending on the group some men will keep a small tab of hair in the back. Different sects of Hindus vary on this. For example when I met my friend Jain last year he had a buzz cut. He told me his grandmother had just died, but I didn't get the connection till he explained. Jainism, which is his faith, does not leave the tuft of hair up top.

                                                              (This is not my friend lol )

There are some rituals that are universal like bringing food to the grieving family. Most of us still experience this here in America. Many Americans choose to celebrate life through drinking. Hindus drink as well, but according to my guide it's usually like a one drink thing. Not like an Irish funeral. When it comes to most things, India isn't always that different from America, however on things like this we couldn't be further apart.. I cannot even imagine what would happen if an entire family had to stop working or going to school for 13 days. Bosses and schools cannot protest because they are Hindu as well. It's just accepted and everything just keeps going. It stressful to me how they can have so many restrictions about certain things, yet no restrictions about others. It's like Alice visiting Wonderland sometimes.

After touring, it was lunch time. This time we headed to a place called On the Rocks. Another local restaurant that caters to the tourists during the day. I was super thankful for chicken biryani I could eat and whatever this orange drink was I ordered. Some type of non-alcoholic thing. Then it was back to the hotel for some relaxation time and a nap before I'd meet Jain after his shift for dinner.

Dinner, for me, was not as successful as lunch. At first we were going to head out somewhere because I wanted to ride on his scootee (scooter). However, since I didn't have a helmet and I'm white, yes he really said this, he voted no. I told him so many people don't wear helmets and never get pulled over. He said this is where my "whiteness" came in and would draw the attention of the police. Of course me being me I didn't care, but he wouldn't give in. Next we thought about ordering from Zomato again, but we couldn't agree on anything....of course. Finally, we settled on room service. He was thrilled because he ordered grilled paneer (tofu). How in the heck do you grill tofu? Anyway, I ordered a vegetarian Caesar salad. All Jains are strict vegetarians so I was trying to be respectful to him and not eat meat. That's when it happened. I was served this....plate of anger.

It tasted as bad as it looks omg! I got down one bite and said NOPE. Whatever dressing that was....wasn't Caesar. I think I woke up that night an slammed a small bag of potato chips to pull me through.

To please my friend I tasted his grilled anger, I mean paneer. It was like bland white jello, but angrier because it was grilled. He loved it! I'm also convinced he's a demon.

After that hot mess we hopped in a tuk tuk and went jewelry shopping. Personally, I LOVE riding in these. They are bumpy, sometimes cold, and usually have 5 zillion people (local) packed into them, but I love it. They're a cheap ride and I always look forward to them.

As an early birthday gift, and partly out of guilt for not being able to hang out as much as he hoped, Jain took me to the jewelry shop his mom goes to. In India there really isn't any "old" lady versus "young" lady jewelry. Unless they are buying something foreign, you will see the same styles on everyone. In India they don't treat old women as old or young women as young. It's like there are kids and adults. That's it. I like it. After searching through several options I chose these:

He bought them both which I did not expect or intend, but I am forever thankful for such beautiful gifts. It also calmed me down after the nasty tofu debacle.

I bought some bracelets. In India women and bracelets are EVERYTHING.

They look like the bracelets I see carved into the temples. Apparently the latest thing is to study what's carved in the temples then recreate the designs for modern jewelry. I love it. After shopping I went back up to my room and Jain hopped on his scootee and headed home. The next day I'd be visiting his new shop and seeing more monkeys!

                                              Jodhpur 

        I arrived in Jodhpur and checked into The Lords Inn. Although my room was spacious and comfortable, this was my least favorite hotel. I'll get to that later. Instead of my usual routine of ordering room service, putting on my jammies, and streaming Griselda on Netflix, I waited for my friend Jain to get off work. I hadn't seen him since he had to leave Delhi early to return to the shop where he works. He arrived around 7pm and we ordered a margherita pizza from a local shop on Zomato. The pizza was great, but it was spicier than an American margherita pizza would be. We also ordered milkshakes. I ordered a chocolate milkshake and Jain ordered a cookies and cream. When the milkshakes arrived they were really runny in my opinion. Not exactly cold either. At first I thought they had sent us a couple of Lassis. That is an Indian drink made of milk, water, and/or fruit and spices. I personally think they are not tasty at all. After a few hours Jain left for home, and I finished Griselda.

The next morning I met my guide and driver at 9am. The plans for the day included visiting Mehrangarth Fort and Jaswant Thada. This was also Republic Day in India which commemorates the enactment of India's constitution on January 26th, 1950.

Jodhpur still has a ruling local royal family.  They no longer serve as rulers since India is a democratic country. The current Maharaja of Jodhpur is Gaj Singh II. Their family opened the fort as a museum and they still maintain a family palace across the city. That's him below. He came to the throne at the age of 4.

You can see the royal palace wayyy off in the distance.

Like every other fort in India, this one is located on top of a hill with many tiny winding roads to get there. As we walked up to the entrance I noticed tons of middle school children waiting to enter. Republic Day is a national holiday in India so typically there is no school. My guide explained that despite there being no school, teachers still planned field trips for students to attend. I think that is a great way to use a holiday. Field trips can teach so much more than books sometimes.

Unlike other forts in India, this one had an elevator that took us up to the top. Forts have LOTS of stairs and they are not always the best so I was happy to take the elevator. The top featured stunning views of the city and cannons to show the way things used to be. On the inside there are stunning royal rooms and many rooms used to display royal objects like Palanquins (covered litters) that carried various people in the royal family throughout history. Personally, I think I should be carried around in one of these every day.

This Palanquin was used to carry the royal children.

     

                                                                      Peacock litter.

Another cool thing that I saw here that I haven't seen anywhere else was a display of royal baby cribs! Of course they are stunning!

Also of interesting note, this fort was used in the movie The Dark Night Rises and The Jungle Book live version from 1994.

Along the way I photographed the weapons of Rajasthan. Rajasthan is known historically for their fierce warriors. Rajasthan was a state never captured by the British. Instead they accepted British money in order to keep their local rulers in charge. Personally, I feel from viewing the Rajasthan weaponry that the British would never been able to conquer them. Check out the weapons below.

                      The weapons on the right open and close with a scissor-like effect.

                       The sword above on the far right also has a small gun built in! The technology from                         centuries ago is amazing.

                                      

Long rifles

Art supplies and the various colors taken from nature to create the intricate Indian artwork similar to the Persian style of painting.

Clothing of the royal family. 

To finish off this beautiful fort here is a huge picture dump. Enjoy!