Jodhpur -Touring

Wednesday, 12 November 2014, Jodhpur

Pati and BeeBee started their full touring day at 10am. First they visited Jaswant Tara - the royal crematorium- and the massive fort above Jodhpur. The fort is the best preserved fort in India; it is part of the national trust and is supported by UNESCO, the US, and Germany. The guide rushed through the fort so quickly that Pati and BeeBee lost him a few times when they stopped to take pictures. However, the guide provided buying opportunities in the fort's gift shop (although he steered them to the expensive part of the shop and skipped the parts that, from a distance, looked interesting to BeeBee) and later in a jewelry store.  After this, they made a short stop at their hotel, where their guide left them after collecting a review and his tip.

Their driver then took them quite a few miles out of Jodhpur to meet up with their jeep safari. The first part of the safari was a bumpy ride along dirt tracks and through a dry river bed. It was like driving in deep snow. They visited a private home very similar to the one visited on the jeep safari at Manvar. There is no electricity at this home, except for that generated by a solar panel mounted on a short pole: the exclusive use of this solar power is to charge their cell phones. (Except for some very remote areas, all of India has excellent cell phone coverage - even in the sand dunes.) This family had five children. The older daughter, age 22, was married and living in the next village with her husband and new baby. The younger daughter, age 14 or 15, was also married but living at home still; she is not old enough to live with her husband as a wife. The custom in that area is to have many marriages at the same time, coinciding with some event when many people would be together anyway, such as a death in a family. Such gatherings are very expensive, because possibly a thousand people have to be fed for many days, so it is an economic decision to get as much out of an event as possible This girl knows who her husband is, but does not have regular interactions with him. Two other tourists, older American women, also showed up for this visit, along with the guide for the safari. They all had a very nice Indian lunch while they were there.  One of the other women "thrilled" the group by describing other vacations she had been on in the dim past. That was certainly more exciting than being on vacation in the present.

After lunch, the two groups went together to visit a town of a few thousand. At this town, the "mayor," a Brahmin, invited them to witness/participate in a local ritual. After this, the two women went with Pati and BeeBee's jeep driver back to their drop-off point, while the guide took Pati and BeeBee to a very small village. Here they were surrounded by every child in the village as they visited the carpenter and the shepherd's penned-up lambs (but not the shepherd). They saw the shepherd's wife (who provides school lunches every day) when she took a long stick to chase the children away.  They were led around by the head man of the village, who was accompanied hand-in-hand by his small grandson. Leaving the village, they looked for wildlife along the road, without any luck.  By the time they got back to their own driver (Deepak), they had traveled 60 kilometers (36 miles).

Before they started back to Jodhpur, they visited two craftsmen in a small area near where they had met the jeep safari.  The first craftsman was a potter, whose largest product is the water vessel they had just seen at the private home. This pot keeps water cool even in the hottest weather, through evaporation. He demonstrated making many clay items, using a 100 kg (220 pound) wheel that he propelled with a sharp piece of wood. Once he got the wheel up to speed, he could make many objects while momentum kept the wheel turning. He demonstrated the durability of  a pottery lamp by bouncing it off a concrete floor (or mud and cow dung floor - they look pretty much the same).

The second craftsman stamped patterns onto cloth, using natural products, including mud. He was actually selling products made by his village, because his village was too far away for tourists to visit easily. These craftsmen were more genuine than those in the city, because they actually demonstrated their craft.

The drive back to the hotel took about a half hour.  Pati and BeeBee had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and then stayed awake long enough for their laundry to be delivered back to them.

Jodhpur - Hotel Ratan Vilas

Wednesday, 12 November 2014, Jodhpur

The hotel Ratan Vilas in Jodhpur is very well laid out for finding your way around and has several nice courtyards for sitting and relaxing or eating. There is a fine water fountain on the entry walk.  The hotel also has a beautiful swimming pool, which Pati has been looking at longingly. Pati and BeeBee's room is large and comfortable. BeeBee said to Pati yesterday that this would be a wonderful place for a large family.  This morning they went to the restaurant (under a tent almost identical to the one at Manvar) for the buffet breakfast. While the meal was good, and the European-style items were filling, the Indian-style food in the covered pots was almost gone. Pati and BeeBee arrived during the early part of the breakfast period, and they have only seen European guests, so who ate all that food?

After breakfast, Pati went to test the temperature of the pool water. It was cool, and the outside temperature was cooler. The pool is beautiful, and there are dressing rooms and showers nearby. Pati will have to enjoy the sight rather than the actual swimming.

Walking back to their room, an elderly Indian gentleman seated on the veranda called out "namaste." They responded with the proper hand motion and "namaste."  As they climbed the steps, BeeBee asked how he was this morning. He was pleased to be asked, stood up and talked with them. He told them he is the owner of this hotel. His grandfather built it in the 1920s and he was born and raised here. He, a son, and a grandson still live here on the first floor. Given the history of this place, that means he is descended from Rajasthani royalty.

And, happily for BeeBee, she has turned in another load of laundry to be cleaned while she and Pati are out for a full day of touring.

Jodhpur - First Afternoon

Tuesday, 11 November 2014, Manvar and Jodhpur

Pati and BeeBee had a cold night in the tent at Manvar. Luckily, the bathroom was warmer than the bedroom when it was time to shower. At breakfast in the tent, many people came wearing sweatshirts and one woman even had one of those puffy winter jackets. Wimps. The Americans (Pati and BeeBee) and the British were comfortable enough in shirtsleeves. Pati and the Englishman were able to exchange photographs each took of the other pair riding the camels, using the wifi capability of their cameras.

At 9:50 am, the staff arrived to carry luggage to the truck that would take them to the main resort. It was almost no distance to get back, unlike the trip to the tents yesterday afternoon. The drivers for Pati and BeeBee and for the British couple were waiting, and so they went off in opposite directions, the British to Jaisalmer and the Americans to Jodhpur.

Pati and BeeBee arrived in Jodhpur just before noon and their driver dropped them at Ratan Vilas, promising to be back at 4 pm for the afternoon tour. The guide was not there to meet them, but showed up at 1:30 for the usual meet and greet. Pati and BeeBee had a quick lunch, then rested until 4 pm.

At 4pm, the driver dropped them and the guide in the market in the middle of town. They walked around, with the guide pointing out some of the old architecture, but mostly talking about textile crafts. He introduced them to some buying opportunities, and at the second such stop, the merchant was so dissatisfied with their 400 rupee ($6.40 USD) purchase that he turned off the fan and the lights  before the purchase was concluded.

Continuing their walk, they saw the clock tower, which was pretty and kept time. Leaving this, they climbed on the back of a carriage pulled by a horse. The driver and the guide faced forward, while Pati and BeeBee faced backward looking at traffic crowding behind them, on a much narrower seat. Pati got some good pictures. After some time riding inches from traffic without a good handhold on the carriage, BeeBee remarked to Pati, "Where is Deepak [their driver] when we need him? I bet he's right behind us." Pati looked up, and there was Deepak directly behind them in the car. Happy waves were exchanged. Deepak stayed behind the carriage as a buffer between them and the other traffic. After a few more minutes, the carriage stopped, and Pati and BeeBee (and the guide) rode in the car back to the hotel.

Now the reader may have realized by this time that Pati and BeeBee are very pleased with their driver. He will have been their driver for 13 days, having picked them up at the airport in Jaipur, and intending to drop them off at the airport in Udaipur. He has taught himself English, and improved his skills by interacting with those English-speakers that he drives around as an employee of the travel agency.  He is an excellent driver, friendly, conscientious, always there when he is needed.  Pati and BeeBee are not always pleased with their guides, especially when they try to provide buying opportunities (they get kickbacks). After Deepak dropped them off at the hotel, the guide stayed to query Pati and BeeBee about Deepak. "Is his English good," he wanted to know. They assured him that Deepak's communication skills were excellent. The guide has excellent English, and seemed to want to promote himself by disparaging others with lesser skill. Pati and BeeBee think that how they interact with their driver is none of the guide's business. They think that he must be Brahmin. (Jodhpur, the Blue City, is a Brahmin city.)  BeeBee expects that that they will get a lecture about caste tomorrow; every guide that has done this has also self-identified as Brahmin.

Being very full from lunch, Pati and BeeBee had only dessert (custard and fruit) for dinner before heading off for a much-needed night's rest.

Manvar

Monday, 10 November 2014, Manvar

This morning Pati and BeeBee had their last breakfast at the Hotel Pleasant Haveli and set off at 10 am with their driver for their next destination: Manvar. They stopped at the same rest stop as before and had coffee/tea while their driver had a quick breakfast. Shortly after continuing their drive, they passed the turnoff to Phalodi and were happy they weren't headed in that direction again.

At about 1 pm, they arrived at Manvar Resort and Camp and checked in. Their actual room was a tent just a little farther into the Thar desert. They were grouped with an English couple for the drive to the tents. They didn't know it at first, but this drive was the jeep safari. As the ride continued, they began to wonder just how early they would have to get up on Tuesday to get back to the starting point for a 10 am checkout. The jeep safari was 99.9% off-road through scrub and sand. The best parts for Pati and the Englishman were the unexpected rollercoaster-like steep drops down through scrub and dunes. Reminiscent of the Pushkar ferris wheel, there were no seatbelts, just rollbars.

They saw Indian antelope, deer, birds, and the occasional cow. They also visited the home of a local Rajasthani woman and observed her cooking hut, concrete house, lamb pen, and storehouse. The paving on the ground was a mixture of cow manure and mud, dried to the appearance and hardness of concrete. Since the group had taken off their shoes for the visit, this was information that Pati and BeeBee could have done without.  She was preparing dinner. She was dressed in traditional clothing with a veil; she kept her face covered when any of the tour group was near her. As the group was about to leave her cooking hut, where she was at the time, she received a call on her cellphone. She pulled the phone from somewhere inside her costume and took the call. It was a startling juxtaposition of modern with medieval.

The jeep dropped them off at the tent camp, and their luggage arrived an hour later. Pati and BeeBee were in tent #2 and the English couple were in tent #3. There are approximately 40 tents for guests, a large meal tent, and a concrete circle for the night's entertainment, with low cushions set in a semicircle for viewing the entertainment. (This seating is only there in the evenings.)

At 5 pm, Pati and BeeBee, the English couple, and some other campers set off on their camel safari to view the sunset from high sand dunes. Ths time, Pati and BeeBee were both on the same camel, and he had a definite list to one side. For the second time, they held on tight, but this time the trip had more up-and-down to it: more climbing and descending, more drop-offs. Finally at the top, the group of 5 camels and drivers, 9 riders, and 2 small boys enjoyed the sunset. The group returned to camp the same way and arrived before total darkness.

Pati and BeeBee then sat on the terrace beside the meal tent for quality internetting. That's where the signal is strongest. The entertainment of traditional music and dancing began after dark, and the guests were treated to (also traditional) snacks during the performance. The stars overhead were clear and beautiful. Entertainment was followed by a good meal in the tent.  At 9 pm, most of the guests (including Pati and BeeBee) had retired to their tents.

The tent has a light-colored stone tiled  porch about 6' by 14' with steps, a bedroom about 14' square, and a modern permanent bathroom about 6' by 14' with sink, toilet, and shower. The walls of the tent are double canvas, white on the outside and decorated on the inside. The outer door zips shut from either side, and can be rolled up. The bathroom door is a reed hanging plus a canvas door that can be rolled up. There are 4 windows that can be pulled up like roman shades with non-moving screens. There are electric lights and ample outlets. The concrete floor is covered completely by sisal rugs in the bedroom, and by dark stone tile in the bathroom. The furnishings are elegantly simple. This is one of BeeBee's favorite "hotels" so far.

Pati gets a haircut

Sunday, 9 November 2014, Jaisalmer

Pati and BeeBee had planned to carry their luggage on airplanes (that didn't work) so he couldn't bring anything to trim his beard. After three weeks in India, he was feeling shaggy and wanted a haircut. He saw many "barbershops" in Philodi but wasn't sure about them and the hotel there was so bad, he wouldn't trust their advice. When he got to Jaisalmer, the hotel was nice so he asked where there was a good barber.  They told him, and off he and BeeBee went.

When they got to the shop, it had four barber chairs, three barbers, and two bench seats in a 10 by 15 foot area. A barber was calling for Pati to come and get a haircut from about 50 feet away. He must really have needed that haircut! He went in and BeeBee waited outside. As she waited, shoeshine boys began to circle her and she was likely to get her shoes shined no matter what she said. Pati's barber took pity on her and let her sit on one of the bench seats inside with her shineless shoes.

Pati asked what his haircut would cost and they told him 100 rupees for his hair and 50 for his beard. Since Pati has a complete beard and almost no hair, this seemed like an odd pricing scheme but he said OK. What followed was a reasonable haircut using only scissors and a razor. The barber then asked if Pati would like a good Ragisthani massage. Pati said no, so the barber went to work. Various creams were applied and an electric hand-held massager appeared. It looked a little to Pati like something you would use to unplug a drain or a very small toilet. Pati's face was thoroughly massaged. Pati began to enjoy the massage but the barber would regularly spray cold water in his face like Pati does to his cats when they are very bad. At one point, Pati realized all the creams had glued his eyes shut. He also had quite a bit of pain in his eardrum when the barber covered his ear with the massage machine and massaged away. Eventually, the creams were wiped off and it actually felt pretty good. The barber, proud of his work, said "you look like maharaja now."

With the massage, everything cost 500 rupees. Pati tipped another 100 because the barber didn't even attempt to sell Pati souvenirs while he had the knife to his throat!

Best Barber in Jaisalmer with Maharaja

Jaisalmer - a Free Day

Sunday, 9 November 2014, Jaisalmer

For those readers who have wondered how to pronounce the name of this city: Pati and BeeBee's guide, who was born here, says JESS-sel-mer, with the last two syllables equally (un)accented.

Pati and BeeBee slept in on this free day until 6:30 am. After wonderful hot baths and turning in their laundry (yesterday's clothing was full of sand), they had breakfast in the rooftop restaurant. This restaurant is rated highly on Trip Advisor (#6 of 118 restaurants in Jaisalmer) and, more importantly, breakfast here is included in their tour price.

Their plan for the day is to walk back to the Fort with stops at shops they have already identified, also with excellent reviews on Trip Advisor.

Walking out from the hotel at about 10 am, they easily found their way back to the Fort. There is a barber shop just before the outer gate, and Pati stopped for a haircut.  (See that blog post.) Then they entered the Fort, passing through the four gates and into the square in front of the palace that they toured yesterday morning.

They were looking for a particular shop, and it was described by various sources as being just at the exit from the palace. They looked on every street in the fort with no luck. Then they thought that maybe it was outside the fort, so they searched streets just outside the fort also. No luck. They saw 1st Gate, a restaurant that is well-rated on Trip Advisor, and decided that they would try looking again after lunch.

After lunch, they asked the manager of 1st Gate where to find the shop. He gave them the same directions they already had. Once back in the fort, Pati tried a ruse: when approached by a tout (call him tout #1), Pati said he was 't shopping, he was supposed to meet a friend at (the location he was given for the shop). The tout took them to the exact location they had already tried and said he would look, too! No shop. Pati then went into a hotel lobby and asked the manager where the shop was. He gave directions which Pati understood and could follow. Unfortunately, tout #2 was also in the hotel lobby listening and called a confederate (tout #3), who overtook Pati and BeeBee on their way to the shop and insisted on accompanying them while acting like a guide. Soon he handed them off to tout #4, who accompanied them to the shop itself. It was not outside the palace exit; it was on top of the fort wall.  The shop owner showed his merchandise, which was beautiful, and Pati made a purchase. The shop keeper did not accept credit cards, but tout #4 graciously offered to handle the charge in his shop and repay this shop owner. And Pati and BeeBee could look at his merchandise while they were there ...  Pati dug deep and came up with the rupees to pay the shop owner right then and there. Tout #4 insisted on accompanying them afterward, and took them into his shop. As his assistant dragged out bedspreads and other large items, BeeBee said she already had bought all that on other trips and didn't want more, while Pati said he felt ill. Tout #4  finally gave up and let them go. Except for being a tout, Tout #4 seemed like a nice fellow with a pretty wife and child (he showed them pictures).

After this, Pati and BeeBee had two more places to track down, an ATM (since they will be hard to find for the next few days) and a famous sweets shop. They finally found a working ATM that had money to dispense, by walking several streets near their hotel until they found one. (On the way, Pati stepped in a cow pie. He supposed this was karma getting back at him for pretending to be sick to get away from the tout.)  The sweets shop they found by following the excellent directions of  their own hotel's manager, and they bought a few of the sweets that are always shown in pictures of Ganesh. They taste somewhat like Gulab Jamun, which they also like, but are bright yellow.

Finally back at their hotel, they headed to the rooftop restaurant for a last good dinner at their hotel. They had Gulab Jamun for dessert. 

Jaisalmer - Afternoon of the First Full Day

Saturday, 8 November 2014, Jaisalmer

Pati and BeeBee met with their driver and guide just before 4:30 and started for Sam, where they were to join a camel safari and view the setting sun from sand dunes. Their route to Sam appeared to run north-northwest for about 30 km.  The guide said that they would be about 80 km (48 miles) from the border with Pakistan.

When they arrived in Sam, the guide took them to the camel driver and his assistant (little boy) who would lead their camels.  The camels were already kneeling in the sand. Pati and BeeBee learned how to get on a camel. Throw your right leg over the camel. If  the leg won't go over, have someone grab the ankle and pull it to the other side of the camel. Have that same person push on your - ahem - derrier from the left side until you are squarely seated behind the pommel. Grab the pommel firmly and lean back, because the camel is going to stand up on its hind legs and you don't want to do a header over the pommel. The driver will also be helping you stay in the saddle. Then continue hanging on tightly as the front end of the camel comes up. Then your role is to hang onto the pommel tightly and try not to fall off as the camel rocks along.

With the two camel drivers leading their camels, Pati and BeeBee joined the end of a long line of camels with riders. They rode for about 15 minutes through scrub, coming to the sand dunes as the sun finally broke free of the haze that had hidden it until then. They dismounted at the foot
of a very tall dune and scrambled to the top, where they settled down on the sand to wait for sunset.  Pati got some pictures of the sun about to set, and then the sun disappeared behind the haze again. After a few minutes, they climbed back down the dune and mounted their camels again, a little more efficiently this time. The drivers led their camels to the road where their (automobile) driver and guide waited for them.

After about 30 minutes of driving in the quickly falling darkness, they were back at the hotel.  Pati tipped the guide for his 1 1/2 days of service. BeeBee gave the guide his voucher, so that he could get paid, and wrote a brief review of his work for him. She gave him a good but generic review. He was pleasant, he had followed the itinerary, and his attempts to steer them into unwanted buying opportunities were the result of pressure from his associates, with whom he must remain on good terms. Pati and BeeBee understand this, but do not feel obligated to fall into these traps. Contrary to popular belief, they are not walking ATM machines.

It was agreed with the driver that he and they would have a free day tomorrow. He will pick them up Monday morning at 10 am and they will continue to Manvar to spend the night in a tent. BeeBee does not know where the driver will spend that night.

Pati and BeeBee then went to the hotel's rooftop restaurant to have a delicious dinner. (They would like to try some other restaurants near their hotel, that get good reviews on Trip Advisor, but they are reluctant to walk around outside after dark. The odds of stepping in something unpleasant increase greatly after dark. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight ...)

A welcome delivey to their room: clean laundry! Then internetting and to bed.

Whoa...