Jodpur to McLeod Ganj, India

Jodhpur was really nice... they call it the 'blue city.' In the past, the Brahmin (the priest caste) families were the only ones that were allowed to paint their houses blue, but today it is common. It's supposed to keep the houses at a good temperature all year round with the added benefit of repelling mosquitoes! We went on a tour of Merherangarh (Majestic) fort, above the city. The views were amazing, a mosaic of blue. The fort itself was very well preserved and our entrance fee included an informative audio tour. Leaving the fort, we met a Peace Corp Bangledesh Volunteer, Craig, who we ended up hanging out with for the rest of our time in Jodhpur. It was interesting swapping Peace Corps stories and hearing a bit of a different perspective about the region. He taught us that we don't have to pay extra for refrigerated beer (we have been getting taken this whole time!).

And now we are in McLeod Ganj. The home of the Tibetan government in exile and H.H. the Dalai Lama. We arrived in McLeod Ganj after the scariest bus ride that we have ever been on. We were whipping around blind mountain-side turns at 40mph at night while our driver was paying more attention to his friends than to the road. Our protector on this ride was a colorful blinking Christmas light version of Shiva, the god of destruction, posted at the front of the bus. Not exactly what you might call comforting. When we arrived, we came to find out that there were no hotels with free rooms... not what you want to hear at 11pm after traveling 27 hours to get there. The reason was that the Dalai Lama was teaching. So the inconvenience of finding a room was worth the effort. We have been able see him teach a few times already. The area is beautiful ... our 1st time in the Himalayas.

Jaisalmer, India

Six days, Five nights, Three camels and Two guides... The Thar Desert treated us well at some times and poorly at others. We opted for the "non-touristic" safari, which was great: we only saw one other group the entire time. Even so, the first several villages get the most passers-by, and so we were bombarded with: "hello- one rupee" and kids asking for everything from pens to chocolate (in the desert...a melty mess that would be) to the shirts on our backs. Literally. With 5 villages like this in the first day, we weren't sure the trip was going to be all that "Non- Touristic." But as the trip progressed, we started seeing more desert, and fewer villages and nicer people.

A few days later, we found ourselves in a desert hail storm with more lightning than we've ever seen. For over two hours, four people huddled underneath a 2 meter tarp with holes in it. Wet and cold. The rain did subside though, and dinner (chai, desert style chapati, rice and dhal) was awesome.

Things changed for the better the next day, and we celebrated Holi (one of the largest Hindu holidays) in a small, welcoming village. The 14th was relaxed. There was a bonfire and desert moonshine. The 15th was a big party- whiskey, chillums, and... color! Everyone was covered in colorful powders that the children threw, demanding "rupees or color." The whole village looked like Joseph's Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Goa to Mumbai to Pushkar, India

So, we have been on the go lately...

We were in Goa for a few days... long enough to be there for their Wednesday market which was about as sprawling of a tourist market that you can find. We got lost in the maze of brightly colored tapestries, clothing, jewelry and the such... whatever you wanted to buy in India, you could find at this market. Other than that, Goa was a bit overdone and we are super glad that we decided to stay in Gokarna for a bit longer... but we did treat ourselves to a pina colada for sunset after a long day of relaxing in the sun.

Mumbai was a whirlwind ... but quite an interesting town. We spent the majority of it wandering around. We went to the locals night spot... Chowpatti Beach. Getting on to the bus from our hostel (The Salvation Army... the most expensive place that we've stayed yet on this trip!) we met the nicest Indian who walked us around the beach. Traveling around makes you put up your guard towards anyone who randomly comes up to you, but we've come in contact with so many friendly Indians who are genuinely interested in us and showing us part of their country ... it has made for a wonderful experience. Chowpatti beach is known for it's bhel puri, a spicy Indian snack and this man took us to the best shop for it (there are about 20 shops within 50ft that all sell the same thing). It was so good that we came back the next afternoon and had some more. We also sent a package home from here... what an ordeal... it took about two hours to get it packaged up correctly (including getting it checked by customs before having it wrapped in fabric and wax sealed) before we could send it... gives us a little glimpse into the buracuracy and red tape that is all we hear and read about in India.

And we finally made it into the state of Rajistan. Most of the things that you think of when you think of India, are from Rajistan. Turbans, mirror-work fabrics, camels, dome topped buildings...all are the wonders of this state. Pushkar is a holy city, and also a touristic highlight of any trip to India...although, Chris and I are finding it too touristic...most of what there is to do in this small 1 street town is shop. And considering we just sent stuff home, we aren't in the mood to stuff our packs full again. So we are heading to Jaisalmer tomorrow where we plan on doing a camel trek for a few days. Should be a bumpy ride!