Rajasthan: Jaipur & Pushkar

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Jaipur

We arrived into Jaipur as the sun was rising and took a rickshaw to the hotel Alex booked for us called Ganesh Hotel.  It was so nice to see him there waiting for us especially since it was so early in the morning.  It was across the street from where he was staying with his family.  While the location was perfect, he had not checked out the rooms before hand and unfortunately, to his and our surprise, they were quite unappealing (old and rundown, bloodstain on my pillow, no shower only a bucket to fill with water for showering...).   After a few glasses of chai tea we had a bit of a rest before going over to Alex’s house.  The house was not so much a house as it was a small community.  It was awesome.   There were many different buildings that surrounded a common courtyard-type area and so there were many families living there together (all related).   We hung out there for a while meeting his aunts, uncles, and cousins.  They were all so nice and welcoming.   When Raj came we moved into one of the rooms in the house and someone in his family made us all breakfast and tea….I’m telling you, they were so kind.  We got to meet various friends of Alex’s as they came in and out while we were eating.  It was a feeling of such a close community where no invitations were needed and so people would just stop over to visit whenever they wished. Raj left to go back to the house he was staying at to get a van so that we could all fit to go to Galta (a.k.a. Monkey Temple).  When he came back to pick us up he had his 3 year old nephew Rahil with him because Rahil had cried wanting to come along.  The poor boy who so badly wanted to come along was petrified as soon as he saw us and would not speak a word the rest of the afternoon, despite our attempts to win him over.

The Monkey Temple is east of Jaipur and consists of  a number of temples and pavilion-like areas that surround a sacred pool that people, as well as some of the millions of monkeys there, bathe in.  We visited many of the temples and hung out with the Sadu’s (holy men).  It was so interesting and they told many stories in Hindi that Raj would then translate for us.  As we hiked up to the top of the rocky valley Raj got us peanuts to feed to the monkeys there.  It was so funny how they would just walk right up to you and take it out of your hand.  Some monkeys were gentle and would delicately take the peanut from you while others seemed more greedy and would hastily shovel all the peanuts from your hand.  At the top we visited the temple of the sun god where we were given flower necklaces, a string wrapped around our wrists, and a bindi mark on our foreheads.   These are all religious Hindu blessings/symbols.   From the top of the valley you could see out over all Jaipur.  Raj told us that the view from the Tiger Fort was even better, so we hiked down to try to make it there for sunset.

When we got down to the car we were pleasantly surprised to see that Rahul had come to meet us, and we all headed off to Nahargarh Fort (a.k.a. Tiger Fort).  The drive there was beautiful, passing the water palace (which had dried up over the last few years and so there was not much, if any, water- but still beautiful), among other buildings and great landscapes.   We made it in time for sunset and after hung around for a while having some beers and catching up.  It began to get really cold out and I was feeling pretty sick so we drove back to Alex’s where his family made us the greatest dinner of various veggie curries and such, with lots of naan.

The next morning Tovah, Anna, Charlie, and I went to get thali for breakfast.   Thali is a variety of different dishes (curries/gravies) along with different kinds of bread to eat it with (i.e. naan, chapatti, etc.), and the waiters come around constantly to refill whichever you would like more of.  After stuffing ourselves the boys took us to see rugs being made.  It was cool to see how long and intricate the process is…no wonder they are so expensive.   Afterwards we all decided to take home some small rug(s) as a memento.  We were not surprised that when we went to find the boys that they had met another traveler, Paul (from Amsterdam), and were hanging out on the roof of the rug factory. After chilling for a bit, we stopped at a bedding factory so that we could do the last of our shopping.  I felt like we were Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman as we sat on the couch being brought chai after chai while they would take out various blankets, sheets, and comforters to show us.

From there the boys decided that they wanted to make a fire and cook and eat dinner that evening outside.  On our way to the dried up dam on the outskirts of a large forest, we stopped to pick up some of their friends, food, wood, drinks, etc.  Once Rahul's car (that I was in) got there, the fire was already started.  It turned out that since the wood was a little wet they had difficulties and so Tovah (who was in Raj's car that arrived first) offered to sacrifice some of the pages of our India and Nepal book in order to get it going.  While the pages used were of places we were not visiting or those we have already been, there have been a few times recently that I have tried to look something up only to find that it has been lost in the flames!   Anyway, you could tell they all knew what they were doing as they worked together cooking the food.   While it was cooking we chatted and watched the fireworks that were going off in the distance.  Despite the cold and sporadic rain, it was a great picnic with excellent food and even better company, consisting of lovely people from all over the world.

The next morning we packed up and went to check out of the hotel.  We were told that we were going to be charged for a whole other day as we checked in at 7 am and it was 10 am then when we were checking out.  We were very confused but the guy at reception told us it was 24 hours check-in (meaning you have to check out at the same time or before you initially checked in or you'll be charged for another day).  Well, since no one told us that, nor were there any signs anywhere stating that, we disputed it.  Luckily Alex came and somehow took care of it so we didn't have to pay for the 3 hours that we were late by. After that we moved our bags to Alex’s house while the four of us went to go see the Amber Fort.  It was quite an impressing structure and spanned many kilometers.   If we separated for a second we would all manage to lose each other in the maze of rooms, hallways, and balconies.   While part of it was built primarily as a residential fort for the maharajah, his wives and harem, the other part was built for defense.  It definitely seemed to be a fort that would be hard to penetrate.   Something interesting to note is that the largest canon on wheels in the world is located there.

By the time we got back to Alex’s it was already getting late so we had to get our bags and say goodbye.  It was sad saying bye but I think we all felt that we would be seeing them again (which we did a few days later).  We walked to the bus station and purchased our tickets.  The station was very chaotic and we were rushed on the bus.  Tovah and Anna were in the bathroom and the bus kept starting to drive off.  Charlie and I had to do what we could to stall it until the girls got back- especially since our bags were already loaded on.

The bus was a scary experience, but would have been much more terrifying if it was in the daylight.   Since we were on at night we could feel the jerks and bumps, but could not see the cars as we dodged them head on, nor the side of the road as the bus struggled to stay on it.  On the bus it seemed Tovah was beginning to get the sickness/cold that Anna and I had and she was feeling pretty ill.  When we got into Ajmer bus station we fought the taxi drivers off until we managed to get a hold of Hotel Navretan Palace in Pushkar that had rooms available for us.  We were told that we could get a taxi large enough to fit us and our stuff....not exactly the case.  The car they had for us was very small with not much room in the trunk.  The roof was equally as small and despite our bags being tied on there, once we reached our destination we saw that Tovah’s was one bump in the road away from falling off .  As far as comfort goes, we made the half hour ride pass by singing songs and entertaining our driver so that he payed attention to the road rather than trying to rummage through his cassette tapes to play for us.

Pushkar Tovah woke up the next morning and was feeling worse so she decided to take that day to rest and try to get better.  After making sure she had everything she needed, Anna, Charlie, and I went to try to sort out our travel plans and get the necessary tickets for the rest of our time in India.  As soon as we stepped out of the hotel we were given a flower each and led off to Brahma Ghat on Pushkar Lake by locals to take part in a Hindu ceremony (Pushkar puja ceremony).  We were previously warned about this by Alex and so we knew that once we began we needed to be clear about the money that we planned to donate or they would continue to ask us to donate for this temple, and that cause, and so on, until we had no money left.  Aside from the money aspect of it, I found it to be a very beautiful ceremony.   This was partly due to having a priest that was not as pushy for donations as Anna and Charlie's was.  Instead he was kinder and didn't push when I told him all the money I was able to donate.   However the others were made to feel guilty and asked for crazy donations like 5,000 or 10,000 rupees!

The ceremony consisted of being given a tray with rice, red dye, yellow dye (signifying good fortune, good health, peace, and happiness) and a red and yellow "prayer" string.  I was then told to put my flower in the center of the tray.  The man leading me through the ceremony put the prayer string over my head, then dipped his finger in a bowl of water and then into the red dye and made a bindi on my forehead.  He had me repeat prayers after him while I dipped my hands in the water and dropped the water onto the tray.  He asked about my family as he said that this was for them as well, and had me pour water on the tray 3 times for the people in my life that have passed away.  As he tied the prayer string around my wrist, he told me to say a prayer, or just think about my loved ones each time it wrapped around.   Lastly he told me to walk down the steps of the ghat to the water and throw the various things on the tray into the water while thinking of my loved ones.  While Anna and Charlie had different experiences to mine, we all came out of it with our bracelets that we were told serve as a "Pushkar passport".   Meaning that with these bracelets we were allowed to visit ghats, and other places in Pushkar as well as that we would not be harassed by anyone to participate in the ceremony anymore.

After the ceremony we went to the travel agent and learned that unfortunately one of the trains we wanted was booked.  We opted for taking an overnight bus instead.   While we were there, Alex and Rahul called and said that they were going to leave Jaipur and drive to meet us in Pushkar that evening.  We asked if there was a room available at our hotel, but there wasn't so we walked around town and booked the boys a room.  Before they came we cleared it with the guys at our hotel that we would be having friends come and we would like to be able to hangout with them there.  They said no problem and even said that we did not have to worry about the curfew for having guests over.  Well, this all took a different turn once they saw that our friends were Indian. Then all of a sudden it was not ok, and they even called up to the room we were in to talk to the boys telling them they had to leave.  When Rahul and Anna went down to speak with them in person, they said that we could hangout in the lobby or the courtyard but not in the room.  Since it was dark and cold out we decided to move to the boy's hotel.  By the time Charlie and I walked back to our hotel, it was completely quiet and deserted in the streets.  The only movement was one car that stopped to ask the two apparent tourists for directions, the cows that were out wandering, and the people sleeping along almost every inch of the road.

The next day we all met for a late lunch and then tried to go to our hotel but again the management's tune changed.  Now they weren't allowed to be in our rooms in the day.  While agitated, we said ok, and opted for the courtyard to sit and visit as they had offered the night before.   Unfortunately this was no longer allowed either saying that the guests might be offended (seeing Indians with Westerners)!   This was appalling to us just as the pool sign was that stated that the Indian hotel guest were only allowed to swim at certain hours of the day while the other guests had different time slots.   Anyway, we once again had to go to Alex and Rahul's hotel where we just played cards until Alex had to leave to catch his bus back to Jaipur.  He was so sweet to make the trip to meet us despite having to return the very next day to embark on 2 days of continuous travel to Bangalore for work.  

Anna and Rahul drove him to Ajmer to catch the bus while Charlie, Tovah, and I stayed.  It was sad once again to say bye, but Tovah and I plan to see Alex and Rahul in Thailand.  So we headed to the lake for sunset.  The legend of Pushkar Lake is that Lord Brahma dropped a lotus flower (or pushkara) into the desert and where it fell a lake appeared and so Pushkar Lake is very holy.

Paul from Jaipur managed to track us down but was very sick with what he called 'Delhi belly'.  He wasn't even able to leave his room so we got him some bananas and drinks and brought them to him before we headed out on a hike up to Gayatri Mandir Temple.  The temple was named after one of Brahma's wives.  It was a pretty steep hike up but it offered great views of the valley.  Kids trailed us the whole way up asking for money, sweets, pens...the usual.   However, this time, the kids were a little more mischievous.   We had to leave our shoes at the entry to the temple's surroundings, and when we went to put our shoes back on to hike down, one of Tovah's was missing!   Luckily a local man there saw us searching and yelled down that the boys hid it under a pillar. 

Later that evening as we were hanging out in Anna and Charlie's room watching one wedding after another parade through the streets (it's wedding season in India and each wedding comes with a parade consisting of the groom on a horse and the whole wedding party and guests walking in the parade to loud traditional music, singing, and dancing towards the reception-it's really cool and different from what we are used to), Anna gave us all a lovely and thoughtful gift from Alex.  Ajmer is a very holy and significant place for Muslims, so when they were dropping Alex at the bus station there, he had bought us each a prayer string from the mosque that you wrap around your wrist (tying it into a bracelet).    Apparently you buy these strings for friends and family you wish good luck/fortune upon, and so we were very touched.

The following evening we had to catch our overnight bus from Ajmer to Agra.  It was a different experience than we were used to with the trains.  There were seats on the floor of the bus, and above them were double "beds" on one side, and single "beds" on the other.  We had double beds and while it wasn't too uncomfortable, with the crazy driving, Tovah, who was sleeping on the outside, nearly fell down into the aisle numerous times.  We woke up freezing while it was still dark out at our destination, Agra.