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Wandering the Thar Desert
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I took my first sleeper train in India from Jaipur to Jaisalmer. I was in an air conditioned car that was classified as 3 AC. This means it has 3 tiers of bunks on each wall of the train. Although this doesn't leave you enough room to sit up in your "bed", it was comfortable for the 12 hour overnight trip to Jaisalmer. The train didn't originate in Jaipur, so there were already passengers (mostly Indian) on it when I boarded. They were friendly and helped me locate my bunk in the semi-dark train car (some people were already sleeping).
Jaisalmer is a small town on the fringe of the Thar Desert. The main attraction is an old fort that Lonely Planet describes as a "giant sandcastle" and "evoking desert splendor". It felt like a hot and dusty desert frontier town to me. The fort, with its 99 ramparts and narrow winding lanes is picturesque and interesting, but ultimately not worth the long journey in my opinion. Unfortunately other than the fort, there really isn't much to the place! During the walk from my hotel into the central part of town, I saw more instances of public urination than on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. I don't think many of the homes I passed had indoor plumbing. Also, cows freely roamed the streets and consequently I had to keep a constant vigil to avoid stepping in large cow patties. I took a trip out to the nearby village of Sam to watch the sunset over desert sand dunes. It was nice, but I was constantly harassed by guys trying to get me to take a camel ride or buy a snack. Even the Internet café I used infected my USB memory stick with 12 different viruses when I plugged it in to one of their PCs (anti-virus software on my own laptop detected and removed the viruses later). To be honest, I was starting to tire of Rajasthan...on the pain/pleasure scale, pain was winning out.
It was on my 14 hour overnight bus ride from Jaisalmer to Udaipur that I realized what it was I had gained from visiting Jaipur and Jaisalmer. For me, those cities weren't about the sites, it was about observing the human condition. What I mean by that is a lot of the things I take for granted back home in the US are not available in Rajasthan for the majority of the population...things like stench-free air (note that I'm excluding Jersey from this), indoor plumbing / potable water, paved roads, or electricity. The majority of people in this state (one of the poorest in India) seem to live in squalor and slums. They live in conditions that would turn the stomach of your average Westerner, myself included. When I thought about these things I gained some much needed perspective. Here I am on an extended trip and I'm a bit disappointed that these tourist attractions didn't live up to the hype....in grand scheme of things that's really no big deal. Most of the locals I talked to in Rajasthan had not ever left their home state, much less journeyed to a foreign country. I started to feel fortunate again for having the opportunities that I do. I don't regret going to these cities since you really don't know what you are in for until you go.
Udaipur is my last stop in Rajasthan before heading down to the southern part of the country. I'm hoping that it's a relaxing place! More thumbnails ...
Latest Comments (2)
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I've always suspected (reply)
Feb 19, 2007 14:20 EST by djn12313
you to be an ungrateful bastard driving around that finely tuned Infiniti and living in a posh, upscale condo. Now I have it in writing.
Kidding, just kidding. Great slide show and write-up. Learning a lot about things I'll avoid when I travel over. ;-)
~Dirk~
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Check your email (reply)
Feb 18, 2007 07:49 EST by brj8826
Hey Brian, you checking your email? I sent you one last week asking when you were going to be in Bali. Steph and I are going to try and plan our trip out there around when you are going to be there.
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