HONK!....On the road again....HONK!

  Jodhpur, India
Saturday, September 15, 2007

Well well so we haven't had time to talk, yet lots has been happening.  The heat slows us down quite a bit during the afternoon.  Our Aussie/UK couple have taught us a new word, faffing which consists of taking lots of time to get ready based on constant organization, influenced by the heat.

Sunset Happy Hour!

   So on the 13th, we chose to start heading towards Jaislemere, a town on the western edge of India known for its spectacular fort and location on the trade routes of long ago.  After talking with Kevin, Luke, Bruno, Sulia(?) we decided to join them on our first ever bus trip in India.  We were all booked on the 8 am tourist bus out of Udaipur, with a six hour ride to Jodhpur.  We had spent the extra 40 rupees ($1) to ride on the deluxe tourist bus..... and as they say, is where our story begins....

Can you guess where the cheap seats are!?

    After leaving our lovely hotel, the Lake View Guest house, we rode a rickshaw to the bus station, arrived and threw our bags in the dust collector/luggage storage area of the bus.  We all get on and realize that only tourist have seats, and the collection of sleepers crammed at the top of the bus are filled with Indian business looking men.  The sleepers are little paneled off cubicles that have a little entrance from the bus and two big windows that slide open to allow air in, or trash out. 
   We take off, half hour an hour late and proceed to quickly make about 5 stops while still in town, promptly filling the aisle and our armrests with other people, that as far as we could see were getting a free ride on the tourist dime.  An interesting system and we soon realized the benefits of the closed in sleeper compartments as cranky kids screamed and everyone was hot and packed in the aisles.  Our one Aussie friend had someone sitting on his lap, sharing his chair!  The roads were surprisingly good and we went through country that reminded me of Joshua Tree National Park.  Our bus driver had an unusually heavy hand on the horn that was only outdone by the screeching of metal-to-metal brakepad clashes on every turn and hill.  After about an hour we are winding (whipping!?) down a mountain road and slow down over a bridge with one guardrail, and as we look out there is a huge, 30 foot dumptruck that had flipped into the creek bed.  Apparently it had happened within the last couple of hours or so because of the mass of people just hanging out.  Our bus did not stop, just tooted the horn.  

Bus hits Bus

ONWARDS, we leave the dumptruck and go around a corner with horns and brakes squealing and, like a mirror, comes another, remarkably large bus the other way.  It is apparent that neither driver was expecting this as the center line of the roads around here does not seem to be visible to most drivers.  So as our horns and brakes were already in use, there was not much our driver could do except slam the bus to 'our' side of the road and wait as the other bus does the same.  The buses hit and scrape down each side and roll to a stop about 20 feet apart, no real damage.  Every Indian leaves the bus.  Screaming ensues and for the next five minutes, instead of photos and insurance info, the native occupants scream, yell, gesture and point at each other, the road, buses, sky and little monkeys watching by the roadside.  The drivers don't seem terribly angry and do nothing physically aggressive and it seems like the people riding each of our buses yell and scream as much as they do.  After about 10 minutes total there is some looking at of watches and everyone gets back on the bus and we continue on.  We stop for lunch, coffee, (for any travelers, shut your window for about 20 minutes after lunch as the people in the sleeper compartments throw their trash, coffee, water (I hope) out of their windows and it usually splashes and comes through your window!)  The rest of the trip was uneventful, and with very sore butts we exit the bus into a horde of rickshaws that swarm on the bus like bees (they are even black and yellow.)  All three couples plan to meet at the clock tower in the center of town to walk from there to a hostel.  As Maia and I are weaving through the market area (read: cows, motorbikes, rickshaws, kids, hawkers, trash, carts, bikes, fruit, spices, junk) we see our Aussie/UK couple friends.  We stop our confused driver and start making plans with them for dinner tonight.  I think our driver thought we new every tourist in town!

The Clocktower market, Jodhpur.

   For the afternoon Maia and I wandered through the different markets of Jodhpur.  This area specializes in spices and hand sewn hangings.  There was some beautiful sights and smells as well as the usual exciting craziness that accompanies any Indian moment.  We stop for some fresh squeezed OJ and enjoy the cooling of the afternoon.  Maia has  been really good about documenting all of these day-to-day things.  

Dinner at Jodhpur

  So all 8 of us had drinks and dinner on the rooftop of a hotel here in Jodhpur as we watched the sun set over the fort and enjoyed a dinner of local food and local dancing by a family all dudded up in bright and shiny costumes.

Maia and Elle hanging with the dancers.....

 
 

Jodhpur train station!

Maia and I had chosen an overnight train to make our way to Jaisalmer we are again in awe of the ease of Indian rail travel.  A little late most of the time, but the 3AC class of sleepers are very comfortable and the AC is cold.  It has been our biggest expense, but some of our best nights sleep...... which makes it

The Fort at night!

doubly hard to walk out of a train at a new place into 90+ heat and be besieged by 10 or 15 touts explaining the merits of their respective guest houses.  Accompanied by thrusting of business cards in our faces as we are trying to take a drink of water.  Barely containing our urge to walk back on to the train the four of us (Aussie/UK and Maia and I) formulate a plan of action and motivate....
 

...lost in translation...