Rajasthani Thali

Buses leave Jaisalmer for Jodhpur every hour, so it isn't too hard to get tickets. We decided that 3:30 sounded like a good time to go, since that would give us time to clean up but still reach our destination before it got too late.

It's getting to the point where five-hour bus rides seem like pieces of cake, hardly worth worrying about at all. We decided we'd be fine with regular seats as opposed to a bunk, especially since we'd be traveling during the day. The bus was more or less what you might expect from a local Indian bus: old and rickety, only moderately clean, and full of people.

Somewhere around halfway through the trip we were startled by a sudden CRASH of glass that seemed to keep going -- it was inside the bus and somewhere ahead of us. It sounded like someone had dropped a case of flower vases off the roof or something. When the last tink-tinks had faded, I peeked out into the aisle and realized that one of the windows on a bunk ahead of us had, somehow, fallen into the aisle. Luckily, no one seemed to be injured. The bus guys managed to get it (more or less) cleaned up before we had to walk that way, although I'm pretty sure I saw a couple of shards still scattered along the floor.

Jodhpur is a city. A big city. Maybe it's the fact that I was sleeping and had to be woken up when we rolled into town around 9pm, maybe it's the fact that we had just left the smallish town of Jaisalmer and come into someplace that reminded me distinctly of the bustling metropolis of Delhi, but I wasn't really feeling it. We got swarmed by tuk-tuk drivers as we stepped off the bus; if I were new to India and unfamiliar with the smallness of the Personal Bubble here I'd have gotten a little worried about just how tightly they closed in.

After some discussion we (read: Brij) struck a deal with the one guy and we were on our way to the hotel that the guys in Jaisalmer had recommended. The main roads in Jodhpur were noisy, dirty, and teeming with people and animals. Just as they always do, people stared at us as we drove past; apparently white girls are still uncommon enough that we're worth special attention. Normally I don't care, but I was tired and a little fussy and growing more anxious by the minute. In times like that it's really beneficial to have someone you can lean on and trust to just get you where you need to go. 

A few kilometers later we arrived at Baba Haveli, where Imran Bhai got us all set up in a room just outside the terrace and some dinner on the rooftop (they make a pretty kickass chicken biryani, FYI). He pointed out the local palaces, the fort, and the clock tower: the main points of interest in the area. 

Le Fort.

We were glad to know if we needed to go back to the future we had at least one of the necessary components close by.

We were pretty wrecked from the camel riding, so Jodhpur more or less functioned as a place to rest on the way to our next adventure. We did a lot of chilling and just exploring the town near the haveli.

We sampled some Rajasthani thali at a couple of different restaurants. Yum!

Friday we decided to check out the fort because after the clock tower (which we basically passed every time we went into town from our guest house) it was the closest of all the other attractions.

Boni, the Spanish guy we met over breakfast at the haveli, was on his way back from the fort as we were trying to figure out how to get to it, so he escorted us. He's a cool dude (and also a very tall one).

This old guy saw us taking photos with Boni and he wanted one, too. See? White girl is a spectacle.

Not sure why so much of the city below is painted blue, but it looks cool.

Sunset over Jodhpur, as seen from Mehrengarh Fort.

We did a little shopping in town and, just as I'd suspected, once I spent a little time there I got my bearings and didn't mind the atmosphere so much. Regardless, we decided to move on to the next city on the itinerary, Udaipur.

Waking up at 5am to pack, eat a quick breakfast ("You want cold milk with your corn flakes? How can anybody eat that?") and make a 7am bus across town takes it out of you. 

The bus stopped for a snack & bathroom break. See what's up in the corner behind the guy at the counter? Hint: if you're from Chicago you should be used to seeing a lot of them.

Something I've noticed about the bathroom culture in India: "ladies only" toilets are not uncommon, even if they just consist of an area hidden by a wall from the outside world, with a series of holes in the ground. Guys are expected to just pee in the open, whether it be in the bushes or, as we saw numerous times in Jodhpur, off to the side between some cars or against a wall, wherever you can find, basically. For all the gender inequality here, India does make some effort to make things a bit more comfortable for its women even if it is just through women's only toilets, seats on buses, cars on trains, salons, and the like.

The rest of the bus ride was without incident, except for at the very end when I woke up from my nap, pulled back the curtain over the window, and found that whoever was in the bunk above us had vomited all down the side of the bus. I was REALLY glad I'd kept the window closed.

We arrived in Udaipur yesterday afternoon and basically took the first hotel room we could find, at a place right on the lake called Hanuman Ghat Hotel. I think we're on the fifth floor, and just like everywhere except the fanciest of hotels, there is no elevator. I felt like I was climbing the Shinra Tower. Our door literally opens into the rooftop restaurant, though, so at least food is close by.

The view ain't half bad from up here.