Taj Mahal Taj Mahal Blues: Thursday, December 3rd!

The question is whether or not you choose to disturb the world around you, or if you choose to let it go on as if you had never arrived. -Ann Patchett, writer (b. 2 Dec 1963)

P, thought you would appreciate this word. Thanks for all the bloggage from your journey. We are really living the surrogate travel. A story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but not necessarily in that order. -Jean-Luc Godard, film director (b. 3 Dec 1930) Be well and safe travels. Fond regards to you all, G & J

Hi Kidlets, et al! Trust all still goes well with everyone. Having a blast everywhere we go. Off to Agra this morning at 8:30 am so just dashing this off at the breakfast table, outside, monkeys frolicking in the trees opposite our table. Wait until you see the elephant ride, {Not yet loaded as upload time too, too great for this system!}, and the snake charmer, [https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=rpm8L6e8_GU&feature=vm], if you think we are having a grand time!

Illustration: Leah Palmer Preiss

Spent another terrific time seeing forts and palaces all day yesterday an then last night, Askok, our driver, took us to a gem store he knows and I bought Lady Dar two rings for Christmas, but she insisted on wearing them as soon as they were sized and polished! The staff served us Old Monk rum and coke while we browsed so we were pretty happy by the time Ashok drove us to have a wonderful meal at Spice Court, another local establishment he recommended. One of best meals we've enjoyed so very pleased with evening. Back home as Lady Dar was still recovering from a cold. Unfortunately, she missed the elephant ride to the fort and rest of sites as she stayed in her hotel room, sleeping, reading and watching old movies.

Hello to one and all from Lynne and Jugos, Lady Darjeeling and Cheers from Camel Drover/Elephant Mahout/Snake Charmer Patrizzio!

With respect to the sunset camel ride, [Video: https://youtu.be/cOSJ6_JtzsM], it was, perhaps, the highlight of our stay in Jaisalmer. Our guide, Naresh, was terrific. His explications were informative without being pedantic. Aside from not boating on the artificial lake we had seen, more or less, more impressive examples of this, (Udaipur), and the fort, (Jodhpur), and Jain temples, (Ranakpur/Mount Abu), so while it was still interesting, of course, to see these sites in Jaisalmer, we were not bowled over. Found the city within the fort to be extremely dirty and the majority of stalls/stores/hawkers selling tawdry/tacky wares. The vegetable market wasn’t nearly as extensive as ones we’d seen elsewhere but I suppose that is to be expected, given the limited ability of the surrounding countryside to grow as much, water being the key factor in this desert area.

Given what I’ve said, [We were already a tad disappointed about city.], as well as our mild misgivings about taking a camel ride, to begin with, we were more than surprised to find that we were all absolutely delighted with our time on the ships of the desert. I don’t think we ever stopped laughing at one thing or another or at each other or the other tourists, whether astride camels or on camel-drawn carts, a sleigh-ride on sand!  Mounting and dismounting were the trickiest but once aboard and aloft, (Quite a sensation when the majestic beast stands or sits. Felt almost like a Rajashtani puppet being jerked this way and that!), we enjoyed the swaying rhythm of the camels’ gait. Loved watching the padded hoofs of the camel in front as we climbed or descended the dunes near the end of the ride.

Our drovers were lovely, friendly, helpful, solicitous men. [The one leading the camels ridden by Lady Dar and Lynne left them unattended, at one point, for a short time, to relieve himself, raising his skirts and squatting, a short way off the track, but they managed quite well as their steeds simply followed the camel ahead.] After we found our own “private” dune, they sat on the side of the dune, smoking and chatting quietly, the camels ruminating placidly. I took the opportunity to examine their teeth and took care not to get too, too close as the large uppers and lowers looked pretty capable of inflicting a very nasty bite! Even managed a wonderful close-up of a ding beetle which one of the guides picked up and held while I snapped away.

Ironically, the sunset was not as spectacular at the one we witnessed the previous evening, partially obscured, as it was, by low cloud cover. Not that we minded at all, so enchanted by the hundreds of other camels that dotted the surrounding dunes, silhouetted like some Arabian Nights magic lantern show. In fact, we could hardly believe how many other tourists there were, although we never felt crowded or crushed. Everyone had more than enough desert heaven so we drank in the Rudolph Valentino/Lawrence of Arabia moments to our hearts’ content.

Just before the barely visible sun sank below the horizon, we asked our drovers to take us back to the waiting van, [Near the almost barrack-like tent cities which line the highway for kilometres here, places, apparently where many tourists wish to stay overnight to get the “real” desert experience!], the return route much shorter. By this time we were used to riding so I, for one, was a tad disappointed that the ride was over almost before it had begun. Nevertheless, most enjoyable and entertaining. We thanked and tipped our drovers and then Ashok drove us back to Jaisalmer, about 40 km. En route to the city, we chatted with Naresh about is family, (arranged marriage), and his work. He has been guiding for the last eight years or so. When the season for guiding is over he returns to his village, with his family, (mother, father, wife, four year old daughter), for three or four months, an enforced holiday, of sorts, as there is no, or very, very little opportunity for other work, in Jaisalmer, during the heat of the summer or the monsoon season. We dropped him off, close to his house, thanking and tipping him for his excellent guiding, and then returned to the hotel.

Thanked Ashok for all his chauffeuring and told him we would be ready to leave at 8:00 am, on the dot! Back to our rooms to shower all the desert sand off our feet and then we reconvened, in our room, for drinks before dinner. Tasty meal in the restaurant there but back to our rooms before 10:00 pm as everyone was sleepy after the “punishing” camel ride. Goodnight to the Lighthalls and then I packed as much as I could before brushing and flossing. Tried to upload one of the videos I’d taken of camel ride but ran out of magabytes so had to abort the ransfer. Too sleepy to go to desk and ask for more time. Hope to mount it on YouTube when in Bikaner so stay tuned. Lady Dar was asleep by the time I was ready for bed and I only read a few chapters before I turned out the lights, falling asleep thinking about the mini-roller-coaster camel ride!

Pics: Lady Darjeeling with her private camel and pet beetle! Elephants lining up for tourists!