Mumbai

We took a short bus ride from Bundi to Kota and caught the overnight train to Mumbai (AKA Bombay). Mumbai is a huge city - one of the world's largest - and quite a drastic change from the quaint towns and cities we'd been visiting in Rajasthan. Mumbai is vibrant and modern, complete with skyscrapers and air-conditioned boutiques, but has just as many old colonial and art deco buildings giving a sense of nostalgia for the faded glory of the past. It also has it's fair share of temples, mosques, and churches, and a dizzying array of chaotic markets. It's everything you expect and everything you don't - a strange concoction of flavors that shocks your tongue into submission when you drink it in.

Mumbai is technically an island and therefore has several waterfront promenades that make for some great people-watching. Chowpatty Beach on the northern end of Back Bay is an especially good place to take in the local scene. Children carry pinwheels and men receive head massages, while fawning couples share bhelpuri (a local snack) or ice cream purchased from vendors who set up temporary stalls on the sand. We sat and watched the sun being eaten by the smog that lay low on the horizon, mesmerized by all of the activity around us.

Mumbai also has lots of parks, or "azids", where Indians gather to partake in the country's favorite past time, cricket. Just as our beloved baseball often remains a mystery to those not raised on it, we have tried hard to understand this allusive game, but have yet to discover its allure. Still, it was fun to stop for a while to watch men dressed in their whitest of whites and capped with a floppy hat taunt one another as they took turns with the bat.

Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the city one afternoon, we took a ferry to visit Elephanta Island. The ferry departed from the Gateway of India, a huge monument built to commemorate the visit of King George V, and took us past several oil tankers and a refinery, reminding us once again of this country's long and sordid history and its present efforts to propel itself into the 21st century.

The island is home to a series of impressive cave temples, supported by huge carved pillars and decorated with enormous statues of gods. The main temple was dedicated to Shiva, and portrayed him in several different manifestations, including one elegant sculpture showing his three faces - the creator, the destroyer, and the preserver. We also hiked to the highest point of the island to see several canons, relics from its later life as a British military outpost.

The rest of our time in Mumbai was spent wandering the markets, enjoying the cafe scene, and sampling deserts at our favorite sweet shop. We also enjoyed a few delicious beers, which were -the first since traveling to the mostly dry northern states. We'll always remember the city for what could have been, beacuse on our last day we were asked to be extras in a film - I am sure we could have been the next big Bollywood stars if we only had a little more time....

Bundi

Rudyard Kipling moved to Bundi to write and it's easy to understand why. It's relaxed, friendly and beautiful, a perfect combination for inspiration. We only had a day here, but gladly would have stayed for more.

Bundi's major sights are situated on a hillside overlooking the town below. Two stone elephants and the smell of guano greeted us as we entered the crumbling Bundi Palace. It has an air of neglect, but is actually a work in progress, with several rooms of the abandoned building being opened to the public a few years back. Beautiful murals don the walls, their colors faded, but still revealing hints of the kingdom's former glory. The paintings in the Chittrasala room are particularly well preserved and their beauty is accentuated by the lovely garden at you must pass through on entry.

A cautious hike further up the hillside past some fiercely intimidating red-faced monkeys brought us to the Taragarh or "Star Fort". The Fort is chock full of decaying stone buildings, battlements and baoris (step wells) slowly being smothered by encroaching weeds and vines. We had full run of the place to explore each dark and spooky passageway or decrepit staircase we came across, or to walk along the top of the fort walls peering down at the lake cradled in the valley below. We also spent a while observing a group of docile black-faced monkeys playing and grooming one another near an old canon, curiosity gradually emboldening the younger ones to involve us in their games as time passed.
Bundi also has some lively markets and hundreds of beautiful temples and baoris scattered throughout town, making it a nice place to leisurely stroll around. It was the perfect location to savor all of sights, sounds and smells that make Rajasthan so captivating one last time before heading south.

Chittorgarh

We made a quick stop in Chittorgarh to visit - you guessed it - another fort. Chittorgarh was once the capital of the Mewar kingdom before it was moved to Udaipur and enjoys near-legendary status due to the many battles waged here. One the of the more interesting ones took place in defence of the kingdom against Sultan Ala ud din Khilji after he tried to kidnap Rani Padmini, rumoured to be the most beautiful woman in the land. The men of the fort fought the advancing army until death, while the women also chose death over dishonour by throwing themselves into a fire in an act of mass suicide.

The ruins here are fairly well preserved since repopulation of the fort has been limited. You enter through a series of gates, after which you reach a crumbling palace and its more modern successor, which now houses a small museum. Scattered over several kilometers in the surrounding area are various other palatial buildings, two intricately carved towers and some interesting step wells. We were impressed by the ornate decoration on even the simplest of structures.

There are also hundreds of temples throughout the sprawling fort, including an interesting Jain Digambar temple. Digambar means "sky-clad" and monks in this sect of Jainism reject clothing, as they do other material possessions. The photos of spiritual leaders adorning the temple made us blush, but luckily for us, the attendant on duty was not quite so ascetic.

Udaipur

Udaipur is another one of those fairy-tale places full of beautiful vistas and elegant palaces, including a few that fantastically sit in the middle of Lake Pichola. It's far from undiscovered and shops and restaurants go out of their way to cater to western tastes, but we were happy to wile away a few days enjoying some much missed comforts of home in this so-called "Venice of the East".


We rented a paddle boat to get a better look at the lake palaces. The marble Jag Niwas palace is now a luxury hotel, which some of you may remember from the Bond film, Octopussey (we reacquainted ourselves with this classic at one of the many nightly screenings held on roof-top restaurants around town). Security wouldn't let us get within 100 meters of the place, but we got close enough to confirm that the hotel's transport boats are paddled by a couple of small Indian men, not 12 hot blonds as the film suggests. Security shoed us away when we tried to approach the lovely Jag Mandir palace as well, which led us to vow our return to this city to do it up in style if we someday win the lottery.

We also visited the City Palace on the lake's western shore. It is largest palace in Rajasthan, but we were disappointed to find out that you can only explore a small part of the monstrous structure since most of it has been repurposed for 2 more upscale hotels. At least we were able to pretend to have the luxury of being guests at the former royal quarters by having a beer (served in crystal!) at the sunset bar.

From miniature painting workshops to sitar courses to palm readings, there are plenty of activities on offer in Udaipur. I attended a cooking class to learn the basics of cooking fragrant North Indian cuisine at home. Gil also treated me to an Ayurvedic massage and Shirodhara treatment as a belated birthday gift. Shirodhara consists of warm oil being dropped on the forehead for 30 minutes - it's supposed to cure you of all sorts of mental ailments, but I am as scattered as always, so I think I'll stick with the massage next time around.

While I was getting pampered, Gil was trekking all over Udaipur's hills with his camera trying to capture the beauty of this place to share with you. He also put in several tough hours taste-testing pastries and searching for the best pot of chai in town.

We also took in a classical Indian dance performance, which showcased traditional dances from all over Rajasthan. There was the peacock dance (with fabulous costumes, of course) and a one that involved clicking together metal instruments fastened to various body parts, but our favorite had to be the one where a woman danced with ceramic water pots stacked on her head. For the finale, the pots were stacked 8, maybe 10 pots high, after which she proceeded to dance on broken glass. That was a dance even Gil could love.

After nearly a week of kicking back and treating ourselves, we were just about ready to return to our normal regimen of bag-packing and sleeper trains...

Jodhpur

Jodhpur is known as the Blue City, as many homes in the old city are washed with indigo. Originally, this treatment signified that the home belonged to a Brahmin, the highest Hindu caste responsible for priestly duties and teaching, but the custom soon spread to others as the blue tinge supposedly helps keep the home cool and repel mosquitoes.

If you haven't figured it out by now, the main themes in Rajasthan are forts and palaces, and Jodhpur is no different. But, the Mehrangarh Fort here is unique in that it is exceptionally well restored and the admission price includes a fascinating audio tour that really brings the place alive.

After climbing the hill on which the fort stands, you enter through a series of gates surfaced with spikes to thwart attacking elephants. Near the last gates you find the hand prints of the thirty-some wives who ceremoniously committed sati, a act of ritual mass suicide, following the death of their maharajah husband. That's some kind of love!

The exterior of the palace is decorated with ornate carvings, while the inner rooms are filled with intricate paintings and mirror work. On display are fantastic collections of weapons, palanquins and elephant howdahs (forms of royal transport), miniature paintings and even opium pipes. The ramparts house many of the original canons used to defend the fort, a task they apparently performed well, as the Mehrangarh was never taken by force.

Jodhpur is also home to some lovely temples and lively market, and we regretted that we had to spend so many hours trying to sort out train tickets for the latter part of our journey rather than simply wandering around to take it all in. Just when you think you have the system all figured out, another obstacle rears its ugly head...

Jaisalmer & Thar Desert

Jaisalmer is one of those fairy tale towns you conjured up in your imagination as a child when you heard stories involving a prince who rides in on his white horses to save the day. Except, in Jaisalmer the prince is a Maharajah and the horse is a camel.

Set atop a natural hill in the Great Thar Desert, Jaisalmer Fort is a golden vision in sandstone. Rather than imposing fear, it's curvaceous bastions seem welcome you inside where you immediately fall under the spell of the delicately carved palace, temples and havelis that hide behind the fortress' walls. The intricate designs that embellish the crumbling edifices remind you of lace, or maybe honeycomb, and give the impression that a strong wind might crumple them to the ground.

But it is not the wind that poses a risk to this exotic sand castle in the desert, it is water. Because of overpopulation and drainage challenges, the fort is on the brink of collapse. We can only hope that immediate steps are taken to address the problem before it is too late, as this city is truly a magical place. Fellow tourists can help by avoiding hotels and restaurants inside the Fort in favor of those spread out in the town below.

We took a camel safari from Jaisalmer into the desert that reaches northwest towards Pakistan. We spent 3 days exploring sandy terrain, sleeping on the dunes under the expansive, star-filled sky. We stopped in several villages along the way, and were welcomed in by laughing children and women who were appreciative for the break from the near-constant work necessary to survive in such an inhospitable place. Our camels were stubborn and rarely responded to our kicks and pleas, but the camel drivers had better luck directing them. Our simple meals were cooked over open fires, sometimes accompanied by coffee or chai made with fresh goat milk collected by one of the camel drivers as we passed a grazing herd. It was a peaceful adventure that we thoroughly enjoyed - although our butts longed for the comfort of a soft cushion and our appetites craved a little variety in our diet by the end!

Bikaner

We took a bumpy night train to Bikaner, a dusty desert town in Northern Rajastan. While not unknown to foreigners, it is somewhat off the main tourist trail, and the locals were absolutely fascinated by us. Walking around the old city we were bombarded with cries of "Hello!", inquiries regarding "Which country?" and requests for "One photo?". In Africa we had developed a strong suspicion of anyone who was overly friendly, but in India we have come across countless people who are genuinely curious about the strangers in their midst and it is a real pleasure to share a short conversation (or, when words fail, a game of charades) with those we meet.

Bikaner has an ancient fort, the Junagarh, and our tour around its lovely palace evoked a good sense of the majestic lives led by the Mughal emperors and Maharajahs who ruled here. Several rooms were preserved with as they had been at the time the palace was inhabited, decorated colorful paintings and ornately carved furniture, while others showcased collections of weaponry, costumes and jewellery. We were most impressed by the facial hair of the Maharajahs, with their bushy, up-turned mustaches and woolly side burns. They even used a special spoon to avoid dirtying their coiffed whiskers when slurping soup!

There are also some beautiful Jain temples in Bikaner, including one that was reputedly built with thousands of tons of ghee in the foundation. We cannot confirm the ghee, but the temple does have some colorful paintings, including a series depicting the punishments that be expected if one does not follow the so-called 12 vows. Live a chaste life, or you may be thrown naked into a swimming hole filled with serpents in the afterlife...

Gil also took a trip to Deshnok to see the Karni MataTemple, one of the more unusual temples in all of India. According to legend the rats at this temple are reincarnated story tellers from the 14th century. And, the place is indeed full of rats! This is not for the sqeemish. The rats are fed and cared for, and can be seen running all over the place, often near your bare feet (shoes must be removed at the temple entrance). Its also a very popular pilgrimage site. There was a line of devotees stretching out the door, waiting for their chance to enter the inner chamber, and be blessed among the many rats.