5/10/12
I should have done my homework. I should have, but I didn't. I stayed in Pushkar an extra day because the bus connecting to the train to Jaiselmer left in the middle of the afternoon and I thought (correctly) that Pushkar deserved an extra day of my life. So this meant arriving in Jaiselmer a day later than expected, though I already had a train ticket to Jaipur from there--a 12 hour ride. I arrived in Jaiselmer in the morning, at around 5am. I was picked up by my hotel by a Tuc-Tuc driver with a sign with my name on it (oh, thank you again, India!), and was brought to the hotel. After sleeping for a few hours in a real bed, I went to formally check in. The hotel owner then told me there was no next day train back to Jaipur (and so on to Agra). He said I could either stay another four days or leave that evening as scheduled. I didn't have another four days. One I could do if I squeezed out another stop. We agreed finally that though it would make for an absurdly short stay in Jaiselmer, my best option was to leave on the 5pm train. It turns out 12 hours somewhere, particularly if a four hour nap has already been had does not give much time to do very much. Who knew?
So I set out for the fort, admitting to myself that a camel trek was our of the question. I had lunch at a disappointing little place run by a woman who kept yelling at her sad-eyed son but putting on a big smile for me. I went by the beautiful Jain temples, which were closed, but admired the amazing detail and intricate design from the outside. A man at a nearby shop stopped to explain more about the temples, how they came to be in the fort, and about the Jain tradition of massage. Basically, I got a free massage out of the deal, but then stopped the man when he asked me if he could massage my front and legs. Ummm, no. I promptly left to continue my walk, then stopped for a cold soda. TRhe waiter proceeded to tell me that he is Muslim and has his first wife through an arranged marriage already. He is open to another wife, but only if it is through a love marriage, he told me, giving me a smile. Umm, check please. I paid, and left, wishing him the best of luck with his love marriage. An older gentleman invited me in for chai in his friend's shop--a barbershop, I soon found out. The tea was hot, but refreshing in the air conditioned barbershop. The old man followed me out when I left after the tea and some polite conversation. "You play now, but one day come back for Om (his friend barber). He is what you need. I know it." I smiled, shook his hand again and left, heading back to my hotel to shower before my second night train in a row.
What a weird, short trip to the desert. I bent down to pick something up in my room and my back spasmed. That god damned massage killed me--how terribly ironic. I went down to the main office slowly, stiffly. I told the owner what had happened to my back. He gave me some sort of cream, then asked if I wanted his help to apply it. I agreed--this guy had been completely nice and non-creepy this entire time. I popped some ibuprofen after my short massage, then got on the night train, to sleep another night on the hard berth.
The family in my compartment consisted of a 6 year old girl, a 9 year old boy, and two parents in their early 30s. Each time I climbed down from my upper bunk the girl touched my head, smiling. The parents and girl took turns giving the boy math problems in English. 177 plus 94? The family was very sweet and when I got off at a stop to buy water and cookies (a wholesome dinner), I shared my cookies with the kids. I was deep into a This American Life podcast an hour later when I felt a tug at my sleeve. "Would you like some curry?" the boy asked, grinning. It was delicious.
I should have done my homework. I should have, but I didn't. I stayed in Pushkar an extra day because the bus connecting to the train to Jaiselmer left in the middle of the afternoon and I thought (correctly) that Pushkar deserved an extra day of my life. So this meant arriving in Jaiselmer a day later than expected, though I already had a train ticket to Jaipur from there--a 12 hour ride. I arrived in Jaiselmer in the morning, at around 5am. I was picked up by my hotel by a Tuc-Tuc driver with a sign with my name on it (oh, thank you again, India!), and was brought to the hotel. After sleeping for a few hours in a real bed, I went to formally check in. The hotel owner then told me there was no next day train back to Jaipur (and so on to Agra). He said I could either stay another four days or leave that evening as scheduled. I didn't have another four days. One I could do if I squeezed out another stop. We agreed finally that though it would make for an absurdly short stay in Jaiselmer, my best option was to leave on the 5pm train. It turns out 12 hours somewhere, particularly if a four hour nap has already been had does not give much time to do very much. Who knew?
So I set out for the fort, admitting to myself that a camel trek was our of the question. I had lunch at a disappointing little place run by a woman who kept yelling at her sad-eyed son but putting on a big smile for me. I went by the beautiful Jain temples, which were closed, but admired the amazing detail and intricate design from the outside. A man at a nearby shop stopped to explain more about the temples, how they came to be in the fort, and about the Jain tradition of massage. Basically, I got a free massage out of the deal, but then stopped the man when he asked me if he could massage my front and legs. Ummm, no. I promptly left to continue my walk, then stopped for a cold soda. TRhe waiter proceeded to tell me that he is Muslim and has his first wife through an arranged marriage already. He is open to another wife, but only if it is through a love marriage, he told me, giving me a smile. Umm, check please. I paid, and left, wishing him the best of luck with his love marriage. An older gentleman invited me in for chai in his friend's shop--a barbershop, I soon found out. The tea was hot, but refreshing in the air conditioned barbershop. The old man followed me out when I left after the tea and some polite conversation. "You play now, but one day come back for Om (his friend barber). He is what you need. I know it." I smiled, shook his hand again and left, heading back to my hotel to shower before my second night train in a row.
What a weird, short trip to the desert. I bent down to pick something up in my room and my back spasmed. That god damned massage killed me--how terribly ironic. I went down to the main office slowly, stiffly. I told the owner what had happened to my back. He gave me some sort of cream, then asked if I wanted his help to apply it. I agreed--this guy had been completely nice and non-creepy this entire time. I popped some ibuprofen after my short massage, then got on the night train, to sleep another night on the hard berth.
The family in my compartment consisted of a 6 year old girl, a 9 year old boy, and two parents in their early 30s. Each time I climbed down from my upper bunk the girl touched my head, smiling. The parents and girl took turns giving the boy math problems in English. 177 plus 94? The family was very sweet and when I got off at a stop to buy water and cookies (a wholesome dinner), I shared my cookies with the kids. I was deep into a This American Life podcast an hour later when I felt a tug at my sleeve. "Would you like some curry?" the boy asked, grinning. It was delicious.
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